Lesson for June 23, 2024
Hermeneutics 101
Lesson 3
Dispensations are periods of time in which God administers His purpose in different ways for the human race. God’s essence and character never change, however, the way in which He deals with mankind does change. The various changes in administration prove to Satan that God is just in condemning him to the Lake of Fire. (James 1:17; Hebrews 6:17; Ephesians 1:10)
Regardless of God’s dealing with mankind, God’s grace and perfect justice is proven over and over again. Therefore, for us as believers and students of the Word of God, it is essential that we understand dispensations in order to handle God’s Word accurately. Failure to do so results in misinterpretation and misunderstanding of the Word of God and creates apparent contradictions in divine truth for mankind. Salvation is the same in every dispensation, faith alone in Christ alone.
Here are a few of the differences in dispensations. In the dispensation of Israel, animal sacrifice was mandated; we no longer sacrifice animals. In the dispensation of the Gentiles, the father was the priest and represented his family and servants before God. In the Church Age, we represent ourselves before God. In the dispensation of Israel, believers were commanded to keep the Law of Moses. In the Church Age, Christ has already fulfilled the Law of Moses and we now have a new law, the Law of Christ. In the dispensation of the Gentiles and Israel, the Holy Spirit temporarily indwelt a few believers to perform certain tasks (enduement). In the Church Age, the Holy Spirit indwells every believer, permanently. In the dispensation of the Millennium, Jesus Christ will rule the world system, not Satan. In the dispensation of Israel, the Church Age was a total mystery. In the dispensation of the Hypostatic Union, Christ offered the kingdom to Israel, but they rejected it.
Much of what is in the Gospels is not written to believers of this age, though it all has principles that apply to believers in every dispensation. In the dispensation of Israel, believers used the Faith-Rest Technique to fulfill God’s plan. In the Church Age, we use the filling of the Holy Spirit and Bible doctrine to fulfill God’s plan. God has a plan for everyone’s life. However, God’s plan for believers varies depending on which period in history that person lives. Often the plan is the same or similar. For example, it is God’s plan for everyone, in every dispensation, to believe in Jesus Christ for salvation and eternal life.
We live in the dispensation of the Church, often called the Age of Grace or the Church Age. We discover God’s plan for us through knowledge of His Word. Therefore, His plan for us after salvation is to learn and apply the doctrine found in the Bible. Only by learning about God and His character, and applying that truth to our life, can we truly appreciate and love Him. (Romans 8:32-39; I Peter 1:4-5; II Timothy 2:15; II Peter 3:18)
One of the most foundational doctrines to understand, as a believer in Christ, is Dispensational Theology. Regardless of how God administers His policies toward mankind in different dispensations, it always proves to Satan and the fallen angels that God is fair in condemning them to the Lake of Fire.
Within each dispensation, God’s will for mankind is always made clear and mankind’s responsibility to fulfill His will is clearly revealed. And there is always a time period in which to accomplish it. Each dispensation is characterized by 1) a test of man’s obedience to God’s will, 2) failure by the majority of people to obey the revealed will of God and 3) divine judgment for the failure to obey His will.
We will classify human history into six dispensations, and we will see that God’s plan is different for each. The six dispensations can be categorized into three types of dispensations: Theocentric, Christocentric, and Eschatological. The Theocentric dispensations are The Age of the Gentiles and The Age of Israel. The Christocentric dispensations are The Hypostatic Union and The Church Age. The Eschatological dispensations are The Tribulation and The Millennium.
