The New Testament · The Letters of St. Paul · Book 54 of 73
Prophecy in 2 Corinthians
This is Paul's most personal letter, written out of weakness and affliction. Its hope is a transformation already under way: a veil lifted, an inner self renewed day by day, and a dwelling from God waiting in heaven.
In progress: 4 passages so far
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The book at a glance
Paul wrote again to Corinth, probably from Macedonia, after a painful visit and a severe letter. He defends his ministry against rivals, speaks openly of his sufferings, and organizes the collection for the poor church in Jerusalem. Many scholars think the letter as we have it gathers more than one of Paul's letters to Corinth.
2 Corinthians has few predictions. It looks forward through the unfolding work of grace in the Church now, and through two images that run from Genesis to Revelation: the temple where God dwells and the bride betrothed to Christ.
Key to the labels
How a passage stands
Fulfilled Accomplished in history, above all in Christ.
Unfolding Being worked out now in the life of the Church.
Future Clearly still to come at Christ's return.
Mystery Its meaning or moment is not yet settled.
What kind of passage it is
Prophecy God's word through a prophet, or Christ, about what will come.
Promise A pledge God makes, kept over generations.
Type A person or event that foreshadows Christ or the Church.
Image A picture Scripture returns to and completes at the end.
Apocalypse A vision unveiling history from heaven's side, in symbols.
More on the labels
| Passage | Subject | Standing |
|---|
| 3:12–18 | The veil removed; from glory to glory | Unfolding |
| 4:16–5:10 | The earthly tent and the judgment seat of Christ | Future |
| 6:16 | We are the temple of the living God | Unfolding |
| 11:2–3 | Betrothed to Christ | Unfolding Future |
The passages
“All of us, gazing with unveiled face on the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, as from the Lord who is the Spirit.”
- Reading
- Moses veiled his shining face after speaking with God (Exodus 34:33–35). Paul takes the veil as an image of reading the old covenant without Christ, “but whenever a person turns to the Lord the veil is removed” (3:16). Then the face of every believer becomes a mirror of the Lord's glory.
- Why unfolding
- The verb is present and continuous: “are being transformed.” The change happens now, gradually, in the life of the Church; its completion is the seeing “face to face” of 1 Corinthians 13:12.
“For we know that if our earthly dwelling, a tent, should be destroyed, we have a building from God, a dwelling not made with hands, eternal in heaven.”
- Reading
- “although our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day” (4:16), and “this momentary light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory” (4:17). Paul would rather “leave the body and go home to the Lord” (5:8), a verse the Catechism cites on the reward given immediately after death (CCC 1021). Then he adds: “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ” (5:10).
- Why future
- Both the particular judgment at death and the Last Judgment at Christ's return are still ahead for each person (CCC 1021–1022, 1038–1041).
- For now
- Paul's answer to fear is courage: “we look not to what is seen but to what is unseen” (4:18).
“For we are the temple of the living God; as God said: ‘I will live with them and move among them, and I will be their God and they shall be my people.’”
- Reading
- Paul joins promises of the Law and the prophets (Leviticus 26:12; Ezekiel 37:27) and says they are kept now, in the community of believers. The Catechism cites this verse when it calls the Church the temple of the Holy Spirit (CCC 797).
- Why unfolding
- The temple is still being built (Ephesians 2:21–22). Its completion is the new Jerusalem, where the same words are heard again: “Behold, God's dwelling is with the human race” (Revelation 21:3).
- See also
- The Temple of His Body.
“…I betrothed you to one husband to present you as a chaste virgin to Christ.”
- Reading
- Paul speaks as the friend who arranged a marriage. The Church is betrothed now and will be presented to Christ at the end; the Catechism uses this verse when it speaks of the Church as the Bride of Christ (CCC 796). Then he adds a warning drawn from Genesis 3: “as the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning, your thoughts may be corrupted” (11:3).
- Why two labels
- The betrothal is the life of the Church now, with its trials and temptations. The wedding is still to come: “the wedding day of the Lamb” and his bride (Revelation 19:7).
- See also
- Prophecy in Genesis; Revelation 12, where the woman and the serpent meet again.
Still to come on this pageFurther passages to add: the Spirit as “first installment” (1:22; 5:5), “now is a very acceptable time” (6:2, from
Isaiah 49:8), the new creation in Christ (5:17), and Satan masquerading as an angel of light (11:14).
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