AN EXAMINATION OF
DISPENSATIONAL THEOLOGY (Part 3)
by Dr. Renald E. Showers
Traditionally, Dispensational Theologians have called the seventh
dispensation the Dispensation of the Millennium. Since Dispensational Theologians normally name each new
dispensation after its new ruling factor or factors, it might be better to call
the last dispensation the Dispensation of the Righteous Reign of Christ. The reason for this suggested name will
become obvious.
The seventh dispensation will begin
after the Second Coming of Christ and will end immediately before the release
of Satan from the abyss and his final revolt.
The Scripture portion which covers this dispensation is Revelation
20:1-6.
Apparently the seventh dispensation
will have three ruling factors which God will use to govern the world: human
conscience, human government, plus the theocratic rule of Christ.
Inasmuch as the seventh dispensation will be the final one, it will be
characterized by the final fulfillment of the promises which God made to
Abraham and his seed. Once promises are
fulfilled, they cease to be promises.
Thus, promise will no longer be a ruling factor in the last
dispensation. In addition, although
salvation will continue to be by grace throughout the seventh dispensation,
grace will not function as a ruling factor.
The evidence for this is that during the theocratic rule of Christ,
those who rebel against that righteous rule will be executed (Isa. 11:3-4;
29:20- 21), and those nations which refuse to go up to Jerusalem to worship the
King and celebrate the Feast of Booths will be punished (Zech. 14:16-19).
The most significant ruling factor of
the seventh dispensation will be the righteous rule of Christ over the entire
earth (Isa. 11:1-5; Zech. 14:9-10). The
world will have a theocratic government in which the rule of God will be administered
worldwide through His representative, Jesus Christ.
The
special revelation which God gave concerning the seventh dispensation is
contained in numerous Old Testament passages (passages dealing with some of the
major biblical covenants and prophecies concerning characteristics of the
future Kingdom), Gospel passages (such as Mt. 5-7; 19:28; 25:31-46), Acts
3:19-21, passages in the Epistles (such as 1 Cor. 15:24-25; Eph. 1:10; Heb.
6:5), and Revelation 20:1-6. According
to this special revelation the Messiah, Jesus, will restore the theocratic
Kingdom of God which was on earth before man's fall but was lost through that
fall. The absolute, righteous, just rule of God will be enforced
worldwide. Nature will be restored to
its prefall condition (Mt. 19:28; Acts 3:19-21; Rom. 8:18-23). The climate and natural elements will be
controlled perfectly for the good of man (Isa. 30:23-26; Ezek. 47:1-2; Joel
2:21- 26; Zech. 14:8). There will be unprecedented growth and fruitage of trees
(Isa. 41:19-20; Ezek. 36:8-11, 29-30; 47:6-7, 12; Joel 2:21-26). Animals will experience great productivity
(Ezek. 36:11; 47:8-10). Food will be
abundant (Ps. 72:16; Isa. 30:23-24; Jer. 31:10-14; Ezek. 34:25-30; 36:29-30;
Joel 2:21- 26; Zech. 8:11-12). All
animals will be tame and vegetarian in diet (Isa. 11:6-9; 65:25). Diseases and deformities will be abolished
(Isa. 29:18; 33:24; 35:5-6). Human life
will experience great longevity (Isa. 65:20-22). War will be abolished (Isa.
2:4; Mic. 4:3). Satan will not be able
to instigate any activity on the earth (Rev. 20:1-3). Man will be required to submit to the righteous rule of Messiah.
Man's responsibility during the seventh dispensation will be to obey God on the basis of conscience, human government, and the theocratic rule of Christ. This responsibility will subject man to the following test: Will he obey God on the basis of these three ruling factors?
Man will fail the test of the last
dispensation. Some unsaved individuals
will rebel outwardly against Christ's rule during His reign (Isa. 11:3-4;
29:20-21; Jer. 31:29-30). Others will
not rebel outwardly, but they will chafe inwardly. They will despise the absolute, righteous rule of Christ but will
know better than to rebel outwardly.
