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If
we are to properly understand, correctly handle
and apply the Word of God to our lives, and avoid
misunderstanding, disappointment and confusion,
it is important to understand that God has different
requirements for different people in different
ages. There is a word for that. It’s called Dispensationalism.
While
the word “Dispensationalism” is not used in the
Bible, the concept is taught, just as are the
terms “Trinity,” “total depravity,” “original
sin,” “eternal security” and “Messianic Judaism.”
Dispensationalism
is based on the Greek word oikonomia which like
economy or economics, since it is related to it.
It occurs nine times in the New Testament (Luke
16:2–4; 1 Cor. 9:17; Eph.1:10; 3:2, 9; Col. 1:25;
1 Tim. 1:4). A combination of oikos, "house,"
and nomos, "law," oikonomia means "the
law of the house, the arrangement of the house,
or administration, stewardship, or management
or dispensation - which means the way things are
dispensed." The verb oikonomeo, "to
administer or manage," is used in Luke 16:2,
and the noun oikonomos, "a steward or manager,"
occurs ten times (Luke 12:42; 16:1, 3, 8; Rom.
16:23; 1 Cor. 4:1–2; Gal. 4:2; Titus 1:7; 1 Pet.
4:10).
Dispensationalism
views the world like a household that is managed
by God. God is running the world like a manager
of a household, “administering its affairs according
to His own will and in various stages of revelation
in the process of time” (Charles C. Ryrie, Dispensationalism
Today, p. 31).
Dispensationalism
is based on two main principles. First, it is
based on a consistent, normal, literal, everyday
meaning to the Word of God, unless the text tells
you otherwise. In other words, we treat the language
of the Bible like we treat other every other language.
All languages that are spoken are intended to
be taken literally, or normally, recognizing at
the same time that all languages have figures
of speech, symbols, etc.
The
basic interpretative rule in Dispensationalism
is what is known as the Golden Rule of Interpretation:
if the plain sense of Scripture makes common sense,
seek no other sense; therefore, take every word
in its primary, ordinary, usual, normal meaning
unless the facts of the immediate context, studied
in the light of related passages and fundamental
truths clearly indicate otherwise.
We
know from the context of the normal literal meaning
where a symbol or a figure of speech might be.
So, the Bible was written in the language of men
and was intended to be taken literally with the
recognition of the use of figures of speech.
Biblical
symbols, with rare exception, are usually explained
somewhere else in the Bible. Therefore there is
no need to resort to guesswork. For example Revelation
9:1 refers to a star, and “the key to the bottomless
pit was given to him.” Obviously “star” in this
verse is not a literal star in one of the galaxies,
fueled by a nuclear reaction, but refers figuratively
to an angel. And yet only two verses earlier,
Revelation 8:12 star refers to literal stars that
are stars. The context makes it obvious, when
star is to be used literally or symbolically.
Dispensationalism
insists that every promise God made to Jewish
people which has not been fulfilled will be literally
fulfilled sometime in the future.
And
why not? The Lord’s promises have always been
literally fulfilled. God promised Adam and Eve
that the Seed of the woman would come. He did.
Noah was warned of a great flood that would destroy
every living thing on Earth. It came. Abraham's
seed were promised a land. We received it. Moses
was promised victory in leading Israel from Egypt.
He achieved it. Rebellious Israel was warned of
a coming dispersion; it came. The destruction
of the Temple and of the nation was prophesied.
It happened.
Zechariah
said King Messiah would come humbly, just and
endowed with salvation, and ride into Jerusalem
on a donkey. He did. The suffering, death, burial
and resurrection of the Son of God were prophesied.
They all happened.
If
these and dozens of other prophecies like them
were literally fulfilled, why should the many
remaining prophesies about Israel’s glorious future
be “spiritualized” and not fulfilled literally
or somehow applied to the Church?
The
prophets promised Israel that God would scatter
us among the nations, and return us to our ancient
home, that He who scattered Israel would gather
that same people back to our ancient Land (Jeremiah
31:10). He is doing it right now!
The
words of the Lord to the two on the road to Emmaus
apply: “O foolish men and slow of heart to believe
in all that the prophets have spoken!” Dispensations
demands that we believe all that the prophets
have spoken - a literal interpretation of Scripture.
