Dispensationalism – Fact or Fiction
John 14:6 –
Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life:
no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
Dispensationalism – is a religious interpretive system for the Bible.
A.
It
considers Biblical history as divided by God into dispensations, defined as periods
or ages to which God has allotted distinctive (variable) administrative
principles.
Note: Therefore, it is God who changes
His administrative principals, or laws, in accordance to the circumstances of
the period. Here the worship of God
evolves in accordance to changes of environment.
B.
According
to dispensationalist
theology,
each age of God’s plan is thus
administered in a certain (variable) way, and humanity is held responsible as
a steward during that time
(must adjust to), in the particular manner set forth by God’s changed (new) principals. During each dispensation, God relates Himself
to His children, in accordance to the unique manner of the dispensation. Therefore, the demands or duties of
humanity toward God, change
from period to period, and the manner how God interacts with mankind also
changes.
Note:
Here God’s relationship with humankind varies during each dispensation. This may be based on the idea that God has
not revealed to man, His entire purpose or plan. Humans are responsible for making the
necessary adaptations (works) in order to be found acceptable to God,
C. Each
divine dispensation features
a cycle of four parts:
1.
God reveals himself and his truth to humanity in a new (different) way.
Note: Here we find a new truth and new manner
of presenting the truth
Hebrews 1:1-2 – God, who at sundry
(various) times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by
the prophets,
2 Hath in these last days spoken unto us
by his Son, whom he hath appointed
heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds;
Amos 3:7 – Surely the Lord GOD will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets.
Revelation 1:1 – The Revelation of
Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which
must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant
John (apostle/prophet):
So here we find biblical evidence
that God’s method of communication, to His children does not change. It goes from God, to the angels (messenger),
to the prophets, to His people. Here we
have at least 3 different time periods, or dispensations with the exact same
mechanism for communications.
2.
“Humanity” is held responsible
to conform to that revelation (new).
Note: Here humanity must make the new changes given
them, and comply with God’s new demands (Gnostic – one has to make the changes
for themselves and find the means to these changes in themselves) Here acceptance by God, therefore salvation
of humankind, is dependent upon the actions (compliance) of man to the changed
standard imposed upon them, righteousness by works. Genesis 3:15 and Jeremiah 31:31-33.
First
Covenant – Exodus 20:20 – And Moses said unto the people, Fear
not: for God is come to prove you, and
that his fear may be before your faces, that ye sin not.
Second
Covenant – Jeremiah 31:33 – But this shall be the covenant that I will
make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts;
and will be their God, and they shall be my people.
When one reads
these texts, it shows the consistency (between both Covenants) of God’s demands
upon humanity. God was clearly creating
a mechanism where “HE” kept mankind
from sinning. Christ, not man, would
take the responsibility, for our ability, to keep His commandments, by placing enmity against Satan and
sin, in our hearts. The failure of the
First Covenant was that the Children of Israel put themselves in the place of
God, by stealing the responsibility for doing, not keeping God’s Law. Exodus 20:19 – And they said unto
Moses, Speak thou with us, and we will hear: but let not God speak
with us, lest we die. They placed upon
themselves the responsibility for fulfilling Christ’s promise of Genesis 3:15 – And I will put enmity
between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise
thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel. (Framework for
both Covenants, or the only “actual” covenant)
Now it was the
Children of Israel, not the God of Heaven, who would create the enmity between mankind
and Satan. This was an impossible task
since a sinner can not overcome sin.
Moses recognized this mistake and attempted to change their lack of
faith as we see in Exodus 20:20. The people rejected Moses’ plead, an in so
created a false vicar for God, here the people are dictating to God the terms
of their acceptance, rejection of the terms in the covenant, and blasphemy. Moses was now to play the role of
Christ. This was a system destined for
failure, not of God’s doing, but of mans’ controlling nature and fear.
3.
Humanity rebels and fails the test.
Note: Here humanity was predestined to fail. It is with God’s knowledge that mankind will fail
in its assigned task, and therefore they were created for the purpose to failing
(God’s benefit), or else God is testing humanity because He is unaware of the
outcome, experimenting with mankind (Gnostic – Demerge). This negates the biblical ideal that God is
all knowing.
