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S. Michael Houdmann
Supporter
In the dispensation of Innocence, God worked face to face with His highest creation, made in His own image. After the fall of Adam and Eve, mankind was no longer innocent, and God appealed to human...
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Singapore Moses
As a Bible scholar, we can categorize the dispensations of a man into SEVEN categories as given below: 1. Innocence - could not tell the number of days/years; it covers re-creation of earth's second perfect state /second habitation to fall of man. The dispensation ended before Adam and Eve had an offspring (Gen. 2:21- 25; 4:1). 2. Conscience - 1656 years (Gen. 3:22-- Gen. 8:14) from Adam's fall to the 600th year of Noah (Gen. 5:1- 29; 7:6, 11) 3. Human Government - 427 years - Noah's Flood to the call of Abraham (Gen. 8:15-- Gen. 11:32) 4. Promise - 430 years - Abraham to the Exodus of Egypt (Gen. 12:1-- Ex. 12:37) 5. Law - 1718 years - (Ex. 12:38-- Mt. 2:23; 11:11; Lk. 16:16). From Moses to Christ. 6. Grace - It is now ongoing as we are living in 2014 AD.. It will end ONLY upon rapture of His Church. Once the saints or believers are raptured, anti-Christ to take over. 7. Divine - The seventh probationary period-- Dispensation of Divine Government, or Millennium (Rev. 19:11-- Rev. 20:15). Length of this period:1, 000 years (Rev. 20:1- 10). We are living in the sixth probationary period is called Dispensation of Grace (Mt. 3:1-- Rev. 19:10; Jn. 1:17). Length of this period:from the first to the second coming of Christ and the binding of Satan in the abyss at the end of this age. It has already lasted nearly 2000 years. The rapture, completion of the first resurrection, judgment of saints, judgment of nations, and the tribulation or Daniel's 70th week take place at the end of this age. We cannot say or predict when the church will be raptured as Jesus himself does NOT know name and hour. Only Father knows. As I can discern the mind of the Father God, the anti-Christ cannot take over so soon. It is quickly but not so quickly... At the end of these seven dispensations, we will enter into The New Heavens and the New Earth, when the earth is perfect the third time-- the eternal perfect state with God all- in- all again (1Cor. 15:24- 28), as before rebellion in the universe headed by Lucifer and Adam (Isa. 65:17; 66:22- 24; 2Pet. 3:13; Rev. 21-- 22). It is time to go back to the grace of throne on our kneels.... May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.
Bob Johnson
Boy, this is a topic where there isn't enough room to answer! Although I greatly respect Mr. Houdmann, I must also greatly disagree with his point here IF he is leading toward a theological system called "dispensationalism." But he isn't necessarily going there, as some others posting on this question probably will (but they won't necessarily use the term) I think these set "dispensations" are a man-made dividing of the scripture in ways and systems that are not Biblical. God, for example, doesn't have some scripture (especially in the N.T.) only for the nation of Israel and other passages only for the Gentiles. This is what "dispensationalism" leads to. God hasn't "changed His mind" and had to come up with different ways of dealing with people throughout the centuries. Current Dispensationalism was systematized by Lewis Sperry Chafer (a devout Christian, but he was deceived by the likes of Charles Darby and others). Others, Iike Ireneaus, have attempted to chart God's plan as well. I'm not saying God doesn't have a plan for national Israel. He has a plan for every nation. I am saying, what Paul of Tarsus and other Biblical writers say: God's plan is for His people, Jews, non-Jews, Gentiles......everyone. And it doesn't change. Did you know that many Dispensationalists say that Jesus came to earth and that He was rejected by Israel and therefore the Cross was "Plan B" for God? No, God's plan and promise has been set from before He ever created anything. I would suggest you read 2 Timothy 2:15 correctly. It talks about "rightly dividing the Word of truth." But the English translation of the Greek word is usually mis-translated. The verse should read that we should be "rightly handling (or understanding) the word." It doesn't mean we should put a man-made system of dispensations upon the scriptures. A book "Dispensationalism - Rightly Dividing the People of God" by Mathison is helpful here. I don't agree with some of Mathison's points, but here is a book that is quite helpful. Another great book is "Wrongly Dividing the Word of Truth" by John Gerstner. Gerstner He demonstrates that dispensationalism not only provides a prophetic scheme for interpreting history, but a whole new theology that makes serious alterations to evangelical doctrine. Gerstner, a former dispensationalist himself, carefully demonstrates through abundant citation of original sources that dispensationalism promotes dubious evangelicalism, spurious Calvinism, and overt antinomianism. Also, you must read various sermons by Charles Spurgeon on the subject. Of course, you must read your Bible. This is because reading the Bible plainly, simply, and literally, you would never come up with this system. Again, that's because it is man-made. People like neatly packaged things. Dispensationalism is neatly packaged. However, the grace of Jesus Christ (that was the original question: "What is the Dispensation of Grace?") is not a complex, yet neatly packaged system. It is simple and true: Jesus saves sinners and that has been His plan throughout history: One God, one plan, one people of God, saved by Grace. (Eph 4:4-6, In John 8:39 and Revelation 2:9 and 3:9, Matthew 3:9, Revelation 1:12, 20., Revelation 3:12, a, Revelation 11:19, Revelation 1:6, 5:10, 7:15, Romans 2:28-29, 9:6-7, Galatians 3:7, 26-29, 6:15-16, Romans 11:13-25, Ephesians 2:11-16, Ephesians 2:19-20, Acts 15:9, Acts 15:13-18, Romans 10:12)
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