The document discusses the biblical concept of dispensations. It defines a dispensation as a period of time in which God reveals His will to humanity in a particular way. It outlines the seven dispensations found in scripture: innocence, conscience, human government, promise, law, grace, and the millennial kingdom. Each dispensation involves God testing humanity's obedience and faith through different responsibilities. The dispensations show God progressively revealing His redemptive plan through grace to transform people into His image.

1. of the Bible

2. Image: Ryk Neethling
Human
Gov’t
Law
Grace
Innocence
Promise
Conscience
Millennial Kingdom
“I’d really like to know
more about
the
of the Bible.
What can I uncover?”

3. expressed by each covenant, in which God reveals His mind
and will to humankind and teaches them reliance on Him.
This ultimately caused God’s people to return to Him through
repentance, leading them back to salvation.
God is such a personal God that He always has our best
interest at heart and wants us to succeed!
Let me start with dispensation’s basic meaning.

4. seven dispensations:
1. Innocence (Gen 1:28)
2. Conscience (Gen 3:7)
3. Human Gov’t (Gen 8:15-17)
4. Promise (Gen 12:22)
5. Law (Exod 19:1-8)
6. Grace (Isa 11:1; Matt 1:1; John 1:17; Acts 2)
7. Millennial (Eph 1:10; Rev 20)

5. :
Innocence
Conscience
Human Gov’t
Promise
Law
Grace
Millennial
Christian Grace Sunlight
Jewish Law Moonlight
Patriarchal Promise Starlight
Kingdom or Messianic or Fullness

6. Self-Check Question 1:
?
A. You learn God’s plan for humankind leading to
the good news of Jesus Christ
B. You systematically study the various historical
periods of the Bible from the standpoint of
grace
C. You get to peer into the lives of the people with
whom God dealt, and even the land and
geography upon which they lived

7. Question 1 Answer:
?
All three are the correct selections.
When you study the dispensations you put
together the outer edge of the puzzle pieces that
frame God’s Big Story for humanity.

8. “ Now, I’ll take a broad view of the dispensations
Patriarchal
Eichenberger’s three form a broad view
of history through the dispensations…
Jewish
(or Mosaic)
Christian
(or Church)

9. During the Patriarchal Dispensations
WHEN: At the earliest age of humankind
WHAT: God revealed His will to some of the
patriarchs
WHO: Adam, Noah and Abraham

10. During the Jewish Dispensation
WHEN: When God gave Moses the law
WHAT: People would be blessed when they
obeyed and punished when they
disobeyed
WHO: Moses through Nehemiah

11. During the Christian Dispensation
WHEN: Upon the Holy Spirit’s outpouring on
Pentecost until the rapture of the
Church
WHAT: God dispenses salvation and blessing
by His grace
WHO: Through the death, burial, resurrection
and ascension of Jesus Christ as the
Blood Sacrifice for sin
Root, 1998, p. 32

12. Innocence
(Gen 1:28-3:6)
Conscience
(Gen 3:7-6:7)
Human Gov’t
(Gen 9-11)
Promise (Gen 12-19)
Law
(Exod 19:1-8 & Acts 2)
Grace
(Isa 11:1; Matt 1:1; John 1:17, Acts 2; Rev 20;
Eph 1:22-23; 2:3-10;4-1-6)
Millennial (Eph 1:10; Rev 20)
The Dispensations: A Brief Timeline
Patriarchal
Age Jewish Age
2,500 years 1,520 years
A
d
a
m
M
o
s
e
s
J
e
s
u
s
Christian Age
AD 32 - ? Kingdom of God
Millennium Age
Redemption promised: Animal sacrifice required to atone for sin Redemption provided: Christ, finished sacrifice to atone for sin

13. A Closer Look at the Timeline
Matthew McGee, ©1998

14. Self-Check Question 2:
?
A. Through special revelations to the patriarchs
B. Through natural revelation to everyday people
C. Through Christ Jesus’ death, burial, resurrection and
ascension as infallible evidence of the Blood Sacrifice
for our sin

15. Question 2 Answer:
?
Answers A and C.
God dealt with His people through patriarchs (or
family heads) in the earliest ages of time.
God also spoke directly to Moses, “whom the Lord
knew face to face” (Deut 34:10b NKJV).
Additionally, He revealed His will through the events
of Jesus (God manifested in flesh) surrounding the
cross.
Humankind has had free will choice to accept or
reject God’s will throughout the ages.