Theocentric Dispensations
The Dispensation of the Gentiles
Genesis 1-11
4004 B.C. – 1689 B.C
Characteristics:
- From Adam to Abraham
- Patriarchal priesthood – Father was priest of the family (even servants)
- One universal language
- One race – Gentile
- One culture
Within the Dispensation of the Gentiles there are three divisions, which are classified as ages. The first is The Age of Innocence, extending from the creation of Adam to the Fall of Man. It is called Innocence because Adam and Eve were created perfect or innocent from the hand of God. The second is The Age of Conscience, extending from the Fall of Man to the Flood. It is called Conscience because mankind was no longer perfect, therefore, God used the human conscience as a ruling factor. The third is The Age of Human Government, extending from the Flood to Abraham. Since mankind continually failed to obey God, He introduced Human Government to restrain them and administer punishment to those who violated the Laws of Divine Establishment.
1) The Age of Innocence – Genesis 1:26-3:24
God’s Will – to be fruitful and bear children, subdue the earth, the things in it, and rule over them. Do not disobey God by eating from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil.
Mankind’s Failure – disobeying God by partaking of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil.
Divine Judgment – spiritual death, eventual physical death, expulsion from the Garden of Eden, pain in childbearing, the man working by the sweat of his brow, and Satan replacing Adam as the ruler of the world system.
2) The Age of Conscience – Genesis 4:1-8:19
God’s Will – to honor God by obeying His commands and instructions, based on a positive response to the human conscience regarding right and wrong.
Mankind’s Failure – Genesis 6:5, “Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of mankind was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of their hearts was only evil continually.”
Divine Judgment – a universal flood to destroy all of mankind, except for Noah and his family.
3) The Age of Human Government – Genesis 8:20-11:32
God’s Will – honor God and obey His commands and instructions on the basis of the authority of human government over its citizens.
Mankind’s Failure – ignoring God’s commands to worship Him, people congregated at Babel to build a tower to reach God, representing the human works of religion. (Genesis 11:4)
Divine Judgment – God confused their language, so they began to speak many different languages, which resulted in them being scattered, thus populating the earth and forming nations. Up until this time, there was a single universal language.
Under God’s grace policy, certain principles or divine laws were established to ensure the function and the perpetuation of the human race. These principles or laws are called Divine Establishment and are given by God to believers and unbelievers alike. Within these laws there is no discrimination based on race, nationality, gender, or any other factor. God’s Laws of Divine Establishment apply equally to all members of the human race in all Dispensations. This means that anyone (believer or unbeliever) can have a peaceful, happy life, if they apply these principles. On the other hand, failure to abide by these principles or laws by individuals or nations brings only disaster.
In order to prevent people from destroying themselves, God introduced human government as a ruling factor for nations. Human government was given by God for all nations. It was the confusion of languages and the dispersion of mankind that God used to introduce human government into the human race. Originally, tribal leaders sat as a governing board before nations were formed. (Genesis 11)
As history has progressed, nations have risen and fallen, some good, some bad, but the concept of nations still exists. Nations were designed by God for the perpetuation of the human race, for the freedom to accept or reject Jesus Christ, for the freedom to worship, the freedom to succeed or fail, and for the protection from interior and exterior predators. It is mankind that corrupts God’s divine laws and introduces evil into a national entity. The biblical pattern for a nation is one where freedom exists for all people (believers and unbelievers) and is governed by “the common good for all” concept.
The biblical pattern for a nation rejects anything that would subvert or corrupt the nation. This subversion or corruption can be, but is not limited to, music, art, literature, education, religion, politics, marriage, family, movies, television, and the internet. When these cultural activities become corrupt, the people of the influenced nation begin to act out the pattern of behavior that they are being taught by the various media. This bad behavior eventuates in the cycles of divine discipline, until the nation is destroyed from within or from without. Only a nation that remains true to the Biblical concept of a nation will prosper and survive.
Believers and unbelievers alike can enjoy their lives on earth if they adhere, either consciously or unconsciously, to the principles of Divine Establishment. The difference is that believers have the power of the Holy Spirit and Bible doctrine as their two power options. However, these power options must be used if a believer is going to live in a state of true happiness. Those unbelievers who apply the Laws of Divine Establishment often exhibit moral characteristics that resemble the fruit of the Holy Spirit and are often happier than those believers who reject the authority of God in their life.