Dispensationalism?

There is more to dispensationalism than such. If you have time for it (as I don't have much time to type a response), consider listening to the following 30 minute student-lecture I gave in Bible college on a general survey of dispensationalism:

[url=http://www.iamadisciple.com/sermons/dispensationalism_lecture_lee_university.mp3]Dispensationalism Lecture[/url]

Forgive my ignorance, but while I can understand the logic behind this concept, what I can't yet grasp is the idea that God operates through transitions. If the principles governing the creation is subject to change, doesn't that imply that the nature and intent of the creator has to be subject to change as well (to some extent at least)?

God: "oh no! this plan isn't working! Plan B! Plan B! We'll have to start plan B!...

Plan C! Plan C! Man we'll have to figure this thing out..."

I don't think so! lol

Dispensationalism fails to account for the fact that the promise made to Abraham was to Abraham and his Seed. The Seed is Christ and all who are in Christ are children of Abraham and heirs to the promise made to Abraham.

Dispensationalism also fails to understand that the church is the fulfillment of Israel. This is not replacement theology, this is fulfillment theology. The promise God made to Abraham was not fulfilled with the Jews living in Palestine, it is fulfilled in that all nations are blessed through his Seed.

Galatians 3
"7Know then that it is those of faith who are the sons of Abraham. 8And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, "In you shall all the nations be blessed." 9So then, those who are of faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith."

Dispensationalism is also responsible for telling us that the following will happen in secret:

1 Thess. 4
13But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. 14For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep. 15For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord,[f] that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. 17Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. 18Therefore encourage one another with these words."

Dispensationalism also tells us that the following are two separate events that happen 7 years apart, even though Paul in 1 Thess. 4 just told us that Jesus is coming and we are gathered together to Him at the same time:
2 Thess. 2:1, "Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him,"

God: "oh no! this plan isn't working! Plan B! Plan B! We'll have to start plan B!...

Plan C! Plan C! Man we'll have to figure this thing out..."

No wonder only the “experts” can decode the Bible for us.

I did something daring one day: I threw it all out - and then suddenly the scriptures became clear.

I believe that Dispensatinalism thrived because man listened to the voice of a man.. who heard it from another man... who got it from another man... and on and on... like telephone tag - the message got more convoluted as it went along.

"When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at his teachings because he taught as one who had authority, and not as their teachers of the law." (who quoted other rabbis to support their own teaching)
Matt. 7:29

Diane

There is one dispensation from the beginning to the end it is called the DISPENSATION OF THE GRACE OF GOD.The only place where there will not be a dispensation of grace is hell.

LittleGift wrote:

Remember that Moses was told to make everything according to the pattern shown him on the mount.

The Tabernacle was built according to that Pattern.

Then Solomon built to the same Pattern, but on a fuller and grander scale.

Ezekiel's vision was of something even greater - the City and the Temple in it, covering the whole of the top of a great mountain.

But when [i]John[/i] saw the Pattern, the New Jerusalem, the Body of Christ, he saw something "impossibly" huge, yet with no temple, "for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple." (Revelation 21:22).

Sounds as if the Lord is being consistent in what He is doing, but we only see parts and aspects of it,
Jeannette

Beautiful! Lord, anoint our eyes with eyesalve that we might see!
AD

LittleGift wrote:

I realised that I have only a vague idea of what it means to those who use the term. Dispensation simply means "house-order", and is apparently applied by dispensationalists to a rather rigid scheme of classification of the ways God has dealt with mankind.

Before the Fall was different from afterwards; Between then and the Flood was different. The Law under Moses was different again, another dispensation presumably, though it involved only one group of people. Then Jesus came and the Mosaic Law was superceded by the new Covenant. When Jesus returns all will change again.

All this seems obvious. Is that what is called dispensationalism, or is there more to it? People seem to get as excited for or against as they do about Predestination or original sin, but I've yet to fathom what the fuss is about!

Comments please

Jeannette

I don't really see what the fuss is about either. God appears to be gradually teaching mankind what He wants us to know, laying down all the types and shadows in every place it is fitting.

Certainly, we started in innocence in Eden, Gen 1:28, moved on to Consience Gen 3:7, Human Government Gen 8:15, Promise Gen 12:1, Law Ex 19:1, Grace Acts 2:1, and will soon move to the Kingdom Rev 20:4.

I rather see this as God 101, 102, 103, 104.....

Interesting, perhaps significant, but nothing to fight to the death over.

Dispensationalism, in and of itself, does not affect God's gift of Christ to us, but it may describe it, and how we got from one point to another in the overall teaching God is giving us in the Scriptures.

Blessings,

I am with you that I don't really understand the premise, either. From just me reading the Bible, it seems to me that everyone is either in Christ or not; that is for those before the cross and after. I don't know all the details, but this seems plain enough to me.

Those lines in Hebrews 11 strengthen my view in this, that all those heroes of the OT did what they did "by faith", choosing to suffer the "reproach of Christ".

All this said, I have a good friend who asked a group of fellow Christians if anyone else was a dispensationalist besides him and I. I didn't say anything, but I think that is hilarious. That has happened with other doctrines, too.

I would like some explanation as to what, very simply, makes you a dispensationalist, and if you are not one, what title are you given by them and why?

Not that it really matters, but I like to know what people are talking about.

KJ,

That was a very informative lecture. Thanx for posting that.

Would you do me a favor and post one or two of Lowery's statements regarding Christ not being the Messianic King? I want to make sure I understand what he is saying.