BIBLICAL DISPENSATIONS

God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the Fathers by the prophets hath in these last days spoken unto us by His Son, whom He hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also He made the worlds; Who being the brightness of His glory, and the express Image of His Person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high – Hebrews 1:1-3

In God’s economy, there are times and seasons. If you are ignorant of this, you are bound to make mistakes that will impact negatively on your eternal salvation. You would think that you are doing what is right not knowing that you are dead wrong (Romans 10:1-3). When you understand and operate within the bounds of God’s timing, you can be sure that you are on point with Him.

Hebrews 1:1-3 explains that over time  God has communicated to His people through the Fathers, Prophets and His Son. These periods are known as Ages or Dispensations. Theologians refer to these as Patriarchal, Mosaical and Christian Dispensations. How God communicated to His Will to the Fathers differ from the way He communicated those in the Mosaical and the way He communicated with those in Mosaical differ from the way He communicates with us in the Christian. When we understand these, it will help us to appreciate what God’s Word for us now, are.     

THE THREE DISPENSATIONS:

There are three dispensations, namely: Patriarchal, Mosaical and Christian. One was a local religion, the other a national religion while the third is universal religion.  Characteristics of these dispensations are:

I. Patriarchal Dispensation or Age (Family, local or tribal)  

People under this dispensation practiced local, family or tribal religion. Under itn, God spoke to heads of families who in turn communicated God’s Will to members of their families. For instance, what God said to Adam was different from what He said to Noah; what He said to Noah differed from what He said to Abraham. Each family was administered differently because God’s Will for them was not unified. God’s commands to one patriarch was not binding on the other. There was no written system of religion as God spoke orally. Patriarch means father. Under this system, the patriarch was prophet, priest and ruler. He directed the affairs of the family or tribe religiously and politically.

The title of Patriarch is applied to Abraham. Hebrews 7:4 says, “Now consider how great this man was, unto whom even the patriarch Abraham gave the tenth of the spoils.” Stephen spoke of this period in Acts 7:8 when he said, “…so Abraham begat Isaac, and circumcised him on the eighth day; and Isaac begat Jacob; and Jacob begat the twelve patriarchs.”

This system of religion lasted approximately for 2500 years from Adam to the giving of the Law of God to Moses (the Ten Commandments) at Mount Sinai. It seems, however, that it did not terminate then, but was afterwards applicable only to gentiles.

II. Mosaical (Jewish) Dispensation or Age (National)

Mosaic Dispensation or Age was designed only for the nation of Israel, not for any other people before it or after it. At Deuteronomy 5:1-3 we read:

“And Moses called all Israel, and said unto them, Hear, O Israel, the statutes and judgments which I speak in your ears this day, that ye may learn them, and keep, and do them. The LORD our God made a covenant with us in Horeb. The LORD made not this covenant with our fathers, but with us, even us, who are all of us here alive this day.”

This was further strengthened by the statement in Romans 9:4. Under this dispensation, group, national or organized religion was introduced. Under it, God communicated His Will to His people through the agency of prophets (Amos 3:7). There was a system of Law, priests and judges. There was also a rule book.    

a.     This system grew out of God’s promise of earthly and temporal blessings made to Abraham (Genesis 12:2).

b.     The Mosaical (Jewish Dispensation) was the first written system of religion moderated by Law (“Ten commandments,” Exodus 19 and 20). Since then man has had a “Book” religion. Thus, the family religion was enlarged and developed into a national system. They had one national altar and one national house of God. No division was to be (Joshua 22:9-34).

c.     One purpose of the Mosaic (Jewish) dispensation was to keep Abraham’s posterity a separate and distinct race until the promised “Seed” (Christ) should come (Galatians 3:16-19). 

i.       This characteristic exclusiveness of the Jewish system had been called, “The middle wall of partition,” because it separated Jews from other nations (Ephesians 2:14).

d.     The Law of the Jewish system was to be “A shadow of good things to come” (Hebrews 10:1).

e.     It was to serve as a school master to bring us to Christ (Galatians 3:24).

i.       The world then was not prepared to receive Christ and His Gospel. This school master was to educate men and to bring them to Christ. 

f.       God intended for the Mosaical (Jewish) dispensation to be temporal. It was to last only “Till the seed should come to whom the promise was made” (Galatians 3:19). That seed is Christ (Galatians 3:16).

