Secondary Doctrine | Ben Markel

Covenant Theology

I believe Scripture reveals one unified plan of redemption centered in Jesus Christ rather than two separate peoples with two distinct redemptive purposes. From Genesis to Revelation, God unfolds one covenant story culminating in Christ and fulfilled in His Church.

Amillennialism

I believe Jesus Christ is presently reigning from heaven at the right hand of the Father and that the thousand years of Revelation 20 describes His present reign rather than a future earthly kingdom. I look forward to Christ’s bodily return, the resurrection of the dead, the final judgment, and the eternal state.

Read More → Why I Am an Amillennialist

Partial Preterism

I believe many prophecies found in the Olivet Discourse and the book of Revelation were fulfilled in the events surrounding the destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70. While I affirm Christ’s future bodily return, I believe understanding these fulfilled prophecies provides important context for reading the New Testament.

Cessationism

I believe the miraculous sign gifts associated with the apostles served a unique foundational purpose in establishing the New Testament Church. While God remains sovereign and continues to answer prayer and perform miracles according to His will, I do not believe the apostolic sign gifts are the ordinary expectation of the Church today.

Provisionism

I believe God genuinely desires the salvation of all people and that Christ died for the sins of the whole world. I believe the gospel is a sincere offer to every person and that each individual is responsible for responding in faith to God’s gracious invitation.

Read More → Why I Hold to Provisionism

Conditional Immortality

I believe immortality is God’s gift to those who are in Christ rather than an inherent quality possessed by every human being. Those who reject Christ will face God’s righteous judgment and ultimately perish rather than exist forever in eternal conscious torment.

Spiritual Warfare

I believe Satan and demons are real and actively oppose God’s people, yet they remain subject to God’s sovereign authority. Christians are called to stand firm in Christ through faith, prayer, and obedience to God’s Word rather than relying upon rituals, formulas, or speculative spiritual practices.

Israel and the Church

I believe God’s promises find their fulfillment in Jesus Christ and that all who belong to Him—Jew and Gentile alike—are united as one people of God. Rather than two separate covenant peoples, I believe Scripture presents one redeemed family gathered together through faith in Christ.