1 Peter 1:10-11

1 Peter 1:10-11

[10] Of  which  salvation  the prophets  have enquired  and  searched diligently,  who  prophesied  of  the grace  that should come unto  [11] Searching  what,  or  what manner  of time  the Spirit  of Christ  which  was in  them  did signify,  when it testified beforehand  the sufferings  of  Christ,  and  the glory  that should follow. 

What does 1 Peter 1:10-11 Mean?

Contextual Meaning

Salvation is the major concept that Peter discussed. He wanted his readers to remember that it included suffering as well as glory. The Old Testament prophets had predicted that Messiah would experience both suffering and glory (e.g, Isaiah 61:1-3). However, they did not understand how His suffering and glory would fit together. It is possible to understand that mystery only after Jesus" earthly ministry.
"He [1], who wanted to hear nothing of it [2] during the lifetime of Jesus, made Jesus" suffering and death the very centre of his explanation of Jesus" earthly work." [1]
Many Christians do not realize that God intended our experience to include both suffering and glory.
The title "Spirit of Christ" occurs elsewhere in the New Testament only in Romans 8:9. In both places it probably signifies not only that the Spirit came from Christ but also that He witnesses to Christ as His representative (cf. John 15:26-27). Peter was stressing the Spirit"s witness to Christ in the Old Testament rather than the preexistence of Christ. [4]
Some interpreters have seen the phrase "the grace that would come to you" ( 1 Peter 1:10) as a reference to the salvation of Gentiles. The Old Testament prophets predicted this, too (e.g, Isaiah 52:15). Peter"s original audience was probably predominantly Gentile groups of Christians. It seems more likely, however, that Peter was not referring exclusively to prophecy about Gentile salvation. He seems to have been referring to the grace God promised to bestow on believers generally, including Gentile salvation, about which he had been speaking in 1 Peter 1:3-9.
These verses clearly distinguish, by the way, between the divine author and the human writers of Scripture. The prophets were not merely religious geniuses. They were people through whom God spoke ( 2 Peter 1:21). At times they knew that they did not fully comprehend what they were communicating. At other times they probably thought they understood but did not completely realize the full significance of what they communicated (cf. Daniel 9; Daniel 12:5-13; Habakkuk 2:1-4). They did not know the time when many Messianic prophecies would be fulfilled either.