Before you begin your
Bible study, as a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ, be sure you have named
your sins privately to God the Father.
If
we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to
cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (Known, Unknown and Forgotten sins) (1Jn 1:9)
You will then be in fellowship with
God, Filled with the Holy Spirit and ready to learn Truth from the Word of God.
God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in Spirit
and Truth.
(Joh
4:24)
The
Divine Outline of History
The
Believers Place in Time
WHAT IS THE CHRISTIAN’S PURPOSE on earth?
Every believer in Jesus Christ should ask himself and God this question. After
Salvation, what do I do now?
Eternal Salvation becomes an accomplished fact at the moment of faith in
Christ. (Rom 8:1; Joh 3:18) But the
quality of the believer’s life on earth, and in eternity, depend on his
execution of God’s plan after Salvation.
Impact and blessings in time and eternity depend on fulfilling God’s plan in
time! Every believer has been given time, (Eph
5:16) how we use it determines our usefulness now, and our rank in
heaven, (Mat 25:19-30) we must stay in fellowship day and night; every day,
(1Jn 1:7) and
take in, and use a maximum amount of TRUTH EVERYDAY! (Jos 1:8-9) The
question becomes emphatic! What is God’s plan
for the believer following that initial instant of personal faith in Christ? God
freely gives “all
things” after providing Salvation. (Rom
8:32) What are they? After Salvation, what? The
simplified answer is: Learn God's
Thoughts on EVERY SUBJECT. The Bible
reveals God’s Person and plan. Only through knowledge of God can anyone
appreciate, love, and worship Him. As Christians we are commanded to “renovate our
thinking” with God's Thinking so God’s
gracious purpose can be fulfilled in and through our lives. (Rom 12:2; Eph 1:18;
Eph 4:22-24) God's purpose for the post
Salvation life of the believer calls for Spiritual growth. (2Pe 3:18) The
Christian is kept alive on earth to fulfill his destiny, which is to become a
Spiritually mature believer, a Spiritual winner, a “mature person to the measure of Spiritual maturity which belongs to
the fullness [Spiritual maturity] of Christ.” (Eph 4:13-16) Each
believer's life becomes a unique expression of the glory of God in both time
and eternity, (Rom 8:29-30; Rom
9:23-24) but only the Spiritually mature
believer glorifies God by receiving the highest and best that God has prepared
for him. (Rom 6:1-2; 1Jn 1:5 1Jn 2:6)
Divine blessings that the Christian can understand
and experience, and the overt manifestations of the Christian way of life come
as results of Spiritual growth! The means of
Spiritual growth is the believer's consistent: Rebound, Reception, Retention, Recall, Resisting temptation and
Repeating — through all the circumstances
of his life.
Truth is Divine Thinking, God's Thinking. (Joh 1:1) It is the content of the Word of God, which God designed to
be communicated to the believer so that it becomes his Thinking, (Rom 12:2; 2Ti
3:16-17) and
the source of his mental attitude. (Php 2:5;
Heb 4:12) Doctrines,
Promises and Commands are in the body of orthodox teaching, which is drawn from
Scripture and which serves as the Standard for the believers REALITY! Pastors have a Spiritual gift for teaching Truth
to their congregations. (Eph 4:8, Eph 4:11-13) The pastor is responsible before
God to diligently study the Bible in order to accurately handle the Word of
Truth. (2Ti 2:15) Pastors who have reached Spiritual maturity, and stay
filled with God the Holy Spirit are able to be used to communicate the Word of
Truth. (Joh 12:48-50; 1Th 2:13; 1Co 4:20)
The importance of Truth can hardly be overestimated. Why
does God go so far as to magnify His Word above His person? (Psa 138:2) Jesus Was
and IS the perfect God-man, who put the Word of God above His rejection, and
judgment, we must do the same, the Word of God is more important than we are!
(Mat 24:35; Rev
20:4) God's Word reveals His nature and essence. Only the Scriptures
allow us to glimpse God's absolute nature and for His nature to be created in
us, (Gal 5:22-23) and to love the revealed member of the Godhead, who is
Jesus Christ. (Joh 1:18) Truth is called the “Mind
of Christ” (1Co 2:16) It is absolute Truth, the very Thinking of Jesus Christ. (Php 2:5) “Though [We] have not seen Him, [We] love Him” when we
learn Who and what He IS and begin to share His Thoughts. (1Pe 1:8)
Understanding God’s Word is the root of all Christian Virtues. Our persistent intake and
application of Truth enlarges our capacities for life, for love, for service,
for blessings and for happiness. (2Co 9:7-8)
God’s “greater
grace” fills up the mature believer’s greater capacities “to all the fullness of God.” (Jas 4:6; Eph 3:19;
Rom 8:32) In
so blessing the believer, God is glorified. (Eph
1:3) Since Truth is so vitally important,
the believer needs to understand an essential fact about the Word of God. Truth is dispensational. The Concept of dispensations, therefore, is a key to
understanding the whole realm of Scripture.
A
dispensation is a period of human history defined in terms of Divine
Revelation. According to the Bible, history is
a sequence of Divine administrations. These
consecutive eras reflect the unfolding of God’s plan for mankind. They
constitute the Divine Viewpoint of history and the Theological interpretation
of history. The Doctrine of dispensations is the vehicle by which believers
living at a specific time can orient to God’s will, plan, and purpose for their
lives. God never changes. In the essence of God there is “no variation, or shifting shadow.” (Jas
1:17) Change, however, is an integral characteristic of His plan for
creation. But God is never impulsive or arbitrary. The changes He incorporates
into His plan are designed to attain His unchangeable purpose. (Heb 6:17) In different periods of human history,
the Biblical answer to “After Salvation, what?”
involves different illustrations and procedures, for the reception, retention,
and recall of Truth. (Psa 1:1-6) The Doctrine of dispensations recognizes these differences
as well as the continuities that run from one period to the next. This
Doctrine, therefore, becomes essential for understanding the believer’s post
Salvation experience. Knowledge of dispensations enables the individual
believer to handle the Word of Truth accurately and to appreciate the
magnificent grace of God both in its particular provisions and in its overall
objectives. In contrast, failure to distinguish one Biblical era from another
creates apparent contradictions in Divine Commands, and prevents the believer
from understanding current Divine guidance, thus retards his all-important
Spiritual growth. Any study of the Bible must deal with the distinction between
Israel, the Old Covenant, the Church, and the New Covenant. This contrast,
which is a recurring theme in the New Testament, (Act
10:45; Rom 11:25; Gal 6:15; Eph
2:11-22; Heb 3:5-6) and is
the starting point in the Doctrine of dispensations. What makes the separation
of the Old Covenant and the New Covenant so significant? The phenomenon that
divides these two parts is the first advent of Christ. The Lord Jesus Christ
makes all the difference. He is the key to the Divine
interpretation of history. (Gal 4:4-5;
(Eph 3:10-11; Rev 1:8) The Doctrine
of dispensations spotlights the Lord Jesus Christ; His-story! The recognition of historical eras in the Bible; unlocks
the Scriptures, revealing profound Divine Thoughts that have tremendous
positive impact on our lives.
DISPENSATIONS
Human history may be classified into two parts the Old Covenant (For racial and political Israel) which was a ministry for the condemnation of the old sin nature in man; and also served as a system of freedom for the nation of Israel. (2Co 3:7-9; 1Ti 1:8-10) While the Temple service was to teach the Spiritual life for the believers; for the law was fulfilled by being in fellowship. (Rom 7:12-14) And served as illustrations of Who Christ would Be, and what He would do; and the Spiritual life He would build in His soul and use to defeat Satan and bring many sons to Himself! (Mat 4:10; Joh 1:29; Col 2:14-17; Heb 2:10) And the New Covenant: (For Spiritual Jew and Gentile; Rom 2:29; Gal 3:28) a ministry of righteousness and justification of the Spiritual man (Rom 4:25; 2Co 3:9) and of Who Christ Is and what He did! (Heb 9:15) Human history is also set in three priesthoods, the outer court: The Age of the Gentiles: The Patriarchal priesthood, from Adam to Moses. (Gen 4:4; Job 1:5; Exod 12:21) The Inner court: The Age of national Israel: The Levitical priesthood, from Moses to Christ. (Num 3:10; Mat 8:4) The Holy of Holies: The Royal priesthood, from Christ to the end of the Millennium. (Heb 10:19-21; Rev 20:6) And after the completion of human history, Royal priests forever! (Heb 7:17) There are two main parts of progressive Revelation for the Church age pre-canon period: Apostles (Before the Bible was completed) and the post: Pastors, (In 96 AD. Revelation, the last book was completed) in the time of the Gentile nations; for the communication of Truth. (Act 13:46-49; Isa 42:6; Rom 1:5) Excluding the Two Witnesses, during Jacobs’s distress, (Jer 30:7-10; Gen 32:25; Rev 11:3) and time of Israel: after the Second Advent of Christ, for the communication of Truth in the Millennium. (Eze 37:24-27) This is the study of the destiny of the human race, that the Bible Prophesies and Promises for the end of human history, the Church age, (Act 3:24; Gal 3:8) Tribulation, (Zec 14:12) and Millennium. (Eze 36:26-27) God’s unified, integrated, unchanging plan for human history calls for many expressions of His grace. In every dispensation God has a particular plan for the believer’s post Salvation way of life. He graciously provides the means for executing that plan, and the Bible reveals these various provisions. (Heb 1:1-2) Salvation itself is appropriated the same way throughout human history — by grace through faith. (Gen 15:6; Rom 3:22-31; Eph 2:8-9) In every dispensation there is only One Savior, our Lord Jesus Christ, as He is revealed in that dispensation. (Joh 14:6; Act 4:12) Faith in Christ secures an eternal relationship with God.
And
there is Salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that
has been given among men, by which we must be saved. (Act 4:12)
The Savior’s name
has different forms in different languages. In Hebrew His name is JHWH, a word considered too sacred to
pronounce, so He is called Adonai. He
appeared in many forms before His incarnation, including walking in the garden,
(Gen 3:8) the burning bush, (Exod 3:2) the cloud, the pillar of fire, (Exod 13:21) and the Angel of Jehovah. (Jdg 6:12) He has many functional titles as well,
like Messiah, (Dan 9:25) Son of David,
(Mat 9:27) Lord of the Armies, (1Sa 17:45) or Prince of Peace. (Isa 9:6) In the Greek of the New Testament, He
is Christos or kurios or Iesous or any
combination of the three. We know Him in Modern English as Jesus Christ our Lord. (Rom 1:4) The Gospel of Christ is revealed to
everyone who desires to know God. (Jer 29:13;
Act 17:24-28) God reveals Christ in many
ways throughout the ages, but faith in Him is the only way of eternal
Salvation, except to die in youth before the chance to believe, and or being
unable mentally (Brain damaged) to make the choice. (2Sa 12:23)
THE REASON FOR DISPENSATIONS
Many Principles,
Policies, and procedures that God establishes remain constant throughout
history. But no careful student of the Bible can overlook certain changes that
distinguish one epoch of Biblical history from another. Why does God alter His
administration of human history? He does so to reveal His unchanging glory,
wisdom, and power under different conditions. From God’s eternal perspective
the ultimate in this long and varied demonstration of His essence is the
relationship between Christ and the New Covenant
believers, in which the believer is in union with Christ. In the Church, (1Co 1:30; 2Co 5:17;
Gal 3:28)
the Tribulation, (Rev 14:1-5; Rev
7:9-17) and Millennium. (Eze 36:26-28) This is
Holy of Holies dispensation. (Heb 6:19-20; Rev
22:16-17)
For Israel in the Millennium.
For finding fault with them, [Israel] He
says, BEHOLD, DAYS ARE COMING, SAYS THE LORD, WHEN I WILL EFFECT A NEW COVENANT
WITH THE HOUSE OF ISRAEL AND WITH THE HOUSE OF JUDAH; NOT LIKE THE COVENANT
WHICH I MADE WITH THEIR FATHERS ON THE DAY WHEN I TOOK THEM BY THE HAND TO LEAD
THEM OUT OF THE LAND OF EGYPT; FOR THEY DID NOT CONTINUE IN MY COVENANT, AND I
DID NOT CARE FOR THEM, SAYS THE LORD. FOR THIS IS THE COVENANT THAT I WILL MAKE
WITH THE HOUSE OF ISRAEL AFTER THOSE DAYS, SAYS THE LORD: I WILL PUT MY LAWS
INTO THEIR MINDS, AND I WILL WRITE THEM ON THEIR HEARTS. AND I WILL BE THEIR
GOD, AND THEY SHALL BE MY PEOPLE. (Heb 8:8-10)
cf. (Jer 31:31-33)
For the New Covenant Church Age through the
Tribulation.
For by One Offering
He has perfected for all time those who are
sanctified. And the Holy Spirit also testifies to us; [The
New Covenant Church Age] for after saying, THIS IS THE COVENANT THAT I
WILL MAKE WITH THEM AFTER THOSE DAYS, SAYS THE LORD: I WILL PUT MY LAWS UPON
THEIR HEART, AND ON THEIR MIND I WILL WRITE THEM, He then says, "AND THEIR
SINS AND THEIR LAWLESS DEEDS I WILL REMEMBER NO MORE. (Heb 10:14-17) cf. (Jer 31:33-34)
Now where there is
forgiveness of these things, there is no longer any offering for sin. Therefore, brethren, since we have confidence to enter the
holy place by the blood of Jesus, by
a new and living way which He inaugurated for us through the veil, that is, His flesh. (Heb 10:18-20) cf. (Heb
10:5) (His body offered for us)
The explanation for this multifaceted Divine Revelation
which unfolds throughout human history lies in an ancient conflict. Before
human history began, Satan revolted against God. (Isa
14:13-14) Satan and the host of angels who joined his revolution
were brought to trial and convicted, (Eze 28:16-19)
for their sentence is recorded in Scripture. (Mat
25:41) The sentence of fallen angels to “eternal fire” was pronounced before
mankind existed. Why, then, was the execution of the sentence postponed
until after human history ends? (Rev 20:10) Satan objected to God’s verdict, just
as he continues to contend against God. Any objection to perfect Divine
judgment slanders the essence of God. In a momentous
action, God convened an appeal trial in which He would demonstrate His perfect
essence; (Psa 145:21; Zec 3:1-10; Luk
2:14; Rom 9:23-24; Rom 11:25-36) while
allowing Satan every opportunity to prove his own case. (Job 1:12; Job 2:6;
Mat 4:1-11) God
created mankind to resolve the angelic conflict, and to bring many sons to
Himself. (Heb 2:10) Both angels and men; this is for our benefit and for the
benefit of the angels; God magnificently answers every aspect of Satan’s
objection in the prehistoric trial. Simultaneously,
Satan is attempting to prove himself equal with God, (Isa 14:14) while God in
His infinite wisdom, is using ALL THINGS, the good the bad and the ugly! To show His Ways
and Thoughts (Isa 55:8-9) are beyond anything any creature could even imagine! And His complete self-sacrifice in all that He does. (Psa 36:5; Psa
103:11; Php 2:2-8) But the devil displays only arrogance, incompetence and evil,
which confirm his guilt, and the guilt of unbelievers (Rev 20:15) and believers
who refuse God's plan. (Jude 1:12-15;
Mat 22:13) Human history is the appeal
trial of the angelic conflict. The “numerous and diverse aspects of God’s
wisdom” are revealed through mankind, and most dramatically through Christ, the
Church, and during the Tribulation period, “to
the rulers and the authorities [Fallen angels] in the heavenly places.” (Eph 3:10-11; Eph
6:12) During the Millennium Satan and the demons are in prison. (Rev 20:3-8; Rev
20:7-10) This shows, even in perfect
environment, people will choose not believe in Christ or as believers His Word,
and that the devil does not make us negative, we as humans choose to be. (The same conditions, that existed before Satan's revolt)
As the appeal trial of Satan unfolds, the grace of God and the perfect justice
of His verdict are proven again and again. God introduces changes into His
administration of human history in order to present His case, disprove Satan’s
case, and deliver a decisive closing argument. These changes produce the
dispensations.
TIMES AND EPOCHS
Shortly before
Christ ascended into heaven, His disciples pressed Him regarding the timing of
future events.
And so when they had come together, they
were asking Him, saying, “Lord, is it at this time You are restoring the
kingdom to Israel?” He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or epochs which
the Father has fixed by His own authority.” (Act
1:6-7) cf. (Mat 6:34)
Now as to the times
and the epochs, brethren, you have no need of anything to be written to
you. For you
yourselves know full well that the day of the
Lord will come just like a thief in the night. (1Th 5:1-2)
The Greek word
translated “times” is chronos. “Epochs” is kairos. Chronos regards time as a
succession of events, one following the other in chronological order.
Occasionally chronos is used in the
Bible for a segment of time and has a dispensational connotation. (Rom 16:25-27; 1Pe
1:20) In contrast, kairos indicates
an era, a system or order of chronology, a period of time characterized by a
distinctive development. This noun is frequently used for the organization of
historical events in their dispensational categories. In various passages kairos refers to the Church Age, (Rom 8:18; Rom 11:5;
Rom 13:11) the Jewish Age, (Eph 2:11-12) and the “times of the Gentiles,” which is a
broader period encompassing the Church Age and Tribulation period. (Luk 21:24) In the New Covenant Age; why were the
disciples not told about “the times or
epochs?” Actually, they had been
told a great deal; Christ had taught them at length concerning dispensations. (Mat 23:29-39; Mat
25:46; Joh 14:1-18)
Furthermore, the Concept of dispensations was already familiar to them. (Mat 5:17; cf. (Mat
24:3) The disciples did not doubt the existence of dispensations. But their idea of the kingdom of God was distorted by
thinking the kingdom of the New Covenant was a racial and political kingdom,
instead of Spiritual! (Joh 3:5; Joh
4:23-24; Luk 17:21) Even
though the disciples had believed in Christ as Savior, their preconceived ideas
about the kingdom of God had kept them from comprehending Christ’s teaching.
They also had missed the significance of His rejection by Israel and,
therefore, had failed to notice a major shift in His message. Christ presented
Himself to the Jews as the Son of David, the King of the Jews, the fulfillment
of all God’s unconditional Covenants with Israel, and the fulfillment of the
Law; the Old Covenant, the Tabernacle, Temple, Offerings and Feasts. All the
illustrations that explained who Christ Was, (Joh
1:29; 1Co 5:7; Heb 11:28) and what He would do. (1Pe 1:18-19) When Israel
refused to accept her rightful King; (Luk
13:34; Luk 19:41-44) there would be no more client nation (The Spiritual Thinking of Christ, being taught from a
political Jewish state) for New Covenant Israel
until the Millennium. (Luk 13:35;
Mat 21:43) The disciples were still
thinking in terms of an immediate Jewish kingdom on earth after Jesus had
already shifted His focus temporarily away from the Jews, who had rejected Him,
to a new body of believers, the New Covenant Church. The
New Covenant priesthood consists of all individuals who believe in Jesus Christ
as personal Savior during the Church Age until the end of the Millennium. (Luk 22:20; Heb
13:20; Rev 20:6) And then forever!
(Heb 7:21) God is forming the Church to
play a special role in the eternal glorification of Christ. (Eph 3:10-11) In
the midst of the time of Christ, the disciples noticed the end of Christ’s
ministry to Israel and the beginning of His ministry to the approaching Church.
(Joh 16:12-15; Act 1:8) Christ is the bridge between the two Covenants! (Heb 9:15) The New Covenant brought a new
teaching ministry of God the Holy Spirit, (Joh
14:26) and the complete Revelation of the Doctrines of the Church, (1Co 13:12-13) which Jesus had introduced. The Church
also has a better vantage point from which to see the Covenants and the
dispensations that are in them. In the Old Covenant: Ritual worship: the Patriarchal
priesthood, and the Levitical priesthood, (Gen 4:4) and the New Covenant: Spirit and Truth worship, a Royal
priesthood; From Christ, through the Church Age, Tribulation and Millennium.
(Joh 4:23) The Church Age believer has
a more complete perspective than Christ’s disciples had when He lived in their
presence. (Dan 12:4) Ultimately, Paul
taught to the Gentiles, and Peter, James and John taught the Jews; (Gal 2:7-9) and through their Canonical Epistles,
they continue to communicate to believers in every generation of the New
Covenant Age. (1Pe 2:9-10) Peter is
quoting, (Exod 19:5-6) and (Hos 1:9-10) showing the
consistency in the plan of God, even in the change of Covenants, and
dispensations. (Heb 13:8) The
way of Salvation, (Act 4:12) and
Spiritual maturity (Isa 55:1-9; Act 15:14-18) are always the same, (Heb 11:1) thru (Heb
12:4). Now we have a greater Spiritual life, (Joh 14:10-21) than Jesus used to win the Angelic
Conflict and be judged for ALL the sins of the world! We just have to learn how
to use it.
Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ,
(Rom 8:10-13) keep seeking the things (Divine Thoughts) above, where Christ is, seated at
the right hand of God. Set your mind on the things (Spiritual Thoughts) above,
not on the things (Thoughts) that are on earth. For you
have died, and your life is hidden with Christ
in God. When Christ, who is our life, (Now!) is revealed, then you also will be revealed
with Him in glory. (Rewarded for using Christ's
Thoughts) Therefore consider (Think) the
members of your earthly body as dead to immorality, impurity, passion, evil
desire, and greed, which amounts to idolatry. (To think our thoughts are more important than His, is
idolatry) For it is because of these things
(Thoughts) that the wrath of God will come upon the sons of disobedience, (Eph 5:5-7) and in them you also once walked, when you were living in
them. But now you also, put them all aside: anger, wrath, malice,
slander, and abusive speech from your mouth. Do not lie to one another, since you laid aside the old self with its evil practices, (Thoughts) and have put on the
new self (Gal 4:19) who is being renewed
to a true knowledge (Spiritual Thinking) according to the image (Thinking and Virtue) of the
One who created him (The Spiritual life of
Christ)--a renewal in which there is no
distinction between Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian,
Scythian, slave and freeman, but Christ is all, and in
all. (New Covenant believers) (Col 3:1-11)
Our beloved brother Paul, according to the
wisdom given him, wrote to you, as also in all his letters, speaking in them of
these things, [Dispensations, in context specifically
the eschatological — “end time” dispensations] in which are some things hard to
understand, which the untaught and unstable distort, as they do also the rest
of the Scriptures, to their own destruction. (2Pe
3:15-16)
At the time of
our Lord’s ascension, the disciples (Including Peter, who later wrote the
passage just quoted) had been well taught by the Lord Himself, but they were
unstable in the political turmoil of the day, especially unstable after the
shock of Christ’s death, burial and resurrection. Their
outlook was impaired by their desire for an immediate racial and political
kingdom of God on earth. They could not shed this narrow view of
dispensations in the final moments before His ascension, and Jesus did not attempt to teach them beyond their capacity
to understand. (Joh 16:12-13) He
answered their question only in brief. And a fuller explanation simply was “not for [Them] to know” during His
sojourn with them on earth. (Act 1:7) The New Covenant Church Age was coming, whether they
realized it or not. (Luk 17:20-21;
1Co 4:20) Appropriate to the new
dispensation, He stated only that precise details of timing would not be
revealed and left additional Divine Revelation concerning dispensations for
later. Twenty one years after Christ’s ascension, Paul would describe believers
who were oriented to the times and epochs.
Now as to the times and the epochs, [Chronos and kairos] brethren, you have no need of
anything to be written to you. For you yourselves know
full well that the day of the Lord [His Second
Advent] will come just like a thief in the
night. (1Th
5:12)
Paul previously
had taught the Thessalonians about that change of times which the disciples had
been so eager to see and which is still future today. The exact day of our Lord’s return is not disclosed through Paul or any
other writer of Scripture. (Mar 13:28-32)
But a study of Scripture reveals a great deal about the sequence of times and
epochs from the beginning of human history to the end. This is the Doctrine of
dispensations. To know this Doctrine “full
well” makes the Christian alert to the plan of God for his life.
But you, brethren, are not in darkness, that
the day should overtake you like a thief. (1Th 5:4)
AGES AND ADMINISTRATIONS
Besides chronos and kairos, two other Greek words complete the New Testament vocabulary
for dispensations. The noun aion, usually
translated “age and or ages,” refers
to dispensations as categories of human history, just as in English we say Age of Israel or Church Age. (Rom
16:25-26; Eph 3:9; Col 1:26)
Perhaps the most
descriptive term for dispensations, however, is oikonomia. Four centuries before the New Testament was written,
Xenophon and Plato used oikonomia to
mean household administration, the authority
of parents over their children, the policy and provisions of parents for their
children. In the Greek of the New Testament, oikonomia had come to mean the management of a household, the
administration of a business or estate. Oikonomia
implies order, (Rather than chaos) a plan, (Rather than confusion) an
arrangement. (Rather than disarray) Oikonomia
itself does not denote time. However, the King James Version translates
this ancient word as “dispensation,” a term that legitimately has come to
connote a period of time, because oikonomia
describes Divine administration during a distinct historical era. (And or
business; and used negatively to condemn the taking of money for the teaching
of the Bible) (1Co 9:17; Eph 1:8-10; Eph
3:2-9; Col 1:25-29; 1Ti 1:3-4)
In these passages oikonomia identifies the management of God's Treasure, His
Thoughts! (Pro 23:23; Pro 8:10-11) During which time God administers a
set of Divine Policies and provisions unique to the New Covenant age believer. Administration
becomes an important issue in distinguishing the dispensations from one
another. At decisive junctures in His overall plan for mankind, God institutes
changes in delegated authority, responsibility, procedure, and available
assets. These changes in the Divine administration of human history involve
first one group of people, then another, and another. Hence, nomenclature for
the dispensations is derived from the people at the focus of Divine Revelation
in a specific period of time. In the march of history,
this focus passes from Gentiles to the nation of Israel, from Israel to Jesus
Christ in His First Advent, from Christ to the Church, from the Church to a
besieged remnant of Jacob in the Tribulation, and finally to Christ the
deliverer, conqueror, and ruler in the Millennium! Each administration involves new Divine Commands
accompanied by new Divine resources for fulfilling those Commands. As a
result, the post Salvation way of life for believers may be significantly
different in the various eras of human history.
Scripture reveals the believer's way of life most comprehensively in the
dispensations of Israel and the Church. Less is revealed of God's post
Salvation mandates for the other dispensations, but
the details that are disclosed confirm the Principle of change against a
background of continuity! (Heb 11:1)
thru (Heb 12:4) the very same system for all of human history, IT in (Heb 11:2) is God's
Thinking used to reach Spiritual maturity, from Abel to Christ! And is the same
for the Church, the Tribulation, and Millennium! (Heb 13:8)
DISPENSATIONS AS TAUGHT BY PAUL
Dispensations are
not an arbitrary classification superimposed by man on the Bible. They are an
integral part of Divine Revelation. The Greek vocabulary establishes that the
subject of dispensations is presented in Scripture. Furthermore, as noted, Jesus
Christ affirmed the existence of distinct “times
or epochs which the Father has fixed by His own authority.” (Act 1:7-8) In presenting the unique
characteristics of our own dispensation, the New Covenant Church Age, Paul
repeatedly teaches the Doctrine of dispensations. He borrows a Greek term that
everyone in his day could understand. Musterion,
“mystery,” referred to the secrets of
an exclusive religious sect. Numerous mystery cults flourished throughout the
ancient Mediterranean world, and although the secrets themselves were closely
guarded, everyone knew that these secretive organizations existed. Everyone
knew that there were certain rituals, formulas, objects, and rites of the cult
of Isis, for example, which were “mysteries” never revealed to outsiders. Only
members could learn the mystery doctrines. Paul gave this pagan term a
Christian meaning. The Church, (Was not called Church
in the Old Testament, but reference is made to Gentiles) (Gal 3:8) was entirely unknown prior to Christ’s
announcement of the Church Age. But is mentioned (By
Gentiles or Nations) in Old Testament Prophecy, (Act 3:18-26) but is fully developed in the New
Testament epistles, (Eph 3:5-6; 1Pe 1:10-12) this body of Doctrine, sets up the “mystery Doctrine” [Spiritual Thinking] of the New Covenant,
and unveils the
characteristics of a unique way of Thinking and life, because we are on the
victory side of the Cross! The mystery
pertains to all people sharing in the Royal priesthood, (Gal 3:28) and Thinking
with the Mind of Christ — (1Co 2:16) and Christ
being formed in us, (Gal 4:19; Eph 4:13) in this New
Covenant age. Today the English word “mystery” denotes something incomprehensible,
an enigma, or a puzzle. But that is not the meaning of the Greek word. In the ancient world a “mystery” was well-known — although only to the members! Likewise, Church Age Doctrine should be
thoroughly familiar to each Church Age believer! Every Christian is (Should Be) an insider,
an initiate, a member of the Church Universal. Why was mystery Doctrine
concealed for so long? In the upper room on the night before His crucifixion,
Christ prophesied the coming of the Church Age. (Joh
14:1) thru (Joh 17:26) God
gave Him the honor of first revealing Royal
priesthood Doctrine for several reasons. First, the Church exists to
glorify Him to the maximum. (Joh 16:14;
Eph 1:21-23; Eph 5:25-27) The Doctrines of the Church depend on the glorification of
Christ, (Joh 7:39) (The completed Spiritual life sent to us) which resulted from His work on the Cross! In the hour of His rejection, by Jew, Gentile, male, female,
criminal, and free. (Mat 27:37-44)
He unveiled His coming glorification. On the eve of His judgment by the Father,
Christ displayed His complete confidence in the Father’s plan by announcing its
success: the formation of the Church through which God would glorify Him
forever. (Joh 13:31-32) Second, Israel
had been given every opportunity to accept the Messiah. Christ revealed the
Church, only after Israel had
rejected Him. The Jewish Spiritual Kingdom of God, had been taken from them, (Mat 21:43) and now Gentile nations, have the
privilege of the communication of Truth: Salvation (Act
22:21) and Spiritual Thoughts for growth to maturity. (Rev 22:16) The New
Covenant Jewish political and racial client nation for the communication of
Truth, has be postponed until the Millennium. (Rom 11:25) And a new set of Commands for
believers became appropriate. If revealed sooner, Church Age Doctrine would
have confused the issue for the Jews. (Mat 10:6)
Third, soon after Prophesying the Church, Jesus Christ would become the Victor
of The Cross and Resurrection! It was fitting that He be the one to announce
the dramatic change of dispensations that His victory would produce. Indeed,
His unprecedented Prophecy of the Church was one of the most stunning moments
in the entire angelic conflict. This announcement was a brilliant, unexpected
Revelation of God’s grace, revealed not only to man but also to Satan and his
fallen angels, who constantly observed our Lord. (1Ti
3:16; 1Pe 1:10-12) Finally, Jesus Christ was Personally passing along the
dynamics of His Own life to be the New Covenant way of life for the Church.
(Joh 13:34; Joh
15:10) Throughout His incarnation He had utilized the system of
Divine power that the Father had designed to support His humanity. On the day
of Pentecost, (Act 2:1) Christ
bequeathed this proven system of Divine power to every Church Age believer. This power
system — the dynamics of the Christian way of life — lies at the heart of
mystery Doctrine. Church Age Spiritual Thinking was concealed until the New
Covenant Christian way of life went into effect. (Isa 65:1-2) Making
reference to the mystery Doctrine of the Church Age: to be specific No Jewish client nation, Gentiles are in the Royal
priesthood, Christ formed in the believer, Baptism into union with Christ, no
ritual etc.... These might have been hard to explain to the nation of Israel! (Mat 9:17) New Truth in a
New Covenant Spiritual life! Two passages of Scripture
illustrate Paul’s approach to the subject of dispensations.
For this reason, I, Paul, a prisoner of
Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles (The new
dispensation that is no longer administered through Israel) — since you
have heard about the dispensation of the grace of God [Name
for the Church Age, in which God pours out grace more liberally than in any
other dispensation] which was given to me for your benefit, that through
Revelation (Gal 1:12) the mystery [The
Spiritual Thinking of the New Covenant Church Age] was made known to me,
as I have already written briefly. (Rom
16:25-26) and (Eph 1:9) By
reading this [Ephesians] you ought to be able to understand my technical
knowledge about the mystery of Christ [Unique and
previously unrevealed Doctrines of the Church Age] which was not made
known to other ages [Believers living in the
dispensations prior to the Church Age] so that now [For the new dispensation] it has been revealed to His
Holy Apostles and Prophets [The Apostles to the
Church, who recorded the New Testament] by
means of the Holy Spirit. (Eph 3:1-5;
2Pe 1:20-21)
In a second major
passage Paul again presents the Doctrine of dispensations by contrasting with
all previous ages the special advantages, opportunities, and responsibilities
of the Church Age.
