THE SEVEN DISPENSATIONS IN THE BIBLE

[Chaplain Pat Harris]

In the Bible the divine history of man is ordered within the framework of seven dispensations. It commences with the creation of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden and culminates in the new heaven and earth where an eternal perfect existence will prevail. Can anyone expound on each of the dispensations:

1. Edenic Dispensation (Innocence)
2. Antediluvian Dispensation (Conscience)
3. Legal Dispensation (OT Law)
4. Ecclesiastical Dispensation (Grace/Church Age)
5. The Tribulation (Anti-Christ/Judgment)
6. Messianic Dispensation (Millennial Kingdom/Righteousness)
7. Perfect Dispensation (Holiness/Eternity)

[Anna]

Can you please share the scriptures from which you get these categories, what Biblical personage/prophets taught these and can you provide the time frame for each of these "Dispensations"?


The following article gives the history of your

Dispensationalism

Dispensationalism is a Protestant evangelical tradition and theology based on a biblical hermeneutic that sees a series of chronologically successive "dispensations" or periods in history in which God re slates to human beings in different ways under different Biblical covenants.

***As a system dispensationalism is rooted in the writings of John Nelson Darby and the Brethren Movement.***

The theology of dispensationalism consists of a distinctive eschatological "end times" perspective, as all dispensationalists hold to premillennialism and most hold to a pretribulation rapture. Dispensationalists believe that the nation of Israel is distinct from the Church, and that God will fulfill His promises to national Israel. These promises include the land promises, which in the future result in a millennial kingdom where Christ, upon His return, will rule the world from Jerusalem for a thousand years. In other areas of theology, dispensationalists hold to a wide range of beliefs within the evangelical and fundamentalist spectrum.
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As you can see this doctrine is based on theologians views dated not earlier than the last few centuries, and it is not a doctrine that the Bible teaches.

[Chaplain Pat Harris]

The beginning and end of a dispensation are always marked by dramatic events associated with the unfolding of a new aspect of God’s plan for the ages. They are also accompanied by intensified demonic activities as Satan then tries everything in his power to upset God’s plan. The main characteristics of the seven dispensations are as follows:

1. The Dispensation of Innocence
The very first dispensation in which Adam and Eve found themselves was that of innocence in paradise. God had forbidden them to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil and warned that they would surely die should they eat of the fruit (Gen. 2:17). They were innocent as they had no knowledge of good and evil and were not even ashamed of their nakedness (Gen. 2:25). With great cunning Satan deceived Adam and Eve to rebel against God by breaking His law. They willingly heeded Satan’s advice and subjected themselves to his authority, thus becoming sinners. Spiritual death immediately set in while they also physically became mortal. The dispensation of innocence ended with the Fall which was the result of great deception by Satan.

2. The Dispensation of Conscience
For a long time after the Fall man had no law and could only distinguish between good and evil by way of the voice of his conscience. Various people pursued righteousness in accordance with their inner convictions and whatever personal revelations God gave them. Some of them, like Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph became preachers of righteousness. At times during this dispensation evil was so intense and pervasive that God’s anger was kindled against man. During the Flood all but eight people were destroyed. Through the calling of Abraham, God started to prepare a special people of His own to live in accordance with His laws. At the end of the dispensation of the conscience, when Israel were about to receive the law of God and move into a new dispensation, Satan launched an incredible attack against them from the kingdom of darkness. He applied all his powers of deception to avert the next unfolding of God’s divine plan for man. While Moses was on the mountain to receive the law, Israel were deceived to rebel against God by practicing outright idolatry, thereby rendering themselves unfit to receive God’s law. God threatened to destroy them, but Moses interceded for Israel. He was so shocked at the sight of the golden calf that he broke the tablets on which the law were written, but God graciously wrote them again.

3. The Dispensation of the Law
With the introduction of the dispensation of the law a much clearer distinction was made between good and evil. Not only in the Ten Commandments, but through a great number of other laws and decrees God defined righteousness and sin. Satan concentrated on Israel to induce them to sin in an effort to subvert and nullify their calling as a special people of God. These efforts were greatly increased when the time came for the Messiah to be born. Satan must have been extremely infuriated with the announcement from heaven that the Messiah’s Name would be Jesus and that He will save His people from their sins (Mt. 1:21). Satan then took possession of Herod and incited him to massacre all male children under the age of two years in an effort to kill Jesus. When this evil plan failed he first tried in the wilderness to tempt Jesus to sin, and afterward relentlessly attacked Him through the hostile leaders of Israel. He wanted to kill Jesus and obliterate the gospel of the kingdom of God. But the devil’s plans backfired on himself because through His death Jesus "destroyed him who had the power of death, that is, the devil" (Heb. 2:14). God’s divine plan proceeded.

