STUDY
THE BIBLE 3a
–
(STB 3a)
“Dispensations”
(Part 2 of 2)
Amillennialism
This
is the wrong belief that there will be no one
thousand year reign of Christ on earth after the battle of Armageddon.
This
contradicts And I saw an angel come down from heaven, … and bound him a
thousand years, … till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and
after that
he must be loosed a little season. … they lived and reigned with Christ
a
thousand years. … until the thousand years were finished. … … shall
reign with
him a thousand years. And when the thousand years are expired. Rev
20:1-7
Dispensations
or Ages
Most
writers claim there are about nine to twelve
dispensations with the first beginning about 4,000 years ago at Eden
which
ended with Adam being cast out. The second finished with God destroying
a
wicked earth with Noah’s flood around 2340BC. The third went to the
tower of
Babel and ended with the earth, which was one land mass, being
separated into
the continents in the days of Peleg (Gen 10:25). The fourth goes from
Abraham
to the Egyptian exodus in 1450BC. The fifth is called the age of the
law and
goes from the exodus to Christ ending with the destruction of Jerusalem
in
AD70. The sixth is the church age which ends with the rapture. The
seventh is
the seven year tribulation which ends with the battle at Armageddon.
The eight
is the Millenium which ends with all of creation
being
destroyed by fire. The ninth is the day of God
(2Pet 3:12) which will continue for eternity.
You
will notice that all the dispensations end with a
judgement.
However,
no matter what the dispensation God has always
demanded PERFECT OBEDIENCE to his laws at any time and that the entry
standard
for heaven is PERFECT WORKS.
Current
instructions for the present Church Age are
“Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ” (Acts 16:31) because Christ has kept
the law
perfectly for us on our behalf.
Apostasy
This
means to fall away. Churches get into apostasy by 1.
Not believing the King James Bible 2. Not following Paul as he follows
Christ
3. Resorting to the Greek and Hebrew 4. Adding, subtracting, omitting
and
substituting words, phrases and sentences from God’s pure, inspired,
inerrant
and infallible words of the Authorized Bible. This condition
particularly
applies to the Christian church in the last hundred years and more
since the
publication of Westcott and Hort’s ‘bible’ of 1891. Let no man deceive
you by
any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling
away first,
and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; 2 Thess 2:3.
The
very nature of apostasy thrives and exists on
deception.
Armageddon
This
is an actual place on earth, also called Megiddo, to
which Christ returns, not as the Saviour, but fierce judge and ruler of
the
world and the earth (Rev 19), to rescue Israel and destroy all the
world’s
armies including the kings of the East (Rev 16:12). This happens at the
end of
the seven year tribulation. His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on
his head
were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he
himself.
And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is
called The
Word of God. And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon
white
horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. And out of his mouth
goeth a
sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall
rule them
with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and
wrath
of Almighty God. Rev 19:12-15
Day
of God See Post Millennialism
The
First and Second Deaths
Christ
rejecting people believe that once they have died,
that is all there is, and they no longer will exist, but according to
the
scriptures there are two deaths for the unbeliever.
For
all, including the Christian, there is the first
death, but God assures the Christian, that after this first death, we
will “…
be with Christ; …” Phil 1:23 and as Christ dieth no more, neither will
we. (Rom
6:9).
Now,
those not saved, after the first death, will spend
1000 years in hell till the great white throne of judgment (Rev 20:11),
to be
then cast in the lake of fire, which will be their second death (Rev
20:14).
The
Book of Hebrews
In
the late AD 60’s, Paul writes to the Hebrews (they
were not Christians) who have separated themselves from the hardliners
of the
doctrine of Moses and their animal blood sacrifices, with the latter
now
treating them as enemies. Although the cross had taken place about 30
years
earlier, these Jews were still embracing Jesus as the Messiah, but not
as
Saviour. Paul clearly states that their Messiah beliefs will take them
to hell.
Paul urges them to stop being ‘Messianics’ (unsaved Messiah believing
Jews) and
get saved and have Christ as their Saviour and become Christians.
They
were, as the saying goes, caught between “a rock and
a hard place”. In their case, the Rock was Jesus the Saviour and the
hard place
was the animal sacrifices of Moses.
The
New Covenant
The
word ‘covenant’ is a term always used for Israel and
the Jews and never for the church or Christians. The Christian is under
‘the
new testament’ and not a new covenant as many uninformed pastors
preach. The
‘new covenant’ will be for the Jew in the tribulation (Heb 8:8-13).
The
Old Testament
A
testament is that which is written down. Under the Old
Testament God had his laws written down. When broken these laws
required animal
blood in order to get right with God. This was only temporary. Hence,
there was
the constant repetition of sacrifice of blood.
The
New Testament
Under
the New Testament, getting right with God is by the
shed blood of Jesus 2,000 years ago. Never to be repeated, once only.
Peace
People
want peace on earth but do they want ‘vertical’
peace with God?
Glory
to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good
will toward men. Luke 2:14
People
misunderstand this verse by thinking that at last
the earth will have peace. A sort of horizontal peace between men.
Nothing
could be further from the truth. Think not that I am come to send peace
on
earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword. For I am come to set a
man at
variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and
the
daughter in law against her mother in law. And a man's foes shall be
they of
his own household. Matt 10:34-36
Furthermore,
the earth is rapidly getting darker and more
violent by the day. There will be no peace until the Prince of peace
comes
back. (Is 9:6).
No,
the verse of Luke 2:14 speaks of the fact that we can
now have the vertical peace with God and no longer be under his wrath.
There’s
only one peace to have. Therefore being justified by faith, we have
peace with
God through our Lord Jesus Christ: Romans 5:1
Post
Millenialism
This
is the time after the 1000 year reign of Christ on
earth. This will be called the day of God.
Looking
for and hasting unto the coming of the day of
God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the
elements
shall melt with fervent heat? 2 Pet 3:12
The
Rapture
The
rapture is Christ coming for his church before the
seven year tribulation starts. It is not the second coming which
happens at the
end of the tribulation. There are approximately twenty-eight references
in the
New Testament, with five in Philippians, seven in 1Thessalonians, two
in 2
Thessalonians, three in 1Peter, four in the Timothy’s and mentions in
Titus,
1&2 Corinthians, James and 1John.
…that
we which are alive and remain unto the coming of
the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep (dead). For the Lord
himself
shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the
archangel, and
with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we
which
are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the
clouds, to
meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. 1Thess
4:15-17
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Harley Hitchcock
www.
AustralianBibleMinistries
.com
DISPENSATIONS