Dispensational Statement
“Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”
Fruitful Kingdom believes in distinct periods throughout human history where God dealt differently with people.
In our age, false teachers and preachers have infiltrated the church. It is vital that we, as true Bible-believing Christians, separate ourselves from erroneous doctrine. We must ensure that God’s truth is taught by reading the Scripture in the right ‘division.’
Rightly Dividing the Word of Truth
Many cults throughout history started from the wrong division of the Scriptures, from misunderstanding biblical promises in different times to different people groups, and by taking Scripture out of its context and applying it falsely. As a result, people are misled, stumble, and lose hope in God’s truth and promises. All 66 books of the Bible must be studied to get an overview of God’s unfolding plan of the ages.
A ‘Word’ About Dispensations
The Greek word from which we get dispensation occurs only seven times throughout the New Testament. It is only translated as ‘dealings’ in four of those, all by Paul and all in the King James Bible (1 Corinthians 9:17; Ephesians 1:10, 3:2; Colossians 1:25). Other meanings of this word are administration, stewardship, and economy.
A Method of Interpretation
Dispensationalism is a technique for interpreting the Bible. Dispensationalism is a hermeneutic of interpretation that promotes a literal interpretation of the Bible. We believe the Bible should be interpreted by a ‘consistent literal’ or ‘grammatical-historical’ hermeneutic. All Bible passages should be consistently comprehended according to their historical, grammatical, and genre contexts.
Doing so affirms the significance of Israel in God’s purposes as being distinct from the church. The New Testament builds on the meaning of the Old Testament without reinterpreting it to apply to the church. There is a storyline continuity between Old Testament expectations and New Testament fulfillment throughout Jesus’ two comings. Jesus is the perfect Israelite who will rescue and restore Israel and bring blessings to the Gentiles (Isaiah 49:3-6). An initial phase transpires in the church but will be fully realized in Jesus’ earthly Kingdom after the second coming.
God Means What He Says
We can trust that God means what He says. We take the Word of God to mean what it says, based on the Author’s words, how He uses them, and the historical context in which He initially spoke them. God meant what He said to Abraham about a ‘land’ and his ‘seed.’ God’s promise to David that the Messiah would come from his lineage to establish an enduring Kingdom was fulfilled with Jesus. Old Testament prophecies surrounding Christ’s birth, life, and death have been fulfilled in Jesus. It is logical to expect that God will fulfill His promises and prophecies. We can confidently trust what God says in His Word. God is not a liar who speaks vain words of empty promises! God communicates with metaphors, but only with complex ideas that we cannot understand or as concealed mysteries yet to be revealed. Nevertheless, their underlying meaning and fulfillment are literal.
We believe God is not the author of confusion, but man is. This allows us to rest securely on the promises of salvation and requires us to precisely follow the explicit instruction from the New Testament about personal conduct and local church practice. Otherwise, we would be thrown about with every wind of doctrine (Ephesians 4:14)
The Bible is to be read as a definitive description of God’s revealed truth, with its teachings interpreted at their plain meaning. We must be careful not to place ourselves above God’s Word, viewing it as mere poetic literature. In such cases, readers may infer multiple interpretations based on their perspectives, which may contradict.
God Deals Differently Throughout the Ages
In Scripture, there are apparent differences in how God interacts with humanity, the expectations He places on them, how He judges them, and how He saves them. For instance, God walked with Adam in the garden; God appeared to Moses in a burning bush and on the mountain when the Law was given; God was manifested “in flesh” and “dwelled among us” in the gospel records; God indwells each believer now in this church era in the person of His Spirit; and God will reign as the holy King of kings and the Lord of lords.
Similarly, the means of approaching God was different under the Law than in our present age of grace. A priestly system of blood sacrifices has been replaced by the eternally perfect sacrifice of the Lamb of God, granting every believer unlimited access to the throne of grace by which they may approach boldly.