4. The Dispensation of Grace
With the outpouring of the Holy Spirit the church age was ushered in. The Holy Spirit was given to guide people into all truth, to convict them of sin and righteousness, to regenerate them, and also to endue them with power from on high to serve Christ under difficult circumstances in a spiritually dark world. The knowledge of good and evil was increased through spiritual discernment (we have enlightened eyes of the mind), but still not to its fullest extent: "For we know in part and we prophesy in part" (1 Cor. 13:9). Although Christians now had a strong weapon against Satan, he didn’t give up the struggle against the church of Christ and for many centuries instigated an all-out war through the Roman Empire, the Medieval Roman Catholic Church, and later the Communist Bloc, in an attempt to destroy it. These plans also failed. We are now at the very end of the church dispensation and it is once again a time of increased demonic activity and a great falling away in many churches: "Now the Spirit expressly says that in the latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons" (1 Tim. 4:1). Satan intends to pervert the church of Christ, deprive the virgins of the oil in their lamps, and put them to sleep in the midnight hour just prior to the coming of the Bridegroom. Through the establishing of a false church (an ecumenical alliance between degenerate Protestantism, Catholicism and the non-Christian religions), as well as the promotion of a culture of sin (including abortion, homosexuality, drunkenness, and immorality of all sorts), a climate is created which is conducive to the appearance, acceptance and worship of the Antichrist as world messiah and "man of sin" (2 Thess. 2:3-4).

5. The Dispensation of the Tribulation
When the one who withholds, being the true Church of Christ, has been taken out of the way during the rapture, the Antichrist will be revealed (2 Thess. 2:6-12). Strong delusion will prevail on earth and the masses will blindly believe the lies of the Antichrist. Evil will develop to its fullest extent, and there will be no limits to blasphemous and sinful conduct. The second half of the Antichrist’s reign of seven years will be a time of unprecedented demonic activity: "Woe to the inhabitants of the earth and the sea! For the devil has come down to you, having great wrath, because he knows that he has a short time" (Rev. 12:12). Towards the end of the great tribulation the Antichrist and the false prophet will, under the instigation of Satan (Rev. 16:13-14), muster a great multinational force to fight against Christ when He comes to Jerusalem at the end of the seven years at His second coming. This battle won’t be a long one as the Antichrist and the false prophet will be captured and cast alive into the lake of fire. The devil will be chained and confined to a bottomless pit for one thousand years (Rev. 19:19-20:3).

6. The Dispensation of the Millennial Kingdom
During the millennium the glorified believers will rule with Christ. They will have perfect, immortal bodies, perfect joy and perfect knowledge. But the end of this dispensation will also be characterized by tremendous demonic activity. Satan will be released from his prison to make a last assault on the kingdom of God. While doing so, he will serve as a catalyst to the mortal men who lived during the millennium. All the unsaved ones (and they will be many) will be deceived by him and join him in his final war against the kingdom of light. This vain effort will lead to the final doom of Satan and all his hordes – including all the unsaved people of all ages on the Day of Judgment (Rev. 20:7-15).

7. The Dispensation of Eternity
This dispensation will be endless. In the new heaven and on the new earth "there shall by no means enter anything that defiles, or causes an abomination or a lie, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life" (Rev. 21:27). The lake of fire where Satan, his demons and all lost people will be confined, will also exist for all eternity.

[Chaplain Pat Harris]

Thanks Bro. Watson,

I will revisit my study notes and make the necessary adjustments.

[Caral]

I too have found both posts of your Chaplain Pat, and bro.Anthony absolutely fascinating, dispensationism theology is something that I have not studied.

I personally hold more towards covenantal theology, with a little historicism just for good measure. :)

So their are distinct similarities between the dispensations and the covenants, that consist of Adamic, Noahic, Abrahamic, Mosiac, Davidic and finally the New Covenant. It is in the eschatological that my views differ.

I am going to study some more and look at the scriptures provided from Rev. Just want to thank you for starting this thread and for the first few excellent posts.

[A.W. Bowman]

Caral – I do believe that you are on to a great revelation.

There are two additional covenant areas: The second covenant was at the removal of man from the Garden (Gen 3:9-24) and the last covenant to be instituted is at the marriage supper of the lamb (Rev 19). Also at this time we shall see the end of sin (Daniel 9:24) – by extension means the end of the Torah (instruction/Law) as something separate (imposed) on God's bride.

