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MembersThe Apostle Paul’s Mystical Messianism

How the apostle to the nations taught us to relate to the physical absence, but spiritual power of Messiah.

Photo: Yonatan Sindel/Flash90

Paul’s thinking on messianism is extraordinary. He is a theological genius. During his lifetime the Messiah came, and then left, and in his absence Paul develops a spirituality in an era of redemption while still waiting for redemption’s fulness. A now, but not yet, suspense.

We previously discussed Paul’s approach to the Gentile followers of Jesus from this position of partial fulfillment of the prophetic vision; that Messiah has come and people outside of Israel are coming to Zion to worship the God of Israel. A situation in which some elements of messianic redemption were accomplished by Jesus, others will be accomplished in the future upon the Second Coming, and in the meantime much can be accomplished by the Jewish and Gentile messianic believers leading up to or perhaps hastening the Second Coming.

The act of receiving of the Spirit, the gifts and fruits of the Spirit, miracles and revelation are spiritual phenomena experienced as part of...

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About the author

Patrick Callahan

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One response to “The Apostle Paul’s Mystical Messianism”

  1. AdinoBenaiah says:

    There are actually seven resurrections:
    1) Jesus Christ
    2)Resurrection of some Old Testament Saints (Matt 27:52)
    3)Spiritual resurrection of the believer at salvation (Eph 2:1-6)
    4)Physical resurrection of the believer at the pre-tribulation rapture of Church Age saints (1 Thess 4-13-18)
    5)Resurrection of all Old Testament saints (Ezekiel 37:1-14; Job 19:26)
    6)Resurrection of tribulation saints in a post-tribulation rapture (Rev 11:12, 7:9)
    7)Resurrection of the unsaved dead at the White Throne Judgment (Rev 20:11-15)

    Christ comes up first, and some of the OT saints immediately follow Him, which is why the verses says “firstfruits” (plural). The coming of Christ comes in two installments: The Rapture and the Advent. Church Age saints go up at the rapture, and Tribulation saints go up before the Advent.

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