As a new member of a bible study forum I noted that various discussions had been made on the subject of dispensationalism, some arguing for, others against, that is to say whether or not it was a man-made doctrine or one actually taught in the scriptures.

First of all it might help if we define what a “dispensation” is, as there are various meanings or definitions to this term.

Dispensation: an act or instance of dispensing; distribution; for example the dispensation or distribution medication.

Dispensation: a formal authorization granting one exemption from a law, an oath, or possibly some church ordinance, for example the Church of Rome grants certain individuals dispensation from certain rules and regulations governing marriage and church membership.

Dispensation: a certain order, system, or arrangement; in regards to Theology the divine ordering of the affairs of the world; a divinely appointed order or age: For example the Jewish age or dispensation in comparisons with the Gospel or Christian age and dispensation.

Now we have noticed that some who claim that dispensationalism is a man-made doctrine seem to have no qualms with futurism or preterism as noted in their views on certain prophecies.

Preterist are those who maintain that many of the prophecies in the Revelation as well as those given in our Lord’s Great Prophecy have already been fulfilled, in the past, most at the end of the Jewish age.

Futurist on the other hand maintain that many if not all of these same prophecies are either presently being fulfilled or are still in the future to be fulfilled.

Dispensationalists contend that the Divine purpose in connection with mankind is a progressive one, one which the Lord has been outworking since the beginning of man’s creation, a “mystery” which has been hidden from the worldly wise one embracing many ages and dispensations, one which is not only attested to by the scriptures, but by the very facts of history itself.

We believe that the dispensationalist view is the correct one and that the other two are the man-made or man-contrived views. Of course understand that like all teachings they can be perverted and such there are who have perverted this doctrine, but don’t be too quick to cast it away this is very important lesson, essential to rightly dividing the Word of the Lord.

In the following text we find evidence of these ages or dispensations mentioned in the scriptures.

“I now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up in my flesh what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ, for the sake of His body, which is the church, of which I became a minister according to the stewardship from God which was given to me for you, to fulfill the word of God, the Mystery hidden from past ages and dispensations, but now revealed unto the saints.” (Col. 1:24-26)

“For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for you Gentiles—if indeed you have heard of the dispensation (administration or stewardship) of the grace of God which was given to me for you, how that by revelation He made known to me the mystery (as I have briefly written already, by which, when you read, you may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ), which in other ages  (past ages and dispensations) was not made known to the sons of men, as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to His holy apostles and prophets. “Eph 3:1-5

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ… In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace which He made to abound toward us in all wisdom and prudence, having made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He purposed in Himself, that in the dispensation of the fullness of the times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth—in Him.” Eph 1:3-10

And lastly according to the Apostle Peter in 2 Pet 3 God’s plan for man’s recovery is divided into three great epochs or dispensations called “worlds” in the Common Version — in the Greek, kosmos, meaning “arrangement.”— Strong and Young.

These three great epochs represent three distinct manifestations of divine providence. The first, from creation to the flood, was under the ministration of angels, and is called by Peter “the world that was.” 2 Pet. 3:6

The second great epoch, from the flood to the establishment of the kingdom of God, is under the limited control of Satan, “the prince of this world,” and is therefore called “this present evil world.” Gal. 1:4; 2 Pet. 3:7

The third is to be a “world without end” (Isa. 45:17) under divine administration, the kingdom of God, and is called “the world to come–wherein dwells righteousness.” Heb. 2:5; 2 Pet. 3:13

The first of these periods, or “worlds,” under the ministration of angels, was a failure; the second, under the rule of Satan, the usurper, has been indeed an “evil world”; but the third will be an era of righteousness and of blessing to all the families of the earth.

The last two of these “worlds” are most particularly mentioned, and the statements relative to them are in strong contrast. The present, or second period, is called “the present evil world,” not because there is nothing good in it, but because in it evil is permitted to predominate. “Now we call the proud happy; yea, they that work wickedness are set up; yea, they that tempt God are even delivered.” (Mal. 3:15) The third world or epoch is mentioned as “the world to come–wherein dwells righteousness,” not because there will be no evil in it, but because evil will not predominate. The blotting out of evil will be gradual, requiring all of the first thousand years. Evil will not rule then; it will not prosper; it will no longer be the wicked that will flourish; but “the righteous shall flourish” (Psa. 72:7), the “obedient shall eat the good of the land” (Isa. 1:19), and “the evil doer shall be cut off.” Psa. 37:9

 It should be remembered that this earth is the basis of all these “worlds” and dispensations, and that though ages pass and dispensations change, still the earth continues– “The earth abides forever.” (Eccl. 1:4) Carrying out the same figure, Peter calls each of these periods a separate heavens and earth. Here the word heaven symbolizes the higher or spiritual controlling powers, and earth symbolizes human government and social arrangements. Thus the first heavens and earth, or the order and arrangement of things then existing, having served their purpose, ended at the flood. But the physical heavens (sky and atmosphere), and the physical earth did not pass away: they remained. So likewise the present world (heavens and earth) will pass away with a great noise, fire and melting–confusion, trouble and dissolution (anarchy).

