Peter Exhorts the Persecuted Believers Volume 9

 Being Born Again to a Living Hope Part 7

1 Peter 1:12 Unto whom it was revealed, that not unto themselves, but unto us they did minister the things, which are now reported unto you by them that have preached the Gospel unto you with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven; which things the angels desire to look into. KJV Note: NKJV=New King James Version

We learned in just the previous two verses that the very Prophets of the Old Testament searched and enquired diligently through the prophecies of one another trying to understand what this grace of God would be like that would come from the Messiah's sufferings for the sins of the people of the world and at what time in human history would this manifest or take place. The Apostle Peter now finishes up his discourse on this subject matter with something even more remarkable and that being that the holy and obedient angels of God are so moved by what Christ Jesus has done for us sinners and more importantly done in us sinners that they desire to look into this matter of salvation by grace through faith offered to fallen human beings, as it is written by the Apostle Peter with these words, "Unto whom it was revealed, that not unto themselves, but unto us they did minister the things, which are now reported unto you by them that have preached the Gospel unto you with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven; which things the angels desire to look into." (1 Peter 1:12) (KJV). The Prophets of old realized that many of the things that were given to them to speak to the people of Israel were actually referring to us in the future who would come to the Cross ➕  of Christ Jesus our Lord in repentance and faith and be begotten again or born again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead as Peter declared earlier in his letter ✉ in 1 Peter 1:3. How awesome and awe inspiring must it have been for those men to realizes that the very words that were coming from their lips were for a people that they themselves would never see on the earth 🌎, remember what our Lord Jesus said to those who walked with Him during His incarnation and earthly ministry, "And the disciples came and said to Him, 'Why do You speak to them in parables?' He answered and said to them, 'Because it has been given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. For whoever has, to him more will be given, and he will have abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him. Therefore I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand. And in them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled, which says: Hearing you will hear and shall not understand, And seeing you will see and not perceive; For the hearts of this people have grown dull. Their ears are hard of hearing, And their eyes they have closed, Lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, Lest they should understand with their hearts and turn, So that I should heal them.' But blessed are your eyes for they see, and your ears for they hear; for assuredly, I say to you that many prophets and righteous men desired to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it." (Matthew 13:10-17) (NKJV). Although angels are far superior to we human beings in power and strength 💪, yet like us they are not omniscient or infinite, so they did not know of the Triunes God's plan for the restoration, redemption, and resurrection of fallen humanity in the heart and mind of God before the foundations of the world were even laid, as the Apostle Paul wrote of to the brothers and sisters in Ephesus with these words, "To me, who am less than the least of all the saints, this grace was given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, and to make all see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the ages has been hidden in God who created all things through Jesus Christ; to the intent that now the manifold wisdom of God might be made known by the Church to the principalities and powers in the heavenly places (ANGELS), according to the eternal purpose which He accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord, in whom we have boldness and access with confidence through faith in Him." (Ephesians 3:8-12) (NKJV). According to the Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary, "The physical appearance of angels varies, based on their categorization. Unlike popular imagery, only cherubim and seraphim have wings. Within biblical texts angels always appear as men and never as women or children. Angels identify with humans on the basis of form, language, and action. Angelic uniqueness is sometimes evidenced in Scripture by their activity or appearing in ways humans do not (Gen. 16:1-11; Exod. 3:2; Num. 22:23; Judg. 6:21; 13:20; John 20:12). The feature of a brilliant white appearance of angels occurs only in the NT (Mark 16:5)." In other words, despite the fact of the awesome power angels have been given by God, they too (like those of us who are redeemed humans) long to know more about our Great God and Savior Jesus Christ (Titus 2:13).

