Dispensational Theology-Part 5
| By: Dr. Renald Showers; ©2001 |
| Following mankind’s failure to live according to God’s commands, He now adds His promises to Abraham, the nation of Israel and the world (the fourth dispensation), then gives the Law to Moses. Will His people do any better with these opportunities? Dr. Showers comments. |
Contents
THE FOURTH AND FIFTH DISPENSATIONS
The Dispensation Of Promise
The Time.
The fourth dispensation of God’s rule over mankind extended from God’s call of Abraham to the giving of the Mosaic Law at Mount Sinai.
The Scripture.
The Scripture which covers the fourth dispensation is Genesis 12- Exodus 18.
The Ruling Factors.
The third dispensation of God’s rule demonstrated that mankind would not obey God on the threefold basis of the human conscience, the restraint of lawlessness by the Holy Spirit, and human government. As a result, God started a fourth dispensation by instituting promise as a new ruling factor. The fact that promise began as a significant factor with God’s special dealings with Abraham is made evident by such passages as Galatians 3:15-22 and Hebrews 6:13-15. A principle is a ruling factor if it makes a difference in the way people live. God intended His promises to Abraham and his descendants to make a difference in the way that they would live. Hebrews 11:8-30 demonstrates the fact that God’s promises did make such a difference in the lives of Abraham and his descendants. Thus, promise functioned as a ruling factor.
Promise, then, was the new ruling factor for the new dispensation. The human conscience, the restraint of lawlessness by the Holy Spirit, and human government continued as ruling factors into the new dispensation. Thus, the fourth dispensation had four ruling factors which God used to govern Abraham and his descendants: the human conscience, the restraint of lawlessness by the Holy Spirit, human government, plus promise. Dispensational theologians have named the fourth dispensation after the new ruling factor, since that is the factor that made the fourth dispensation distinct form the third.
The Special Revelation.
The special revelation which God gave to Abraham and his descendants for the fourth dispensation is recorded in Genesis 12:2-3; 13:14-17; 15; 17:1- 22, and 22:16-18. God made personal promises to Abraham. He would bless him, make his name great, give him many physical descendants, make him the father of a multitude of nations, give him the land of Canaan for an everlasting possession, and bless those who would bless him and curse those who would curse him.
God made national promises concerning Israel. He would bring Israel into existence as a nation and make it great, give Israel the land of Canaan forever, and establish the Abrahamic Covenant with the nation as an everlasting covenant.
God also made a universal promise. He would give blessing to all families of the earth through Abraham’s line of descent (for example, the Bible and mankind’s Messiah-Redeemer would come through Israel).
Mankind’s Responsibility.
The responsibility of Abraham and his descendants during the fourth dispensation was to obey God on the fourfold basis of the human conscience, the restraint of lawlessness by the Holy Spirit, human government, and promise.
Mankind’s Test.
This responsibility subjected Abraham and his descendants to the following test: would they obey God on the fourfold basis of the human conscience, the restraint of lawlessness by the Holy Spirit, human government, and promise?
Mankind’s Failure.
Abraham and his descendants failed the test of the fourth dispensation. On several occasions they disobeyed God as the result of lapses of faith concerning the fulfillment of His promises. Abraham fathered Ishmael through Hagar, because he failed to believe God’s promise to give him a son through Sarah, his wife. Twice he lied concerning his wife. Isaac lied concerning Rebekah, his wife. Jacob was a great deceiver. The Jews did not return from Egypt to Canaan after the famine of Joseph’s time ended. Apparently they forgot that their destiny was related to the promised land of Canaan rather than Egypt.
Mankind’s Judgment.
This failure brought divine judgment. Throughout their history the Jews have continued to have problems with Ishmael’s descendants. Through time they were subjected to slavery and threatened with extinction in Egypt.
The Dispensation Of The Mosaic Law
The Time.
The fifth dispensation extended from the giving of the Mosaic Law at Mount Sinai to the death of Jesus Christ on the cross at Mount Calvary. The supernatural tearing of the veil in the Temple in Jerusalem when Christ died signified that the Law was terminated at that time.
The Scripture.
The Scripture portion which covers the fifth dispensation is Exodus 19:1 through Matthew 27:56, Mark 15:41, Luke 23:49, and John 19:30.
The Ruling Factors.
The fourth dispensation of God’s rule demonstrated that Abraham and his descendants failed to obey God perfectly on the fourfold basis of the human conscience, the restraint of lawlessness by the Holy Spirit, human government, and promise. As a result, God began a fifth dispensation by instituting the Mosaic Law as a new ruling factor.
The fifth dispensation had five ruling factors which God used to govern the people of Israel: the human conscience, the restraint of lawlessness by the Holy Spirit, human government, and promise (all of which continued as ruling factors into the new dispensation) plus the Mosaic Law. The central core of the Mosaic Law (the ten commandments) was written on tables of stone. The Law inflicted external penalties upon those who broke its precepts. Thus, the Mosaic Law was a totally external way of God administering His rule over Israel (it should be noted that God gave the Mosaic Law exclusively to Israel, not to the Gentiles—see Romans 2:14 and 9:4). Thus, the Apostle Paul declared that the Mosaic Law functioned as a pedagogue (an external moral restrainer, Galatians 3:23-25). Dispensational theologians have named the fifth dispensation after the new ruling factor because that is the factor that made the fifth dispensation distinct from the fourth.
The Special Revelation.
The special revelation that God gave to Israel for the fifth dispensation is recorded in Exodus 20 through Deuteronomy. It consisted of the Mosaic Law with its 613 commandments. These gave in detail God’s will for the moral, civil, and ceremonial aspects of Israel’s life.
Mankind’s Responsibility.
Israel’s responsibility during the fifth dispensation was to obey God on the fivefold basis of the human conscience, the restraint of lawlessness by the Holy Spirit, human government, promise, and the Mosaic Law.
Mankind’s Test.
This responsibility subjected the Jews to the following test: would they obey God on the basis of the human conscience, the restraining of lawlessness by the Holy Spirit, human government, promise, and the Mosaic Law?
Mankind’s Failure.
The people of Israel failed the test of the fifth dispensation. They broke the Mosaic Law repeatedly (Jeremiah 31:32; Ezekiel 16). God told them that they had a heart of stone (Ezekiel 36:26; Zechariah 7:12). This meant that their inner control center was inflexible. It refused to bend, to conform to the Mosaic Law way of God administering His rule over them. During this dispensation Israel also rejected its Messiah and had Him crucified.
Mankind’s Judgment.
This failure brought God’s judgment upon Israel. The nation suffered many judgments during the fifth dispensation. Among the worst were the Assyrian and Babylonian captivities, the Greek and Roman oppressions, Israel’s temporary removal from its place of blessing (Romans 11), and its worldwide dispersion as the result of its rejection of Christ.
For a comparison of Covenant Theology and Dispensational Theology obtain the following book: Renald E. Showers, There Really Is A Difference! (The Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry. Telephone: 800-257-7843. Mailing address: P.O. Box 908, Bellmawr, NJ 08099).
