Hello Friends!
Welcome back to part six of The Seven Dispensations: Man's Failure &
God's Grace.
The Holy Scriptures divide time – the entire
period from the creation of Adam and Eve in the book of Genesis to the "new
heaven and a new earth" promised to all believers in the book of
Revelation – into seven unequal periods, usually titled dispensations (see Ephesians 3:2). These periods are also referred to as “ages” (see Ephesians 2:7). They are also referred to as “days” as in "day of
the Lord".
This week we will investigate the sixth
Dispensation – in which we live under today – known as GRACE…
The Seven Dispensations: #6 – Man Under
Grace
GRACE
The sacrificial death of the Lord Jesus Christ
introduced the dispensation of pure grace, which means undeserved favor, or God
giving righteousness, rather than God requiring righteousness, as
under the law. Salvation – perfect and eternal – is now freely
offered to Jew and Gentile by faith in Jesus Christ alone whereby acknowledging
personal sin through repentance.
Jesus answered and said to
them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent – John
6:29
Most assuredly, I say to you,
he who believes in Me has everlasting life... – John
6:47
Most assuredly, I say to you,
he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and
shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life – John
5:24
My sheep hear My voice, and I
know them, and they follow Me. And I give them eternal life, and they shall
never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand – John
10:27-28
For by grace you have been
saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of
works, lest anyone should boast – Ephesians 2:8-9
The predicted result of this testing of man
under grace is judgment upon an unbelieving world and an apostate church (see Luke 17:26-30, Luke 18:8, 2 Thessalonians 2:7-12 & Revelation 3:15-16).
The first event in the closing of this
dispensation will be the descent of the Lord from heaven, when sleeping saints
will be raised and, together with believers then living, caught up "to meet the Lord in the air: and so
shall we ever be with the Lord" – 1 Thessalonians 4:17
Then follows the brief
period called "the great tribulation" (see Jeremiah 30:5-7, Daniel 12:1, Zephaniah 1:15-18 & Matthew 24:21-22).
After this time of tribulation, the personal
and physical return of the Lord Jesus Christ to earth in power and great glory
occurs, and the judgments which introduce the seventh, and last dispensation
known as the Millennial Kingdom (see Matthew 25:31-46
& Matthew 24:29-30).
Summary Principle:
For the law was given through
Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ – John
1:17
For the grace of God that
brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness
and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the
present age, looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great
God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us
from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous
for good works – Titus 2:11-14
Of this salvation the prophets
have inquired and searched carefully, who prophesied of the grace that would
come to you, searching what, or what manner of time, the Spirit of Christ who was
in them was indicating when He testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ
and the glories that would follow. To them it was revealed that, not to
themselves, but to us they were ministering the things which now
have been reported to you through those who have preached the gospel to you by
the Holy Spirit sent from heaven—things which angels desire to look into – 1 Peter
1:10-12
Opening Event – Jesus Christ
ascends to Heaven:
~ Sends the Holy Spirit
The former account I made, O
Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach, until
the day in which He was taken up, after He through the Holy Spirit had given
commandments to the apostles whom He had chosen, to whom He also presented
Himself alive after His suffering by many infallible proofs, being seen by them
during forty days and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God.
And being assembled together with them, He commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem,
but to wait for the Promise of the Father, “which,” He said, “you have heard
from Me; for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the
Holy Spirit not many days from now.” Therefore, when they had come together,
they asked Him, saying, “Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to
Israel?” And He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons which
the Father has put in His own authority. But you shall receive power when the
Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem,
and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” Now when He had
spoken these things, while they watched, He was taken up, and a cloud received
Him out of their sight – Acts 1:1-9
When the Day of Pentecost had
fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came
a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house
where they were sitting. Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of
fire, and one sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy
Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance
– Acts 2:1-4
~ Establishes His Church
For as the body is one and has
many members, but all the members of that one body, being many, are one body,
so also is Christ. For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—whether
Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free—and have all been made to drink into one
Spirit – 1 Corinthians 12:12-13
For this reason I, Paul, the
prisoner of Christ Jesus for you Gentiles—if indeed you have heard of the
dispensation of the grace of God which was given to me for you, how that by
revelation He made known to me the mystery (as I have briefly written already,
by which, when you read, you may understand my knowledge in the mystery of
Christ), which in other ages was not made known to the sons of men, as it has
now been revealed by the Spirit to His holy apostles and prophets: that the
Gentiles should be fellow heirs, of the same body, and partakers of His promise
in Christ through the gospel, of which I became a minister according to the
gift of the grace of God given to me by the effective working of His power. To
me, who am less than the least of all the saints, this grace was given, that I
should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, and to make
all see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the
ages has been hidden in God who created all things through Jesus Christ; to the
intent that now the manifold wisdom of God might be made known by the church to
the principalities and powers in the heavenly places – Ephesians
3:1-10
Man’s Responsibility – Believe & Obey:
~ For eternal life
Therefore let all the house of
Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both
Lord and Christ.” Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and
said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Men and brethren, what shall we
do?” Then Peter said to them, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in
the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the
gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is to you and to your children, and to
all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call.” And with many
other words he testified and exhorted them, saying, “Be saved from this
perverse generation.” Then those who gladly received his word were baptized;
and that day about three thousand souls were added to them. And they continued
steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread,
and in prayers. Then fear came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were
done through the apostles. Now all who believed were together, and had all
things in common, and sold their possessions and goods, and divided them among
all, as anyone had need. So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and
breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and
simplicity of heart, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the
Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved – Acts
2:36-47
Then they said to Him, “What
shall we do, that we may work the works of God?” Jesus answered and said to
them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent – John
6:28-29
Most assuredly, I say to you,
he who believes in Me has everlasting life – John
6:47
Most assuredly, I say to you,
