diff --git a/orderer/consensus/smartbft/assembler.go b/orderer/consensus/smartbft/assembler.go
index a9ab98e384a..50c75656556 100644
--- a/orderer/consensus/smartbft/assembler.go
+++ b/orderer/consensus/smartbft/assembler.go
@@ -11,11 +11,14 @@ import (
 	"sync/atomic"
 
 	"github.com/hyperledger-labs/SmartBFT/pkg/types"
+	"github.com/hyperledger/fabric-lib-go/bccsp"
 	"github.com/hyperledger/fabric-lib-go/common/flogging"
 	cb "github.com/hyperledger/fabric-protos-go-apiv2/common"
+	"github.com/hyperledger/fabric/common/channelconfig"
 	"github.com/hyperledger/fabric/orderer/common/cluster"
 	"github.com/hyperledger/fabric/protoutil"
 	"github.com/pkg/errors"
+	"google.golang.org/protobuf/proto"
 )
 
 //go:generate mockery -dir . -name Ledger -case underscore -output mocks
@@ -138,28 +141,52 @@ func lastConfigBlockFromLedger(ledger Ledger) (*cb.Block, error) {
 	return lastConfigBlock, nil
 }
 
-func PreviousConfigBlockFromLedgerOrPanic(ledger Ledger, logger Logger) *cb.Block {
-	block, err := previousConfigBlockFromLedger(ledger)
+func NextToLastConfigBlockFromLedgerOrPanic(ledger Ledger, bccsp bccsp.BCCSP, logger Logger) *cb.Block {
+	block, err := nextToLastConfigBlockFromLedger(ledger, bccsp)
 	if err != nil {
 		logger.Panicf("Failed retrieving previous config block: %v", err)
 	}
 	return block
 }
 
-func previousConfigBlockFromLedger(ledger Ledger) (*cb.Block, error) {
-	previousBlockSeq := ledger.Height() - 2
-	if ledger.Height() == 1 {
-		previousBlockSeq = 0
+func nextToLastConfigBlockFromLedger(ledger Ledger, bccsp bccsp.BCCSP) (*cb.Block, error) {
+	block, err := lastConfigBlockFromLedger(ledger)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
+	if block.Header.Number == 0 {
+		return nil, nil
 	}
+
+	previousBlockSeq := block.Header.Number - 1
 	previousBlock := ledger.Block(previousBlockSeq)
 	if previousBlock == nil {
 		return nil, errors.Errorf("unable to retrieve block [%d]", previousBlockSeq)
 	}
-	previousConfigBlock, err := cluster.LastConfigBlock(previousBlock, ledger)
+	previousLastConfigBlock, err := cluster.LastConfigBlock(previousBlock, ledger)
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, err
 	}
-	return previousConfigBlock, nil
+
+	env := &cb.Envelope{}
+	if err = proto.Unmarshal(previousLastConfigBlock.Data.Data[0], env); err != nil {
+		return nil, errors.Wrap(err, "failed unmarshaling envelope of config block")
+	}
+	bundle, err := channelconfig.NewBundleFromEnvelope(env, bccsp)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, errors.Wrap(err, "failed getting a new bundle from envelope of config block")
+	}
+
+	oc, ok := bundle.OrdererConfig()
+	if !ok {
+		return nil, errors.New("no orderer config in config block")
+	}
+
+	if oc.ConsensusType() != "BFT" {
+		return nil, nil
+	}
+
+	return previousLastConfigBlock, nil
 }
 
 // LastBlockFromLedgerOrPanic returns the last block from the ledger
diff --git a/orderer/consensus/smartbft/chain.go b/orderer/consensus/smartbft/chain.go
index e61ff292195..65f46ceb8cc 100644
--- a/orderer/consensus/smartbft/chain.go
+++ b/orderer/consensus/smartbft/chain.go
@@ -141,12 +141,20 @@ func NewChain(
 
 	lastBlock := LastBlockFromLedgerOrPanic(support, c.Logger)
 	lastConfigBlock := LastConfigBlockFromLedgerOrPanic(support, c.Logger)
+	nextToLastConfigBlock := NextToLastConfigBlockFromLedgerOrPanic(support, bccsp, c.Logger)
 
