TIMES THAT ARE TIMELESS ... are those times that focus on the uniquely valuable.

STORIES OF A REVIVAL OF HOPE AT "THE CAPE OF GOOD HOPE." 

(A History of today's Bible-believing Churches of the Cape)

Number 2. - 17/June/ 2016 

by Dr. Marc S. Blackwell, Sr.

Ephesians 3:21 

"...to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen."

Long before the Independent Bible-believing Baptist church planters arrived in South Africa, Charles Haddon Spurgeon would envisage dozens of his Pastor's College men changing the course of this land. In fact, many lands were surveyed and hundreds were sent to Africa, the Americas, the Far East, Europe, Australia and New Zealand. Charles and Suzanne personally sacrificed to finance so many of these missions to these needy lands. They clearly understood that Christianity could only find a true revival and remain faithful if Christ's were preached in Bible-believing churches.

For South Africa, dozens of pastors would come toward the last quarter of the 19th Century and the beginning of the 20th. Churches were planted and Bible colleges, as well. This revival of Hope would be focused on truly Biblical distinctives. Spurgeon and his Pastor College graduates understood that the Christian life needed the uniqueness of a literal understanding of God's Word!

Spurgeon was separating from the compromises of the Particular Baptists of his day. He was committed to the Fundamentals of the Inspiration of Scripture, of the literalness of the Genesis Creation account, the Biblical record of Miracles, the Virgin Birth, the vicarious atonement of Christ, the Resurrection and literal Return of Christ. Personal holiness and commitment to Christ was taught in the context of joy, love and hope.

The Pastor College graduates understood the need for Christians to testify of their faith through Baptism by immersion, to simply worship through the memorial of the Lord's Supper, to live devoted lives of service to one another and to live lives committed to sharing the Gospel to unbelievers.

The Cape Baptist Bible College would train the first generation of South African English and Afrikaans pastors in the Dispensational interpretation of Scripture using Larkin's "Dispensational Truth" and the Scofield Bible (etc.). The Word of God would be preached with a clarity and hope not heard in Southern Africa before.

Sadly, by the end of the II World War these distinctive truths were exchanged for uncertainty, doubt, figurative and allegorical false interpretations of the Bible. From this time until the 1970s and 80s the dynamic and literal Christian message was watered-down and a much compromised 'Evangelicalism' replaced those previous generations.

In God's own gracious timing, couple after couple were hearing of the need in Southern Africa and churches were committing to pray and finance this fresh vanguard of missionaries. These families would come in waves, in teams and by the dozens to re-establish the Biblical truth of salvation by grace through faith alone. The long forgotten message of separation from sin and worldliness would be rekindled. The sure hope of the Rapture of the Saints, the literal pre-tribulational and pre-millennial return of Christ would return to South Africa, as well! HOPE HAD ARRIVED!