Of which [Church]
I have become a minister on the basis of this dispensation from God, which has
been given to me for your benefit, that I might implement your deficiency of
the Word of God, that is, the mystery, [Church Age
Doctrine] which has been hidden from past ages and generations, [Previous dispensations] but now has been revealed to
the saints, [“Saints” is a technical term for believers] to whom God has decreed to
make known what is the wealth of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles [Which one mystery is] Christ
in you, (Gal 1:16) the hope of
glory. [Christ; and the Spiritual Thinking and
Virtue of Christ formed in the believer] (Col 1:25-27)
God remains the
same. The way of Salvation remains unchanged. But against a background of
immutability and continuity, the Doctrines of the mystery reveal the strategic
changes that make this new dispensation unique. Church Age believers are a new
Spiritual species (2Co 5:17) with a
totally new position in Christ, (Rom 8:38-39;
1Co 1:30) and a magnificent array of
privileges, responsibilities, and opportunities never available to believers of
earlier ages. (Eph 1:3-23) This book
will conclude with a survey of the Church’s unique advantages. Divine assets
currently available, along with the Biblical Commands for using them. Answering
the pressing question, “After Salvation,
what?” But first the Church Age must be presented in context
with the other dispensations so that its uniqueness may be properly understood.
AN OUTLINE WILL INTRODUCE God's Viewpoint of human history. Again, there are two conditional
Covenants and three general classifications: The Patriarchal, Levitical, and
Royal priesthoods which include the dispensations and their subdivisions. After
this framework is presented, a descriptive summary of each dispensation will
fill in the outline. Most of the dates
cited here are approximate.
I. THE THEOCENTRIC DISPENSATIONS (From the creation of Adam
to the virgin birth of Christ)
A. The Dispensation of the Gentiles (From
the creation of Adam to the Exodus, Genesis 1— Exodus 11)
1. The Age of Positive Volition (From the creation of Adam
to the fall of man, Genesis 1:26 — 3:6)
2. The Age of Negative Volition (From the fall of man to
Abraham, Genesis 3:7—11:32)
3. The Age of the Jewish Patriarchs (From Abraham to the
Exodus under Moses, Genesis 12 — Exodus 11)
B. The Dispensation of the Jews (From the
Exodus to the rejection of Christ; 1441 — A.D. 30; Exodus 12 — Malachi — Matt)
1. The Theocratic Kingdom (From the Exodus to Samuel;
1441—1020 B.C.)
2. The United Kingdom (From Saul to Rehoboam; 1020 — 926
B.C.)
3. The Northern Kingdom (From Jeroboam to Hoshea; 926 — 721
B.C.)
4. The Southern Kingdom (From Rehoboam to Zedekiah; 926 —
586 B.C.)
5. The Restored Nation of Judah (From Nehemiah to Christ;
516 — 4 B.C.)
II. THE CHRISTOCENTRIC DISPENSATIONS (From the birth of
Christ to the Second Advent (Rev 19:11-21)
A. The Dispensation of the Hypostatic Union,
which is the incarnation or first advent of Jesus Christ (The era of the New
Testament Gospels; 4 B.C. — A.D. 30)
B. The Church Age (From A.D. 30 to the
Second Advent. (Rev 19:11-21)
1. The Precanon Period (The era commencing with the Book of
Acts and continuing until John wrote Revelation, completing the canon of
Scripture; A.D. 30 — A.D. 96)
2. The Postcanon Period (The Gospels, the New Testament
Epistles, and Revelation; from AD. 96 to the Second Advent)
III. THE
ESCHATOLOGICAL DISPENSATIONS
A. The Tribulation (Approximately seven
years from the altering of the peace treaty, to the second advent of Christ;
Prophesied in the Old Testament, (Zec 14:1-13)
Christ's Olivet Discourse, [Matt. 24 — 25] and Revelation 6 — 19)
1. Satan's Failed Utopia (From (Dan
9:27) Satan's expulsion from heaven) (Rev
12:13)
2. The Great Tribulation (From Satan's expulsion until the
second advent of Christ) (Jude 1:14)
B. The Millennium (The thousand-year reign
of Christ on earth from His second advent to the end of human history,
Prophesied throughout the Old Testament (Zec 14:9)
and in Revelation 20)
C. The Eternal State (Following the final
dispensation of human history; Revelation 21 — 22)
Throughout this
study several descriptive terms will be used interchangeably in discussing
dispensations. Epoch, time, age, ages, era, period — these synonyms indicate
an extent of time, a segment of history. Interchangeable forms of
expression are used as well. The Dispensation of Israel, for example, may be
called the Age of Israel or the Jewish Age. And the Dispensation of the
Hypostatic Union is also called the Incarnation, the Incarnation of Christ, or
the first advent of Christ. The particular period under discussion will be
apparent from the context. (With help from the above outline) One final point
of terminology: the word “Christian” will be
used only in connection with the Church Age. Hence, the Christian way of life
is the life Commanded by God for believers living during the New Covenant Age.
(1Jn 3:23)
RESPECT FOR DIVINE DISTINCTIONS
The panorama of
dispensations reveals the majestic essence of God through the progression and
Variety of His grace. Each dispensation has a Divine purpose, supported by the
right Divine provisions. The riches of grace available in the Church Age, for
example, agree with God's special objective of glorifying the resurrected
Christ to the maximum. This purpose and these provisions explain why the
Christian way of life differs from the outpouring of God's grace to believers
during other periods of history. The Church Age
believer should be eager to understand and use what God has designed
specifically for him, and thus allow the glory of God to be manifest in his
life!
Still, someone
might ask, why not regard the Bible as a single whole? Isn't that simpler? Why
complicate things with all these distinctions? The primary reason is that the
Bible itself makes these divisions. Continuities and
distinctions established by sovereign God receive our complete respect, for
they reveal something about Him. The unity of God's Word actually is
embodied in this Doctrine which presents the relationships between the Bible’s
many parts. A second reason for recognizing distinctions in the Bible is that
the believer needs to know how to conduct his life. As he learns to utilize
what God has given to him, he becomes aware of Divine Policies and assets that
are legitimate for other dispensations but that do not directly govern the
Christian way of life. When there seem to be contradictions, which Commands,
should he obey? When questions arise, he needs answers. The Doctrine of
dispensations provides the Biblical system of interpretation for understanding
why certain Divine provisions are currently nonoperational, as well as why
others are currently operational. In no way does this mean the believer can
pick and choose which Divine Commands he wants to obey.
Each dispensation is God's administration, not man's; and God gives firm and
extended guidance for every period of history. Advancing believers are
not disobedient or in danger of lawlessness simply because they do not observe
the rules God set forth for another age. Indeed, their Spiritual growth comes
from obedience to God's instructions for the current dispensation. The Doctrine
of dispensations relieves the Christian's doubts about whether or not God holds
him responsible for observing certain practices. This
gives his life direction, frees him from a false sense of obligation or guilt,
and by answering his questions encourages him to dig deeper into the riches of
the Word of God.
The well-informed
believer is able to compare and contrast the dispensations. He understands the
implications of many statements such as:
But
to this day whenever Moses [The Law] is read,
a veil lies over their heart; (2Co 4:3-4) but
whenever a person turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. [The sin nature's Spiritual blindness is cut of] Now
the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.
But we all, with unveiled face, [In fellowship]
beholding as in a mirror [Our soul] the glory [The Spiritual life] of the Lord, are being
transformed into the same image [Thought and Virtue]
from glory to glory, (Rom 1:17) just as from the Lord, [God the Holy
Spirit] the Spirit. (2Co 3:15-18)
And in Him you were also circumcised with
a circumcision made without hands,
(Rom 2:28-29) in the removal of the body of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ;
(Php 3:3) having been buried with Him in baptism,
[Death to the Law, the sin nature, and sin] in which you were also raised up with Him [The Resurrection
Spiritual life] (Rom 8:11) through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead. (Col 2:11-12)
Or do you not know that all of us [Believers]
who have been baptized into Christ Jesus [In union
with Christ] have been baptized into His death? [Retroactive positional death — judgment
and death on the Cross] Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism
into death, [To the Law, the sin nature and sin] so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the
glory [Resurrection Spiritual life] of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life. [New Spiritual Life] For if we have become united with Him in the
likeness of His death, (2Co 4:10-11) [Experiential
death; By not using the sin nature. But using the Divine nature; 2Pe 1:4] certainly we shall also be in the likeness of His
resurrection, “Spiritual life” knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, in order that our
body of sin [Sin
nature's thoughts and desires] might be done
away with, so that we would no longer be
slaves to sin; for he
who has died is freed from sin. (Rom 6:3-7)
cf. (Joh 12:24-26)
For sin [The sin nature] shall not be master over you, for you
are not under law, [The Mosaic Law, that
condemned the sin nature's production] but
under grace [Removal from condemnation by faith
in Christ, (Rom 8:1) and freedom to live the Resurrection
Spiritual life] (Rom 6:14)
That I may know Him
and the power of
His resurrection “Spiritual life” and the fellowship of His sufferings, [Thought, sin nature, people, system and disaster testing] being conformed to His death; (Joh 12:49; Luk 22:42) [Experiential death of Christ's human desires and our own]
(1Pe 4:1-2) in order that I may attain to the
resurrection [Spiritual
life] from
the dead. [The sin nature's control] Not
that I have already obtained it (Rom 6:17-18)
or have already become perfect, [Completed the Spiritual life] but I press on so
that I may lay hold of that [Full maturity and
complete my mission] for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus. (Php 3:10-12)
Having canceled
out the
certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us, which was hostile to us;
[The Lake of fire] and He
has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. (Rom 8:3) When He had disarmed the rulers [Ruler demons] and
authorities, [Officer demons] He [God The Father] made a public display of them, having triumphed over them through Him. [Christ] Therefore no one is to act as your
judge in regard to food or drink or in respect to a festival or a new moon or a
Sabbath day [All illustrations of the Spiritual life
That Christ would use to reach Spiritual maturity, and that the Old Testament
believers could use] -- things which are a
mere illustration of what is to come; but the
meaning [The completed Spiritual life]
belongs to Christ. (Col 2:14-17)
The study before
us will provide a framework for understanding the Word of God. It also will
help protect the Christian from blurring Biblical distinctions, from distorting
true Doctrinal meanings, and from misapplying Divine Commands. The Doctrine of dispensations teaches what the Christian
way of life is — and what it is not.
The Theocentric Dispensations
THE AGE OF THE GENTILES: THE OUTER COURT: THE
PATRIARCHAL PRIESTHOOD
POSITIVE VOLITION
THE DISPENSATION OF THE GENTILES ENCOMPASSES three
subdivisions: the age of positive volition, the age of negative volition, and
the age of the Jewish patriarchs. The age of positive volition involved only
two individuals over an indeterminate length of time. Adam and the woman, whose
name was Ishah, were created perfect
in body, soul and spirit. They lived in perfect environment in the Garden of
Eden. They received direct Revelation from God because the Deity of Christ, who
is the revealed member of the Godhead, (Joh 1:1-4;
Heb 1:1-3) walked with them in the
evenings. (Gen 3:8) No written canon of
Scripture was needed. Nor was there need of Salvation because man had not yet
fallen. The historical record of this period is found in, (Gen 1:1) thru (Gen
3:6) written retrospectively by Moses under the inspiration of God
the Holy Spirit, who insured the perfect accuracy of the record. (2Pe 1:20-21) This period of positive volition,
or perfection, or “innocence” as it sometimes is called, because of the absence
of sin, and was characterized by two Divine
institutions: volition and marriage. By planting the tree of the
knowledge of good and evil in the middle of the Garden and banning its fruit,
God made the volitional issue clear: obedience or
disobedience to God. Precedence in marriage also was lucid. Just as God
created Adam the ruler of the world, (Gen 1:26-28;
Gen 2:19-20) God also gave him
authority over Ishah. (Gen 2:23-25)
The fall of man
involved human failure in each Divine institution. Both the man and the woman
ate the forbidden fruit, violating the volitional issue. By succumbing to Satan's temptation directed at the lust of
the flesh, lust of the eyes and the pride of life, (Gen 3:6) the woman also disregarded the
authority of her husband. And the man, in accepting the fruit from the hand of
his wife, defaulted in the exercise of his authority over her. After the Fall,
God sustained the institution of volition by holding the man and woman
responsible for their own decisions. (Gen 3:11-19)
He upheld the institution of marriage by reconfirming the husband’s role over
the wife (Gen 3:16) Even with the
changes that resulted from the Fall, the perpetuation of the Divine
institutions is an early example of continuity from one period of Biblical
history to the next. Neither human perfection, perfect
environment, Divine warnings, nor the Divine institutions, kept man from the
original sin. Human volition is truly free. Furthermore, vital lessons
from the age of positive volition still applies to us today, for certain events
in the Garden illustrate and illuminate Principles found in Church Age
Doctrine. For example, we see that neither perfect environment nor the ideal
marriage can solve man’s most basic problems, which are solved by the power of
God.(Php 4:11-13; Eph 5:22-23)
NEGATIVE VOLITION
The
age of negative volition began with the fall of man. Adam and the woman were
now imperfect outside the Garden of Eden. Both were
believers in the Lord Jesus Christ, who revealed Himself as the Seed of the
woman. (Gen 3:15) As a believer, the woman was called
Eve, “Living,” in recognition of woman’s role in the coming of the Promised
Savior. (Gen 3:20; Isa 7:14; Mat
1:20-23) At the time of their original sins, Adam and Eve had lost
the status of perfection. They had become Spiritually dead — separated from God
and totally incapable of a relationship with Him. (Gen
2:17; Gen 3:8) Originally
trichotomous, (With body, soul and spirit) Adam and Eve had become dichotomous.
(Only body and soul) Faith in Christ brought regeneration, (Tit 3:5) which restored the human spirit, making
them trichotomous again. The human spirit has always
been essential for a relationship with God. (1Co
2:12-14) Throughout human history, with the humanity of Christ as
the only exception, every descendant of Adam and Eve is born dichotomous and
remains Spiritually dead until he personally believes in Christ. (Joh 3:18) In all dispensations, everyone who believes
in Christ becomes at that moment regenerate and trichotomous, possessing body,
soul, and human spirit. (1Th 5:23) No
canon of Scripture existed in the age of negative volition. God revealed Himself to man through dreams, visions, angelic
appearances, and, as in the Garden of Eden, through direct, physical
manifestations in the form of Theophanies. (Preincarnate appearances of Jesus Christ) Spiritual authority was vested in the head of the
family, who held the family priesthood. Through this system of authority,
God’s revealed Truth was communicated to the human race orally and visually in
rituals that included holy days and animal sacrifices. (Gen 3:21; Gen 4:4;
Gen 8:20) The historical record of this
period is found in (Gen 3:7) thru (Exod 12:21) again written retrospectively by
Moses.
No human missionary agency was required apart from
individual believers carrying the Word of God to people in their periphery. The Gospel existed in the form of Promises of the coming
Messiah, (Gen 3:15) who was depicted in the animal sacrifices: the
innocent judged in place of the guilty. Since the fall of man, the means of
Salvation in every dispensation has always been faith in the Lord Jesus Christ
as He is revealed in that era. (Rom 4:1-16;
Gal 3:6-9, Gal
3:26-29) The period of negative volition began with one language,
one race, and one culture, but none of these anthropological unities solved
problems in human relationships or in man's relationship with God. Furthermore, a third Divine institution, the family, was added to
volition and marriage. But neither parental
authority nor family bonds nor the Patriarchal priesthood prevented the first
murder, in which Cain killed his brother Abel. (Gen 4:8) Evil ran rampant during the age of
negative volition, (Gen 6:1-7) and God
took severe measures to prevent the human race from destroying itself. The
universal flood spared only the family of Noah, the one family of believers
that had remained true to God's plan. After the flood God reiterated His
blessing and encouragement, given in the Garden, to “be fruitful and multiply,” (Gen 9:1;
Gen 1:28) but with certain changes
instituted concerning food. (Gen 9:3; Gen 1:29-30) Here was yet another early instance
of change against a background of continuity. From Noah's sons sprang three
groups of Gentiles, the descendants of Shem, Ham, and Japheth, which eventually
became differentiated nations and races. (Gen
10:32) Following the flood yet another evil trend culminated at the
tower of Babel. (Gen 11:1-9) There fallen man presumed, (Because of satanic influence) that he
could “reach into heaven” (Isa 14:14) through
his own ability and concerted effort. Human achievements often are
admirable. They have an evil effect, however, when
man's apparent brilliance obscures the Reality of his total separation from God
or substitutes the grace of God as the one real solution to basic human
problems. At Babel, therefore, God restrained man's capacity for evil.
God had Promised after the flood that never again would He “curse the ground on account of man,” (Gen
8:20-22; Gen 9:8-17) an
unalterable Covenant that remains in effect through all generations as part of
the continuity that runs through all the dispensations. True to His Own
Covenant God did not make widespread changes in nature. (As at the Fall and in
the flood) This time He dealt with evil by “confusing
mankind's language,” effectively separating the human race into groups that
could not easily communicate with one another. Thus God established the fourth Divine institution: the national entity. He
scattered mankind so boundaries between peoples would limit the range of any
expression of human arrogance and would impede the spread of evil. (Satan's
thinking) (Gen 11:8) Even today, internationalism, or the movement to unify the
world under one government, lends itself to evil on a grand scale and opposes
the plan of God. Paul's address to the Athenians establishes this
Principle for the Church Age, allowing Christians to apply this ancient lesson
from Babel to the current dispensation. Paul emphasizes that God's purpose in
separating the nations and setting “the
boundaries of their habitation” is
“that they should seek God” rather than be
inordinately impressed with the achievements of human genius, which Paul
noted in the philosophy, astrology, sculpture and poetry of the Greeks. (Act 17:21-31)
JEWISH PATRIARCHS
The
age of the Jewish patriarchs was a transitional period from which would emerge
the Dispensation of Israel. In this period God founded
the Jewish race; in the Age of Israel He
would establish the Jewish nation. Although no written Scripture
existed, God entered into a Covenant, or sworn contract, with Abraham, (Heb 6:13-18) a citizen of the highly cultivated
third dynasty of Ur. (Gen 11:31) In a
Covenant, one party makes a favorable agreement toward another party. God
Promised unconditionally to “make Abram a
great nation.” Abraham believed God, and at age seventy-five he obeyed
God’s Instructions to leave his home and migrate “to the land which I will show you.” (Gen
12:1-4; Heb 11:8-10) The fourth Divine institution took on new significance as
God prepared to found a particular nation by forming a new racial, political
and Spiritual species. His purpose was not only to constrain evil in
the world but also to create a model for the protection of human life, freedom,
privacy, and property within a nation’s own borders. Israel
would exemplify the Divine laws of establishment. In addition, the Spiritual
impact of this new race and new nation would continue forever. Abram (Father of high places: a family of idol worshipers) was born a Gentile. He
remained so until he reached Spiritual maturity
at ninety-nine years old. (And received a new
name: Abraham father of a multitude) (Rev 2:17) Then with
the act of circumcision he became the original Jew, the father of the Jewish
race, a new racial and Spiritual creation. (Gen
17:1-24) Circumcision was the ritual of
confirmation of his Spiritual maturity, the dead flesh being cut off, is the
same as the old sin nature being cut off and the new man being completed. (Col 3:9-11) cf. (Jer 9:25; Eze 36:26;
Eze 18:31-32) In
the New Covenant we become a new Spiritual creation. (Not racial or political) (Gal 6:14-15)
This ritual signified the blessings of restored sexual vigor through which God
would “multiply Abraham’s seed as the
stars of the heavens.” (Gen 22:15-18;
Rom 4:17-21; Heb 11:11-12) Abraham’s obedience
demonstrated his Spiritually mature confidence in God’s Promises. (In sexual death Abram and Sarai believed God would provide
a son, and were made alive, sexually) (In Spiritual death we believe God provided a Son for us,
and are made alive Spiritually) (Rom 9:7-9)
The Jews were to be a unique demonstration of God’s glory among all the nations
of the earth. God confirmed His Covenant to Abraham’s believing son, Isaac, (Gen 26:3-5) and reconfirmed it to his believing
grandson, Jacob. (Gen 28:13-16; Gen 35:11-12) The Jewish race, therefore, is
Spiritual in origin, descending from Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, each of whom
was a believer in the Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ. (Gen 15:6) The twelve sons of Jacob are the
Jewish patriarchs, the founders of the tribes of Israel. God’s unconditional
Covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob is an everlasting Covenant. The Jewish
race is permanent. Its existence depends on God alone.
Israel’s eternal heritage is both Spiritual
and ethnic, just as God Promised. He will preserve the regenerate Jewish race
and the Jewish nation throughout history and eternity. (Gen 13:15; Rev 21:12)
Therefore, one of
the many blessings that come to the human race through the Jews is a long-term
demonstration of God’s faithfulness. He committed Himself to specific Promises
that He will keep through all the changes of human history. Herein lays
encouragement for anyone who trusts in Him. The very existence of the Jews is proof for
all to see that God keeps His Word. Even
when the majority of the Jews themselves reject Him, even when the nation slips
into degeneracy, even when He must severely discipline His people, the Promise still stands. God never ceases to
care for His people. Israel has a future, precisely as God swore to Abraham. In
terms of continuity and change, God’s Covenant with Israel and its literal
fulfillment are woven into the fabric of history that remains intact no matter
what! (Jer 31:35-37) The origin of the Jewish race anticipates an important
difference between Israel and the Church. God founded the Jews as a “new racial, political and Spiritual species.” In contrast, the Church is
only a “new Spiritual species.”
(2Co 5:17) Regenerate Jews are God’s
chosen people and nation, while the Church includes believers of every race and
nationality. The age of the patriarchs ended with the Jews as slaves in Egypt.
Moses was born during the age of the patriarchs, but the last forty years of
his life belong to the Levitical priesthood, the Age of Israel. Abraham is the father of the Jewish race; Moses, the father of the Jewish nation.
As the population
of the earth grew and nations proliferated, God had begun to deal with man in a
new way through the Covenants that heralded the founding of the nation of
Israel. Israel would be God’s client nation, His
protected representative on earth to whom He would entrust the human authorship
and custodianship of written Divine Revelation.
THE DISPENSATION OF
ISRAEL: THE INNER COURT: THE LEVITICAL PRIESTHOOD:
GOD’S CHOSEN NATION
The Jewish Age is related to the nation
of Israel. The Jews became a nation when God led them out of Egypt,
completing that transitional age of the patriarchs in which He established the
Jewish race. As in the age of the Patriarchal priesthood, the human race still
consisted of a large population divided into many languages, cultures, and
nations. As before, all four Divine institutions
remained in effect, namely, volition, marriage, the family and the national
entity. And as before, Salvation throughout the world continued to be by
faith in Christ as He was revealed. But with the Exodus God established one
particular nation to represent Him as His missionary agency on earth. The
Spiritual heritage of Israel continued, as it had begun through the faith of
Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob: the Jews expressed their
faith in Christ as they offered the Passover lamb. (Num 9:12; Joh 19:36)
This chosen nation would be given a Divine legacy in
writing and would manifest God’s essence as never before in history. (Deut 4:6-8; Deut
1:1-21) God chose Israel to be a blessing to the entire human race.
(Gen 12:2-3) He
made this nation the recipient, custodian and communicator of the written canon
of Scripture. Not only would Israel furnish the human authors of the Old
Testament canon, but the history and function of Israel herself would be
recorded forever in Scripture. The God of Israel, who is Jesus Christ, the
second person of the Trinity, (Luk 1:68)
Personally ruled the Theocratic kingdom. There was no
division between Spiritual and civil. This was demonstrated to Moses before
the Exodus, (Exod 3:1 thru Exod 4:1-31) reiterated to Joshua upon entering
the Land, (Jos 5:13-15) and mourned
over when the apostate people clamored for a human king. (1Sa 8:1-22; Hos
13:11) To communicate His grace to mankind through His chosen
nation, God gave Moses a code of law for Israel. (Exod 20:1-19; Deut 9:10)
The Mosaic Law is a remarkable legal system that
defined freedom and civil responsibility in Israel for believers and
unbelievers alike. The Feasts and offerings
also set forth the precise Spiritual ceremonies by which the Jews would worship
God. (Lev 23:1-44) Because their God was also their King, it was the
responsibility of everyone in Israel to observe the Mosaic Law as part of
Jewish national life, although the Spiritual provisions
were properly meaningful for believers only. As
a single, integrated whole, the Spiritual life focused on the Tabernacle, “and
later the Temple” where the Presence of God resided. Offerings, rituals and
holy day observances conducted there, anticipated the day when God would become
flesh (Isa 9:6) as the Promised Messiah. For the orderly conduct of these
rituals and for the oral communication of God’s written Word, God instituted
the Levitical priesthood. (Deut 31:9-13;
Deut 33:10)
Codex one of the Mosaic Law was a new
phenomenon, a thorough system of private and public duty in
Israel under the immediate rule of God. Many of its provisions echo Divine
Commandments given in the Dispensation of the Gentiles when no chosen nation
existed. This continuity exists because the ethnic heritage of Israel
originated in that preceding age and because Divine guidance for each epoch of
human history comes from the same unchanging source; God Himself. The term is
designated the ritual plan of God, for
the way of life for the citizens of Israel; in contrast to the protocol plan of God for New Covenant Church Age believers. The rituals prescribed by the
Mosaic Law were a dramatic “shadow of
what was to come.” (Col 2:17; Heb 8:5; Heb 10:1)
They were types and teaching aids portraying Christ,
Salvation and fellowship with God. The
Levitical priesthood’s function and every individual’s daily life included
participation in ceremonies that depicted these tremendous Doctrines. When Christ later came in the flesh; the Reality fulfilled
the shadows, making this magnificent heritage
of rituals suddenly obsolete. (Heb 8:13) A new code was required, and a new
code was provided. Now in the Church Age the
believer’s way of life manifests the all-powerful Reality of Spirit and Truth
worship, (Joh 4:21-24) rather than the shadow. The ritual plan of God
remains part of Scripture, documenting God’s faithfulness and describing
Christ’s Person and work. Israel demonstrated and communicated the grace
of God, the greatest expression of which was that she would be the nation
through which the Savior would be born into the world. The sequence of Promises
that guarantee the coming of Christ, beginning with the “Seed” revealed to Adam and Eve (Gen
3:15) and continuing with the Promises made to Noah, (Gen 9:26) proceeded to become more specific. The
Messiah would come from the race of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob; from the nation
of Israel; from the tribe of Judah; (Gen 49:8)
from the family of Jesse; (1Sa 16:1)
from the Royal lineage of King David. (2Ch 13:5)
Since the founding of the Jewish race, the Promises of the messianic line
coincide with the Covenants between God and His chosen people.
DIVINE COVENANTS WITH ISRAEL
The nation of Israel is defined by five Divine Covenants. The first two
Covenants, sworn during the age of the patriarchs, prepared the way for
founding the nation. God made the remaining three after the Jewish race had
become the Jewish nation.
1. The Abrahamic Covenant (Gen 12:1-3;
Gen 13:16; Gen
22:15-18; Gen 26:4; Gen 28:14; Gen
35:11; Exod 6:2-8)
2. The Palestinian Covenant (Gen 13:15;
Gen 15:18; Gen
26:3-5; Gen 28:13-15; Gen 35:12; Exod
6:4-8; Num 34:1-12; Deut 30:1-9; Jos
1:2-4; Jer 32:36-44; Eze 11:16-21;
Eze 36:21-38)
3. The Mosaic Law (Gen. — Deut.)
a. Codex I: The
Freedom Code (The Decalogue, or Ten Commandments)
b. Codex II: The Spiritual Code (Including a complete shadow presentation of
Christ and His saving work, Christology: Who He Is; and Soteriology: what He
did)
c. Codex III: The Establishment Code (Civil statutes for Israel)
4. The Davidic Covenant (2Sa 7:8-18;
Psa 89:20-37)
5. The New Covenant to the Church, and Israel in the Millennium, began on
the day of Pentecost AD.30 (Act 2:1-11;
Jer 31:31-34; cf. Heb 8:8-13; Heb
10:15-18)
How do these Covenants define the nation of Israel? God’s
Covenants to Abraham identify God’s elect people
and the land He will give them.
Designated the Abrahamic Covenant and the Palestinian (Or Real Estate)
Covenant, these two Divine contracts were the basis for God’s deliverance of
the Jews from Egyptian slavery and for the founding of the nation in the Promised
land. (Exod 6:2-9) The Mosaic Law established policy for ethical, Spiritual, and civil life within the Old
Testament nation of Israel. The Davidic
Covenant designates the ruling dynasty of
Israel. And the New Covenant Promises restoration,
a new Spiritual life for the nation under Divine discipline, and guarantees
eventual fulfillment of all the Covenants. (Eze
11:17-21)
CONDITIONAL AND UNCONDITIONAL
COVENANTS
Three
of these Covenants are unconditional and eternal; two are conditional and
temporal. God will execute the Abrahamic, Palestinian, Davidic, to believers in
Israel with no conditions attached. He Promised to do certain things, and He
will. His immutable essence guarantees His faithfulness. But since the fulfillment of these Covenants will last forever, (Gen 13:15; 2Sa 7:13-16; Jer
31:34) who could be the beneficiaries?
Only someone who personally possesses eternal life can be a recipient of
eternal blessings. Therefore, the original definitions of God’s elect
people answers this question of beneficiaries: God established the Jews as a regenerate race, founded through
Abraham, Isaac and Jacob as believers in
Christ. Not all Israel is Israel. (Rom 9:6-8)
What Abraham did in the power of the sin nature,
(Gen 16:3) was
not the way they would receive the Promise. (Gen
15:4) Isaac is the son, God Promised, (Gen
17:18-19) and they had to believe it. (Rom
4:18-22; Heb 11:11) Then
they would be made alive sexually, as Jews and
Gentiles who believe in the Son Who has come; would be made alive Spiritually.
(1Pe 1:23) A
standard for Salvation (Gal 3:26)
and as in this case, Spiritual maturity! (Gal 4:19-31; Rom
4:20-22) Being genetically, culturally or religiously a Jew does not
provide entrance into the unconditional Covenants in the Millennium; that last
forever, unless they personally believe in the Promised Messiah. His person and work are revealed in the two conditional
Covenants. The Mosaic Law and New Covenant contain conditional clauses. If the Jews would do their part, then God would do His part. (Exod 19:3-6; Jos
1:7-8) The Mosaic Law is a single whole, which can be studied under
three categories: Codex I, the freedom code; Codex II, the Spiritual code; and Codex III, the establishment code. Codex I
protected the Jew’s ability to make decisions; Codex II presented the most
important decision he faced; Salvation, and Codex III prescribed the
environment most conducive to making good decisions. The
Spiritual aspect of the Mosaic Law proclaims the grace of God as the way of
Salvation and identifies faith as the non-meritorious manner of entering into
the eternal blessings of all the unconditional Covenants. Specifically,
Codex II of the Law presents the Messiah and
explains His role as Savior and the system He would use to construct His
Spiritual life, declaring God's Thoughts and Virtue. (Heb 1:3) And that the nation of Israel could use
to reach Spiritual maturity. He is depicted in animal sacrifices, in the
precise construction and furnishing of the Tabernacle; and represents building
our Spiritual life. (1Pe 2:5)
The ceremonial
clothing of the Levitical priesthood and the rituals that the priests performed
showed Israel how to be in fellowship with God (1Pe
2:9-10) and grow to Spiritual maturity. (Exod
40:30-32; Joh 13:10; 1Jn 1:9) This is the same as the Spirit and
Truth worship of today. (Joh 4:21-24)
The Feasts, and later the gates of Jerusalem, represent the progressive stages
of the Spiritual life, which Christ and the Jews used. (Php 3:3) We have the gates of the New Covenant
Spiritual life.
