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

DISCLAIMER: As of 2020 after much prayer, study and consideration, the Encouraging Concepts ministry NO LONGER holds to the Jesuitical false eschatological teachings known as “Futurism” and/or “Dispensationalism” devised by Jesuits Francisco Ribera & Manuel De Lacunza of whom were both DELIBERATELY attempting to take the pressure off the Papacy by proposing that the assumed “Antichrist” was far off in the distant – FUTURE Realm…

Please refer to our study notes concerning Daniel chapter 9 verses 24-27 for specific details in HOW these two Jesuit Priests TWISTED this passage (particularly verse 27) to create this “counter-scheme” of corruption – The KEY to Eschatology: “HE” ~ Antichrist OR Jesus Christ… WHICH One? 

Hello Friends!

Welcome to a new 7-part EC 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…

 
Keep looking up and sharing the Gospel while there is still time… Hallelujah and Maranatha – come quickly Lord Jesus!
 

We are not guaranteed tomorrow – tomorrow may be too late! If you haven't yet made that most important decision of your life, won't you make Jesus Christ your personal Lord and Savior today - before it's too late? Today is the day of Salvation!

If you have been blessed by this message or have a specific question, prayer request or testimony, please send me a note to: encouragingconcepts@live.com

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Blessings!
Shane K. Morin <><

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