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Fundamental Evangelistic Association

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[This resource has been made available for your use in reaching lost souls with the one pure, true and precious Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. All scriptural references and quotes are based on the King James Version only. The materials provided are copyrighted and are so indicated; however, you have permission to make copies for your personal use provided proper reference to the author is maintained and the content is not changed. You have permission to link to these materials; however we ask that you do not post these materials on your website or BBS.  We encourage you to reach out to all who haven't heard the Gospel, that precious lost souls will be saved for Christ and for His glory!]

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Fundamental Evangelistic Association
1476 W. Herndon, Suite 104
Fresno, California 93711 U.S.A.
Telephone 559-438-0080, Fax 559-438-0089

Fundamental Evangelistic Association
selected articles from:
^©FOUNDATION
A MAGAZINE OF BIBLICAL FUNDAMENTALISM
Dennis W.  Costella, Editor; Karel Beyer, Production Manager; Matt Costella, Copy Editor
M.H. Reynolds, Jr. (1919-1997), Founding Editor

The Seven Dispensations

by Clarence M. Keen
Reprinted in Foundation Magazine, Jan-Feb 2002

The following article is a reprint of Clarence Keen's original work. Mr. Keen, who is now with his Savior, was a longtime pastor, Bible teacher and friend of the FEA who realized the believer's need for this vital information and would surely be pleased that it is no being made available once again in the twenty-first century.

This article explains the need to "rightly divide " the Word of God, the process involved in rightly dividing the Truth and the confusion that arises when one reads God's Word out of its context. When studying the Bible, one must interpret it consistently and correctly and be careful to notice the context of the passage studied. Otherwise, confusion, misinterpretation and misapplication will result.

The only way we can understand God's truth is through His divinely sanctioned instructor: the Holy Spirit. Allow the Holy Spirit to guide you into a deeper appreciation of God's plan and purpose for mankind through careful, consistent and diligent study of His inerrant Word.

The Bible is the Word of God. In it, God makes Himself known and in a progressive manner reveals His eternal programme and purposes concerning man on the earth. A thoughtful reader will discover that God has from time to time changed His methods of dealing with men (Hebrews 1:1-2: "God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds"), thereby, dividing human history into various chapters. Each of these chapters or periods of time is called a DISPENSATION.

Familiarity with the various dispensations is absolutely essential to any proper understanding of the Scriptures. Without such knowledge the apprehension of spiritual truths will be very meager and confusion and error are likely to follow. Learn the dispensations and the Bible becomes a new book to you. This information enables you to know how to read, and how to study your Bible. To study the Scriptures dispensationally is not only interesting, illuminating and explanatory, but is absolutely essential and fundamental.

1. The Word "Dispensation" is a Biblical Term.

The word dispensation is used four times in the New Testament: 1 Cor 9:17, Ephesians 1:10, Ephesians 3:2, Colossians 1:25.

2. The Term Defined and a Few Definitions.

(a) The Meaning of the Word. The word "dispensation" means an order, economy, or administration. The law of the house or estate.

(b) The Secular Dictionary. "The act of dispensing (to deal out, distribute); a special divine revelation."

(c) The Scofield Reference Bible. "A dispensation is a period of time during which man is tested in respect of obedience to some specific revelation of the will of God."

(d) Dr. James M. Gray. "A dispensation is a period of time during which God subjects men to some specific test and holds them responsible."

(e) Dr. P. B. Fitzwater. "A dispensation is a given time in which God subjects man to some specific test touching obedience to a revelation of His will."

(f) Dr. L. Sale-Harrison. "A dispensation is a period of time in the history of man during which God dealt, or deals, with man in a different manner."

(g) The Author. A dispensation is a chapter of human history during which God deals with men in some particular and distinctive manner according to the progressive unfolding of His will and eternal purposes in grace.

3. The Necessity of Dividing the Scriptures Dispensationally is Both Apparent and Important.

(a) Paul's instruction to Timothy. 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. Confusion and error will be the result if one fails to divide the Scriptures at all, and also if they are divided improperly. Good workmanship calls for a "cutting to fit" of the Word of Truth.

(b) All Scripture was written "FOR" us but all was not written "TO" us. By the word "us" this author means Christians or the children of God of the present dispensation. The Bible divides the race into three sections or classes of people: the Jews, the Gentiles, and the Church (1 Corinthians 10:32: Give none offence, neither to the Jews, nor to the Gentiles, nor to the church of God:). A portion of Scripture addressed to the Jews should not be appropriated by the Church; and likewise that which was written to the Church should not be claimed by a Gentile as his own.

Exodus 20:2, for example (Exodus 20:2: I am the LORD thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.), shows that the Law was given to Israel (the Jews) exclusively; not to the Gentiles. They were the people who were brought "out of the land of Egypt."