Not that we are adequate in ourselves to
consider anything as coming from ourselves, but our
adequacy is from God, who also made us adequate as servants of a New Covenant,
not of the letter [Mosaic Law] but of the Spirit; [The
New Covenant] for the letter kills,
(Deut 27:26) but the Spirit gives life. (Rom 8:11) But if the ministry of death, [Condemnation of the natural sin nature] in letters engraved on
stones, came with glory, so that the sons of Israel could not look intently at
the face of Moses because of the glory of his face, fading as it was, how will the ministry of the Spirit [Emphasizes
Christ's Resurrection Life] (Heb 13:20) fail
to be even more with glory? For if the ministry of
condemnation (Rom 8:3) (The old sin nature,
cannot be Holy) (Rom 7:18) has glory, much more does the ministry of righteousness (Rom 8:4) [The Spiritual life in us is Holy] abound in glory.
For indeed what had glory, in this case has no glory because
of the glory that surpasses it. For if that which fades away was with
glory, much more that which remains is in glory.
(2Co 3:5-11)
The
New Covenant now, and until the end of Millennium is conditional, after we believe in Christ, (Joh
3:18; no believer will go to the Lake of fire. (Apart from living in
the Tribulation period and taking the mark of the beast; Rev 14:9-12) But just like in the Old Covenant,
God has shown us alternative endings to our personal story, based on obedience
to His plan. (1Ti 2:4) The amount of
blessing in time, and Eternity depend on if we reach Spiritual maturity now!
(Mar 4:15-20; Luk 12:42-48; Jude
1:12-13) If any Jew believed in Christ, then
God not only would grant Salvation to that individual but in the same
instant would also make him party to the unconditional Covenants. Authority and
civil Statutes supported the central thrust of the Jewish nation. Codex I defined human freedom; Codex III revealed the Divine laws of
establishment for Jewish government, jurisprudence, military service,
economics, diet, hygiene, soil conservation, quarantine, and for every
other significant aspect of life in Israel. If the citizens of Israel would obey the
Commands of Codices I and III, then God
would temporally bless them as individuals and the nation as a whole. (Deut 28:1-14) With God as its source, this
Divine Covenant far surpassed contemporary systems of national law; all Divine
Covenants to Israel will be executed by the Lord Jesus Christ. At present, only the Mosaic Law has been fulfilled
completely. In His first advent Christ
fulfilled the entire Law, including all three codices, by His sinless life and
substitutionary death for the sins of mankind. (Mat 5:17; Rom
10:4; Heb 10:9) In His Second Advent He will fulfill the Abrahamic,
Palestinian, Davidic, and New Covenant when He returns to earth to restore
Israel and rule over her. Even at the peak of Israel’s glory under
Solomon, the unconditional Covenants were not fulfilled. Israel has never
occupied all of the vast lands granted by the Palestinian Covenant. But God has
not forgotten His people; He will keep His Promises. (Gen 28:14) Both in the Millennium and in
eternity, Israel will enjoy a glory she has never yet known.
THE CLIENT NATION
The
Covenants that God made with Israel created a particular relationship of
blessing between God and the nation. Israel was and will be the unique client nation to God, His especially
protected representative on earth. (Exod 19:5-6; Hos 4:6)
Definite responsibilities belonged to the Old Testament client nation under
the Mosaic Law. Codices I and III protected human life, freedom, privacy, and
property. Codex II charged individual believers and
communicators of God’s Word with accurately presenting the Gospel and Teaching
Truth within the nation. And missionaries from the client nation were to
carry the Gospel and God's Spiritual Thoughts to non-client nations. (Deut 4:6-9; Jon
1:1-2) Client-nation Israel was answerable
directly to God for the custodianship of His Word. Now the Church inside ALL
nations is used by God, until the Millennium. Woe to any outsiders who
dared to persecute the Jews. God committed this protective Principle to writing
in the anti-Semitism clause of the Abrahamic Covenant.
And I will bless those who bless you. And
the one who curses you I will curse. (Gen 12:3)
This solemn
clause is part of an unconditional Covenant and, therefore, remains in force to
this day. God protects the Jewish people through every generation of history so
that He can ultimately fulfill His Covenants with them. The privileges enjoyed by
client-nation Israel implied responsibility. Not
only were the blessings greater, but so was the potential for national Divine discipline if
Israel refused to obey Divine Commands. (Lev
26:17) Woe to the Jews or anyone, (Psa 73:27) if they do
not fulfill their responsibility as God’s representatives on earth! (Hos 4:6) Israel’s history is a panorama of
successes and failures in relation to her client-nation responsibilities. A
series of five Jewish client nations evolved, as presented in the categorical outline
of the dispensations. This sequence ended when the long-anticipated Messiah
arrived in the flesh.
The virgin birth of Christ marked the beginning of a new
dispensation. By the time of our Lord’s birth in 4 B.C., Israel no longer
functioned as a client nation to God. Instead, she had distorted the Law into a
tyranny of religious legalism. Petty, corrupt, and self-righteous, she had lost
her Spiritual vigor. She could only chafe under the political and military
domination of the Roman Empire. This moralistic degeneracy in Israel continued
throughout the Dispensation of the Hypostatic Union and extended into the
Church Age until finally God placed the nation under maximum discipline in AD.
70. Divine discipline to Israel may be traced from 63 B.C. when the Roman
general Pompey captured Jerusalem and desecrated the Temple by entering the
Holy of Holies. In 54 B.C. Crassus pillaged the Temple. During the Parthian
invasion of Palestine in 40 B.C., Herod escaped to Rome and was appointed King
of Judea by the Roman Senate. The Jews refused to recognize him as king, but
after three years of fighting he captured Jerusalem and purged the Sanhedrin.
In 15 B.C. Agrippa visited Palestine on an inspection tour for the Emperor
Augustus to insure that Rome’s interests were being served. Herod, who was not
a Jew, rebuilt the Temple, dedicating it in 10 B.C.
The year in which
Christ was born was an unsettling one in Jewish politics. The Pharisees
attempted to overthrow the government, Herod
died in a rage, and his son, Herod Archelaus, became the governor under Rome,
inheriting the part of his father’s domains that included Samaria, Judea, and
Idumea. In A.D. 6, Rome deposed the inept and aggravating Archelaus. Judea was
then absorbed into the Roman Empire as part of a third class province with
Coponius as its first imperial procurator, or governor. The Jews were angry,
under a succession of procurators, among them Pontius Pilate, whose
administration began in A.D. 26.
The Roman province of Judea had long since ceased to
function as a client nation to God. Throughout the dispensation of Christ’s
first advent, from approximately 4 B.C. to A.D. 30, Judea was a dominated
nation in Spiritual degeneracy. She continued to exist only to make a decision
regarding Jesus Christ as Messiah. Having rejected Christ, the Spiritually and
politically rebellious Jewish state survived for forty years under the
Principle of grace before judgment. Then, in A.D. 70, four Roman legions
destroyed Jerusalem.
HYPOSTATIC UNION DEFINED
There are two conditional Covenants the Mosaic
Law, and the New Covenant. Three priesthoods, and they fall into three
categories: The Patriarchal priesthood, the Levitical priesthood and the Royal
priesthood, Present and Eschatological: Future. We have just described the two
Theocentric dispensations — the dispensation of the Gentiles and the Age of the
Jews — which occurred before Christ came in the flesh. With the virgin birth of
Christ, the Christocentric ages began and continue until after the Millennium;
the Dispensation of the Hypostatic Union, the Church, Tribulation and the
Millennium. Is the victory of God in human history! Because of Who Christ Is
and His victory; (Col 2:14-15) and our
relationship to Him; (Heb 6:1-20) we are in the Holy of Holies seated with Christ! The
completed Spiritual life on the victory side of the Cross; Satan is defeated
and we are to grow up, and destroy the control of the old sin nature, and rule
with Christ forever! (Rev 3:21)
The “Hypostatic union” is the Theological term for the incarnate person of
Christ, the union of God and man. At the virgin birth, God the Son took upon
Himself true humanity and became a new person — the God-man, the unique person
of the universe. (Joh 1:1-14; Rom 1:2-4; Php
2:5-11; 1Ti 3:16) The Greek
word hupostasis means “substantial
nature, essence, actual being, Reality.” Christ unites in Himself the essence
of God and the essence of man, forming a new hupostasis, a new united essence, called the hypostatic union. In
the Person of the incarnate Christ, two natures are inseparably united but
without loss or mixture of separate identities, without loss or transfer of
properties or attributes. The union is both personal (The
God-man IS One Person) and eternal. (He will
BE the God-man forever) Undiminished deity took upon Himself true
humanity in order to be the Savior, (Heb 2:14-15)
the mediator between God and man; (Job 9:2;
Job 9:32-33; 1Ti 2:5-6) the
Great high priest representing man before God; (Heb
7:4-28; Heb 10:5-14) and the
human king of Israel in fulfillment of the Davidic Covenant. (2Sa 7:8-16; Psa
89:20-37) The hypostatic union will continue forever in resurrection
body, (Heb 1:8-13) but I designate the
approximately thirty-three-year period of our Lord’s first advent the time
period of the Hypostatic Union because this period of history began at the
resounding moment in which God became the God-man. (Heb
10:5) The Hypostatic Union is the epoch recorded in the Gospels, the
first four books of the New Testament. This period began with the virgin birth
of Christ and terminated with His death, burial, resurrection, ascension, and
session at the right hand of the Father in heaven.
INTERPRETING THE TEACHINGS OF CHRIST
These four books
chronicle a unique era in God’s plan for human history. The Gospels reveal our
Lord’s sinless life and saving work, but the record of His earthly ministry
also includes His proclamation of the long-awaited New Covenant kingdom of God
in Israel, His Prophecy of Israel’s future persecution, and finally His
announcement of a Divine administration of New Covenant Truth, that is
significantly different from that of Israel. These diverse teachings coalesce
in a dispensational framework. The period of Christ’s
first advent relates to all believers in the transition period, for Christ to
fulfill one Covenant, and start a new Eternal Covenant, (Heb 9:15; Heb 13:20)
for all people Jews and Gentiles! Israel was
to continue in the communication of the Word of God, but when they rejected
Christ as Savior, Christ made a change. (Mat 21:43)
Now the Church in ALL nations have the custodianship of the teaching of God's
Thoughts to man. The
Old Covenant kingdom in Israel was racial, political, and Spiritual. The New Covenant kingdom is ONLY Spiritual until the
Millennium, when they will have the Personal rule of Christ Jesus our Lord. (Eze 43:7; Joh 4:21-24; 1Co
4:20) And is for all believers! (Gal 3:8; Gal 3:28) And ALL believers are Royal priests! (1Pe 2:9) With absolute authority Jesus Christ presented
Himself to Israel as the Son of David, the King of Israel, and the Messiah. (Mat 1:16; Mat
22:41-46) His presentation took many forms, which Matthew in
particular recorded. Christ fulfilled Old Testament Prophecy. (Mat 1:5-6; Mat
2:17-18; Mat 4:14-16; etc.)
He performed miracles which drew attention to Himself as the Savior of mankind
and the King of the Jews. (Mat 4:23-24;
etc.) He announced Policy for His Spiritual kingdom. (Mat 5:1-48) He explained His identity from
Scripture. (Mat 11:25-30; Mat 12:1-8) He described His own death on the
cross as the “blood of the Covenant. [The
Mosaic Law]” (Mat 26:28; Mat 5:17; Rom 10:4;
Heb 10:1) In fact, Christ came to
fulfill all five Divine Covenants
with Israel — conditional and unconditional alike. (Heb
9:15) Our Lord’s sinless life and respect for human freedom
fulfilled the Commandments in Codex I of the Mosaic Law. His sinlessness and
substitutionary death for the sins of mankind were the Realities long
anticipated by ceremonies in Codex II of the Law. His love for Israel
demonstrates His fulfilment of the establishment laws in Codex III. (Mat 22:21) Only He
could perfectly execute the entire Law. He came to fulfil every jot and tittle
of the Law. (Mat 5:18) whether or
not the Jews accepted Him as their King-Savior. (Zec 9:9) The Old
Testament Scriptures proclaim two advents of Christ. (Zec 9:9-10; Dan
9:26-27; Mat 23:37-39)
Christ therefore Prophesied the future. (Now thru the
Millennium) in His magnificent Olivet Discourse. (Mat 24:1) thru (Mat
25:1-46) In this discourse He painted a vivid picture of the
Tribulation and His own return to deliver His people and fulfill the remaining
three unconditional Covenants in His millennial reign.
FREEDOM OF CHOICE UNDER GOD’S PLAN
God genuinely
offers His grace and desires that everyone accept it! (2Pe 3:9) But He is never threatened by man’s
refusal. In fact, human negative volition may elicit extraordinary
demonstrations of Divine power that glorify Him throughout the earth. (Exod 9:16; Rom 8:32;
Rom 9:17) In the workings of sovereign
God even “For the wrath of man shall
praise You.” (Psa 76:10)
The issue of free
will lies at the heart of the angelic conflict. And here at the crux of human
history — in the earthly ministry of Jesus Christ — the Bible lucidly documents
that God extends genuine options to man. While Divine
sovereignty remains supreme; man’s
responsibility is real. (Mal 3:18)
The grace of God toward man not only expresses His love but also forces Satan
and the fallen angels to remember that God’s infinite goodness was poured out
to them as well. Human and angelic free will are comparable. Divine grace and
human responsibility remind Satan again and again that he bears the full blame
for his own revolt against God. Human history as the appeal trial of the
angelic conflict reveals the essence of God. He is
gracious, but because He is also sovereign, His plan must go on. Sovereignty
implies that His patience toward mankind in delaying judgment and His kindness
in granting opportunity after opportunity to accept His grace; cannot go on
indefinitely! As powerfully illustrated in the first advent of Christ,
when Christ turned away from unbelieving Israel and founded the Church — sovereign God must ultimately
proceed with His perfect plan. Satan, fallen
angels, human unbelievers and carnal believers will ultimately suffer the full
and eternal consequences of revolution against sovereign omnipotent God, (Psa 73:27) while this same God proceeds to bless POSITIVE believers
now; and forever in the eternal state. (Psa
73:28) Given every opportunity to believe in Christ as Savior, the
Jews adamantly refused. Certainly there were remarkable exceptions. The
disciples, the three Marys, and even Nicodemus show that a remnant of believers
can be found in every generation of every dispensation. But the remnant in
Israel was too small to counterbalance the vast majority. (Mat 13:10-17) Israel’s rejection of her Messiah
does not mean that Jesus Christ’s mission on earth ended in failure. As the
Prophet of the Church, He was the first to announce the
mystery Doctrines. (Spiritual Thoughts for the
New Covenant Spiritual life) (Joh 14:1-31) Thus, in the Upper Room Discourse our Lord unveiled
something entirely new: The protocol plan of God for the New Covenant. Because
of the believers acceptance in Christ, (Rom
4:25) the Church Age demonstrates God’s
magnificent grace and infinite power as never before in history!
ACCURACY IN INTERPRETATION
DIFFERENT
MESSAGES FOR DIFFERENT AUDIENCES.
The
Truth taught by Jesus Christ applies to all New Covenant believers, but there
is a difference between a legitimate application
from a passage of Scripture and the precise interpretation of that passage. There may be many edifying
applications that greatly benefit believers in a devotional or practical way, but the objective of rigorous scholarship is a
precisely accurate interpretation. Interpretation attempts to discover what the
passage means. Each passage must be interpreted in its context in terms of
those to whom it is addressed.
Who is the audience to whom Christ speaks in the Gospels? The Gospels can be accurately interpreted only when Christ’s
ministry to Israel is understood:
Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not
enter by the door [Fulfill the Mosaic Law being born
under the law; Gal 4:4-5] into the fold of the sheep, [Judaism] but climbs up some other way, [Energy of the old sin nature] he is a thief and a
robber. But he who enters by the door is a Shepherd of the sheep. [The Perfect God-man] To Him the Doorkeeper opens, [God the Father] and the sheep hear His voice, [Believe] and he calls His own sheep by name [Believing Jews] and leads
them out! [Of the Old Covenant ritual plan]
When He puts forth all His own, [Believing Jews]
He goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow Him because they know His voice. [The Word of
Truth] A stranger they simply will not follow, but will flee from him,
because they do not know the voice of strangers. [The
religious leaders of Judaism] This figure of
speech Jesus spoke to them, but they did not understand what those things were
which He had been saying to them. So Jesus said to them again, Truly,
truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep.
[The Messiah, The
Savior] All who came before Me are thieves and robbers, [False teachers] but the sheep [Believers] did not hear them. I am the door; if anyone enters
through Me, he will be saved, (Joh 14:6)
and will go in and out and find pasture.
[Truth to more Truth] The thief comes only to
steal and kill and destroy; [Mix, sell and corrupt
Truth] I came that they may have life, and have
it abundantly. [Grow to Spiritual maturity]
I am the Good Shepherd; the Good Shepherd lays down His life for the sheep. (Joh 10:17)
He who is a hired hand, [He Sells Truth] (Mat
25:9) and not a shepherd, who
is not the owner of the sheep, sees the wolf coming, [Persecution,
temptation and affliction] and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf
snatches them and scatters them. (Mat 12:30)
He flees because he is a hired hand and
is not concerned about the sheep.” I am the Good
Shepherd, and I know My own and My own know Me, even
as the Father knows Me and I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the
sheep. I have other sheep, [The New Covenant, Jews and Gentiles] (Act 26:22-23) which are not of this fold; [The Old
Covenant, Judaism, Jews and believing circumcised Gentiles] (Exod 12:48) I must bring them also, and they will hear My voice;
[Believe] and they will become one flock (Gal 3:28) with One Shepherd. (Joh 10:1-16) cf. (Mat 23:10; Joh 6:45;
Mat 10:38)
And distinguished from His ministry to the Church. Several
illustrations will emphasize the dispensational orientation required in
analyzing the Gospels. In both the Olivet and Upper Room Discourses, Jesus was
speaking to the same twelve men, His disciples. He delivered both of these
great messages after Israel had rejected Him as Messiah. And both are
Prophetic. But there are significant differences. The immediate context of the
Olivet Discourse deals with Christ’s Prediction of the destruction of the
Temple in Jerusalem. The Temple was the focal point of Jewish worship, and the
disciples, as Jews, were concerned about the Promised future of their nation.
They asked Christ the same question they would ask Him again just before His
ascension: When would He establish His Millennial
kingdom? (Mat 24:3; Act 1:6) When would He
fulfill God’s unconditional Covenants with Israel? The Olivet Discourse answers
a specific question about Israel and
guarantees a future for Israel by announcing the Tribulation and the
inauguration of the Millennium. The events Christ mentions fulfill the
Old Testament Prophecies of Israel’s future. (Zec
13:7-9; Mat 24:15-31) They
center in Judea. (Mat 24:16) They recognize the Jewish Sabbath. (Mat 24:20)
And they anticipate false applications of the
Second Advent. (Mat 24:23-27) The context and content of Christ’s message is in a context
concerning Divine discipline against the Jews for rejecting the Messiah.
(Mat 23:1-39) In
contrast, Christ addressed the Upper Room Discourse to His disciples as the
nucleus of the approaching New Covenant
age. (Joh 17:20-21) These
same twelve Jewish men were now considered separate from the nation of Israel,
which Christ identifies with “the world” that
rejected Him. (Joh 13:33-34; Joh 15:18 thru Joh
16:4) In context He anticipated His betrayal and announced His
glorification. (Joh 13:31-32)
This message of
His glorification reveals unprecedented assets for the Church Age believer,
which will indeed glorify Him to the maximum. The
content of this discourse is new. Nowhere in the entire national heritage of
Israel was any believer personally in union with the Messiah and indwelt by
Him, as described in this final discourse before the Cross. (Joh 14:17-23; Joh
17:21-26) An hour of momentous change had arrived. (Joh 16:1-2; Joh
16:32) The New Covenant was in view. This sweeping change, fully
presented in the New Testament Epistles, departs from God’s original Covenants
with Israel. By definition Israel was consecrated and separate from other
nations, (Deut 7:3) but now Jews and
Gentiles were to be indistinguishable in Christ. (Col
3:11) God is not contradictory. The conclusion is that Israel was no longer
the client nation. (Mat 21:43; Luk 17:21) She had rejected her Messiah. God
remained true to His Word by not permanently rejecting her, (Isa 66:12) but He was taking the initiative by turning her refusal into an opportunity to demonstrate His
grace even more in the Church. As a result, His future entry into His kingdom
as the Son of David will be all the greater. In terms of Divine
administration, God had shifted His historical focus to a new body of
believers, the Church. This famous Prophetic discourse by our Lord perfectly
meshes within a dispensational framework. The Church must be alert for the
triumphant Second Advent of Christ. (After the beast is revealed; 2Th 2:8) (Mat 24:42)
thru (Mat 25:13) The Church, not
Israel, is responsible for utilizing the new outpouring of grace that glorifies
the physically absent but indwelling Christ. (Gal
2:20)
TEACHING FOR
PRESENT AND FUTURE HEARERS.
Our Lord’s Sermon on the Mount (Mat
5:1-12) further illustrates the need for careful interpretation.
This was not a private discourse with the twelve disciples, although some of
them were present. To whom was this sermon addressed? To every believer! (1Co 14:33) Jesus was speaking to the large crowd
of believers gathered around Him on the mountainside. (Mat 5:1; Mat 7:28)
His ministry to Israel was underway because He had not yet been rejected by His
people. (Mat 12:37) He was sitting
before true, regenerate Israel clarifying the character of God’s kingdom,
righteousness, and contrasting the Mosaic Law’s real purpose with the legalism
of the Pharisees. Christ was not presenting a way of Salvation. His message concerned the believer’s post-Salvation way of
life, to reach Spiritual maturity. All the
beatitudes in the opening lines of the sermon were the way to Spiritual
maturity that Christ had accomplished! But if the Messiah spoke these “blessings,”
the listeners could take comfort, fully confident that all could be accomplished, by reaching Spiritual maturity.
He opened His mouth and began to teach them,
saying, (Gate 1) Blessed
are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. [Realized their Spiritual poverty, and believed in Christ,
and rebound when needed] (Gate 2) Blessed
are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. [Truth
in the soul shows the degeneracy of self, and the world] (Gate 3) Blessed
are the gentle, for they shall inherit the earth. [Humility
to follow Christ to Spiritual maturity and share all He has] (Gate 4) Blessed
are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, [Maximum
positive volition] for they shall be satisfied. [Will make it to Spiritual maturity] (Gate
5) Blessed are the merciful, for they
shall receive mercy. [You are now Spiritually caring about
others more than self; motivational Virtue] (Gate
6) Blessed are the pure in heart, [Spiritual adulthood] for they shall see God. (Rev 22:4) (Gate 7) Blessed
are the peacemakers, [Now, you can lead others to
Spiritual maturity] for they shall be called sons of God. (Gate 8) Blessed
are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, [Now suffering for a
blessing] for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. (Gate 9) Blessed are you when
people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against
you because of Me. (Joh 15:18) Rejoice and be
glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in the same way they persecuted
the prophets who were before you. You are the salt of the earth; [Staying in fellowship and Thinking
with God's Thoughts, not human thoughts]
but if the salt has become tasteless, [Quit being
separate from the worlds way of thinking] (2Co 6:17-18) how
can it be made salty again? (Heb 6:5-6)
It is no longer good for anything, except
to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men. [Stepped
on by man, and disciplined by God, because we have become useless!] (Mat 5:2-13)
As we have seen
in (Heb 11:1) thru (Heb 12:4) that the way to maturity is the same
in every time period, the difference is the way of communication, and or the
illustrations (Trees, wells, a ladder, names, the
Tabernacle, Temple, Feasts, the Gates of the city etc.) that are being
used. This shows continuity in the middle of change. (Heb 13:8) Christ was announcing Policy for His
New Spiritual Kingdom the New Covenant Age. (Joh
4:21-24) But He was speaking to His current audience concerning not
only the Promised kingdom but the immediate present as well. Before the kingdom
would be established, He presented the opportunity for the Jews to continue as
God's client nation, (For all to take part Jews, and
Gentiles) (Luk 2:32) if enough
of the Jews would accept Him as Messiah. Because the Church had not been
announced and did not yet exist when Christ spoke on the mountainside, no part of our Lord’s Sermon is
addressed specifically to the Church. but is used for all believers, Jews and
Gentiles. (Rom 2:9-11) The correct
conclusion is that the Sermon on the Mount belongs to ALL believers. For
example, Epistles addressed to the Church contain comparable instructions about
judging, (Rom 14:10-13; cf. Mat 7:1-5) logistical grace, (1Pe 5:7; cf.
Mat 6:25-34) faith-rest, (Heb 4:1-10;
cf. Mat 6:31-34) and the pivot of
Spiritually mature believers, which is the invisible, stabilizing influence
within a nation. (Eph 1:21-23; cf. Mat 5:13-16) Passages that directly address the
Church establish Church Age Doctrine. This basic Principle of Biblical
interpretation is derived from the very existence of dispensational
distinctions in Scripture. This Principle respects those distinctions, balanced
by an equal respect for continuities that relate the dispensations to one
another. Church Age Doctrine is often illuminated by the ways in which God
reveals Himself to other audiences in other passages on the same subject. Indeed, when the Epistles present a Truth to the Church, all
other Biblical passages on that subject must be studied under the Principle of
comparing Scripture with Scripture. Let’s take the first complete
illustration, that teaches the Principle of the progressive stages of Spiritual
growth, in the twelve son's and one daughter of Jacob.
Leah conceived and bore a son and named him Reuben, for she said, Because
the LORD has seen my affliction; (Exod
3:7) [Salvation]
surely now my husband will love me. Then she conceived again and bore a son and
said, Because the LORD has heard (Deut 26:7) [And we can listen to Him] that I am unloved, He has
therefore given me this son also. So she named him Simeon.
She conceived again and bore a son and said, Now this time my husband will
become attached to me, because I have borne
him three sons. Therefore he was named Levi. [Humility] (Num 3:6)
And she conceived again and bore a son
and said, This time I will praise the LORD. [Worship] (Gen 49:8)
Therefore she named him Judah. Then she stopped bearing. Now when Rachel saw
that she bore Jacob no children, she became jealous of her sister; and she said
to Jacob, Give me children, or else I die." Then Jacob's anger burned
against Rachel, and he said, Am I in
the place of God, who has withheld from you the fruit of the womb? She said,
Here is my maid Bilhah, go in to her that she may bear on my knees, that
through her I too may have children. So she gave him her maid Bilhah as a wife,
and Jacob went in to her. Bilhah conceived and bore Jacob a son. Then Rachel
said, God has vindicated me, and has indeed
heard my voice and has given me a son. Therefore she named him Dan. [Spiritual adulthood;
vindication] (1Ti 3:16)
Rachel's maid Bilhah conceived again and bore
Jacob a second son. So Rachel said, With mighty
wrestlings (Gen 32:24-32) [Dying to the
human false thinking of the old sin nature and of Satan's world system]
I have wrestled with my sister, and I have indeed prevailed. And she named him Naphtali. When Leah saw that she had stopped
bearing, she took her maid Zilpah and gave her to Jacob as a wife. Leah's maid
Zilpah bore Jacob a son. Then Leah said, How
fortunate! [Spiritual Maturity] So she
named him Gad. Leah's maid Zilpah bore Jacob a
second son. Then Leah said, Happy am I! [Sharing God's happiness] For women will call me
happy. So she named him Asher. Now in the days
of wheat harvest Reuben went and found mandrakes in the field, and brought them
to his mother Leah. Then Rachel said to Leah, Please give me some of your son's
mandrakes. But she said to her, Is it a small matter for you to take my
husband? And would you take my son's mandrakes also? So Rachel said, Therefore
he may lie with you tonight in return for your son's mandrakes. When Jacob came
in from the field in the evening, then Leah went out to meet him and said, You
must come in to me, for I have surely hired you with my son's mandrakes. So he
lay with her that night. God gave heed to Leah, and she conceived and bore
Jacob a fifth son. Then Leah said, God has given me
my wages [Reward for Spiritual maturity]
because I gave my maid to my husband. So she named him Issachar.
Leah conceived again and bore a sixth son to Jacob. Then Leah said, God has
endowed me with a good gift; now my husband will
dwell with me, [Live with God now and in the
New Jerusalem] because I have borne him six sons. So she named him Zebulun. Afterward she bore a daughter and named her
Dinah. Then God remembered Rachel, and God
gave heed to her and opened her womb. So she conceived and bore a son and said,
God has taken away my reproach. [Sin nature cut off] She named him Joseph, saying, May the
LORD give me another son. [God will add more]
(Gen 29:32) thru (Gen 30:24)
It came about as her soul was departing,
[For she died] that she named him Ben-oni; [Son of sorrows] (Isa
53:3-4) but his father called
him Benjamin. [Son
of my right hand] (Gen 35:18)
cf. (Rev 3:21) This last son shows our Lord Jesus Christ (Heb 10:12)
and the final
victory stage of Spiritual maturity. Now that we are Royal family; we
have the invisible system, that is in the same basic form, and works the same
way, Thinking with God’s Thoughts and staying in fellowship until we reach
Spiritual maturity and then until death. (Pro
1:22-23)
THE INCARNATION
God revealed
Himself to mankind as never before in history — in the Person of Christ. In the
Scriptures the life of Christ is recorded four times over, from four
perspectives, unlike any other period of history. Second, God designed the
incarnation of Jesus Christ to purchase Salvation for all mankind in every
dispensation. From God’s Viewpoint this extraordinary period throws light
across all of history; God’s design for the incarnation of Christ also included
an unprecedented system of power, the completed Spiritual life, to pass every
test Satan would be allowed to administer. (Luk
4:1-13) and then go all the way to the Cross! (Heb 12:2) This approximately thirty-three-year
period is like a cornerstone or hinge that connects, yet divides, (Heb 9:15) two very different Covenants. (2Co 3:9) So we can use
this completed Spiritual life to fulfill God's will for our lives, as believers
Priority # 1 is to reach Spiritual maturity, and share in Christ's victory,
(Col 2:15) just as when David defeated
Goliath, and all Israel took part in his victory. (1Sa
17:50-54) We are on the victory side of the Cross. (Rom 8:32) The only way to lose is to quit. (Jer 17:13)
GOD REVEALED
IN CHRIST
Dramatic
change is the opening theme of the book of Hebrews. At the announced place and
time, (Dan 9:25) God fulfilled His
Promises, to send the Messiah. Divine Revelation came to mankind in the form of
Christ Himself.
God, after He spoke long ago [In previous
dispensations] to the fathers in the prophets in many portions [Of the written
canon of Scripture] and in many ways,
[Divine Communication to the prophets]in these last days has spoken to
us in His Son... [Who] is the flashing forth of His glory and the exact
representation of His nature... (Heb 1:1-3)
This long-awaited
period of history, called “these last
days” in, (Heb 1:2) is also called
the dispensation of “the fullness of
time.” (Gal 4:4) cf. (Eph 1:10)
But when the fullness of the time came, [A
new dispensation] God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the
[Mosaic] Law, in order that He might redeem those who were under the Law, [By
living a sinless life so that He was a qualified substitute to receive Divine
judgment for man’s sins] that we [Who believe in Him] might receive the
adoption as sons. (Gal 4:4-5)
The uniqueness of
the dispensation of our Lord’s first advent is also the subject of the first
chapter of the Gospel of John. In terms of Divine Revelation, God's Thoughts: the written Word of
the Old Testament passed the baton to the Living
Word in the Person of the God-man, Jesus Christ.
In the beginning
was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God... And the Word
became flesh and tabernacled among us, [God in
the flesh] and we beheld His glory, glory as
of the uniquely born One from the Father, full of grace and Truth... No man has
seen God at any time; the uniquely born God who is in the bosom of the Father,
He has explained Him. (Joh 1:1,
Joh 1:14, Joh
1:18)
THE GREAT
POWER EXPERIMENT
The Dispensation
of the Hypostatic Union was also distinguished from previous dispensations by
the system of power that God the Father designed to sustain the humanity of
Christ in accomplishing man’s Salvation. A term was coined for this unprecedented
sphere of power: The Divine Dynasphere = The Spiritual Life. According to the
Father’s plan, Christ did not use the omnipotence of His own Deity to support
His humanity. (Php 2:7-8) Instead, God
the Holy Spirit constantly empowered and sustained the humanity of Christ amid
the hostility of the devil’s world. (Mat 4:1;
Mat 12:18, Mat
12:28; Joh 3:34; Rom 1:4; Heb 9:14)
In addition to the ministry of the Holy Spirit, the
Spiritual life also included powerful assets for the humanity of Christ to
master and utilize by His own human volition. Our Lord used these Divine
problem-solving devices in executing the Salvation plan of the Father. Because
of the Spiritual life, the period of the incarnation of Christ, is the
beginning of the new way of life. (Mat 9:17) And is a demonstration of a known
Truth. The known Truth is that the omnipotence of God
the Holy Spirit and the perfect efficacy of Divine problem-solving devices were
fully able to sustain the humanity of Christ. In the power of the
Spiritual life, Christ perfectly fulfilled every demand of the Mosaic Law
throughout His life and death. The Spiritual life
proved effective even under the maximum pressure of being judged for all the
sins of mankind! The Holy Spirit
constantly sustained Him on the Cross, (Heb 9:14)
and the problem-solving device that is called “Sharing the happiness of God” enabled Him to endure the judgment of all human sins.
