Pastor Chris’ Corona Quarantine Epistles to the Flock of AIC Ngong Road, in Dispersion and Isolation. 114th. Edition.
Dear Children of the Heavenly King,
Today’s passage (1 Peter 1:10-12) reveals what a privilege it is to live in the age of grace.
Inquiry (v. 10). The prophets of the Old Testament were very curious about the prophecies they made about the time of the Messiah. They investigated the matter because it was of great significance, as much as they could not see the full extent of what they were given to declare.
Indication (v. 11). There is a lot in the prophecies of the Old Testament about the suffering of Christ and of the glory that is to follow. Anyone only familiar with the New Testament, given Isaiah 53 to read, would think that he was reading a report of the crucifixion of Jesus. The prophet Daniel is obviously speaking of the Second Coming of Christ and his eternal dominion thereafter (Daniel 7:13-14). And yet these things were not as clear to the prophets who prophesied them as they are to us today! Their investigations were met with a simple Implication (v. 12), that what they were peering into was for a future time. Daniel was told to “seal up the vision” (Daniel 8:26; 12:4). The writer of Hebrews says of the great saints of the Old Testament, that despite their faith, they “did not receive the promise” (Hebrews 11:39)This revelation that has finally been made to the believers, for whom it was reserved all this time (Hebrews 11:40), is so special that even angels have a longing to investigate it.
The good news we have received is no ordinary news. God has revealed to us through the Holy Spirit and the preaching of Jesus Christ by the apostles and those after them, the Mystery that has been hidden since the beginning of the world (Romans 16:25-26.
What this ought to mean for every Christian is that no challenge, no problem, no amount of persecution, should dissuade us from our privileged focus. The great prophets of old died for a hazy picture, we are living the reality!
Your Loving Pastor Chris.