by The word ‘dispensations’ or ‘dispensationalism’ is one we hear quite often – however, it isn’t often explained precisely what this means. I recently read an excellent outline of the dispensations of God’s ways in Algernon J. Pollock’s “Things Which Must Shortly Come To Pass”, and I reproduce it here for the interest and edification of the brethren.
Without a right understanding of dispensational truth no student of prophecy can rightly comprehend God’s ways in the past and present, nor His plans for the future.
At the beginning of our enquiry we may well ask what is meant by the word dispensation.
A Dispensation is a stretch of time marked out by some special dealing of God with men, imposing upon man responsibility, and always ending in man’s failure.
With this in mind it is easy to trace the dispensations of Scripture.
Let it be clearly understood that whilst the beginning of a dispensation can be clearly marked, its close cannot be so definitely fixed in every case. The remark we make later in connection with the Dispensation of Promise illustrates what we mean.
Dispensation of Innocence
This probably lasted a very short time. The record is covered by Genesis 2:7 – 3:24.
Adam was created innocent. Placed as head over the first creation. Given a helpmeet. One test was imposed upon our first parents, viz., not to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. In their attempt to rise and become as gods they fell. Their act was prophetic of the rise of the antichrist, who will make the greatest attempt to be as God. The dispensation ended in failure. It was closed by the fall of the creature and the introduction of the reign of sin.
Dispensation of Unrestrained Will
Man was tested by the fact of no restraint being put upon him. The record is covered by Genesis 4:1 – 7:6.
This followed the dispensation of innocence, and closed with the Flood. Man was allowed to do what he liked. And what was the result? He corrupted and defiled himself to such an extent that in mercy and judgment God ended the dispensation by a flood of water. Doubtless the closing of this dispensation by a flood of water is prophetic of the closing up of the world’s history by a deluge of fire (see 2 Peter 3:10-12). How often the natural heart thinks that to do as it likes is the way of happiness. Behold the result!
Dispensation of Government
Man had the sword of government put into his hand. The record is covered by Genesis 8:15 – 11:9.
Noah and his family after the flood commenced this dispensation. Noah had the sword of government put into his hand. He proved himself unfit by getting drunk. He could not govern himself. In process of time population increased and the lessons of the flood were forgotten; men banded themselves together into one vast imperialism in their desire to be strong without God. The dispensation ended with the intervention of God in confounding the language of all the earth, so that the people were scattered, and left off building the tower and city of Babel (confusion). This closed the dispensation.
Dispensation of Promise
Beginning with the call of Abram and going on to the Exodus, though its principles still go on, and will find their full answer when all nations shall be blessed in Abram’s seed – Christ – in the Millenium. The record is covered by Genesis 12:1 – Exodus 18.
No words can exaggerate the importance of this new departure in the ways of God. Abram was the first person to be called. “Now the Lord had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will shew thee” (Genesis 12:1). Since his day calling has been God’s way of blessing. The calling OUT was the proof that God no longer looked for response from the world as such, and was the condemnation of that out of which the call was given.
Abram in this connction became the recipient of the promise that in his seed all nations should be blessed. Henceforth the calling and promise descended to Isaac and Jacob, which last became the head of the Jewish patriarchs, who in their descendants became the called-out nation, as we shall presently see.
All this was on the lines of an earthly inheritance.
Secondly, Abram was the first person in whom the truth of justification came out. “Abraham believed God, and it was counted unot him for righteousness” (Romans 4:3).
So two NEW things come out in Abram: (1) Calling: positively, leading to God’s thoughts of blesing for the one called; negatively, involving condemnation of the scene out of which he was called; (2) Justification, that is, complete clearance on the ground of faith in what Another was to do.
The Galatian epistle shows how Abraham is the Head of promise, and how all – Jew and Gentile – who put their faith in Christ are the children of Abraham and blessed with him.
The Church comes in parenthetically with a heavenly calling, with a heavenly inheritance, but still on the lines of calling. The Greek word for church (ecclesia) means called out. Of that more anon.
It were well for the reader to seek to grasp this important departure in the ways of God brought out in this dispensation. Suceeding dispensations differ, yet the blessings first brought to light in Abraham are carried on, though in the present dispensation they connect themselves with a heavenly order of things, and go beyond what was seen in Abraham.