+	var err error
 	rtc := RuntimeConfig{
 		logger: logger,
 		id:     selfID,
 	}
-	rtc, err := rtc.BlockCommitted(lastConfigBlock, bccsp)
+	if nextToLastConfigBlock != nil {
+		rtc, err = rtc.BlockCommitted(nextToLastConfigBlock, bccsp)
+		if err != nil {
+			return nil, errors.Wrap(err, "failed constructing RuntimeConfig")
+		}
+	}
+	rtc, err = rtc.BlockCommitted(lastConfigBlock, bccsp)
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, errors.Wrap(err, "failed constructing RuntimeConfig")
 	}
diff --git a/orderer/consensus/smartbft/util.go b/orderer/consensus/smartbft/util.go
index a3bcf171b5f..2e22cc42ad7 100644
--- a/orderer/consensus/smartbft/util.go
+++ b/orderer/consensus/smartbft/util.go
@@ -46,6 +46,7 @@ type RuntimeConfig struct {
 	LastCommittedBlockHash string
 	RemoteNodes            []cluster.RemoteNode
 	ID2Identities          NodeIdentitiesByID
+	ID2IdentitiesPrev      NodeIdentitiesByID
 	LastBlock              *cb.Block
 	LastConfigBlock        *cb.Block
 	Nodes                  []uint64
@@ -65,6 +66,7 @@ func (rtc RuntimeConfig) BlockCommitted(block *cb.Block, bccsp bccsp.BCCSP) (Run
 		LastCommittedBlockHash: hex.EncodeToString(protoutil.BlockHeaderHash(block.Header)),
 		Nodes:                  rtc.Nodes,
 		ID2Identities:          rtc.ID2Identities,
+		ID2IdentitiesPrev:      rtc.ID2IdentitiesPrev,
 		RemoteNodes:            rtc.RemoteNodes,
 		LastBlock:              block,
 		LastConfigBlock:        rtc.LastConfigBlock,
@@ -91,6 +93,7 @@ func (rtc RuntimeConfig) configBlockCommitted(block *cb.Block, bccsp bccsp.BCCSP
 		LastCommittedBlockHash: hex.EncodeToString(protoutil.BlockHeaderHash(block.Header)),
 		Nodes:                  nodeConf.nodeIDs,
 		ID2Identities:          nodeConf.id2Identities,
+		ID2IdentitiesPrev:      rtc.ID2Identities,
 		RemoteNodes:            nodeConf.remoteNodes,
 		LastBlock:              block,
 		LastConfigBlock:        block,
diff --git a/orderer/consensus/smartbft/verifier.go b/orderer/consensus/smartbft/verifier.go
index 0e5c6ee3b20..0dcec78442b 100644
--- a/orderer/consensus/smartbft/verifier.go
+++ b/orderer/consensus/smartbft/verifier.go
@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@ package smartbft
 
 import (
 	"bytes"
+	"encoding/asn1"
 	"encoding/base64"
 	"encoding/hex"
 	"fmt"
@@ -209,11 +210,30 @@ func (v *Verifier) verifyRequest(rawRequest []byte, noConfigAllowed bool) (types
 
 // VerifyConsenterSig verifies consenter signature
 func (v *Verifier) VerifyConsenterSig(signature types.Signature, prop types.Proposal) ([]byte, error) {
-	id2Identity := v.RuntimeConfig.Load().(RuntimeConfig).ID2Identities
+	rtc := v.RuntimeConfig.Load().(RuntimeConfig)
 
-	identity, exists := id2Identity[signature.ID]
+	var (
+		identity []byte
+		exists   bool
+	)
+	identity, exists = rtc.ID2Identities[signature.ID]
 	if !exists {
-		return nil, errors.Errorf("node with id of %d doesn't exist", signature.ID)
+		if len(prop.Header) == 0 {
+			return nil, errors.New("proposal header cannot be nil")
+		}
+		hdr := &asn1Header{}
+		if _, err := asn1.Unmarshal(prop.Header, hdr); err != nil {
+			return nil, errors.Wrap(err, "bad header")
+		}
+		numBlockProp := hdr.Number.Uint64()
+		if numBlockProp <= rtc.LastBlock.GetHeader().GetNumber() {
+			identity, exists = rtc.ID2IdentitiesPrev[signature.ID]
+			if !exists {
+				return nil, errors.Errorf("node with id of %d doesn't exist", signature.ID)
+			}
+		} else {
+			return nil, errors.Errorf("node with id of %d doesn't exist", signature.ID)
+		}
 	}
 
 	sig := &Signature{}