These differences are not a matter of interpretation. It is a matter of opening our eyes to see that they are already there. A dispensational approach provides a consistent and understandable framework to explain these differences in their contexts, revealing the progressive development of divine revelation over the entire scope of redemptive history.
God’s Future Promises Are Certain
We can take a literal view of the Lord’s promises for the future. As He has said, He will come again to “take us to be with Himself.” He will then return to earth in might, power, and glory to reign in righteousness for a thousand years. God’s original purposes for the world will finally be fulfilled. Where every man has failed to rule this earth in perfect righteousness, Yeshua Himself will rule and reign with justice and holiness. The earth will be healed and abundant. A scourged and crucified Christ will be vindicated in the place where He was humiliated and put to shame.
God’s Role for Us in This Age
Knowing where we are in the timeline of God’s script for humanity helps us understand our role as believers today. We are to preach the correct Gospel, given to our Apostle, Paul, to teach the truths of God, to lead souls saved, and to see believers grow. While the Lord is building His church, we must separate ourselves from error and Satan’s ecumenical religious system.
What Do Dispensationalists Believe
God has dealt with humanity in different ways throughout history—revealing His character and plan for us. These distinct periods are called dispensations.
By dividing the Scriptures into the seven direct dealings with humanity, God continues to communicate that we are lost and need a Saviour. Each dispensation involves a test for humanity, a failure, a judgment, grace, and another dispensation resulting from the previous failure’s consequence.
Dispensationalism affirms a distinction between Israel and the church. Israel is an ethnic/national identity whose heritage derives from Abraham (Genesis 12:2-3). Israel was more than God’s vehicle for Scripture and the Messiah: they were intended to bring world blessings (Genesis 12:2-3), both in this age, with Israel in unbelief, and in the future when Israel believes in Jesus (Romans 11:12, 15, 26). The church, however, is a multi-ethnic entity with a government structure and mission of global gospel declaration before Jesus returns. When Jesus returns to inaugurate His Kingdom, the church will rule with Him over the world (Revelation 2:26-27, 5:10).
While salvation has always required faith, the way through much of the Old Testament also required obedient work. That is not the case during the age of grace! Furthermore, while eternal security is promised to the church, Israel never received such a promise. They were never granted the Holy Spirit as a seal of salvation, as is the case with believers in the church (Ephesians 1:13-14). Therefore, the way God dealt with Israel occurred during a different dispensation than His dealings with the church in the New Testament.
Dispensationalism disagrees with replacement theology. The church has not replaced Israel in those prophecies given to ethnic/national Israel. Promises and covenants made with Israel cannot be fulfilled with the church since the church is not Israel. God must fulfill His promises to the group to whom the guarantees were made initially.
Dispensationalism affirms that all spiritual, physical, and national promises contained in the covenants of promise (Abrahamic, Davidic, New) must be fulfilled literally. This includes promises concerning Israel, the nations, and the land. Some promises were fulfilled with Jesus’ first coming, while others await Jesus’ second coming. While specific spiritual blessings associated with these covenants are participated in or partially fulfilled with the church, the full scope of covenant blessings for Israel awaits Jesus’ return and Kingdom.
The nation of Israel remains significant for God’s purposes. In addition to saving a remnant of believing Israel in this age, God will protect and restore them (Romans 11:26). Israel as a whole will believe in Jesus at the time of His second coming (Matthew 23:39; Romans 11:26-27). While Israel once received covenant curses for disobedience, they will soon receive covenant blessings for belief and obedience (Deuteronomy 30:1-10). Israel will have a functional role in the nations when Jesus rules the nations in the Kingdom (Isaiah 2:2-4; Matthew 25:31).
Significant portions of Bible prophecy await future fulfillment from our current standpoint in history (Daniel 9:27; Matthew 24-25; Mark 13; Luke 21; Revelation 6-22:5). The seventieth week of Daniel will occur in the future as a seven-year period that includes the activity of the Antichrist who does an abomination event in the Jewish Temple. Multiple events described by Jesus and Revelation 6-19 correlate to the events explained in Daniel 9:27.