The
second key principle of Dispensationalism arises
from the first: there is a consistent distinction
in the Scriptures between Israel and the Church,
and although there is a connection between the
two, and there is a relationship between Israel
and the Church, Israel and the Church are two
separate entities. Therefore, Israel means Israel
and the Church means the Church, and the Church
does not mean Israel, and Israel does not mean
the Church.
Replacement
Theology denies this. Replacement Theology was
introduced to the Church shortly after Gentile
leadership took over from the original Jewish
leadership, some time after 70 AD. Replacement
Theology teaches that the Church replaces Israel
in the program of God. The Church is the New Israel,
and the replacement for Israel, and the many promises
made to Israel in the Bible are fulfilled in the
Christian Church, not in biblical, literal, Israel.
Replacement Theology teaches that the Jewish people
are now no longer a "chosen people."
In fact, they are no different from any other
nation. The Jewish people have no special future,
and no longer have a special purpose in the plan
of God. In Romans 11:1 Paul asks, “Has God rejected
His Jewish people?” Dispensationalists, like Paul,
emphatically answer no. Replacement theologians
answer yes.
Replacement
Theology does not believe that all the prophecies
in the Holy Scriptures concerning the blessing
and restoration of Israel to the Land of Promise,
like Ezekiel 36-48, and Zechariah 12-14, much
of Isaiah 59-66, and many other prophetic passages
are to be taken literally, but taken non-literally,
or "spiritualized" into promises of
God's blessing for the Church. However, the prophecies
of condemnation and judgment still remain for
the nation of Israel and the Jewish people. Those
passages are taken literally. When you take away
the promises of blessing from the Jewish people,
and leave only the curses, this lack of theological
balance can lead to anti-Semitism, which some
accuse Replacement Theology of being guilt of.
But,
if God has rejected Israel, and there is no special
future for the Jewish nation, how do we account
for the supernatural survival of the Jewish people
among the nations for 2500 years, Israel's rebirth
among the nations, a flourishing modern democratic
Jewish state, these amazing victories in major
wars with the surrounding Egyptian and Arab nations,
who have a vastly larger population, supported
by great oil wealth? How about the Spirit of God
being given to more and more Jewish people, so
that the Messianic Jewish community is growing
and growing?
If
God has rejected Israel, why should Christians
stand by Israel? And if they don’t stand by Israel,
won’t they be in danger of going along with the
nations, and experiencing the punishment foretold
in Joel 3:1-2? “In those days and at that time,
when I restore the fortunes of Judah and Jerusalem,
I will gather all the nations and bring them down
to the valley of Jehoshaphat. Then I will enter
into judgment with them there on behalf of My
people and My inheritance, Israel, whom they
have scattered among the nations; and they have
divided up My land.”
Might
Christians not join with all the nations that
unite to destroy the Jewish people who will be
in the Land of Israel in the Last Days and wind
up fighting against the Lord (Zechariah 12)? Who
is a Christian to stand with? The nations of the
world, and their united nations army, or little
Israel? Aren’t they in danger of experiencing
the curse found in Genesis 12? I will bless those
who bless you and curse those who curse you?
The
eschatology of the Scriptures is connected to
the nation of Israel. Paul tells us that the future
blessing of the entire world depends on Israel,
and on Israel’s salvation. “If their transgression
be riches for the world, and their failure be
riches for the Gentiles, how much more will their
fulfillment be?” And, we want that “how much more!”
Paul also writes, “if their rejection be the reconciliation
of the world, what will their acceptance be but
life from the dead?” When the majority of Israel
accepts Messiah Yeshua, and God’s full acceptance
of us, it will be like life from the dead, resurrection
for the entire world, like a whole new glorious
golden age for mankind.
And
Christians should want to be part of that, and
work with God toward that glorious goal. But you
generally won’t if you accept Replacement Theology.
You will, if you believe in Dispensational theology.
If you are a Dispensationalist, you take these
things literally, and your sympathies are with
the Jewish people. If you are a Replacement theologian,
then generally you are not very sympathetic to
Israel.
Christians
should be the greatest lovers and supporters of
the Jewish people. Salvation has come to the Gentiles
to make the Jewish people jealous. So Christians
have a special love and sympathy and compassion
and heart for the Jewish people. But that has
rarely been the case in the Church - in fact,
quite the opposite, and part of the fault lies
with Replacement Theology.
