The Contemporary Christ

Most people today recognize that to get to know someone, anyone, it’s important we learn about their past—what they were like and what they did. But what is more important is what they are like and doing now. Why? It’s because people change. The same is true if you want to know and follow Jesus as He really is today.

Theological Problem

Every week, all around the world, a story is told and retold. For almost two thousand years, people have gathered in churches, schools, universities, seminaries, conferences, and Bible studies to hear that story. In our times, it has drawn millions more to the movies, to their TVs and radios, and onto the Internet. It has been dubbed “the greatest story ever told.” It is about a man called Jesus of Nazareth—his birth, his life, his death, and his resurrection—two thousand years ago. And this story is important.

But what’s more important and the big problem here is—He’s not like that anymore. No longer is Jesus the sleeping baby in the manger we celebrate every Christmas, or a young man ministering in Galilee, or a dead man hanging on a cross, or even the resurrected, pre-ascended Lord. Yes, Jesus lowered himself to become a man. But now, he’s not like that anymore.

What Scripture Says

The only place we can turn to find out what Jesus is really like and doing today is to the greatly misunderstood and abused book of Revelation. Here, Jesus is unveiled in his present-day reality. And we can discover some amazing things about Him, such as: He looks different than the way we usually picture and think of Him—He rides a horse, He hosts a banquet, He comes, He fights the battle of Armageddon, He conquers some awesome creatures, He sits on a throne, He makes everything new, and He lives in a new city.

One thing is for sure, this is not the sleeping-baby-in-the-manger Jesus, the boy Jesus growing up in Egypt and Judea, or the young man Jesus ministering on a hillside in Galilee. Nor is it the crucified Jesus hanging on a cross. Here, in the Bible’s last book, Jesus unveils and reveals Himself in his present-day form and global (cosmic) reality. And He’s not just sitting around up in heaven waiting to come back. He’s in our midst all around the world.

Elaborations

Sources:

  1. The Greater Jesus by John Noe
  2. The Apocalypse Conspiracy by John Noe (out-of-print)