(Heb 12:2)
Christ bequeathed to every New Covenant Age
believer, the very system of power that sustained His humanity! (Joh 7:37-39; Joh
15:10-11) Our Lord’s proven source of power is now available to the
Church Age believer for executing the post-Salvation plan of God. “And His yoke is
easy,” (Mat 11:28-30) “His burden is
lite.” We use the Spiritual life to reach
Spiritual maturity! Not die on a cross! (1Co
10:13; Heb 12:4) The
Hypostatic Union (The God-man) establishes
the precedent for the Church Age. Christ lived in
the prototype Spiritual life; the Christian can live in the operational-type
Spiritual life. The Church Age believer has the privilege of living by
the system of Divine dynamics under which Christ lived, not by the ritual
system of Israel which Christ totally fulfilled and abrogated. (Rom 10:4; Eph 2:15)
We will discuss this precedent later. Obviously, the “known
Truth” in the Church Age power experiment is that Divine power and problem-solving devices are capable of handling any
situation that could possibly confront us!
GIVING
DEFINITION TO OTHER DISPENSATIONS.
As already noted,
a major purpose of Old Testament Israel was to anticipate the coming Messiah.
Israel was custodian of a shadow Christology. Like the shadow of a person that
appears around a corner before he does, Israel’s Spiritual life took its shape
from the Reality of Christ who had yet to appear on the scene of history. Other
dispensations also are patterned after the first advent of Christ. God took upon Himself true humanity to win the victory of
the Cross, to be the substitute for man’s sins. Because
God is forming the Church in honor of that victory, the glorified Christ is to rule each believer, as He was
to rule Israel; by the believer submitting to Christ's Will and Thoughts, not our own thoughts. He is
the Head of the Church. (Eph 4:15; Eph 5:23;
Col 1:18) Also, Christ became true
humanity in order to fulfill the Davidic Covenant to Israel, on which the
Millennium is based. Because He will rule in the Millennium, Christ is called
the Son of David. (Mat 1:1; Mat 12:23; Mat
22:41-46) Each of these dispensations — the Age of Israel, the
Church Age, and the Millennium — is defined in terms of the First Advent of
Christ. The resurrection of Christ is the first and, so far, the only
resurrection in history. (1Ti 6:15-16)
Other individuals have come back from the dead, but they were resuscitated, not
resurrected. (Joh 11:43-44)
Resuscitation restores an individual to his mortal body, but he subsequently
dies again. (Joh 12:10) Resurrection
gives the believer his resurrection body so that never again will he die. (1Co 15:54) The sequence of resurrections is
introduced by the phrase “all shall be
made alive, but each in his own order.” (1Co
15:22-23) The “orders” are dispensations. The resurrection of
believers is dispensational. After this introduction, four phrases correspond
to the final four dispensations beginning with the Incarnation. The Dispensation of the Hypostatic Union culminated
with the resurrection of Christ, the “first
fruits of those who are asleep.” (1Co 15:20;
Rev 1:5) The Church Age will end with the harvest, or resurrection, (Luk 21:24; Rev
14:15) “those who are
Christ’s” — who are next in line to receive resurrection bodies. (1Co 15:23)
The Tribulation will conclude
with the second advent of Christ — when He delivers up the kingdom, (1Co 15:24; cf. Rev
20:4) at which time all the believers from Adam to the Tribulational
martyrs receive resurrection bodies. (Job 19:25-26)
Finally, this progression of resurrections will culminate with the resurrection
of all believers of the Millennium —
when He has abolished all rule and all authority and power. (1Co 15:52-55;
Rev 20:13-15)
CHRIST THE
CORNERSTONE.
The Bible
describes our Lord’s relationship to the Old Covenant and to the New Covenant
in several ways, but one example will suffice in this general study of
dispensations. Jesus Christ is frequently described as “The Chief Cornerstone” (Psa 118:22; Isa
28:16; Mat 21:42; Act 4:10-12; 1Co
3:11; 1Pe 2:4-7) This
expression must be interpreted in light of the times in which it was written.
What was a cornerstone in the ancient world? Two definitions come down to us,
one regarding a building’s foundation, the other pertaining to structure above
the foundation. A cornerstone was a stone laid at one corner of a foundation as
the normal starting point for construction. A stone at
the intersection of two walls, uniting them, was also called a cornerstone.
Both meanings illustrate Christ’s relationship with Israel and the Church, (Eph 2:17-22) although this analogy by itself
does not prove the relationship. Christ can be compared to both the foundation
and the superstructure in a process of construction. According to this analogy,
what is being built? And what is the construction schedule? As Paul declared to
the Athenians, God “does not dwell in
temples made with hands.” (Act 17:24-25)
He transcends the “world and all things
in it” but has chosen to dwell among men (Joh
1:14) and in men. (Joh 14:20)
Jesus Christ, the God-man, is the foundation for two invisible, Spiritual “temples” designed for worship of God
throughout eternity. These two figurative buildings are Israel (Isa 28:16) and the Church. (1Co 3:11-13) Each structure is built of
individual believers, not of the stone, brick, and timber normally associated
with temple construction. This explains why no temple building will exist in
the New Jerusalem. (Rev 21:22) But the
names of the Tribes of Israel, and the Apostles are there on the same building.
(Rev 21:12-14) Church Age believers,
for instance, are described as “living
stones being constructed into a Spiritual house for a holy priesthood” (1Pe 2:5) This also sheds light on the fact that
the Tabernacle in Israel was only a “copy
and shadow” of the Reality which is in heaven. (Heb
8:1-5) The two “temples”
built of believers will be complete when all members possess resurrection
bodies. The Church and Israel will become a Spiritual temple forever, and will
be resurrected with believers who die during the Tribulation, at Christ’s
Second Advent, (Job 19:25-26; Rev 20:4) except for all the Spiritually mature
believers who go to the wedding feast. (Rev 19:7-9)
And millennial believers will be resurrected at the end of the Millennium. (Rev 20:5) With all members in resurrection
bodies the Eternal state will begin. (Rev 22:14)
These living temples are built through evangelism and
the communication of Truth. We are
“constructed on the foundation [Christ] by means of the apostles and
prophets.” [Writers and communicators of Truth] (Eph 2:20) In contrast to believers who form these temples,
unbelievers stumble over the foundation stone. (Rom
9:30-33) The Jewish leaders in the Age of the Hypostatic Union are
depicted as builders, (Act 4:10-12) but
they rejected Jesus Christ, their foundation. Therefore, work on Israel ceased,
postponed until later. (Mat 21:42-43) In the meantime, construction of the second building, the
Church, began upon that same shared Foundation Stone. (1Pe 2:7) The current situation finds the Church
under construction while Israel remains a foundation with its superstructure
incomplete. The building up of Israel came to a temporary halt while the Church
is formed on earth. When the Church is completed, then construction of Israel
will resume. The superstructure aspect of the analogy depicts Christ as the
Chief Cornerstone. He not only connects two walls but
divides them as well, separating the Age of Israel from the Age of the Church.
As the Corner, the Age of the Hypostatic Union ends one wall and sets the
Standard of Thinking for another. Israel and the Church share certain
features, but one is not merely the continuation of the other. God’s
administration of human history turns a corner in the life of Christ.
Israel and the Church are separate dispensations even though
numerous continuities exist. The way of Salvation remains the same in both
dispensations, after the pattern of Abraham’s faith. God loves both groups of
believers, gives them eternal life, watches over them, and illustrates His
relationship with each group by an analogy to marriage. Both are elect; both
are called to grow up Spiritually; and both represent God in the world. But
fulfillment of Divine Covenants to Israel is not found in the Church. God does
not renege on His Promises. (Heb 6:18) Only the Old Covenant (Mosaic
Law) is fulfilled, and the New Covenant has
started. (Heb 9:15) The three
unfulfilled, unconditional Divine Covenants guarantee that Israel, as a
distinct and permanent nation, will be a blessing forever to all mankind. (Gen 12:3) In contrast, Jews who believe in
Christ during the Church Age are included in the Church through the baptism of
the Holy Spirit, equal with all Church Age believers and not distinct from them.
(Eph 2:11-22) Christians must “concentrate on Jesus, the Prince-Ruler,
even the One who brings [Believers] to the attainment [Of Spiritual maturity]
by means of Truth.” (Heb 12:2) He is the Cornerstone. Christ, not the Law that
governed Israel, is the pattern of Thinking and Virtue for the Church Age
believer, In the power of the prototype
Spiritual life, Christ's life fulfilled the Mosaic Law, rendering it obsolete.
(Rom 8:2-3; Heb
8:13; Heb 9:15; Heb 10:9) In the power
of the operational Spiritual life, the Church Age believer advances Spiritually
and acquires the Thoughts and Virtues of the humanity of Christ. (1Co 2:16; Gal
5:22-23; 2Pe 1:2-4) Virtue from executing the protocol plan
of God meets and exceeds any demand for “human
old sin morality” found in the
Law. (Rom 8:4-8)
THE SEPARATION OF ISRAEL AND THE
CHURCH
FULFILLMENT
OF THE MOSAIC LAW
The Dispensation of the Hypostatic Union stands as a
boundary mark between Israel and the Church. Christ
fulfilled the Mosaic Law on one hand and set the precedent and Standard for the
New Covenant Church Age protocol on the other. (A long established code and procedure prescribing complete obedience to authority and strict
adherence to due order of precedence and precisely correct procedure) This division is confirmed by numerous passages
which state that the Mosaic Law does not define the New Covenant way of life. (Joh 1:16-17; Rom
6:14; Rom 8:2-4; Gal 3:19-22; Col
2:14) At the Exodus God founded Israel as a Theocracy ruled
Personally by the Second Person of the Trinity. (1Sa
10:19)
The whole thrust of the Jewish way of life was Spiritual. Because God
ruled Israel, every aspect of life in the nation had Spiritual significance,
and the Mosaic Law did not distinguish between Spiritual and secular (Non
Spiritual) issues. Obedience to Divine establishment was part of the Spiritual
life of Jewish believers, and observance of holy days and animal sacrifices was
required of all citizens, including unbelievers. (Although
these rituals were fully meaningful to believers only) We distinguish
the freedom
code, the Spiritual code, and the establishment code; as a categorical approach to
communicating the wide scope of the Mosaic Law. But all aspects of the Law add up to one code
for a unique racial and political entity; with a Spiritual origin, a Spiritual
destiny; and a king Who IS God Himself. The Law is an integrated whole. (Mat 5:18; Gal 5:14)
cf. (Rom 7:14;
Gal 5:22-23) The entire Mosaic
Law is a particular expression of God’s eternal and Holy essence. He gave the
Law to a distinctly defined group of people. (Lev
26:46; Rom 3:19; Rom 9:4) It was effective for a limited period
of time (Gal 3:23-25) And it was
designed for several clear purposes. The Mosaic Law
ruled life in God’s unique client nation, exposed man’s sinfulness, and
demonstrated his need of a Savior, but the
primary purpose of the Law was to anticipate the coming of Christ. (Exod 12:27; 1Co 5:7)
Do not think that I came to abolish
the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish, but to fulfill. (Mat
5:17)
The Law was far more than simply a rule of behavior. Although superior to contemporary codes in its “moral” — obedience; the Law was not primarily ethical but Messianic. (Relating to a future Messiah) Therein lies its true greatness. Its Commands depicted the Person and work of Christ and protected the line of Christ until He would arrive in the flesh. The centuries-old purpose of the Mosaic Law was achieved by the incarnate Jesus Christ. Anticipation was replaced by Reality. This perfect fulfillment is a tribute to the faithfulness of God. Because all parts of the Law functioned together as one code, the Law has been abolished as a whole. The entirety of the Law is no longer pertinent and no longer governs any people or nation. (Mat 5:17-19; Rom 7:14; Rom 10:4; Heb 8:13; Heb 10:9) The rule of the Mosaic Law has ended. The Church is “not under Law, but under grace.” (Rom 6:14) (Condemnation of the old sin nature's effort to be Holy, but favor, in fellowship (1Jn 1:9) using the Spiritual life) (Rom 8:3-4)
THE
LAW OF CHRIST
The end of the Mosaic Law does not leave believers or
unbelievers lawless. (Rom 6:15; Rom 13:1-7) A new code of Divine Commands, which
also expresses the essence of God, now defines the believer’s way of life. Like
the Law, this new code is also an integrated whole. But God’s protocol plan for
the Church has a different objective: to glorify the
victorious Christ to the maximum. And greater
responsibility placed upon each believer to Think and apply Truth for himself
in the privacy of his own priesthood. Still, many Principles found in
the Mosaic Law also appear in the protocol plan. The reason is that both codes
come from the same source, from God Himself. The essence of God remains
unchanged even as He makes dispensational changes in human history. God was
perfect before He gave the Law to Moses, perfect during the time of the Law,
and perfect when He fulfilled and rescinded the Law in Christ. In fact, the
succession of dispensations reveals His changeless essence to man and angels.
God expressed His absolute Holiness to man in legal terms long before the
Mosaic Law existed, and He continues to provide ethical norms and Spiritual
instruction now that the Law has ceased to govern. Indeed before the time in
which the Mosaic Law was in effect in Israel, other expressions of Divine Law
functioned among Jews and Gentiles to whom the Mosaic Law never applied. (Gen 26:5; Job 1:1;
Exod 19:5; Rom
2:14-16; 1Co 7:19)
In the Church Age the operative Divine Law is not the Mosaic Law but “the Law of
Christ.” (1Co 9:20-21; Gal 6:2) This is also called “the Law of the Spirit of life in Christ
Jesus,” (Rom 8:2) which is called the protocol plan of God, or Thinking Truth
in the Spiritual life. Christ fulfilled the
entire Mosaic Law in the power of the Holy Spirit in the prototype Spiritual
life. The New Covenant Church Age believer obeys the new “Law of Christ”
by following His example: filled with God the Holy
Spirit in the operational Spiritual life. (Rom
8:2-4) Because Christ fulfilled and abolished the Mosaic Law. (Heb 8:13; Heb 10:9)
Practices instituted for the nation of Israel are not included in the
post-Salvation plan of God for the Church Age. They do not contribute to the
Christian way of life. The Church, for example, does
not offer animal sacrifices, observe holy days or the Sabbath, maintain the
Levitical priesthood, worship in a sacred building, offer tithes, or have
minute details of civic life prescribed by Spiritual Ordinances. There is now a new, universal priesthood of all believers, (1Pe 2:9; Heb 7:12; Heb 8:1)
and a greater emphasis on individual responsibility, (Gal 5:1) and
a separation of church and state. (Rom 13:1-7;
cf. Mat 22:15-22)
TRANSITION
BETWEEN DIVINE ADMINISTRATIONS.
Three separate dispensations
converge in the Age of the Hypostatic Union.
1. Christ fulfilled the Old Testament Law, (Heb 10:9) and taught His current followers to live apart from
legalism. (The old sin
nature's “moral” effort to be Holy) (Rom
8:8)
2. He proclaimed His ruling platform for the New Covenant kingdom. (Mat 5:1-48)
3. He unveiled the plan of God for the Church. (Mat 16:15-27; Joh
14:1; thru Joh 17:26)
These closely placed Divine
administrations —
as well as the presence of Christ Himself — exhibit the grace and wisdom of God to an unparalleled depth of
continuity and change.
The period of our Lord’s first advent, then, is an extraordinary presentation
of God’s perfect essence. Each dispensation fulfills its own purpose in the
overall plan of God. Although similarities exist,
differences in Divine Commands distinguish Israel, the Incarnation, the Church,
the Tribulation and the Millennium. Divine policy differs significantly
from the Law given through Moses to Israel, (Deut
4:13) to the New Covenant at the last supper. (Luk 22:20) For example, the Sermon on the Mount
represented a shift in Divine policy. Again and again Jesus declared, “You have heard that it was said [In the Mosaic Law]. . . but I say... (Mat 5:21-48) He
proclaimed the New Covenant kingdom of God to the Jews in terms of their Mosaic
frame of reference, for He used the Law as the foundation or point of departure
for explaining the way of life of His Personal rule in the soul of each
believer in the New Covenant Spiritual kingdom. (Rom 15:12; 1Co 3:16;
Eph 1:22-23; 1Co 7:22) Christ also ministered to the current needs of His
hearers. Amplifying and clarifying the true meaning of the Law, He taught them
how to live free from the legalistic degeneracy that was the norm in the
nation. Never was the Law intended to be a means of Salvation (Gal 3:24) or a breeding ground for
self-righteousness. (Mat 6:1-18) The
Law revealed the necessity for grace and the source of that grace, Jesus Christ
Himself. After Christ was rejected by Israel, He announced yet a different
Divine system, the Church Age. (Joh 14:1)
thru (Joh 17:1-26) During the Church Age, church and state are separate
entities. Divine
Commands for the Spiritual kingdom of the Church Age believer, cannot be
imposed upon the unbeliever. Unlike the
Mosaic Law which ruled believers and unbelievers in Israel. In the Millennium the Spiritual and the civil will also
come under one rule as Christ again reigns, not as God ruling over one nation
but as the God-man over both Israel and the entire world. Rather than
institute another legal system that directly governs all people, Christ now
controls history in a manner that gives individual Church Age believers
tremendous opportunity and responsibility for having invisible impact. In the Upper Room Discourse (Luk 22:15-30) Jesus bequeathed to the Church
this new system of dynamics by which He Himself had lived throughout His first
advent.
COMMON
PRINCIPLES IN DIFFERENT CODES.
The similarities between the Mosaic Law and Church Age protocol reveal
God’s immutable consistency, but the differences reflect the magnitude of
Christ’s achievement during His first advent. The utterly highest quality of
His saving work not only is a stated fact of Doctrine. (Heb 2:3) but is also indicated by the
dispensational changes that followed the victory of the Cross and resurrection
(Joh 7:38-39) (The
New Covenant Spiritual life) Astounding privileges belong to the “new Spiritual species” of believers —
the Church — who are chosen to glorify His victory forever. In establishing the
way of life for believers of the Church Age, God manifested His character in
many individual Commands, some of which He had also included in the Mosaic Law.
For example, with the full unveiling of mystery
Doctrine in the New Testament Epistles, every one of the Ten Commandments,
except Sabbath observance, has also been given to the Church. (Fulfilled by being in fellowship; Gal 5:22-23) Even with these similarities,
Church Age protocol is not the Mosaic Law. These are entirely different codes,
just as the United States Constitution is not the same as England’s Magna
Carta, even though they share certain Concepts. Continuities between Israel and
the Church exist because all Divine Law reflects the unchangeable Thinking of
God, not because all or part of the Mosaic Law carries over into other
dispensations. Despite numerous continuities, the new policy for the Church Age
is not the old Mosaic Law itself. If Precepts found in the Mosaic Law pertain
to the Church, they do so because they appear in the New Testament Epistles,
which define the Christian way of life. These common Principles belong to the
Church because they are part of the Law of Christ,
(His Thinking) not because they belong to the Mosaic
Law. (Condemnation of human thinking)
(Rom 7:14; Rom
7:25) Adherence to Divine establishment had a different meaning
under the Mosaic Law than it does under God’s plan for the Church Age. Because Israel was God’s unique client nation, obedience to
the establishment aspect of the Mosaic Law was an integral part of the Spiritual life of Jewish believers. As
part of the Law, Divine establishment not only preserved the line of the
Messiah but also stabilized Jewish society so that over many centuries the Jews
would retain the specific national functions that foreshadowed Christ. In the
Church Age these special purposes for Divine establishment does not exist. The separation of church and state means that the
Christian’s responsibility to obey establishment is an application of his Spiritual life rather than a part of it. This
explains why the Romans considered the early Christians to be deficient in
patriotism, not because Christians disobeyed civil Law or were irresponsible as
citizens but because Christianity did not make civil duty part of one’s
religion. Again, whereas the Law of Moses pertained to all residents of the
nation — believers and unbelievers alike — the Law
of Christ governs believers only.
THE CONTINUING VALUE OF THE MOSAIC LAW. The Mosaic Law belongs to the Word
of God and still has value for the Church Age believer. In Codex I the Ten Commandments
define human freedom. This short list of prohibitions does not begin to cover
the Doctrine of hamartiology. (Sin) The identified sins destroy the component
elements of freedom — which are privacy, protection,
owning property, liberty and Divinely delegated authority. In every
dispensation believers and unbelievers alike can protect freedom by avoiding
these destructive sins. This explains why every provision of the Decalogue,
except Sabbath observance; that was and is a teaching aid for Spiritual maturity,
(Isa 58:13-14; Heb 4:9-11) is also
found in the Law of Christ; as an illustration for us to cease from human
thinking, as they ceased from work, and
human thinking. (Exod 35:2) Codex II
presents the purpose for which God gave man free will: to come to a knowledge
of Jesus Christ. The ritual provisions of the Law still have value
because they reveal the Messiah as the only Savior.
In ceremonies prescribed by Codex II, the sacrificial animal received the judgment due to the
sinner; providing forgiveness and personal cleansing. The New Testament
reveals that the actual source of forgiveness of sins is the substitutionary
death of Christ on the cross. (Rom 5:8-10)
Fulfilled in the Person of Christ, these details of ceremonial worship in
Israel can teach the royal family to appreciate the Lord. The Church Age
believer can see Jesus Christ in the
Law. New Testament phrases like “the Lamb
of God” and “the blood of Christ”
dramatically declare that Christ’s saving work on the Cross is the Reality that
the Mosaic Law foreshadowed. (Exod 12:21;
Joh 1:29; 1Pe
1:18-19) Codex III contains practical Instructions in many fields
that were especially pertinent to Israel. For example, agricultural practices
or precautions in dealing with disease or sanitation addressed problems that
exist throughout human history. The specific provisions of the Mosaic Law may
or may not have value in other nations, but they are concrete examples of how
establishment Concepts apply to particular situations. Above all, these
Statutes testify to the care and faithfulness of God in guiding His people in
specific circumstances that often were difficult.
Many particulars of Divine establishment in Codex III of the Mosaic Law
are neither reconfirmed nor clearly excluded from Church Age practice. These Precepts still reveal the essence of God as expressed
in governing His client nation, but they do not bear the force of Law for any
nation but Old Testament Israel. For instance, the Principle of capital
punishment is given for restraint of sin. (Rom
13:1-4) And to promote freedom during the Church Age, but the Church is only a Spiritual kingdom that continues
by the pivot of Spiritually mature believers. (Luk 9:62) God has given the Church Age believer
general guidance concerning Divine establishment, in contrast to the hundreds
of exact Laws that precisely defined life in ancient Israel. Each believer has
a responsibility to his community and nation, but the separation of church and
state during the Church Age entrusts the specific application of establishment
Principles to each generation. God encourages the Christian to Think and apply the basic Truths of
Divine establishment according to the legitimate processes of human government
in his own nation. Government is “a
minister of God to you for good.” (Rom 13:1-14)
An astute political leader in the Church Age who wishes his nation to prosper
can learn much from the Mosaic Law without blindly superimposing its exact provisions
where they may not apply. Instead, he will adapt establishment Principles to
the circumstances, objectives and heritage of his own country. Because Jesus
Christ fulfilled the Mosaic Law, His Church is free from the Law. (Gal 5:1) Freedom from the Mosaic Law is not
Lawlessness or lack of direction. Instead, this royal liberty exists within the
framework of God’s protocol for the Church Age. (Joh
15:10-12; 1Co 9:19-21; Gal 5:13) The Christian lives under a new Law
initially announced by Christ and executed in the power of God the Holy Spirit.
(Rom 8:2-4) Just as the humanity of
Christ Spiritually matured under this powerful system of Divine assets. (Luk 2:40, Luk 2:52)
Church Age believers also have an extraordinary opportunity to advance
Spiritually. Among the many continuing uses of the Mosaic Law, this portion of
Scripture teaches by contrast that the Church Age is an epoch of Spiritual
freedom. The
advantages of being in union with Christ, give believers unprecedented freedom
to apply Truth, and grow in a personal relationship with God.
THE DISPENSATION OF THE CHURCH
The Church Age is a brilliant advance in Biblical history. For
perspective, notice the progress of the dispensations. At the founding of
Israel, Moses wrote:
Indeed, ask now concerning the
former days which were before you, since the day that God created man on the
earth, and inquire from one end of the heavens to the other. Has anything been
done like this great thing, [Establishing the nation of Israel] or has anything
been heard like it? (Deut 4:32)
Magnificent though God’s
client nation was; when the Age of Israel ended with the advent of Christ; a
far greater thing had come to pass.
God, after He spoke long ago to
the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways, in these last
days has spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through
whom also He made the world. (Heb 1:1-2)
Following this incomparable Revelation of God, the Church still arrived
on the scene as an amazing expression of God’s power and grace. The Church is a
breathtaking phenomenon. Never before has the believer held such a position in
relation to the Godhead. Scripture presents the Church as yet another dramatic
new departure in human history.
Do you not believe that I am in the
Father, and the Father is in Me? The Words that I say
to you I do not speak on My own initiative, but the Father abiding in Me
does His works. Believe Me that I am in the
Father and the Father is in Me; otherwise believe
because of the works themselves. Truly, truly, I say to you, he who
believes in Me, the works that I do, he will do also; and greater works than
these he will do; because I go to the Father. [So God
will speak through us] Whatever you ask in My name, that will I do, so
that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask Me anything in My name,
I will do it. If you love Me, you will keep My
Commandments. [Thoughts]
I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you
forever; that is the Spirit of Truth, whom
the world cannot receive, because it does not see Him or know Him, but you know
Him because He abides with you and will be in you.
(Joh
14:10-17)
As a unique body of believers, the Church is
united with Christ, imitates Him, glorifies Him, accompanies Him, and if
Spiritually mature, will rule with Him forever. Never before in history have
all these privileges been extended to mankind.
THE EPOCH OF THE ROYAL FAMILY OF GOD
The Church Age began circa AD. 30 on the day of Pentecost, ten days
after our Lord’s ascension, and will terminate with the resurrection, or
harvest. (Mat 24:27-40) An overview of
the broad, historical characteristics of the Church Age will be presented here.
Later we will summarize the privileges of the individual Church Age believer.
There we will discover why the Church Age offers the greatest challenge to the
individual believer in all of human history. The Church Age believer’s unique
status, power system, privileges, and responsibilities will answer the
question, “After Salvation, what?” The
Dispensation of the Church is the era of the royal family of God. Every Church
Age believer belongs to Christ’s royal family, founded as a consequence of His
strategic victory at the Cross and His rejection by Israel. (1Pe 2:9) During the Church Age God is forming
this body of believers for the maximum glorification of the Lord Jesus Christ. God gives each Church Age believer the new royal status of
the resurrected Christ, and extends the great power experiment of the
hypostatic union into the great power experiment of the Church Age. The
position, assets, and opportunities given to the Church Age believer place the
royal family of God in contrast to the family, nation or kingdom of God in
other dispensations. Christ now holds three titles of royalty, each with a
royal family. As God, He has always been Divine
royalty. (Rom 1:4; Joh 17:5) His first royal title is Son of God,
and His royal family includes the other two members of the Trinity — God the
Father and God the Holy Spirit. As a
man, Jesus became Jewish royalty at
the virgin birth. (Rom 1:3) His Jewish
royal title is Son of David and His royal family is the Davidic dynasty. As the
God-man, He won the victory over Satan at the Cross (Col 2:15) and was
granted a new royal title that may be considered His battlefield royalty. (Heb 1:3-4)
This third royal title is King of Kings and Lord of
Lords, the Bright Morning Star. (1Ti 6:15;
Rev 19:16; Rev
22:16) But when the Father conferred this new title upon our Lord,
no accompanying royal family yet existed. The plan of God for the Church Age
brings to a majestic culmination the honors presented to the victorious Christ.
When Jesus Christ ascended in triumph to heaven, (Eph
4:8) God the Father invested Him with the glories of battlefield
royalty and seated Him at the right hand of the throne of God. (Psa 110:1) Then the Father inaugurated the
Church Age to establish a royal family for the glorified Lord Jesus Christ.
Everyone who believes in Christ during the New Covenant Age is a member of the
royal family of God, also known as the Body of Christ. (Gal 3:28; Eph
1:22-23) The very presence of Spiritual royalty on earth makes the
Church Age unique in human history. During the Church
Age every believer can live in the operational Spiritual life, just as during
the Dispensation of the Hypostatic Union the humanity of Christ resided in the
prototype Spiritual life. Every member of the
royal family can utilize the Divine power and the Divine problem solving
devices that enabled the humanity of Christ to win His strategic victory over
Satan, sin, and death!
By extending the great power experiment, He equipped us to
exploit His strategic victory and win tactical victories in our own lives. As we grow Spiritually,
the positive influence of Spiritual royalty on earth spreads visibly, and
invisibly from the individual believer to other people, to organizations, to
nations, to future generations, and to the angels. The personal dynamics
of the Christian way of life will be discussed later, but this powerful
collective impact of believers is one of the broad historical characteristics
of the Church Age. During this dispensation, God
maintains a Spiritual presence, not a political or racial presence, among
mankind!
GENTILE CLIENT NATIONS
Client nations exist in the Church Age but with a significant difference
from the Age of Israel. As before, believers reside in all the nations of the
earth, but instead of dealing with mankind through a Jewish client nation, God
now primarily works through gentile client nations. He
entrusts Spiritually mature believers in these nations with the preservation
and communication of the Written canon of Scripture. He blesses and protects the gentile client nation as
long as the nation upholds its client responsibilities.
Israel is the only nation with which God has sworn an eternal Covenant.
He will honor His unconditional Covenants at the second advent of Christ, (Rom 11:25-29) but
Israel is under Divine discipline throughout the Church Age, and is restricted
from her client nation functions. These are “the
times of the Gentiles” (Luk 21:24)
which will continue until Christ returns. (Mat 24:30) God now extends client privileges to
non-Jewish nations. This Divine policy is implied by both Christ and Paul who
Command civic duty toward the Roman Empire. (Luk
20:21-25; Rom 13:1-7)
During the Church Age any gentile nation can serve as a client nation by
practicing the following Principles.
1. Protect human life, freedom, protection, privacy and property; according to the Divine Laws of establishment
1. Protect human life, freedom, protection, privacy and property; according to the Divine Laws of establishment
2. Allow evangelism and Bible teaching
3. Serve as a base for missionary
activity to non-client nations
4. Afford a haven of toleration for the dispersed Jews
4. Afford a haven of toleration for the dispersed Jews
The first of these Principles creates the environment in which the
remaining Principles can fully operate. The first is the chief concern of a
nation’s government, while the remaining three express the Spiritual life of
the nation's people. God deals with the client nation
in keeping with the Spiritual condition of its believers. Blessings to growing
believers overflow to the nation; Divine
discipline of believers who do not advance also affects the nation. This ultimately
explains the nation’s historical rise or fall. (Psa 34:15-16) Therefore, a thriving client
nation that enjoys special Divine blessing must maintain a strong pivot of
growing and Spiritually mature believers. Although
invisible, the Spiritual impact of mature believers residing in a gentile
client nation gives the nation its vigor. The gentile client nation is
God’s principal missionary agency during the Church Age. As part of the client nation’s collective impact, every
individual believer as a member of the Church Universal has a personal
responsibility to evangelize those in his periphery. (Act 1:8; Rom 1:14;
1Co 9:16; 2Co
4:5; 2Ti 4:5) He is likewise responsible for supporting the domestic and
foreign spread of the Gospel and accurate Biblical teaching. This support may
include prayer, financial contributions, service, or some other form of aid and
encouragement. In sharp contrast to Israel, no
specific race of people is elect in the Church Age. Different
from the election of Israel, the election of the Church includes every
individual believer — Jew and Gentile
— of any race, culture or nationality. (Gal 3:28)
Strictly speaking, there is no such thing as a
“Christian nation.” The royal family of God on earth exists in every nation, and, unlike the Theocracy of Israel, church and
state are separate. This separation is illustrated by the Roman Empire, which
was the first gentile client nation. Although Rome was pagan in its official
religion, the Church thrived under her protection and toleration during the
reigns of the Antonine Caesars. (AD. 96-192) New Testament Truth never
advocates a union of church and state, the interference of Christian
organizations into the affairs of state, or the overthrow of pagan governments.