Other Examples of Confusion
Anytime
Dispensationalism is rejected, it leads to all
kinds of theological and Biblical confusion. For
example, some involved in the Messianic Jewish
Movement are demanding that Gentiles Christians
keep all of the laws that are part of the Sinai
Covenant, even though most of the laws of that
age are specifically directed to the Jewish people,
and were never obligatory for Gentiles.
Another
example of confusion is the "prosperity teaching"
which teaches that Christians should be experiencing
financial prosperity and perfect health. Part
of this false teaching is based on the blessings
and promises directed to the nation of Israel
and which are part of the Covenant made at Sinai.
If you only have faith in God like a mustard seed,
those blessings of wealth and health material
prosperity will be yours!
What Are These Economies Or Administrations?
Dispensationalism
recognizes that God has made different demands
of different peoples at different times. It sees
a progression in salvation history, a progression
in the revelation of God’s will. Although others
have arrived at other numbers of dispensations,
I see seven dispensations:
The
First Dispensation was the age of Adam and Eve
before the Fall. God did not make many demands
on Adam and Eve. He told them to take care of
the Garden and not eat from the Tree Of The Knowledge
of Good and Evil.
The
Second Dispensation goes from the Fall to the
Flood. The Lord provided a means of atonement.
Animal were allowed to be killed, and their blood
shed, so that Adam and Eve and their descendants,
who are fallen human beings, could be reconciled
to the Creator.
The
Third Dispensation was the age from the Covenant
made with Noah, to the call of Abraham. The Covenant
that the Lord made with Noah after the Flood established
human government, and gave it the right of capital
punishment in the case of murder. The diet of
man was changed, permitting humans to kill and
eat animals, but not their blood.
The
Fourth Dispensation was the age from Abraham to
the Exodus from Egypt. The Lord made a covenant
with Abraham and began the creation of a new people,
a Chosen People, and placed new demands on them,
like circumcision. He gave them a special land.
His plan was to use them to bring the knowledge
of God and salvation to the other nations of the
world. They had fallen into terrible darkness,
worshiping false gods who can’t save, and sacrificing
their children to them, engaging in warfare, slavery
and sexual perversion.
The
Fifth Dispensation is from the Covenant made at
Mount Sinai to the First Coming of the Messiah.
The Lord rescues Israel out of Egypt, and raising
up Moses, the Law Giver, who gives many new laws
to Israel, which is in the process of becoming
a free and independent nation The Temple at Jerusalem,
along with the Levitical priests, and the God-ordained
sacrifices which could only be offered at the
Temple, provided the means of atonement.
The
Sixth Dispensation is from the First Coming of
the Messiah to the Second Coming of Messiah. At
the First Coming, Messiah makes a New Covenant
with the House of Israel and Judah, which also
includes Gentiles. Those who enter this New Covenant,
Messiah’s Covenant, become part of Messiah’s Holy
Community, the Church, which is made up of Jews
and Gentiles. The Church had a distinct beginning
(Yeshua said, “I will build - future tense, a
future event - My Ekklesia - My Called Out Ones,
My Church,” Matthew 16:18). Therefore the Church
did not exist as an entity in the Old Testament.
The Church is not identical to Israel.
The
Seventh Dispensation will take place in the future,
when the Son of God returns to Earth, and rules
from Jerusalem over Israel and the nations for
1,000 years. Satan is chained and thrown into
the Abyss. There is a time of restoration. Nature
is transformed, human life-span is increased,
peace and prosperity abound. It is during this
thousand years that all of God’s promises made
to the Jewish people through the prophets, apostles
and Messiah, will literally be fulfilled. In the
Millennium, God will administer the world and
dispense His laws in a new way.
The Millennium
How
do we know there will be a future Millennium,
a 1,000 year rule of Messiah on Earth? Here is
just one passage from the Tenach (Old Testament)
and one from the New Testament. They should be
understood literally. In Isaiah 65, the Lord declares:
I will create Jerusalem to be a delight and
its people a joy. I will rejoice over Jerusalem
and take delight in my people; the sound of weeping
and of crying will be heard in it no more. Never
again will there be in it an infant who lives
but a few days, or an old man who does not live
out his years; he who dies at a hundred will be
thought a mere youth; he who fails to reach a
hundred will be considered accursed. They will
build houses and dwell in them; they will plant
vineyards and eat their fruit. No longer will
they build houses and others live in them, or
plant and others eat. For as the days of a tree,
so will be the days of my people; My chosen ones
will long enjoy the works of their hands.
