The gospel of dispensationalism

How were Old Testament saints saved? I've prepared this poster some time back. The intention was to answer a bible critic who mockingly said this: "I guess nobody was saved before 1611, or with anyone using any other version of the bible." Interestingly, this same poster also has the answer to dispensationalists who claim that Old Testament saints were saved differently than New Testament saints, or that Jews have a different path to God as compared to Gentiles (God is not a racist!).

What is the gospel of dispensationalism?

Not too long ago, I was asked to explain the meaning of the word "dispensation," which is found 4 times in the 1611 King James Bible, in: 1 Corinthians 9:17, Ephesians 1:10, Ephesians 3:2 and Colossians 1:25. So, what does the Bible tells us about the word "dispensation" in these verses? Paul tells us from:

Ephesians 3:1-5 "For this cause I Paul, the prisoner of Jesus Christ for you Gentiles, 2 If ye have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which is given me to you-ward: 3 How that by revelation he made known unto me the mystery; (as I wrote afore in few words, 4 Whereby, when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ) 5 Which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit;"

The word "dispensation" (noun) comes from the word "dispense" (verb), which according to the Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1828), means "to divide out in parts or portions; to distribute." Ephesians 3-5 defines for us what "dispensation" is according to Scripture. Simply said, dispensation has to do with how the knowledge in the mystery of Christ was to be distributed unto the body of believers. This knowledge which was first revealed unto the holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit of God, was to be dispensed in written form unto the body of believers: "… wrote afore in few words, Whereby, when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ." Therefore, the word “dispensation” has to do with the method of distributing the knowledge of the mystery of Christ, and that is, in written form.

Dispensation is "… a period of time during which man is tested in respect of obedience to some specific revelation of the will of God. Seven such dispensations are distinguished in Scripture..."

- taken from CI Scofield Notes for Genesis 1:28

Dispensation is a noun used to describe God's method of dispensing knowledge to the body of Christ, which he (God), by the Spirit of God, hath first made known unto the holy apostles and prophets. The writings of Paul and other apostles, also known as Epistles, is the dispensation of God to the body of Christ, to fulfill the word of God. Therein is the mystery of Christ which have been hidden from ages, but is now made known to the body of believers. Contrast this with CI Scofield's definition of the word "dispensation." According to Scofield's note for Genesis 1:28, dispensation is "… a period of time during which man is tested in respect of obedience to some specific revelation of the will of God. Seven such dispensations are distinguished in Scripture..."

The doctrine of dispensationalism asserts that the entire history of mankind is divided into 7 periods of time known referred to as "dispensations." Why 7 periods? Why not 3? Why not 5? Why not 6 or 8? How did CI Scofield arrive at the number 7? This alone should have already raised an alert in the mind of a spiritually-discerning Christian. Moreover, CI Scofield's definition of "dispensation" is clearly not the same as the Bible's definition of "dispensation." How has dispensation, which is a noun used to describe God’s method of dispensing knowledge to the body of Christ, become a period of time by which man is tested for his obedience to God? Who is the liar?

1 John 2:22 "Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son."

It is obvious. Clearly, CI Scofield was a liar and a false teacher who hijacked and perverted the words of the LORD by introducing confusion through corruption of the word "dispensation" and by subscribing to it a foreign meaning that has no place in the inerrant and immutable word of God. It can be anything according to the vain imaginations of men. Scofield was an antichrist that denieth the Father and the Son.

Matthew 3:7-9 "¶ But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees come to his baptism, he said unto them, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come? 8 Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance: 9 And think not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham."

Notice in this passage that the Pharisees and Sadduccees taught as their doctrine that the natural descendants of Abraham were somehow more favourable to God as compared to the rest of the people in the world, to which John the Baptist rebuked them saying "... think not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham." Today, we have many churches which teach that the way God saves a Jew is different from the way he saves a gentile. Now we know that this teaching has its origin in dispensationalism that places natural Israel in a supernaturally favourable position with God according to their corruption of Genesis 12:3.

1 Timothy 4:1-2 "Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; 2 Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron;"

Any gospel that teaches a salvation apart from salvation by grace through faith in the 66 books of the Holy Bible is a false gospel and a doctrine of devils. A gospel which depart from every word of God is a false gospel. While the doctrine of salvation in dispensationalism profess to teach a common salvation, it erred in teaching that the world history timeline is divided into seven artificially created periods, and that God has a different plan in each of these so-called "dispensations." Earlier, I have illustrated from Scripture the true meaning of the word "dispensation." CI Scofield had hijacked this word from Scripture and perverted the meaning of it as necessary to teach the Zionist religion.

