What is the dispensation of the Millennial Kingdom?
In classic dispensationalism, there are seven dispensations. It is important to remember that dispensationalism is a theology inferred from Scripture rather than an explicitly taught doctrine of God’s Word. The value of dispensationalism lies in its systematic view of history’s different eras and the various ways in which the Ancient of Days interacts with His…
What is the dispensation of Innocence?
Dispensationalism is the system of theology that provides the best, most literal hermeneutic (method of Bible interpretation). Also, dispensationalism makes a clear distinction between Israel and the Church. The classic seven dispensations are Innocence, Conscience, Government, Promise, Law, Grace, and Millennial Kingdom. In each of these, there is a recognizable, six-fold pattern of how God…
What is the dispensation of Promise?
Each dispensation has a God-ordained responsibility, stewards (people commanded to fulfill that responsibility), a failure on mankind’s part, God’s judgment, and, finally, evidence of God’s grace. In the dispensation of Promise, God works in yet another unique way with man. This dispensation begins with the call of Abraham. It is called the dispensation of “Promise”…
What is the Age of Grace?
The Age of Grace, also called the Dispensation of Grace or the Church Age, is the sixth divinely apportioned dispensation of world history, according to dispensationalism. Dispensationalism is a system theologians use to divide and categorize historical events in the Bible. Most agree that there are seven dispensations, though some believe there are nine or…
What is dual covenant theology?
Dual covenant theology, also called two-covenant theology, posits that God has established a covenant with Israel through the Mosaic Law and another with Gentiles through Jesus Christ. Many Christians, especially in the Reformed Protestant tradition, believe the New Covenant superseded the Old Covenant. However, the moral law is “forever binding” (Dillehay, J., “3 Parts of…
What is premillennialism?
Premillennialism is the view that Christ’s second coming will occur prior to His millennial kingdom, and that the millennial kingdom is a literal 1000-year reign of Christ on earth. In order to understand and interpret the passages in Scripture that deal with end-times events, there are two things that must be clearly understood: a proper…
What is replacement theology / supersessionism / fulfillment theology?
Replacement theology (also known as supersessionism and fulfillment theology) essentially teaches that the church has replaced Israel in God’s plan. Adherents of replacement theology believe the Jews are no longer God’s chosen people, and God does not have specific future plans for the nation of Israel. Among the different views of the relationship between the…
What is spiritual Israel?
The phrase spiritual Israel is used in two primary contexts. The first is as a reference to the entire body of Christian believers, in distinction to the political or racial people of Israel. Spiritual Israel is also sometimes used to suggest concepts related to replacement theology, in which the promises directed toward Israel are now…
What is the continuity vs. discontinuity debate in theology?
The word continuity is defined as “the unbroken and consistent existence or operation of something over a period of time.” At its root is the word continue. Of course, discontinuity is the opposite, meaning “a sharp difference of characteristics between parts of something.” In theology, continuity and discontinuity are terms applied to the flow of…
What is historic premillennialism?
Historic premillennialism and dispensational premillennialism are two different systems of eschatology. Here are a few examples of the differences between the two: • Historic premillennialism teaches that the church was in the fore-vision of Old Testament prophecy, while dispensationalism teaches that the church is hardly, if at all, mentioned by the Old Testament prophets. •…