1 Corinthians 1:2, for example (1 Corinthians 1:2: Unto the church of God which is at Corinth, to them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all that in every place call upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours:), shows that this epistle was written to the Church; that is, to "all that in every place call upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord."

1 John 2:1, for example (1 John 2:1: My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous:), shows that John was writing to the "little children" of God; not to the Jews, and not to the Gentiles, but to the Church.

(c) Contrasts that demand a dispensational explanation. "Rightly divide" and all will fit together, harmonize, and be understood. Fail to do so and the result will be contradiction, conflict, confusion and error.

Compare Genesis 4:15 with Genesis 9:5 & 6:

Genesis 4:15: And the LORD said unto him, Therefore whosoever slayeth Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold. And the LORD set a mark upon Cain, lest any finding him should kill him.

Genesis 9:5: And surely your blood of your lives will I require; at the hand of every beast will I require it, and at the hand of man; at the hand of every man's brother will I require the life of man.

Genesis 9:6: Whoso sheddeth man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God made he man.

Compare Genesis 1:29, 3:17 with Genesis 9:3:

Genesis 1:29: And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat.

Genesis 3:17: And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life;

Genesis 9:3: Every moving thing that liveth shall be meat for you; even as the green herb have I given you all things.

Compare Matthew 10:5 & 6 with Acts 1:8

Matthew 10:5: These twelve Jesus sent forth, and commanded them, saying, Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not:

Matthew 10:6: But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.

Acts 1:8: But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.

Compare Luke 9:1-5 with Luke 22:35 & 36:

Luke 9:1: Then he called his twelve disciples together, and gave them power and authority over all devils, and to cure diseases.

Luke 9:2: And he sent them to preach the kingdom of God, and to heal the sick.

Luke 9:3: And he said unto them, Take nothing for your journey, neither staves, nor scrip, neither bread, neither money; neither have two coats apiece.

Luke 9:4: And whatsoever house ye enter into, there abide, and thence depart.

Luke 9:5: And whosoever will not receive you, when ye go out of that city, shake off the very dust from your feet for a testimony against them.

Luke 22:35: And he said unto them, When I sent you without purse, and scrip, and shoes, lacked ye any thing? And they said, Nothing.

Luke 22:36: Then said he unto them, But now, he that hath a purse, let him take it, and likewise his scrip: and he that hath no sword, let him sell his garment, and buy one.

Compare Luke 11:13 with Romans 8:9:

Luke 11:13: If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?

Romans 8:9: But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.

4. Some Testimonies of Largely Used and Widely Known Bible Expositors.

Bible teachers are a gift from God to His Church (Ephesians 4:11: And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;). The testimony of such men as these is significant and important and should be received with respect and pondered with profit.

(a) Dr. I. M. Haldeman. "No matter what may be the equipment of the Christian, no matter what intellectual, moral, or spiritual endowment he may have, unless he understands dispensational truth he will never fully lay hold of Bible Doctrine."

"It is only by recognizing the dispensations and taking care not to confound the teaching of one with another, that contradiction and confusion may be avoided and the Bible intelligently and spiritually understood."

(b) Dr. A. C. Gaebelein. "There has always been an outcry against the dispensational truths, as revealed in the Word of God, from the side of post-millennialists and modernists."

"Without a proper distinction of the different periods of time known in Scripture as Ages or Dispensations, the great message of the Bible itself as from God cannot be rightly understood. I think every Christian ought to learn to distinguish between these different Ages and God's purpose, not only will Bible study become one of the most fascinating occupations, but the entire Christian life and service will be stimulated by it."

(c) Dr. H. A. Ironside. "Until one learns to distinguish the different dispensations, or economies, of God's ways with men, Bible study is likely to be very confusing. But when one sees clearly the different ways in which God has revealed Himself in different ages all becomes plain."

(d) Dr. Elmer Seger. "Dispensational truth is vital to a clear understanding of the Word of God. A truly balanced ministry is impossible without it."

(e) Dr. P. B. Fitzwater. "The value of dispensational knowledge cannot be overestimated."

(f) Dr. Clifton L. Fowler."The dispensations are seven periods of time during which God tests out seven of man's theories of government."

(g) Dr. Lewis S. Chafer. "Personal interest in the Word of God usually begins with the first understanding of its real divisions; and no one is prepared to understand the providence of God who does not first come to know something of the purpose of God as marked off by these great divisions. Especially is this necessary for any clear understanding of the present age."

(h) Dr. Will H. Houghton. "There are two extremes in regard to the matter of the dispensations. One is to dispensationalize the Bible into fragments; the other is to ignore the great lines of truth which run through its pages. How important, for instance, that a person see the change in God's plan concerning the work of the Holy Spirit from Pentecost on. Many errors and isms are in the Church because of the failure to observe this dispensational line."

