The Seven Dispensations: Man's Failure & God's Grace (Part 3 of 7)

Hello Friends!

Welcome back to part three 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 third Dispensation known as GOVERNMENT…

 

The Seven Dispensations: #3 – Man in Authority Over the Earth

GOVERNMENT

Out of the fearful judgment of the flood, God saved eight persons, to whom, after the waters were assuaged, He gave the purified earth with ample power to govern it. Noah and his descendants were responsible for this governing process. The Dispensation of Human Government resulted, upon the plain of Shinar, in the impious attempt to become independent of God and closed in judgment: The Confusion of Tongues.

Summary Principle:

Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God. Therefore whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves. For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to evil. Do you want to be unafraid of the authority? Do what is good, and you will have praise from the same. For he is God’s minister to you for good. But if you do evil, be afraid; for he does not bear the sword in vain; for he is God’s minister, an avenger to execute wrath on him who practices evil. Therefore you must be subject, not only because of wrath but also for conscience’ sake. For because of this you also pay taxes, for they are God’s ministers attending continually to this very thing. Render therefore to all their due: taxes to whom taxes are due, customs to whom customs, fear to whom fear, honor to whom honor – Romans 13:1-7 

Opening Event – Noah worships God ~ Receives a covenant & responsibility:

Then Noah built an altar to the Lord, and took of every clean animal and of every clean bird, and offered burnt offerings on the altar. And the Lord smelled a soothing aroma. Then the Lord said in His heart, “I will never again curse the ground for man’s sake, although the imagination of man’s heart is evil from his youth; nor will I again destroy every living thing as I have done. “While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, winter and summer, and day and night shall not cease” – Genesis 8:20-22

Man’s Responsibility – Believe & Obey:

So God blessed Noah and his sons, and said to them: “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth. And the fear of you and the dread of you shall be on every beast of the earth, on every bird of the air, on all that move on the earth, and on all the fish of the sea. They are given into your hand. Every moving thing that lives shall be food for you. I have given you all things, even as the green herbs. But you shall not eat flesh with its life, that is, its blood. Surely for your lifeblood I will demand a reckoning; from the hand of every beast I will require it, and from the hand of man. From the hand of every man’s brother I will require the life of man. “Whoever sheds man’s blood, by man his blood shall be shed; for in the image of God He made man – Genesis 9:1-6

Man’s Failure – Disorder:

~ Personal

And Noah began to be a farmer, and he planted a vineyard. Then he drank of the wine and was drunk, and became uncovered in his tent. And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father, and told his two brothers outside. But Shem and Japheth took a garment, laid it on both their shoulders, and went backward and covered the nakedness of their father. Their faces were turned away, and they did not see their father’s nakedness – Genesis 9:20-23

~ Societal

Now the whole earth had one language and one speech. And it came to pass, as they journeyed from the east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar, and they dwelt there. Then they said to one another, “Come, let us make bricks and bake them thoroughly.” They had brick for stone, and they had asphalt for mortar. And they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city, and a tower whose top is in the heavens; let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be scattered abroad over the face of the whole earth” – Genesis 11:1-4

Man’s Tendency – Away from God:

The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence. So God looked upon the earth, and indeed it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted their way on the earth – Genesis 6:11-12

Closing Event – Judgment ~ Confusion of Tongues:

But the Lord came down to see the city and the tower which the sons of men had built. And the Lord said, “Indeed the people are one and they all have one language, and this is what they begin to do; now nothing that they propose to do will be withheld from them. Come, let Us go down and there confuse their language, that they may not understand one another’s speech.” So the Lord scattered them abroad from there over the face of all the earth, and they ceased building the city. Therefore its name is called Babel, because there the Lord confused the language of all the earth; and from there the Lord scattered them abroad over the face of all the earth – Genesis 11:5-9

Personal Salvation – By Grace through Faith ~ The line of the Seed:

Blessed be the Lord, the God of Shem, and may Canaan be his servant – Genesis 9:26

