I Peter 1:4-5.
To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you,
Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.
To put this passage into context, the previous verse, I will repost it here:
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to His abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,”
You will notice that the verse ends with a comma, not a period. That is because the book was not written as individual verses, but as a letter. The verse divisions are helpful in locating a passage, but we need to remember that they were created later by translators.The book was intended to be read all in one piece.
So, “. . . . .unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible. . . . . “
Jesus rose from death and the grave to an inheritance that will never decay. Because He did so, He paved the way for those who believe in Him to do the same. We are promised, as believers, that our heavenly inheritance never corrupts or fades away, but remains glorious forever. And that is provided for “whosoever will” not by an angry, vengeful God, but by a God of infinite mercy and love.
It is reserved for those of us who are “Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.” At this point, the glories of heaven are hidden from us except for whatever is revealed in the Bible. It will all be revealed fully in all its incorruptible glory when we get to heaven; or when He comes to take us away at the beginning of the end times.
And by the way, I want to point out the beauty of Peter’s language in this letter. It is almost poetic, and extremely intelligent. Of course, I know it was inspired of God, but God always allows the personality, life experience, education and training of each writer to shine through in the portions they have written.
Peter was not just an ignorant guy who fished for a living.
Linda's Bible Study 