When the seventh dispensation ends and Satan is released from the abyss,
these people will follow Satan in his last revolt against God's rule (Rev.
20:7-10).
This failure of great multitudes of
people in spite of the perfect government and exceptional conditions of the
seventh dispensation will demonstrate that the ultimate cause of man's failure
and rebellion throughout history is not his external environment and circumstances
but his own inward, sinful nature which rejects the rule of God and asserts
self-rule.
Man's failure in conjunction with the
seventh dispensation will bring God's judgment. Those people who rebel outwardly during Christ's reign will be
executed (Isa. 11:3-4; 29:20-21; Jer. 31:29-30). In addition, God will crush the huge revolt which will take place
immediately after the seventh dispensation by sending fire to destroy the human
rebels and casting Satan into the lake of fire for everlasting torment (Rev.
20:9-10).
Key Elements Of Dispensational
Theology's Exposition Of The Biblical Philosophy Of History
Earlier in this study it was noted that
in order for an exposition of the biblical philosophy of history to be valid,
it must contain certain necessary elements.
Now that Dispensational Theology has been surveyed as a system, it is
essential to determine how it deals with those necessary elements as it
attempts to expose it the Bible's philosophy of history.
The
first necessary element of a valid exposition is an ultimate purpose or goal
for history toward the fulfillment of which all history moves. According to Dispensational Theology, the
ultimate goal of history is for God to glorify Himself by demonstrating the
fact that He alone is the sovereign God.
The
Bible ascribes great glory to God, indicating that everything is for His
glory. It calls Him "The God of
glory" (Acts 7:2), "the Father of glory" (Eph. 1:17), and
"the King of glory" (Ps. 24:7-10). It declares that His name is
glorious and expresses the desire that the whole earth be filled with His glory
(Ps. 72:18-19). Because all things are
from Him, through Him, and to Him, the Bible ascribes glory to God forever
(Rom. 11:36).
It
is interesting to note that the Scriptures repeatedly associate the glory of
God with His sovereign rule. For
example, David declared,
Wherefore, David blessed the LORD before all the
congregation; and David said, Blessed be thou, LORD God of Israel, our father,
forever and ever. Thine, O LORD, is the
greatness, and the power, and the glory, and the victory, and the majesty; for
all that is in the heaven and in the earth is thine. Thine is the kingdom, O LORD, and thou art exalted as head above
all. Both riches and honor come of thee, and thou reignest over all; and in
thine hand is power and might; and in thine hand it is to make great, and to
give strength unto all. Now therefore,
our God, we thank thee, and praise thy glorious name (1 Chr. 29:10-13).
Many
other passages associate God's glory with the concepts of His Kingship, throne,
Kingdom, dominion, and authority (Ps. 29:1-2, 9-10; 96:7-10; 97:1-6; 113:4-5;
115:1-3; 145:10-13; Isa. 6:1, 3, 5; Jer. 14:21; Dan. 7:14; Mt. 19:28; 25:31; 1
Tim. 1:17; Jude 25; Rev. 5:13; 7:10-12).
The Bible indicates that God is
glorified through His sovereign dealings with nations (Ezek. 39:17-21), rulers
(Rom. 9:17; Dan. 4:17, 34-37), Israel (Isa. 43:1, 7; 46:13; 60:1-3; Jer.
13:11), the Church (Eph. 3:20-21), and the nonelect (Rom. 9:17-18,21). God is
glorified by His sovereign act of creation (Ps. 19:1; Rev. 4:11), His sovereign
acts in storms (Ps. 29:1- 3,9-10), His sovereign judgments (Isa. 2:19,21;
59:18-19; Ezek. 39:17-21; Rev. 11:13; 19:1-2), and His sovereign act of hiding
knowledge from human beings (Prov. 25:2). God glorifies Himself by sovereignly
redeeming lost human beings and sovereignly keeping those whom He has redeemed
(Rom. 9:23; 15:7-9; Eph. 1:5-6, 12, 14, 18; Phil. 4:19-20; 2 Tim. 4:18). God is to be glorified through the righteous
deeds of believers performed through the equipment which God sovereignly gives
(1 Cor. 10:31; Phil. 1:11; Heb. 13:21).
