OVERLAPPING DISPENSATIONS
Knowledge of dispensations form the
foundation of Truth and it is the factor that decides how many Christians truly
understand the Bible. The truth is many Christians have never heard the word dispensation
in their church bible studies. Dispensational studies form the groundwork that allows
believers to understand and interpret the Bible correctly. Dispensations are
periods of stewardship under which time man is tested. The Biblical term for
the English word dispensation,
is the noun form of the verb dispense.
This word is translated from the Greek word as oikonomia. The dictionary definition of dispensation when
speaking about the Creator is:
Ø
The
Divine order or
Ø
Dealings
with mankind
The
word dispensation means:
Ø
Administration
Ø
Management
Ø
Oversight,
or
Ø
Dispensation
of someone’s household
Stewardship is also the Greek word oikonomia. The rich man of the Book
of Luke is saying to “Give an account of thy dispensation,” meaning of my
household and property.28
Dispensations are specific administrations, which cover a period of time, and
some dispensations can overlap one another in that time.
God gave Paul a dispensation to
dispense the Gospel message to the Gentiles.29
Paul explains how he was made a minister, according to the dispensation of God,
which was given to him for us to fulfill the Word of God. Even the mystery of
the church Age that had been hid from Ages and from generations was entrusted
to the Apostle Paul.30
According to the Bible, God has made known to us the mystery of His will. The
mystery of His will is found only in the writings of Paul. The Dispensation of Grace was an unknown
mystery before Paul, and the Dispensation
of Grace continues today, and is unlike the previous Dispensation of Law.31 In this dispensation of the Grace of God, God gave His Son to die
for the sins of the world.32 In the Dispensation of Law, God gave Moses tables of stone containing the first
portion of the moral Law.
Moses was instructed to give the Law to the children of Israel. When
all of the law was in place it
included the sacrifices of sheep and lambs to temporally cover the sins of the
people. Under the Law sheep were sacrificed to cover sins not to take them
away.33 All sin including those that were
committed by the people in the Old Testament could only be completely taken
away by the Blood of Christ
Jesus. There will be future dispensations after this present dispensation of
Grace, ends. Paul says, “[He planned] for the maturity of the times and the
climax of the Ages to unify all things and head them up and consummate them in
Christ, [both] things in Heaven and things on the earth”.34
In this verse Paul implies a future dispensation, which has not yet begun.
There was a transition from the Law Kingdom
program to Grace35. This dispensational transition took
place sometime during 33 through 70 A.D.
When we look at the state of the
twelve Apostle’s ministry after Pentecost about 33 A.D. in comparison to the
Christian ministry that came into existence after the General Titus and his
army destroyed the city of Jerusalem and the Temple in 70 A.D. helps believers
to see the picture of overlapping dispensations.
MINISTRY after
THE Destruction of the
Temple IN 70 A.D.
The Gospel of Grace was preached
predominantly to Gentiles with Jews included. In God’s sight, the human race
consists of two people:
Ø
The
Jews, and
Ø
The
Gentiles
Any
individual not born a Jew is a Gentile.1
Ø After the destruction of the temple,
Christ Jesus freely gave His life as payment for our sins (Acts 20: 28; I
Corinthians 15: 3; Galatians 1: 4; I Thessalonians 5: 9-10).
Ø After the destruction of the temple,
the Grace of God was given to us in the finished work of Christ Jesus, so that
we will not be lacking in any spiritual gifts (II Corinthians 12: 5-10;
Colossians 4: 4; I Timothy 5: 23; II Timothy 4: 20).
Ø After the destruction of the temple,
the Gospel of Grace, or the teachings of Paul, the Apostle to the Gentiles, is
the focus (Acts 9: 15, 13: 2, 17: 22, 20: 17, 21: 40, 26: 1, 28: 17).
Ø After the destruction of the temple,
the Gospel is taken to the entire world (Romans 11: 25; Romans through
Philemon).
Ø After the destruction of the temple,
the Law is said to be old and decaying, due to the temple’s destruction
(Hebrews 8: 13).
Ø After the destruction of the temple,
keeping the Law was impossible for Old Testament men and women to follow
(Leviticus 16; Matthew 22: 36-40).
Ø After the destruction of the temple, Salvation came to the Gentile world
by way of Israel’s doubt and unbelief (Romans 11: 11-15, 25).
Ø
After
the destruction of the temple, Grace Teachings are based solely on the newly
revealed mysteries that were given to the Apostle Paul by God specifically for
the Body of Christ.2
Ministry
after Pentecost In 33 A.D.
