Is Paul's anachronistic reference to "Christ" in 1 Cor. 10:9 a faux pas or to make a point?

Question

1 Cor. 10:9(KJV) says,

"μηδὲ ἐκπειράζωμεν τὸν Χριστόν καθὼς καί τινες αὐτῶν ἐπείρασαν καὶ ὑπὸ τῶν ὄφεων ἀπώλοντο (Neither should we test the Christ, as some of them tested, and by serpents perished-Interlinear translation)

In vs 4 he says,"

καὶ πάντες τὸ αὐτὸ πόμα πνευματικὸν ἔπιον ἔπινον γὰρ ἐκ πνευματικῆς ἀκολουθούσης πέτρας ἡ δὲ πέτρα ἦν ὁ Χριστός" (And all the same spiritual drank drink; they drank indeed of (the) spiritual following rock, the rock moreover was Christ-Interlinear translation)

Is Paul being anachronistic in imposing "Christ" as the meaning of "the Lord" in Num. 21:6, since "Christ(Christos-the Anointed One) had yet to be revealed in the text? Or is he merely making a correlation to the Corinthian audience to which they can draw a lesson from?

Answer 1

Logos, before the Logos' historical incarnation, at which Incarnation He got also the name Jesus Christ, remaining changelessly the same eternal Person/Hypostasis of the Logos/Son, can also be called "Christ", due to the very fact that we deal with the same eternal Person of the Father's co-eternal Son. Like, for instance, we can say "Mohammad Ali was a difficult child" without anachronism, even though in his childhood he was not called yet Mohammad Ali, but Kasius Kley, but both denote the same person.

This Son/Logos is called in Exodus 23:21 "Angel", but unlike other angels that are created and have their names, this special Angel has God's name "in Him", and He thus bears also divine self-sovereign authority of forgiving or not forgiving, which authority does not belong to angels. Thus, Logos is Angel of God, bearing His name and the same authority as God. The same Angel, who is called "God" by the Prophet David (Psalm 68:7), is referred to as Christ by Paul (1 Cor. 10:4).

In this way, Paul is in no way mistaken or anachronistic when he says that people tested Christ in desert, for Christ is Lord and God, co-eternal and co-authoritative with God-the Father.

Answer 2

1Cor 10:9 Neither let us test the Mashiach, as some of them tested, and perished by the serpents. [Ex 17:2, 7]”

This above verse is simply exhorting the audience not to test Mashiach YaHshua, just like the forefathers tested mashiach Mosheh. Because whoever have the audacity to test ADONAI’s mashiach/ Mashiach, is as good as testing ADONAI HIMSELF. Mosheh was ADONAI’s mashiach in the wilderness days; YaHshua is ADONAI’s Mashiach in these latter days.