The following is a brief, yet potent, argument against the errors of the Eschatological doctrine commonly known as Dispensationalism by Richard Jones. It is not posted here for the purpose of enjoyment or for simple agreement, but that it may further equip the saints in their labors to advance Christ’s Kingdom. Deo Vindice!
U.S. Christians should carefully re-think the troubling doctrine of Dispensationalism (Disp.). From its start in 1830, to the dubious Scofield Bible in 1909, to the present…an ill-fated conviction of Christendom’s inevitable defeat in history has seriously hindered the Church’s duty to be an obedient source of “salt and light,” to “teach them to obey Matthew 28:20’s all things I have commanded,” and to “occupy until I come.” Our U.S. cultural collapse has not stemmed from (the admittedly troubling) government-imposed public schools, from left-wing media or from corrupt politicians. Rather, from a timid Church’s stubborn, misplaced allegiance to a bad theory. It’s time to face up to this (perhaps) personally comforting and thus semi-understandable error and begin re-instating the Bible’s message of victory in history and culture – to include continued, faithful evangelism – to a needlessly floundering nation.
* England’s John Nelson Darby founded Dispensationalism in 1830. It’s important to know he also established a well-known sect – the Plymouth Brethren – in the same time frame. It can be assumed that aspects of Brethrenism found their way into Darby’s novel, new, end-times related brainchild.
* The European Enlightenment’s rebellion in philosophy was in full force in Darby’s youth (as it still is today.) God was in the crosshairs of an atheistic, materialistic, pro-evolution, man-centered enemy busy demoting Christianity to the status of “mythology and religious superstition.” As the hostile substitute of “reason, logic and science” began supplanting God as the preeminent font of human thinking, knowing and morality, major Christian denominations retreated – pitifully – into piety, weakness and disarray.
* The resulting confusion and discouragement led to the creation of sects other than just Brethrenism. The sect craze continued as charlatans crept in with revolutionary “gospels” of Mormonism, Adventism and others as titillating answers to mainstream church failure to counter enlightenment heresy. The U.S. Civil War loaded an additional burden of long range significance onto Christianity as 600,000 of the nation’s best men – and Christian leaders to be – were killed and others crippled for life. It’s not unreasonable to ponder to what extent, or even if, the Union was truly saved.
* A few of the many Plymouth Brethren heresies include: 1) God’s moral/civil laws are said to be “no longer binding on Christians per the basic rules of life” in spite of Mt. 22:37-40, 5:18-20 and many others. 2) Plymouth Brethrenism denies the Church’s presence in the Old Testament even though the Septuagint– the Old Testament of Christ’s day – translates the Hebrew word qahal (assembly) into Greek as ecclesia (the “called out ones,” i.e., the church) 137 times. Nor, apparently, are the 15 heroes and prophets of Hebrews chapter 11 thought to be of the Church. 3) There are no assigned positions of church “minister-leader.” Adult male members speak with equal authority in spite of the ordination commands in Timothy and Titus for leaders such as bishops, presbyters, deacons, etc.
Major Dispensationalism theories:
1. The usual view is that there are seven ages or dispensations: Pre-Fall and Post-Fall Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, David, the Church Age, and earthly restoration of the Jews to the land.
2. In each dispensation God deals with people differently as to obedience and purpose. For example, after the fall Adam came under a “covenant of works” meaning that hard work was to be his lot. Israelites in the Old Testament were under the Law for behavior and, some imply, for salvation as well. Troubling, however, is that in the New Testament or “Church Age” we are surprisingly not under the Law for daily personal conduct, raising the question of what replacement moral standard now governs instead?
3. Christians in 2011 are not tied to the Law’s moral code for salvation which, of course, is not in dispute.
4. Because God’s main purpose in earth history is national, physical Israel, the Church is not present in the Old Testament. However, for 1600 years prior to Disp., it was a Church given that the unifying theme of all Scripture – from Genesis to Revelation – was the covenant of the advancement and primacy of Christ’s Church and His offer of worldwide redemption. A few ancients believed Christ would literally reign on earth for a period of time and some didn’t, but the Church was always the focus. However, in Disp. this all changes. The Church “appears for the first time in the book of Acts” as a heaven-bound, temporary endeavor sandwiched between two other dispensations. Heavy emphasis is on earthly Israel both in the Old Testament and again after Revelation 20. The Church, “raptured to heaven” and gone, gives way to a national Israel restored to the land.
5. Some believe that David may return to reign from a rebuilt 4th temple. Animal sacrifices will be reinstated. Hebrews 10:4 would need to be re-examined.
6. Evolution, self-servingly, needs for the earth to be multiple millions of
years old in order to provide for the enormous amount of time needed for fish to evolve ever so slowly into monkeys and men. In that same way, and to make the theory work, Disp. needs for the book of Revelation to have been written after the apocalyptic events in Jerusalem and Israel in AD70 so that John’s prophecy is not only future for him but still future for us in 2011. Dispensationalism claims an AD94 date for Revelation, but centuries before its 1830 start, Church consensus was that Revelation was written shortly before AD70.
7. Five major pillars of Disp. are: A tribulation-rapture event; a rebuilt temple (actually, two; the 3rd which is destroyed in the tribulation and the 4th which replaces it); Christ’s literal return to rule on earth; the appearance of an “antichrist” in Revelation; the return of the Jewish people to the land. “Pillars” as vitally important as these should theoretically appear in the New Testament in abundance, however, they are not found there at all to include the theorized literal return of Christ to rule and reign physically on earth. He reigns now, has always reigned, and will continue to reign eternally from heaven.
8. Prior to Dispensationalism, a sovereign God’s doctrine of predestination, including for salvation, was assumed by most in the Church. But, in Dispensationalism, Arminianism prevails. Best known is the rejection of the “L” in TULIP (of Calvinistic-Covenantal prominence) which states that atonement is “L-imited” to God’s chosen elect. Disp. differs, saying that Christ died for every person ever born.
Disp. adherents often relish, privately, the false sense of relief and escapism inherent in the “soon end” of the political, social and economic chaos of “this present evil age.” Christians once stood at society’s forefront as guides and inspirers for the tough daily challenges continually faced by any culture. Sadly, it’s now accepted that culture has to deteriorate “in order to be on schedule” as related to the “inevitable coming apocalypse.” This mindset of resignation has lead, among other things to weak sermons and weak evangelism.
Parallels between Dispensationalism and Plymouth Brethrenism are evident. 1) The Church’s new, novel status, 2) the non-importance of the Law for daily conduct and behavior, and 3) the sense that man can be independent of Church authority figures. This third factor has a direct relationship to the inroads made by the Enlightenment’s man-centeredness as played out in the existence of thousands of denominations and by the person-centeredness of independent house churches. It can also be seen in the “do your own thing, it’s all about me” attitudes in Western culture; even inside the Church.
Further Study:
http://reformed-theology.org/html/c-vs-dis.htm
http://www.goehringenterprises.com/Books/Dispensationalism%20Covenant%20Theology%20Chart.htm














