Oxford Bible Church - Living in the Last Days

In this Series, we explore the New Testament teaching on Imminence. The Coming of Christ for His Church is imminent – that is, He could come at any time. It will be unexpected, without signs and without warning, and that no predicted events necessarily have to come first. The timing of His Coming is totally unpredictable, for God has chosen to keep it as His secret. Therefore, no man can know in advance, when He is coming.

When we study the Scriptures on Imminence, we actually discover that there are 2 events that are imminent: (1) the Rapture of the Church and (2) the start of the eschatological Day of the Lord, a time of judgment, otherwise known as the Tribulation and the End of the Age. As both of these events are imminent, it follows that they must be simultaneous, because if one came before the other, the 2nd event would not be imminent. Therefore, when Christ comes for His Church, He also comes to initiate the Day of the Lord on the earth. Thus, His Coming has 2 purposes which are accomplished at the same time: (1) He will come suddenly to bring judgment upon the earth, and at the same time (2) He will rescue His people from that coming judgment. This means the Tribulation will begin on the same day of the Rapture, and so the Rapture will initiate the Tribulation. This confirms the Pre-Tribulation Rapture.

The foundation for this belief is the teaching of Jesus, which is then taken up and confirmed by the apostles, Paul, Peter and John. We start this series by studying the teaching of Jesus on His Coming in Luke 12:35-41, with a special focus on the meaning of His Coming as a thief (see also Matthew 24:43-44, Revelation 3:3-6, 16:15). As well as Jesus coming as a thief, other scriptures say "the Day of the Lord comes as a thief" (2Peter 3:10, 1Thessalonians 5:3-4). Derek proves that the Day of the Lord is the same as the time of Birth Pains at the End of the Age, which is also the period of time known as the Tribulation. This is confirmed by Revelation 6-19, which describes the Tribulation. It is Christ, who initiates this time of Divine Judgment in Rev 6, by breaking the first 6 Seals in quick succession, and the result corresponds exactly to Jesus’ description of the Birth Pains of the Tribulation. This shows that the Tribulation is also the Day of the Lord, when God moves in Judgment. Therefore, this is not just a time of great evil, suffering and persecution, but a time of Divine Judgment and Wrath. It is this aspect of Divine Judgment which primarily differentiates the Tribulation from the Church Age.

Derek shows how Paul in 1Thessalonians 4-5 teaches that both the Coming of Christ to rapture the Church (chapter 4) and His Coming to initiate the Day of the Lord, a time of Divine Wrath (chapter 5) are imminent, indicating that they are simultaneous. This is confirmed in 1Thessalonians 5:9: “God did not appoint us to wrath (of the Day of the Lord), but to obtain salvation (in the Rapture) through our Lord Jesus Christ”, and 1Thessalonians 1:10: “You wait for His Son from Heaven...Jesus who rescues us from the coming wrath.” This describes the imminent rescue of the Church from an imminent judgment (wrath), accomplished by the Coming of Jesus from Heaven.

The Beatitudes (or Blessed Attitudes) are the heart attitudes that we need to develop to enable us to receive God's grace and blessing. By placing these Beatitudes at the start of His Sermon on the Mount, Jesus places a great importance on these heart attitudes. They are foundational for a life of holiness and righteousness, pleasing to God. Derek describes all of these 8 Beatitudes in Matthew 5:3-12.

In this short video, Derek introduces the 8 Beatitudes in Matthew 5:3-12 - the heart attitudes that we need to develop to enable us to receive God's grace and blessing.

Psalm 91 contains many wonderful promises of blessing and protection for those who dwell in the Secret Place of the Most High: "He who dwells in the Secret Place of the Most High shall abide under the Shadow of the Almighty" (v1). These promises include the promise of health and long life: “With long life I will satisfy him, and show him My salvation" (v16). In this study of Psalm 91, Derek explains its promises, and answers the questions: "What is the Secret Place of the Most High?, and "How can we enter into the Secret Place and enjoy the many benefits of dwelling there?" Psalm 91 describes both the blessings of abiding in the Secret Place, and the keys to entering into the Secret Place.

In this short video, Derek introduces Psalm 91 with a meditation on verse 1, which is a summary of the whole Psalm: "He who dwells in the Secret Place of the Most High shall abide under the Shadow of the Almighty (El Shaddai)."

Part 2 of Derek's interview with Christine Darg on the Rapture of the Church. We see that we should be looking, waiting and watching for Jesus' Coming, because the Rapture is imminent (Titus 2:13, Hebrews 9:28). We look at the relationship between Israel and the Church - that the Church (the one New Man) was a mystery hidden in God but now revealed. Once the fullness of the Church is gathered in at the Rapture, God will graft Israel back into the Olive Tree and by the end of the Tribulation "all Israel will be saved" (Romans 11). We also discuss the many differences between the Rapture and the 2nd Coming. Finally, we address the issue of how the covid virus relates to the end-time scenario, and if the covid vaccine has anything to do with the mark of the beast.

Derek discusses the Pre-Tribulation Rapture with Christine Darg, explaining its purpose in terms of the Divine Romance, comparing it to the Jewish Wedding Customs. They point out why the Rapture is a different event to the 2nd Coming, revealing the differences between them. One reason the Rapture must be before the Tribulation is that we are promised Jesus will come for His Church to rescue us from the coming Wrath of the Day of the Lord (1Thessalonians 1:9-10, 5:2-3,8), and this time of God's Judgment-Wrath of God includes the whole Tribulation, starting with the breaking of the first 6 Seals in Revelation 6 and concluding with the 2nd Coming in Revelation 19.

Moreover, Derek shares 4 clear contradictions that arise from the Post-Tribulation Rapture position, which says that the Rapture happens at the same time as the 2nd Coming. (1) The Rapture is signless and imminent, but the 2nd Coming is signposted and predictable for those living in the Tribulation. (2) Before the Rapture, normal life is going on ('peace and safety') as in the days of Noah, but before the 2nd coming all hell is breaking loose in the Great Tribulation, including the 7 Bowls of Wrath and Armageddon. (3) After the Rapture Jesus will take His Church to Heaven (John 14:1-3), but if the Rapture is at the 2nd Coming, we will not go to Heaven, but instead do a U-turn and return with Jesus to the earth. (4) If all believers are raptured at the 2nd Coming, then there will be no believers (sheep) left in their natural bodies to populate the earth in the Millennium. Moreover, since all the unbelievers (goats) will be removed from the earth by death at the 2nd Coming (Matthew 25), that will leave no one alive for the Millennium. This means that the Rapture of the Church must take place a significant time before the 2nd Coming. The Bible reveals that in fact the Rapture takes place at least 7 years before the 2nd Coming.

When is the Rapture of the Church (1Thessalonians 4) in relation to the 2nd Coming of Christ to establish His Kingdom on the earth (Revelation 19). Pastor Derek makes the case for the Pre-Tribulation Rapture, which motivates us to look for Christ's imminent Return for us. This realisation will cause us to walk close to the Lord in holiness, serving Him faithfully, and being a witness to the world.

Pastor Derek answers: "What is Yom Kippur and why is it important?" He describes how Christ has already fulfilled His part of the Day of Atonement in His sacrificial death and resurrection, but that the complete fulfilment of this Feast awaits Israel's national repentance in the Tribulation, when all Israel will be saved, which will then provide the basis for the 2nd Coming of Christ, when He will fulfil the Feast of Tabernacles.

Pastor Derek answers the Questions: "How close are we to Jesus' Return?" and "How will it be that every eye will see Christ when He returns?"