You will note that the first of these great epochs (“worlds”) was not subdivided: God’s method of dealing with men did not vary during all that time–from Adam’s fall to the flood. God had given man his law, written in his very nature; but after he had sinned he left him measurably to his own course, which was downward, “evil, and that continually,” that thus man might realize his folly, and that the wisdom of God in commanding absolute obedience might be made manifest. That dispensation ended with a flood, which took away all but faithful Noah and his family. Thus the first dispensation not only manifested the disastrous effects of sin, but showed that the tendency of sin is downward to greater degradation and misery, and proves the necessity of Jehovah’s interposition, if the recovery of “that which was lost”–man’s first estate–is ever to be accomplished.

The second epoch, or “present evil world,” includes three ages, each a step in the plan of God for the overthrow of evil. Each step is higher than that preceding it, and carries the plan forward and nearer to completion.

The third great epoch–“the world to come”—future from the second advent of Christ, comprises the Millennial Age, or “times of restitution”; and following it are other “ages to come,” the particulars of which are not revealed. Present revelations treat of man’s recovery from sin, and not of the eternity of glory to follow.

 The first age in the “the present evil world” we call the Patriarchal Age, or dispensation, because during that period God’s dealings and favors were with a few individuals only, the remainder of mankind being almost ignored. Such favored ones were the patriarchs Noah, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Each of these in turn seems to have been God’s favored one. At the death of Jacob, that age or order of dealing ended. At Jacob’s death, his descendants were first called “the twelve tribes of Israel,” and were together recognized of God as his “peculiar people”; and through typical sacrifices they were typically “a holy nation,” separated from other nations for a particular purpose, and therefore to enjoy certain special favors.

The time allotted to this feature of the divine plan, beginning here and ending at the death of Christ, we designate the Jewish Age, or the Law dispensation. During that age God specially blessed that nation. He gave them his law; he made a special covenant with them; he gave them the Tabernacle, whose Shekinah glory in the Most Holy represented Jehovah’s presence with them as their Leader and King. To them he sent the prophets, and finally his Son…That this national favor ended with their rejection and crucifixion of Jesus is shown by Jesus’ words, when, five days before his crucifixion, he declared, “Your house is left unto you desolate.” Matt. 23:38

There, at Jesus’ death, a new age began–the Christian Age or Gospel Dispensation, wherein should be heralded good tidings of justification, not to the Jew only, but to all nations; for Jesus Christ, by the grace of God, tasted death for every man. During this Gospel age also there is a class called to special favor, to whom special promises are made; namely, those who by faith accept Christ Jesus as their Redeemer and Lord, following in his footsteps. The gospel proclamation has gone hither and thither throughout the earth for over two thousand years, so that it can now be said that it has been preached more or less in every nation. It has not converted nations–it was not designed to do so in this age; but it has selected here and there some, in all a “little flock,” as Jesus had foretold (Luke 12:32), to whom it is the Father’s good pleasure to give the Kingdom in an age to follow this.

With this age the “present evil world” ends; and mark well that while God has been thus permitting the predominance and reign of evil, to the seeming detriment of his cause, nevertheless his deep designs have been steadily progressing according to a fixed and definite plan, and in the exact order of the seasons which he has appointed. In the end of this age, and the dawn of its successor, the millennial age, Satan is to be bound and his power overthrown, preparatory to the establishment of Christ’s kingdom and the beginning of “the world to come, wherein dwells righteousness.” (Extracts taken from SITS Volume I, page 65-75)

The trouble with most Christians today is that they have not properly learned to “rightly divide the word of truth” (2 Tim 2:15), not only in regards to the who, what, and where, but most importantly the when. “Instead of recognizing the various ages and dispensations–the Patriarchal age, the Jewish age, the Christian age and “the Ages to Come”–and seeing the work God is gradually perfecting through these ages, they think of God’s dealing as almost aimless and without order. Hence, instead of rightly dividing and applying the various statements of Scripture severally to the various ages and dispensations to which they properly belong, they mix them all together and have a disorderly and seemingly contradictory mass which they cannot understand and can scarcely realize to be a revelation at all. But, on the contrary, when the various ages are clearly in mind, and when the plan of God with reference to them is once seen, the Bible becomes an open book before the humble student–a great treasure-house of truth and grace, every statement of which can be definitely located. And when rightly applied to its proper age–past, present or future, as the case may be–the whole record from Genesis to Revelation falls into harmony. (Harvest Gleanings 3, Page 252)

Some of you may have already read most of this under the “Three Worlds“, but it needed a bit of a repeat for those who were having trouble with Dispensationalism.