Prophecies of Christ: The Privilege of Living on This Side of the Cross

Standing at a Privileged Point in History

We live at an incredibly privileged moment in salvation history. Open your Bible and you have immediate access to both the prophecies of Christ written centuries before His birth and the historical documentation of His life, death, and resurrection. You can read Isaiah 53 predicting the suffering Servant, then turn to the Gospels and see those prophecies fulfilled in precise detail. You can study Micah’s prediction of Bethlehem as the birthplace of the Messiah, then read the nativity accounts confirming that exact location (Micah 5:2; Matthew 2:1).

This seamless access to both prediction and fulfillment is something the Old Testament prophets themselves desperately longed to understand but could not fully grasp. Peter invites us to look at salvation from the prophets’ viewpoint—to appreciate what they saw in shadows that we now see in brilliant light. Understanding the prophecies of Christ from their perspective should deepen our gratitude and strengthen our faith, reminding us that God’s salvation plan has been unfolding across millennia with perfect precision.

The Prophets’ Careful Search

Peter tells us that the Old Testament prophets “inquired and searched carefully” regarding the salvation they prophesied. The prophets studied their own Spirit-inspired writings with intense diligence, seeking to understand more fully what God was revealing about His promised salvation. They believed in God and His future salvation plan—faith that was accounted to them as righteousness (Habakkuk 2:4; Romans 4:3)—yet they could not fully comprehend what was coming in the life and death of Christ.

Imagine their position: they received divine revelation about a coming Savior, yet lived centuries before His arrival. They wrote about prophecies of Christ’s suffering, glory, and ultimate victory, but couldn’t see the complete picture. In their searching, they were particularly seeking answers to two burning questions: Who would this promised Messiah be? And when would He come? They had pieces of a magnificent puzzle but couldn’t yet see how they all fit together.

Writing Beyond Their Understanding

Here’s what makes the prophecies of Christ even more remarkable: the Holy Spirit took up residence inside these prophets to divinely enable them to write about future salvation with stunning accuracy, even when they didn’t fully understand what they were writing. Peter says “the Spirit of Christ who was in them” testified beforehand about “the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow.”

The prophets wrote about Christ’s birth—a virgin conceiving, Bethlehem as birthplace, flight to Egypt (Isaiah 7:14; Micah 5:2; Hosea 11:1). They described His sufferings in graphic detail—pierced hands and feet, garments divided by lot, forsaken cry, death among criminals (Psalm 22; Isaiah 53). They even prophesied about the eventual future day of the Lord with the New Heaven and New Earth (Isaiah 65:17). Yet they ministered these prophecies of Christ without witnessing their fulfillment, writing for a future generation they would never meet.

This should astound us. The prophets served as instruments through whom the Holy Spirit communicated divine truth that transcended their own time and understanding. They were faithful stewards of mysteries they couldn’t fully unlock, trusting that God would reveal the meaning in His perfect timing.

Ministering to Us Across the Centuries

Peter makes a profound statement: the Old Testament prophets were “not to themselves, but to us they were ministering.” The prophecies of Christ were written primarily for our benefit—for those living on this side of the cross who can see the complete picture. Isaiah didn’t write Isaiah 53 primarily for his contemporaries; he wrote it for us, so we could read about the suffering Servant and recognize Jesus centuries later. David didn’t compose Psalm 22 merely to express his own anguish; the Holy Spirit orchestrated those words to perfectly describe Christ’s crucifixion a thousand years before it occurred.

This means we can study the prophecies given by the Holy Spirit through the Old Testament writers and compare them against the writings of the apostles in the New Testament. This comparison confirms that the gospel is indeed the fulfillment of God’s promises (Luke 24:44-47). Every prophecy fulfilled in Christ validates that Jesus is exactly who He claimed to be and that God’s Word is utterly trustworthy. The prophecies of Christ form an unbreakable chain connecting God’s ancient promises to their perfect fulfillment, demonstrating that our faith isn’t built on human invention but on divine orchestration.

The Privilege of Confirmed Faith

Unlike the prophets who wrote in faith about what they couldn’t see, we have the extraordinary privilege of examining fulfilled prophecy. We don’t have to wonder who the Messiah would be—we know Him by name: Jesus of Nazareth. We don’t have to speculate when He would come—we can read the historical accounts of His birth, ministry, death, and resurrection. We possess what prophets and kings longed to see but never witnessed (Matthew 13:17).

This privilege carries profound implications. When doubts assail your faith, you can turn to the prophecies of Christ and see God’s faithfulness displayed across centuries. When skeptics question Christianity’s validity, you can point to hundreds of specific predictions fulfilled with precision. When trials make you wonder if God truly has a plan, you can remember that He orchestrated every detail of redemption across millennia—and He’s orchestrating your life with the same sovereign care.

The salvation we’ve received is a culmination of God’s eternal plan, revealed progressively through prophecy and perfectly fulfilled in Christ. We stand at the intersection of promise and fulfillment, able to look backward at prophecy and forward to Christ’s return with confidence rooted in God’s proven faithfulness (2 Peter 1:19).

A Message That Captivates Heaven Itself

Peter concludes with a stunning observation: the prophecies of Christ and their fulfillment in the gospel are “things which angels desire to look into.” Even celestial beings find God’s redemption plan fascinating and worthy of intense study. The angels witnessed Christ’s glory in heaven, announced His birth, ministered to Him during temptation, strengthened Him in Gethsemane, and proclaimed His resurrection—yet they marvel at the intricacies of salvation in ways that suggest ongoing discovery (Ephesians 3:10).

Why do angels find this so captivating? Because they’ve never experienced redemption personally. They observe God’s grace extended to fallen humanity—beings lower than themselves—and witness the transformation that salvation produces. As Hebrews 1:14 reminds us, angels are “ministering spirits sent forth to minister for those who will inherit salvation.” They’re involved in the church, serving those whom Christ redeemed, fascinated by the unfolding drama of redemption they can observe but never personally experience.

If angels—who dwell in God’s presence and witness His glory continuously—find the prophecies of Christ and the gospel worthy of such intense interest, how much more should we who benefit from salvation treasure these truths? God manifests His wisdom and glory through the church in ways that captivate heavenly beings. We are living testimonies to God’s redemptive power, demonstrating to the spiritual realm what grace accomplishes in broken, redeemed humanity.

Reflection Questions

1. How does understanding that Old Testament prophets longed to see what you now possess change your appreciation for the gospel and your access to Scripture? Do you take for granted the privilege of living on this side of the cross?
2. When was the last time you studied the prophecies of Christ and their fulfillment? How might regularly comparing Old Testament predictions with New Testament fulfillments strengthen your faith during times of doubt?
3. The prophets faithfully wrote about a salvation they couldn’t fully understand, trusting God’s plan. What does their example teach you about serving God faithfully even when you don’t understand His purposes in your current circumstances?
4. If angels—who dwell in God’s presence—find the gospel endlessly fascinating, what does that reveal about how you should approach Scripture, worship, and the story of redemption? Are you treating these truths as ordinary or extraordinary?

Prayer

Consider the incredible privilege of living in a time when you can see fulfilled prophecy and know the complete story of salvation. Thank God for the prophets who faithfully wrote what they couldn’t fully understand, and for revealing His plan so clearly in Christ.

If this devotional encouraged you, you may also appreciate more devotionals in this 1 Peter Devotional Series