Dispensationalism in the Early Church
Dispensationalism, as we know it today, is a relatively modern system proposed by John Nelson Darby in the mid-1800s. However, evidence of early church belief in the principles of dispensationalism can be found in the second-century records of Justin Martyr and Irenaeus. Justin Martyr witnessed four distinct periods and named them after the principal characters: Adam to Abraham, to Moses, to Christ, and into eternity. Irenaeus similarly observed four dealings: from Creation to the Flood, to the Law, to the Gospel, and into eternity.
In recent times scholars have agreed on seven dispensations. They each begin with an instruction from God to man, which becomes broken, causing a failure of God’s standards and requiring judgment.
These seven dispensations are an artificial framework for understanding what the Bible has revealed about God’s purposes toward men. It is a theological system of organizing and interpreting God’s work.
There are seven apparent dispensations, or ‘ways of doing things,’ that were God-ordered and God-ordained. Each one has a purpose in the overall plan of the ages.
What is God’s Purpose in All This?
In each dispensation, we can see God revealing the responsibility of humanity, their inability to be holy like God, a purifying judgment, followed by a loving and gracious way out. Humanity cannot behave acceptably to God in any situation. Even in this church age, the church goes apostate, being led away by false teachers, seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils. When we enter eternity, neither humanity nor angels will ever desire to disobey God again. That is why there is not an eighth dispensation called ‘eternity.’
1. Innocence
Geneses 1:1 – Genesis 3:6
The dispensation of innocence began with the creation of Adam and Eve in Genesis 1. God created them innocent (Genesis 2:25) and provided perfect living conditions for them (1:28-31, 2:8-9). Creation lived at peace with themselves and each other, and the world was without sin or death (1:29-30). Adam and Eve were instructed to tend to the garden (2:15), to have fellowship with God (3:8-10), to procreate (1:28), and to rule the earth and the animals (1:26, 2:15, 19-20). It is also assumable that God freely and personally interacted with Adam and Eve during this period since they knew His appearance and voice (3:8-10).
They were innocent and ignorant of sin and unaware of death (Genesis 2:25), with only one rule to obey – to not eat the forbidden fruit or even to touch the tree (2:17). God was showing man that his responsibility was to obey God.
This fruit was a test. Adam and Eve were deceived by Satan, who appeared in the form of a serpent, and they disobeyed God (Genesis 3:11-13). This resulted in the first failure of man and its far-reaching effects, the most disastrous of the failures of the natural man against a completely holy God. They were found to be guilty of sin against God. So, since man sinned, He must issue a judgment. That judgment was struggle, pain, and death (2:17, 3:14-24).
This dispensation ended with God’s judgment of Adam and Eve. They were expelled from the Garden of Eden in Genesis 3. The whole of the earth was cursed by God (Romans 8:19-23). However, God was gracious and offered the promise of a Redeemer, from the seed of a woman, who would crush that serpent (the Devil) (Genesis 3:15).
2. Conscience
Genesis 3:7 – Genesis 8:14
The dispensation of conscience began with the fall of man in Genesis 3. As a result of their new condition, Adam and Eve transferred to the race the knowledge of good and evil and the consequences of struggle, pain, and death (1 Corinthians 15:22). This age is centered around the descendants of Cain, Seth, and their families. During this period, man had no written Law for man to follow. This meant that ‘conscience’ was the basis for proper moral judgment. Humanity came under this measure of responsibility—to do good and shun evil. To be right with God, they had to live with sincerity. Moreover, if they sinned against their conscience, God allowed them to make a sacrificial offering (Genesis 4:4-5).
Like Cain, whose jealousy skewed his conscience when he killed his brother (Genesis 4:8), the human race fell into wickedness and sinful practices and was exceedingly violent (6:11). God observed that all of humanity had become extremely wicked, imagining evil in their heart and mind constantly (6:5). As a result, “all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth.” (6:12). This was also the time when fallen angels mated with human women and produced giant, evil offspring, often referred to as Nephilim (6:1-4).
