of the Bible

Image: Ryk Neethling

Human

Gov’t

LawGrace

Innocence

Promise

Conscience

Millennial Kingdom

“I’d really like to know

more about

the

of the Bible.

What can I uncover?”

expressed by each covenant, in which God reveals His mind

and will to humankind and teaches them to rely on Him

This ultimately caused them to return to God through

repentance, leading them back to salvation.

God is such a personal God that He always has our best

interest at heart and wants us to succeed!

Let me start with dispensation’s basic meaning.

seven dispensations:

1. Innocence (Gen 1:28)

2. Conscience (Gen 3:7)

3. Human Gov’t (Gen 8:15-17)

4. Promise (Gen 12:22)

5. Law (Exod 19:1-8)

6. Grace (Isa 11:1; Matt 1:1; John 1:17; Acts 2)

7. Millennial (Eph 1:10; Rev 20)

:

Innocence

Conscience

Human Gov’t

Promise

Law

Grace

Millennial

Christian Grace Sunlight

Jewish Law Moonlight

Patriarchal Promise Starlight

Kingdom or Messianic or Fullness

Self-Check Question 1:

?

A. You learn God’s plan for humankind leading to

the good news of Jesus Christ

B. You systematically study the various historical

periods of the Bible from the standpoint of

grace

C. You get to peer into the lives of the people with

whom God dealt, and even the land and

geography upon which they lived

Question 1 Answer:

?

All three are the correct selections.

When you study the dispensations you put

together the outer edge of the puzzle pieces that

frame God’s Big Story for humanity.

“ Now, I’ll take a broad view of the dispensations

Patriarchal

Eichenberger’s three form a broad view

of history through the dispensations…

Jewish

(or Mosaic)

Christian

(or Church)

During the Patriarchal Dispensations

WHEN: At the earliest age of humankind

WHAT: God revealed His will to some of the

patriarchs

WHO: Adam, Noah and Abraham

During the Jewish Dispensation

WHEN: When God gave Moses the law

WHAT: People would be blessed when they

obeyed and punished when they

disobeyed

WHO: Moses through Nehemiah

During the Christian Dispensation

WHEN: Upon the Holy Spirit’s outpouring on

Pentecost until the rapture of the

Church

WHAT: God dispenses salvation and blessing

by His grace

WHO: Through the death, burial, resurrection

and ascension of Jesus Christ as the

Blood Sacrifice for sin

Root, 1998, p. 32

Innocence(Gen 1:28-3:6)

Conscience(Gen 3:7-6:7)

Human Gov’t (Gen 9-11)

Promise (Gen 12-19)

Law (Exod 19:1-8 & Acts 2)

Grace(Isa 11:1; Matt 1:1; John 1:17, Acts 2; Rev 20;

Eph 1:22-23; 2:3-10;4-1-6)

Millennial (Eph 1:10; Rev 20)

The Dispensations: A Brief Timeline

Patriarchal

Age Jewish Age

2,500 years 1,520 years

A

d

a

m

M

o

s

e

s

J

e

s

u

s

Christian Age

AD 32 - ? Kingdom of God

Millennium Age

Redemption promised: Animal sacrifice required to atone for sin Redemption provided: Christ, finished sacrifice to atone for sin

A Closer Look at the Timeline

Matthew McGee, ©1998

Self-Check Question 2:

?

A. Through special revelations to the patriarchs

B. Through natural revelation to everyday people

C. Through Christ Jesus’ death, burial, resurrection and

ascension as infallible evidence of the Blood Sacrifice

for our sin

Question 2 Answer:

?

Answers A and C.

God dealt with His people through patriarchs (or

family heads) in the earliest ages of time.

God also spoke directly to Moses, “whom the Lord

knew face to face” (Deut 34:10b NKJV).

Additionally, He revealed His will through the events

of Jesus (God manifested in flesh) surrounding the

cross.

Humankind has had free will choice to accept or

reject God’s will throughout the ages.

“ Can I uncover more?

I’d like to learn more about how God’s grace

flows through the ages and the people with

whom He dealt…

Also Called Patriarchal Dispensations Overview Test/Responsibility Judgment

Innocence (Gen 1:28)

God gave Adam and Eve

innocence, perfect in their

sinlessness and devotion

to God; He walked daily

with them

Not to eat from the fruit of sin Failed the test of faith. God drove

Adam and Eve out of the garden →

They experienced spiritual death (Eph

2:1), knowledge of sin, moral

conscience, loss of fellowship and

fear of God followed (Gen 3:23-24).

