Dispensations (Part I)

Lesson Content

Dispensation is a period of time in which God deals with His people according to a particular law or statute and judges them by that law. People who lived during the respective dispensations had to keep the law of that period. Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the Word of God (Heb.11:3). The word “worlds” is mentioned in various places in the New Testament. The word ‘world’ mentioned in Matthew 28:20 shows the end of a particular period of time. Spiritual things must be spiritually discerned and judged (I Cor.2:14). God worked in different ways in different periods. I The Angelic Dispensation: God created the angels before He created man (Job 38:4-7).

1. The angels were created in a perfection meant for t hem; therefore there was no need for them to attain perfection gradually (Ezek.28:14,15).

2. The angels were created with excellency of strength (Psa.103:20). One angel slew 1,85,000 Assyrians in one night (II Kgs.19:35).

3. The angels were full of wisdom (Ezek.28:12).

4. The angels were perfect in beauty. They were covered with precious stones (Ezek.28:12,13). The whole earth was lightened by the glory of one angel (Rev.18:1).

5. The angels had a free-will (Isa.14:13,14).

6. The angels were creat ed to be ministering spirits to minister to the heirs of salvation (Heb.1:14). There are four divisions in the angelic government — (i) thrones (ii) dominions (iii) principalities (iv) powers (Col.1:16; Eph.1:21). There was a period of trial for the ange ls. Those who were faithful in that and overcame are seen as holy angels even today. The others fell in the trial and became the devil and his armies (Isa.14:12-15; Ezek.28:12-17; II Pet.2:4). The earth was without form and void because of the fall of th e angels (Gen.1:2). Everlasting fire is prepared for the devil and his angels (Matt.25:41). II The Dispensation of Innocence: In Genesis chapters 1 and 2 we see God reforming and renewing the earth which had become without form and void because of the f all of the angels. On the sixth day man was created in the image and after the likeness of God. The seven blessings that he possessed:

1. Eternal life — Man must eat of the fruit of the tree of life and grow in life.

2. Image of God — God made man in His own image of love (Gen.1:26,27).

3. Fellowship with God — God walked in the garden in the cool of the day (Gen.3:8). Man had fellowship with God.

4. Dominion — God told man to have dominion over all things (Gen.1:26,28).

5. Glory of God — Since t he glory of God covered man he was not ashamed, though he was naked (Gen.2:25).

6. Immortality — He did not have sickness, weakness, old age or death.

7. Inheritance — Everything was given to man as his inheritance (Gen.1:28). God desired that man should eat of the fruit of the tree of life and grow to the perfection of God. Instead he ate the fruit of the forbidden tree and experienced spiritual death. He lost all the blessings that he had received. III The Dispensation of Conscience: The Dispensation of Conscience is the period from the fall of man to Moses. In that period their conscience bore witness, their thoughts in the meanwhile accusing or else excusing one another (Rom.2:15). Righteous men like Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Joseph lived according to their conscience. Their conscience was their law. Sin and death reigned over man because he presumptuously committed sin against his conscience (Rom.5:12,14). IV The Dispensation of Law: This is the period from Moses to John the Baptist (Lk.16:16). In this period man was judged to be righteous or unrighteous, according to the law. The law was given because of man’s hardness of heart (Matt.19:8). The law was meant for the lawless and the disobedient (I Tim. 1:9-11). It was given only for the Israelites (Deut.4:8). When the law came, sin was revived (Rom.7:9). No man was made perfect by the law (Heb.7:19). It was given till Christ, the seed of Abraham, was made manifest (Gal. 3:18,19). Christ is the end of the law (Rom.10:4).