There must be a literal kingdom on Earth for this
promise to the Jewish people (and there are many
other promises to us) to be fulfilled.
Look
at how many times “thousand years” is mentioned
in the following passage from the New Testament:
John writes: “Then I saw an angel coming down
from Heaven, holding the key of the abyss and
a great chain in his hand. And he laid hold of
the dragon, the serpent of old, who is the devil
and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years;
and he threw him into the abyss, and shut it and
sealed it over him, so that he would not deceive
the nations any longer, until the thousand
years were completed; after these things he
must be released for a short time. Then I saw
thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was
given to them. And I saw the souls of those who
had been beheaded because of their testimony of
Yeshua and because of the word of God, and those
who had not worshiped the beast or his image,
and had not received the mark on their forehead
and on their hand; and they came to life and reigned
with Messiah for a thousand years. The
rest of the dead did not come to life until the
thousand years were completed. This is
the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is the
one who has a part in the first resurrection;
over these the second death has no power, but
they will be priests of God and of Messiah and
will reign with Him for a thousand years.
When the thousand years are completed,
Satan will be released from his prison, and will
come out to deceive the nations which are in the
four corners of the Earth.
Has
the first resurrection, which takes place before
the thousand years, already taken place? No. Are
we in this thousand years right now, with
Satan’s influence limited? Is Satan chained right
now, like those who don’t take this passage literally,
believe? Look at what he has helped accomplish
in the last century: World War One, World War
Two, the Holocaust, Arab wars against reborn Israel,
dozens of other wars, the tens of millions of
murders under Mao and Stalin, the genocide against
the Armenians, the genocides in Ruanda and Cambodia,
40 million children murdered in their mothers’
wombs, just in the United States. If he is chained,
his chain must be very long indeed!
Finally,
after the Millennium, this present universe is
going to be destroyed. Then there will be the
Day of Judgment, and then the Creator will make
a New Heavens, a New Earth and a New Jerusalem,
where God and Messiah will rule over redeemed
humanity for eternity, with peace and perfect
happiness, with God and the Sacrificed Messiah
supremely glorified. That is the goal to which
we are headed.
The Relationship Of Messianic Jews
To The Laws Of The Previous Dispensation
•
The covenant upon which much of the Torah is based
is a broken covenant (there is no Temple and therefore
no sacrifices by which we may draw near to God
and obtain eternal life). It is impossible to
keep all the laws of the Mosaic Covenant today.
In addition, most Jews live outside of Israel,
and many of the laws only apply to life within
Israel.
•
The laws that are part of the covenant mediated
by Moses are still extremely valuable and relevant.
The Torah continues to inform and guide the life
of the Jewish people. It teaches us the right
things to do and gives us a good way to live.
It helps us live an authentic Jewish lifestyle.
It helps us remain part of the Holy People. The
issue of assimilation is a major problem for Messianic
Jews. Historically, Messianic Jewish families
that make no effort to live a Jewish lifestyle
or to be involved in Jewish evangelism will almost
always assimilate and lose their Jewish identity
within a couple of generations. The issue of assimilation
is something that is addressed in the New Testament.
Rabbi Paul commands Messianic Jews to not become
uncircumcised (1 Corinthians 7:18), which means
not to seek assimilation into the prevailing Gentile
culture, but to continue their Jewish way of life.
•
The Torah is more than the Mosaic Covenant. All
of the Word of God, including the New Covenant,
is “Torah” (literally, “teaching” or “instruction”).
•
The early Messianic Jews had a favorable view
of the Torah, and many were zealous to live in
accordance with it (see Acts 21:20-26). History
documents that Messianic Jews continued to live
a distinctly Jewish, Torah-based lifestyle for
centuries after the arrival of Messiah Yeshua.
There is no incompatibility with being "zealous
for the Torah" and being a Messianic Jew.
Therefore:
I am pro-Torah, while recognizing that the Covenant
made at Sinai is a broken covenant. I am pro-Torah,
valuing the great wisdom that is found in the
Torah. I am pro-Torah, recognizing that all Believers
are in some sense to fulfill the Law (Romans 8:4),
but that not all of us are obligated to fulfill
the same requirements of the Law (for example,
Gentiles need not be circumcised). I am pro-Torah,
recognizing that nobody (Jewish or otherwise)
can be saved by the works of the Law. I am pro-Torah,
recognizing that Messiah’s teaching helps return
us to the Torah's original intent regarding issues
such as a man being married to only one woman.