God lamented making man, which “grieved him at his heart” (Genesis 6:5-6). Nevertheless, God was gracious and offered salvation to Noah, who “found grace in the eyes of the Lord” (6:8). He was a “just man and perfect in his generations” who “walked with God” (6:9).
This dispensation concludes in Genesis 8 with the judgment of the global Flood that destroyed all humanity (6:13-8:16), except for the eight people (7:7; 1 Peter 3:20) that boarded the ark built by Noah (6:13-16). This lasted about 1656 years.
3. Government
Genesis 8:15 – Genesis 11:32
This dispensation begins with Noah and his family on the ark (Genesis 6:13-16). After the Flood, God promised not to curse the earth by Flood ever again (9:9-17). He commanded Noah and his family to go forth from the ark (8:15-19) and replenish the earth (9:1), to spread out across the globe and govern the new world (9:7). He also allowed them to eat animals as food for the first time (9:3). The Bible tells us that all creatures will be afraid of man (9:2). God also established the Law of capital punishment during this period (9:5-6). Man was to create righteous laws to live by (8:1-9:7).
Noah’s descendants did not obey God’s commands. Instead of scattering abroad, they came together and worked to build a tower that would reach into the heavens (Genesis 11:1-9). A humanistic world government resulted (11:6) upon the plain of Shinar in the attempt to become independent of God. This was in direct rebellion to God. This is also where the political and religious Babylon began, with Nimrod, Semiramis, and Tammuz.
This dispensation closed in judgment with the destruction of the tower, the confusion of languages, and the dispersion of the nations throughout the world – as God initially desired (Genesis 11:7-9). In all this, God was gracious and chose Abraham to be the head of the nation (12:1-3).
4. Promise
Genesis 12:1 – Exodus 19:35
The various nations came out of the dispersed descendants of Babylon (Genesis 11:8-9). They took the political and religious Babylon with them and worshipped various incantations of Nimrod, Semiramis, and Tammuz. Man’s heart was evil.
However, God decided to have a nation for Himself, to set them apart and represent His character on earth (Exodus 19:3-6). Through this chosen nation, the whole world would be blessed (Genesis 12:1-3). God now calls one man Abram, with whom He enters into a covenant of promise (15:1-7). God promised to give him land farther than the eye could see (15:18) and as many descendants as there are stars in the sky (15:5). Abraham was to be the father of a great nation. However, God showed Abraham by the vision that this nation would first become strangers in a land that was not theirs, that they would be afflicted for many generations (15:13). But God was going to judge that nation – Egypt – and cause Abraham’s nation to become prosperous (15:14).
Abraham’s grandson, Jacob, was dwelling in the land of Canaan (Genesis 35:1-7, 37:1). God had changed his name to Israel (35:10). There eventually came a famine (42:1-2), and Israel discovered that his long-lost son, Joseph was alive in Egypt (45:25-28). God confirmed by vision His will for him to move there and that through this, the promises would be fulfilled (46:2-4). So, the descendants of Israel grew to be a great and robust nation (Exodus 1:1-7) – known as the Israelites.
5. Law
Exodus 20:1 – Acts 2:3
The dispensation of Israel began with their bondage (Exodus 1:8-14). God remembered His covenant amid their suffering (2:23-25). God chose Moses (3:10), who had fled from Egypt (2:15), to be their leader to bring them out of bondage and into the land of promise (3:7-10). God appeared to him in a burning bush in the desert of Sinai (3:2-4). Moses did as God commanded. Through much hesitation and after ten horrific plagues upon the Egyptians (7:14 – 12:30), Pharoah finally let the Israelites go (12:31).
In the wilderness of Sinai, He delivered to them another covenant (Exodus 34:10). This is the Mosaic Law and began with the delivery of the Ten Commandments (20:1-17) and the other 603 commandments (found in Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy). These outlined the perfection God required from His people, including temple worship and sacrifices. God promised the Jews a life of peace and prosperity in a Kingdom of their own if they obeyed (19:5, 20:1-17).
