Month: November 2021

            The central issue of eschatology (the study of end-times) is the millennial kingdom of Christ. There are three primary positions that are denominated amillennialism, premillennialism, and postmillennialism. As you can see, the millennium is the operative term in each. Amillennialism says there is no literal kingdom that will come to earth. Rather, the kingdom is spiritual and was inaugurated when Christ arose from the dead. In other words, we are living in the millennium now which is indefinite in length. At the end of this age, Christ will return to judge the world and we pass into eternity.

            Postmillennialism is the view that the reign of Christ is not literal but refers to the gradual increase of the gospel until the world turns to Christ producing a golden age upon the earth. This view was popular at the end of the 19^th century during the industrial age when it appeared the world was becoming better and more affluent. However, it lost most of its proponents in the 20^th century due to two world wars that convinced them the world was not getting better. Most theologians no longer agree with this view having reverted to amillennialism.

            The third millennial position is premillennialism. It is divided into two camps—dispensational premillennialism and historic premillennialism. Both views hold that a time of tribulation will occur before the before the millennium and then there will be a literal one-thousand-year reign of Christ upon the earth. The two views differ in some aspects of biblical interpretation with historic premillennialists regarding much of Revelation as already fulfilled throughout history. Thus, there is much more symbolism involved in the historical interpretation than the dispensational.

            Our understanding of the millennium is dispensational. Although I am not an advocate of what I would call “militant dispensationalism,” I do believe the dispensational interpretation is mostly correct. Our understanding is that Christ will return to rapture believers before seven years of tribulation (pretribulational rapture). This is the time for Israel to be prepared to inherit the kingdom promised by the Old Testament prophets. During this time, thousands, even millions of Jews will be saved. At the end of the tribulation, Christ will return in the second phase of His coming to reestablish the throne of David in Jerusalem where He will reign from a newly constructed millennial temple. At the end of one thousand years, He will destroy Satan and this world and will bring the lost to their final judgment and condemnation in the lake of fire.

            We appreciate the dispensational viewpoint because of its largely literal approach to the Bible’s interpretation. The symbols of other views are widely interpreted which leaves little certainty that students of scripture can come to a consensus of meaning. With a literal interpretation there is much more cohesion and better understanding of what God intended us to know. In dispensational eschatology, Israel is Israel and is always Israel. The church is the church and is always the church. We do not conflate the church with Israel. Further, our view of local church does not conflate the church and the kingdom.

            This is a very brief primer on these positions. I must remind you that millennial viewpoints are important, but this is not a salvation issue. Good Bible expositors may disagree on the particulars, and yet remain in agreement on 90% of the rest of the Bible. I do not believe a test of fellowship should be made on these points alone. Thus, we are charitable regarding our differences.

                                                                                                   Pastor V. Mark Smith

Today’s article reflects my experiences attending the Shepherd’s Conference in Sun Valley, California.  I have very much enjoyed the opportunity to hear some good solid preaching from God’s word and am blessed to know there are still men in this country that believe God is sovereign in all His works and all glory should go to Him for the salvation of souls. In today’s congregational reading, you will see this verse: “His watchmen are blind: they are all dumb dogs, they cannot bark; sleeping, lying down, loving to slumber. (Isaiah 56:10). Thankfully, there are some good preachers left who sound the alarm for the glory of God.

I am also pleased to report that in this conference God is continually exalted so that we come away with a great reverential fear of Him and truly respect how we must bow to His majesty. Unlike many conferences I have attended, this is not about personalities. There are no platform squatters here!

Throughout my Christian life, the glory of God has been pressed down deeply into my soul. I never want to fail in my preaching to stand in obscurity behind the cross and let all the glory shine on the Saviour. I am not interested in techniques and marketing ploys to fill the church. I am not interested in entertainment which is falsely substituted for and called worship. I am not interested in theology that says the sinner must meet God half way and through man’s cooperation God is given permission to save him. I am only interested in the Holy Spirit that conquers man’s resistance to the gospel; a Spirit that regenerates and quickens to life enabling the sinner to trust Christ. I want to preach a Saviour that never failed to accomplish everything He intended; a Redeemer who really does redeem; a Substitute who really does infallibly secure salvation for those He intended to sacrifice Himself for. I want to preach the Christ that demands repentance from sin and submission to His Lordship.

This view of God is biblical and should be so fundamental to our teachings that we wouldn’t believe anyone could possibly teach otherwise. These are foundational teachings that stretch back to Jesus and the apostles and were boldly proclaimed by our Baptist forefathers. And yet Baptists today that still preach these doctrines are so few and far between that a diligent search must be launched to discover where they are. Thus, you have the reason I am found at the Shepherd’s Conference instead of in conferences held by most fundamental Baptists.

