AN EXAMINATION OF
DISPENSATIONAL THEOLOGY (Part 2)
by Dr. Renald E. Showers
The fourth dispensation extended from God's call of Abraham to the giving of the Mosaic Law at Mount Sinai. The Scripture portion which covers this dispensation is Genesis 12-Exodus 18.
Since
man had failed to obey God on the basis of human conscience, the restraint by
the Holy Spirit, and human government, God started a fourth dispensation by
instituting “promise” as a new ruling factor.
The fact that promise began as a significant factor with God's special
dealings with Abraham is made evident by such passages as Galatians 3:15-22 and
Hebrews 6:13-15. A principle is a
ruling factor if it makes a difference in the way people live. God intended His
promises to Abraham and his descendants to make a difference in the way that
they would live. Hebrews 11:8-30
demonstrates the fact that God's promises did make such a difference in the lives
of Abraham and his descendants. Thus, promise functioned as a ruling factor.
The
fourth dispensation had four ruling factors which God used to govern Abraham
and his descendants: human conscience, the restraint by the Holy Spirit, human
government, plus divine promise.
Dispensational Theologians have named the fourth dispensation after the
new ruling factor, since that is the factor which made the fourth dispensation
distinct from the third.
The
special revelation which God gave to Abraham and his descendants for the fourth
dispensation is recorded in Genesis 12:2-3; 13:14-17; 15, 17:1-22; and
22:16-18. God made personal promises to
Abraham: He would bless him, make his name great, give him many physical
descendants, make him the father of a multitude of nations, give him the land
of Canaan for an everlasting possession, and bless those who blessed him and
curse those who cursed him.
God
made national promises concerning Israel: He would bring Israel into existence
as a nation and make it great, give Israel the land of Canaan forever, and establish
the Abrahamic Covenant with the nation as an everlasting covenant.
God
also made a universal promise: He would give blessing to all families of the
earth through Abraham's line of descent (the Redeemer would come through
Israel).
The responsibility of Abraham and his descendants during the fourth dispensation was to obey God on the basis of human conscience, the restraint by the Holy Spirit, human government, and promise. This responsibility subjected Abraham and his descendants to the following test: Would they obey God on the basis of these four ruling factors?
Abraham
and his descendants failed the test of the fourth dispensation. On several occasions they disobeyed God as
the result of lapses of faith concerning the fulfillment of His promises.
Abraham fathered Ishmael through Hagar.
Twice he lied concerning his wife Sarah. Isaac lied concerning
Rebekah. Jacob was a great deceiver.
The Jews did not return from Egypt to Canaan after the famine of Joseph's time
ended. Apparently they forgot that
their destiny was related to the land of Canaan rather than to Egypt.
This failure brought divine judgment. Throughout their history the Jews have continued to have problems with Ishmael's descendants. Through time they were subjected to slavery and threatened with annihilation in Egypt.
The fifth dispensation extended from the giving of the Mosaic Law at Mount Sinai to the death of Jesus Christ on the cross at Mount Calvary. The tearing of the veil in the Temple in Jerusalem when Christ died indicated that the Law was terminated at that time. The Scripture portion which covers this dispensation is Exodus 19:1 through Matthew 27:56, Mark 15:41, Luke 23:49, and John 20:30.
Since
Abraham and his descendants had failed to obey God on the basis of the four
ruling factors of the fourth dispensation, God began a fifth dispensation by
instituting the Mosaic Law as a new ruling factor.
The
fifth dispensation had five ruling factors which God used to govern the people
of Israel: human conscience, the restraint by the Holy Spirit, human
government, promise, plus the Mosaic Law. The central core of the Mosaic Law was written on tables of
stone. The Law inflicted the death
penalty upon those who broke a number of its precepts. Thus, the Mosaic Law was a totally external
way of God's administering His rule over Israel. For this reason, the Apostle Paul declared that the Mosaic Law
functioned as a pedagogue (an external moral restrainer, Galatians
3:23-25). Dispensational Theologians
have named the fifth dispensation after the new ruling factor because that is
the factor which made the fifth dispensation distinct from the fourth.