Job 1:8 – And
the Lord said
unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in
the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth
evil?
Roman 3:23 – For all have sinned, and come
short of the glory of God;
These texts
clearly show that it was never God’s intention for man to be separated from him
thru sin. It was the clear conscious
choice of every individual to enter into harmony with sin, and thus remove the
enmity against sin, and creating enmity against Christ. This understanding leads us away from the
concept of “Original
Sin Doctrine”.
4.
God judges humanity and introduces a new period of probation under a
new administration.
Note: Here mankind has failed as was predestined by
God, (Entrapment)
or else the Almighty is unaware of the future outcome during each
dispensation. A judgment is placed on
humanity, and a new and different set of Laws are given to humanity, and they
attempt to comply with, which ultimately will end in failure. God is testing (tempt) mankind. One can only reason that either God is not “all
knowing”, or He created man to sin, and therefore sin was a part of His plan to
vindicate Himself. If this were true, then
God has a self-serving (Hedonistic), not a self-sacrificing nature (Agape). This interpretation is consistent with the god
of the Gnostic Creation (Cosmos).
D.
Seven Dispensations – man’s
relationship with the Laws, and consequences
1. Innocence
– Adam “under probation” prior to the Fall.
Ends with expulsion from the Garden of Eden. Some refer to this period as the
Adamic period or the dispensation of the Adamic covenant or Adamic law.
Note: Here man is presumed to be created innocent, and not perfect. The remainder of
creation was made perfect. The
difference is the point of fault for the fall of man. If man was created innocent, and not perfect,
then the fault for the fall of man lies with the Creator, Christ (imperfect
creation, by imperfect Creator). Perhaps
this is why the (New Age Movement) believes we need a new and different Christ,
since it believes Jesus Christ failed in His creative efforts, or that His
intent was for the failure to occur (Gnostic).
God’s Holy
Word states that all creation was made perfect.
Genesis 1:31 – And God saw every
thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good (perfect). And the evening and
the morning were the sixth day.
Therefore,
man cannot claim that he was created fallible (Original Sin Doctrine),
otherwise God would have no right to claim distinct acts, an abomination.
2.
Conscience
– From the Fall
to the Great Flood. Ends with the worldwide deluge (Judgement for breaking the Law).
Genesis
6:3
– And
the Lord said,
My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his
days shall be an hundred and twenty years.
Genesis
6:5 – And God saw that the wickedness of man
was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart
was only evil continually.
Genesis
6:7
– And
the Lord said,
I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man,
and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth
me that I have made them.
Note: Here, the dispensationalist is
under the assumption that the mankind was under a specific set of laws for
which they not only failed to adhere to, their minds rejected it to the point
that they could not return to it. It is
presumed that these laws were distinct from the Commandments that God later
Gave. This presumption is not biblical
in nature, for the bible clearly gives a glimpse of the Royal Law prior to
Mount Sinai, 2000 years prior. Before
the law was Common, not written.
1.
No
other God (First Commandment) – by the people turning away from God, they gave
their time and therefore worship to another
Genesis
3:5 – For God doth know that in the day ye
eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing
good and evil.
2.
Do
not create other God’s II (as above) – mankind’s hedonistic manners, evil
continually, made them their own gods.
3.
Not
to take God’s name in vain III – Genesis 4:5 – But unto Cain and to his offering he
had not respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell. If you call yourself a Christian, must act
like it.
4.
Sabbath
IV– Genesis 2:3 – And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because
that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made.
5.
Murder VI – Thou shalt not kill (murder) – Genesis 4:8 – And Cain
talked with Abel his brother: and it came to pass, when they were in the field,
that Cain rose up against Abel his brother, and slew him.
(Eve giving fruit to Adam – First murder)
6.
Lie IX – Thou
shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor. Genesis 4:9 –
And the Lord said unto Cain, Where is Abel thy brother?
And he said, I know not: Am I my brother’s keeper?
7.
Covet X – Genesis 4:5 – But unto
Cain and to his offering he had not respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his
countenance fell.