I am pro-Torah, understanding that one of the
main purposes of the Torah is to point us to Messiah.
I am pro-Torah, accepting the fact that Messianic
Jews who choose not to keep every aspect of the
Law, particularly the ceremonial laws, do not
lose their salvation. My personal experience
is that I have become more observant over time,
but it was a process that took years. Therefore
I encourage Messianic Jews to identify with and
embrace their Jewish heritage, which in large
part is based on the Torah; and I encourage Messianic
Jews to be gracious to each other regarding others'
level of Torah observance.
As
Messianic Jews work out their salvation with fear
and trembling, we need to be gracious to each
other in the area of practice.
Those Messianic Jews who want to live a life that
is more Torah-observant have the freedom to do
so, but they can’t demand that others live the
same way. Those Messianic Jews who want to keep
the customs and traditions of our people are free
to do so, provided those customs and traditions
do not contradict the teaching of the Word of
God. Many rabbinic customs and traditions are
profound and a blessing to Jewish life. But,
there is a danger. Jewish traditions and practices
and forms can be over-emphasized, so that Orthodox
Judaism is unduly elevated in the minds of our
people. The result is that non-Messianic Judaism
starts being wrongly perceived as more genuine,
authentic and authoritative. Then some go on to
abandon Messianic Judaism and deny their faith
in Yeshua altogether. Also, the forms and traditions
can become so important that Yeshua is crowded
out, and He becomes little more than a bystander
in our services, or a footnote in our prayer books.
Another consideration: Far from attracting more
Jewish people, such models of ministry are a turn-off
to most Jewish people in the United States and
Israel, most of whom don’t want long Orthodox-style
services. A recent study shows that only 9% of
Jewish people living in the United States in the
30-39 age group consider themselves Orthodox,
and 16% of Jews aged 18-29 now identify themselves
as Orthodox.
I
love the Messianic Jewish Movement and am committed
to it! I want to see many healthy Messianic congregations
with strong Jewish identity and commitment. I
want our synagogues to identify with Israel and
the Jewish people, and also with the entire Body
of Messiah. I want to see Messianic Jews taking
more of a leadership role in the Christian Church.
I want to see us committed to world evangelism,
fulfilling our calling to be a kingdom of priests
and a light to the nations. I especially want
to see our synagogues committed to bold evangelism
among our own people (including partnering with
Jewish missions organizations). I long for the
new wine of modern Messianic Judaism to be Yeshua-centered,
with Spirit-directed, bold evangelism as its centerpiece.
I want our congregations to creatively adapt to
their time and communities, mixing old and new,
the best of Judaism and the best of Christianity,
so that it resonates with the souls of the current
generation.
Gentile Christians And Their Relationship
To The Laws Of The Previous Dispensation
The
Church, Messiah’s Holy Community of Jews and Gentiles,
while having much in common with Israel, is not
identical to Israel. The New Covenant is not the
same as the Old Covenant. Jews who enter the New
Covenant remain Jews, and Gentiles who enter the
New Covenant remain Gentiles. Being grafted into
Israel doesn't mean that Gentile Believers become
Israel or are required to live the same way as
Israel. Gentiles Believers are not the same as
the Gentile foreigners who lived in the nation
of Israel under the Old Covenant. Gentile Christians
have an elevated status compared to the aliens
who lived in the nation of Israel under the Old
Covenant. They are fully co-heirs of the Kingdom
with the Jewish saints.
One
way to understand the Mosaic Covenant is as Israel's
constitution. However, not all 613 laws that make
up the Torah are meant to apply to everybody.
There are laws that only apply to priests. For
example, the High Priest couldn't marry a divorced
woman or a widow, whereas a regular Israeli could.
There are laws which apply only to the king (such
as writing his own copy of the Torah). There are
laws that apply to men and not to women, and vice-versa.
Most of the laws were directed to the Jewish people,
rather than Gentiles. The requirements of the
Law differ for different groups of people.