What is frequently omitted from covenant studies is that Moses and the prophets did not write down all of the covenant conditions, but only wrote a few and hinted at the rest. Therefore, I cannot list all of the different covenant conditions, or how the stipulations were carried forward, but cite an example or two for illustration. My favorite is Genesis 26:1-6, and the implied covenant requirements in Genesis 4 (remembering that sin is defined as a transgression of the law, 1 John 3:4).

So while the idea of dispensations has merit, perhaps it is the changes in covenants that are the defining periods. It should also be noted that no covenant element or requirements are ever lost or deleted from one covenant to another. Rather, each element is carried forward wither in its entirety, or in some modified (transformed) instruction. A great example of this starts with Matthew 5:21. It wa unlawful for Cain to kill Able, by 30 AD the law had been transformed to:

Matthew 5:21 ¶ Ye have heard that it was said to them of old time, (1) Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment: (1) Ex 20:13; De 5:17) 22 but I say unto you, that every one who is angry with his brother (1) shall be in danger of the judgment; and whosoever shall say to his brother, (2) Raca, shall be in danger of the council; and whosoever shall say, (3) Thou fool, shall be in danger (4) of the (5) hell of fire.

(1) Many ancient authorities insert without cause 2) An expression of contempt 3) Or Moreh, a Hebrew expression of condemnation 4) Gr untoor into 5) Gr Gehenna of fire)

May your studies be fruitful.

[A.W. Bowman]

An additional thought. Perhaps what we would call 'dispensations' might better be identified as the guiding principle of how the different covenants were/are administered, from God's point of view.

[Caral]

Thank you Bro. Bowman, I do hope so.

Thank you very much for your insights. I am disgesting and 'chewing the cud' :). As I read your post, I was shouting yes, yes, yes of course, how wonderful! The covenants are never dispensed with, but are moved forward. What a most superb example and teaching that you brought, thank you, it shows perfectly the refining of the covenants.

What also jumped in my spirit, is our God is a refining fire, and how narrowly that I have viewed this previously, just on an individual level, but of course the covenants of God shows this on a far greater scale of the refining of the whole of mankind, not just the individual, Israel and the Church. Amazing.

I didn't mention the Covenants of Works, Grace and Redemption, as I was hoping to find the similarities of the longer and more indepth version of dispensations, therefore using the timelines. But perhaps these could be compared to the Old Covenant, New Covenant, and Church age?

Thanks so much for adding the 2 missing covenants, the Edenic, but I unfortunately I am completely unfamiliar with the covenant of the marriage supper of the Lamb. I come from a partial preterist/historic stance, and to be honest it is only because of Revelation being written after 70AD, that I not do hold to full preterism. I am very keen to learn though, and it would be wonderful if you would consider expounding some more on this.

Blessings and thank you again.

[A.W. Bowman]

Sorry about the typos and spelling - glad you could work your way through it. As to the marriage supper. If no one posts a response soon, I'll post a couple of links that might help.

Love your attitude - let us all learn from one another. I have not considered the, "What also jumped in my spirit, is our God is a refining fire, and how narrowly that I have viewed this previously, just on an individual level, but of course the covenants of God shows this on a far greater scale of the refining of the whole of mankind, not just the individual, Israel and the Church. Amazing."

Thank you - another area of study has just opened up me.

[A.W. Bowman]

Here are three links to consider. However, as it is with most views on the book of Revelation, there is always some divergence in views! LOLOL

But, these should give you a good overview of the subject - from which you can start to develop your own understanding.

http://hubpages.com/hub/MarrigeSupperoftheLamb

http://endtimepilgrim.org/marriage.htm

http://ldolphin.org/Msup.html

[Chaplain Pat Harris]

Thanks so much Bro. Bowman. I will add these to my study notes for future reference.

[Caral]

Thanks so much for the links.

I have moved forward slightly. I can see that the marriage supper of the Lamb, is a future event, because it is a celebrate of the marriage, that has already occurred. I believe that the the bride (the church) and Her husband are already married, Christ is our husband, he has already entered us, and become as one with us (john 15, 1cor 6:17, Gal 2:20). This would not be the case if we were not already married to Him, and only betrothed.

Perhaps my understanding differs, because I am an orthodox christian and please no one shoot me down ;)) therefore do not hold or believe that there is to a rapture. ( I cannot hold to two returns of the Christ).

I think that we are already in the millennium reign of Christ, (dispensation no 6 according to Chaplain Harris) and satan has been unleased for the last time to deceive the world.

Yet, we await the Day of the Lord, the return of Christ and the New Heaven and New Earth. Praise God.