3. Human
Government –
After
the Great Flood, humanity is responsible to enact the death penalty. Ends with the dispersion at the Tower of Babel. Some use the term Noahide law in reference to
this period of dispensation.
Note: For the dispensationalist to accept that
humanity was under a different set of rules, then there must have been a
different punishment, because the punishment must fit the crime. Additionally, here it is allegedly man, not
God who invokes the sentence and punishment.
Again, we have a man-oriented, or centered religion. Man subverts the place of God.
Genesis 2:17 – But of the tree of
the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day
that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.
Romans 6:23 – For the wages of sin
is death; but the gift of God is eternal
life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Here we
have agreement, or corroboration between the two witnesses, the Old and New
Testament. Therefore, there can be no
distinct laws between the different dispensational times, otherwise this
agreement would not exist.
4. Promise
– From Abraham to Moses. Ends with the refusal to enter Canaan and the 40
years of unbelief in the wilderness. Some use the terms Abrahamic law or Abrahamic covenant in reference
to this period of dispensation.
God’s only
covenant for man – Genesis 3:15 – And
“I” will put
enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall
bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.
Note: For the dispensationalist to adhere to this
dispensation, they must cleave/separate the promise to Abraham, from the
promise of Genesis 3:15. This makes the
promise to Abraham to only be a father of many nations. It removes the core premise of the promise
(enmity), the prophesy that the Messiah, Jesus Christ would come from his line
thru Issacs, and not Ismael. Remember, Isaac
was Abraham’s only son that was circumcised on the appropriate day, the eight
day of life. It voids the purpose of the
promise and creates a new, although false reason. The reason for multiple covenants is for a
later date.
5. Law
– From Moses to the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. Ends with the scattering of Israel
in AD 70. Some use the term Mosaic law in reference
to this period of dispensation. (First
Covenant)
Exodus 19:5-6 – 5 Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed (LOVE ME), and
keep (Cherish
and Protect) my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto
me above all people: for all the earth is mine:
6 And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests (Direct access to
God), and an holy (Perfect) nation. These are the words which thou shalt
speak unto the children of Israel.
Exodus 19:8 – And all the people answered together, and said, All that the Lord hath
spoken we will do. And Moses returned the words of the people unto the Lord.
Israel promised to love and cherish God, of
their own will. People who are in a
state of enmity against God, cannot of themselves love and cherish Him. Some force must cause this change.
Note: As
we saw above, it was not God that caused the failure of the “first covenant”,
but rather the people by removing Christ from before them, or within them, that
led to the “covenant’s” demise. If it
had been Christ’s which cause the failure, the Covenant would have been a
worthless from the start. If Christ had
intended that man would keep the covenant of themselves, and man already
existed in the state of sin, it would be impossible for man to develop enmity
against Satan and sin, since they were in a state of harmony with sin. Therefore, Christ would have destined the
Children of Israel to condemnation regardless of their desires or intentions. This
intentional induced failure is not consistent with the biblical Christ, but is
consistent with the New Age’s perception of Jesus Christ, and the ideals of
Jesus Christ in Gnosticism. 2000 years
of people who referred to themselves as God’s people would have been lost, despite
the purposed covenant. These dispensations
are Law centered, not God centered. The Law, not God, becomes the source of worship,
paganism. The people would be focused on keeping the Law,
not loving and cherishing God. If God
would have intended that the “First Covenant”required man to keep His
commandment of themselves, and that sacrifice of animals was an acceptable means
for the forgiveness of sin, then another 2000 years of Jews would be destined
to hopelessness and death, since there has been no Tabernacle or Temple to
sacrifice. Therefore, the god of these dispensations has doomed 4000
years of His children to death. God
forbid!
John 3:16-17 – For
God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten
Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting
life.
17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the
world; but that the world through him might be saved.
As we have seen above, it was always
Christ’s intention to create in us, a means to be free of sin. First by becoming the atoning sacrifice for us,
and then by actually keeping the commandments within us, and for us, that we do
not sin.
