The
Promise of the Prophets in This Age of Grace
Introduction
– The inheritance is reserved for us in heaven; this is
true. But Peter wants to make sure you
understand that the glories of that final inheritance, while waiting for you in
heaven, are surely being granted to the Church Triumphant in growing measure in
this age. For the Dispersion then, and
for us as well now, this takes eyes of faith in the promises of the prophets to
see.
The Inquiry of the Prophets
– The prophets saw the salvation of our souls and prophesied of it. This was a salvation that went far beyond
the boundaries of the nation of Israel (Gen 12:3, Dan 2:31-35, Is 2:1-2, 66:18,
Zech 9:9-10). In other words, the
prophets of the Old Testament never expected the grace of God to be limited to
the work of those residing in Palestine or only to the Jewish race. God not only revealed the coming of the
Messiah and the end of all things, but this age of grace ‘that would come to
you’ as well.
Searching What
Manner of Time – The prophets did not know clearly all that
was up, but through searching the Scriptures, they knew much about this
time. Simeon did (Luke 2:25-32), and
Jesus rebuked His disciples for not seeing more (Luke 24:25-27).
The Sufferings and Glories in Christ
– This was the testimony of the Spirit of Christ, and both are found throughout
the Old Testament. Clearly Isaiah 53
speaks of the Savior’s suffering. Jesus
Himself quotes Psalm 22, which declares the sufferings (vv 1-21), immediately
followed by a declaration of the glories to follow. These glories include the expansion of His grace to the nations
of the world, and the families of the nations, and the posterity of the
families. His name is declared in the
great assembly (Ps 22:22, quoted in Heb 2:12).
That great assembly, which is the church today (Heb 12:22-24), proclaims
His victory over all the earth (Psalm 22:28).
“To them it
was revealed that, not to themselves, but to us they were ministering the
things which now have been reported to you…” (1 Pet 1:12). The prophets knew they were speaking of
these days – the days following the resurrection of Jesus Christ. There is not simply glory in heaven. There is the promise of glories that follow
the sufferings of Christ in this age of grace.
The Ministry of the Holy Spirit
– The gospel was preached ‘by the Holy Spirit’, Peter says in verse 12. This is the Peter who preached on the day of
the Spirit’s outpouring at Pentecost, when he quoted Joel (Acts 2:16-17). Peter is giving testimony to the effectual
calling of the Holy Spirit, and this is the promise of the New Covenant. The living waters are pouring out of the New
Temple upon the whole earth.
Jesus is the
True Temple – John 2:19-21.
Jesus Promises
Living Waters (John 7:38) – Whoever is in this temple, out of
him flows living waters.
Ezekiel
Promised a Temple-River – (Ezekiel 47:1-7). Jesus was speaking of the Holy Spirit (John
7:39). So here we have another picture
of the gradual increase of the work of the Spirit in this age of grace.
The Old and New Testament – Contrary to
many mistaken views of the Bible, the Old and New Testament are one story. We often draw contrasts where the scriptures
draw parallels.
Salvation is
the Same in Both – Abraham believes God as we are
commanded to believe God. All of those
saved in the old economy were saved through the blood of Christ, the mediator
of the Covenant of Grace (Heb 9:15).
The Old is not
Obsolete – Paul tells Timothy to study the Old Testament
(2 Tim 3:16-17) because it is all profitable.
The words of the New Testament time and again presuppose a knowledge of
and belief in the teachings of the Old Testament. You cannot understand the New Testament if you do not have a
thorough understanding of the Old. The
old sacrificial practices, as practices, were made obsolete by the
coming of the True Temple and the True Sacrifice (Heb 8:13). But Jesus Himself said He did not come to
abolish the teachings of the Old Testament (Matt 5:17).
Let Scripture
Interpret Scripture – We must get our hermeneutic, our
understanding of how to interpret the scriptures, from the scriptures. Time and again we see the New Testament
acting as our inspired commentary of the Old.
What Peter is teaching us is that the Old proclaims glories for this
age. “This salvation” is not only in
heaven, but has legs down here upon the earth.
That is why Jesus gave us His marching orders (Matt 28:18-20).
Results – Peter is not simply rambling in these
two verses. He is connecting the
inexpressible joy of our salvation to the day in which we live. There is not only hope in heaven, but hope
here upon the earth.
Angels Desire
to Look Into – The angels, as well as the prophets,
understand that these things are worth studying and searching. Do you?
Joy Full of
Glory – God is delighting over His plan of
redemption. The angels are witness to
this (Luke 15:10). We are invited to
party with them.
Our View of
Evangelism – We believe in the efficacious work of the Holy
Spirit in the preaching of the Word of God.
This affects our gathering here, and our proclamation to you now.