Oxford Bible Church - Living in the Last Days (audio)

Derek shares inspiring illustrations of the Gospel, including (1) the Gospel encoded in the Genealogy of Christ, (2) My Son - the dramatic story of John Griffith, (3) the Peace Child (the story of Don Richardson), (4) the Bridge over the River Kwai, and (5) the Record Book.

Peter shares about the Coming of Christ and what it will mean for each of us.

At any time, (1) Jesus will come to RESCUE His Church, and then (2) He will immediately RELEASE the judgments of the Tribulation on the earth. This is DUAL IMMINENCE. In this video, we wee how both the Apostles Paul and John taught Dual Imminence - thus, building on the foundation laid by Jesus. After describing the imminent Rapture in 1Thessalonians 4:15-18 (also 1Corinthians 15:51-52), in 5:1 he connects its timing with the sudden start of the Day of the Lord (Tribulation) as a Thief in the night (5:2-3). We know that (1) JESUS comes to the world as a THIEF, to take the Church for Himself (Matthew 24:43), and that (2) the DAY of the LORD comes as a THIEF (5:2). Combining these 2 ideas tells us that when (1) Jesus comes for His Church in the Rapture, (2) He will also initiate the Day of the Lord on the earth. Jesus coming to the world as a THIEF (Matt 24:43, Rev 3:3, 16:15) speaks of the world experiencing loss (judgment) at His Coming. Thus, He initiates the Day of the Lord by His Coming as a THIEF, which is why: “the DAY of the LORD so comes as a THIEF in the night” (5:2). Thus the imminent COMING of Jesus as a THIEF to initiate the DAY of the LORD (5:2) must be the imminent COMING of Jesus revealed in the previous verses in 4:15-18 - His Coming to Rapture the Church. Thus Christ’s Coming in the Rapture is to RESCUE us from the DAY of the LORD, which He initiates on the earth at the same time (5:2-4): “for 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” (5:9). We also see Dual Imminence in 1Thessalonians 1:10, which literally says: is: “We wait for His Son from Heaven, even Jesus, who by His coming to us is DELIVERING (rescuing) us from the COMING wrath - the wrath that is already on its way and is about to come upon the earth.” We discuss the literal meaning of 2Thessalonians 2:1-8, and show how it is consistent with Imminence. We also see Imminence in Hebrews 9:28 and Philippians 3:20-21. Finally we show how the Apostle John describes the imminence of the Day of the Lord in Revelation 1:1,3 and 3:3,6, and the imminence of the Rapture in Revelation 22:7,12. Moreover, we see that Revelation 3:10-11 does not just teach the Pre-Tribulation Rapture, but also Dual Imminence, for (1) the HOUR of TRIAL is about to come upon the whole world (imminence), and (2) Jesus is COMING QUICKLY (imminence) to rescue (keep) us from the Tribulation, by means of the Rapture. Moreover, in Revelation 16:15, Jesus confirms DUAL IMMINENCE – His sudden imminent Coming as a THIEF to (1) bring BLESSING to those prepared for Him, and (2) initiate JUDGMENT on the world: “Behold, I am COMING like a THIEF! (1) BLESSED is the one who stays awake and keeps his clothes (those clothed in Christ’s righteousness will be blessed in the Rapture), so that (2) he will not be caught naked (unrighteous) and his shameful (fallen) condition be seen (manifested to all, because he will have to go through the judgments of the Tribulation).”

Having studied the Dual Imminence of the Rapture and the Day of the Lord (Tribulation) in the teachings of Jesus, we now see how the apostles James and Peter build their prophetic teaching on Jesus’ teaching, even using the same examples Jesus used (Noah's Flood, Lot, Birth Pains, the Thief). We also see how they confirm Jesus' Teaching on Dual Imminence.

IMMINENCE means Jesus could come in the Rapture at any time. DUAL IMMINENCE is the fact that BOTH (1) the RAPTURE of the Church, and (2) the START of the DAY of the LORD (Tribulation) are described as IMMINENT events in the Bible. Since (1) the Rapture and (2) the Day of the Lord are both imminent, they must be simultaneous, because if one came before the other, then 2nd event would not be imminent. Therefore, when (1) Christ comes for His Church in the Rapture, (2) He also comes to initiate the Day of the Lord on the earth. This confirms the Pre-Tribulation Rapture. In the last video, we saw Jesus’ teaching on Dual Imminence in Luke 12 and 17, where He taught both the imminence of (1) His COMING to BLESS His faithful servants who are watching and waiting for His Return, and (2) His COMING as a THIEF in the night to those who are not believers. Later, He reinforced His end-time teaching in the Olivet Discourse (Matthew 24, Luke 21, Mark 13), and at the Lat Supper (John 14:1-3). In this video, Derek shows how these passages confirm the doctrine of Dual Imminence.

Christ’s imminent 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, before it begins. This is Dual Imminence, which means the TRIBULATION will begin on the same day as the RAPTURE. The foundation for this doctrine of Dual Imminence is the teaching of the Lord Jesus Himself. In this video, Derek starts a systematic survey of the prophetic teaching of Jesus, and shows how Dual Imminence is a major feature of His teaching. First, we look at Jesus’ first teaching on His Coming in Luke 12:35-48, then Luke 17:22-36, compared with Matthew 24:37-39.

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.