In this introduction, Paul writes of the glory and power that God exhibited in raising Christ from the dead. He also writes of the spiritual blessings and the inheritance that await believers. The Spirit being the guarantee of the inheritance promised in the fullness of time.
1 Peter says that Messiah was known before the creation. That's because He was there at the creation.
Fashionable intellectual belief is that reality is plastic, that is it can be formed into whatever people desire it to be. That is the basis for all of the 'isms' from the 19th and 20th centuries. In contrast, God tells us that reality is elastic. That means that it can be pushed out of shape for a while, but it eventually snaps back. The farther it is stretched, the more violent the snap. In Leviticus 19-20 Moses tells Israel to keep separate from the nations and not to adopt their ways. There he gives a set of principles to insure that Israel's society stays within safe elastic limits.
The world is intent on marginalizing and silencing believers using every technique from intimidation to legal action. Simply put, those who are perishing do not want to be told that there is a better way. Knowing who you are and who you serve allows you to face the world with confidence and do the things you are called to do.
The Canaanites held the fortress city of Hazor and controlled the Jezreel valley which was ideal chariot country. Israel was mostly dismounted infantry. So the problem was how to overcome the tactical advantage of the Canaanite army. In this, God lent a hand by bringing rain.
The world is a giant attention trap; we are constantly bombarded with noise. When we add our tendency to babble, it is very difficult to hear the still small voice of God.
At the end of the Olivet Discourse where Messiah tells His disciples that even He does not know the timing of His return, He recounts three parables all having to do with our behavior while He is away. The Parable of the Ten Virgins speaks of preparation. The Parable of the Talents of how we should be advancing His interest using the assets we have been given. The Sheep and Goat judgment describes how we are to treat one another.
In the resurrection and the New Heaven and New Earth we will have an eternal inheritance.
God designed humans to exercise dominion over the earth and all its creatures. That design feature also drives people to try and dominate each other, often in inappropriate or harmful ways. What does God have to say about the proper exercise and limits to power relationships between people? It turns out, quite a lot.
Christ rose from the grave on First Fruits and so became the first fruits from the dead. There are a number of other resurrections in Scripture. What makes that one special?