Unfortunately, the history of Israel in the wilderness and the land is one long record of flagrant, persistent violation of the Law. They repeatedly broke His commands and worshiped other ‘gods.’
It is helpful to note that strict obedience to commandments was not as significant to God as mercy and faithfulness (Hosea 6:6). The Law was given to the Israelites so that they could be a living representative of the heart of God, to reveal a standard of righteousness, and to showcase the importance of their dependence on God as opposed to trusting themselves, their goodness, or other gods for salvation. He has never expected perfection – evidenced by the provision of the sacrificial system of atonement. The blood of animals could not take away sin – they were a symbol, a foreshadowing of Jesus Christ (John 1:29; 1 Timothy 2:5-6; 2 Corinthians 5:21; Hebrews 7:27, 9:22), whose pure and righteous blood could atone permanently (Hebrews 9:11-14,10:3-10). The Law taught us our need for Christ (Galatians 2:24; Romans 3:20).
After repeated periods of disobedience which ultimately resulted in the crucifixion of their Messiah King (who was raised to life in glory, defeating the power of sin), God postponed His offer of the Kingdom and expelled them from their land (Matthew 21:43, Luke 19:41-44). Nevertheless, God was still loving and gracious and offered them salvation through the death of His Son before proclaiming the Gospel to the Gentiles (Acts 10).
God’s prophetic time clock for the nation of Israel has been on hold during this next age: the church age or the ‘age of grace.’ However, He will continue His dealings with them after the dispensation of grace.
6. Grace
Acts 2:4 – Revelation 20:3
“For by grace have ye been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.” (Ephesians 2:8-9).
The dispensation of grace, which has lasted more than 2,000 years, occurs between the 69th and 70th weeks of Daniel’s prophecy (Daniel 9:24). Though many Israelites did accept Jesus as their Messiah, Israel as a whole had rejected Him and crucified Him (Mark 15:13-41). A believing remnant remained, and God met them on the feast of Pentecost (Acts 2) – they formed the first church. After much rejection from His own people, God dispensed His grace to the gentile world (Acts 10). The Gentiles received their own Pentecost-like experience (10:44-48). This time of grace was hidden since the beginning of the world and was revealed to the Apostle Paul (Ephesians 3:1-12). God would now deal with people individually and no longer through a nation (Romans 1:16).
All those who have accepted God’s Son’s sacrifice at the cross live in God’s grace and are saved from wrath (Romans 5:8-11). The sacrifice by our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ introduced the dispensation of pure grace – undeserved favor (Ephesians 2:8-9). God gave His righteous Son to be the perfect Lamb (John 1:29; Revelation 5:6), who fulfilled the Law (Matthew 5:17). Christ’s blood was the new covenant (Luke 22:20). No longer requiring righteousness through works (Titus 3:5; Romans 3:20), God granted righteousness by grace through faith in the final work of Christ (Galatians 2:16) to all who accepted, whether Jew or Gentile (Hebrews 10:10, 14; Romans 3:21-30, 5:1; Galatians 3:7, 29). We also have a Comforter with us, God’s Holy Spirit, who indwells believers (John 14:16-26).
The individual has a responsibility to grow in sanctification (1 Thessalonians 4:3; 2 Timothy 2:21) and become more like Christ (1 John 2:6; Galatians 2:20). But the Church is continually failing in this regard, with false teachers leading many churches into apostasy (2 Timothy 4:3-4; 2 Peter 2:1). But God, being longsuffering (2 Peter 3:9), continues to offer forgiveness of sins through faith in Christ Jesus. However, justice must have its day; therefore, judgment is coming to an unbelieving world (Revelation 3:15-16; Luke 18:8; 17:26-30; 2 Thessalonians 2:7-12). Nevertheless, praise be to God because the church is not appointed to wrath! (1 Thessalonians 5:9).
