Dispensationalism

In other words, we believe in rightly dividing verses to the right group of people and the right time period. If we combine all the verses, we will come up with some major wrong doctrines.

Webster’s 1828 dictionary also supports this: Dispensation is addressed to different time periods and different groups of people.

2 Timothy 2:15 “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”

This is the main verse that we use to discuss dispensationalism. The idea is that we have to rightly divide verses. All verses are not combined into one; all the Bible verses are not written to us, for us, telling us what to do.

Some verses say that if a man takes God’s name in vain, he should be stoned to death. Obviously, that doesn’t apply to us today; otherwise, there would be a lot of dead people today. The Bible talks about keeping the Sabbath day holy, but that was a different time period, for a different group of people.

The Bible talks about people who have to avoid the beast’s mark when they go through the tribulation. Obviously, this does not apply to us; it only pertains to a different time period, for a different group of people.

Notice throughout these given examples, there are people out there online and in different churches today who apply these examples. Still, they are hypocrites themselves because they violate the law several times.

These are the right groups of people:

  • Jew
  • Gentile
  • Church

1 Corinthians 10:32 “Give none offence, neither to the Jews, nor to the Gentiles, nor to the church of God:”

These are the three groups of people that we want to keep in mind throughout dispensationalism. We see that the Gentiles and the church are very interchangeable most of the time. Since the church today is primarily made up of Gentiles, God is no longer using the nation of Israel.

In dispensationalism, they are mainly seven groups, but we will only cover four time periods since this is only covering the basics.

  • Old Testament (Jews)
  • Church Age (Gentiles Church)
  • Tribulation (Jews)
  • Millennium (Jews)

 

Old Testament

In the Old Testament, the Jews were God’s chosen people, but they kept rejecting their Messiah Jesus Christ and the apostles’ preaching, so this is now switched to the Gentiles (this is known as the church). In tribulation, God returns to the nation of Israel and starts to restore them in the 1000 year reign of Jesus Christ. The nation of Israel reclaims their land, Jesus Christ starts ruling in Jerusalem, and the Jews are in full force once more, just as they were in the Old Testament but even better.

5 Comparisons between Jews (Physical) and Church (Spiritual)

1) Jews: Physical race

Church: Spiritual race

God’s nation, chosen people, and the Jews descended from physical, fleshy forefathers: Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. God literally and physically started His own nation with the Jews. That’s why it’s termed a physical race and nationality. So, whatever God deals with His people, the Jews, will be physical and fleshy.

The church is not a physical race, physical ethnicity or nation that the Lord uses; they are spiritual.
The Jews have the Old Testament laws, diet, and Sabbath. These are all outward physical appearances.
These do not apply to Christians because we are spiritual.
The Sabbath, the law, and the diets were all part of the Old Testament. But they were all blotted out by the cross of Christ, and these Old Testament laws are going to be restored in the future.


Colossians 2:14 “Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross;”

‘Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us’: that’s the law which was contrary to us
‘took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross’: it’s during the Christian time period that it’s abolished.


Colossians 2:16 “Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days:”



Paul is speaking to the church here. All these things do not apply to the Christian church.

Colossians 2:17 “Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ.”



However, all these Old Testament customs will be followed in the future. The body of Christ is the church.
Thus the church is distinguished from the future. This is also good evidence that the church is spared from future tribulation.

2) Jews: Post-tribulation/Mid-tribulation Rapture
Church : Pre-tribulation Rapture

The Jews will go through a post-tribulation (rapture after the tribulation) or a mid-tribulation (rapture in the middle of the tribulation) rapture.
The church goes through a pre-tribulation rapture.

Why? The main reason for this is due to the physical and spiritual differences. The church has been forgiven by the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ through a spiritual process. Still, the physical nation of Israel, their national forgiveness or forgiveness as a nation, is not completed until the end of the tribulation. It doesn’t matter whether they go through the tribulation rapture in the middle of afterward; the point is they go through the tribulation, whereas the church gets raptured before the tribulation.
The tribulation is 7 years. Daniel 9:27 is the only verse in the entire Bible that shows it.

