1 Peter 1:10-12  Concerning this salvation, the prophets, who spoke of the grace that was to come to you, searched intently and with the greatest care, trying to find out the time and circumstances to which the Spirit of Christ in them was pointing when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow. It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves but you, when they spoke of the things that have now been told you by those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. Even angels long to look into these things.

Whenever there is a “new” teaching, people are skeptical, and rightly so. Consider all the con artists that are trying to sucker people into things. We need to be wary. It pays to check things out.

In the passage above, Peter is trying to convince his readers that the message of Christ is not something new – it goes back to the prophets! They foretold the grace that God would give to the world by sending Jesus. Of course, those wanted to know WHEN it would all happen (v. 11), but their job was simply to tell people that it WOULD happen. They had God’s Word on it, and they proclaimed that Word of God to others.

Peter said that the “Spirit of Christ” predicted both the sufferings and the glories of the Messiah. The cross would come before the resurrection. Without the cross and the payment for sin that would be made at Calvary, there would be no resurrection and victory over death. It had to take place. It was part of God’s plan to redeem you from sin and death.

The prophets did not live to see what they spoke and wrote about. They lived by faith, even as we do today. Their faith was looking forward to God’s promises being fulfilled. Our faith looks back to the promises fulfilled in Jesus. (2 Corinthians 5:7   We live by faith, not by sight.)

Peter mentions that “angels long to look into these things.” You might wonder why angels, who are in the presence of the Almighty, would they be curious about us. The answer is really simple. Yes, they are with God, but His redemptive love is beyond anything they have experienced. Jesus did not die for them. He died for us. So those heavenly messengers who announced the birth and resurrection of Jesus marvel at what God has done and what He continues to do for man.