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Chapter 9 - Guiding Principle examined: Rule 6 of 7 - Transition to the New dispensation.
All 7 Keys or guiding principles are common to all dispensations and without all seven principles present the dispensation does not change.
Transition to the New dispensation - which is seen in every dispensation is moving from the old to the new dispensation. All except creation starts at the failure (or sin) and all except the Dispensation of the Fullness of Times which never ends because it does not fails, all the rest ends some point into the new dispensation. It is not controlled by time but events and their fulfillment when the new dispensation is in place, sometimes a definite final event and some time multiple possibilities. We can define the event of the opening but marking the ending of the transition there is more then one event possible bringing about the complete change. Remember in the transition the two dispensations are going on at the same time, however the former one is decreasing while the new one is becoming stronger.
Transition and the opening event found for the beginning of the new dispensation
1. Dispensation of Innocence - The transition's
starting event - Creation,
Genesis 1 and 2.
2. Dispensation of Conscience - The transition started with Adam and Eve's sin,
Genesis 3.
3. Dispensation of Human Government - The starting transitional event is the
permeation of the
sinfulness of the world during Noah's life time. Starting with the announcement
of the corruption of man. Genesis 6:13, 17, 7:11, 17-23,
2 Peter 2:4,5,
Matthew 24:37- 42,
Luke 17:27- 36,
Genesis 6.
4. Dispensation of Promise - Building of Tower of Babel to the choosing of Abraham and his family
over all nations. The starting transition events was the sin of the Tower of
Babel and Abram's, (Abraham) genealogy given,
Genesis 11.
5. Dispensation of Grace or Equality - The starting transition event was with Israel's
rejection of the Holy Spirit, Acts 7 and the choosing of Paul as the Apostle for this
dispensation,
Act 7-9.
6. Dispensation of the Kingdom - The starting transitional event will be the battle
of Armageddon and Day of the Lord with His literal return to reign on earth,
Revelation 19-20:1-6.
7. Dispensation of Eternity - The starting transition event will be the of
the Great White Throne Judgment and God eliminates sin completely in His rule,
creating a New Heaven and Earth
Revelation 20:7- 21.
The transition closing of the old dispensation and the event or multiple events to the closing:
1. Dispensation of Innocence - The end of the
transition was at the expulsion
from the Garden of Eden,
Genesis 3:24.
2. Dispensation of Conscience - The end of the transition was the death of the
world's population in the world wide flood of Noah,
Genesis 8-9.
3. Dispensation of Human Government - The end of the transition was
the
completed events of Abraham's call,
Melchizedek, Balaam, the Law,
and the entrance into the land by the Israelites,
Genesis 11:29-Joshua 1,
Genesis 12:1,
Deuteronomy 32:8,9,
Acts 17:26.
Mankind scattered across the world experiencing a change in their languages which God determined and possibly the change in skin color and features we see in different people groups today. They formed nations and communities which fell into scriptural silence except when they came into contact with God's chosen people. In Genesis 10:25 the meaning that the earth was divided is a reference to God's judgment of the former people in the dispensation of Human Government. We see in Genesis 10 references to different languages and the scattering into other areas 10:5, 10:18, 10:20, . Genesis 11 The language and the earths scattering was a result of the sin of the Tower of Babel and the transitioning into the Dispensation of Promise.
The people during the Dispensation of Human Government leading to the Tower of Babel seems to have lack the faith showed by their adding to the revealed way of worship and building a city and tower of their own imagination. We see the judgment of God coming upon people who do that which is right in their own eyes or their imagination, Genesis 6:5-8, 11:1-6, Proverbs 16:2, 21:2, 30:12. The people became gods unto themselves by telling the true God how they are going to worship Him or approach Him. This shows they contrived an imaginary approach to God in their own imagination and imposing on God an attitude of, 'God you except our creation and approach and give us the hope we expect', Genesis 11:3-4.
Latter we see in the transitional period before the dispensation of Human Government completely closes glimpses of the last reference of God's working with men from this dispensation.
In the transition period the King of
Salem who's name was Melchizedek,
Genesis 14:18,
Hebrews 7:1-2 he was a
believer Priest and used of God during the transition between the two
dispensations. We also see priest who were not believers but false
priest, seen in the account of Joseph in Egypt,
Genesis 47:22,26.
In the Transition God chooses a people
group through Abraham they will be the new dispensers or ordained
stewards of the Dispensation of Promise and they were to be God's
messengers of His message to the world.