The
special revelation which God gave to Israel for the fifth dispensation is
recorded in Exodus 20 –Deuteronomy. It
consisted of the Mosaic Law with its 613 commandments. These gave in detail God's will for the
moral, civil, and ceremonial aspects of Israel's life.
Israel's
responsibility during the fifth dispensation was to obey God on the basis of
human conscience, the restraint by the Holy Spirit, human government, promise,
and the Mosaic Law. This responsibility
subjected the Jews to the following test: Would they obey God on the basis of
these five ruling factors?
The
people of Israel failed the test of the fifth dispensation. The Jews broke the
Mosaic Law repeatedly (Jeremiah 31:32; Ezek. 16). God was forced to tell them that they had a heart of stone (Ezek.
36:26; Zech. 7:12). This was His way of saying that
their inner control center was inflexible. It refused to bend, to conform to
the Mosaic Law as an expression of God's rule over them. Also, during this dispensation Israel
rejected its Messiah and had Him crucified.
This failure brought God's judgment
upon Israel. The nation suffered many judgments during the fifth
dispensation. Among the worst were the
Assyrian and Babylonian captivities and Israel's temporary removal from its
place of blessing (Rom. 11) and worldwide dispersion as the result of its
rejection of Christ.
Before the sixth dispensation is
examined, several important truths concerning the grace of God should be
considered. First, in the Scriptures
the grace of God deals with far more than salvation from sin. For example, it was by the grace of God that
Noah survived the flood (Genesis 6:8), that Israel was restored to its homeland
after the Babylonian captivity (Ezra 9:8), and that the afflicted were
sustained in their trials (Proverbs 3:34).
It is by the grace of God that believers are given spiritual gifts and
ministries (Rom. 12:6; Gal. 2:9).
Indeed, the grace of God has so many facets that Peter called it
"the manifold grace of God" (1 Peter 4:10).
Second, although the grace of God was
functioning throughout Old Testament times, it began to function in some new
sense as a result of the ministry of Jesus Christ in His first coming. John
indicated this when he wrote, "the law was given by Moses, but grace and
truth came by Jesus Christ" an. 1:17). John appeared to be making this new function of grace parallel
with the function of the Mosaic Law.
The Mosaic Law never functioned as a way of salvation (Galatians 2:16),
but it did function as a rule of life (a ruling factor). In light of this, John is saying that grace
began to function as a rule of life (a ruling factor) as a result of Christ's
ministry in His first coming.
Third,
other passages indicate that grace began to function as a ruling factor as a
result of Christ's ministry. Paul wrote
to believers in the present (sixth) dispensation, "ye are not under the
law but under grace" (Rom. 6:14).
In this passage the function of grace which Paul had in mind is parallel
with the function of the Mosaic Law. In
other words, grace has now taken over the function which the Mosaic Law had in
the previous dispensation. As noted
earlier, the Mosaic Law never functioned as a way of salvation, but it did
function as a ruling factor. Thus, the
function of grace which Paul had in mind in this passage is that of a ruling
factor. This is indicated further by
the word under which implies being under rule.2 Paul was saying that believers in the
present dispensation are now under grace, rather than the Mosaic Law, as a
ruling factor. Thus, while grace
continues to function as the way of salvation during this present (sixth)
dispensation, it has assumed the additional function of a ruling factor as a
result of Christ's ministry in His first coming.
In
Titus 2:11-12 Paul indicated that one of the functions of the grace of God is
that of "Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we
should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world." The word teaching means to
"practice discipline, correct, give guidance."3 Thus, Paul was saying that grace practices
discipline over believers for the purpose of prompting them to reject a godless
lifestyle and to adopt a godly one.
Paul stated that the grace of God is functioning as a ruling factor
"in this present world."
The word which is translated world means age.4
Grace is the ruling factor which uniquely characterizes the
dispen-sation during this present age.
The
sixth dispensation extends from the death of Jesus Christ to His Second
Coming. (The author is presenting the
majority view concerning the time when the present dispensation will end. Although some Dispensationalists believe that the Tribulation period
will involve a separate dispensation, the majority have held that the sixth
dispensation will not terminate until the Second Coming. For a discussion of the relationship of the
Tribulation period to the present dispensation, see Charles C. Ryrie, Dispensationalism
Today, pp. 54-57.) The Scripture
portion which covers this dispensation is Matthew 27:57; Mark 15:42; Luke
23:50; and John 19:31 through Revelation 19:21.