What
is the relationship of Gentile Christians the
laws found in the Covenants made with Noah, Abraham
and at Sinai? What relationship does the Gentile
Christian have to the 613 laws of the Torah? The
book of Acts records that Messiah’s Emissaries
(the Apostles) and the Elders of Messiah’s Holy
Community met to decide this very issue. This
meeting, recorded in Acts 15, is often referred
to as “the First Jerusalem Council.” According
to the binding, Holy Spirit-inspired decision
issued by the Emissaries and Elders, apart from
saving faith in Messiah Yeshua, only four things
- the Four Essentials, are obligatory for Gentile
Christians to observe (see Acts 15, especially
verses 19-20, 28-29). In addition to the Four
Essentials, obedience to the Moral Law is required
(laws such as not murdering, not stealing, and
not committing adultery. God has written these
moral laws on everyone's heart - see Romans 2:14-15).
Apart from the Four Essentials and the Moral
Law - everything else, including the Sabbath and
holidays and dietary laws, are non-essentials,
and come under the area of Christian Freedom and
Liberty.
If
a Christian wants to observe a Biblical holiday
or custom, there is the freedom to do so, but
there is no obligation to do so.
If someone wants to observe a Biblical holiday
or custom, there is freedom to do so, but there
is no obligation to do. Gentile Christians have
the freedom to celebrate the Sabbath and the Jewish
holidays, or not observe them. If someone says,
"Messiah is my Passover and I don't need
to celebrate a Passover Seder" - that’s fine.
If someone says, "Messiah is my Sabbath,
and I'm resting in Him, and therefore I don't
need to rest on the Sabbath" - that's OK.
If someone wants to observe the first day of the
week as a day of rest and worship, he has every
right to do so. All that is necessary for Gentiles
is to have faith in Messiah Yeshua. That alone
saves them. Then there are the four basic requirements
in Acts 15. There are also the moral requirements
of the Law that are already written on everyone's
heart. Anything beyond these requirements is optional.
However,
that being said, there are many principles for
godly living that may be applied from the Torah
to the life of the Christian. Torah means "teaching"
or "instruction," and it still serves
as a teaching guide for Messiah's Holy Community
of Jews and Gentiles (the Church). For example,
should a Christian have a tattoo? The New Testament
is silent on the subject, but the Torah already
gave us instruction on this practice (see Leviticus
19:28).
Answering Objections
Most
critics of Dispensationalism claim that Dispensationalism
is a recent doctrine invented in modern times
by Dr. C. I. Scofield, editor of the famous Scofield
Reference Bible, and John Nelson Darby; implying
that Dispensationalism is a new doctrine; and
if it is new, it can’t be true and therefore does
not have Biblical authority. However, neither
C. I. Scofield or John Nelson Darby are the inventors
of Dispensationalism or the final authority on
the subject.
True,
Dispensationalism has been systematized in recent
centuries, most famously by Darby and Scofield,
but this overlooks the fact that various doctrines
have been detailed at various times in church
history. For example, the early church spelled
out the doctrines of Messiah and the Holy Spirit
and the Trinity. In other eras the doctrines of
the Bible, the Church, and salvation have been
clarified and expanded.
The
truth is that early church fathers wrote of God’s
working in various times from creation to the
present age. Since doctrinal refinement has always
characterized the church, it should be no surprise
that Dispensationalism has been refined in recent
centuries.
Many
of the early church fathers history believed in
divisions of history based on God's dealings with
man. Among those whose doctrine of ages and dispensations
has survived from the Ante-Nicene period are Justin
Martyr, Irenaeus, Tertullian, Methodius, and to
a minor degree Victorinus of Petau."
[Justin
Martyr (AD 100-165): according to Crutchfield,
Justin believed in four phases of human history
in God's program. The first was from Adam to Abraham;
the second was from Abraham to Moses; the third
was from Moses to Christ; and the fourth was from
Christ to the eternal state. Irenaeus (AD 120-202):
The dispensational scheme of Irenaeus is four
in number. They are: 1. From the Creation to the
Flood. 2. From the Flood to the Law. 3. From the
Law to the Gospel. 4. From the Gospel to the Eternal
State. He continues, "Irenaeus, Victorinus
of Petau, and Methodius' number of dispensations
is artificially restricted to four ... the dispensations
are most often spoken of the early fathers in
terms of the prominent persons." He lists
the persons as; Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, and
Christ. "Dispensational divisions were customarily
made along the boundaries of these five men's
lives and times," concludes Crutchfield.]
Those who reject dispensational teaching by
ascribing the late date of the 1800 and 1900's
are ignorant of the facts.
This
message heavily utilizes articles by Arnold Fruchtenbaum,
Roy Zuck, Ken Blue, Andrew David Naselli and Alan
Torres.
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