This is the genealogy of Shem: Shem was one hundred years old, and begot Arphaxad two years after the flood. After he begot Arphaxad, Shem lived five hundred years, and begot sons and daughters. Arphaxad lived thirty-five years, and begot Salah. After he begot Salah, Arphaxad lived four hundred and three years, and begot sons and daughters. Salah lived thirty years, and begot Eber. After he begot Eber, Salah lived four hundred and three years, and begot sons and daughters. Eber lived thirty-four years, and begot Peleg. After he begot Peleg, Eber lived four hundred and thirty years, and begot sons and daughters. Peleg lived thirty years, and begot Reu. After he begot Reu, Peleg lived two hundred and nine years, and begot sons and daughters. Reu lived thirty-two years, and begot Serug. After he begot Serug, Reu lived two hundred and seven years, and begot sons and daughters. Serug lived thirty years, and begot Nahor. After he begot Nahor, Serug lived two hundred years, and begot sons and daughters. Nahor lived twenty-nine years, and begot Terah. After he begot Terah, Nahor lived one hundred and nineteen years, and begot sons and daughters. Now Terah lived seventy years, and begot Abram, Nahor, and Haran. This is the genealogy of Terah: Terah begot Abram, Nahor, and Haran. Haran begot Lot. And Haran died before his father Terah in his native land, in Ur of the Chaldeans. Then Abram and Nahor took wives: the name of Abram’s wife was Sarai, and the name of Nahor’s wife, Milcah, the daughter of Haran the father of Milcah and the father of Iscah. But Sarai was barren; she had no child. And Terah took his son Abram and his grandson Lot, the son of Haran, and his daughter-in-law Sarai, his son Abram’s wife, and they went out with them from Ur of the Chaldeans to go to the land of Canaan; and they came to Haran and dwelt there. So the days of Terah were two hundred and five years, and Terah died in Haran – Genesis 11:10-32

Thank you for reading! Don’t miss next week’s edition as we investigate Dispensation #4 – PROMISE…

‏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 <><

Find the Right Words

9 Not only was the Teacher wise, but he also imparted knowledge to the people. He pondered and searched out and set in order many proverbs. 10 The Teacher searched to find just the right words, and what he wrote was upright and true. Ecclesiastes 12

I found it interesting that no one knows the identity of the Teacher.  They weren't doing this for any personal gain or glory, they were doing this for God.  They wanted to find the words that would best glorify God.

I am a slow thinker.  Really!  I hated when I was called on in class or put on the spot to answer questions.  I still find it surprising that I enjoyed five years working in the Support department where I answered questions from incoming calls - that was totally God leading me through everything there!  Anyways, I even have a hard time praying out loud because of this.  I like to really think about my words first so I can be sure that I'm saying the right thing.

Two things happened in Bible study last night about this.  First, I was called upon by the group leader to close us out in prayer.  Yes, I probably looked like a deer in headlights at first, but I tried my best to hide my shocked expression and I got through it.  I told my husband when I got home and his first question was, "So what did everyone think?"  My response was, "Well, they all said amen at the end, and they didn't stone me.  So, I think they were ok with it."  I'm working on coming to terms with the idea that there are some times where you don't have to have the right words, just saying what is on your heart is enough.  God doesn't need to hear you say x, y, and z in your prayers.  He wants you to be open and honest with him.

The other thing that happened, was our leader told a story of how she spoke up and stood up for someone that was being harassed by a professor in school.  She said that she wasn't doing it for anyone else, but because she knew it was the right thing by God.  She spoke because she wanted to represent him, and to make sure that others knew that she was an instrument for Jesus.  I advise a college organization, and lately there have been some struggles within the group.  When we have open discussion on those topics, I am often one of the last people to speak.  It isn't because I struggle with what to say, it's because in my head, I keep molding and shaping what I will say right up until I say something.  I realized yesterday that it isn't because I'm trying to present myself in a certain manner, or get them to think a certain way, but because I am a representative of God, and what I say should reflect positively on him.  Jesus is not walking physically in this world, therefore we are called to be like Christ. Everything that comes out of our mouths should be an example of Christ.

Now, granted, I don't have a big survey example here, but I do see a pattern.  When we talk to God, we don't have to try to find "just the right words".  We can speak from the heart and he will hear us.  He'll even hear those things that we didn't say.  When we speak to others, that's when we may need to stop and think about what we're saying.  We need to say something that will be glorifying to God, and not make people question our faith.

