#lastdays

Paul’s View of Christ’s Resurrection: Past Event or Transhistorical Context?

Eli of Kittim

In the First Epistle to the Corinthians, the apostle Paul says, I’ve delivered to you the message that Christ died “according to the scriptures” (κατὰ τάς γραφάς), and that he died and was raised “according to the scriptures” (1 Cor. 15:3). At this particular juncture, we must pause and take stock. Paul doesn’t tell us when Christ died. He doesn’t anchor this event to a specific date, time, or period. He doesn’t say that Christ died in the past, or a few years ago. Rather, he says that Christ died “according to the scriptures” (κατὰ τάς γραφάς). In other words, there is no explicit reference to the timing of this event. All that Paul is saying is that Christ died at some unspecified point in human history according to the prophecies of scripture, or in accordance with the biblical claims.

If we want to pinpoint the exact time period when this event took place, there are, in fact, many references in the New Testament epistles which state that Christ lived and died in the “last days,” or “at the end of the ages,” rather than in past history. Exegetical studies show that these phrases do not refer to the end of the old covenant age, but rather to literal chronological time! For example, the Letter to the Hebrews 9:26 tells us explicitly that Christ lived and died “once in the end of the world” (ἅπαξ ἐπὶ συντελείᾳ τῶν αἰώνων), or at some future time period. The First Epistle of Peter 1:20 also places Christ’s first coming in the “last days” (ἐπ’ ἐσχάτου τῶν χρόνων)! What is more, in Romans 5:6, Paul intimates that Christ “died” (ἀπέθανεν) at some unspecified time of human history by using the phrase κατὰ καιρὸν, which means “at the right time” (cf. 1 Tim. 2:6), or at “the proper time,” which does not warrant a reference to history:

Ἔτι γὰρ Χριστὸς ὄντων ἡμῶν ἀσθενῶν ἔτι κατὰ καιρὸν ὑπὲρ ἀσεβῶν ἀπέθανεν.

Thus, Paul places Jesus’ death in a transhistorical context! Pauline theology, then, is not about an imminent eschatology that takes place in the first century AD but about a transhistorical eschatology that will happen at some unspecified, future time in history.

In 1 Corinthians 15, after preaching the message that Christ died “according to the scriptures,” Paul then goes on to list a number of witnesses who supposedly “saw” this event and testified “according to the scriptures.” However, we must read and interpret this individual text within the larger canonical context, that is, within the framework of the entire collection of scripture. If we look at parallel passages within the New Testament canonical context it seems as though a number of preselected witnesses were chosen beforehand by God who saw “visions” (revelations) through the agency of the Holy Spirit, similar to the Messianic visions that Daniel describes in 7:13! And this view fits with the metanarrative or the overarching theme of the New Testament epistles. Compare Acts 10:40-41:

“God raised Him up on the third day and granted that He be revealed, not to all the people, but to witnesses who had been chosen beforehand by God.”

In other words, the so-called witnesses "saw" Christ’s resurrection “beforehand,” not during! It is clear then that the witnesses did not see the moment of the resurrection but rather witnessed it “beforehand,” in the prophetic or visionary context that is mentioned in early Christian texts. There is, in fact, an overarching theme that runs throughout the New Testament epistles that Christ’s gospel, crucifixion, and resurrection is either promised, known, or witnessed beforehand by the foreknowledge of God. For instance, we read that “the gospel concerning his Son” is “promised beforehand” (προεπηγγείλατο; Rom. 1:2). Moreover, the text confides in us that Jesus was known to be crucified “according to the … foreknowledge of God” (προγνώσει; Acts 2:22—23). This theme is reiterated in Acts 10:40—41 where we are told that Jesus’ resurrection is only visible “to witnesses who were chosen beforehand by God” (προκεχειροτονημένοις). In fact, according to 1 Peter 1:10-11, “the sufferings of the Messiah” were actually "predicted" (Gk. προμαρτυρόμενον; i.e., testified beforehand) by "the Spirit of Christ" (Gk. Πνεῦμα Χριστοῦ; presumably a reference to the Holy Spirit) and communicated to the New Testament prophets so that they might record them for posterity's sake (cf. v. 12). Therefore, the passion of Christ was seemingly written in advance, or prophesied (cf. Isa. 42:9; 46:10; 48:5; Jn 13:19; 14:29)! Accordingly, the evidence suggests that the knowledge of Christ's coming was communicated beforehand to the preselected witnesses.