Conscience (Gen 3:7)

God provided, by grace, a

substutionary animal

sacrifice for sin

forgiveness as evidence

of faith

Blood sacrifice for their sins

in faith--Do all known good

and abstain from all known

evil

Humankind failed the test of faith

once more → Flooded the earth,

singling out Noah and his family

(Gen 6:7)

Human Gov’t (Gen 8:15-17)

God gave humankind

authority to govern

themselves

Salvation dependent upon

the faith of the believer--

Human law was insufficient

for righteousness

Humankind failed again → God

confounded their language &

scattered them over the earth. He

singled out one family (Gen 11:5-9;

12:1-3)

Promise (Gen 12:22)

God made certain

promises to give Abram

the land to which He

would send Him

Abram was to go the

promised land, the fruit of his

faith

Abram failed the test due to lack of

faith and did not stand on the

promises of God; and instead went to

Canaan

Overview Test/Responsibility Judgment

Law (Exod 19:1-8)

God tested man’s

obedience to the Law of

Moses

The law had ten

commandments with 613

laws.

The Israelites were to keep

God’s covenant as a school

master to lead them to Christ

(Gal 3:24), separate them

from other nations (2 Cor

6:17) and make them a

peculiar treasure to the Lord

(Exod 19:5)

Israel rejected God’s statutes and His

covenants made with their fathers →

The Lord rejected all the seed of

Israel, and afflicted them, and

delivered them into the hand of

spoilers (2 Kings 17:20)

Also CalledJewish

(or Mosaic)

Overview Test/Responsibility Judgment

Grace (Isa 11:1; Matt 1:1; John 1:17)

Christ died on the cross

to atone for all sin’s

debt—past, present and

future—and fulfill the law

(Matt 5:117-118).

Faith in Christ’s death and

resurrection as sufficient to

pay for one’s sins and

assurance for eternity.

Until Christ returns, people have a

choice to accept or reject Jesus as

their Savior--His death, burial and

resurrection atoned for our sin →

People face separation from God

into eternity by not accepting Jesus

as their Savior, repenting for the

remission of sins and being born of

the water and Spirit

Also Called Christian or Church Dispensation

Also, Kingdom Dispensation

Overview Test/Responsibility Judgment

Millennial (Eph 1:10; Rev 20)Christ died on the cross

to atone for all sin’s

debt—past, present and

future—and fulfill the law

(Matt 5:117-118).

Faith in Christ’s death and

resurrection as sufficient to

pay for one’s sins and

assurance for eternity.

Self-Check Question 3:

True or False?

_____ A. Descendants lived in the Garden of Eden at

one time, and later God scattered them.

_____ B. Abraham’s lack of faith for God’s provision

prevented him for reaching the promised

land and fulfilling God’s promise.

_____ C. Each dispensation shows humankind’s

obedience in faith to the will of God.

Question 3 Answer:

Statements A and B are true.

God scattered people across the earth because

they failed the test of faith in defiance to His will.

At one time, He wiped out all the people from the

earth except for Noah and his family and restored

it again.

Humankind relied on their own will due to their

sinful nature, which is why God sent a Savior to

redeem them with the New Covenant.

Self-Check Question 4:

_____ A. The Bible lays out seven dispensations of

God’s dealings with humankind. Five already

occurred. One exists today. Another yet has

arrived.

_____ B. Blood sacrifice is the work evidenced by the

faith of the offerer in the Old Covenant

dispensations. The one Sacrifice Jesus already

offered His blood and asks for our faith in Him

in the New Covenant.

Question 4 Answer:

Answers A and B.

The Kingdom dispensation has yet to come, while all the

Old Covenant dispensations occurred. Currents, the people

of God live in the New Covenant dispensation of Grace.

“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of

yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man

should boast” (Eph 2: 8-9 KJV).

“ So, what did I learn?

• A dispensation is a plan or method that

God used during a particular period of

time to reveal His mind and will to

humankind” (Christian Guidebook).

• The dispensations occurred from the

Fall to the Kingdom yet to come.

• God progressively reveals His will

through the dispensations for the

purpose of shaping His people into His

image through grace.

?

References • Chafer, L. S. Bible doctrines: Dispensations. Cited on March 1, 2014, from

http://www.slideshare.net/rdc2506/chafer-bible-doctrines-dispensations

• Christian Bible Study. (n.d.)

• Eichenberger, J. (2011). Training for service: A basic Bible overview for every

Christian. Cincinnati, OH: Standard Publishing.

• Larkin, C. The seven dispensations Chart: Cited on March 1, 2014, from

http://www.biblelife.org/dispensations-big.jpg

• Scofield, C. I. The seven dispensations: Rightly dividing the Word of Truth. Cited

on March 1, 2014, from http://www.biblelife.org/dispensations.htm

• Simpson, W. (1998). The dispensations. Cited on March 28, 2004, from http://e-

grace.net/webgrace/dispensa.html

• Ryrie, C. Dispensationalism. Chapter two. Cited on March 1, 2014, from

http://www.biblecentre.org/topics/ccr_2_dispensationalism.htm

• Wikipedia, Dispensationalism. Cited on March 1, 2014, from

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dispensationalism

of time

Walking Through the Word 1

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