To wrap up Ecclesiastes, everything we do should be meaningful and focused toward God.  Anything that doesn't center around God is meaningless.  Even the words that come out of our mouths should be meaningful, and we should strive to always please God with what we say.

So Special

For you created my inmost being;
    you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
    your works are wonderful,
    I know that full well.  Psalm 139:13-14

This week, I have been going through ‘Strengths’ training.  This is not in the sense of bar bells and weightlifting sense.  It is along the lines of understanding my own abilities that are unique from others, and where others’ abilities are more readily visible to me as well.  It has been incredibly eye opening because in as much as I gain clarity on my own uniqueness, I begin to marvel at the amazing abilities of others not only at work but also at church and even home.  It gives me more assurance of God’s infinite wisdom of why He made us this way.

We were made special by God intentionally.  Last week, I spoke about God being quite simply enough.  This week, I am compelled to focus on why you are special.  It is not special in the sense that society has brought out the need to be above all in a promoted ‘look at me’ self.  More so, it is in the sense that God gifted us with special abilities to share with the world.  We are uniquely and perfectly made by God in His image.  Now the obvious question most would ask is if we are perfectly made, why are we not perfect?  Some would say sin, but I believe it goes further than that.  If we were perfect, who would we need?  No one.  Not just God.  We would not need each other, and if we did not have people around us who have perfect gifts that complement those things we do well, how incomplete would our lives be?

God makes us perfect.  Not in the sense of we are perfect.  Instead through Jesus Christ, we are perfected.  A devotional I read last week encouraged me to act on the grace God gave us and do something.  Let me add to that asking that we do something with the gifts God gave us to further His Kingdom.  What are your spiritual gifts?  How can you better channel them to do His will?  My prayer is that we are humbled knowing to God we are so special.  Amen.

Tues Devo: Starts with quality

Luke 16: 10-12 “He who is faithful in a very little thing is faithful also in much; and he who is unrighteous in a very little thing is unrighteous also in much. Therefore if you have not been faithful in the use of unrighteous wealth, who will entrust the true riches to you? And if you have not been faithful in the use of that which is another’s, who will give you that which is your own?” (NASB)

Hello,

A couple things from these verses on quantity:

1) It comes secondarily – the quality must be there first.

The old Ford motto of “Quality is Job 1” rings through for me from these verses. So often in today’s society we are quantity driven. The focus becomes on more – and how quickly can the more happen. We look at people or companies that put real focus on quality over quantity and almost treat them as a novelty.

Also, 2) it is given/entrusted – it is not gathered or obtained by the person.

The verses don’t say that the unfaithful person can’t get more on their own as they had success, but rather that more wouldn’t be given to them. Our handling/faithfulness will be obvious – and certainly not hidden from God – and this drives what else will or will not be entrusted to us.

Don’t focus on your quantity – keep your focus on faithfully handling well what has been given to you.

Have a blessed day,

Will Hill

The Seven Dispensations: Man's Failure & God's Grace (Part 2 of 7)‏

Hello Friends!

Welcome back to part two 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 second Dispensation known as CONSCIENCE… 

 

The Seven Dispensations: #2 – Man Under Conscience

CONSCIENCE

By the time of the fall in Eden, Adam and Eve acquired and transmitted to the human race the knowledge of good and evil. This gave conscience a basis for right moral judgment, and hence the human race came under this measure of responsibility – to do good and shun evil. The result of the Dispensation of Conscience, from Eden to the flood – while there was no institution of government and of law – was that "all flesh had corrupted his way on the earth" and that "the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually", and God closed the second testing of the natural man with judgment: The Flood. 