Rather, government is a blessing. (Rom 13:1-7)
Actually, God ordained the benefit to be reciprocal. While the Roman Empire
served as “a minister of God to you for
good,” (Rom 13:4) the invisible
Spiritual pivot of mature believers brought Divine blessing to the Empire. This
unheralded nucleus of Christians existed in the congregations of the Roman
province of Asia, located in what is today western Turkey. (Eph; Col; John;
Rev. 2 — 3)
PRECANON AND POSTCANON ERAS
The Church Age is divided into two categories: the relatively brief
pre-canon period in which the New Testament canon was being formed, and the
predominant post-canon period following the completion of the written Word of
God. The pre-canon era is documented in the Book of Acts, which preserves the
historical record of the early Church; but
does not attempt a comprehensive presentation of Church Age Doctrines. In
fact, certain phenomena found in Acts were required in starting the Church Age
but were no longer pertinent after the purpose was achieved, and Church Age
Doctrines were permanently and authoritatively recorded in the New Testament
Epistles. Thus, the pre-canon period was characterized by temporary Spiritual
gifts such as apostleship, Prophecy, knowledge, tongues, interpretation of
tongues, miracles, and healing. (1Co 12:1-14)
These temporary gifts were designed to spotlight the Doctrine of the mystery, (Eph 3:9) to gain a hearing for communicators of
these newly revealed Doctrines, and to warn Israel of impending national
discipline from God. As when these purposes were fulfilled; the temporary gifts
were no longer necessary and were gradually removed. (1Co 13:8) Paul, for example, gained credibility
with his hearers through the temporary gifts of miracles and healing, (Act 13:8-12; Act
14:3; Act 19:11-12) but as
his reputation became established, these gifts no longer had a purpose. By A.D. 61 he could not Command the healing of
even his dear friend Epaphroditus, (Php 2:27)
and in Miletus, Trophimus. (2Ti 4:20)
Likewise, the temporary gift of tongues was designed to evangelize Jews in
gentile languages, unknown to the speakers themselves. This miraculous gift was a
dramatic sign of Israel’s failure as a client nation to carry the Truth to
gentile nations. Prophesied by Isaiah, the temporary gift of tongues was a
warning to Israel of imminent Divine discipline. (Isa
28:11; cf. 1Co 14:21) When
Jerusalem did indeed fall to the Romans in A.D. 70, the gift of tongues had no further purpose and ceased to
exist. The so-called gift of tongues claimed today is
an emotional and demonic counterfeit that distracts from Truth, divides the
Church, and debases Christianity. The pre-canon period came to a close
with the death of John, the last apostle, sometime after he wrote Revelation in
approximately A.D. 96.
The post-canon period, in which we now live, is the era of permanent
Spiritual gifts.
Gifts like pastor-teacher, evangelism, administration and helps. And are
designed to communicate the Truth, of the written Word of God and carry out the
functions of the Church to reach Spiritual maturity. (Eph 4:11-13) These gifts sustain the royal
family of God on earth and operate throughout all generations of the Church
Age. Gone are the spectacular displays of Divine power typical of the pre-canon
period. Gone are the dramatic rituals and ceremonies of previous dispensations.
The post-canon period of the Church Age, emphasizes
Thinking Truth and personal application of Truth. (Joh 13:17) The Christian lives by Divine Truth in his own soul,
rather than depending on the emotional stimulation of overt rites, Divine
appearances or miraculous deeds performed by a few highly visible Christians.
Even in the pre-canon period, the emphasis was on Truth. (1Co 14:19) The Church is the most concentrated
and sustained presentation of God’s grace in all of human history. (Eph 3:2)
Continual Spiritual growth is the believer’s
objective in every dispensation, but in the Church Age the means to this end
are more powerful than in any other age. Truth teaches that God gives each member of the royal family
access to Divine power in his inner life (Php 3:10)
while providing the problem-solving devices designed originally for the
humanity of Christ. (Joh 15:10; 1Jn 2:6) Spiritual
victory lies in using these assets. The result is the progressive attainment of
Spiritual maturity — with all the mental and emotional richness that maturity
brings.
THE TRIBULATION
TO REVIEW, THE SIX DISPENSATIONS; from three categories:
Theocentric, Christocentric, and Eschatological. We have just described the two
magnificent Christocentric dispensations: the Dispensation of the Hypostatic
Union and the Church Age. Now we turn our attention to the future. Eschatology
is the biblical study of future or final events. Prophecies yet unfulfilled
anticipate history’s concluding two dispensations, which are designated the
Tribulation and the Millennium. The eschatological dispensations are defined as
those after the signing and altering of the peace treaty. (Dan 8:11-14; Dan
9:27; Dan 12:11)
The Tribulational
eschatological dispensation is separate but coexists with the Church because it
was presented in the Old Testament, whereas the Church (By name) remained
undisclosed throughout Old Testament times, but it has always been known that
Gentiles would be saved in the New Covenant Age. (Hos
1:10; Rom 9:26; Mat 12:21; Amos
9:10-11; Act 15:16-18) For
the Jews, the Tribulation immediately precedes the founding of God’s Promised
kingdom on earth. Thus, this approximately seven-year period of history (Dan 9:27; Rev 11:3;
Rev 12:6) is the end of Divine
discipline against Israel. The Tribulation is Prophesied in the Old Testament,
(Isa 34:1-6; Isa 63:1-6; Jer 30:4-8; Dan 11:40-45;
Zec 12:1-3; Zec
14:1-2) and in our Lord’s Olivet Discourse, and in Revelation 6 —
19. This short, dramatic era will commence immediately at the altering of the
peace treaty, (Dan 9:27) and will
terminate with the Second Advent of Christ. It is the “time of Jacob’s distress” (Jer 30:7)
and Daniel’s seventieth week (Or seventieth seven) based on the famous
timetable prophecy of, (Dan 9:24-27).
The Tribulation might also be called the time of Satan’s desperation because of
the violent power struggle that will occur. (Rev
12:12)
The first half of the Tribulation will be a time of relative prosperity
and overt world peace. Satan will make this one last attempt to establish a
“Millennium” of his own to prove that he is equal with God. (Isa 14:14) But the devil has only his own
interests at heart. He cares nothing for mankind but merely wants to use man to
prove himself justified in revolting against God. Behind the scenes Satan will
be clamping the human race in tyranny through power politics and religious
manipulation. Tyranny always flows into the vacuum
created by the absence of Divine establishment. Evil will be
unrestrained in the Tribulation, Satan will have his freest hand. But when
Satan is left virtually to his own devices, the world situation will turn grim
— characterized by an initial false prosperity that
deteriorates into horrible disaster. Satan’s arrogance will be
ultimately revealed in his incompetence. Given every chance, he cannot rule the
kingdom he usurped from Adam. Human failures will multiply under Satan’s
administration through a contagion of bad decisions; a
shockingly large portion of the earth’s population will be destroyed. (Rev 6:1-11) Except for Eden and the millennial
reign of Jesus Christ, utopias are masks for coercion,
slavery, and violence. Neither man nor Satan (Who
is far more capable than man) can create a
politically and or socially perfect state. In the Tribulation, God will
eject arrogant scheming, belligerent Satan from the courtroom of heaven where
he has enjoyed free access as defense counsel throughout the appeal trial of
the angelic conflict. (Rev 12:7-9; cf. Job 1:6; Job 2:1;
Zec 3:1) With Satan cast down to earth,
the Tribulation Period will witness unprecedented violence as Satan's
machinations unravel and he desperately struggles to retain his rule over the
world. This latter part of the dispensation is the period actually called the
Great Tribulation. (Mat 24:21; Rev 7:14) Satan will commit all his forces to
exterminating the Jews. (Rev 12:17) His
purpose will be to eliminate all potential beneficiaries of God’s unconditional
Covenants to Israel. The devil will pursue this heinous policy in an attempt to
prove God unfaithful to His Promises. Satan will know from Scripture that the
fulfillment of God’s Covenants to Israel is imminent. The Millennium will be
only years away. But, reasons Satan, if no regenerate Jew remains alive, God
would be unable to keep His Promises and fulfill His Prophecies. There would be
no one to receive the Promised blessings. And if God could not fulfill His
unconditional Covenants; (A blasphemous and unthinkable presumption) His
essence would be flawed, and Satan would have grounds for demanding dismissal
of all the charges against himself and the fallen angels. But Satan’s ploy will
not succeed. In spite of a deceptive peace followed by horrible violence, the Gospel
of Salvation will be presented more intensively during the Tribulation than in
any other dispensation. With Israel remaining under Divine discipline until
Christ’s Second Advent, Instead of a client nation, God’s principal missionary
agency will be 144,000 Jewish evangelists. (Rev
7:4-8) They will risk martyrdom to present the Gospel throughout the
world. Supporting and supplementing the function of these evangelists, angels
will also join in the presentation of the Gospel. (Rev
14:6-7) Furthermore, two Old Testament prophets — Moses and Elijah will
be resuscitated for a brief but powerful ministry in Jerusalem. (Rev 11:3-13) By all these diverse means, the
entire earth will be evangelized thoroughly in the brief span of the
Tribulation. Principle: Grace precedes judgment. An unprecedented world war will break out in the last half of
the Tribulation.
Watching his utopian kingdom fragment and collapse into chaos, a
desperate Satan will set vast human and demonic forces into motion. The ensuing
war will culminate in the Armageddon Campaign, in which the forces of four
great political powers will converge on Palestine. In Jerusalem a remnant of
Jewish believers will refuse to surrender. Brilliantly commanded by aggressive,
Spiritually mature generals, (Zec 12:5-8)
these besieged few will fight for their lives against overwhelming odds. The
situation will appear utterly hopeless. The last chance of survival will
collapse. Then, suddenly, the Lord Jesus Christ will return to earth and join
the battle. (Zec 12:9-11)
THE MILLENNIUM
THE REIGN OF CHRIST
The Lord Jesus Christ will return to deliver the Jews. (Isa 10:20-23;
Isa 11:11-16; Isa 14:1-3; Isa
63:1-6; Joe 2:16; thru Joe 3:21; Zec
10:6-12) He will come to establish His kingdom in fulfillment of the
unconditional Covenants to Israel. (Dan 9:24;
Zec 14:9)
Seventy weeks [490 yrs.] have been decreed for your people [The Jews] and your holy city, [Jerusalem] to finish the transgression, [End the fifth cycle of discipline for Israel] to
make an end of sin, [Judgment on negative volition,
religion, anti-Semitism, evil, etc.] to make atonement for iniquity, [Baptism of fire] to bring in everlasting
righteousness, [The Millennium] to seal up
vision [Daniel's vision] and Prophecy [Three unconditional Covenants] [The New Covenant continues with Israel as the client nation]
and to anoint the most Holy place. [The New Temple
with Gods Presence] (Dan 9:24)
As King of Kings and Lord of Lords, Jesus Christ, the Son of David will
destroy the forces of Satan and depose the devil as the ruler of the earth. The
Lamb of God will re-gather dispersed Israel and rule the earth for one thousand
years. Then will the wonderful Prophecy be fulfilled, which describes “many peoples and mighty nations of
Gentiles coming to Jerusalem to entreat the favor of the Lord.”
So many peoples and mighty nations will
come to seek the LORD of hosts in Jerusalem and to entreat the favor of the
LORD. Thus says the LORD of hosts, In those days ten men from all the nations
will grasp the garment of a Jew, saying, Let us go with you, for we have heard
that God is with you.
(Zec 8:22-23)
The Millennium, Latin for “one thousand years,” will commence with the
Second Advent of Christ and terminate with the Last Judgment and the destruction
of the present universe, including planet Earth. This final dispensation prior
to the eternal state is documented in numerous passages of Scripture, with
major statements in, (Psa 72:1-20; Isa 11:1-12; Isa
35:1-10; Isa 62:1-12; Isa 65:18-25; Zec
14:4-11; Rev 20:1-10).
When Jesus Christ returns, He will be accompanied by His royal families,
from the wedding feast. (Rev 19:1-21) Along with the Church, these Jewish and Gentile (Spiritually Mature) believers, (Job 19:25-26; Rev
7:9-17) in their resurrection bodies will
participate in our Lord’s thousand year reign over the earth. With
Christ’s Second Advent and the restoration of client-nation Israel, the general
outline of the Millennium includes the imprisonment of Satan and his fallen angels,
(Rev 20:1-3) the removal of all
unbelievers from the earth in the Baptism of Fire, (2Pe
3:7-10) and the coronation of Christ. The Millennium will begin with
a cadre of believers only, (Isa 66:20-21)
delivered through the Tribulation. In succeeding generations, however, some of
their sons and daughters will reject Christ as Savior despite His Personal
Presence and regardless of the wisdom and justice of His rule. (Rev 20:8-10) Under the administration of Christ,
the earth will enjoy perfect environment. (Isa
35:1-10; (Isa 11:6-12; Isa 65:19-25;
Rom 8:19-21) Universal peace will
exist for the first time since the fall of man. (Psa
46:8-9; Isa 2:2-4; Hos 2:18; Mic 4:3)
Prosperity will spread to all nations. (Psa
72:7-20) Infant mortality will be reduced dramatically, and human
longevity will increase dramatically. (Isa 65:20) A population explosion will result,
repopulating the earth after the decimations of the population in the
Tribulation, and the Divine judgments that initially establish Christ’s reign.
Throughout the Millennium there will be universal knowledge of God, and the use
of His Thinking. (Isa 11:9; Jer 31:33-34) Israel will rejoice as God’s client nation ruled by Christ
Personally. The believer’s post-Salvation way
of life will again include the ministry of God the Holy Spirit, and like the
Spirit’s invisible ministry during the Church Age, (Heb 10:14-17) the
filling of God the Holy Spirit in the Millennium will stimulate the
believer’s growth to Spiritual maturity.
(Eze 11:19-20) The Holy Spirit’s ministry of revealing and glorifying
Christ is to demonstrate the sufficiency and tremendous impact of Truth in the
soul of the believer. Emotion is not a barometer of Spirituality.
Instead, emotion responds normally to the mentality of the soul, where Truth
resides as a result of learning Truth. God set aside the spectacular rituals
and miracles of previous dispensations, (1Co 1:22;
Heb 1:1-2) so
that during the post-canon Church Age His manifold wisdom and power are
displayed in Truth, as the object of faith which emphasizes the believer’s
Thoughts and decisions rather than his emotions. (Rom 16:17-18; 1Co
1:23-25; Eph 3:10) In the Millennium, however, the Living Word will be
present along with the written Word, sight will complement faith, and under our
Lord’s control ecstatics can be a genuine Spiritual phenomenon on a more
widespread basis than in any other dispensation.
THE CONCLUSION OF THE MILLENNIUM
After one thousand years of perfect environment, Satan will be released
from captivity. (Rev 20:7-9) The devil
will lead rebellious elements of the human race and his own fallen angels in a
desperate conspiracy against our Lord’s perfect government. Called the Gog and
Magog Revolution, this final outburst of satanic violence will be suppressed
immediately. With Satan’s argument for the defense reduced to unrestrained
violence; and with God’s demonstration of grace completed, this will terminate the appeal trial of Satan. Its purpose achieved, human history will end. At that time all millennial believers will receive their
resurrection bodies. This final resurrection of believers will complete the
sequence of resurrections. (1Co 15:52-55)
At the same time God will resurrect all unbelievers separately from believers.
(Rev 20:11-15) The
purpose of this resurrection will be to judge all who never accepted Salvation. They will be judged not for their sins, for which
Christ paid in full, (1Jn 2:2) but for rejecting Christ. (Joh
3:18)
Unbelievers will be resurrected in one group
regardless of the dispensation in which they lived. Here is a final instance of continuity, in contrast to
dispensational changes. Unlike the resurrections of Christ and believers
in their dispensational order, the common resurrection of unbelievers indicates that
Salvation by grace through faith in Christ is the same in every dispensation. (Act 4:12) All unbelievers alike, of every dispensation, will have
refused the same Savior. Presiding in majesty
from the Great White Throne of the Last Judgment, our Lord Jesus Christ will
sentence them to join the fallen angels in the Lake of Fire, separated from God
forever. (Isa
66:24; Rev 20:14-15)
Finally, then will come the destruction of the universe, the creation of a new
universe, and the commencement of the eternal state. (2Pe 3:12-13; Isa
66:22-24; Rev 21:1 thru Rev 22:5) Mankind will be divided into categories for
all eternity: Mature believers, (Rev 22:14;
Mat 13:8) negative believers,(Luk 12:46-48; Rev
22:15) and believers guilty of treachery, (2Pe 2:17-21; Jude
1:11-13) and unbelievers, (Rev 20:15;
Rev 21:8) because they refused to
accept Christ as their Savior. (Joh 3:18;
Joh 3:36)
CONTINUITY AND CHANGE
GOD HAS A PURPOSE for
every believer. What is His plan for you? After Salvation, what?
Dispensations are an essential frame of reference. The Biblical answer
to “After Salvation, what?” lies in the assets God has given specifically to
the royal family and in His Command for utilizing those assets. The Christian
way of life is clarified, therefore, by understanding how the Church Age is
unique while being related to the other dispensations. Dispensations orient the
believer to God’s plan for history. They unlock the Scriptures for accurate
personal application. The Old and New Testaments clearly declares that true
“Jewish” Israel, are not only Spiritually regenerate but ethnically Jewish.
God’s magnificent faithfulness to the flesh-and-blood nation of Israel cannot
be reduced to a Spiritual or figurative dimension only. (Eze 37:21-28) Strong
continuity does indeed run through the Divine View of history. God perceives
all events as one indivisible system, every part of which is essential to the
integrity of the whole. But the parts of the whole are still distinct parts.
The Doctrine of dispensations thoroughly integrates both consistency and
distinction, both continuity and change. God keeps His Promises! He is true to
Himself, true to His Word, and true to all who trust in Him! Dispensational shifts do not undermine the integrity of God
or the stability of His plan. Indeed, these changes achieve His unchanging
purpose for human history. The Bible is
progressive revelation and is rich in figurative expressions, comparisons, symbolism,
allusion, metaphor, analogy, poetry, type (Like
someone, or something else) and antitype. (Just like
someone or something else) (Luk 8:10)
There is continuity in Scripture as
the language of the New Testament echoes the Old Testament, both centers upon
the Person of Christ. Indeed the
differences deserve our respect, the distinction between Israel and the Church
profoundly exhibits the essence of God. This distinction reveals both His
faithfulness to His chosen nation and His justice in answering Israel’s refusal
to be the caretaker of the New Covenant, by creating an even greater
demonstration of grace in the Church. God does not play with Words. God IS Truth, and He intends to Communicate IT. (Num 23:19; Psa
33:4-6) God’s special role for the royal family is the
glorification of Christ, encouraging among Christians a vigorous love for the
Thinking of Bible Doctrine. As believers work
to establish the Spiritual kingdom of God on earth. (By growing to Spiritual maturity) Only Jesus Christ,
not fallible Christians, (Nor Satan) can bring about the Millennium. Christ
will do so in God’s Own perfect timing and not according to any human schedule.
(Act 1:6-7; 1Th
5:1-2) This remains the devil’s world until the Second Advent of
Christ, when our Lord will overthrow Satan. During the Church Age, believers
can live in the confidence that the future rests in God’s powerful hands, as
outlined in Biblical eschatology, (End times) while turning their primary
attention to His plan for glorifying Christ in this present dispensation. The plan of God for the Church Age must not be set aside by
the fruitless ambition to reform or remake the devil's world. (Jas 3:14-15) Christians
must not instigate or join crusades to whitewash the devil's world.
Certainly the
Christian is responsible for being an exemplary citizen under the Divine
institution of the national entity, but church and state remain separate. Christianity is not a political movement but a personal
relationship with God through Christ and His Word. Whatever may be the
participation of believers in their communities or in the legitimate political
processes of their nations, Christians must not
neglect their essential calling, which is to attain Spiritual maturity. (Eph 4:13) Spiritual maturity itself
makes the believer an invisible hero with a powerful, unheralded, positive
impact on his nation and on human history. Therefore, the following
survey will present the characteristics that make the Church Age unique against
the background of trends and consistencies that run through all the
dispensations.
THE POLITEUMA METAPHOR
When a word
appears only once in the Bible, we sit up and take note. Such a word is politeuma, “the status, rights, and
privileges of citizenship.” Paul uses this loaded word in. (Php 3:20) Considering the city of Philippi at
the time Paul wrote his Epistle, this word creates a brilliant metaphor for the
privileges of the Church Age believer. “For our politeuma,” writes Paul “is in heaven.” The politeuma metaphor illustrates advantages that stagger the
imagination. (Eph 1:18; Eph 3:20) A chain of well-known historical
events gives tremendous force to Paul’s use of the word politeuma. The assassination of Julius Caesar on the 15th of March,
44 B.C., rekindled a smoldering civil war in Rome. The renewed conflict would
profoundly affect the future of Philippi, a small city in Macedonia. When
Caesar’s murderers failed to restore the old Roman Republic, two of them fled
Rome to consolidate support in the eastern provinces. Marcus Brutus took over
the Roman province of Macedonia, while Gaius Cassius Longinus, the leader of
the conspiracy and an experienced general, seized control of the province of
Syria. Meanwhile, in opposition to the assassins, Caesar’s grandnephew Octavian
allied himself with Mark Antony (And Lepidus) to form the Second Triumvirate.
Two powerful Roman armies formed — one in Italy, the other in the East. Each
numbered nearly one hundred thousand men. A sequence of strategic maneuvers
brought these massive forces into contact just west of Philippi.
The Republican
army, Commanded by Cassius and Brutus, held tactical and strategic advantages
over the Triumvirate army of Octavian and Antony. But rashness doomed Cassius
and Brutus to decisive defeat. The two battles of Philippi, fought during a
rainy three-week period in October of 42 B.C., snuffed out the last hope of the
Roman Republic. The victorious Octavian, who would become the unrivaled Emperor
Augustus, after defeating Mark Antony in a later battle, commemorated the
victory by establishing a Roman colony at Philippi. He honored the city as Colonia Augusta Julia (Victrix)
Phihppensium. Philippi flourished after the famous victory. A Roman colony
was a living extension of Rome herself. A Roman citizen residing in Philippi
enjoyed the same status held by a citizen within the walls of Rome. The rights,
privileges, and protection guaranteed by Roman law elevated Roman citizens far
above their neighbors. Roman citizens in a colony were exempt, for example,
from local taxes. The Bible and many other ancient sources document the
superior standing of Roman citizens. Paul was unique among the twelve apostles.
He alone was a Roman citizen, and the mere mention of his citizenship brought
preferential treatment. (Act 16:27-40; Act 22:24-30) He was spared beatings, given
hearings, and granted access to Caesar himself. (Act
27:24) Even his enemies respected his citizenship. Indeed, so
coveted was Roman citizenship that the Commander of the Roman garrison in
Jerusalem, not a citizen by birth as Paul was, had paid a “large sum of money”
to acquire it. (Act 22:28) In Paul’s
day the Greek term for a privileged colony of Roman citizens, implying the
source of all the advantages they enjoyed was politeuma. The older Greek usage of the word politeuma implies privilege and protection for citizens of a
powerful state who reside in a distant colony. In 507 B.C., the Athenians
defeated the Boeotians and their Chalcidian allies. Athens took possession of
the most fertile part of Chalcis, called the Lelantine plain, where the
Chalcidian aristocrats had built their estates. To establish Athenian influence
in captured territory, the Athenian ruler Cleisthenes divided this beautiful valley
into four thousand parcels called kleroi,
“lots, portions, or shares,” and settled a corresponding number of Athenian
citizens there. This was an entirely new concept of colonization. These
settlers, or kleruchs, retained all
the privileges of Athens although they resided in Chalcis. The body of citizens
resident in a foreign country became known as a politeuma. Specifically the word came to mean the rights and
privileges of their citizenship extended from and protected by their home city
— state. Cleisthenes’ Greek system of colonization, as adopted by the Romans,
set up the politeuma metaphor in
Paul’s epistle to the Philippians. By Paul’s day Philippi was a favorite
retirement city for Roman soldiers. Some of the Christians there were probably
Roman citizens. (Act 16:27-34) Perhaps
some were descendants of veterans of the famous battles. Certainly every
Christian in Philippi knew the full significance of politeuma. They lived with this system of privilege. Paul’s use of
this word immediately created a vivid image in the minds of his hearers — an image of highly
coveted position and superior opportunity.
We belong to a politeuma. We are the nobility of heaven residing on earth. Roman politeuma privileges
were impressive, but they only begin to suggest the unfathomable politeuma privileges of the royal family
of God. Every individual Church Age believer holds the rights and privileges of
heaven, while living on earth. God has magnificently provisioned us and has
thoroughly instructed us so we might “walk worthy of our station in life.” (Eph 4:1) The conclusion of this study of
dispensations, therefore, is an introduction to the privileges of our heavenly
citizenship. Altogether these privileges are unique to the New Covenant Age and
determine our Christian way of life. We will briefly describe nine
characteristics.
1. The baptism of the Holy Spirit
2. The protocol plan of God
3. Mystery Doctrine
4. The portfolio of invisible assets
5. The equality factor
6. Royal commissions
7. The indwelling of the Trinity
8. The availability of Divine power
9. Invisible heroes
Some
of these politeuma privileges require
more explanation than others. Some have been mentioned already. A short
discussion does not indicate less importance. All
these privileges form a single, balanced whole. Each complements the others. As
the believer learns what his assets are and how to use them, they begin to
function together as an integrated system. Awareness
and consistent use of these assets keeps the believer moving forward in the
Christian way of life. Indeed, these privileges establish the unique life of meaning, purpose, and definition that
God designed for the New Covenant Church Age.
THE BAPTISM OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
A NEW SPIRITUAL SPECIES IN CHRIST
At the moment of Salvation, God the Holy Spirit places every Church Age
believer into union with Christ. (Gal 3:1-5;
Gal 3:14; Gal
3:26-27; Eph 4:4-5; 2Th 2:13) This instantaneous ministry of God the
Holy Spirit is called the baptism of the Spirit, (1Co
12:13) because Christ was glorified, (Heb
10:12-17) and we are in the New Covenant
Age; (The Church, Tribulation, and Millennium)
“If any man is in Christ, he is a new
[Spiritual] species.” (2Co 5:17; Gal 6:15) In this verse the Greek word kainos does not mean “new” as in recent, current, or new in
time, like a new coat that replaces an old one of the same type. Kainos means new in kind, new in
species, describing something remarkable that has never existed before — a
totally unprecedented relationship with God. (Eph
1:22-23; Eph 5:22-32) The new
Spiritual species is the royal family of God. By placing the Church Age
believer “in Christ,” the baptism of
God the Holy Spirit also links the Spiritual life of the hypostatic union (The God-man — Christ) and the New Covenant Spiritual
life of the Church Age. In union with Christ, the
believer can utilize the power system designed for the humanity of Christ. In
fact, so great is the Spiritual life, that union with Christ is absolutely a
prerequisite for its use. Jesus Christ
prophesied the baptism of God the Holy Spirit during the Dispensation of the
Hypostatic Union. (Joh 14:20; Act 1:5) The fulfillment of this Prophecy marked
the beginning of the New Covenant Church Age. (Act
2:1-4; Act 11:15-17) Throughout the New Covenant Age, the baptism of God the
Holy Spirit forms the royal family of God, also called the Body of Christ.
For even as the [Human] body is one and yet
has many members, and all the members of the body, though they are many, are
one body, so also is Christ. For by one Spirit [God the Holy Spirit performs
the action] we were all baptized into one body, [Of Christ] whether Jews or
Greeks, [Gentiles] whether slaves or free, and we were all made to drink of one
Spirit. (1Co 12:12-13)
The baptism of the Holy Spirit sets the Church Age believer apart from
unbelievers. Every Church Age believer is “sanctified
in Christ” (1Co 1:2, 1Co 1:30) for the “glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (2Th
2:13-14) The Greek verb hagiazo
means “to set apart, to make holy, to
consecrate, to sanctify.” (To gain the Spiritual
maturity of Christ) When applied to the Church, sanctification means
that God has created a new species of Spiritual royalty, set apart for the
maximum glorification of Jesus Christ.
CONFORMED TO THE IMAGE OF
CHRIST
The Doctrine of sanctification teaches that God’s purpose is to make
each Church Age believer like the humanity of Christ. Each is “conformed to the image [Thinking and Virtue] of His Son,” the glorified
Lord Jesus Christ. (Rom 8:29) God
accomplishes the Church Age believer’s sanctification in three stages: Positional, Experiential, and Ultimate.
Positional
sanctification and positional death is the Church Age believer’s union with Christ, accomplished
by the baptism of God the Holy Spirit. Permanently identified with Christ from
the moment of faith in Him, the Christian retroactively
shares in the victory of our Lord’s Spiritual death on the Cross (Rom 6:3; Col 2:12)
and currently shares His exalted
position in heaven “crowned with glory
and honor.” (Psa 110:1; Rom 6:4; Heb 1:13;
Heb 2:9-11; Heb 10:12)
The phrase “in Christ,” found
throughout the New Testament Epistles, is a technical term for the Church Age
believer’s astounding, absolutely unprecedented union with Christ. (Joh 14:20) In Christ each Church Age believer is
positionally superior to all angels,
including the chief fallen angel, Satan. (Heb 1:4,
Heb 1:13-14; Heb 2:9-12)
Experiential
sanctification and experiential death (Joh
12:24-26; 2Co 4:10-12) is residence,
function and Spiritual momentum in the Spiritual life during the believer’s
life on earth.
Set your mind on the things [Divine Thoughts] above, not on the things[Human realities] that are on earth. For you have died [Positional
death] and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is
our life, [Experientially by the Mind of Christ]
is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory. Therefore consider [Think]
the members of your earthly body as dead [Experiential death, to our thoughts, desires, words and
will] to immorality, impurity, passion, evil
desire, and greed, which amounts to idolatry. [Idolatry
is putting our thoughts, above God's Thoughts] (Isa
55:6-9) For it is because of
these things [Thoughts] that the wrath of God
will come upon the sons of disobedience, [Unbelievers
and believers living out of fellowship] and in them [Thoughts] you also once walked, when you were living
in them. But now you also, put them all aside: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and
abusive speech from your mouth. Do not lie to one another, since you laid aside
the old self with its evil practices, [And thoughts] and have put on the
new self who is being renewed to a true knowledge [The Thinking of God] according to the image [Thinking] of the One who created
him-- (Col
3:2-10)
Living in the Spiritual life, which the Holy
Spirit energizes, fulfills the protocol plan of God. (Joh 17:17; 2Ti 2:21;
Heb 9:13-14) Because we are in union
with Christ, we now are able to be sustained, nourished, and empowered by the
post-Salvation ministry of God the Holy Spirit. (Joh
7:37-39; Joh 14:15-17; Joh 16:13-14) Thus we become “partakers of the Divine nature” in
experience just as we are in position. (2Pe 1:4)
God the Holy Spirit’s post-Salvation ministry is called the filling of the
Spirit, (Eph 5:18) which enables us to “walk by means of the Spirit” (Gal 5:16) in a manner “worthy of our station in
life.” (Spiritual Royalty) (Eph 4:1) United with Christ and granted the same
power system in which His humanity constantly lived, we are equipped to be “imitators of God and to walk . . . just as Christ walked.” (Eph 5:1-2;
Gal 5:16; 1Jn 2:6) He functioned in
the prototype Spiritual life; we can function in the operational-type Spiritual
life. (Joh 14:11-12) In fellowship we live “through
the Spirit, by faith.” [What is believed — and or the Spiritual life] (Gal 5:5) The Mind of Christ in the soul; is the material the Spirit uses to manufacture the Virtues
of Christ in our lives. (Rom 13:13-14)
In a different comparison, Truth is the nutrient
that the Holy Spirit uses to produce the “fruit
of the Spirit” (Gal 5:22-23)
Therefore, Experiential sanctification has both
absolute and progressive aspects. The filling of God the Holy
Spirit is an absolute status. At any
given time, the believer is either one hundred percent filled with the Spirit
or he is not filled with the Spirit at all. Either
he is in fellowship with God, or he is out of fellowship. If he has confessed his sins to God, the believer is
entirely inside the Spiritual life, (1Jn
1:9) but when he sins, and as long as he
does not confess (Admit being out of fellowship) (1Co 11:31) to God, he is entirely outside the Spiritual life.
