No 3
(The Dispensations of the Bible)
The word dispensation means "giving
out" or "distributing"
and as a third meaning the dictionary says "ruling". But when we use this term in the Bible, we
mean divisions or periods. These divisions were formulated by Bible scholars,
over the years, and
are not necessarily defined as such in the actual text but help the reader to
better comprehend the mind of God.
There are seven dispensations in the Bible and in between each
there is Divine intervention that the Lord operated to move on to the next
stage.
Here are these dispensations and the Divine interventions.
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The first one is the Dispensation of Innocence - Adam and
Eve in the Garden of Eden (Gen
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The second one is the period of Conscience from the
banishment to the flood (Gen 6 & 7).
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The third is the period of Government (Gen 9:1-6). The
divine intervention was the
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The fourth dispensation was the Law given to Abraham
(Exodus, Leviticus & Deuteronomy) The Divine intervention was the Cross of
Jesus Christ.
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The fifth period is the Church or Grace period (the one
we are now in). The divine intervention
will be the Rapture of the Church that, as we have seen before, will usher in
the..
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The sixth period Tribulation dispensation ; the divine
intervention after this period will be the Second Coming of the Lord Jesus
Christ and all His Saints who will defeat Satan and throw him into the Lake of
Fire (Rev20:1, 2) for a thousand years.
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This seventh period is, of course, the Millenium
dispensation. The Divine intervention after that period will be the release of
Satan for a short time (Rev 20:3-10) and eventually thrown into the
In the end, of course, there will be a new Heaven and a new
Earth in which there will be no temple (