9-29-22 Dispensations? Is There a Problem?

Dispensations? Is There a Problem? :: By Dave Hubley Published on: April 20, 2022 by RRadmin7 Category:General Articles (There is a special message at the end of this article for those who do not have Jesus in their life and are looking for peace and a way to better understand the present-day insanity and confusion.) This is not going to be a detailed analysis of the Dispensational viewpoint as there are already many very good and articulate commentaries readily available by authors much wiser and better qualified than I. However, I will say that I most definitely hold the Dispensational view. I was recently reading a commentary by a Christian who runs a very conservative website. I check in there every day to see what the latest conversation is, and, by and large, I enjoy it. However, he made a comment that gave me pause. I won’t repeat it here, but the upshot of it was, as I understood it, that he equated the Dispensational view with God being confused or perhaps caught off guard. For the life of me, I can’t connect those dots. God cannot be confused, surprised or caught off guard; Dispensations of God’s plan that have already been completed are ironclad proof of that. Why am I writing about this? Because God is in control, Sovereign, Immutable, Unstoppable, Holy, Righteous, Perfect. He has His plan, He will carry it out, and we should stand on that knowledge. “He who has the key of David, He who opens and no one shuts, and shuts and no one opens” (Revelation 3:7). “Indeed before the day was, I am He; And there is no one who can deliver out of My hand; I work, and who will reverse it?” (Isaiah 43:13). “God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?” (Numbers 23:19). “For God is not a God of confusion but of peace” (1 Corinthians 14:33). It is important to be clear here; we are discussing the attributes and the very nature of the Lord God Almighty (El Shaddai) and not man. The word “repent” as it refers to God does not have the same meaning as it does in reference to man. For a very good commentary on this subject, follow this link: https://www.raptureready.com/2022/04/02/does-god-repent-by-mark-a-becker/ We frequently hear it said that God has a plan for our lives. I could not agree more, but I don’t think it stops there. I believe that God has meticulously planned every aspect of His entire plan for all creation, even to and including the physical world of “nature.” “…that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God. We know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until the present time” (Romans 8:21-22). In the Bible, there are numerous analogies made to building a house when building the church. Structures are frequently used by the Lord to create a mental image that we can all easily identify with. Some examples are: “For we are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field, you are God’s building” (1 Cor 3:9). “And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you are the temple of the living God. As God has said: ‘I will dwell in them And walk among I will be their God, And they shall be My people'” (2 Cor 6:16). Perhaps the most easily identifiable: A Song of Ascents. Of Solomon. “Unless the LORD builds the house, They labor in vain who build it; Unless the LORD guards the city, The watchman stays awake in vain” (Psalm 127:1). About Psalm 127:1 – I believe that the “house” in this Psalm is considered to be a general term meaning a physical structure as in a building. However, “house” in God’s Word is frequently applied to a natural structure – such as a family. I believe that is also the meaning here. We all know that if a family is not built by God (or, more accurately, on the FOUNDATION of God’s Living Word), it will ultimately come to ruin. The modern-day condition of so many families and Satan’s unceasing attacks on God’s family structure, I believe, bolsters that view. Even in reference to the Lord Himself, this same analogy is presented: “I did not see a temple in the city, because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple” (Rev 21:22). “This is the ‘stone which was rejected by you builders, which has become the chief cornerstone‘” (Acts 4:11). A cornerstone is the start of a foundation. (Emphasis to the above verses added by me.) Constructing any building requires planning, and its execution is done in – “dispensations.” Let’s make this analogy in real on-the-ground “dispensations,” in proper order. Engineer a blueprint or structural design. Count the cost. Pour the footing and then the foundation walls. Box the floor. Frame the walls (allowing for windows and doors). Frame the interior and load-bearing walls. Build the appropriate roof system, calculating snow loads and pitch carefully. Sheath the outer walls. Installing a chimney is best done around this stage. Finish the roof (shingles, metal, etc). Install windows and doors. Complete the exterior (weather-sealing paper, vinyl siding, or etc). Rough in wiring, plumbing and other interior systems. Insulate and install blocking in walls for cabinets etc. Interior sheathing (sheetrock, v-match, etc) Paint, wallpaper, cabinets, complete the wiring, install heating device(s), etc. At this point, you should be about done structurally. You can move in and dwell there. About counting the cost: “For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it?” (Luke 14:28). Our God certainly counted the cost to complete His Eternal Plan for us and our Eternal Home with Him. He was certainly sufficient to finish it, and then He paid the entire price. He has been completing His construction of the whole of eternity, according to His plan and foreknowledge, since He established the foundations of the world. Foreknowledge, in my opinion, is the foundation of proof for God’s Dispensational plan. Foreknowledge is reiterated at least 3 times in the Word of God. Romans 8:29 – “For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren.” Acts 2:23 – “Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain.” 1 Peter 1:2) “Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied” (Emphasis added by me.) Now to the crux of this article. There are many brothers and sisters who are fearful and anxious, and even doubtful about the future. “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). There is a saying in the military that, “No plan ever survives first contact with the enemy.” Its source is reported to be a Prussian military General Officer in 1871. It is very true in almost every worldly case, and history has proved it to be so. HOWEVER, God IS NOT some worldly, imperfect human. He is the General Officer of the armies of Heaven. He is the Sovereign Lord of Creation. He is El Shaddai. His Plan WILL survive, and He WILL overcome, and He WILL CRUSH the enemy! It really is that simple. As the old hymn says: “I’m Standing on The Promises of God.” Let’s all do that. For anyone who may read this article and has not trusted in Jesus Christ and therefore have no hope or peace in your life: You can have hope. You can have the peace that Jesus has promised to all who have made Him their Lord and Savior. It requires that you come before God on His terms. And, what are His terms according to His Word? Genuine repentance (turning to God instead of continuing to reject or ignore Him). Confession of sins (that you are a sinner and acknowledge that to God). That you understand that the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23). To acknowledge to God that you are unable to pay that debt. Belief that Jesus Christ paid your death sentence for you on the cross. To believe that Jesus is the Way, the only Way, that God has established by which humans may be saved from the consequences of their sin and rebellion. God has made it absolutely clear that there is no one who comes before Him, under His terms, that will be refused. No one: no race, no color, no country of origin, regardless of any previous belief system: no one. No matter what your past sins have been, God can and WILL forgive you because He says He will. Salvation is available to everyone without any exceptions. If you put all your trust for salvation in Jesus, and Him only, you can follow that prayer up by simply saying, “Thank you, Father God, for hearing my prayer and saving me,” because we can trust Him to keep His Word. He always has. He always will. John 5:24: “Truly, Truly, I say to you that he who hears My words and believes the One who sent Me has eternal life and will not be condemned. He has crossed from death to life.” There are no answers, and there is no hope in the world by governments, organizations, politics or politicians. There are only lies and deception. But you can have the Truth and the peace you seek. The answers are in the Word of God – the Bible. If you ask God with all your heart, He will hear you. “And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart” (Jeremiah 29:13). Pro Salvator Vigilans To contact me: canoeman96@gmail.com