Outside the Spiritual life he “grieves”
or “quenches” God the Holy Spirit (Eph 4:30; 1Th 5:19)
and resides instead in Satan’s cosmic system. This absolute but invisible
status — in or out — has a building
effect. (Mar 4:24) The power of the Spiritual life is essential for Spiritual
growth. Only in the Spiritual life can the believer learn Truth or accurately
Think with Truth. What is the dominant trend of his decisions at any given
time? Has he been consistently obedient to God’s Thoughts that constitute the
Spiritual life, or has he neglected these Divine Commands? Is he more often in or
out of fellowship with God? Spiritual growth comes
from consistency, and as the believer grows, this consistency in executing
God’s protocol plan becomes a stronger and stronger force of motion in his
life. Every day he learns and applies Truth;
his inner person is renewed day by day. (Isa
58:2; 2Co 4:16) Our thinking is renovated according to Truth, the pattern
of Divine Thinking! (Rom 12:2;
Eph 4:23) He
gradually acquires the Thinking and Virtues of Christ. As growth continues, the filling of God the Holy Spirit
produces more of the fruit of the Spirit whenever the believer is in the
Spiritual life. For example, a novice believer can be just as filled
with God the Holy Spirit as the Spiritually mature believer. But the mature
believer understands a great deal more Spiritual Thinking. When the mature
Christian is filled with the Spirit, he manifests the “newness of life” more than the beginner who is equally filled with
God the Holy Spirit but understands less of the Mind of Christ. A greater understanding and application of Truth in the
believer’s Thinking causes greater manifestations of the filling of God the
Holy Spirit in the believer’s life. Add to this
the fact that as a Christian grows, he spends a greater proportion of his time
filled with God the Holy Spirit. In other words, both quantity and quality improve: more
time is spent in the Spiritual life with a greater depth of Doctrinal resources
for God the Holy Spirit to use. This explains the increasing effect of Divine
dynamics within a Christian’s life. Experiential sanctification is
called “godliness.” (1Ti 3:16; 1Ti 4:7-8;
2Pe 1:3; 2Pe
3:11) True godliness (Defined: as God would have it) runs far deeper
than shallow legalism. Genuine godliness is abiding in the sphere of Christ’s
love, which He equated with obedience to His Commandments. (Joh 15:10; Eph 5:2) The sphere of Christ’s
love is the bottom circle — the Spiritual life.
The Commandments of the Christian way of life
coalesce as one consistent system, a single complex of interrelated and
mutually supporting Spiritual Thoughts, an integrated sphere of Divine power. This Divine system of love and
power is the place of Virtue. The
Christian way of life is life in harmony with God and His Thoughts. Here,
in Principle, is the answer to the question, “After Salvation, what?”
Experiential sanctification is potential for the believer, Commanded but not
guaranteed. God provides the resources, opportunities, instructions,
encouragement, and even the Divine discipline, but the believer himself chooses
to execute the protocol plan of God or not. (Joh
15:4-10) Volition remains THE central issue in the Church Age, as in
every dispensation throughout the angelic conflict. (Job 1:8-12) But God’s faithfulness is also a
consistent theme. The believer’s failure to live by the Commands of
Experiential sanctification never cancels Positional sanctification which is guaranteed by the very essence of God.
(2Ti 2:13)
After our
post-Salvation lives on earth have ended, God will achieve our Ultimate sanctification and death
(Of the sin nature) at the resurrection. In
that future moment He will provide the resurrection body, making us physically
like Christ. (1Co 1:8; Eph 1:4; Php 3:21;
1Th 5:23; 1Jn
3:2)
MISCONCEPTIONS OF THE BAPTISM OF GOD THE HOLY SPIRIT
The Doctrine of
the baptism of God the Holy Spirit is widely distorted today. We must state
what the baptism of the Spirit is not. The
baptism of the Spirit is not the same as the filling of the Spirit, as just
noted. The baptism of the Holy Spirit also is not an experience or a “second
work of grace” after Salvation. It is not, and never was, speaking in tongues. The idea that Spirit baptism involves speaking in
tongues fails to distinguish the Doctrine of the baptism of God the Holy Spirit
from the Doctrine of Spiritual gifts. The baptism of the Spirit occurs at the
instant of Salvation for all Church Age believers; the gift of tongues formerly
operated only in the post-Salvation experience of a few first-century
Christians. The phenomenon of tongues was a temporary Spiritual gift designed,
as Isaiah prophesied, to warn Israel of impending national judgment. (Isa 28:11; 1Co
14:21-22) Jews were evangelized in gentile languages understood by
the listeners, but not the speakers. This ironic gift exercised by certain
early Christians dramatized the Jews’ failure to evangelize the Gentiles.
Because the gift of tongues was a miraculous sign to alert Israel to her decay,
no one has legitimately spoken in tongues since A.D. 70, when Jerusalem fell
and the purpose for this temporary gift expired.
...If there are tongues, they will cease...
(1Co 13:8)
The dramatic gift
of tongues ceased long ago, but the baptism of God the Holy Spirit occurs in
every generation of the New Covenant. And never does this instantaneous work of
God the Holy Spirit involve ecstatics or emotion. Indeed, the baptism of the
Holy Spirit has absolutely no relation to feelings. The believer may be elated
or feel nothing at the moment of Salvation. He may even feel horrible, but
regardless of how he feels, in that initial instant of faith in Christ, God the
Holy Spirit unites him with Christ. (Col 2:12)
No one senses or detects the baptism of the Spirit in any way. Neither sight,
hearing, smell, taste, nor touch confirms this Doctrine. Nor does any so-called
sixth sense or intuition. God the Holy Spirit’s ministry at Salvation is known
only through Spiritual Thoughts which the believer learns after Salvation. (Eph 4:5)
The baptism of the Spirit is never earned nor deserved by the believer. God
gives this fabulous gift by grace, totally without regard for human merit or
human works. Union with Christ is complete at the instant of Salvation,
accomplished entirely by the grace of God before any believer has a chance to
achieve Spiritual growth, perform any Christian service, or even learn about
these things. The baptism of God the Holy Spirit is not progressive and cannot
be improved.
SHARING ALL CHRIST HAS AND IS
As the mechanics
of Positional sanctification, the baptism of God the Holy Spirit causes the
Christian to share in all Christ has and IS. Every member of the royal family
of God shares Christ’s election, (Eph 1:4)
His destiny, (Eph 1:5; Rom 8:28;
Rom 8:30) His Son-ship, (Gal 3:26; 1Jn 3:1-2)
His heir-ship, (Rom 8:16-17) His
priesthood, (Heb 5:5-10; Heb 10:10-14) His sanctification, (1Co 1:2; 1Co 1:30)
His royalty, (1Pe 2:9) His righteousness,
(2Co 5:21) and His eternal life. (1Jn 5:11-12)
Divine
righteousness and eternal life are necessary for a relationship with God. To live with perfect God
forever, man needs God’s Own
righteousness and God’s Own life. These blessings, therefore, are
inherent in Salvation in every dispensation. Old Testament believers were given
the righteousness of God and eternal life through imputation rather than
through union with Christ. (Gen 15:6; Psa 23:6) In the Church Age every believer
receives Divine righteousness and eternal life by imputation and by union with Christ. (2Co 5:21; 1Jn 5:11)
This double portion belongs to Spiritual royalty alone. One vivid description
of the baptism of God the Holy Spirit contrasts the Church and Israel. To teach
the Church Age believers position in Christ, Paul draws an analogy to the
custom of “adoption” practiced by the
Roman aristocracy. Roman adoption officially designated someone as an heir,
whether or not that person was related by blood. The Caesars usually adopted
successors who were not their sons. Often, however, a father would adopt his
own son, granting him the full privileges and responsibilities of the family
name. The ceremony also marked the boy's transition into adulthood, traditionally
at age fourteen. Paul depicts Israel as an immature son, (Gal 3:23) the Church as an adult son and heir. (Gal 3:25-26) At a
dramatic moment in the Roman ceremony of adoption, the new heir is clothed with
the magnificent toga virilis, the garment of manhood.
For
all of you who were baptized into Christ [The baptism of God the Holy Spirit]
have clothed yourselves with Christ. (Gal 3:27)
Christians wear
the Spiritual equivalent of the toga virilis from the moment of Salvation, when
the baptism of the Spirit occurs. Through the merits of Christ, Church Age
believers are adopted as adult sons of God and joint heirs with Christ at the
first instant of faith in Him. (Rom 8:16-17;
Eph 1:5) Although a Spiritual infant in
experience; every Church Age believer is a Spiritual adult in position. He is
granted the full privileges and responsibilities of an adult son of God because
he is in union with the Lord Jesus Christ.
THE PROTOCOL PLAN OF GOD
Union with
Christ opens the door to an extraordinary post-Salvation way of life for the
royal family, called the protocol plan of
God. Royalty lives by protocol — Spiritual royalty, no less than temporal
royalty. The refined behavior and high standards of
Thought and conduct in a vigorous aristocracy are supported by a system of
protocol. Each individual is thoroughly familiar with the manner in
which various activities are conducted. He knows his place in these activities.
Protocol enables everyone to know what to Think and do
in a given situation and thus creates an environment of poise and graciousness.
Protocol resolves routine questions and frees the individual to devote his
energies to substantial issues or to enjoying the event at hand. The
Church Age believer need never wonder what the Christian life requires of him.
He need not stumble or feel awkward in any aspect of his relationship with God.
The entire royal protocol is available for him to
learn and master. He belongs to a Spiritual dynasty founded by the Lord
Jesus Christ in which the standard of conduct follows the precedent clearly
established by the humanity of Christ on earth. In the Church Age, the protocol plan of God (Joh 4:21-23) for the Church supersedes the ritual plan of God for Israel. (Lev 23:1-44) Protocol
is defined as a “rigid long-established
code of Thinking and conduct, prescribing complete submission to superior rank;
and strict adherence to due order of precedence; and precisely correct
procedure.” The several phrases of this definition illustrate God’s plan for
the royal family on earth. Although new to history; at the beginning of the
Church Age, the protocol plan is “long-established”
in the Mind of omniscient God. He has always known the way of life He would
unveil for the New Covenant Church Age. He has known the mystery Doctrines from
eternity past, (Eph 3:9-11) and in
historical terms these Doctrines have been in force now for nearly two thousand
years. The exactness of God’s code for Spiritual royalty expresses His Own
perfection: He decreed one way of doing something,
and that way is the right way. We cannot define the Christian way of life in
any way we please. God “prescribes
complete submission” to the ends and the means of His plan. The very Concept of protocol means that even a right thing
becomes wrong when done in a wrong way. And a wrong thing is still wrong though
done in a right way. Obviously a wrong thing done in a wrong way is wrong. Only a right
thing done in a right way is right. This
is “precisely correct procedure.” The
right thing is the protocol plan of
God. The right way demanded by
protocol is life in the Spiritual life. Therefore,
the most basic Concept of the Christian way of life is residence, function, and
momentum inside the Spiritual life. The
Spiritual life is the royal believer’s personal, invisible palace. God is eternally and infinitely perfect. Perfect God can
devise only a perfect plan. However, the protocol plan of God, like His
post-Salvation plans for other dispensations, is designed for imperfect
believers. Because the Christian retains his old sin nature throughout his
mortal life on earth, (Rom 7:24-25) his contribution to the plan of God would only corrupt the
plan. The
believer cannot execute God’s protocol plan through human ability, human
dynamics, human personality, human intelligence, human talent, or human works. (Exod 20:25;
Joh 6:63) If
the plan of God depended on man’s merit for a single instant, the plan would
immediately become imperfect. God allows no weak links in the chain. He
guards the integrity of His plan. This is grace. Man enters God’s perfect plan exclusively on the merits of Christ, and
the Principle of grace remains in force after
Salvation as well. The believer lives
the Christian life on Divine resources only. (Gal 3:1-3; Eph
4:20-24) Perfect God has provided His perfect Truth (Eph 4:21) and His Own power (Eph 4:30) for the execution of His protocol
plan. Truth and
falsehood do not mix without becoming false.
Therefore, Divine
Viewpoint from
Truth must replace human viewpoint. Likewise, Divine power and human power are mutually exclusive. Observing Divine protocol
must take precedence over the expression of human abilities. (1Co 2:4-5) Human
innovation must remain within bounds of the system God has ordained. The Truth and the power of God the Holy Spirit, on which
the humanity of Christ relied during the hypostatic union, define the
only correct approach to life for every believer during the Church Age.
Contradictions cannot exist in the protocol plan of God. Either a believer will utilize the available omnipotence of
God and execute the protocol plan, or he will
use human energy in an attempt to execute an inferior plan of his own. (Gen 4:3-5) Many people
presumptuously call their own plans the plan of God or the will of God, when in
fact these schemes may be satanic counterfeits designed to entangle believers
in the evils of religion. (1Ti 4:1)
Faithful intake
and application of Divine Thinking will protect the believer from such
contradictions. The Christian who is
ignorant of Church Age Doctrine, however, lacks discernment. He is incapable of
grace Thinking. He cannot be true to his Spiritual heritage. Ignorance mixed with negligence cannot avoid the trap of
arrogance. He assumes he is doing God’s will even as he falls into
Satan’s cosmic system and becomes a loser in the Church Age. Losers do not lose
their eternal life, but in failing to execute the post-Salvation protocol plan
of God, they lose blessing and impact in time and eternity. (Luk 12:45-48) At physical birth man is born
ignorant of life. Likewise, at Spiritual birth believers are “born again” ignorant of the protocol plan of God. Human opinion or
philosophy, despite its occasional brilliance, never determines the Christian
way of life. (1Co 1:19-31) What matters is what God has Revealed in the Word of God
for the Church Age. No believer can execute the protocol plan, or reach
Spiritual maturity without learning and applying a maximum amount of Truth! (Psa
1:2-3)
MYSTERY DOCTRINE
We have noted
already that the Greek noun musterion originally
referred to the secret doctrines of ancient religious organizations. Only those
persons initiated into the cult of Dionysus, for example, knew its mysteries. Nothing was
disclosed to outsiders. Paul borrowed this well-known pagan term to
communicate the meaning of mystery to the royal family of God. In Paul’s usage of musterion, the initiates are Church Age
believers, and the Doctrines are those Spiritual Thoughts concerning the New
Covenant Age. (Luk 8:10) God did not
disclose the New Covenant Doctrines to the writers of Old Testament Scripture,
but now all these marvelous Truths are revealed throughout the New Testament
Epistles. (Act 3:18-24; (Rom 1:2; Rom
16:25-26; Eph 3:1-9)
But we speak God's wisdom in a mystery,
[Spiritual Thoughts for the New Covenant Age] the hidden wisdom which God
predestined before the ages to our glory [Spiritual growth] (1Co 2:7)
But holding to the mystery [Keeping and
Thinking with the New Covenant Spiritual Thoughts] of the faith [Spiritual
life] with a clear conscience. (1Ti 3:9)
Mystery Doctrine
reveals all the politeuma privileges
of the Church Age believer, which set the Church Age apart from other dispensations. The Command to “keep holding the mystery” identifies
the most vital function of the royal family: to continually learn, retain, and Think with the Doctrines of the New
Covenant. Hearing Truth, meditating on Truth, living by Truth — this is the highest form
of worship!
THE PORTFOLIO OF INVISIBLE ASSETS
THE BELIEVER’S WEALTH TAUGHT BY ANALOGY
We have discussed
three politeuma privileges. (Mystery
Doctrines) The baptism of God the Holy Spirit places the Church Age believer
into union with Christ. The protocol plan of God sets forth the royal way of
life that God expects of the Christian because of his exalted position in
Christ. Mystery Doctrine unveils the Church Age with all of its Divine
assets and Commands which define the Christian’s way of life. These three
tremendous benefits of our heavenly citizenship are parts of a larger picture.
They belong to a portfolio of invisible
assets that God the Father designed in eternity past for every Church Age
believer. “Portfolio” is a term for the holdings of an investor, a synonym for
his riches. God has lavished upon us the riches of His grace. (Eph 1:6-8; Eph 1:18;
Eph 3:8; Eph
3:16; Php 4:19; Col 1:27; Eph 2:7)
Every Church Age believer is fabulously wealthy.
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord
Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every Spiritual blessing in the heavenly
places in Christ. (Eph 1:3)
Not only is
the Church Age believer a citizen of heaven but that citizenship implies
extreme wealth. “Our politeuma is in
heaven” (Php 3:20) and our
portfolio is described as including “every
Spiritual blessing in the heavenly places.” (Eph
1:3) Ephesians 1:3 emphasizes the source of these blessings (God the Father) and the mechanics of receiving
them, (From Christ). We will explain these
mechanics shortly. The believer’s portfolio of invisible assets can be
categorized.
(Eph 1:3-6) identifies the primary assets. The
secondary and personnel assets will be identified from other passages of
Scripture.
1. Primary assets
a. Escrow
blessings
b. Computer
assets
2. Secondary assets
a. Volitional
assets
b. Production
assets
c. Assets for
undeserved suffering
3. Personnel assets
Spiritual
gifts
We will adopt two
analogies to help communicate the Christian’s primary assets, escrow blessings
and computer
assets. In (Eph 1:3) the phrase “every Spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ”
describes escrow blessings. In verses 4
through 6, election and predestination constitute the
computer assets. The Church Age believer’s exalted destiny and vast
riches are “abundantly beyond all that we
ask or think.” (Eph 3:20) The Bible
reveals them in many glimpses and increments; they must be explained in
numerous ways and from various points of view. Therefore,
analogy plays an important role in teaching the Christian way of life. Already we have approached the subject from the standpoint
of citizenship, Roman adoption, parts of the body, aristocratic protocol, the
secret Doctrines of an exclusive religion, and an investment portfolio. Now add the perspectives of an escrow contract and an
electronic computer. These analogies are teaching aids and are not
intended to perfectly mesh with one another. Each serves to communicate a
specific aspect of the Truth. The Truth itself is what
perfectly meshes.
ESCROW BLESSINGS
INHERITANCE RESERVED
IN HEAVEN
Three
parties are identified in, (Eph 1:3).
The relationships between God the Father, Jesus Christ; and the Church Age
believer; in this passage suggest the functions of a grantor, a depositary; and
a grantee in an escrow contract. What is an escrow contract? It is a binding
agreement in which one party gives another party something valuable. Instead of
giving it directly, however, the grantor places the item in the custody of a
third party, called the depositary or the escrow officer. The escrow officer
keeps the item secure and distributes it to the grantee only after certain
conditions are met, which have been set forth in the escrow agreement. The very
definition of escrow means there are conditions to be fulfilled by the grantee
before the item will be conveyed to him. An escrow agreement gives
us a clear picture of our situation before God and our purpose in life. In
eternity past God the Father prepared special blessings for each Church Age
believer. He deposited those blessings with Christ “before the foundation of the world.” (Eph
1:4) Just as an escrow contract is irrevocable from the date of the
contract, so also the believer’s blessings belong to him irrevocably from
eternity past. God has given every Church Age believer a private account in
heaven, which He cannot cancel or close. God cannot take back His blessings.
This account is filled with exceptional blessings — some for time, some for
eternity. God designed escrow blessings
exclusively for each individual believer, an
“inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away,
reserved in heaven for you.” (1Pe 1:4)
Escrow blessings far
exceed everyday logistical blessings like food, shelter, clothing, protection,
transportation, and a source of Bible teaching. God supplies logistical
grace constantly and unconditionally to every believer — positive or negative,
winner or loser. (Mat 6:25-34; Luk 6:35; Php 4:19)
Escrow blessings, however, are reserved for
Spiritual maturity. So extraordinary are these
“greater grace” blessings (Jas 4:6) that every
recipient must possess a mature capacity to appreciate them and benefit from
them! Without sufficient capacity of soul, a believer would not know
what to do with these Divine bounties. If he received delivery of his escrow
blessings while still Spiritually immature, he would distort them, misuse them,
and make himself miserable. Here, then, we find the condition set forth in the
escrow contract: before Jesus Christ will distribute
escrow blessings, the believer must attain Spiritual maturity. (Or it is false prosperity) (Luk 13:23-30; Rev 3:17) Again, Spiritual maturity
comes through perception and application of the Word of Truth as part of living
consistently inside the Spiritual life. (Mat
7:14) A
Spiritually mature relationship with God is by far the most valuable escrow
blessing for the Christian’s life on earth! (Rev
3:4) Awe and gratitude toward God animate
the Spiritually mature believer’s attitude in everything he does. In his soul he has capacity to be happy, capacity to
understand and benefit from Divine blessings, capacity to endure suffering,
capacity to maintain the initiative in his own life. He has a personal sense of
destiny. Worship becomes a profound
responsiveness; in a soul inculcated with Truth and filled with God the Holy
Spirit. (Joh 7:38) Personal love for God becomes Occupation with the Person of
Christ. (Gal 2:20; Php 1:21) But “every Spiritual blessing” involves more than even these marvelous,
intangible benefits. “Spiritual” in,
(Eph 1:3) points to God as the source
of escrow blessings, which also include many tangible material blessings,
tailor-made for the individual. (Joh 21:21-22)
BLESSINGS
FOR TIME AND ETERNITY
Every
believer has escrow blessings for time and escrow blessings for eternity. As the escrow officer Jesus Christ will begin to distribute
escrow blessings for time when the
believer reaches Spiritual maturity. Our Lord will award companion
escrow blessings for all eternity, at
the Judgment Seat of Christ. (1Co 4:5;
2Co 5:10)
Believers who fail to reach Spiritual maturity and do not receive their
escrow blessings for time also will not receive their escrow blessings for
eternity. (1Co
3:12-15) The criterion is human volition — each believer’s consistent positive or negative response
to God’s plan for the Christian life. After Salvation, what? This great question has eternal
consequences. In
the escrow contract, the precondition for receiving escrow blessings for
eternity is that the believer must have received escrow blessings in time.
Now if anyone really competes in the
athletic games, [An analogy to the Christian way of life] he does not receive a
winner’s wreath [Escrow blessings for eternity] unless he trains according to
the rules. [Adheres to the protocol plan of God in Time] (2Ti 2:5)
I have fought that honorable fight,
[Advanced through the stages of the Spiritual life] I have finished the course,
[Attained Spiritual maturity] I have guarded the Truth. [As first priority in
the soul] In the future a wreath of righteousness [Escrow blessings for
eternity] is reserved for me, [On deposit since eternity past] which the Lord,
the righteous judge, will award me on that day [At the Judgment Seat of Christ]
and not only to me but to all those who love His appearing. [Reached Spiritual
maturity] (2Ti 4:7-8)
Blessed [Happy]
is the man who perseveres under testing, [Successfully
passes the tests that accelerate Spiritual growth] he will
receive the wreath of life [Escrow blessings for
eternity] which God has promised to those constantly loving Him. [Spiritually mature believers] (Jas 1:12)
These passages describe desire for Truth, love
for God, strength of essence, remarkable stability, perseverance, motivation,
momentum and happiness. Such qualities of the inner person; are escrow blessings for time! They are escrow blessings supported by the basic capacities
of soul developed on the way to Spiritual maturity. Invariably these traits —
these escrow blessings for time — belong to the believers whom Scripture
identifies as recipients of eternal rewards or “crowns” — escrow blessings
for eternity. (1Co 9:24-27; Php 4:1; 1Th
2:19-20; 1Pe 5:1-4; Rev 2:10) Distribution
of both categories of escrow blessings — for time and for eternity — depends on the believer’s execution of the protocol plan of
God in time. The precondition for receiving escrow blessings dramatizes God’s
objective for the Church Age believer on earth: Learn Truth, gain Spiritual
momentum, grow up, attain Spiritual maturity! In other words, come to love and
glorify Christ.
UNDISTRIBUTED
BLESSINGS AND THE GLORY OF GOD
At this moment
each believer has an escrow account in heaven with his name on it. But not
every believer takes distribution of those blessings.
Ignorance of Truth means ignorance of Divine assets, which guarantees failure
to use those assets. Failure to consistently utilize Divine assets
constitutes failure to execute the protocol plan of God, which means the
believer cannot reach Spiritual maturity. No Spiritual
maturity, no capacity for blessings. Therefore, no escrow blessings for time
and no escrow blessings for eternity. (1Co
3:11-15) This does not
affect his eternal life, but his neglect or rejection of Truth makes him a
Spiritual loser. There is no excuse for failure to execute the protocol plan of
God. God faithfully supplies logistical grace to winner and loser alike, (Luk 6:35) providing more than ample opportunity
for the loser to recover his momentum and renew his advance. Equal privilege
and equal opportunity are facts of the Christian way of life, and the escrow
blessings themselves are irrevocable and imperishable Realities. If a believer
is a Spiritual loser, he is so by his own volition. A loser stops being a loser when he starts using rebound and
begins to learn, or relearn Truth. Recovery
of Spiritual momentum is not easy, but it will never be easier than at present.
Recovery can begin in any Spiritual condition in which the loser finds himself.
There is no reason to wait. There is nothing to wait for and much to lose. If
the loser does not recover, his personal inheritance of escrow blessings, they
will remain undistributed, un-received, on deposit in heaven forever. (Rom 11:29) At the resurrection they will remain
on deposit forever as a monument to lost opportunity and as undeniable evidence
of God’s grace in spite of man’s negative volition. (Eph 1:3; Eph 3:10; 1Pe 1:3-4) God was glorified by irrevocably
giving escrow blessings to each believer “before
the foundation of the world.” (Eph 1:4;
Col 3:24; 1Pe
1:4) God is glorified to the maximum by
the distribution of these escrow blessings to the Spiritual winner in time and
eternity. (Joh 15:8; Joh 17:4) Describing
God at the beginning of (Eph 1:3) is
the Greek adjective eulogetos is
translated “blessed,”
but this word actually means “worthy of praise and glorification.” In the
same verse the verb is eulogeo, “to
bless.” Furthermore, the cognate noun eulogia
is used for the believer’s “blessings.”
Blessed, bless, blessings: this dramatic use of Greek cognate words indicates
an essential interconnection. These blessings are the means of God’s
glorification. He is glorified by blessing us. Principle: The first thing God
did for us — placing special blessings in escrow — established the means of
glorifying Him. God’s desire that we receive our escrow blessings could not be expressed
more emphatically.
What do we
conclude? Obviously, asceticism is not the
Christian way of life. (Col 2:20-23)
But neither is aimless, undisciplined lawlessness. (2Ti
2:5) The Church Age
believer has a destiny. He glorifies God by utilizing Divine assets so that he
grows Spiritually and acquires capacity to enjoy his escrow blessings. God
created escrow blessings for every believer of every dispensation, but the
greater extent of the Church Age believer’s portfolio makes even his escrow
blessings unique. We come now to an exceedingly valuable item in the royal
believer’s portfolio that sets his blessings apart from those of all other
dispensations.
COMPUTER ASSETS
A MODERN
ANALOGY
Again,
the Christian’s portfolio of invisible assets includes two categories of
primary assets. We have described escrow blessings; we now turn our attention
to computer assets. I use this term
to describe the Church Age believer’s election and predestination.
He [God the Father] chose us in Him [In
union with Christ] before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy
and blameless before Him. In love [In fellowship; God’s
purpose in election includes Positional and Experiential sanctification on
earth and Ultimate sanctification in heaven] He predestined us to
adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, [As in the Roman custom of
adoption] according to the kind intention of His will, to the praise of the
glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved. [In union
with Christ] (Eph 1:4-6)
What are
“election” and “predestination”? How do they affect us? In brief, God has
established a plan and has supplied us with all assets needed to execute that
plan. Computers are becoming a familiar part of daily life. A simple analogy to
a computer might help to make this passage clear. Scientific breakthroughs have
dramatically reduced the size of computers. Complex functions can now occur in
tiny electrical circuits built into a microchip of silicon no larger than the
head of a pin. Different microchips perform specialized functions in the
computer. Two common types of these powerful chips illustrate how liberally
sovereign God has blessed Church Age believers without nullifying their
volition. In fact, this computer analogy helps explain how God Himself
establishes human free will. A computer has a certain number of microchips in
it. Some chips are completely programmed at the factory; others are designed at
the factory to be programmed by the user — according to what he wants his
computer to be able to do. Both the ROM chips (Read-Only
Memory, programmed at the factory) and the PROM chips (Programmable Read-Only Memory, built at the factory to be
programmed by the user himself) cannot be altered once they are
programmed. And both are necessary for the effective function of the computer.
Like the computer, the believer’s life involves both Divine
sovereignty (Comparable to the ROM chips
programmed in advance at the factory) and human
free will; (Volition) (Comparable to the PROM chips that are programmed by the
user’s own decisions). Just as a particular computer would not operate
without both types of programmed microchips, so also
human Spiritual Thought and action cannot occur without the function of both
Divine sovereignty and human volition. Indeed, God is the One who makes
our volition free. He gave man free will, just as the factory designs the
computer’s PROM chips specifically to let the user determine how the computer
will function. The user’s programming of his own PROM chip works only because
of the designer’s plan: the factory design of the PROM chip takes the user’s
programming and makes it effective. In a similar way, God sovereignly makes
man’s free choices real, certain and unalterable once they are made. According
to the analogy, each person is like a computer. His ROM chip (Programmed
entirely by the sovereignty of God) is programmed with his “computer assets.”
He has no choice in this matter. Long before human history began, God chose to
give the Church Age believer certain characteristics. He chose to make the
Christian Spiritual royalty — as it were, to make him the most powerful
computer ever created. This means that the computer assets of election and
predestination include tremendous benefits, which God gave in eternity past. We
are now studying these benefits as the unique characteristics of the Church
Age. The ROM chip contains God’s plan and gives every Church Age believer the
status and assets required to carry out this demanding protocol. The PROM chip
(Programmed the way human volition chooses) gives us the freedom to use those
powerful assets if we so desire. The PROM chip makes
us Spiritual winners or losers, according to our decisions to use Divine assets and fulfill
God’s plan — or to ignore our Spiritual
destiny in Christ.
DIVINE
SOVEREIGNTY AND CHRISTIAN FREEDOM
The
computer analogy helps us understand what the sovereignty and omniscience of
God accomplished in eternity past, in behalf of the Church Age believer. The
blessings mentioned in (Eph 1:5-6) are some of the unique characteristics
of the Church Age that we have already discussed. In eternity past God
determined that sanctification and adoption would be given to the royal
family through union with Christ. As also noted, we have no choice in this
matter: at the moment of faith in Christ, these blessings are ours and we are
new creatures in Christ, a new Spiritual species. The mechanics by which God
established these and other characteristics of the Church Age believer involved
election and predestination. Election expresses the sovereign right of God over
His creation. Election can be described in terms of individuals and in terms of
historical categories of believers. God elected for Salvation every human being
who would ever believe in Jesus Christ. Election is not the cause of Salvation.
Instead, God sovereignly chose to accomplish all the work for man’s Salvation
and to institute non-meritorious faith in Jesus Christ as the sole remaining
Criterion for obtaining Salvation. (Act 4:12)
Because Divine omniscience is not limited by time, God
knew in eternity past who would believe in Christ and in eternity past chose
each believer to be the recipient of
eternal Salvation. (2Th 2:13) In other words, He chose to make Salvation a Reality in the
soul of anyone who actually would believe in Christ. Therefore, every
believer of every dispensation can be described as elect in regard to
Salvation. Election is also a Biblical term that carries additional
significance for particular bodies of believers. Here is yet another category
of Doctrine that reflects dispensational distinctions. Election to Salvation
gives every believer the necessities for living with God forever — including
eternal life and Divine righteousness. But added to these identical provisions,
further blessings are bestowed upon specified groups of believers at the moment
of Salvation. These are designed to fulfill God’s purpose beyond Salvation. The
position and assets bestowed at the moment of Salvation upon members of the
royal family are more extensive than the blessings given to believers of other
dispensations. God
elected Church Age believers for a unique, corporate purpose beyond Salvation. The special destiny of the royal family in both time and
eternity is to glorify God to the maximum in union with Jesus Christ. The election of the Church is one of several
corporate Divine elections, three of which are pertinent to our study.