2 Timothy 2:17-18 "And their word will eat as doth a canker: of whom is Hymenaeus and Philetus; 18 Who concerning the truth have erred, saying that the resurrection is past already; and overthrow the faith of some."

Dispensationalism is like Hymenaeus and Philetus who taught that the resurrection is past already when in fact it is still in the future! Their teachings had a modification effect on the gospel, and their words were like cancer. Notice how false teachings targeting timing of the resurrection, such as dispensationalism, are capable of overthrowing the faith of some? It is no wonder why the Bible calls it a doctrine of devils.

2 Timothy 3:16 "All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:"

CI Scofield has taught in his note for John 1:17 that believers' faith were tested based upon their "legal obedience as the condition of salvation" to God's plan according to the individual “dispensations” (periods of time in history according to Scofield) they were born in. That is to say, not all Scripture in the Holy Bible is equally profitable to the church (the current “dispensation”) for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, and for instruction in righteousness. In dispensationalism, they like to call it "rightly dividing the word of truth" (2 Timothy 2:15), which of course is nothing but a perversion of this verse.

2 Timothy 2:15 "Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth."

Dispensationalists will always bring up this verse to condemn those who disagree with their doctrines. As what a sister in Christ has also observed in the case of false prophets, and I quote her words here "... that's something I noticed, they keep repeating the same doctrine, which really is their word." That is exactly what dispensationalists do. They will always repeat 2 Timothy 2:15 at your face in a circular fashion and bluntly tell you that you are in error for not "rightly dividing the word of truth" as long as you disagree with them.

In the words of A.W. Pink, dispensationalists have very little or nothing to say about the first two clauses of 2 Timothy 2:15, but on the third one, that is, "rightly dividing the word of truth," this is what they believe: "correctly partitioning the Scriptures unto the different peoples to whom they belong." Indeed, these mutilators of the Word tell us that all of the Old Testament from Genesis 12 onwards belongs entirely to Israel after the flesh, and that none of its precepts (as such) are binding upon those who are members of the church which is the body of Christ, nor may any of the promises found therein be legitimately appropriated by them.

Not satisfied with their determined efforts to deprive us of the Old Testament, these wannabe super-expositors dogmatically assert that the four Gospels are Jewish, and that the Epistles of James and Peter, John and Jude are designed for a "godly Jewish remnant" in a future "tribulation period," that nothing but the Pauline Epistles contain "Church truth." They further assert that those who decline their doctrine of dividing the Scripture are to be regarded as untaught and superficial, yet God himself has not uttered a single word to that effect.

The system of doctrine in dispensationalism is to cut up the 66 books of the Holy Bible into sets of Scripture that are applicable for different people born in different dispensations (think Delilah!). For example, when asked about their view on the timing of the rapture according to Matthew 24:29 and Mark 13:24, a typical dispensationalist reply would be "No, those verses are not applicable to the church." This has perhaps led to the splintering out of a group of dispensationalists, called "hyper-dispensationalists," who argued that only the writings of Paul is applicable to the church, but the rest of the Holy Bible are not.

Mark 7:6-13 "He answered and said unto them, Well hath Esaias prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written, This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me. 7 Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. 8 For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men, as the washing of pots and cups: and many other such like things ye do. 9 And he said unto them, Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition. 10 For Moses said, Honour thy father and thy mother; and, Whoso curseth father or mother, let him die the death: 11 But ye say, If a man shall say to his father or mother, It is Corban, that is to say, a gift, by whatsoever thou mightest be profited by me; he shall be free. 12 And ye suffer him no more to do ought for his father or his mother; 13 Making the word of God of none effect through your tradition, which ye have delivered: and many such like things do ye."

This passage is Jesus who rebuked the Pharisees, calling them “hypocrites,” and he goes on to tell us that hypocrites are people who honour God with their lips, but whose heart is far from him. Hypocrites also teach from their own doctrines: teaching for doctrines the commandments of men, and not of God. Unbeknownst even to themselves, their evil doctrines have made the word of God of none effect in their own lives and the lives of those who follow them. By the way, this is also the Bible telling us the difference between a real church and the pharisaical churches around us. Churches which teach for doctrines the commandments of men are the real pharisaical churches, and these include all churches that teach dispensationalism and the pre-tribulation rapture! These are among the synagogues of Satan pretending to be the church of the living God!