What is dispensationalism?

[joshua 1 9]

What is a 'dispensationalist'?

A dispensation is an age or era or a period of time. Science and Christianity have dispensations but it is difficult to get their time lines to line up. Old Age or Day Age Creationism is an attempt to get the Bible and Science timeline to line up. This is why I go by the teaching that one day is equal to 1,000 years. The dispensationalism that most people talk about is based on the teaching of Darby. Then there is the GAP theory based on the teaching of Thomas Chalmers. Lots of Bible teachers have tried to develop the theory that started with Darby. The Schofield and Ryrie study bibles are based on this teaching. They have notes to explain the difficult to understand passages. There are seven dispensations. http://www.compellingtruth.org/seven-dispensations.html

This is all pretty involved. I could easily write a whole book about it and perhaps even then we would only be getting started. I noticed a thread on another forum that tries to get dispensationalism to line up with covenant theology. As if one or the other is not difficult enough so they try to explain them both at the same time.

"If they were all written down, I suppose the whole world could not contain the books that would be written". John 21 25

 

[Hieronymus]

It's the 'vision' of naturalism that require great length of time, because in that scope there is no guidance of the processes required.

 

[Ophiolite]

Science and Christianity are both very dispensational but it is difficult to get their time lines to line up.

Science is in no way dispensational. If you choose to start a thread on the topic it would behove you to give an accurate definition and avoid making silly assertions.

 

[joshua 1 9]

Science is in no way dispensational. If you choose to start a thread on the topic it would behove you to give an accurate definition and avoid making silly assertions.

My that I was meaning that science has dispensations, meaning that science has ages, eras or periods of time.

This is based on there being a beginning and an end. The difference in the Bible is that God knows the end from the beginning. Some scientists do support this sort of determinism like Evo-Devo for example. People like Gould believed that evolution was more random. This is when we ask if God plays dice with the universe or we get into the monkey typewriter theory. Showing how absurd evolutionary theory can get. Natural selection is not random at all.

 

[AV1611VET]

What is dispensationalism?

God has broken time up into seven units that we call "dispensations".

Like taking a yardstick and breaking it up into seven pieces of different lengths.

In each dispensation, God expects us to act a certain way; and if we don't, judgment will fall.

Thus each of the seven dispensations starts with an expectation from God, and ends in a judgment.

 

[HitchSlap]

God has broken time up into seven units that we call "dispensations".

Like taking a yardstick and breaking it up into seven pieces of different lengths.

In each dispensation, God expects us to act a certain way; and if we don't, judgment will fall.

Thus each of the seven dispensations starts with an expectation from God, and ends in a judgment.

Or, as I like to call it, ad hoc theology to cover up the fact that there will never be a "second coming."

 

[Speedwell]

Dispensationalism is an unhealthy preoccupation with Eschatology based on dubious numerology which leads its adherents away from the Gospel of Christ.

 

[AV1611VET]

Or, as I like to call it, ad hoc theology to cover up the fact that there will never be a "second coming."

May I ask you a question, HitchSlap?

Was 1975 a pivotal year for you concerning your religion?

 

[AV1611VET]

Dispensationalism is an unhealthy preoccupation with Eschatology based on dubious numerology which leads its adherents away from the Gospel of Christ.

Not ... even ... close.

In fact, just the opposite.

Galatians 3:24 Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.
Galatians 3:25 But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster.

The dispensation of Law ended at the rending of the veil of the Temple when Christ was crucified on the Cross.

 

[joshua 1 9]

God has broken time up into seven units that we call "dispensations".

Like taking a yardstick and breaking it up into seven pieces of different lengths.

In each dispensation, God expects us to act a certain way; and if we don't, judgment will fall.

Thus each of the seven dispensations starts with an expectation from God, and ends in a judgment.

Have you read the Scofield Bible?

 

[joshua 1 9]

The dispensation of Law ended at the rending of the veil of the Temple when Christ was crucified on the Cross.

So now we need to allow the Grace of God to work in our lives. If we are in the dispensation of Grace. To many people think that God does a work for us and they do not understand that God wants to do a work in us and through us.

 

[AV1611VET]

Have you read the Scofield Bible?

Yes.

 

[Speedwell]

Have you read the Scofield Bible?

Why? I already have a copy of the Bible which has not been defaced.

 

[AV1611VET]

Why? I already have a copy of the Bible which has not been defaced.

Ouch.

 

[Ophiolite]

But Dispensationalist, in the context of this thread, relates to an attempt to marry observations of deep time, with the words of Genesis. It is not correct to state that something is dispensationalist simply because it incorporates measures of time within it.

Your statement carried implications far beyond your now clarified intention and as such was misleading. It raises in my mind the question of how imprecise you may have been on other posts.

 

[Robert Palase]

God has broken time up into seven units that we call "dispensations".
Like taking a yardstick and breaking it up into seven pieces of different lengths.
In each dispensation, God expects us to act a certain way; and if we don't, judgment will fall.
Thus each of the seven dispensations starts with an expectation from God, and ends in a judgment.

In other words, meaningless poppycock.

 

[Jimmy D]

A dispensation is an age or era or a period of time. Science and Christianity have dispensations but it is difficult to get their time lines to line up. Old Age or Day Age Creationism is an attempt to get the Bible and Science timeline to line up. This is why I go by the teaching that one day is equal to 1,000 years.

I'm glad you're finally admitting that what the bible says doesn't reflect the observations we make in science.

If one day equals a thousand years how old do you think the Earth is and how do you calculate it?

 

[AV1611VET]

But Dispensationalist, in the context of this thread, relates to an attempt to marry observations of deep time, with the words of Genesis. It is not correct to state that something is dispensationalist simply because it incorporates measures of time within it.

Your statement carried implications far beyond your now clarified intention and as such was misleading. It raises in my mind the question of how imprecise you may have been on other posts.

Who are you talking to?

 

[AV1611VET]

In other words, meaningless poppycock.

From your POV, I would assume so.

 

[joshua 1 9]

If one day equals a thousand years how old do you think the Earth is and how do you calculate it?

A dispensation is an age or an era. What I am referring to is the neolithic revolution that began at the end of the last ice age about 12,900 years ago. We are now at the end of the 13 day and the 1,000 year reign of Christ is about to begin. For the last 2,000 years we have been in the Church Age or the Age of Grace, also called the Holy Spirit dispensation. They say there are 7 dispensations. They say each dispensation is tried in with a covenant that God has establish for: who so ever is willing to come. (Rev22:7) Some people call this the GAP theory. There are forums here that deal with different aspects of all of this. A forum for dispensationists and a forum for covenant theology and so on. Plus if you run a google search you can get a lot of information on all of this.