1 Peter 1:11

1 Peter 1:11 ‘seeking to know what person or time the Spirit of Christ within them was indicating as He predicted the sufferings of Christ and the glories to follow'

“seeking to know” - Apart from God's revelation, they were just as ignorant as any other man concerning spiritual truth and the future. No man is born with. greater natural ability to penetrate the future or discover spiritual truth on his own than others. Every man is blind on his own (Jeremiah 2:23). ****'The men used necessarily as instruments of revelation were not given with the revelation any assistance in understanding it, any more than are we who read the revelation…Inspired men had no advantage over any one in understanding the revelation. Each had to use his own mind and the language of the revelation to understand it.' (Hamilton p. 30)

“what person” -others translate this ‘what time'. The Greek expression simply means ‘what'. Thus the verse literally reads, ‘what or what time'. Besides wondering about the ‘specific' time when these things would happen. They could also have been asking, ‘what person is under consideration?' (Acts 8:34) Or, who will receive these blessings?

“or time” -Would these things be fulfilled in their own times?

“the Spirit of Christ” -Two views: 1. The pre-existent Jesus spoke directly through the prophets and predicted His own sufferings (1 Peter 3:18). 2. The Holy Spirit is here called the ‘Spirit of Christ', because He spoke of the sufferings of Christ, spoke on behalf of Christ. Seeing that the Godhead is perfectly united (John 10:30), we would have to concede that what one member speaks all speak or endorse. 3. From 2 Peter 1:21. if appears that even before Jesus came to this earth, the Holy Spirit was acting in the role as. messenger from ‘God' (Father/Son) to inspired men. Thus it is not unreasonable to say that the Holy Spirit was speaking on behalf of Christ, or taking the things of Christ and giving them to men (John 16:14). 4. The ‘He' in the next statement would favor the view that the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Christ in this passage.

“within them” -The messages they spoke did not originate as products of their own thinking (2 Peter 1:20).

“predicted the sufferings of Christ” -POINTS TO NOTE: 1. The Jewish people had plenty of warning that the Messiah would suffer. The suffering and death of Jesus was clearly predicted in the writings of the prophets (Isaiah 2:1; Psalms 22:1; Psalms 69:1. etc..). The death of Jesus wasn't an accident or ‘plan B' (Acts 2:22; Acts 13:27). 2. Jesus wasn't coming to establish an earthly empire, or rule over an earthly kingdom. He wasn't coming to bring about an earthly utopia either. While claiming to be the experts in Biblical prophecy, popular Premillennialists who contend that the death of Jesus was not part of God's original plan, find themselves contradicting the most basic truth revealed through the prophets.

“and the glories to follow” -Glories which hadn't been put on hold. This verse infers that the glories predicted of the Messiah and His reign were finding fulfillment in the First Century. See Daniel 7:13; Psalms 110:1; Acts 2:25; Ephesians 1:20. The glories to follow are those things which followed His suffering and death. His resurrection, ascension into heaven, occupying the throne of David, ruling over all things, etc…