What's wrong with Dispensations?

I've preached for a lot of Baptist pastors, and I've learned a lot of things. I hate to have to state it, but after being around and preaching for so long, I believe the biggest problem in Christianity today is that preachers are preaching TRADITION rather than SOUND BIBLE DOCTRINE. And even sadder still, it's not what they are preaching so much what they are not preaching to their congregations to disciple them and help them grow in the Lord. Instead of giving them "meat" they spoon feed their congregations with "milk" (Heb. 5:12-14), until they almost gag on it.

As I go and preach in different countries, as well as in different churches, one of my favorite topics to preach on is "The Seven Mysteries in the Bible." I really believe those are necessary and important to teach and preach. In fact, the Bible even tells us to be "faithful" in preaching these mysteries (1 Cor. 4:1). But what's sad is I've found many ministers don't even know what they are, much less where to find them in the Bible.

My second favorite thing to preach on is "Dispensations," as I firmly believe these are necessary for people to understand their Bibles. We are all commanded to "Rightly divide" (2 Tim. 2:15) the word of God, but how can we do that without understanding basic Dispensationalism?

Sadly, many preachers I've meet (most of which have come from big name Bible colleges) are quick to point out their disdain for teaching Dispensationalism. They all claim the same thing, "That will only confuse people!"

But I don't believe it. As a Missionary and an Evangelist, I've trained many young men to preach the Gospel, and I started them all out with Dispensational Truth. I've even given many new converts Clarence Larkin's book "The Greatest Book of Dispensational Truth in the World," and I've found not only does it not "confuse" them, but it helps them understand simple Bible truths, while it keeps them from falling into heresies, false teachings, and cults.

How is I can teach it to others, and they aren't confused, but other Pastors won't mention it, claiming it will only cause confusion?

With this in mind, let's look at a brief and simple teaching of dispensationalism right now and right here, and let's see if you are confused. If so, then those preachers were right, and I guess we just shouldn't teach it at all. But if you understand it, then they should get busy preaching what they've been lax in not preaching!

BASIC DIVISIONS

God is a God of division. This cannot be denied. In Genesis one, God "divided" the light from the darkness and the waters above the firmament from those below. In Genesis 10, we read it was God himself who "divided" the earth, and later divided the nations of the earth after the flood. In Genesis 11 we find God "dividing" the nations yet again by giving them different tongues. And there are many more places in scripture in which we find God "dividing" people and things.

If God is, therefore, a God of "division," should we not then look for, find, and point out those divisions for ourselves? I believe we should.

When it comes to the Bible, we find many divisions. These divisions some call "dispensations." They are defined as periods of time in which things were different, or in which God dealt with certain peoples in certain ways.

Below is a simple division in the Bible.

OLD TESTAMENT vs NEW TESTAMENT

Now is that confusing? Really? I mean, who can't understand this? You can't even turn to the front page of your Bible without finding this on the "Contents" page. There, the division is made for you, as it lists the books in the Old Testament and those in the New.

Now let's go a little further. Let's look at the divisions in the OLD TESTAMENT. There we find the following three distinct time periods:

BEFORE THE LAW / UNDER THE LAW / THE MINISTRY OF JESUS

From Adam and Eve to Moses, we find people living without the law. Then we learn of the Exodus and how God used Moses to give the Jewish people his law. We later read of Jesus Christ coming to the world in the Gospels and of his ministry of miracles. (Note: It should be remembered that the New Testament doesn't start until Jesus actually dies. That means everything written in Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John until it speaks of Jesus dying is still Old Testament).

Now, anyone confused yet? Well you shouldn't be. This is pretty easy to understand.

But let's stop for just a second. And give ear to the nay-sayers. One of the things I've heard Pastor's say is that dispensationalism leads to teaching salvation is different in different time periods and this confuses people. Really?

These same Pastors say ridiculous things like, "People were saved the same in the Old Testament as in the New Testament!"

But is this really so?

If you read your Bible, you know that under the law, a person who sins must bring a sacrifice for his sins according to the law and kill it. A priest must then offer up the blood of that animal to God on an altar. Now I ask you, "Is that how we are forgiven our sins today?"