Here is what John Wesley had to say of 1 Peter 1:12, "To whom - So searching. It was revealed, that not for themselves, but for us they ministered - They did not so much by those predictions serve themselves, or that generation, as they did us, who now enjoy what they saw afar off. With the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven - Confirmed by the inward, powerful testimony of the Holy Ghost, as well as the mighty effusion of His miraculous gifts. Which things angels desire to look into - A beautiful gradation; prophets, righteous men, kings, desired to see and hear what Christ did and taught. What the Holy Ghost taught concerning Christ the very angels long to know." Here is what Alexander MacLaren had to say of the angels desire to look into Christ and His Cross ➕, "‘Which things the angels desire to look into.’ Now, the word that Peter employs there is an unusual one in Scripture. Its force may, perhaps, be best conveyed by referring to one of the few instances in which it is employed. It is used to describe the attitude of Peter and John when they stooped down and looked into the sepulchre. Perhaps there may be a reference in Peter’s mind to that incident, when he saw the ‘two angels ... sitting, the one at the head, and the other at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain.’ Perhaps, also, there floats in his mind some kind of reference to the outspread wings and bended heads of the brooding cherubim who sat above the Mercy-seat, gazing down upon the miracle of love that was manifested beneath them there. But be that as it may, the idea conveyed is that of eager desire and fixed attention. Now I am not going to enlarge at all upon the thought that is here conveyed, except just to make the one remark that people have often said, ‘Why should a race of insignificant creatures on this little globe of ours be so dignified in the divine procedure as that there should be the stupendous mystery of the Incarnation, and the Death for their sakes?’ Not for their sakes only, for the New Testament commits itself to the thought that whilst sinful men are the only subjects of the redeeming grace of Jesus Christ, other orders of creatures do benefit thereby, and do learn from it what else they would not have known, of the mystery and the miracle and the majesty of the Divine love. ‘To the principalities and the powers in heavenly places He hath made known by the Church the manifold wisdom of God.’ And we can understand how these other orders—what we call higher orders, which they may be or they may not—of being, learn to know God as we learn to know Him, by the manifestation of Himself in His acts, and how the crown of all manifestations consists in this, that He visits the sinful sons of men, and by His own dear Son brings them back again. The elder brethren in the Father’s house do not grudge the ring and the robe given to the prodigals; rather they learn therein more than they knew before of the loving-kindness of God. Now all that is nowadays ignored, and it is not fashionable to speak about the interest of angels in the success of Redemption, and a good many ‘advanced’ Christians do not believe in angels at all, because they ‘cannot verify’ the doctrine. I, for my part, accept the teaching, which seems to me to be a great deal more reasonable than to suppose that the rest of the universe is void of creatures that can praise and love and know God. I accept the teaching, and think that Peter was, perhaps, not a dreamer when he said, ‘The angels desire to look into these things.’ They do not share in the blessings of redemption, but they can behold what they do not themselves experience. The Seer in the Revelation was not mistaken, when he believed that he heard redeemed men leading the chorus to Him that had redeemed them by His blood out of all nations, and then heard the thunderous echo from an innumerable host of angels who could not say ‘Thou hast redeemed us,’ but who could bring praise and glory to Him because He had redeemed men."

If you do not know the Lord Jesus Christ and His amazing healing power, pray this from your heart to the Lord Jesus Christ (you speaking directly to Him), Dear Lord Jesus, I confess to You that I am a sinner and I need Your forgiveness. I believe You shed Your Blood and died for my sins. I believe that You rose from the dead proving that You alone are God. I repent of my sins. I want to turn from my sins. I ask You Dear Lord Jesus to come into my heart and take control of my life. I want You to be my Lord, Savior, and my God. Amen...


Sincerely in Christ,


Clifford D. Tate, Sr.


Author of “Silent Assassins of the Soul - Are you Broken by Pornography and Masturbation? You can be Restored by the Lord Jesus Christ and brought into Deliverance, Freedom, and Victory! A Guide for Men and Women in the Enemy’s Crosshairs” e-book available now @ Amazon Kindle, @ Apple I Bookstore for IPod, Barnes and Noble for Nook, Reader Store for Sony Reade, Kobo, Copia, Gardners, Baker and Taylor, and eBookPie…