End Time Starting with the Dispensations

1. End TimeStarting with the Dispensations Pastor Gary Thompson

2. What is Dispensation? • The word "dispensation" means "a system of order, government, or organization of a nation, community, etc., especially as existing for a particular period of time." • Looking through the Bible, we can find seven distinct dispensations, or "ways of doing things" that were God-ordered and God-ordained. • Each dispensation has a purpose in the big picture. • In this study, we will look at a brief description of each dispensation.

3. How Many Dispensations • Most literature say that there are seven dispensations. • Dispensations are part of a system of biblical interpretation called dispensationalism. • Some dispensationalists identify more than seven dispensations, but for the purposes of this study we will discuss the seven common dispensations found in the Bible. • Generic dispensationalism divides the history of mankind into seven distinct dispensations: (1) The dispensation of innocence, (2) the dispensation of conscience, (3) the dispensation of human government, (4) the dispensation of promise, (5) the dispensation of Law, (6) the dispensation of grace, and (7) the millennial kingdom of Christ. • It is important to note that these seven dispensations are a man-made way of understanding what the Bible has revealed to us about God's purposes towards men. Dispensationalism is not a biblical concept, nor is it found anywhere in the Bible. It is a theological system of organizing and understanding God's work, but it is not itself Scripture.

5. How God Work in each Dispensation • In each dispensation, there is a recognizable, six-fold pattern of how God worked with those living in the dispensation. • God find Stewards, • There is a Period of time, • God gives a responsibility to people, • They fail to meet God’s requirements, • Their failure is judged, • God extends grace and hope for the future.

7. 1 - The Dispensation of Innocence • This dispensation covers the time from the creation of man to the fall of man (Genesis 1:28-30 and 2:15-17). All of God's creatures lived at peace with themselves and with each other, and the world was without sin or death. • Man was to reproduce, rule the earth and the animals, and take care of the garden. • He was given one command to obey: not to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. • Eve and Adam disobeyed this rule, and were expelled from the garden as punishment, ending the dispensation of innocence. 

8. 1 - The Dispensation of Innocence 1. Stewards: Adam and Eve 2. The Period: From the creation of man to his temptation and fall (the shortest of the dispensations, about 33 years) 3. Responsibility: To obey God (Genesis 1:26-28; 2:15-17) 4. Failure: Disobedience (Genesis 3:1-6) 5. Judgment: Curse and death (Genesis 3:7-19) 6. Grace: A new chance and the promise of a Redeemer (Genesis 3:15)

9. 2 - The Dispensation of Conscience • The dismissal from the garden of Eden began the dispensation of conscience. • This is a time when man was left to rule himself by his own will and conscience, both of which had been tainted by sin. It was a disaster, and ended in disaster, the worldwide flood (Genesis 3:8—8:22). • During this dispensation, man became so wicked that "every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually" and God regret that He had make man and was "grieved to His heart" (Genesis 6:5-6). • This was also the time when fallen angels married human women and produced giant, evil offspring called Nephilim (Genesis 6:1-4). • God chose to end humanity with a flood and begin again with Noah and his family (Genesis 6:11-18).

10. 2 - The Dispensation of Conscience 1. Stewards: Cain and Seth and their families 2. The Period: From man’s expulsion from the Garden of Eden until the Flood, a period of about 1,600 years 3. Responsibility: To do good and offer blood sacrifices (Genesis 3:7, 22; 4:4,3:21) 4. Failure: Wickedness (Genesis 6:5-6, 11, 12) 5. Judgment: The worldwide Flood (Genesis 6:7, 13; 7:11-14) 6. Grace: Noah and his family are saved (Genesis 6:8-9; 7:1; 8:1)

11. God made coats of skins - • The skins out of which their clothing was made were taken off animals whose blood had been poured out as a sin-offering to God; for as we find Cain and Abel offering sacrifices to God, we may fairly presume that God had given them instructions on this matter. It is not likely that the idea of a sacrifice could have ever occurred to the mind of man without an express revelation from God. Hence we may safely infer, that as Adam and Eve needed this clothing as soon as they fell, and death had not as yet made any ravages in the animal world, it is most likely that the skins were taken off victims offered under the direction of God himself, and in faith of Him who, in the fullness of time, was to make an atonement by his death. And it seems reasonable also that this matter should be brought about in such a way that Satan and death should have no triumph, when the very first death that took place in the world was an emblem and type of that death which should conquer Satan, destroy his empire, reconcile God to man, convert man to God, sanctify human nature, and prepare it for heaven.

12. 3 - The Dispensation of Human Government • The dispensation of human government began just after the flood. • God made promises and gave commands to Noah and his family. God promised not to curse the earth again, and never to flood it again with water. He commanded Noah and his sons to repopulate the world and scatter across the earth, and He allowed them to use animals for food. God also established the law of capital punishment (Genesis 8:1-9:7). Noah's descendants failed to "fill the earth" as was commanded, and instead they worked together to build the tower of Babel (Genesis 11:1-9). • God countered this action by confusing their languages, creating different nations and cultures that later spread to different areas. • This was the beginning of human government.

13. 3 - The Dispensation of Human Government • Stewards: Noah and his descendants 2. The Period: From the Flood to the confusion of tongues at Babel, about 437 years 3. Responsibility: To scatter and multiply (Genesis 9) 4. Failure: Refusal to scatter and the building of the tower of Babel (Genesis 11:1-4) 5. Judgment: Confusion of languages (Genesis 11:5-9) 6. Grace: Abraham is chosen—the start of the Jewish race (Genesis 12:1-3)

15. 4 - The Dispensation of Promise • The dispensation of human government lasted until the call of Abraham. • The call of Abraham, the lives of the patriarchs, and the enslavement of the Jewish people to Egypt all fall under the dispensation of promise. • This was the time when Abraham's descendants waited for the promise that was given to Abraham: that God would make Abraham's descendants a great nation and give them their own land (Genesis 12:1-7). • This dispensation ended with the Exodus of the Jews from Egypt. • Once they left Egypt they were officially a nation, led by God into the wilderness toward the Promised Land.