1. The election of Israel (Deut 4:37;
Deut 7:6; Isa
45:4; Rom 11:5-7)
2. The election of Christ (Isa 42:1;
Mat 12:18; Act
3:26; 1Pe 2:6)
3. The election of the Church (Eph 4:1;
1Th 1:4; 2Th
2:13; 2Pe 1:3)
A thread of continuity runs through these
three expressions of Divine sovereignty, but the differences also are real and
significant. These three
unique elections express God’s purpose in three distinct dispensations. The election of Israel: God called out the Jews as a new
racial species to bless all the nations of the earth. The election of Christ: God called Christ as the Savior to
purchase the Salvation of the entire human race and to be exalted above all
creation. The election of the Church: God
called out a royal family as a new Spiritual species to glorify the newly-won
royalty of Jesus Christ forever. (Rev 17:14)
As part of our politeuma privileges,
therefore, election is the sovereign expression in eternity past of God’s will
for the Church Age believer. Under election, God the
Father willed His highest and best for every Church Age believer, having
previously deposited His highest and best for us with Christ. In short, God’s
will for our lives is that we receive what belongs to the glorified Christ. (Isa 53:12)
I pray that the eyes of your heart may be
enlightened, so that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the
riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the surpassing
greatness of His power [The Spiritual life] toward us who believe. These are in
accordance with the working of the strength of His might which He brought about
in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead, and seated Him at His right hand
in the heavenly places, [Investing Christ with “battlefield” royalty for His
victory at the Cross] far above all rule and authority and power and dominion,
and every name that is named, not only in this age, but also in the one to
come. [The permanent resolution of the angelic conflict] And He put all things
in subjection under His feet, and gave Him as head over all things to the
church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all. (Eph 1:18-23)
This is the
purpose for which God called us out and set us apart: to exalt the royalty of
Christ to the maximum. Our election creates the special privileges and
opportunities necessary for us to receive the blessings of Spiritual royalty
which glorify Christ. Election and predestination are two sides of the same
coin. God chose us to glorify Christ to the maximum and chose to accomplish
this purpose according to a definite plan. The election of the Church is the expression of the sovereign will of God
for every believer of the Church Age; predestination is the provision of His sovereign will. In time
this Divine provision is classified as “the protocol plan of God,” but when
discussed in the context of eternity past, this provision is called
“predestination.” Long before human history began. God
sovereignly established a supernatural way of life for the New Covenant Church
Age believer and provided the supernatural means of execution.
Predestination implies that the only way to fulfill the plan of God for our
lives is to properly utilize the assets He has given us. We are free to make
good use of the computer or to ignore its great potential, but the computer works God's way only. We must learn how to
use it, and then must use it properly. A Principle summarizes the Church
Age believer’s computer assets: The Christian is designed to live the Christian
way of life. From the believer’s functional
perspective this means that a right thing must be done in a right way. The
human solution is no solution! The Divine solution is the only solution! (The filling of the Spirit
and Truth) (Joh
4:23)
ENLARGING THE PORTFOLIO WITH
SECONDARY ASSETS
The believer’s use of his computer assets
actually enlarges his portfolio. In eternity past God the Father established the Church Age
believer’s primary assets. (Escrow blessings and computer assets) Then God
added secondary assets to the portfolio corresponding to the positive response
of the believer in time. How does this work? In eternity past omniscient God
looked down the corridors of time, as it were, and saw how each believer would
use his volition: positive or negative, for or against the protocol plan of
God. Without interfering with human freewill, (In fact, because of free will) God included secondary assets in the positive
believer’s portfolio based on his use of his primary assets. “Secondary assets”
are not second in importance or quality. They simply come after primary assets
in the sequence in which man understands them, and they involve human volition.
But they are blessings from God just as certainly as the primary assets. In
terms of our analogy that compares a believer with a computer, primary assets
are on ROM chips, and secondary assets are on PROM chips. Primary assets
originate from the sovereignty of God and represent His design for the
believer’s life. Secondary assets also originate from
the sovereignty of God, but rather than representing God’s will alone they
reflect the individual believer’s own consistent positive response to the grace
of God. The sovereignty of God and the free
will of the believer coexist in the dynamics of the Christian way of life.
The secondary assets, which we are about to study, exist because God saw to it
in eternity past that the powerful computer of the Church Age believer would
work. He
programmed it exactly as decided by both His Divine sovereignty and the
believer’s free will. Only the advancing
believer receives secondary assets, which are God’s response to his positive volition.
For the indifferent or recalcitrant believer, the
counterpart to secondary assets is Divine discipline, which is God’s response
to his negative volition. (Rev 3:15-22)
By giving us freedom of choice, God has also given us the effects and consequences
of our decisions. If
our decisions had no effect, we would not have freewill. (Gal 6:7-9) But
God did indeed decree that the results of our decisions actually would take
place. He made our volition efficacious. He
made us responsible for our own lives. This means that a positive response to the plan of God has
a real effect. He made the consistently
positive believer a winner! A negative response
also has a real effect, this is grace. Two important lessons are found in the very
existence of secondary assets. First, no matter how
hopeless a believer’s situation may seem, making good decisions is never an
exercise in futility. Learning and relying
upon Truth, and consistently residing in the Spiritual life, does make a difference, a difference
that God established in eternity past in the form of secondary assets. (Mat 25:29) There
is yet another lesson. By giving the Commands of the protocol plan of God — and
thus directing our free will along the lines of His sovereign purpose — God makes it possible for our lives to accomplish His
will. Our obedience to His plan has
the real effect of achieving His objective. God in His infinite superiority
does not simply go about His affairs without us. The effects and consequences
of our decisions can be magnificent, eternally reward-able demonstrations of
His glory. This gives our lives genuine
meaning, purpose, and definition. God knows
all things at once. Omniscient and eternal, He knows the end from the
beginning, the causes and results as a single whole. He knows about time
and the progression of events, but time does not restrict His knowledge. He
comprehends all things as one complete and total picture. The logic of all
things is in Him; He needs no time in which to deliberate. Before He created
time, God established the future Reality of both primary and secondary assets
in one all-comprehensive decree. Limited human faculties require believers to
Think of primary and secondary assets in increments, as a succession of cause
and effect. For us something becomes real when we experience it or do it, but
for God all things became certain in eternity past when He decreed them to be
Reality. Thus infinite God knew each of us and worked in our behalf long before
we existed. This means we belong to a plan that extends far beyond the
circumstances of the moment. Not only is God near — and an ever-present help in
time of need, (Heb 4:16) — but He has woven His help into the very fabric of our lives
as we unfold our lives in time. God provided all categories of assets in
eternity past, but they are delivered at various points in time. The Christian
receives his computer assets at Salvation. He takes delivery of escrow
blessings as he moves into Spiritual maturity. Between these two points
he begins to receive secondary assets as he grows Spiritually. Three kinds of
secondary assets should be noted.
1. Volitional assets
2. Production assets
3. Assets for undeserved suffering
How are secondary assets different from other Divine blessings? One outstanding difference is that secondary assets are
tangible. Many advantages in the Christian way
of life are intangible. Some lie beyond human perception. (Like union
with Christ or the filling of God the Holy Spirit) Some are abstract. (Like
Doctrinal Concepts) Others are reserved for the future (Like dying grace and
escrow blessings for eternity) All these invisible blessings are nonetheless
real. The believer’s secondary assets are also real, but these blessings related to volition, production, and
suffering are advantages that the advancing believer begins to experience in
his everyday life. These are the assets
that James has in mind when he encourages believers to grow up — to be “doers [Thinkers] of the Word and not merely
hearers who delude themselves.” (Jas 1:22) In other words, intangible advantages [Operation Z] mixed with positive
volition [Freewill] produce tangible
results! [Imputed blessings]
VOLITIONAL ASSETS
GOOD
DECISIONS FROM A POSITION OF STRENGTH
Positive
volition is an active desire to know God. It is love for Truth,
which expresses itself in persistently learning the Word of God and
consistently living by its Precepts. All secondary assets
result from the believer’s positive volition toward Truth, and one of these
secondary assets is the strengthening of
positive volition itself. Knowledge builds on knowledge. (Isa 28:10) The more Truth a believer knows, the greater his frame of
reference for comprehending additional Truth. Thus, good decisions to learn the
Word of God create options for further good decisions to keep learning. As the believer’s capacity for Doctrine expands, his love
for Truth increases because God's Thoughts are absolutely worthy of love.
(Pro 8:30-36) This
sharpened receptivity to Truth rests upon an invisible foundation. The growing
believer’s keener discernment and stronger desire for Truth may seem to be only
a natural result of broadening his Doctrinal frame of reference. However, the Christian should appreciate the invisible work
of God and recognize that even the maturing of his own positive volition is
from God. Spiritual growth itself is a
gift of grace. Advancement to Spiritual
maturity requires a consistent pattern of good decisions made from a position
of strength. “Good decisions” are those that obey the Commands of Divine
protocol — for example, decisions to
listen to Bible teaching or to utilize Divine problem-solving devices.
This is the tangible,
or conscious, aspect of the believer’s positive volition. The “position of
strength” is the Spiritual life, in which the Holy Spirit makes Truth
understandable and uses the believer’s store of Truth to fuel his Spiritual
momentum. The Holy Spirit supplies the intangible, unfelt effectiveness of the believer’s positive
volition. This invisible dimension, which the Christian does not experience, is
disclosed only in the content of Truth. Knowledge of
the Spirit’s unseen role gives the Christian
a sense of
gratitude, increases
his comprehension, his desire for Truth and
his Personal love for God, all of which he does experience!
THE VISIBLE
AND THE INVISIBLE
This
duality stands out dramatically in Salvation and continues after Salvation in God’s grace policy for growth, for the royal
family. (1Co 2:4-5; 1Co 2:10) Man gains Salvation through faith in
Christ. However, the one who believes in Christ for Salvation is Spiritually
dead; (Eph 2:1) he is totally depraved,
totally separated from God, and totally helpless to establish a relationship
with God. Faith originating from a Spiritually dead person has no power in
itself to produce so great a result as Salvation. The apparent cause
(Non-meritorious faith) and the actual effect (Eternal Salvation) are
completely out of proportion with one another. Obviously, an invisible factor
is at work. God Himself — not a Spiritually dead
man’s momentary act of faith — is the real cause of Salvation. (Joh 6:44-45)
The entire Trinity was involved in Christ’s death and resurrection, and God the
Holy Spirit specifically is the agent of Salvation. He Reveals the Gospel (Gen 6:3) and makes man’s faith in Christ
effectual (Eph 1:13) so that the
believer’s “faith should not rest on the
wisdom of men but on the power of God.” (1Co
2:5) Thus the believer is saved “...by
grace through faith...” (Eph 2:8-9)
His faith is made effective by the power of God the Holy Spirit. After
Salvation, the believer is no longer Spiritually dead, or separated from God. (Eph 2:4-5)
The Church Age believer possesses fabulous advantages, but his positive
volition still lacks the power in itself to advance him Spiritually. (Gal 3:3; Eph
4:20-24) Spiritual growth is a marvelous Divine achievement. Simply desiring to grow does not produce growth, nor does
slavish adherence to some religious formula — including rigid, unthinking, legalistic attendance to hear
Bible teaching. (Ecc 5:1) Growth comes not by hoping or striving but as a result of
learning, Thinking and solving problems with Truth, which is the power of God.
(Rom 1:16; Heb
4:12) But even the keenest human intellect
cannot penetrate God's Own Thoughts! (1Co
3:19-20) How, then, can we grow? Once again the grace of God meets
the helplessness of man. He places us in an invisible position of strength. (Php 4:13) The power of God the Holy Spirit operates
after Salvation in the Spiritual life. The Spirit’s
communication ministry aids in comprehension, assimilation, and application of
the Truth.
1. The Christian
chooses to reside in the Spiritual life, and read Truth. God the Holy
Spirit makes Truth comprehensible. (1Co 2:12-13)
2. The Christian
chooses to Think about Truth, to believe the Truth he hears, to integrate
new information with the Truth he already knows. God the Holy Spirit converts
academic knowledge of Truth into genuine Spiritual understanding. (1Co 2:16)
3. The Christian
chooses to Think with Truth in the circumstances of his life. God the Holy
Spirit aids in the recall of the Truth so that the believer “walks by means of the Spirit.” (Gal 5:16) In every stage of learning, meditating
upon, and thinking with the Truth, the believer provides the nonmeritorious
positive volition, but God the Holy Spirit provides the unseen power — the Spiritual IQ — for comprehending, assimilating and applying Truth. So that every believer; can reach Spiritual maturity
regardless of human IQ. (1Co 2:13-14)
CHANGES
IN POSITIVE VOLITION
God the Holy Spirit’s communication ministry is powerful but
deliberately invisible. The teaching is spotlighted,
not the Teacher! He operates in silent
support of the normal, human learning process. (Rom
12:2; 2Ti 2:15) As far as
conscious experience is concerned, the believer
listens to Bible teaching, Thinks about it, mulls it over, accepts what he
believes is true, and lives by that Truth. He recognizes the importance
the Bible gives to remaining filled with God the Holy Spirit, (Gal 5:16-26; Eph
4:30; Eph 5:18; 1Th 5:19)
so he obeys this Commands by faith. The Holy Spirit’s indispensable aid
operates below the surface. The Spirit glorifies Christ rather than Himself. (Joh 16:13-14) He illuminates the “Mind
of Christ.” (1Co 2:10-16) The Church Age believer “knows” God the Holy Spirit but “beholds”
Christ, in contrast to the world which neither
beholds nor knows God the Holy Spirit. (Joh
14:16-19) Intellectually aware that this invisible power animates
the Christian way of life, the believer can all the more appreciate the facets
of positive volition which are perceptible.
As he grows, his positive volition itself changes. Beyond
simply opting to hear, accept, or Think with the Word of Truth, positive
volition becomes an expression of his own Spiritual autonomy. Firmly grounded
in Truth, his Doctrinal Thinking becomes his outlook on life. He acquires a
scale of values in which his relationship with God has first priority!
Confidence in God enables him to squarely and
honestly face his own questions as an essential part of being receptive to
Truth. Doctrine fills all the compartments of his soul, including his
subconscious, so that he develops the instincts of grace, of gratitude, of true
worship. “Because of practice” in
learning and Thinking with Divine Thoughts, he has his “Senses [Thoughts] trained to discern good
and evil.” (Heb 5:14) He stretches forward, extending his stride like a runner
with the goal in sight. (Php 3:14) He loves and desires
Truth. In
other words, positive volition becomes an asset in itself, a secondary asset in
the believer’s now enlarged portfolio, an asset that becomes the driving force
in his life. The
increasing desire to know and worship God propels the potential winner toward
his Spiritual destiny. He is still free; he still has his old sin nature; he
can still turn aside into error or indifference. But after his positive
volition strengthens into a functioning secondary asset, his frame of reference
and his conscience operate in favor of Truth. He has forward momentum. Negative volition would go against his own
grain!
VOLITION
REMAINS FREE
Positive volition is never automatic, however. Any believer
can become “dull of hearing.” (Heb 5:11) Emphasizing the Christian’s
responsibility to be diligent.
(Heb 6:1-6) warns against
departing from Truth, after having built a foundation of elementary knowledge.
This passage is especially pertinent because here advancing believers lose
their own momentum by ignoring dispensational distinctions. Their initial,
accurate frame of reference, or “foundation,”
is depicted in this context as a list of basic Doctrines that begins with “repentance from dead works” and
continues through the Doctrine of “eternal
judgment.” (Heb 6:1-2)
At some point the Christians to whom this epistle was addressed began to
neglect the basics they had learned. They found
themselves attracted to the traditional Jewish forms of worship that
anticipated Christ. Old Testament ritual was
legitimate in previous dispensations but was made obsolete by the Cross. (Heb 10:1) It has no
place in Church Age worship. These Christians “again crucified to themselves the Son of God” by offering animal
sacrifices. Their participation in these ceremonies obscured New Covenant Truth
and halted their Spiritual growth. As long as they practiced this ritual,
subscribing to the outdated Doctrines involved, it was “impossible to renew them again to repentance.” (Heb 6:6) This does not mean they could never
recover. “Repentance”
is the first word from the list of basic Doctrines in verse 1. Here, in ancient
writing style that conserved valuable space, this initial word represents the
entire list. It is impossible to return to basic
Doctrine and regain Spiritual momentum while trusting in dead religious works,
self, or anything else; (Isa 58:13-14) other than God and His
Word. Continuing
in the wrong direction hardens negative volition, just as consistency in the right direction strengthens positive
volition.
THE ROLE OF
ENCOURAGEMENT
Yet
another factor plays a discernible role in transforming the believer’s positive
volition. This factor is encouragement. (Php 2:1-2)
The invisible resources that God provides for the
Church Age believer surpass the imagination. As
the Christian establishes a trend of making right decisions, these unseen,
primary assets produce their powerful results. He grows up Spiritually. Pressures only accelerate his advance. He achieves Spiritual
self-esteem, Spiritual autonomy, and Spiritual maturity. (Mat 13:8)
The results of executing the protocol plan of
God encourages us. Our confidence in God continues to grow. This confidence
from our accumulative experience of God’s grace strengthens our determination — our positive volition — to keep on fulfilling God’s purpose. (Php 3:12-14)
PRODUCTION ASSETS
The next category of secondary assets concerns
Christian service. As a result of Spiritual progress, the believer is motivated
to do something for the Lord. This desire begins in Spiritual childhood and
takes definite shape as the believer grows.
Genuine Christian service is a privilege, an asset
acquired as a result of faithfully adhering to the protocol plan of God! Service is not the first priority for the new believer; Truth is. And not everything called Christian
service actually is effective
Christian service. Discernment in this matter comes from Truth. Furthermore, even legitimate fields of service can be
neutralized by false motivation or the intrusion of human dynamics, by doing
things out of fellowship. The plan of God
operates on Divine power, (Rom 8:4-7) not human power. (Rom
8:8) The believer is completely helpless to
make his earthly endeavors count for God. Therefore,
God has made His own strength available to each Church Age believer. (2Pe 1:4) This power is accessible through the
believer’s use of his primary assets, which include logistical grace and the
Spiritual life. In eternity past omniscient God knew which believers would
utilize their primary assets. He therefore provided effective Christian service
in their portfolios as a secondary asset. (Eph
2:10; Php 2:13-16; Tit 2:14) True
production comes from Spiritual growth.
For we are His creation [The new Spiritual
species created by the baptism of God the Holy Spirit] having been created in
Christ Jesus [Union with Christ] for good achievements [Agathos in the Greek,
good of intrinsic value] which God [The Father] has prepared in advance [Before
creation He designed His protocol plan] that we should walk by means of them. [The application
of God's Thoughts to our Thoughts and actions] (Eph 2:10)
This passage
mentions (1) union with Christ, (2) intrinsically good achievements, and (3)
walking, (Thinking and living) by means of those good achievements. As
previously noted, union with Christ enables the Church Age believer to utilize
God’s power in the Spiritual life. The power of God
executes the plan of God so that He Himself is responsible for the Spiritual “achievements” in the Christian’s life.
In eternity past God “prepared in
advance” His protocol plan; and the Spiritual life as the means of
executing the plan. The believer makes good
decisions, but God gets all the credit for the
supernatural results! The believer’s consistent
positive volition in obeying the Commands of the Spiritual life becomes
Spiritual momentum. Momentum includes understanding
and using invisible assets, gaining a grace
perspective, attaining successive stages of Spiritual adulthood. All of these are “intrinsically
good achievements,” first, because God
ordained them as integral parts of His protocol plan for the individual
believer and, second, because Divine power achieves them. Christian
service is one expression of this Spiritual momentum. Christian service itself
cannot be called “intrinsically good,”
because believers can perform acts of Christian service in or out fellowship.
Service can come
from genuine love for God, and through legalism or coercion. It can even come
from arrogance and self-promotion. This passage emphasizes that true service
does not occur in a vacuum. It is not evaluated solely as overt, visible
activity but is part of “walking,” or living the Christian way of life in
fellowship with God. The believer lives the Christian
life “in” or, more precisely, “by means of” the stages of Spiritual
growth that God’s power achieves. Gaining
Spiritual momentum, which becomes a steady, vigorous Christian walk, implies a
sequence that will not work in reverse order. A
believer who attempts to advance himself Spiritually through the works he
performs is wasting his time and squandering his life! He is ignorant of
God’s protocol, and ignorance breeds arrogance.
His motivation is misdirected. He may sincerely want Divine approbation, but Jesus is the only human being who ever deserves God’s
complete approval! Man’s only entrance
to God is through Christ, according to the protocol God has set forth. The carnal Christian’s power is merely human and, therefore,
cannot produce Spiritual growth, (Psa 94:11;
Psa 39:5) and
Spiritual progress does not occur. He runs in vain and toils in vain. (Gal 3:3) He may impress
himself and other Christians with his production, but at the Judgment Seat of
Christ this believer’s “Christian service” will be condemned and destroyed as “dead works” (Heb 6:1; Heb 9:14;
cf. 1Co 3:11-15) Jesus Christ as the escrow officer will eternally reward only believers
whose service reflects Spiritual Thinking and growth, which is an intrinsically good achievement. Genuine Christian service is a result of Spiritual
growth and a chance to apply Truth already assimilated. Christian production covers a wide range of
activities. A partial list shows that different opportunities for legitimate
service can appeal to different believers as they advance. Not all Christian
service is alike.
1. Witnessing to
unbelievers and teaching rebound and basic Doctrines to beginning believers is a
responsibility of every believer in the course of performing all other
categories of Christian service.
2. Work in the church,
involving many kinds of service
3. Work in
Christian service organizations
4. Foreign
missionary service
5. Work
ordained by the laws of Divine establishment, such as military or government service
6. Service to the
needy of the community
7.
Specialized functions, such as
working with youth or the handicapped.
8. The function of
one’s Spiritual gift, which will be mentioned separately under the Church
Age believer’s “personnel assets”
ASSETS FOR UNDESERVED
SUFFERING
The final category of secondary assets in the believer’s portfolio is suffering for blessing. This asset, like certain aspects of positive volition and service, is an example of continuity in the midst of change. In every dispensation God uses suffering as a means of blessing the Spiritually adult believer. In His marvelous grace God designed pressures for each stage of a believer’s advance in Spiritual adulthood. The objective is accelerated Spiritual growth. Christianity is not a religion of suffering, regardless of ascetic distortions that have cropped up throughout Church history. Suffering is part of life. We are mortals living in the devil’s world among other mortals, all possessing a sin nature. God first of all enables the believer to eliminate self-induced misery from his own life, and then He carries out the greatest strategy of all. God has incorporated human suffering into His plan. Hence, suffering poses no threat to the plan of God. He uses suffering to advance the believer Spiritually! As the believer learns to use the assets God has given him, suffering loses much of its dread. God uses the right kind and degree of suffering to stretch the believer beyond his human resources, compelling him to rely utterly upon the grace of God. This undeserved suffering is designed to teach the all-sufficiency of God. The believer might fail a test and collapse under pressure, but never is the pressure greater than he can bear if he uses the Doctrinal resources in his soul, (1Co 10:13) including the problem-solving devices.
And if a believer fails, recovery is as near as the rebound
technique, which itself is a basic problem-solving device. (Job 42:6; Psa 32:5;
1Jn 1:9) Suffering has different
purposes in each successive stage of Spiritual growth. We will start to note
some of these purposes in the course of Spiritual
adulthood, which begins when the believer gains Spiritual
self-esteem, followed by Spiritual autonomy and Spiritual maturity. When a believer attains Spiritual self-esteem, God
consolidates his strength and protects him from self-righteousness by sending providential preventive suffering. (2Co 12:7)
The believer who perseveres in utilizing his Divine
assets and succeeds under providential preventive suffering advances to
Spiritual autonomy. In Spiritual autonomy he
receives momentum testing (Sin nature, Thought, people, system and disaster testing)
so that he may appreciate Christ more fully and utilize the resources on which
Christ Himself relied. (Php 3:10) If the believer passes momentum testing, he moves into
Spiritual maturity. As a mature believer he has the capacity to handle
the most challenging suffering in the Christian life. Evidence testing, in which God
calls him — as it were — to the witness stand as evidence for God’s case in the
appeal trial of Satan. (Job 1:6-11; Job 2:1-6; Mat
4:1-11) Evidence testing is Satan’s
cross-examination of the witness. Under the rigors of evidence testing,
the supreme efficacy of God’s grace glorifies Him to the maximum on earth. God
does not administer any of these categories of suffering until the believer can
handle the pressure and benefit from the experience. (1Co 10:13) Suffering for blessing is never
designed to destroy the growing believer. God’s purpose is to replace the believer’s futile confidence in human resources
with increased confidence in God! (Rom 4:20-21) The pain is real,
but always the purpose is blessing. Indeed, in eternity past God
graciously included suffering in the advancing believer’s portfolio. Suffering
for blessing is necessary to intensify his use of all other assets in his
portfolio. The believer who fails to reach Spiritual self-esteem does not
receive suffering assets. He still suffers, but his pain is not designed by God
for blessing. Instead, his own bad decisions cause him
to suffer under the law of volitional responsibility. And in the midst of
self-induced misery, he may also incur Divine discipline. God disciplines the believer to alert him to his failure and
to motivate his return to the only solution: the protocol plan of God. (Joh 4:24)
PERSONNEL ASSETS IN THE CHURCH AGE PORTFOLIO
Having discussed
primary and secondary assets in the Christian’s portfolio, we turn now to the
special category of assets that sustains the operation of the church. Personnel assets because they relate the
individual believer to an organization or group of believers in which he plays
an important part. Every Church Age believer possesses at least one Spiritual
gift. (1Co 12:7) Spiritual gifts are
God-given talents or abilities related to the function of the royal family of
God on earth. From His sovereign bounty the victorious Lord Jesus Christ
initially distributed Spiritual gifts to celebrate His triumph. (Eph 4:7-13) Shortly after the Church Age began,
the Holy Spirit distributes Spiritual gifts as part of His ministry of
glorifying Christ. (Eph 3:7-11)
Throughout the Church Age, God the Holy Spirit sovereignly bestows Spiritual
gifts at the moment of Salvation. (1Co 12:11;
Heb 2:4) Totally
apart from human merit, ability, or talent, Spiritual gifts operate on Divine
power, not on
human energy. Therefore, the Spiritual gift remains unexploited until
the believer has begun to grow. When he reaches
Spiritual adulthood, his gift functions fully and effectively as God's royal
priest, (1Pe 2:9) even if he is unaware that his activities involve a
Spiritual gift. The only gifts that demand special preparation in order
to function properly are the communication gifts, particularly the gift of
pastor-teacher, and certain gifts of administration. All
believers have equal privilege and equal opportunity to execute the protocol
plan of God, but equality ends where the secondary assets begin. These
assets increase with Spiritual growth, which depends on volition. Some
believers choose to advance; most do not. (Mat 7:13-14) Furthermore, equality does not
extend into the realm of personnel assets, or Spiritual gifts. Spiritual gifts
create differences in function within the Body of Christ. (Rom 12:4-8) The individual’s Spiritual gift is
part of what gives him a personal destiny within the royal family of God. The
fulfillment of this destiny is a Christian’s unique contribution to resolving
the angelic conflict. This completes our discussion of the Church Age
believer’s portfolio of invisible assets. So far we have seen four characteristics
that make the Church Age unique. These have been the baptism of the Holy
Spirit, the protocol plan of God, mystery Doctrine, and the portfolio. We now
turn to a fifth characteristic.
THE EQUALITY FACTOR
Election and
predestination are tremendous advantages to the Church Age believer. They
deserve special attention because they are the equality factor. Every member of the royal family of God has equal privilege
and equal opportunity to execute the protocol plan of God. At the moment of Salvation, no one is superior; no one is
inferior. No one has a higher position than any other, and no one is
disadvantaged. All the human standards of superiority and inferiority are set
aside by the election and predestination of each Church Age believer in
eternity past. Race, sex, intelligence, nationality, economic situation, social
standing —
none of these help or hinder the believer in fulfilling the protocol plan of
God. Help lies entirely in Divine
assets, and
the only hindrance
is the believer’s own refusal to learn Truth and utilize his invisible
Divine assets.
Specific aspects of election and predestination provide
equal privilege and opportunity to execute the plan of God. Under the computer
asset of election, the universal priesthood gives the believer equal privilege
with every other New Covenant Age believer. (Eph
1:4) Every member of the royal family represents himself before God.
Also under election, logistical grace gives every Christian equal opportunity
through life support, personal security, and the provisions necessary to learn
Truth. Winners and losers alike are blessed with logistical grace. Under the
computer asset of predestination, union with Christ gives every believer equal
privilege at the moment of Salvation. (Eph 1:5)
All Church Age believers have the same position in Christ through the baptism
of God the Holy Spirit. Also under predestination, the Spiritual life gives
every believer equal opportunity to advance by executing the protocol plan of
God. Each Church Age believer possesses his own operational Spiritual life. The
Spiritual life is the believer’s royal palace, his magnificent but invisible
seat of power. Note well that equal privilege and
equal opportunity for every Church Age believer in time, means inequality in the eternal state!
(Rev 22:14-15) Each believer’s volition
accepts or rejects the provisions of Divine sovereignty. The ROM chip (Sovereignty of God) provide equality, but the PROM
chip (Free will of man) also function in the
computer and express individuality. Some believers
respond to Bible Doctrine, advance Spiritually, and become Spiritual winners.
Others reject Truth and become Spiritual losers.
A Roman maxim applies to the loser: Qui
non proficit deficit. “He who does not advance
retrogresses.” But another maxim pertains to the winner: Vincit qui pat itur. “He is a winner who perseveres.” The Christian winner keeps
on using his privileges and opportunities!
ROYAL COMMISSIONS
Among the many
benefits of Spiritual royalty, two Divine commissions have been granted to
every Church Age believer. Each Christian is a royal priest and a royal
ambassador. A priest is a human being who represents some segment of the human
race before God. In the Dispensation of the Gentiles, the head of the family
represented the family in matters of worship. The family priest’s duties
included presenting revealed Truth and officiating in rituals and animal
sacrifices. (Gen 4:3-5; Gen 8:20;
Gen 14:18; Gen
22:13) In the Dispensation of Israel, God ordained the Levitical
priesthood to serve on behalf of the nation. (Num
3:5-10; Lev 8:1-36) This specialized priesthood taught Truth verbally and
ceremonially through the rituals authorized in the Mosaic Law. The Levitical priesthood included only unblemished
adult males from the family of Aaron in the tribe of Levi. (Lev 21:17-21) In previous dispensations,
membership in the priesthood was severely restricted. Priests were a small
minority among believers. The New Covenant Age is unique in that the priesthood
has been extended to include every believer.
(1Pe 2:5-9; Rev
1:6; Rev 5:10) In union with
Christ, every Church Age believer belongs to the most exalted of all priestly
orders under the high priesthood of the resurrected Jesus Christ. (Heb 9:11-14) As a royal priest, each Church Age
believer represents himself before God. (Rom 12:1;
Eph 6:7-8; Heb
13:15-16) This is the basis for the believer’s Spiritual privacy, in
which he lives his own life before the Lord. (Rom
14:4-10; 2Th 3:11-12) The believer’s priesthood is also grounds for offering
effective prayer. Furthermore, the faithful intake of
Truth, which is the basis for Spiritual growth and the attainment of Spiritual
adulthood, is a priestly function. Spiritual growth is a result of the believer-priest’s protocol function before God.
