1 Peter 1:12

The prophets did understand, however, that God would not fulfill all of their inspired revelations in their own days but in the future. God had fulfilled the prophecies about Messiah’s sufferings in Peter’s day, but He had not fulfilled the prophecies of Messiah’s glorification yet. Even the angels are waiting to see how and exactly when God will fulfill them (cf. Hebrews 1:5 to Hebrews 2:18).

The Holy Spirit has a ministry of illumination as well as inspiration. He enables others to understand God’s revelation as preachers explain it and, of course, as they hear it in other ways.

Peter’s point in 1 Peter 1:10-12 seems to be that his readers could rejoice in their sufferings even though they could not see exactly how or when their present trials would end. The readers should find encouragement by looking at the prophets’ limited understanding of their own prophecies dealing with the suffering and glorification of Messiah. God would bring their own experiences to a glorious completion just as He would Messiah’s, though in both cases the details of fulfillment were not yet clear.