16. 4 - The Dispensation of Promise 1. Stewards: The patriarchs Abraham, Isaac and Jacob 2. The Period: From the call of Abraham to Israel’s arrival at Mt. Sinai, a period of about 430 years 3. Responsibility: Dwell in Canaan (Genesis 12:1-7)4. Failure: Dwelt in Egypt (Genesis 12:10; 46:6) 5. Judgment: Egyptian bondage (Exodus 1:8-14)6. Grace: Moses the deliverer is sent (Exodus 3:6-10)

17. 5 - The Dispensation of Law • The dispensation of law beginning with the Exodus from Egypt and ending with the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ. • The delivery of the Ten Commandments and the Mosaic Law, found in Exodus 19—23, outlined the standard of perfection that God required from His people, and included the instructions about temple worship and sacrifices. This was the age of priests, prophets and kings, both good and evil. The people of Yahweh repeatedly broke His commands, and wandered after other gods. • It is important to note that strict following of commandments was never as important to God as mercy and faithfulness (Hosea 6:6). The law was given to show the people that they needed to depend on God and trust Him to save them, rather than trusting themselves, their own goodness, or other gods for salvation. • God never expected perfection, if He did, He would not have provided the sacrificial system as a way for man to say "yes, I have sinned; here is a symbol of my need for forgiveness and atonement." The blood of bulls and goats cannot take away sin—they are a symbol, looking forward to the One whose blood could take away sin (Hebrews 9:11-14; Hebrews 10:3-10). 

18. 5 - The Dispensation of Law 1. Stewards: Moses and the children of Israel as a nation at Mt. Sinai 2. The Period: From Mt. Sinai until Jesus Christ fulfilled the Law with His death, about 1,500 years. 3. Responsibility: Keep the whole Law (Exodus 19:3-8) 4. Failure: The Law was broken (2 Kings 17:7-20)5. Judgment: Worldwide scattering of the Jews (Deuteronomy 28:63-66; Luke 21:20-24) 6. Grace: The promised Savior is sent (Isaiah 9:6-7; Galatians 4:4-5)

20. 6 - The Dispensation of Grace • The dispensation of grace started at the resurrection of Jesus Christ and continues today. • It is the new covenant in Christ's blood (Luke 22:20). This is also called the "age of grace" or the "church age“. • Atonement was provided on the cross, once for all, for any who would believe. • During this dispensation, we also have The Comforter with us, the Holy Spirit of God, who indwells believers (John 14:16-26). • Dispensationalists believe that the Church Age will end with the rapture of the Church (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; Revelation 3:10) and then the tribulation, the seven years when those who dwell on the earth will experience God's judgment (Daniel 12:1-4; Matthew 24:21-27). The exact timing of the rapture is a subject of great debate, but dispensationalists believe it will happen at the beginning of the seven years. We know that some people will be saved during the tribulation (Revelation 7:14-17) and that it will end with the battle of Armageddon, when Jesus Christ will return and defeat Satan and any who would follow him into battle (Revelation 19:11—20:3).

21. 6 - The Dispensation of Grace 1. Stewards: The church. All believers are ministers of their spiritual fruit and a “holy nation” (1 Peter 2:9) 2. The Period: From the  resurrection of Jesus Christ to the Rapture (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18), a period of nearly 2,000 years and still counting 3. Responsibility: To be perfected by sanctification; to love one another; to exhibit ever-increasing godliness (1 Thessalonians 4:3; 2 John 1:5)4. Failure: A lack of maturity; worldliness; many churches falling into apostasy (Galatians 5:4; 2 Timothy 3:1-5)5. Judgment: The blindness of apostasy and false doctrine (2 Thessalonians 2:3; 2 Timothy 4:3)6. Grace: : Forgiveness of sins through Christ Jesus (1 John 1:3-7; John 14:20)

23. 7 - The Millennial Kingdom of Christ • The Millennial Kingdom begins with the defeat of Satan (Revelation 20:1-3) and ushers in the 1,000 years of peace, where Christ will reign on the earth (Revelation 20:4). • This is the fulfillment of many prophecies, declaring that Christ will return and be King. After the 1,000 years are ended, Satan will be released. People will again follow him in a battle against God, and they will be defeated again (Revelation 20:7-10). • There will be a final judgment of all people, great and small (Revelation 20:11-15), the old earth and heaven will be destroyed by fire, Satan will be thrown into the lake of fire, and this will begin the Eternal Kingdom, the new heaven and the new earth (Revelation 21 and 22). "He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away" (Revelation 21:4).

24. 7 - The Millennial Kingdom of Christ 1. Stewards: The resurrected Old Testament saints, the glorified Church, and survivors of the Tribulation and their descendants 2. The Period: From the Second Coming of Jesus Christ until the final rebellion, a period of about 1000 years. 3. Responsibility: To be obedient, remain undefiled, and worship the Lord Jesus (Isaiah 11:3-5; Zechariah 14:9) 4. Failure: After Satan is loosed from the Abyss (pit), sinful man rebels one more time (Revelation 20:7-9) 5. Judgment: The Great White Throne Judgment; Fire from God (Revelation 20:9-15)6. Grace: Jesus Christ restores creation and rules righteously in Israel, with all saints assisting (Isaiah 11:1-5; Matthew 25:31-46; Revelation 20)

28. Rapture VS Second Coming