The Final Dispensation

[rockytopva]

Dispensationalism is a theological framework of interpreting the Bible which maintains that history is divided into multiple ages or "dispensations" in which God acts with his chosen people in different ways.

9 Now Absalom happened to meet David’s men. He was riding his mule, and as the mule went under the thick branches of a large oak, Absalom’s hair got caught in the tree. He was left hanging in midair, while the mule he was riding kept on going.
10 When one of the men saw what had happened, he told Joab, “I just saw Absalom hanging in an oak tree.” - 2 Samuel 18

Had Absalom kept his place in God there would have been no need for that event to happen.

I consider myself Wesleyan in which there have been many dispensations where God rode with us. Along with that ride were angels, Christ Jesus, The Holy Spirit, God himself, and a sense of heavenly entourage. Within that dispensation were evangelists, teachers, preachers, overseers, music ministry, and many a fine gentleman and lady. The ministry of DL Moody and Ira Sankey is an example of dispensation.

But... Like Absalom, there is possibility of getting into the wrong frame of mind. After a while the Holy Spirit gets tired of it and leaves us in our thick branches and goes elsewhere. This is aggravating as it is a wonderful sense of Spirit to walk in correct dispensation. Pictured below is the Merrimac Pentecostal Holiness church in a fine sense of dispensation. Driving past that church to go somewhere else on Sunday morning is aggravating as I remember the fine sensation of dispensation. And now only two cars for Sunday service.

 

[rockytopva]

The Apostle Paul and the dispensation. I would imagine that the Apostle Paul, who was indeed a Jew would have loved the privilege to minister to his own people. However...

17 And it came to pass, that, when I was come again to Jerusalem, even while I prayed in the temple, I was in a trance;
18 And saw him saying unto me, Make haste, and get thee quickly out of Jerusalem: for they will not receive thy testimony concerning me.
19 And I said, Lord, they know that I imprisoned and beat in every synagogue them that believed on thee:
20 And when the blood of thy martyr Stephen was shed, I also was standing by, and consenting unto his death, and kept the raiment of them that slew him.
21 And he said unto me, Depart: for I will send thee far hence unto the Gentiles. - Acts 22
Paul worked the best when he ministered in the ministry where God would have him. In which Greece and Italy seemed the best fit....
7 And he departed thence, and entered into a certain man's house, named Justus, one that worshiped God, whose house joined hard to the synagogue.
8 And Crispus, the chief ruler of the synagogue, believed on the Lord with all his house; and many of the Corinthians hearing believed, and were baptized.
9 Then spake the Lord to Paul in the night by a vision, Be not afraid, but speak, and hold not thy peace:
10 For I am with thee, and no man shall set on thee to hurt thee: for I have much people in this city.
11 And he continued there a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them. - Acts 18
As far the ministry at Corinth it seems the Jews and the Gentiles were blessed alike. As one people. When we are in correct dispensation I believe this same Spirit can be manifested time and time again. I write this myself wondering where the ministry of the Holy Spirit is ministering these days and if the doors are opened for the Messianic church to once again step in.

 

[rockytopva]

The purpose of Revelation was to reveal what was going to come to pass....

The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John.... - Revelation 1:1

Which all of this was to heavy for just ordinary churches in Asia that did not amount to anything....

The mystery of the seven stars which thou sawest in my right hand, and the seven golden candlesticks. The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches: and the seven candlesticks which thou sawest are the seven churches. Unto the angel of the church of Ephesus write; These things saith he that holdeth the seven stars in his right hand, who walketh in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks; - Revelation 1:20 - Revelation 2:1

Ephesus - Messianic - Beginning with the Apostle to the Circumcision, Peter
Smyrna - Martyr - Beginning with the Apostle to the Un-Circumcision, Paul
Pergamos - Orthodoxy formed in this time... Pergos is a tower... Needed in the dark ages
Thyatira - Catholicism formed in this time - The spirit of Jezebel is to control and to dominate.
Sardis - Protestantism formed in this time- A sardius is a gem - elegant yet hard and rigid
Philadelphia - Wesleyism formed in this time - To be sanctioned is to acquire it with love.
Laodicea - Charismatic movement formed in this time - Beginning with DL Moody, the first to make money off of ministry

Candlesticks - Seven church congregations
Stars - Individuals within the congregations, all held in the right hand of Christ
Seals - The seven seals sealed each congregation within the lambs book of life
Angels - The current preacher to the congregation.