This dispensation of grace without works officially ends with the church’s rapture (Revelation 3:10; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18). Sleeping saints will be raised with living believers before being caught up in the air to meet the Lord (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17). The rapture’s timing is a subject of great debate, but it will happen at the beginning of the seven years.
The seven-year tribulation period is a time of God unleashing His wrath upon the world (Revelation 19:2). It will complete Daniel’s 70th Week (Daniel 9:24-27, 12:1-4; Matthew 24:21-27), a period also known as “the time of Jacob’s trouble” (Jeremiah 30:6-8). We understand that some people will be saved during the tribulation – tribulation saints – beheaded for the witness of Jesus and refusing the mark of the beast (Revelation 7:14-17).
During this time, the united world nations will experience the wrath of God’s judgments (Revelation 19:2). However, God will spare many Israelites (12:14), who are being disciplined in preparation for receiving the millennial Kingdom of Jesus Christ (Jeremiah 30:4-11), which will be the seventh and last dispensation (Matthew 24:29-30, 25:31-46).
This dispensation of grace concludes with severe judgment, with the battle of Armageddon (Revelation 16:16) and the personal return of the Lord to the earth in power and great glory (19:11-16). Jesus returns to defeat Satan and anyone following him into battle (19:11-20:3).
7. Righteousness
Revelation 20:4 – Revelation 20:9
After the purifying judgments accompanying His return to the earth, Christ will reign over restored Israel and the world for one thousand years (Revelation 20:1-6). This is the period commonly called the millennium. This dispensation was prophesied in the Old Testament through many of God’s chosen prophets. Israel will accept the Kingdom offer this time, and God will fulfill all His promises to them (Zechariah 12:10, 14:8-9). God will once again dwell amid His people (Ezekiel 43:6-7). Jesus will be King over all things and will rule from a visible earthly throne. They are responsible for obeying and worshiping Jesus (Isaiah 2:2-4; Zechariah 14:16).
The seat of His power will be Jerusalem (Zechariah 14:1-21; Jeremiah 3:17). The Lord will gather all the Jews back to their homeland (Matthew 25:32), and they will be His people, and He will be their God (Jeremiah 32:38-40). The stewards of this age are the resurrected Old Testament saints, the church-age saints, and the survivors of the tribulation. All these people will be associated with Him in His glory (Acts 15:14-17; Isaiah 2:1-4, 11; Revelation 19:11-21, 20:1-6). The curse will be broken during this time, and nature will be restored (Isaiah 11:6-10; Revelation 20:6).
However, Satan is ‘loosed’ a little season to tempt the nations (Revelation 20:7-10). Satan finds the natural heart as prone to evil as ever and quickly gathers them to battle against the Lord and His saints (20:8). This last dispensation closes, like the others, in God’s judgment for their rebellion. God sends fire to destroy them (20:9). Satan is judged and thrown into the Lake of Fire alongside the Antichrist and False Prophet (20:10). He will never be able to tempt anyone again. The millennium will then be concluded. The old earth and heavens will be destroyed by fire (2 Peter 3:7). God has a new thing planned for His people, and it will be beautiful!
There will be a final judgment for humanity (Revelation 20:11-15). This is the ‘Great White Throne Judgment’ set in Heaven, where the wicked dead are raised and finally judged. However, not until every person confesses with their mouths that Jesus Christ is Lord (Philippians 2:10-11). Then they will all be cast into the Lake of Fire forever (Revelation 20:15).
8. Perfection
Revelation 21:1 – Revelation 22:21
This is the fullness of times; God’s everlasting and perfect Kingdom. Jesus makes “all things new” (Revelation 21:5), for all that was will have passed away (21:1). He will make the “new heavens and the new earth” (21:1). The new city Jerusalem will be on the new earth in all its beauty (21:2-3). There will be no sun or moon in this new setting because Jesus will be our light (21:23). There will be no more pain, sickness, fear, or death (21:4). There will be kings and nations on the new earth (21:24) along with the river of life and the tree of life (21:1, 22:2).
Please view our Statement of Faith and our King James Bible Statement for more information.