he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and
shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life – John
5:24
Therefore, having been
justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,
through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand,
and rejoice in hope of the glory of God – Romans
5:1-2
For Christ is the end of the
law for righteousness to everyone who believes – Romans
10:4
For by grace you have been
saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of
works, lest anyone should boast – Ephesians 2:8-9
~ For earthly living
For we were saved in this hope,
but hope that is seen is not hope; for why does one still hope for what he
sees? – Romans 8:24
I have been crucified with
Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which
I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and
gave Himself for me – Galatians 2:20
This only I want to learn from
you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of
faith? Are you so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are you now being made
perfect by the flesh? – Galatians 3:2-3
Man’s Failure – Apostasy:
For the time will come when
they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires,
because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and
they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables – 2
Timothy 4:3-4
For it is impossible for those
who were once enlightened, and have tasted the heavenly gift, and have become
partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the good word of God and the
powers of the age to come, if they fall away, to renew them again to
repentance, since they crucify again for themselves the Son of God, and put Him
to an open shame. For the earth which drinks in the rain that often comes upon
it, and bears herbs useful for those by whom it is cultivated, receives
blessing from God; but if it bears thorns and briers, it is rejected and near
to being cursed, whose end is to be burned – Hebrews
6:4-8
Man’s Tendency – Away from God:
But evil men and impostors will
grow worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived – 2
Timothy 3:13
But there were also false
prophets among the people, even as there will be false teachers among you, who
will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Lord who bought
them, and bring on themselves swift destruction. And many will follow their
destructive ways, because of whom the way of truth will be blasphemed. By
covetousness they will exploit you with deceptive words; for a long time their
judgment has not been idle, and their destruction does not slumber – 2 Peter
2:1-3
These are wells without water,
clouds carried by a tempest, for whom is reserved the blackness of darkness
forever. For when they speak great swelling words of emptiness, they allure
through the lusts of the flesh, through lewdness, the ones who have actually
escaped from those who live in error. While they promise them liberty, they
themselves are slaves of corruption; for by whom a person is overcome, by him
also he is brought into bondage. For if, after they have escaped the pollutions
of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they
are again entangled in them and overcome, the latter end is worse for them than
the beginning. For it would have been better for them not to have known the way
of righteousness, than having known it, to turn from the holy commandment
delivered to them. But it has happened to them according to the true proverb:
“A dog returns to his own vomit,” and, “a sow, having washed, to her wallowing
in the mire” – 2 Peter 2:17-22
Closing Event – The Bride of Jesus
Christ caught up to meet Him in the air:
For the Lord Himself will
descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the
trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive
and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord
in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord – 1
Thessalonians 4:16-17
Because
you have kept My command to persevere, I also will keep you from the hour of
trial which shall come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the
earth – Revelation 3:10
~ Judgment: The apostate church
enters the Tribulation
And I gave her time to repent
of her sexual immorality, and she did not repent. Indeed I will cast her into a
sickbed, and those who commit adultery with her into great tribulation, unless
they repent of their deeds. I will kill her children with death, and all the
churches shall know that I am He who searches the minds and hearts. And I will
give to each one of you according to your works – Revelation
2:21-23
I know your works, that you are
neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot. So then, because you
are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth – Revelation
3:15-16
Personal Salvation – By Grace through Faith:
knowing that you were not
redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless
conduct received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of
Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot. He indeed was
foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last
times for you who through Him believe in God, who raised Him from the dead and
gave Him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God – 1 Peter
1:18-21
Who has believed our report?
And to whom has the arm of the Lord
been revealed? For He shall grow up before Him as a tender plant, and as a root
out of dry ground. He has no form or comeliness; and when we see Him, there is
no beauty that we should desire Him. He is despised and rejected by men, a Man
of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And we hid, as it were, our faces from
Him; He was despised, and we did not esteem Him. Surely He has borne our griefs
and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten by God, and
afflicted. But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our
iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we
are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned, every one, to
his own way; and the Lord has laid
on Him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed and He was afflicted, yet He
opened not His mouth; He was led as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep
before its shearers is silent, so He opened not His mouth. He was taken from
prison and from judgment, and who will declare His generation? For He was cut
off from the land of the living; for the transgressions of My people He was
stricken. And they made His grave with the wicked—But with the rich at His
death, because He had done no violence, nor was any deceit in His mouth. Yet it
pleased the Lord to bruise Him; He
has put Him to grief. When You make His soul an offering for sin, He shall see
His seed, He shall prolong His days, and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in His hand. He shall
see the labor of His soul, and be satisfied. By His knowledge My righteous
Servant shall justify many, for He shall bear their iniquities. Therefore I
will divide Him a portion with the great, and He shall divide the spoil with
the strong, because He poured out His soul unto death, and He was numbered with
the transgressors, and He bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the
transgressors – Isaiah 53
Therefore by the deeds of the
law no flesh will be justified in His sight, for by the law is the knowledge of
sin. But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being
witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, even the righteousness of God, through
faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe. For there is no
difference; for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being
justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,
whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to
demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over
the sins that were previously committed, to demonstrate at the present time His
righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith
in Jesus – Romans 3:20-26
For the wages of sin is death,
but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord – Romans
6:23
(Also refer to
references under “Man’s Responsibility” noted above)
Thank you for reading! Don’t miss next week’s edition as we investigate Dispensation #7 – KINGDOM…
May the Lord Jesus Christ continue to bless you with His perfect
love, mercy and grace!
Keep looking up and sharing the Gospel while there is still time… Hallelujah
and Maranatha – come quickly Lord Jesus!
Blessings!
Shane <><