Summary Principle:

Who show the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and between themselves their thoughts accusing or else excusing them – Romans 2:15 

Opening Event – Abel offers a lamb. Cain murders Abel:

Then she bore again, this time his brother Abel. Now Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground. And in the process of time it came to pass that Cain brought an offering of the fruit of the ground to the Lord. Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat. And the Lord respected Abel and his offering, but He did not respect Cain and his offering. And Cain was very angry, and his countenance fell. So the Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen? If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin lies at the door. And its desire is for you, but you should rule over it.” Now Cain talked with Abel his brother; and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother and killed him. Then the Lord said to Cain, “Where is Abel your brother? He said, “I do not know. Am I my brother’s keeper?” And He said, “What have you done? The voice of your brother’s blood cries out to Me from the ground. So now you are cursed from the earth, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand. When you till the ground, it shall no longer yield its strength to you. A fugitive and a vagabond you shall be on the earth.” And Cain said to the Lord, “My punishment is greater than I can bear! Surely You have driven me out this day from the face of the ground; I shall be hidden from Your face; I shall be a fugitive and a vagabond on the earth, and it will happen that anyone who finds me will kill me.” And the Lord said to him, “Therefore, whoever kills Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold.” And the Lord set a mark on Cain, lest anyone finding him should kill him – Genesis 4:2-15 

Man’s Responsibility – Believe & Obey:

Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat. And the Lord respected Abel and his offering, but He did not respect Cain and his offering. And Cain was very angry, and his countenance fell. So the Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen? If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin lies at the door. And its desire is for you, but you should rule over it” – Genesis 4:4-7 

Man’s Failure – Conscience Defiled:

Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And the Lord was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart. So the Lord said, “I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth, both man and beast, creeping thing and birds of the air, for I am sorry that I have made them” – Genesis 6:5-7 

Man’s Tendency – Away from God:

The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence. So God looked upon the earth, and indeed it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted their way on the earth. And God said to Noah, “The end of all flesh has come before Me, for the earth is filled with violence through them; and behold, I will destroy them with the earth – Genesis 6:11-13 

Closing Event – Judgment ~ The Flood:

In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month, on that day all the fountains of the great deep were broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened. And the rain was on the earth forty days and forty nights. So He destroyed all living things which were on the face of the ground: both man and cattle, creeping thing and bird of the air. They were destroyed from the earth. Only Noah and those who were with him in the ark remained alive – Genesis 7:11-12 & 23 

Personal Salvation – By Grace through Faith:

But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord – Genesis 6:8

By faith Abel offered to God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, through which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts; and through it he being dead still speaks. By faith Enoch was taken away so that he did not see death, “and was not found, because God had taken him”; for before he was taken he had this testimony, that he pleased God. But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. By faith Noah, being divinely warned of things not yet seen, moved with godly fear, prepared an ark for the saving of his household, by which he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness which is according to faith – Hebrews 11:4-7 

For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit, by whom also He went and preached to the spirits in prison, who formerly were disobedient, when once the Divine longsuffering waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight souls, were saved through water. There is also an antitype which now saves us—baptism (not the removal of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God), through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, angels and authorities and powers having been made subject to Him  – 1 Peter 3:18-22

Thank you for reading! Don’t miss next week’s edition as we investigate Dispensation #3 – GOVERNMENT…

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 <><

Do Something

9 You who are young, be happy while you are young,

    and let your heart give you joy in the days of your youth.

Follow the ways of your heart

    and whatever your eyes see,

but know that for all these things

    God will bring you into judgment.

10 So then, banish anxiety from your heart

    and cast off the troubles of your body,

    for youth and vigor are meaningless.  Ecclesiastes 11

I attend a weekly Bible study that's half study, half cardio workout.  It's a lot of fun and I can check one exercising day off my calendar.

So let's make this clear, I'm super uncoordinated.  I never played any sports besides golf, and I even then, I once managed to hit a ball backwards.  Yes, I'm talented.  Group exercise classes that involve fast motions scare me!  I can handle a yoga class, because then I can remain still and I don't have to hop around in sync with an instructor.  When the small group classes at my church were announced, I was pretty hesitant to sign up for this one.  I prayed about it and I knew the group leader, and I followed where God wanted me and signed up for this.

I still flail about in the class and modify a lot of the exercises because I my body doesn't do things as fast as the people on the video can do.  However, I give it everything I've got!  I figure I'm making a fool of myself and I'm around a bunch of women who won't judge me.  If I make a fool of myself, they might feel more comfortable with what their own abilities are.