Daniel 9:24 “Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy.”



God appointed 70 weeks for Daniel’s people (the Jews) and upon thy holy city. This is a physical city, which is Jerusalem. This is not the church to finish the transgression; it doesn’t even take us 70 weeks long to receive forgiveness and salvation. Here, God is not talking about today’s individual salvation by grace through faith; He refers to national forgiveness and national salvation. Why? Since Israel kept rejecting God, that’s what made God switched to the church. That’s why if you’re a Jew today by your physical nationality, you have to join the church. However, you can later return to your people, your nation.

Daniel 9:25 “Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times.”



From the time of Ezra and Nehemiah to the time of Jesus’ coming for the Jewish people, Jerusalem will be restored and rebuilt in 69 weeks (seven weeks and threescore and two weeks). That means the nation of Israel has one more week to receive their forgiveness.

So, if 69 weeks have already passed, then what is that one week left over? That’s the 7 years tribulation, where one day equals one year.

Daniel 9:27 “And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.”



He’s referring to the antichrist, making the covenant for one week (7 years tribulation). When this is complete, then the nation of Israel receives its full forgiveness.

That’s why it’s determined at v24, this tribulation, which is part of the 79 weeks, is for the Jews (v24). That’s why we believe that when it talks about rapture after the tribulation or people going through the tribulation, it is referring to the nation of Israel, not the Christian church.

Post-trib or mid-trib people also agree that this passage is applying to the tribulation.

Luke 21:22-23 “For these be the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled. But woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck, in those days! for there shall be great distress in the land, and wrath upon this people.”



This tribulation timeline is also called the days of wrath.

1 Thessalonians 5:9 “For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ,”


Christians are not appointed to this timeline, not to wrath. Spiritually we are already forgiven, so we don’t have to go through the tribulation to receive the full forgiveness, which is national salvation at Daniel 9.


3) Jews : Signs and Wonders
Church : Faith in the word of God

Signs and wonders are basically for the Jews. Some might argue that there was a church in New Testament where Paul did signs and wonders to the Gentiles and the apostles were part of the church, and they did signs and wonders. True, but what were the apostles’ and Paul’s physical nation? Jews.

God has not used the nation of Israel for the Christian church throughout the Dark Ages and Great Awakening Revivals. Do we hear a lot of cases of signs and wonders during those periods? No, it’s only preached and by the word of God.
We have faith in the word of God. The word of God is spiritual; signs and wonders are what we see in a physical world.

1 Corinthians 1:22 “For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom:”

The Jews require a sign and the Greek (Gentiles) seek after wisdom. That’s very different.

2 Corinthians 5:7 “(For we walk by faith, not by sight :)”



4) Jews : Kingdom of Heaven
Church : Kingdom of God

The Kingdom of Heaven refers to a physical kingdom on earth, while the Kingdom of God refers to a spiritual kingdom. Sometimes kingdom of heaven and kingdom of God can indeed refer to heaven where God lives, but this is because God is a spiritual being and heaven is a literal physical place.

Matthew 11:12 “And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force.”



That’s obviously not heaven where God lives right now. That makes more sense it is referring to an earthly kingdom where people are fighting each other over a physical kingdom.


Romans 14:17 “For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.”



The kingdom of God is not earthly things (meat and drinks) but spiritual (righteousness, peace, and joy).
Is it fair to claim that the kingdom of heaven worked with Jews during the Old Testament if the kingdom of heaven refers to a physical kingdom? Absolutely. They expected an earthly ruler from the Messiah Jesus because they had an earthly nation, an earthly kingdom with earthly kings. That’s why they didn’t like Jesus teaching spiritual things and starting a spiritual church because they were looking forward to an earthly kingdom.