Israel clearly demonstrated man's
inability to obey God on the basis of the five ruling factors (including the
external Mosaic Law) of the fifth dispensation. Thus, God began a sixth dispensation by instituting His grace as
a new ruling factor.
During most of its course, the sixth
dispensation has five ruling factors which God uses to govern people: human
conscience, the restraint by the Holy Spirit, human government, promise, plus
grace. It should be noted that the
Mosaic Law is not a ruling factor in the present dispensation. God intended it to be in effect only until
the ministry of Christ (Gal. 3:19, 23-25; cp. Rom. 6:14; 1 Cor. 9:20). It also should be noted that the restraint
by the Holy Spirit will be removed as a ruling factor when it is time for the
Antichrist to be revealed near the end of this dispensation (2 Thess.
2:7-8). As a ruling factor for the
believer, grace consists of two things: a confirmed favorable disposition
toward God (the law of God in the heart, Rom. 7:22; 2 Cor. 3:3-11; Heb. 8:8-12)
and the indwelling Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 6:19-20). Dispensational Theologians have named the sixth dispensation
after the new ruling factor because that is the factor which makes the sixth
dispensation distinct from the fifth.
The special revelation which God gave
for the sixth dispensation is recorded in the latter part of the Gospels, the
Book of Acts, the Epistles, and Revelation 1-19. Unsaved Jews and Gentiles are to receive the gift of righteousness
through faith in Christ.
The organized Church is to fulfill the Great Commission, to maintain a
pure membership, to discipline unruly members, to prevent false teaching from
existing within it, and to contend earnestly for the true faith. Individual believers are to live sensible,
godly lives, to be associated with a local church, to evangelize and make
disciples, and to use spiritual gifts properly.
Man's
responsibility during the sixth dispensation is to obey God on the basis of
human conscience, the restraint by the Holy Spirit, human government, promise,
and grace. This responsibility subjects
man to the following test: Does man obey God on the basis of these five ruling
factors?
Man
fails the test of the sixth dispensation.
The majority of unsaved Jews and Gentiles do not accept the gift of
righteousness. Organized Christendom
does not fulfill the Great Commission, maintain a pure membership, discipline
unruly members, prevent false teaching from existing within it, and contend
earnestly for the true faith. Individual believers do not always live sensible,
godly lives, associate with a local church, evangelize and make disciples, and
use spiritual gifts properly. By the
end of this dispensation, the unsaved will stage a major revolt against God's
rule (Ps. 2:1-3; Rev. 16:12-16; 19:17-21), and organized Christendom will be
very apostate (Rev. 17).
This failure during this present dispensation brings God's judgment and chastisement. God chastens and even brings premature physical death to some believers for disobedience (Acts 5:1-6; 1 Cor. 5:1-5; 11:27-32; Heb. 12:5-13; 1 Jn. 5:16). He puts some local churches out of existence (Rev. 2:5). Toward the end of the dispensation God will remove the Holy Spirit's restraint of evil (2 Thess. 2:7-8), apostate organized Christendom will be destroyed (Rev. 17:16), God will pour out divine judgments upon the world (Rev. 6-19), and God will crush the revolt of the unsaved (Rev. 19:17-21). g
In
the next GFJ, look for part three of this article as Dr. Showers covers the
final dispensation of The Millennium, as well as Key Elements of
Dispensational Theology’s Exposition Of The Biblical Philosophy Of History,
and Indispensable Factors Of Dispensational Theology.
Taken from There
Really Is A Difference by Renald E. Showers, (The Friends of Israel Gospel
Ministry, Inc., Bellmawr, NJ, 1990).
Used by permission. Renald E.
Showers is a graduate of Philadelphia College of Bible and holds degrees from
Wheaton College, Dallas Theological Seminary, and Grace Theological
Seminary. He presently is on the staff
of The Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry, Inc. and serves on the faculty of the
Institute of Biblical Studies. He has
been a guest Bible Conference teacher at the Duluth Bible Church in the past
and will be here again in 2003.