It's the same thing with God.  He wants us to go out and spread his word with those around us.  He wants us to find ways to show his love to those in our lives.  He wants us to try something!  Jump outside your comfort zone and flail about.  Banish that anxiety from your heart and cast off the troubles of your body.  He doesn't need you to become the next televangelist and convert thousands.  He has a plan for you and it may be to help one person grow closer to him.  Those things that are holding you back are meaningless.

Nothing Withheld

Genesis 22:9-12 ⁹ When they reached the place God had told him about, Abraham built an altar there and arranged the wood on it. He bound his son Isaac and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. ¹⁰ Then he reached out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. ¹¹ But the angel of the Lord called out to him from heaven, “Abraham! Abraham!” “Here I am,” he replied. ¹² “Do not lay a hand on the boy,” he said. “Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son.”

I can’t imagine what Abraham (and even Isaac) experienced. Abraham’s obedience revealed he truly did love God with everything, which is God’s #1 command. Matthew 22:37-38 ³⁷ Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ ³⁸ This is the first and greatest commandment.”

What you and I withhold from God reveals what we love more than Him. If we truly love Him with all our heart, soul, and mind, then there won’t be anything we withhold!!!

Joe and I were approached recently to support another local missionary in our church. We have several local college campus missionaries in our church and some of them we already contribute to financially. My first thought was “we can’t support everyone!” I was later convicted by my attitude and realized I loved myself more than God. If I loved God first, my first thought would have been “God, what do you want us to do?” Also, if God is asking us to support them, then He will help us to do it. I can go to Him for direction and help. As He helps me love Him more, I will withhold less.

What are you withholding from God? Money, free-time, sexual purity, time serving others, opening your home, a willingness to speak of God, or using your skills and abilities to help others in your church or neighborhood? Do you want to love God with all your heart, soul and mind? If so, how will you ask for His help to love Him this week, withholding nothing?

Alice

Quite Simply Enough

So now, go. I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt.”

But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?” 

And God said, “I will be with you. And this will be the sign to you that it is I who have sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you will worship God on this mountain.”  Exodus 3:10-12

Sometimes, you do not choose the moment.  Instead, the moment chooses you.  I never thought I would do devotions let alone be saved.  But those two moments came together as I asked the previous leaders of the Devotion team if I could write them.  My faith was not instilled yet, and my biblical understanding was nowhere near where the other writers were.  The only thing I could offer was my story that others could find salvation learning from my failures.  That was when they saw in me what God saw.  God spoke to me the very next day, and I was then saved.  He has been with me ever since.

When given a challenge, we must rely on God above our own thoughts of inadequacy.  The exchange between God and Moses in today’s verses is such a beautiful example of how we can trust in Him even when we do not feel prepared.  Moses, much like we are when God asks us to do really tough stuff, says the ultimate words of inadequacy.  “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?”  Moses saw himself as the exiled prince who was destined to wander in the desert. God saw in Moses a faithful servant whose trials and trails led to this exact moment where He would reveal Himself.  From there, we know the rest of the story.


God is always enough!  We may question whether we are good enough, strong enough, beautiful enough, smart enough, or (fill in the blank) enough.  We should always remember there was a savior who died on the cross, and looked thousands of years ahead to each one of us saying, “Yes, I am sacrifice enough for your sins.”  Love Him!  Love each other as well as yourself!  When we don’t feel ready for the challenges we must face, I pray we remember that God believes in each one of us, and that is quite simply enough.  Amen.

Tues Devo: The Benchmark of Design

Genesis 1:31 “God saw all that He had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.” (NASB)

Isaiah 25:1 “O Lord, You are my God; I will exalt You, I will give thanks to Your name; For You have worked wonders, Plans formed long ago, with perfect faithfulness.” (NASB)

Hello,

I have been going through a series at church called “The Truth Project”*, and one of the things discussed often is how people over time have compared their expectations/behaviors not to design, but to pathology. In other words, instead of setting expectation and choosing behaviors based on how things are designed, we tend to do that based on what we have seen go wrong or based on imperfect execution of the perfect design.

God has amazingly designed our world – physical, emotional, psychological and spiritual. I believe that as we read scripture and look at what is commanded of us, we have to remember that it is commanded that way based on His perfect design. All too often we make judgments on what we are asked by God to do based on the fallen things we see around us – and we hesitate or don’t follow through. But this is where we miss out. We must remember to look at the design of God, and follow through on His commandments, remembering He is the designer – and truly knows what is best.