And I wept much, because no man was found worthy to open and to read the book, neither to look thereon. - Revelation 5:4

I believe the churches came down as seven and each congregation different in their generation!

 

[rockytopva]

And I have also wondered the similarities in which I would call earth ages. I drew up this image in the long ago. Had I to do over again I would have continued the first two churches to the end of the age. Considering remnants of the first congregation Messianic, and the second Oriental Orthodox, such as we have in Ethiopia. The Messianic congregation being a very hard group to trace.

The Original Apostles - Leadership of the first congregation.
The Apostle Paul - Leadership of the second congregation

The Apostles basically handing the second congregation over to Paul -
7 But contrariwise, when they saw that the gospel of the uncircumcision was committed unto me, as the gospel of the circumcision was unto Peter;
8 (For he that wrought effectually in Peter to the apostleship of the circumcision, the same was mighty in me toward the Gentiles)
9 And when James, Cephas, and John, who seemed to be pillars, perceived the grace that was given unto me, they gave to me and Barnabas the right hands of fellowship; that we should go unto the heathen, and they unto the circumcision. - Galatians 2
What was the second congregation in for? Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life. - Revelation 2:10
If you study the Foxes Book of Martyrs you will find ten defined persecutions...

Ye Shall Have Tribulation Ten Days…
Time Persecutor Description
67 AD Nero The Smyrna Church Age begins with Nero setting fire to Rome, and then blaming the Christians
81 AD Domitian Declaration that no Christian should be exempt from punishment, Paul’s Timothy died in 97 AD.
108 AD Trajan and Adrian Severe persecution against Christians from 108 to 138 AD during the time of the Bishop Ignatius
162 AD Marcos Aurelius Marcos Aurelius, commendable in study of philosophy, sharp and fierce towards Christians.
192 AD Severus This persecution was carried out by the will and prejudice of the people and extended into Africa.
235 AD Maximus Numberless Christians were slain without trial and burned indiscriminately in heaps
249 AD Decius Began because of the amazing increase in Christianity, and with the heathen temples forsaken.
257 AD Valerian The martyrs that fell during this persecution were innumerable, their tortures and deaths painful.
274 AD Aurelian A brief persecution that ended with the emperor’s assassination.
303 AD Diocletian The last persecution ended with Constantine’s triumph against Rome in 313 AD
Constantine was no friends with the Jews or the Romans so he created the church at Constantinople. Because of the barbarian onslaught during this church age it was necessary for it to move into castles or towers, which is purgos in the Greek. It is recorded that half the human population would die from the barbarian onslaught, the church therefore would need to dwell in fortified structures.The third church would become different than the first two.

 

[rockytopva]

So... Where is the final dispensation? When we had a plating department in our facility I worked myself up to Lab Technician and worked under a chemist. This chemist was very smart and very good at math. When he laid out equations he did so in very neat handwriting and there would be much activity as he turned the results of an analysis into an addition. I would take his calculations and put them in the form of visual basic functions and sub procedures.

Of all the years I worked with this man I had one opportunity to witness to him. I made my presentation while he was analyzing adhesion under a microscope in which you could hear the sounds... Scratch, scratch, scratch! Scratch scratch, scratch! After my presentation he just continued to look under the microscope as if he ignored everything I said so I just continued in my work. Then... The scratch scratch, scratching stopped! And he speaks!

"You know what I think it is?" He says while continuing to look under the microscope... "I think it is arrogance!"

And then, without taking his eyes off the microscope, he continues his work... Scratch, scratch, scratch! Scratch scratch, scratch! I did not reply but went about my work. Inside I feared he was right. And in regards to any final dispensation these days, most likely, especially with those titled things like "latter day saints" More times than not... It is pure arrogance.

 

[Randy Kluth]

Dispensationalism is a theological framework of interpreting the Bible which maintains that history is divided into multiple ages or "dispensations" in which God acts with his chosen people in different ways.

If I read you correctly, dispensations come and go. We have to remain relevant. For years my fellow Pentecostal brethren used to say, "You have to follow the cloud." if you keep maintaining the same old message, while the Spirit has moved on, you will be advocating for yourself--not for what God is saying.

God is really the same all the time. But we are not. We need to grow up--to mature. In the process, our foods change, our conditions change, our remedies change, but it is always God that we need.

We just need to follow Him all the time. Then our hair won't get stuck in the branches. Do I have you right?