Dispensation of Law
Connecting itself with Israel under Moses the lawgiver, Joshua, and the elders, the Judges and Kings, until the captivity. The record is covered by Exodus 19 – 2 Kings 25.
This dispensation is strongly marked. It had to do with a called nation, and is one sad history of lapses into idolatry – the flagrant breaking of the first and greatest commandment – Israel was set aside and the Gentile domination came in. Israel began with theocracy, that is, direct rule by God. When the Israelites demanded a king, God said to Samuel the prophet, “They have not rejected thee, but they have rejected ME, that I should not reign over them” (1 Samuel 8:7).
In the time of King Rehoboam, David’s grandson, the kingdom was rent in two – Israel, comprising ten tribes, formed the Northern Kingdom; Judah and Benjamin, with the Levites and many Israelites who fell to Judah, forming Judah, the Southern Kingdom. The king of Assyria carried Israel into captivity in 740 B.C., whilst the king of Babylon carried Judah into captivity in 599 B.C.
Dispensation of “The Times of the Gentiles”
(Luke 21:24) The record is covered prophetically by Nebuchadnezzar’s dream of a great image. It began with Nebuchadnezzar, King of Babylon, and will end when Christ returns to this earth to put all enemies under His feet and to reign. The Stone cut out without hands, falling on the feet of the image and destroying it, gives us symbolically the end of the dispensation (see Daniel 2:31-45).
Idolatrous Israel being set aside as God’s centre of dealing with the world, God now puts authority into the hands of the Gentiles. As this is a large subject and intimately connected with prophecy, we will content ourselves with the following remark at present.
We shall have to see how there arises a dispensation of grace WITHIN this dispensation of government, which latter “the times of the Gentiles” (Romans 11:25), and is consequent on the death, resurrection, and ascension of the Lord Jesus, the gift of the Holy Ghost and formation of the Church, closing with the rapture; then the Jew will again be taken up and become the centre of God’s dealings on the earth.
But more of this in detail later on [in the book].
Dispensation of the Millenium
This covers the personal reign for one thousand years of the Lord Jesus as the long-promised Messiah over Israel, and as Son of Man over the whole earth. He will, indeed, be the Lord Emperor – King of kings and Lord of lords.
This dispensation will fulfil the prophecy of 1 Peter 1:2 – “the glory that should follow.”
It will involve the return of the Jews to their own land, and the break-up of the Gentile power to make way for the reign of Christ.
This will be taken up in detail later on [in the book].
The Final Phase
This cannot be called a Dispensation. The record is covered by Revelation 20:7-10.
When the Millenium closes, God in His wisdom allows Satan to be released from the bottomless pit, who will then go out to decieve the nations. This INTERREGNUM between the close of the Millenium and the beginning of the eternal state will be short, and is described in Revelation 20:7-10.
Satan will decieve the nations gathering them to battle in numberless hosts. They will attack God’s people, and Jerusalem’s last siege will take place. Fire will come down from God, which will devour His enemies – the devil himself being cast into the lake of fire, where the beast and false prophet will have been during the Millenium.
This interregnum will be one of the strongest proofs possible that man’s condition as fallen is hopeless. The long period of Christ’s personal reign, and the withdrawal of the malign influence of the devil, will not suffice to alter men’s hearts.
God will be fully justified in winding up all things, and the prophecy of 2 Peter 3:10, as to the heavens and the earth being destroyed by fire, will be fulfilled.
The Eternal State
Then will suceed the eternal state. This is recorded in Revelation 21:1-8.
It will consist of two parts – the new heaven and new earth wherein righteousness will dwell (see verses 1-4), and the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone in which the unbeliever will have his part (see verse 8).
Revelation 20:11-15 gives us the last great session of judgement – the great white throne. Seeing the earth and the heaven will have fled away, there can be no more time, for this is marked by the two motions of the eath round the sun – its diurnal rotation on its axis giving the sucession of night and day, and its orbit round the sun giving the seasonal sucessions and marking off year from year.
This gives the awfully solemn thought that the great white throne will be set up after time has ceased, and its judgement wil be effected in eternity and for eternity.
The new heaven and earth will be the blissful side of the eternal state, where God shall dwell in complacency with His people – all the activities of time for ever ended.
“And when all things shall be subdued unto Him, then shall the Son also Himself be subject unto Him that put all things under Him, that GOD MAY BE ALL IN ALL” (1 Corinthians 15:28).