THUS, THE LAW AND JEWISH RELIGION WERE TO END WITH CHRIST (Romans 10:4; Luke 16:16; Colossians 2:14; Galatians 3:23-25).

g.     The Mosaic dispensation lasted from the giving of the Law on Mount Sinai to the death of Jesus Christ on the Cross of Calvary – a period of about 1500 years.

III. Christian Dispensation or Age (Universal religion)

Christian Dispensation is designed for everyone on the face of the earth. At Matthew 28:18-19 we read:

And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit….”

Under Christian dispensation, God now relates with everyone. This dispensation started on the Day of Pentecost and will last till the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. Under this dispensation, God communicates His Will to everyone through His Son, Jesus Christ (Hebrews 1:1-2). He no longer speaks to His people through patriarchs and prophets. He now speaks to mankind exclusively through His Son Jesus Christ (Matthew 17:1-5).

Previously, while speaking through prophets, He hinted that He was going to raise a prophet whose words would be law and that anyone who would not listen to Him would be cut off from among His people (Deuteronomy 18:15-18). At Acts 3:22-26, we read that Jesus fulfills that prophecy.

This dispensation is moderated by Grace and Truth. While the Law came through Moses, Grace and Truth came through Jesus Christ (John 1:15-17). In God’s overall economy, Moses was a servant while Jesus is the Son (Hebrews 3:4-6). Therefore when a servant speaks and the Son speaks, whose words do we think would carry greater weight? 

In Christian Age, God has thrown the doors open for everyone to be part of His overall plans. Ephesians 2:11-15 says:

“Wherefore remember, that ye being in time past Gentiles in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by that which is called the Circumcision in the flesh made by hands; that at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world: But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ. For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us; Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace.”

Both Jews and Gentiles have now been reconciled to God under One Body (Ephesians 2:16) which is the church (Colossians 1:18). Therefore, under this dispensation, there is no Jew or Gentile, Slave or Free born (Galatians 3:28). We are now one because at the Foot of the Cross every ground is level.

Christianity is the universal religion. It is meant for everyone from the days of Acts chapter 2 onwards. Everyone today is under the Christian dispensation. Under this dispensation, there is a system of Law known as the “Law of Christ.” There are no exclusive priests because everyone is a priest (I Peter 2:5).

This dispensation grew out of God’s spiritual promise made to Abraham (Genesis 12:3; 22:18). All the families and all the nations of the earth were to be blessed by a descendant of Abraham. That person so foretold was Christ who died for all of us and became the mediator of a better covenant.

i.       This was the new covenant that Jeremiah prophesied (Jeremiah 31:31-33) which Paul spoke of as having come to fulfillment (Hebrews 8:6-13).

ii.    God has, therefore, given us a new covenant which we are living under today.

What this implies is that because we are under the Christian Dispensation (Laws of Christ), we are no longer subject to the Patriarchal or Mosaical legislations and expectations. Today, when we join the laws given under the Jewish system with those given under the Christian system, we commit spiritual adultery

(Romans 7:1-4).

CONCLUSION

Today, we are solely under the Christian dispensation and should take our orders from none, but Christ. Peter had earlier wanted to build three tabernacles each for Moses, Elijah and our Lord Jesus Christ. God told him point blank that He was pleased with no other than His Son Jesus Christ Whom we must listen to (Matthew 17:1-5). Jesus Christ is God’s final spokesman (Hebrews 1:1-2). Therefore, Christian dispensation is what obtains now!