The successive dispensations glorify
God in several ways. First, they
demonstrate that God is the sovereign Ruler throughout history in spite of
Satan's attempt to overthrow that rule and man's rebellion against it. The fact that God can hold man responsible
to obey His different ways of administering His rule throughout history and can
judge man for his failures to obey clearly demonstrates that God is sovereign
through history. Second, the
dispensations show how desperately man needs to submit to God's rule in order
to have things right on earth. They
display the disorder and tragedy which result from the rejection of God's
rule. Third, the dispensations
progressively move history toward the fulfillment of its God-intended
climax. In the final "dispensation
of the fullness of times" (Eph. 1:9-10), God will fully glorify Himself by
crushing Satan and his kingdom (Rom. 16:20; Rev. 20:1-3), restoring His own
Kingdom rule to the earth through Jesus Christ (Rev. 11:15; 20:4-6), and
reversing the tragic consequences of man's rebellion (Mt. 19:28; Acts 3:19-21).
The
second necessary element of a valid exposition of the Bible's philosophy of
history is the recognition of distinctions or things which differ in history.
Dispensational Theology asserts that distinctions are the result of God's
administering His rule in different ways at different periods of history. In
other words, distinctions are the result of the different dispensations of
God's rule.
The
third necessary element is a proper concept of the progress of revelation.
Dispensational Theology states that each new dispensation, since it involves a
new way of God's administering His rule of the world, requires new revelation.
The
fourth necessary element is a unifying principle which ties the distinctions
and progressive stages of revelation together and which directs them toward the
fulfillment of the purpose of history.
Dispensational Theology's unifying principle for all of history is the
sovereign rule of God.
Three
factors are indispensable to Dispensational Theology. They clearly make
Dispensational Theology distinct from Covenant Theology. Any system of theology
which does not contain all three is not dispensational in the truest sense of
the term.[1]
The first factor is the recognition of the distinction between the nation of Israel and the Church. As noted earlier, Covenant Theology believes that the Church existed in Old Testament times and that Israel was a major part of the Church in the Old Testament. Thus, it is convinced that Israel and the Church are essentially the same. By contrast, Dispensational Theology believes that Israel and the Church are distinct entities. It is convinced that although both have had special relationships with God, they are not essentially the same. This distinction between Israel and the Church will be dealt with more in depth in a future chapter.
The
second indispensable factor is the consistent use of a single hermeneutic (a
single method of interpreting the Bible) – namely, the historical-grammatical
method. In this method, words are given the common, ordinary meaning which they
had in the culture and time in which the passage was written. As noted earlier,
Covenant Theology employs a double hermeneutic – the historical-grammatical
method for many passages but also the allegorical or spiritualizing method for
a number of prophetic passages dealing with the future of Israel and the future
Kingdom of God. By contrast,
Dispensational Theology is convinced that the historical-grammatical method
should be employed for all of Scripture, including those prophetic passages
related to Israel and the Kingdom of God.
The third indispensable factor is the recognition that the ultimate purpose of history is the glory of God through the demonstration that He alone is the sovereign God. As noted earlier, Covenant Theology advocates that the ultimate purpose of history is the glory of God through the redemption of the elect. By contrast, although Dispensational Theology recognizes that the redemption of elect human beings is a very important part of God's purpose for history, it is convinced that it is only one part of that purpose. During the course of history God is working out many other programs in addition to the program of redeeming people. All of these programs must be contributing something to the ultimate purpose of history. Thus, the ultimate purpose of history has to be large enough to incorporate all of God's programs, not just one of them. Dispensational Theology proposes that the glory of God through the demonstration that He alone is the sovereign God is the only purpose capable of doing this. It also is convinced that the Scriptures indicate that this is the ultimate purpose of history. g
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.