Remember that according to Verbal aspect theory, central to modern New Testament Greek studies, verb tense-forms—whether perfective (viewed as a whole) or imperfective (viewed as unfolding)—are not conveying time. Similarly, in the First Epistle of John 2:18, the Greek verb tenses are simply telling us how the action is viewed (aspect) rather than when it occurs (time). For instance, when John says “it is the last hour,” he’s not referring to the time of the composition during his lifetime but rather to the timing of the message. In other words, if John could speak plainly, he’d say, “it is the last hour we are writing to you about.” Not that 90 AD was “the last hour,” the day of Judgment, the day of the Lord, or the harvest. It would contradict everything in the New Testament! Paul’s argument is along these lines. In using “if-then” conditional statements within a transhistorical context, Paul argues in 1 Corinthians 15:12-17 that if Christ has not been raised, at some point in human history, then neither are the dead raised (ἐγείρονται; 1 Cor. 15:16)! This argument does not warrant a reference to history, as most interpreters would have us believe.

In fact, as the narrative unfolds, we quickly learn that Paul is alluding to a future time period. Starting in 1 Corinthians 15:22-23, Paul explicitly states that all people will be raised from the dead (πάντες ζωοποιηθήσονται)! But what is of critical importance is that he actually lists a step-by-step sequence or timeline of the resurrection events! According to Paul, Christ will be resurrected first (ἀπαρχὴ Χριστός), followed by all those who belong to him (ἔπειτα οἱ τοῦ Χριστοῦ ἐν τῇ παρουσίᾳ αὐτοῦ)! This idea of Christ coming back to life a second time (from the dead) to receive to himself all those who are eagerly awaiting for him is also alluded to in Hebrews 9:28.

What Shabuw’ah actually means, why Pentecost replaced it, and how this ties directly into the coming time of troubles is exposed in a way most people have never considered. Where this leads at Taruw’ah, how it unfolds, and who will be spared forces a decision that cannot be ignored or delayed. The poem drives the message deeper, restoring Yahowah’s name and Dowd’s role while revealing why the final response will be far smaller than expected.

00:00:00 ~ Intro ~ Verbatim 00:05:02 ~ "And so you're not going to use A-10's or Apache helicopters successfully in this format because they're too vulnerable to the Russian version of the Stinger missile or the Chinese version ~ take your pick." 00:10:04 ~ "I am reaching out to you by sending to you that which is associated with the expansive growth related to the harvest of grain." 00:14:59 ~ "You want to have an understanding of what Shabuw’ah represents." 00:20:10 ~ "And this was essential for the new religion because they needed to steal all of the promises that God had made to the Jews." 00:25:10 ~ "And they will have a joyful countenance as they travel in mass becoming radiant to all that is good and beneficial productive and pleasing of Yahowah." 00:30:02 ~ "A pouring out and pointing out what you should be contemplating regarding the Towrah's teaching and directions." 00:35:02 ~ "And therein he and thereby he will reconcile and restore all of those years 3,450 of them that so quickly disappeared that were devoured." 00:40:03 ~ "I am Yahowah and I am God ~ Poem reading" 00:45:50 ~ "This need not be the end of the story ~ Poem reading" 00:49:40 ~ "Fire that is lit on this day shall be beneath his carcass." 00:55:00 ~ "All beneficiaries of the blood the fire and the ash." 01:00:04 ~ "Doesn't say I am meek I am humble I am afflicted I am a piece of crap does it?" 01:05:07 ~ "And this of course brings us to a whole another set of prophecies."

https://yadayah.com/ https://x.com/YadaCraig Music, lyrics, and video provided by Craig Winn, and used with permission from the YAHOWAH MUSIC GROUP through CC 4.0.

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