[Anna]

Sis Harris:

You wrote, under

2. The Dispensation of Conscience
"Through the calling of Abraham, God started to prepare a special people of His own to live in accordance with His laws. At the end of the dispensation of the conscience, when Israel were about to receive the law of God and move into a new dispensation"

The reason your man made doctrine of Dispensationalism, is fallacious is because to believe it, one has to blind their eyes to too many sections of the Bible for the theory to work.

I don't know about your Bible, but my Bible tells me that many of YHWH's laws were known by Abraham; Isaac and Jacob.

Gen. 26:5
Because that Abraham obeyed my voice, and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws.

Ps 105:9
[9] Which covenant he made with Abraham, and his oath unto Isaac;
[10] And confirmed the same unto ***Jacob for a law***, and to Israel for an everlasting covenant:

This is why Moses BEFORE SINAI was wearing himself out teaching Israel from morning to evening about God/YHWH's commandments in Ex. 18:

Exod.18
[16] When they have a matter, they come unto me; and I judge between one and another, and
I do make them know the statutes of God, and his laws.

Obviously, those in relationship with YHWH before the formal giving of the law/torah, knew His laws and about His covenant.
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Other laws of God/YHWH are evidenced by mankind before Sinai.
Why would YHWH destroy Sodom and Gomorrah so completely, if all they did was violate their "consicence"?
Our creator did not create man and not give him instructions on how He wanted them to live.

The following is a list of thirty-four laws seen in force in Genesis, given by YHWH, and subsequently confirmed in the Mosaic code: -

The law of the Sabbath (Gen.2.3). Ex. 16.23; 20.10; 31.13-17. Deut. 5.14.

The law of the place to worship (Gen.3.24; 4.3,4,16; 9.26,27). Ex. 25.8. Deut.12.5-7. Lev.17.3,4.

The law of the acceptance of sacrifice by fire from heaven (Gen.4.4,5). Cp. Strange fire, Ex.30.9. Lev.6.9; 10.1.

The law of sacrifices (Gen 4.4; 15.9; 22.2,3,13). Ex. 29.36. Lev.1.2-5.

The law of clean and unclean (Gen. 7.2; 8.20). Lev.11. Deut.14.3-20.

The law of the altar (Gen.8.20; 12.7,8; 13.4,18; 22.9; 26.25). Ex. 20.24.

The law of eating flesh (Gen.9.3). Deut 12.20.

The law against eating blood (Gen 9.4). Lev.7.26; 17.10-14.

The law against murder (Gen.9.5,6). Ex. 20.12 Deut.5.17.

The law of parental authority (Gen.9.25; 18.19; 22; 37.13). Ex. 20.12. Lev.19.3. Deut.5.16.

The law of monogamy (Gen 12.18; 16.1). Deut 24.1,2.

The law against adultery (Gen. 12.18; 20.3,9; 26.10,11; 38; 39.9; 49.4). Lev. 20.10.

The law as to (1) priesthood (Gen 14.18) Ex. 28.1 (2) priestly garments (Gen.27.15; 37.3). Ex.28.4.

The law of tithes (Gen. 14.20; 28.22). Lev.27.30-32.

The law as to covenant-making (Gen. 15.10,18; 21.27,32). Ex.34.27; 19.5.

The law of intercession (Gen. 17; 18; 20.17; 24).

The law of righteousness (Gen.17.1). Deut.18.13.

The law of circumcision (Gen. 17.9,10). Lev.12.3.

The law of hospitality (Gen.18). Lev. 19.33,34. Deut. 10.18,19.

The law against licentiousness (Gen. 18.20). Lev.18.

The law against fornication (Gen. 34.7).

The law as to oasths (Gen. 21.23; 24.41; 26.28). Ex.22.11. Num 5.19.

The law of biding sacrifices (Gen.22.9). Ps. 118.27.

The law of the birthright (Gen. 25.33). Deut.21.16,17.

The law of anointing with oil (Gen.28.18; 31.13). Ex. 40.15.

The obligation of vows (Gen.28. 20-22; 31.13). Deut. 23.12. Num 30.2.

The law against idolatry(implied in the word "dominion",Gen. 1.26; 31.32,35). Ex. 20.3-6. Deut 5.7-10.

The law of uncleanness (Gen. 31.35). Lev.15.

The law against marriage between circumcised and uncircumcised (Gen. 34.14). Deut. 7.3.

The law of cermonial cleansing for worship (Gen. 35.2). Ex.19.10.

The law of drink offerings (Gen.35.14). Ex.29.40. Lev.23.18.

The law of marrying the brother's widow (Gen. 38.8). Deut. 25.5-10.

The law of preaching (2 Pet.2.5). Lev.10.11. Deut 33.10.

The law of dowry (Gen. 34.12). Ex. 22.16.
http://www.biblestudysite.com/15.htm