Are we building an earthly kingdom today? Absolutely not. The antichrist would take over all of the kingdoms, so what we’re doing is useless anyway, we’re focusing on a spiritual kingdom. That is why the church is not limited to an empire/building/internet. It’s a group of believers who have the same spiritual side around the world. It’s a spiritual kingdom that can’t be seen. During the tribulation, God judges the antichrist’s earthly kingdom and gets ready to set up His earthly kingdom. That’s why the Jews are working toward their kingdom during the tribulation, resisting the antichrist’s kingdom and getting ready to rebuild and restore their earthly kingdom. That’s why two witnesses have to come down; God has to focus on the nation of Israel, 144,000 virgins, etc.

In the Millenium, is the physical earthly a literal kingdom? Absolutely.
So when we read about the kingdom of heaven from Jesus, He’s talking about an earthly kingdom that the Jews are looking for.

5) Jews : Works for salvation
Church : Faith alone for salvation

When we read verses throughout the Bible that talk about faith and works for salvation, they’re mostly applied to the Jews. For the Christian church, it’s faith alone, not by works for salvation. Look at Romans 4 and James 2, notice the clear contradiction here. In Romans 4, Paul is talking about salvation by faith, not by works. James is talking about if you’re truly saved by faith then the works will show.

Those two verses contradict each other already, but it makes more sense when we think this way: why is it work salvation for Jews? Because it requires physical effort from the body. Faith is spiritual, that’s why the church’s salvation is based on something spiritual.

Dispensationalism simply means right people, right time periods. Notice how it all connected and matches up perfectly?

Romans 4:4-5 “Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt. But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.”

The verse says even if we don’t work at all but have faith, God counts that as salvation. Paul was speaking to the New Testament Christian church.

James 2:24 “Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only.”



Here, it says there is no such thing as faith alone.

James 1:1 “James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad, greeting.”

This was written to the twelve tribes scattered abroad: the Jews!


James 5:3 “Your gold and silver is cankered; and the rust of them shall be a witness against you, and shall eat your flesh as it were fire. Ye have heaped treasure together for the last days.”



‘last days’: this is referring to Jews in the tribulation, future time period.
The easiest evidence is that we have to avoid the mark of the beast. How do we mingle avoiding the mark of the beast with faith alone? That’s very difficult. There is a lot of work to be done if we are to stop the antichrist’s persecution. That is more work than any work we’re doing today.

It makes sense why in the Old Testament they have to observe these laws, why God took severe punishments, stoning them to death. Why? Their salvation depended upon it.

That explains why Noah had to build an ark for his salvation. That’s a lot of work.
It now makes sense that before Jesus died on the cross with the church starting, he told the rich young ruler that he’s supposed to uphold the commandments and sell all that he has.

History of Dispensationalism

Dispensationalism started with the Bible. In the New Testament, we got the apostles and early church.
During that time, Catholic doctrines started to seep in and rise as well as the church fathers. They became more of the priority rather than the Bible during the Dark Ages. At that time, only Catholic leaders have access to the Bible. After more than a thousand years have passed, the knowledge of the Bible diminished; it’s hidden because people are not studying it, and they can’t read either.

There were pieces of dispensationalism during this time period because some people studied the Bible and found it.
Recommended reading: ‘Dispensationalism before Darby.’ It will go through all of the historical sources and facts that show how dispensationalism was taught during this time before Darby.

Then there are the revivals of the Great Awakening. People began to study the scriptures more during the Great Awakening Revivals. As a result, these pieces of dispensationalism began to grow naturally.

A more scriptural term is called ‘Progressive Revelation’. It means that when we study a certain topic, as time passes by, the ideas on that topic will grow more and more.

We’re not implying that the early church didn’t have access to any of the knowledge that we have now. The Bible had everything we wanted, but there were so many Catholic church fathers’ traditions and teachings seeping in during the Dark Ages that we had to start again to have progressive revelations.

That is actually why Darby, Scofield, and Clarence Larkin became very famous for that. During the Laodicean era, we have Ruckman. These people started to reveal things more and more, so obviously, a more recent person will have more revelations. But it does not end right there, this revelation is going to grow even more.