16. “ Can I uncover more?
I’d like to learn more about how God’s grace
flows through the ages and the people with
whom He dealt…

17. Also Called Patriarchal Dispensations
Overview Test/Responsibility Judgment
Innocence (Gen 1:28)
God gave Adam and Eve
innocence, perfect in their
sinlessness and devotion
to God; He walked daily
with them
Not to eat from the fruit of sin Failed the test of faith. God drove
Adam and Eve out of the garden →
They experienced spiritual death (Eph
2:1), knowledge of sin, moral
conscience, loss of fellowship and
fear of God followed (Gen 3:23-24).
Conscience (Gen 3:7)
God provided, by grace, a
substutionary animal
sacrifice for sin
forgiveness as evidence
of faith
Blood sacrifice for their sins
in faith--Do all known good
and abstain from all known
evil
Humankind failed the test of faith
once more → Flooded the earth,
singling out Noah and his family
(Gen 6:7)
Human Gov’t (Gen 8:15-17)
God gave humankind
authority to govern
themselves
Salvation dependent upon
the faith of the believer--
Human law was insufficient
for righteousness
Humankind failed again → God
confounded their language &
scattered them over the earth. He
singled out one family (Gen 11:5-9;
12:1-3)
Promise (Gen 12:1-4)
God made certain
promises to give Abram
the land to which He
would send Him
Abram was to go the
promised land, the fruit of his
faith
Abram failed the test due to lack of
faith, by not keeping the terms of
remaining in the promised land of
God (Gen 12:10).

18. Overview Test/Responsibility Judgment
Law (Exod 19:1-8)
God tested man’s
obedience to the Law of
Moses
The law had ten
commandments with 613
laws.
The Israelites were to keep
God’s covenant as a school
master to lead them to Christ
(Gal 3:24), separate them
from other nations (2 Cor
6:17) and make them a
peculiar treasure to the Lord
(Exod 19:5)
Israel rejected God’s statutes and His
covenants made with their fathers →
The Lord rejected all the seed of
Israel, and afflicted them, and
delivered them into the hand of
spoilers (2 Kings 17:20)
Also Called
Jewish
(or Mosaic)

19. Overview Test/Responsibility Judgment
Grace (Isa 11:1; Matt 1:1; John 1:17)
Christ died on the cross
to atone for all sin’s
debt—past, present and
future—and fulfill the law
(Matt 5:117-118).
Faith in Christ’s death and
resurrection as sufficient to
pay for one’s sins and
assurance for eternity.
Until Christ returns, people have a
choice to accept or reject Jesus as
their Savior--His death, burial and
resurrection atoned for our sin →
People face separation from God
into eternity by not accepting Jesus
as their Savior, repenting for the
remission of sins and being born of
the water and Spirit
Also Called Christian or Church Dispensation
Also, Kingdom Dispensation
Overview Test/Responsibility Judgment
Millennial (Eph 1:10; Rev 20)
Christ died on the cross
to atone for all sin’s
debt—past, present and
future—and fulfill the law
(Matt 5:117-118).
Faith in Christ’s death and
resurrection as sufficient to
pay for one’s sins and
assurance for eternity.

20. Self-Check Question 3:
True or False?
_____ A. Descendants lived in the Garden of Eden at
one time, and later God scattered them.
_____ B. Abraham’s lack of faith for God’s provision
prevented him for reaching the promised
land and fulfilling God’s promise.
_____ C. Each dispensation shows humankind’s
obedience in faith to the will of God.

21. Question 3 Answer:
Statements A and B are true.
God scattered people across the earth because
they failed the test of faith in defiance to His will.
At one time, He wiped out all the people from the
earth except for Noah and his family and restored
it again.
Humankind relied on their own will due to their
sinful nature, which is why God sent a Savior to
redeem them with the New Covenant.

22. Self-Check Question 4:
_____ A. The Bible lays out seven dispensations of
God’s dealings with humankind. Five already
occurred. One exists today. Another yet has
arrived.
_____ B. Blood sacrifice is the work evidenced by the
faith of the offerer in the Old Covenant
dispensations. The one Sacrifice Jesus already
offered His blood and asks for our faith in Him
in the New Covenant.

23. Question 4 Answer:
Answers A and B.
The Kingdom dispensation has yet to come, while all the
Old Covenant dispensations occurred. Currents, the people
of God live in the New Covenant dispensation of Grace.
“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of
yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man
should boast” (Eph 2: 8-9 KJV).

24. “ So, what did I learn?
• A dispensation is a plan or method that
God used during a particular period of
time to reveal His mind and will to
humankind” (Christian Guidebook).
• The dispensations occurred from the
Fall to the Kingdom yet to come.
• God progressively reveals His will
through the dispensations for the
purpose of shaping His people into His
image through grace.
?

25. References
• Chafer, L. S. Bible doctrines: Dispensations. Cited on March 1, 2014, from
http://www.slideshare.net/rdc2506/chafer-bible-doctrines-dispensations
• Christian Bible Study. (n.d.)
• Eichenberger, J. (2011). Training for service: A basic Bible overview for every
Christian. Cincinnati, OH: Standard Publishing.
• Larkin, C. The seven dispensations Chart: Cited on March 1, 2014, from
http://www.biblelife.org/dispensations-big.jpg
• Scofield, C. I. The seven dispensations: Rightly dividing the Word of Truth. Cited
on March 1, 2014, from http://www.biblelife.org/dispensations.htm
• Simpson, W. (1998). The dispensations. Cited on March 28, 2004, from http://e-
grace.net/webgrace/dispensa.html
• Ryrie, C. Dispensationalism. Chapter two. Cited on March 1, 2014, from
http://www.biblecentre.org/topics/ccr_2_dispensationalism.htm
• Wikipedia, Dispensationalism. Cited on March 1, 2014, from
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dispensationalism

26. of time
Walking Through the Word 1
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