Some Stuff They May Not Have Covered in Christianity 101:Part IV

Dispensation: stewardship

Example: “In the interest of accountability the treasurer will now present a report detailing the dispensation of all outgoing funds for the month”

Dispensation: A time period in which mankind is tested in relation to his obedience to God’s special revelation of His will.

Example: “Noah lived in a different dispensation than Seth did, Noah was under the dispensation of human government, while Seth was under the dispensation of conscience.”

The word occurs four times in the King James Bible

1Co_9:17 For if I do this thing willingly, I have a reward: but if against my will, a dispensation of the gospel is committed unto me.

Eph_1:10 That in the dispensation of the fullness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him:

Eph_3:2 If ye have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which is given me to you-ward:

Col_1:25 Whereof I am made a minister, according to the dispensation of God which is given to me for you, to fulfill the word of God;

Three of these verses use of this word in the Bible is translated from οἰκονομία, (G3622) dispensation in terms of stewardship, or certain administration or economy. (comes from G3622 definition below).

However, the Strong’s Dictionary also lists a συντέλεια, (G4930) entire completion, consummation of a dispensation, (Comes from G4931 “to end, finish, execute, fulfill”)

============================G3622

οἰκονομία

oikonomia

oy-kon-om-ee’-ah

From G3623; administration (of a household or estate); specifically a (religious) “economy“: – dispensation, stewardship.

=============================G4930

συντέλεια

sunteleia

soon-tel’-i-ah

From G4931; entire completion, that is, consummation (of a dispensation): – end.

Thayer: G4931

συντελέω

sunteleō

Thayer Definition:

1) to end together or at the same time

2) to end completely

=========‹«♦»›==========

Zondervan’s Bible Dictionary points out that Ephesians 1:10 is a linguistically difficult passage, and that in this passage the meaning refers to God’s plan of salvation. So in the New Testament, we see this word used in a twofold sense: In respect to one IN authority, it means an arrangement, plan or economy. In respect to one UNDER authority, it means stewardship or administration. In the Ephesians 1:10 passage, the subject/noun He, refers to God, the one IN authority. This is the definition of Dispensation that I want to bring your attention to!

All salvation is achieved via the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ, no matter which dispensation we might be examining at any given time. However, it is the administration (how the one UNDER AUTHORITY receives) which is different depending on the degree of the revelation of God to man which has occured in that time period or age.

Scofield on dispensation :

“A dispensation is a period of time during which man is tested in respect to his obedience to some specific revelation of the will of God.

Three important concepts are implied in this definition:

(1) a deposit of divine revelation concerning God’s will, embodying what God requires of man as to his conduct

(2) man’s stewardship of this divine revelation, in which he is responsible to obey it

(3) a time-period, often called an ‘age,’ during which this divine revelation is dominant in the testing of man’s obedience to God.

The dispensations are a progressive and connected revelation of God’s dealings with man, given sometimes to the whole race and at other times to a particular people, Israel. These different dispensations are not separate ways of salvation. During each of them man is reconciled to God in only one way, i.e., by God’s grace through [faith in] the work of Christ that was accomplished on the cross and vindicated in His resurrection.

Before the cross man was saved in prospect of Christ’s atoning sacrifice, through believing the revelation thus far given him.
Since the cross man has been saved by believing on the Lord Jesus Christ in Whom revelation and redemption are consummated.

The dispensations, are

Innocence :Adam and Eve in the Garden, no sin, God walked with them and talked to them
Conscience :After sin entered the world, man lived with full knowledge (con means with, science means knowledge) of good and of evil, and had a responsibility to do good.
Human Government: Noah and Family, Authority over animals, and over Human life. They were meant to multiply and replenish the Earth: Nimrod/Tower of Babel
Promise: Covenant with Abraham, a land, a nation and the blood line of the Messiah
Law: Exodus 19: Mosaic, Ten Commandments
Grace
The Kingdom

We are living in the sixth dispensation now!

Note the characteristics of the 7th dispensation below. The Kingdom dispensation or Kingdom age will take place AFTER the Seventieth week of Daniel is fulfilled. That can’t begin until the Age of Grace ends with the rapture of the church. The signal of the beginning of the Daniel’s seventieth week will be the confirming of a Covenant with many, by the Antichrist, who will be mistaken for the Messiah by many people.

Here is an illustration of the seventy weeks of Daniel. I will cover that in another post, but we are living in the gap between Messiah having been cut off, and the Antichrists’ confirming of a “Covenant with many”.

source for above chart

♥♥~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~♥♥

Scofield on The Dispensation of the Fullness of Times.

This, the seventh and last of the ordered ages which condition human life on the earth, is identical with the kingdom covenanted to David. (2Sa_7:8-17); (Zec_12:8).

Summary;

(Luk_1:31-33); (1Co_15:24); and gathers into itself under Christ all past “times”:

(1) The time of oppression and misrule ends by Christ taking His kingdom. (Isa_11:3-4).

(2) The time of testimony and divine forbearance ends in judgment. (Mat_25:31-46); (Act_17:30-31); (Rev_20:7-15).

(3) The time of toil ends in rest and reward. (2Th_1:6-7).

(4) The time of suffering ends in glory. (Rom_8:17-18).

(5) The time of Israel’s blindness and chastisement ends in restoration and conversion. (Rom_11:25-27); (Eze_39:25-29).

(6) The times of the Gentiles end in the smiting of the image and the setting up of the kingdom of the heavens. (Dan_2:34); (Dan_2:35); (Rev_19:15-21).

(7) The time of creation’s thraldom (captivity) ends in deliverance at the manifestation of the sons of God. (Gen_3:17); (Isa_11:6-8); (Rom_8:19-21).

Early church fathers Justin Martyr (A.D. 110-165) and Origen (230 A.D.) exhibited dispensational thinking in their writings. It is not a “new” concept, but in some circles it is a lost one!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Additional Reading/further study:

http://gracethrufaith.com/topical-studies/dispensationalism-2/

http://www.biblestudymanuals.net/dispensation.htm

http://www.livingbiblestudies.org/study/JT31/index.html

If you like what you see here, give it a Facebook Like, let your friends know about this blog, share a link, or tell them to follow on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/shekinah.419

=======================

Resources used for research and verification

Scofield Reference Notes, 1917, Public Domain

The Moody Handbook of Theology, Paul Ennis