Ø
After
Pentecost the Gospel of the Kingdom continued to be preached only to Israel
(Acts 2: 22, 2: 36, 3: 12, 5: 31, 9: 22, 11: 19).
Ø
After
Pentecost the church of early Acts is the only
example set that shows what church should be like today. Christians are to be
following the patterns set by our Apostle to the Gentiles under Grace (Romans
11: 13)
Ø
After
Pentecost the Jews are accused of murdering their Messiah (Acts 2:
23, 36, 4: 10, 5: 28, 30, 7: 52, 10: 39).
Ø
After
Pentecost miraculous signs and
healings were ordinary occurrences (Acts 2: 4, 43, 3: 6, 5: 12-16, 6: 8, 8:
6-7, 9: 40, 10: 46, 14: 3).
Ø
After
Pentecost, the Apostle Peter is
the person in charge, and teaching the Gospel
of the Kingdom (Joel 2: 28-32, 2: 14, 3: 12, 5: 29, 10: 34).
Ø
After
Pentecost the Twelve Apostle’s headquarters are
located in Jerusalem and their ministry is still centered in Israel. Their
focus is on Israel, not on going to the entire world (Acts 8: 1, 25, 9: 26, 11:
2).
Ø
After
Pentecost, Jewish believers are
still trying to obey the Law of Moses (Acts 3: 1, 10: 1, 28, 11: 3, 21: 20,
26).
Ø
After
Pentecost Salvation came to the Gentile world
(Acts 3: 19-21; Zechariah 8: 20-23).
Ø
After
Pentecost teachings are based on foretold
prophecies that had been fulfilled (Acts 2: 16-21, 29-31, 3: 21-24; Zechariah
8: 20-23; Luke 22: 30; Isaiah 1: 26).
The time we live in, the dispensation
of the Grace of God was the transition from the dispensation of Law.1 Christ Jesus is the architect and
builder of the Grace Age Church, not man.2
Nothing taken from the Law can be construed as doctrine under Grace. A new
dispensation brings in all new changes. God would not have appointed an Apostle
to the Gentiles, if Gentiles were not supposed to follow his lead. God’s
intentions are made clear in His Word and the instructions for the Grace Age
church are found in the Books of Romans through Philemon. These thirteen
Epistles were revealed to and written by the Apostle Paul. This assignment was
given to Paul by our Ascended Lord and is directed specifically to Church Age believers.
It
can’t be stressed enough that:
Ø
Believers
must know the Word for
themselves
Ø
They
must know the scriptural differences between his or her relationship to earth
and that of Heaven
Ø
They
must know the scriptural differences between the flesh and the Spirit
Ø
Judaism
and Christianity or simply put,
Ø The difference between Law and Grace
Paul’s epistles are the starting
point where the Holy Spirit ministers Grace
Age Truth and principles to believers. When one has hidden himself in
Christ through the teachings of the Apostle Paul, only then can the remainder
of the Bible make sense and minister
to individuals without confusion. Confusion is what cause individuals to be
temporally drawn from his or her position in Christ – this is because confusion
means error and we know who the author of confusion is - Satan.3 “Every Scripture is God-breathed (given
by His inspiration) and profitable for:
Ø Instruction
Ø For reproof
Ø Conviction of sin
Ø For correction of error for
Ø Discipline in obedience,
Ø For training in righteousness in holy
living, and
Ø For conformity to God’s will in
thought, purpose, and action
Scripture is profitable so that the
man of God may be complete and proficient, well fitted and thoroughly equipped
for every good work.4 All
Scripture is not of primary application to a particular person or class of
persons, here is a wonderful quote from Lewis Sperry Chafer who defines
Scripture quite clearly. He said, “All Scripture is not for the angels, nor is
it all for the Gentiles. In like manner, not all of Scripture is addressed to
the Jew; nor are they all addressed to the Christian”. The bottom line is
believers must begin to take God’s Word seriously. Make the Word of God your
own; eat it, sleep with it, wear it as a garment, and above all, allow the Holy
Spirit to teach you it.
28(Luke 16: 2)
29(Colossians 1: 25-26)
30(I Corinthians 9: 17; Ephesians 3:
1-3)
31(II Corinthians 11: 4)
32(John 1: 29)
33(Exodus 24: 12)
34(Ephesians 1: 10)
35(Matthew 27: 50-51)
2(Deuteronomy 29: 29; Romans 11: 5;
16: 25; I Corinthians 2: 7, 15: 51;
II Corinthians 12: 7; Ephesians 1: 9, 3: 3, 5: 32; II Thessalonians 2: 7)
1(Matthew 27: 50-51)
2(Matthew 16: 18)
3(Colossians 3: 3)
4(II Timothy 3: 16)
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