The setting for the royal priest’s duties is inside
the Spiritual life, in contrast to the service of earlier priesthoods at
physical altars or in material temples. Although the believer is a fully
ordained priest at the moment of Salvation, his priesthood becomes more
effective as he attains successive stages of Spiritual growth. (Heb 5:12-14) The universal priesthood of the
Church does not imply total independence of believers from one another. The
priesthood and Spiritual gifts create a balance. The
priesthood emphasizes the individual; Spiritual
gifts emphasize the group. Spiritual gifts are Divinely given abilities
that support the many necessary functions within the congregation, as well as
outside the church in spreading the Gospel and Divine Thinking. Believers as
priests have responsibilities both before God and among other believers. Every
Christian is a priest, but not every priest has the same Spiritual gift. The gift of pastor-teacher, for example, enables a
believer to accurately study and teach the Word of God. These functions
belonged to the priesthoods of earlier dispensations, but in the Church Age not
every priest has a gift of communicating the Truth to assembled groups. All
believers are royal priests, but only some royal priests are pastors. Pastors depend on the attendance of hearers. Those who are not pastors remain dependent on a pastor’s
exposition of the Scriptures. Although autonomous before God, believers
do not live in isolation from one another. The Christian service of individual
believer-priests also brings them into contact with other Christians. Here the privacy of the priesthood treats each individual
with respect and prevents sins like gossip, judging and intolerance. This
respect for the individual permits relationships to develop on a solid foundation
of Virtue. In other words, privacy contributes to rewarding relationships with
other people; it is not a barrier that excludes others from the believer’s
life. Each believer-priest is responsible for
residing in the Spiritual life, learning Truth, and living his own life before
the Lord, but he does not have to eliminate or distort human
relationships to do so. The church, computer, car, house, etc. are places where
believers hear Truth, and wonderful human relationships can develop on the
common ground of love for the Word of God. Privacy allows each person in the
congregation to choose his own activities — within and outside the church — and
to pursue or decline relationships on his own initiative. The Christian’s
second royal warrant operates not toward God but toward man. As a royal ambassador every Church Age believer represents
the Lord Jesus Christ to mankind on earth. (2Co
5:20; Eph 6:20; Phm 1:9) A close analogy exists between a
nation’s senior diplomat to a foreign country and the Church Age believer as
God’s royal ambassador to man. A nation’s ambassador does not appoint himself;
likewise, God appoints the royal ambassador to be His
representative on earth. An ambassador does not support himself; similarly, God
supplies all the logistical grace necessary to perpetuate the believer’s
physical and Spiritual life in the devil’s world. An ambassador’s instructions
are given to him in writing; the royal ambassador operates according the Word
of God. An ambassador is not a citizen of the country in which he serves; the
ambassador of Jesus Christ has his citizenship in heaven. (Php 3:20) An
ambassador does not reside in his assigned country to advance his own personal
interests; the royal ambassador lives to
glorify Christ and personally benefits not by following his own agenda but
through fulfilling his royal responsibility. An ambassador does not take insults
personally; the believer does not regard the negative volition of
mankind as a personal insult but continues to faithfully represent Christ
regardless of insulting treatment by others. The recall of an ambassador accompanies a declaration of war. (Rev 3:10)
THE INDWELLING OF THE TRINITY
GOD RESIDING IN THE BELIEVER
Never before the Church Age does God indwell every believer’s body. At
the moment of Salvation, God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit
take up residence in the body of the Church Age believer. God’s indwelling continues uninterrupted throughout the
believer’s life. Scripture documents this unprecedented indwelling.
1. The indwelling of
God the Father (Joh 14:23; Eph 4:6; 2Jn 1:9)
2. The indwelling of
God the Son (Joh 14:20; Joh 17:22-23; Rom
8:10; 2Co 13:5; Gal 2:20;
Col 1:27; 1Jn
2:23-24)
3. The indwelling of
God the Holy Spirit (Rom 8:11; 1Co 3:16; 1Co
6:19-20; 2Co 6:16)
How can God
indwell a believer’s body? God is omnipresent, which involves His immanence and
His transcendence. (Deut 4:39; 1Ki 8:27; Psa
139:7-8; Pro 15:3; Isa 57:4)
Immanence means His entire essence is always present everywhere so that the
whole of God is in every place. (Jer 23:23-24;
Act 17:27-28) Transcendence means He is independent of the created universe so
that no particular place exclusively contains Him. (Psa
113:5-6; Isa 55:8-9; Joh 8:23)
Immanence and transcendence exist in balance, so that “the whole earth is full of His glory,” (He is wholly in every point in the universe) while at the same
time He is “holy” and “lofty and exalted” infinitely beyond
the universe. (Isa 6:1-3) If God is
everywhere, what is the meaning of His special indwelling of the Church Age
believer’s body? The combination of immanence and transcendence means that God
is free to be local, to have a presence at a particular location. (Exod 19:20; Exod
24:9-18; Exod 40:34; Lev 16:2; Joh 1:14)
And since He is not restricted to time and space, He can decide how He wants to dwell in these temporal
and physical dimensions. He does not always have to be present in the same
sense. When He dwells within creation, therefore, He dwells by His own choice
and in a manner of His own choosing. His sovereign decision in this matter is a
striking expression of His love and His eternal purpose. The indwelling of the Church Age believer’s body is God’s
local presence in a more intimate relationship with the believer than has ever
existed prior to this dispensation. God’s personal, indwelling presence
within the Christian’s body is an astounding fact and the basis for blessings
beyond imagination.
THE INDWELLING OF THE FATHER
Each member of
the Trinity has a purpose for residing in the believer’s body. The indwelling
of the Father is related to the glorification of His protocol plan. (Eph 1:3-14) The Father is the author of our
portfolio of invisible assets. He is the grantor of our escrow blessings for
time and eternity. He is the Mastermind of the protocol plan for the new
Covenant. He is the designer of the Spiritual life, the invisible sphere of
power in which the protocol plan is executed. The Father is not the revealed
member of the Trinity; the Lord Jesus Christ is. The Father is not the Divine
agent in the believer’s execution of the Christian way of life; the Holy Spirit
is. Because God the Father is revealed indirectly — through Christ by the power
of the Spirit — little appears in Scripture concerning His personal indwelling.
The Bible presents only the arresting fact that He does indeed indwell every
Church Age believer. His indwelling guarantees His personal ministry to every
believer.
THE INDWELLING OF JESUS CHRIST
Shekinah Glory was originally a Jewish Theological term for the
presence of God made manifest. Shekinah comes from the Hebrew word
meaning “to dwell.” The Son is the
revealed member of the Godhead, (Joh 1:18)
the special Divine presence, or Shekinah,
who is glorified among men. The
Lord Jesus Christ is the Shekinah Glory. The Shekinah Glory appears in numerous
dispensations, establishing continuity from age to age. But the change of
residence of the Shekinah Glory is yet another example of the dramatic
differences between the dispensations. In the Dispensation of Israel, the
pre-incarnate Christ took the form of a pillar of fire and smoke that led and defended
the Jews. (Exod 13:21-22; Exod 14:19; Exod
16:7-10; Exod 24:16-17) The
Shekinah Glory also dwelt between the golden cherubs in the Tabernacle and
later in Solomon’s Temple as a sign of blessing for the nation of Israel. (Lev 26:11-12; cf. Exod
25:22; Exod 33:9-10; Exod 40:34-38; Lev
9:23; Num 16:42; 1Ki 8:11; 2Ch
5:13-14) In the Dispensation of the Hypostatic Union, the revealed
member of the Godhead “became flesh and tabernacled among us and we beheld His
glory [The Shekinah Glory] ...full of grace and Truth.” (Joh 1:14) In this well-known statement, John
refers to the Transfiguration, (Mat 17:1-8;
Mar 9:2-8; Luk
9:28-36) in which he
witnessed the glory of Christ’s Deity briefly revealed. During the
Transfiguration the Voice declared that Christ is the Revelation of the Father,
(Joh 6:46; Joh
14:9-10) the very Shekinah Glory that appeared in Isaiah’s vision of
the enthroned Lord “lofty and exalted,
with the train of His robe filling the temple.” (Isa 6:1; Isa 6:10; Joh 12:37-41; cf. Isa
53:1-12) The Old Testament Shekinah Glory
in the Temple and the incarnate Christ are the same Person. Earlier our Lord had referred to His body as a
temple, (Joh 2:18-22) the new dwelling
place of the Shekinah Glory. The Shekinah Glory had changed residence from the
Temple to the body of Jesus Christ. The incarnate Christ is the “flashing forth of [God’s] glory.” (Heb 1:3) In the Church Age, the body of each
believer is a temple in which Jesus Christ, the Shekinah Glory, dwells. (2Co 6:16; cf. Lev
26:12) This change of residence of the Shekinah Glory indicates the
transition between the Dispensation of the Hypostatic Union and the
Dispensation of the Church. The indwelling of God
the Son in the body of the Church Age believer is the escutcheon or badge of
the royal family. The Shekinah Glory has fulfilled different purposes in
God’s plan for different dispensations. Under the
ritual plan of God in Israel, the Shekinah Glory dwelt in the Tabernacle
and Temple; to be the focal point of worship in the nation. The Shekinah Glory
resided among His people but not in them, until they reached maturity. (Psa 26:1-8; Psa
84:1-12) Under the incarnation plan of God,
the purpose of the Shekinah Glory in human form was to provide Salvation. Jesus
Christ came in the flesh to bear man's sins in His body on the Cross. (1Pe 2:24) Under the
protocol plan for the Church, the Shekinah Glory indwells every
believer’s body at the moment of Salvation, (Col
1:27) for the purpose of fellowship with the glorified Christ. As
the Church Age believer advances to Spiritual maturity, the Holy Spirit
glorifies Christ, (Rom 8:11) in his
body. (Php 3:3) Every member of the
royal family is a new Spiritual species indwelt by Christ, (Rom 6:3-4) like the Shekinah Glory’s reluctant
departure from apostate Israel. (1Sa 4:21;
Eze 9:3; Eze
10:4; Eze 11:22-23) The
impact and blessings depend on obedience. (Joh
14:23; Joh 15:1-8) The
ministry of God the Holy Spirit gives the Church Age believer unprecedented
opportunity for Spiritual impact.
Now the Lord is the Spirit, [Deity of God the Holy Spirit] and where the Spirit
of the Lord is, there is freedom. [Freedom to
Spiritually mature] Now we all, with an unveiled face [The filling of God Holy the Spirit gives Spiritual
perception] looking into a mirror [Truth, the
Mind of Christ] to produce a reflection [A
reflection of Christ's Thoughts and Virtues, who indwells us] namely, the glory of the Lord [The Shekinah Glory
revealed to us by God the Holy Spirit, who illuminates Truth, (Joh 16:13-14)] are being transformed into the same image [The
execution of the protocol plan of God manifests in us the glory of Christ] from glory to glory, [From
the source, the indwelling Shekinah Glory, to the manifestation of the Shekinah
Glory in the Church Age believer who follows the protocol plan] as it
were, from the Spirit of the Lord [The power of God
the Holy Spirit which executes the protocol plan] (2Co 3:17-18)
As in
previous dispensations, the Shekinah Glory is both a sign and a guarantee of
blessing. Jesus Christ’s presence in the
Church Age believer assures him that his portfolio of invisible assets is now
available. The indwelling Jesus Christ is the King
who rules in our heart, (Col 1:13; Col 3:3-4) as in the nation of
Israel before they wanted a human king. (Luk
19:38; Joh 18:37; Rom 15:12; Col 3:15;
1Ti 1:17; 1Ti
6:15; Rev 15:3) He Himself is the depositary with whom the Father
entrusted escrow blessings for time and eternity. (Eph 1:3) His presence
in the believer’s body guarantees that these irrevocable blessings will be distributed if he attains
Spiritual maturity through execution of the protocol plan! (Luk 19:26; Rom 14:17-18) Christ’s
indwelling of the body is also an assurance of eternal life in the presence of
God. At death the believer departs from the body and comes “face-to-face with the Lord” in heaven. (2Co 5:8)
Christ is personally invisible while indwelling the believer’s mortal body. (1Pe 1:8) He becomes visible in the moment of our
death. The Doctrine of the indwelling of Christ takes
the fear out of death, for the Lord, who even now indwells the believer, will
be the first person he will see. These guarantees and assurances encourage
the believer while he remains on earth to execute the protocol plan of God. The
Church Age believer’s confidence can surpass even the confidence of David who
wrote, “Even though I walk through the
valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are with me...” (Psa 23:4) The same Lord who was with the heroes of the Old Testament
dwells in every Church Age believer.
(Joh 14:17-20)
While instilling confidence, the indwelling Lord Jesus
Christ simultaneously becomes the object of the believer’s love. The personal, indwelling presence of Christ is a compelling
reason for giving priority to relationship with God over relationships with people,
self, circumstances or things. First priority
goes to assimilating Truth, called the “Mind
of Christ” (1Co 2:16) so that the believer can experience Occupation with Christ.
Occupation with Christ is the Spiritually
mature believer’s constant awareness of the One he loves! (Heb
11:27)
THE INDWELLING OF GOD THE HOLY SPIRIT
Like God the
Father and God the Son, God the Holy Spirit also indwells the body of every
Church Age believer. The Spirit indwells to make the Christian’s body a temple
worthy of Christ, the Shekinah Glory. (1Co 3:16;
2Co 6:16) The believer himself is incapable
of providing an acceptable dwelling place for Christ. The
old sin nature inherited from fallen Adam contaminates the body throughout the
believer’s temporal life. Only the “washing
of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit” (Tit 3:5) makes the “temple” fit for Christ to occupy. The existence of this inner
sanctuary for Christ makes it possible (In fact, makes it even conceivable) for
the believer to obey the Command to “glorify
God in your body.” (1Co 6:19-20) This Command is fulfilled by God the Holy Spirit. He
executes the plan of the Father in the life of the positive believer, the
believer who adheres to Divine protocol. Two post-Salvation ministries
of the Spirit are involved: indwelling and filling. The Spirit indwells the body so Christ may take up
royal residence there, while the filling of God the Holy Spirit enables
the believer to reflect the glory (Spiritual life) of the resident Christ. (Joh 16:14; 2Co 3:18)
Indwelling puts God the Holy Spirit’s
help near at hand, in fact, within the Christian himself; filling actually delivers God the Holy Spirit’s help as He
invisibly energizes the Spiritual life. Indwelling is
permanent; filling is intermittent. Scripture never Commands
the New Covenant believer to be indwelt by God the Holy Spirit but rather
regards His indwelling as a constant Reality. The Bible does, however, Command
the believer to “be filled with the Spirit.”
(Eph 5:18; cf. Gal 5:16)
The Christian
cannot change the indwelling of God the Holy Spirit, but the filling of God the Spirit is a matter of choice. The
believer loses the filling of God the Holy Spirit by committing sin. He
restores the filling of the Spirit by confessing or acknowledging his sins to
the Father. (1Jn 1:9) The Principle of
rebound remains the same in all dispensations as the only means of recovering
fellowship with God. (Pro 1:23) At the
moment of Salvation in the New Covenant; God the Holy Spirit takes up residence
in the body, and a perpetual inner conflict begins. (Rom 6:16-18) God the Holy Spirit and the old sin nature
compete for management of the soul. (Eph
3:16-17; cf. Rom 7:15 thru Rom 8:13; Gal
5:17-26) The believer’s volition decides
the issue: to sin
or to resist temptation, to remain in a state of
carnality after committing a sin or to rebound
back into the Spiritual life. God the Holy
Spirit is the power source in the Spiritual life. Living outside of the Spiritual life, under the power of the
old sin nature, is “grieving” and or “quenching” the Holy Spirit. (Eph 4:30; 1Th 5:19)
For the Christian, living in the Spiritual life always implies being filled
with God the Holy Spirit. When the believer
concentrates on the Word of Truth when it is taught and Thinks with it, and
applies it in solving problems and just living life, God the Holy Spirit
illuminates the Truth. (1Co 2:9-16)
But this indispensable ministry of the indwelling
Spirit operates only when the believer is filled with God the Holy Spirit! (1Co 3:1-3)
THE AVAILABILITY OF DIVINE POWER
During Old
Testament dispensations the power of God was used by a few believers, who
reached Spiritual maturity. God the Holy Spirit empowered by enduement the
understanding of Truth until they reached Spiritual maturity, than He could
indwell them. (Isa 59:21) Exceptional
Old Testament believers who held positions of unusual responsibility, where
given Spiritual power by God the Holy Spirit, to carry out their particular
functions. (Num 11:16-17; Num 27:18-20;
1Sa 10:6-10; Eze 2:2; Mic 3:8;
Zec 7:12; 1Pe
1:11) In dramatic contrast to previous dispensations, the protocol plan
of God is executed through a power structure available to every New Covenant Age believer at the moment of Salvation. (1Co 12:13; Gal 3:27) The indwelling and filling of God the Holy Spirit are
extended to every member of the royal family. The
“ordinary believer” is extraordinary in this dispensation. The
omnipotence of God the Holy Spirit enables the individual believer to execute
the protocol plan of God. God the Holy Spirit
supplies the power necessary for perception and application of Truth by which
the believer advances to Spiritual maturity. (Joh 14:16-17; Joh 16:12-14;
1Co 2:9-16) Each Church Age believer
also has available to him the power of God the Father and God the Son. Each
person of the Trinity exercises His absolute power in behalf of the Church Age
believer. How does this magnificent resource become operational in the
believer’s life? It does so according to the Commands of Divine protocol. The
omnipotence of God the Father is related to the portfolio of invisible assets.
As the believer learns and obeys the Father’s plan, he begins to experience the
“riches of His grace.” (Eph 1:7-9) The omnipotence of God the Son preserves
the universe and perpetuates the human race. (Col
1:17; Heb 1:3) He controls human history
by blessing nations that have a large enough pivot of positive believers (1Ch 12:22) and by judging nations with too large a spin-off of negative
believers. (Lam 1:4-5) The final two characteristics of the Church Age —
concerning Prophecy and invisible heroes — explain how the Son’s power operates
uniquely toward the Church.
PROPHECY
Like all other
dispensations, the pre-canon (Before the book of
Revelation is completed) and post-canon, (After
the completed New Testament in A.D. 96) the New Covenant Age is the era
in which Biblical Prophecy has been and will be fulfilled. (Joh 14:16-17; Joh
16:7-15; Act 1:5; Act 2:16-21; 1Co
14:21; (Act 3:18-24; Act 15:14-18; Rom
9:25; 1Pe 1:10-12) Jesus
Christ is the key to the Divine interpretation of history, including past,
present, and future (Or Prophetic) history. (Eph
3:10-11) In His timeless Deity He knows the future as clearly as the
past or present. The Bible, as the Mind of Christ, is
not a complete “history book” of the future. The relatively few future events
it describes ~ are selected to reveal Christ, for “...the Testimony of Jesus is the spirit of
Prophecy.” (The
Thinking of Jesus is The Word of God.) (Rev 19:10) Many Prophecies have been fulfilled
in the past, just as others will be in the future. For example, the Doctrines
of Christ as Savior (Christology) and of His saving work (Soteriology) were
Prophetic during the Age of the Gentiles and the Age of Israel. They were
fulfilled during the Dispensation of the Hypostatic Union. Now, during the
Church Age, we look back upon historical facts in connection with these
Doctrines. Like Prophecies already fulfilled, those
concerning the future reveal Christ — and the events surrounding His second advent, His reign
on earth, and His eternal glorification. The Church Age stands between
two periods rich in Prophecy. The Dispensation of the Hypostatic Union
fulfilled many Old Testament Prophecies, and the two eschatological
dispensations, that is, the Tribulation and Millennium, are described
throughout the Old and New Testaments. (Isa
66:6-24) Naturally, the growing believer’s
love for Christ creates eager anticipation of His appearance, (1Co 1:4-8; Tit 2:13) but that enthusiasm
must be tempered by patience (Jas 5:7-8) and redirected toward fulfilling God’s purpose in this present dispensation. When one
acknowledges that the Church Age is a dispensation, he recognizes that God’s
yet-unfulfilled Prophecies and Promises concerning Israel still belong to
Israel. In other words, the Church does not usurp the position of Israel in
God’s plan for the ages. God will keep
His Promises to the Jews. (Gen 13:14-15)
In the meantime, the fulfillment of Divine Prophecy will be seen, (Act 15:14-18; Rev
3:10) and continue through the Tribulation period. (Dan 9:27; Luk 21:24)
Jesus Christ controls history, but rather than fixing our attention on
particular Prophesied events, He directs us to concentrate on His Thoughts. (1Co 14:20) The “Testimony of Jesus” during this
dispensation is manifested not only through Prophecy but through the New
Covenant Church Age believer. The Church is the Body of Christ. The Church is
in union with Christ. The Church has access to the same Divine assets that
sustained the humanity of Christ. The Church
possesses the completed canon of Scripture, given to sustain Spiritual growth
which glorifies Christ. The Church is meant to be inculcated with the Mind of
Christ. Believers should learn the whole realm of Scripture. In fact, the final two dispensations are entirely
eschatological. But our Lord controls history in the
Church Age through His direct rule as a Theocracy. A Spiritual kingdom in the
souls of believers, (Luk 17:21)
not by a succession of Prophesied events, but according to historical trends.
This is illustrated by Christ’s evaluation of local churches in, (Rev 2:1) thru (Rev
3:22) in which He comments on various tendencies in the
congregations and warns of their consequences. The Church Age may even be
called the dispensation of historical trends: As goes
the believer, so goes the historical trends at any point in any generation of
the Church Age. Residence, function and momentum inside our very own palace,
the operational-type Spiritual life means historical uptrend, while involvement
in the cosmic system means historical downtrend. As go believers, so go gentile
client nations; and as go client nations, so goes human history! The
influence of Church Age believers is invisible and generally indirect, whereas
the Bible’s yet unfulfilled Prophecies frequently describe the political stage
and events in the public spotlight. The pattern of historical disaster begins
with economic depression, moves to moral and immoral degeneracy, and ends in
military disaster. Historical trends are related to the conflict between
objective Reality (What God's Word declares Reality
to be) and subjective reality. (What we think
reality is) Choosing to believe Satan’s
propaganda whether in religion, “human old sin nature morality,” philosophy,
family life, social life, money, things, self, psychology, sociology, political
science, or any other academic subject related to human viewpoint, results in
choosing the thinking and environment of Satan's cosmic system. Believers create these trends of history — anonymously. And in the Church Age the scope of the Christian’s
invisible impact is not restricted within a Prophetic outline; in the
atmosphere of Salvation for unbelievers and encouraging believers to learn
God's Reality, to take the initiative, advance Spiritually, and pursue
their Spiritual destinies, in the glorification of Christ. From the beginning,
this was the tenor of Christ’s repeated encouragement to the disciples in the
Upper Room Discourse. Christ kept urging them to “ask Me anything in My name,” (Joh
14:13-14; Joh 15:16; Joh 16:23-24) because
the extent and manner of the glorification of His name in the Church is not
announced in advance but is left to the positive volition of the individual
believer. In other words, the scope of the Christian’s influence is virtually
unlimited! Each
believer influences history to an unprecedented degree, for good or ill, Decisions
create environment, not environment decisions. And
consequently the Christian has a profound responsibility to grow up
Spiritually. This theme is in accord with the rest of Church Age Doctrine: The fabulous Divine resources at the command of the royal
family —
just waiting for positive volition — turn a brighter spotlight upon the free will of each
believer than in any other dispensation. Knowledge of Doctrine helps the
believer interpret events and historical trends as they occur in his own
generation of the Church Age. The impact of the believer’s decisions stresses his need to
grow up Spiritually to the point that he can Think for himself within a
Biblical frame of reference from God's Reality. (1Co 2:16)
INVISIBLE HEROES
The Doctrine of
dispensations shows the Church Age believer where he stands in the panorama of
human history, but this Doctrine also teaches him how to have an influence on
history. When a Church Age believer advances to Spiritual maturity, he has a
positive impact. (Heb 11:32-34) In Old
Testament dispensations God worked through visible heroes like Abraham, Moses,
David, and Daniel. In the Church Age God works through invisible heroes. The difference is that every
Church Age believer has equal privilege and equal opportunity to become an
invisible hero. (Gal 3:28) The positive impact of the royal family comes from the
individual believer’s personal execution of the protocol plan of God. As Christ distributes blessings to the mature believer,
those blessings benefit the believer’s periphery and his nation. God may protect and bless
the nation as a means of blessing the Spiritually mature believer. Therefore, the vigor of a generation
and the Divine blessing it enjoys spring from those believers who thrive under
God’s plan, not from political, social or
religious crusades to change the world. The negative impact of the royal family
also comes from the individual believer. The believer who rejects the plan of
God brings suffering and Divine discipline upon himself and becomes a source of
adversity in his periphery and nation. Therefore,
every individual Christian has a major role to play in his generation of the
Church Age. Believers can be invisible heroes or invisible villains, but there are no ordinary Christians in the royal family of God! The great power experiment of the Church Age was designed to
create invisible heroes. An invisible hero is any believer who advances to Spiritual
maturity. In maturity he has fivefold
impact.
1. Personal impact. Individuals
in the Spiritually mature believer’s periphery, including family, loved ones,
and the organizations to which he belongs, receive blessing by their
association with him. (Gen 39:3-5; Gen 39:21-23)
2. Historical impact. The
client nation receives blessing through the mature believers who reside within
its borders. The vigor, prosperity, and survival of the client nation revolve
around Spiritually mature believers. This is the Principle of the pivot. (1Ki 19:18; Mat
5:13-16; Rom 11:2-5; Eph 1:21-23) A pivot
of anonymous, unsung, invisible heroes is the Spiritual solution to national
degeneracy. The Spiritual pivot is
the only solution and a nation’s only
hope! Blessing to the nation is an escrow
blessing our Lord distributes to the Spiritually mature believer. In this way Jesus Christ earns all the glory, and
His reputation is not obscured by the questionable judgment of over-zealous
Christians attempting to play power politics in His name. Those who vainly
strive to establish the kingdom of God on earth during the Church Age overlook
this Principle of invisible historical impact. As a good citizen (Made better
by his Spiritual life) the believer contributes positively to his nation; he
does not crusade in the name of
Christianity to remake his nation in the image of his personal faith. (Rom 13:1-7)
3. International
impact. Non-client nations are blessed by association with Spiritually
mature believers who come as missionaries from a client nation. This is one of
the responsibilities of the client nation. Unfortunately, not all missionaries
are mature believers, but the missionary who is an invisible hero is a source of blessing to two nations: the
nation in which he serves and the nation from which he is sent. (Joh 4:4-42)
4. Angelic impact. God
summons the invisible hero to the witness stand, as it were, to provide
testimony in the appeal trial of Satan. Angels constantly observe the human
race; (1Co 4:9; Eph 3:10; 1Ti 5:21;
cf. 1Pe 1:12)
and Spiritually mature believers are strong evidence of the grace of God. The devil cross-examines
the Spiritually mature believer through suffering and prosperity testing.
(Job 1:6-12; Job 2:1-6; cf. Mat 4:1-11;
Eph 6:11-12) By
using Divine Thoughts to pass evidence testing, the invisible hero has
far-reaching, unseen impact among the angels.
5. Heritage impact. The
loved ones and close friends of the Spiritually mature believer receive
blessing after his death. David presents this encouraging Principle, making
this blessing an example of continuity through the dispensations. (Psa 37:25) The
Spiritually mature Christian can face death with complete assurance that God
will care for those he leaves behind. His survivors are blessed not
necessarily because they are Spiritual winners themselves but because of God’s
high regard for the departed Spiritually mature believer. Indeed, Spiritual
losers and even unbelievers can receive heritage impact just as they can
receive personal impact during the mature Christian’s lifetime. Today the Christian’s privilege of having impact as an
invisible hero is being broken. Because Christians are being misdirected by
Satan, leading them to become involved in emotionalism, personality cults,
church programs, social work, and political activism. Trends in
Protestant Christianity show signs of an imbalance that emphasizes the visible
(Life in this world) at the expense of the
invisible, (Spirit and Truth) the material (Human sin nature solutions; treating others as we want to be
treated; by the power of the old sin nature) at the expense of the
Spiritual, (Divine solutions) the believer’s overt image at
the expense of the inner dynamics of Truth in the soul. This problem takes root in ignorance of
dispensations. The overwhelming majority of Christians do not know what God has
provided for them or why He has given them so much. After Salvation, what? What
does God desire the Christian to do? If believers do not realize that they
belong to the royal family, how can they fulfill their destinies? How can they execute the protocol plan of God for the
Church Age if they do not know such a plan exists? Ignorance undercuts every good intention. No matter how a
Christian desires to make his life count for God, if he is ignorant of God’s
plan, he fails to glorify God. At best, the impact of his life is
fleeting, no sooner achieved than dissipated. At worst,
his impact is for evil as he inadvertently struggles in Satan’s cause to
improve the devil’s world.
AFTER SALVATION, WHAT?
THE PROTESTANT REFORMERS DISSENTED from the Roman Catholic
Church over several essential points of Doctrine. The Reformation clarified the
issue of justification by faith, but none of the Reformers — not Luther,
Calvin, nor Zwingli — gave a lucid description of the believer’s post-Salvation
way of life. Salvation is by faith in Christ; but
after Salvation, what?
The
mechanics of the Christian way of life are no clearer to Christians today than
in the darkness of late medieval Roman Catholicism. Emotionalism and empty
ritualism dominate many churches. Mysticism supplants objective knowledge of
Bible Doctrine. Good deeds are touted as an approach to God. Morality is
distorted into legalistic asceticism and is preached as a substitute for Christian Virtue. [The filling of God the Holy Spirit] Christian service is
enforced through guilt, fear, penance, doubt concerning one’s eternal status
and a false hope of Divine blessings. Political activism prevents Divine Viewpoint Thinking. And there are endless schemes to raise money! (Psa 50:10-12) These age-old practices — which
the Reformation did not eradicate — squander the riches that God has given to
every Church Age believer. The legalism that emerged from the Reformation may
differ in specifics from Roman Catholic legalism, but it is just as ineffective
in defining post-Salvation Christian experience. The
Doctrine of dispensations is among the basic Doctrines that every believer must
comprehend. This Doctrine enables us to recognize the Biblical mechanics
of the Christian way of life. Dispensations clarify
the Truth that the humanity of Christ established the pattern for us. Jesus is
the “...Author
and Perfecter of our Spiritual life...” (Heb
12:2) He pioneered the protocol plan of
God. He tested and proved the prototype of the Spiritual life. Christ
was able to fulfill His destiny because He utilized the enabling power of God
the Holy Spirit: “...through
the Eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God...” (Heb 9:14) Christ persevered and succeeded
because He applied Divine problem-solving devices.
Illustrated by
sharing the happiness of God: “...because
of the previously demonstrated happiness [He] endured the Cross...” (Heb 12:2) The
assets used by Jesus Christ belonged to the prototype Spiritual life. Designed
by the Father (Joh 15:10) and energized
by God the Holy Spirit, (Joh 3:34) the prototype Spiritual life was tested and proved under the
most extreme pressure when Jesus Christ endured Divine judgment on behalf of us
all. After our Lord’s death, the same infinite power of God that
designed and energized the Spiritual life, demolished all satanic and human
opposition by raising Christ from the dead and seating Him at the right hand of
God. (Eph 1:19-23)
Both the
omnipotence of God the Father (Act 2:24;
Rom 6:4; Eph
1:20; Col 2:12; 1Th 1:10; 1Pe 1:21)
and the omnipotence of God the Holy Spirit (Rom
1:4; Rom 8:11; 1Pe 3:18) were agents of Christ’s resurrection.
Now we can live in “the power of His resurrection Spiritual
life.” (Php 3:10) Divine
omnipotence and Divine problem-solving devices are now found in the operational
Spiritual life, which belongs to every Church Age believer. (Joh 14:15-17; Joh
16:13-14; 1Co 6:19-20) We are Commanded to “put
on the Lord Jesus Christ” (Rom 13:14) to have “Christ... formed” in us, (Gal 4:19) to have “Christ at home” in our hearts (Eph 3:16-17) to “exalt [Christ]” in our bodies. (Php 1:20-21; Mat
13:23; Rev 17:14) The plan of God
for the Church Age believer is a supernatural plan that demands a supernatural
means of execution. The infinite power of God, therefore, goes
silently into effect in our lives when we follow the Commands of His protocol
plan. This system of Divine power can handle any difficulty in our lives and
will glorify Christ as in no other dispensation.
WE ARE UNITED
with Christ. The Trinity indwells our bodies. Reverent in the face of these
astonishing Truths, we ask again: After Salvation,
what?
We must learn God's Thoughts on every subject;
and be filled with God the Holy Spirit!
(Joh 4:24) Church Age Doctrine sets
forth the protocol of Christ’s royal family. In mystery Doctrine we learn of
the portfolio God established personally for each of us in eternity past. The
portfolio contains outright gifts from God that define the scope of our freedom
and responsibility. We are the aristocrats of heaven
residing on earth. We are royal priests. We are royal ambassadors. We have an
unprecedented opportunity to utilize Divine power, and God stands ready to
enlarge our already vast resources.
If we learn, understand, and apply His Word, He will
stimulate our own desire to know Him, lead us into eternally meaningful
service, and lift us above our sufferings. He will create an impact with our lives that will resound
throughout time and eternity. Our royal destiny is to become invisible heroes in the most intense and challenging dispensation in human
history!
End
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