We also know there was a priest named Jethro, a priest of Midian and the father-in-law to Moses during the transition to the new dispensation, Exodus 3:1 18:1. We do not see him appear in scripture until Moses' escape to Midian from Egypt and his marriage of Jethro's daughter Zipporah. We do not see any negative in his character that is revealed in scripture in fact we see him being helpful to Moses and the children of Israel. We have to assume he was a priest as revealed, and sense he was used of God to further the deliverance of the children of Israel. Jethro must have been a priest of the former dispensation and a priest in relationship with God and not corrupted. We do not know any Gentile priest after him mentioned in scripture which occupied the same relationship with God or being used in a unique capacity. Exodus 4:17-19, chapter 18. You can see more of his life under the chapter on salvation.
Another examples of the people living at this time in regards of the Tower of Babel, Genesis 11:1-9. We see the heart of the disobedient prophet Balaam who comes from this dispensation and lived in the transition time. It is hard to believe Balaam was a believer but remember every dispensation end with the failure of men and the failure of believers to do as they were to be responsible to fulfill.
If we look at Balaam in the light of the dispensational failure as we do with the tower of Babel people we can understand better his apostasy and yet how God could speak to him latter and the corruption which he represents. We also can understand the choosing of the promise people in the light of the transition of the old being laid aside and the new dispensation beginning, Numbers 22, 22:8-13. In the New Testament we see Balaam being contrasted to believer not unbelievers, 2 Peter 2:15, Jude 1:11. you can learn more of the transition of a dispensation in chapter 9. Balaam always wanting to twist what God tells him and a desire for personnel gain instead of doing right. He could not have loved God with the devotion God required but can see the same kind of compromise which the people showed at the tower of Babel - imagining God would not see his deception of devotion and his imaginary belief God would over look his infractions or he was hoping he could bend God to do it his way. We again can say God showed him love by having the covering for sin as revealed earlier still open for him and not ending his life immediate on his disobedience. With the event of Balaam's life the transition comes to an end and the Israelites take the promise land as God promised, and from here no mention of a Godly relationship which had came from the former dispensation appears.
4. Dispensation of Promise - The end of direct dealings with the Nation of Israel of Promise is in the transition after Israel was laid aside, and the dispensation of Grace was overlaid stopping their prophetic fulfillment of the 70th week of Daniel and its completion, which ends with the Day of the Lord/Christ Jesus second coming to earth. The Nation of Israel is still in transition and it will not end until Christ set up His Kingdom with them as the ordained instrument fulfilling the promises made to them as a Nation. The overlay of the dispensation of Grace is part of the judgment on the Nation of Israel being part of the transition from the dispensation of Promise to the Earthly Kingdom, Romans 11, Acts 7-Revelation 19.
The transition
of the Promise started with the time of the Gentiles (Father rejected). It continues with the time of
Christ (Rejection of the Son) through the stoning of Steven (Rejection of the Holy
Spirit). It is going to be complete at the end
of the Tribulation period with Jesus Christ coming back to this Earth and Reigning (with
the true
Neither individual Jews are being added to the Dispensation of Promise today or are there Gentiles being added to the Dispensation of Promises or Kingdom today. Today's Dispensation is New and was a Mystery hide in God before the foundations of the earth or world, Colossians 1:25,26, Romans 16:25, Ephesians 3:9. The overlay relationship to Israel is part of the mystery hid in God and not prophesied, Ephesians 3:5,6. Jews and Gentiles are being added to today's Dispensation which ends at the Rapture and then after the rapture, Jews and Gentiles will be added to the Dispensation of Promise in the tribulation (70th wk of Daniel), which is part of the transition into the Earthly Kingdom of 1000years. Both Jews and Gentiles will receive their glorified body in the rapture and after the rapture God deals with those left in natural bodies going through the 70 week prophecy of Daniel (Tribulation period) and the Dispensation of the Kingdom.
5. Dispensation of Grace or Equality -
The transition ends with the final Gentile's
salvation with sin permeating the world,
1 Timothy 4:1-5,
2 Timothy 3:1-9 and the Rapture of believers (Jew and Gentiles),
Romans 11:17-28,
1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 cf.
5:1-9 and
2 Thessalonians 2 (Today's
dispensation ends like it began - a Mystery dispensation inserted and a mystery ending
event where believer are taken out of the world to meet the Lord in the air - neither was
prophesied before Paul the apostle inspired by God wrote it revealing this hope
for believers). The end of the transition is the mystery Rapture of the
believer alive at that time and the all dead believers are transformed into
their resurrection glorified bodies,
1 Thessalonians 4:14-18. The resurrection of believers is not a mystery only
how or when it would occur.
6. Dispensation of the Kingdom - The end of the transition is when Satin is released
form bottomless pit and the battle of Gog and
Magog is completed with the Great White Throne judgment,
Revelation 20:7-10,
Revelations 20:9-15.
7. Dispensation of the Fullness of Times or the Eternal dispensation -
This dispensation their will be no end; it is
eternal, Revelation 21-22.
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