Our Baptist brethren seriously need to be recalled to these essential doctrines of the faith. There needs to be recovery of a soteriology that is God centered instead of man centered. It is horribly shameful that the landscape must be scoured to find someone who still preaches the old gospel truth, and when it is discovered the label too often is something other than Baptist. If we can get our eschatology right and our ecclesiology right, why must we fail in our soteriology? It is way past time to get the central focus of our purpose back on track. We must preach salvation to the glory of God!

                                                                        Pastor V. Mark Smith

But the end of all things is at hand: be ye therefore sober, and watch unto prayer. (1 Peter 4:7) 

            I am sure each of you are familiar with the cartoon of a man with long hair and beard standing on a street corner with a sign reading “THE END IS NEAR!” Usually, the sign flanks both the front and rear and some sort of funny caption is placed beneath. The idea is that anyone that thinks the end of the world is approaching is a fool. Every day we wake up to the same sunrise, we head off to work, put in our shift, and then make the drive back home. At night we watch a little TV, crawl into bed and go to sleep. The next morning it starts all over again and we do these 365 times per year and have done it for every year since we were born. Further, everyone we know has done the same routine with only slight variation and everyone we have ever heard of or read about in the history of the world has done the same. It is no wonder that when someone begins to sound an alarm for the approaching apocalypse, he is considered a fool.

            It has now been 2000 years since Peter wrote “the end of all things is at hand” and no doubt there were many that read his words and said he was a fool. Peter’s reference is to the Second Coming of Christ when God will destroy this universe and all that is contained therein. In his second letter, Peter spoke of scoffers that said “Where is the promise of his coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation” (2 Peter 3:4). Are we to consider Peter a fool because Christ has yet to return? Is the Bible’s warning nonsense?

            It is helpful to understand that although New Testament Christians believed in the imminent return of Christ, they were not date-setters. Peter did not imply he was certain tomorrow, or next week, or next month, the world would end. He followed the consistent pattern of New Testament teaching, especially that of Jesus, which said the Second Coming would be a sudden event that would occur without warning. The “end” refers to the consummation of the ages. “At hand” means the day is approaching. Every day we live we are one day closer to the time Christ will return. We are encouraged therefore to live in anticipation of the event. This does not mean to stand on street corners with signs, although we should witness of the event in a rational manner. It does not mean to neglect our daily routines in order to stare at the sky. It means to guard our personal lives so that we are a living testimony of faith. The closer we are to the Lord in obeying His commands the more it speaks to the degree of our confidence in the truthfulness of the scriptures.

            The prophet Amos said, “Prepare to meet thy God.” Years ago, I remember seeing signs along the roadway that said the same. The time of our life is uncertain and at every turn in life’s roadway there is a possible hazard that could end our lives. It is not as crazy as we might think to say, “the end is near.” One way or another we will meet God. It could be at the suddenness of the Second Coming or at our failure to breathe the next breath. No one knows the time of either. Are you prepared? In either event, you can be by placing your faith in Jesus Christ.

                                                                                    Pastor V. Mark Smith

by J. C. Ryle

• There is an undeniable zeal in some teachers of error–their “earnestness” makes many people think they must be right.

• There is a great appearance of learning and theological knowledge–many think that such clever and intellectual men must surely be safe to listen to.

• There is a general tendency to completely free and independent thinking today–many like to prove their independence of judgment by believing the newest ideas, which are nothing but novelties.

• There is a wide-spread desire to appear kind, loving, and open-minded–many seem half-ashamed to say that anybody can be wrong or is a false teacher.

• There is always a portion of half-truth taught by modern false teachers–they are always using scriptural words and phrases, but with unscriptural meaning.

• There is a public craving for a more sensational and entertaining worship–people are impatient with the more inward and invisible work of God within the hearts of men.

• There is a superficial readiness all around to believe anyone who talks cleverly, lovingly and earnestly, forgetting that Satan often masquerades himself as an angel of light (2 Cor. 11:14).

• There is a wide-spread ignorance among professing Christians–every heretic who speaks well is surely believed, and anyone who doubts him is called narrow-minded and unloving.

All these are especially symptoms of our times. I challenge any honest and observant person to deny them. These tend to make the assaults of false doctrine today especially dangerous and make it even more important to say loudly, “Do not be carried away with strange doctrine!”

(This was written before the end of the 19^th century. Satan has not changed his tactics—only the names and numbers of false teachers have changed. They are bigger, bolder, and have easier access to the masses of gullible people. Sadly, those willing to confront them are a dying breed. Let’s stand for truth and call them what they are—heretics and enemies of souls. ~ Pastor V. Mark Smith)