According to 1 Corinthians 15:​8, Paul said: “Last of all he appeared also to me as if to one born prematurely.” Way back, we explain that Paul was maybe talking about his own experience when he saw Jesus in vision in heaven. It was just like Jehovah gave him the privilege to be born, or resurrected, to spirit life years in advance, before that type of resurrection started happening. But after doing more study on this verse, we na see the need to change this explanation.

That true Paul was talking about what happen to him on the day he became Christian. But what he mean when he said he was “born prematurely”? It could mean different-different things.

The way Paul became Christian was too quick and it affected him bad way. Most of the time, people can’t be expecting to born premature baby. When Saul (who name later change to Paul) was going to Damascus to persecute the Christians there, he was not expecting to see the resurrected Jesus in vision. When Paul became Christian, it was really surprising to him and the Christian them he was going to persecute. Besides that one, the way he became Christian also affected him bad way that he became blind for short time.​—​Acts 9:​1-9, 17-19.

Paul became Christian “the wrong time.” The Greek word they translated for “one born prematurely” can also mean someone “born at the wrong time.” The Jerusalem Bible put it this way: “It was as though I was born when no one expected it.” By the time Paul became Christian, Jesus was already in heaven. Paul not see the resurrected Jesus like the way the disciples saw him just before Jesus went back to heaven. (1 Cor. 15:​4-8) Jesus gave Paul the opportunity to see him after his resurrection, even though it was looking like “the wrong time.”

He was trying to be modest. Some big-big book people say, the expression Paul use here sound like he was talking bad about himself. If that how Paul was thinking, then he was saying that he not deserve to be apostle. In fact, he said: “I am the least of the apostles, and I am not worthy of being called an apostle, because I persecuted the congregation of God. But by God’s undeserved kindness I am what I am.”​—​1 Cor. 15:​9, 10.

So maybe Paul was talking about any of these three things: 1. The surprising way Jesus appear to him. 2. The time he was not expecting to become Christian, and 3. the way he was thinking that he not deserve to be Jesus apostle. Whatever way he was thinking, this experience was really important to Paul and he value it. It convince him that Jesus was resurrected. That why he always use to talk about his experience when preaching to others about Jesus resurrection.​—​Acts 22:​6-11; 26:​13-18.