Have a blessed day,

Will Hill

*The Truth Project is a DVD study series produced by Focus on the Family, I do highly recommend it!

The Seven Dispensations: Man's Failure & God's Grace (Part 1 of 7)‏

Hello Friends!

Welcome to a new 7-part Daily Devotions series titled The Seven Dispensations: Man's Failure & God's Grace. This exciting series will investigate the eternal timeline of God’s creation and His perfect plan for salvation. Please join us as we diligently search the Scriptures to rightly divide the Word of Truth: 

Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth – 2 Timothy 2:15

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".

 

These time periods are “dissected” within the Scriptures by changes in God's method of dealing with mankind – or a portion of mankind – in respect of two aspects of man:

• Man’s Sin
• Man's Responsibility

Each of the dispensations may be regarded as a new test of the natural man – each of which ends in God’s divine judgment – marking man’s utter and complete failure in every dispensation. Five of these dispensations, or periods of time, have been fulfilled; we are living in the sixth – probably toward its close – and have before us the seventh, and last: The Millennial Kingdom. 

The changing order, from one dispensation to the next, demonstrates again and again man's sinful condition and need for salvation. However, contrary to a common misunderstanding, the various dispensations do not represent differing ways of salvation. As the Scriptures clearly reveal, personal salvation has always been by Grace alone, through Faith alone. In Jesus Christ alone. Throughout all ages, the basis of salvation is the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The means of access to Salvation is faith. The object of faith is God. The content of faith depends on the revelation given by God for that time. The essential elements, running throughout all ages are:

• The substitutionary blood sacrifice
• The promised Seed – the Savior

Let’s begin our study with the first Dispensation known as INNOCENCE…

The Seven Dispensations: #1 – Man Innocent

INNOCENCE

This dispensation extends from the creation of Adam in Genesis 2:7 to the expulsion from Eden. Adam – created innocent and ignorant of good and evil – was placed in the garden of Eden with his wife, Eve, and put under responsibility to abstain from the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. The dispensation of innocence resulted in the first failure of man and in its far-reaching effects – eternally disastrous. It closed in God’s divine judgment: "So He drove out the man."

Summary Principle:

Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned – Romans 5:12

Opening Event – God creates man:

 

Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them – Genesis 1:26-27

And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being… And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed – Genesis 2:7 & 25

Man’s Responsibility – Believe & Obey:

 

Then the Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to tend and keep it.  And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat;  but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die” – Genesis 2:15-17

Man’s Failure – Innocence Lost:

 

So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate. Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves coverings – Genesis 3:6-7

Man’s Tendency – Away from God:

 

Then the Lord God called to Adam and said to him, “Where are you?” So he said, “I heard Your voice in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; and I hid myself” – Genesis 3:9-10

Closing Event – Judgment ~ Expelled from Eden:

 

Then to Adam He said, “Because you have heeded the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree of which I commanded you, saying, ‘You shall not eat of it’: “Cursed is the ground for your sake; in toil you shall eat of it all the days of your life. Both thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you, and you shall eat the herb of the field. In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for dust you are, and to dust you shall return” – Genesis 3:17-19

Then the Lord God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of Us, to know good and evil. And now, lest he put out his hand and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live forever”— therefore the Lord God sent him out of the garden of Eden to till the ground from which he was taken. So He drove out the man; and He placed cherubim at the east of the garden of Eden, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to guard the way to the tree of life – Genesis 3:22-24

Personal Salvation – By Grace through Faith ~ Substitutionary sacrifice:

~ The blood of the Lamb:

Also for Adam and his wife the Lord God made tunics of skin, and clothed them – Genesis 3:21

~ The promise of the Seed:

 

And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel” – Genesis 3:15

And Adam knew his wife again, and she bore a son and named him Seth, “For God has appointed another seed for me instead of Abel, whom Cain killed” – Genesis 4:25

Thank you for reading! Don’t miss next week’s edition as we investigate Dispensation #2 – CONSCIENCE…

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 <><