6. Grace
– From the cross to the rapture of the church. The rapture is
followed by the wrath of God comprising
the Great Tribulation. Some use the
terms Age of grace or the church age for this dispensation. (NO LAW)
(Second
Covenant)
In this
dispensational period, man is saved, not of his works, as assumed of the “First
Covenant”, but from the grace of God, thru the sacrifice of Christ. These lucky people get a pass for their
sins. They are not condemned by their
actions, and therefore do not have any responsibility for them. The Royal Law is believed to have been done
away with. They believe that the law has
been nailed at the cross, and therefore has no effect on humanity. Many protestants call this Cheap Grace.
They need only believe (justification), without the changing of
character (sanctification), for salvation. For this to be true, then sin would rise again
after the 1000 years. Which law was
nailed to the cross?
Colossians 2:14 – Blotting out the
handwriting of ordinances that was against us,
which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross;
Deuteronomy 31:26 – Take
this book of the law, and put it in the side of the ark of the covenant of the
LORD your God, that it may be there for a witness against
thee.
Christ negates the idea of Cheap Grace by His
description of His children.
Revelation 14:12 – Here is the patience
of the saints: here are they that keep (Love and Cherish) the commandments of
God, and have the faith of Jesus (sanctification).
Therefore,
God’s children are (past, present, future) those, who adhere to the Royal Law,
and have the same faith of Jesus, the only religion he gave to humanity.
7. Millennial
Kingdom –
A 1000 year reign of
Christ “on earth” centered in Jerusalem. Ends with God’s
judgment on the final rebellion (NO LAW).
Note: Here we have a reward for those who were
given a pass, and punishment for those who failed to accomplish the impossible
task.
Dispensationalist Theory must
maintain several assumptions:
1.
God interacts and treats
humanity different during each unique Dispensation
2.
God reveals additional or
different knowledge, esoteric, to
humanity during the unique Dispensation.
3.
God judges, and therefore must
punish humanity different during the unique Dispensation.
4.
Humankind is given different
Laws, at different times, and are only subject to those laws. Therefore, there is an evolution (Variations
in) of God’s Laws.
5.
The Royal Law is removed by
Grace
Compare
the Dispensationalist Theory to the known Character of God.
A. God is Love – a loving God wants all His
children and does not favor one over the others. Romans 2:11 – For there is no
respect of persons with God.
B. God is all knowing
1.
Dispensation must assume that God is not aware of the outcome of each
dispensation, or else there is sadistic tendencies in the personality of God,
and He would be incapable of being “LOVE”.
We know that God is all knowing, and that it was not that God caused the
failure of the “first covenant”, but rather man’s interference with the
Godhead’s plan. The intention of the
Covenant was between God for God, not God and man.
C. God does not Change –
1.`The premise of Dispensationalism is that God changes
his truth and manner of how he interacts with humanity during every
dispensation. This is not consistent
with the biblical definition of God. Hebrews
13:8 – Jesus Christ the same
yesterday, and to day, and for ever.
D. God expresses Agape – God is Agape, a
selfless love. If God created man to
fail, then God is not Agape, but rather Hedonism. As stated before this is not consistent with
the God of the Bible, but is consistent with the Gnostic god.
In
summary, a reasonable fundamental Christian cannot accept the notions of
Dispensationalism. It infers that God is
fickle, inconsistent and essentially uncaring.
This
theory causes confusion, depression, and a sense of anxiety. Dispensationalism creates a god that shows
favoritism when He desires it. This
character trait is consistent with the Pagan God’s of Egypt, Greece and Rome. The gods that had to be bribed and
appeased. The bible is clear:
Acts 10:34 – Then
Peter opened his mouth, and said, Of a truth I perceive that God is no
respecter of persons:
Deuteronomy 10:17 – For
the LORD your God is God of gods, and Lord of lords, a great
God, a mighty, and a terrible, which regardeth not persons, nor taketh reward
(bribe):
John 14:6 – Jesus saith unto him, I
am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
When one compares the
biblical characteristics of God, to the intentions of the dispensationalist
theory, one must ascertain that the dispensationalist is worshiping another
god, a false god, a pagan god. Remember
our memory verse, Christ says that he is “The” way, “The” truth, and “The”
life. The use of the adjective “the”
clearly delineates “ONE”, not many or changing.
Let us adhere and keep (love and cherish) to the God of Heaven, and r