Of course not! Our Lord Jesus Christ has given himself in our place for our sins at Calvary as the Lamb of God. We do not have to make sacrifices, the ultimate sacrifice for us has already been made by Jesus Christ!

How, then, on God' green earth, can a preacher say "People were saved the same in the Old Testament as in the New?" Isn't that confusing?

If you lived in the Old Testament, you would have to sacrifice an animal for your sins, whether under the law or before it. But you just try doing that today. God would be offended! For he made the sacrifice for us with Jesus Christ and he asks us to trust in that alone for salvation. See the difference? It's not the same.

The only way we can say that people were saved the same in the O.T. as in the N.T. is by saying they were both saved by blood sacrifice. But even that's still not the same. For, in the O.T. it was through the many sacrifices of lambs, while in the N.T., it is through the one sacrifice of the Lamb--Jesus Christ.

So we find the real ones who are confusing others are those who refuse to clarify this by instead claiming people were saved the same in the O.T. as in the N.T. Sure they were saved by blood atonement, but one was saved by a sacrifice he made himself, while others (those in the N.T.) are saved by trusting in the sacrifice Jesus made for them. See the difference?

Hopefully, you are not confused on this matter. It's very simple. And if you understand it, it should help you in your Christian life to grow in thankfulness and love in Jesus. For imagine having to do it all yourself. Imagine having to take a lamb that you loved (for God demanded your best, most beautiful lamb) and having to give that lamb up and take it's life. Imagine the bloodly mess it would have made, and how much time it would have taken to clean up after with all that blood on you.

Now look at what Jesus did for you in your place and it didn't cost you anything. Doesn't that just make salvation that much sweeter? And don't you love Jesus just a little bit more, knowing he paid it all for you and you don't have to do anything for salvation, other than just receive by Faith his finished work? He made the sacrifice, he bloodied himself, and he is the one who cleans you up after you accept Him as Saviour! What an awesome God! And what a great time to live in today! Thank God we don't live under the law!

Now that you've learned about the divisions in the Old Testament, let's look at the DIVISIONS IN THE NEW TESTAMENT. These are very important:

THE TIMES OF THE APOSTLES / THE CHURCH AGE / THE RAPTURE / THE TRIBULATION / ARMAGEDDON / THE MILLENIUM

After Jesus Christ died and rose again, he sent his disciples to his people--the Jews. They rejected Jesus yet again, so God found a man named Saul (who later became Paul) and used him to preach the Gospel. Millions of Gentiles were saved and we are still in this period of history known as the church age. But very soon, the Bible promises the Rapture of the Church will take place and we who are saved will leave this world. While gone, the Bible prophecies that the Anti-Christ will take over and rule for 7 years (some teach only 3 1/2 years), and then the Lord Jesus Christ will return and defeat him at the battle of Armageddon. He will then set up his kingdom here on earth for 1000 years and rule and reign with a rod of iron. After that, he'll destroy the earth and heavens and make a "new heavens and new earth."

Confused yet? You shouldn't be. This is all part of "dispensationalism" and is something you should know. Your pastor knows it, why then doesn't he preach it to you?

The reason is he's afraid of you becoming "confused." But if he teaches it right, how can you be?

You see the problem with most Christians, denominations, pastors, cults, etc., is that they don't understand the Bible is a History book, and it's transitional, going from one period to another. Every false religious group in this world reads the Bible, but by their lack of "rightly dividing" or mis-understanding dispensations, they end up in false doctrine because they wrongly apply the Bible to themselves. In other words, they try to put themselves into a different dispensation than the one they live in.

For example, let's look at the 7th Day Adventists. They believe in keeping the law. But the apostle Paul said we are free from the law. So where are they? They are still trying to live in the Old Testament, rather than living in the Church Age.

Where are the Roman Catholics? They teach salvation is by works and by their church alone and its rites and rituals. They call their ministers "priests" and they offer up the "sacrifice" of the mass. So where are they? They taking the name of Jesus and the church and trying to push it back to the Old Testament under the law, instead of following Paul who said Jesus' one sacrifice forever was all that's necessary (See Heb. 10:10-12), and no other is needed.

