1 Peter 1: 11 (b) — The Value of Hindsight

A closeup view of a car's rearview mirror.

…when he predicted the sufferings of the Messiah …

The suffering of the Messiah is the pivotal event in all human history. Without a willing Messiah, humanity would have eventually burned itself up. In the final analysis, after all the souls were counted, God would not have had much to show for his trouble. The rest of us would have ended up in the eternal garbage bin, languishing forever in the vacuum of rejection we had crafted for ourselves.

But that is not how it played out. Instead, the God who created us became our savior. More than that, our salvation was not an impulsive gambit. It was not a last-minute effort to save the day. Instead, our God knew from the very beginning that a savior would be needed. (See Genesis 3: 14-15) He also knew who that savior would be, and the point in history when salvation needed to occur.

Continue reading “1 Peter 1: 11 (b) — The Value of Hindsight”

Vision

Up until this point in Zechariah’s prophetic song he has been talking about the coming Messiah, Jesus. Now his vision switches to his own newly born son, John.

And you, my child, will be called a prophet of the Most High;
    for you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for him…

Luke 1: 76

At the time John is born, Zechariah and Elizabeth are old people. It seems unlikely that they would have still been alive when John started his ministry, so they would never see the fulfillment of his calling with their eyes of flesh. Through the Holy Spirit, however, Zechariah is able to see what John will become: a prophet of the Most High, preparing the way before Him.

Continue reading “Vision”