Where are the Pentecostals? They teach a man can be saved, but then lose it. The Apostle Paul never taught any such thing. They then are in the Tribulation, where a person can claim to be a Christian, but then reject Jesus by taking the mark of the beast! They are not in the right dispensation!

What about these modern liberals who love to only preach Matthew chapter five through seven, and try to tell us our salvation is based upon our works? Why they are in the millenium, in a time when Jesus said it's better to cut off your right hand rather than offend God! For in the church age we most certainly are not saved by works, rather by grace through faith (Eph. 2:8,9).

Do you see where I'm going with this? Every false religious cult in the world today is teaching false doctrine because they haven't got their dispensations straight, and they are not following the Pauline epistles. Instead, they are following what God said to different people in different dispensations other than right now here today.

Now, are you confused? You shouldn't be. This is very simple, plain, and concise. All the Bible is written to us, but not all the Bible is written for us. There are verses in the Bible that seem to contradict one another. And they most certainly do, unless there are dispensations. For the only way they don't contradict is if they are written to one group in one time period in one verse, and to others in another time period in another verse. Doesn't that just make sense?

So you say, "Okay, Bro. Breaker, so what's written for us today?" That's easy. The Apostle Paul made that clear in telling us in Rom. 11:13 that he's the apostle to the Gentiles, and that God will judge people according to his Gospel (Rom. 2:16) in the church age.

But many ministers, who have gone to Bible Colleges and been taught against dispensationalism, will automatically rear up and reply, "Oh, so you are one of those Hyper-Dispensationalists, who only believes we should follow Paul and throw out the rest of the Bible!"

I've never said such a thing. I believe we should read the entire Bible. But I also believe our doctrine for the churhc age should come directly from PAUL, and not from other sources.

You see, every verse of scripture can have several applications:

1. Literal

2. Historical

3. Symbolical

4. Figurative

5. Prophetical

6. Doctrinal

The problem today that many people have is when they read the Bible they don't understant this. And they usually err in doing one of the following:

1. Misinterpreting scripture

2. Misapplying scripture

3. Mislocating the dispensational application of scripture

This is how cults and new sects are started. They read a verse and like what it says without first questioning whether it was written to them, whether it is for them today, and/or whether or not it is speaking spiritually or literally.

Do you now see the importance of understanding dispensations? For without it, you might fall into false doctrine, or mis-apply verses of scriptures written to others instead of to your, or even try to base your doctrine on passages that are doctrinally written to those in tribulation or the millenium.

Dispensational Teaching of the Bible is important for people to understand their Bibles as they read them. And a lack of Pastors teaching this to their congregations is one of the many things that's leading to the great apostasy in our land. Christians are ignorant, and are not being instructed in the ways of God. They are taught "traditions" instead of just taught the Bible.

If you are a Pastor reading this, I encourage you, nay, I challenge you to teach Dispensations to your congregation. Help them grow in the Lord. If you don't have it, get Clarence Larkin's book "The Greatest Dispensational Truth in the World." Find the "Seven Mysteries" in the Bible, and teach them as well. For the more you teach the congregation, the less chance they have of falling by the way side and/or being sucked into false cults.

We are told that the Bible is a spiritual book, and the Holy Spirit of God is to be our instructor. In 1 Corinthians chapter two we read:

12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God. 13 Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual. 14 But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. 15 But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man. 16 For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ.

Are you saved? Do you have the mind of Christ? Is the Holy Ghost teaching you? Or are you just preaching what your Bible School told you, or something you got out of some commentary somewhere? Why not get into the scriptures and teach them and preach them alone? I personally believe the best way to teach the Bible is verse by verse! And also it's good to get people rooted and grounded in the word by giving them a sound Panorama of the Bible by teaching them about the different Dispensations.

It won't "confuse" them. I guarantee. Instead, it will give them a real love for God's word and a want and desire to read it even more.