(i) Dr. L. Sale-Harrison. "Dispensational truth is the key which unlocks the treasury of God's Word. Being a unity, the Bible can only be understood, or explained, dispensationally. Man was created for fellowship; therefore to ignore dispensational truth is to close one's heart and mind to the glorious unfolding of God's revelation to man as it points to, and revolves round, the common centre-our Redeemer and Lord."

(j) Dr. Ernest E. Lott. "There is no section of Bible truth which arouses Satanic antagonism and malignity so quickly and so constantly as Dispensational Truth. He hates it. He fights it. He derides it. He does all in his power to obscure it. And there is a reason. Dispensational Truth normally employed and applied is the key to the understanding of divide Revelation and the problems of the personal Christian life."

5. The Seven Dispensations.

1. The Dispensation of Innocency.
2. The Dispensation of Conscience and Sacrifice.
3. The Dispensation of Human Government.
4. The Dispensation of Promises.
5. The Dispensation of Law.
6. The Dispensation of Grace Abounding.
7. The Dispensation of The Kingdom.

The dispensations reveal the progressive unfolding of His will and programme for men:

After that – ETERNITY.

1. Man's condition when the dispensation begins and as it runs its course.
2. God's specific requirement for the dispensation as revealed by Himself.
3. Man's conduct during the dispensation in response to the responsibilities and privileges extended to him by God.
4. God's righteous retribution at the close of the dispensation because of man's failure and sin.

I. The Dispensation of Innocency.

Boundaries: from the creation of man to his fall and expulsion from the Garden of Eden.

1. Man's condition.

Genesis 1:26: And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.

Genesis 1:27: So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.

Genesis 1:28: And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.

Genesis 1:29: And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat.

Genesis 1:30: And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is life, I have given every green herb for meat: and it was so.

Genesis 1:31: And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.

Genesis 2:7: And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.

Genesis 2:8: And the LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed.

Genesis 2:15: And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it.

Genesis 2:25: And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.

Man was the product of direct, Divine creation (Genesis 2:7), not evolution. Our first parents were made in the image of God their Creator. They were given to the responsibility of reproduction; were to exercise dominion over the earth and its contents; and during that age were to be vegetarians (Genesis 1:28-30). They resided in the garden of Eden and were to be the keepers thereof (Genesis 2:8-15).

Adam and Eve were originally innocent; that is, they were pure and untainted by sin. They were, however, free moral agents. They were self-governing, had the power of choice, and were responsible for their own acts.

2. God's requirement.

Genesis 2:16: And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat:

Genesis 2:17: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.

They were to totally abstain from the fruit of a certain tree-"The tree of the knowledge of good and evil." Its fruit was prohibited.

The species of that tree is unrevealed. It could have been any fruit-bearing tree. The tree was not bad in itself (Genesis 1:12: And the earth brought forth grass, and herb yielding seed after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself, after his kind: and God saw that it was good. Genesis 1:31: And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.). The wrong was in disobeying God and partaking of that which had been forbidden. The prohibition was, in our judgment, only a property restriction to constantly remind Adam and Eve of their indebtedness and responsibility to God.

The penalty for disobedience was revealed – "death".

3. Man's conduct.

Genesis 3:6: And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.

Our first parents disobeyed God and ate of the forbidden fruit. Thus sin entered the race and man became a fallen creature. Adam was the Federal Head, or Representative of the race and in him all fell (Romans 5:12: Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:).

Through the solicitation of Satan man became a rebel against the authority of Heaven and a sinner before God, thereby allying himself with the devil.

4. God's retribution.

Compare:

Genesis 2:17: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.

with

Genesis 3:6: And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.

Genesis 3:8: And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees of the garden.

Genesis 3:10: And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself.

Genesis 3:16: Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee.

Genesis 3:19: In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.

Genesis 3:23: Therefore the LORD God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken.

Genesis 3:24: So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life.

Having disobeyed God, Adam and Eve had to suffer the consequences. Their spiritual life was immediately forfeited. They lost their vital contract and communion with God. Through the fall they became spiritually dead, at enmity against God, and totally depraved.

They were expelled from the garden of Eden and had to toil for their daily bread. Life was to be sustained by battling against hostile forces in nature and was to be accompanied by sorrow, sickness, suffering and sadness.

Physical death would finally come and remove them from the earth.

Note: The opening chapters of Genesis give the only safe, sane, sound, scientific, and satisfactory explanation of the origin and present condition of things about us and the origin and present condition of man himself.

II. The Dispensation of Conscience and Sacrifice.

Boundaries: From man's fall and expulsion from the garden to the Great Flood.

1. Man's condition.

Genesis 3:7-19: And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons. And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees of the garden. And the LORD God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou? And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself. And he said, Who told thee that thou wast naked? Hast thou eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat? And the man said, The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat. And the LORD God said unto the woman, what is this that thou hast done? And the woman said, The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat. And the LORD God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life. And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel. Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee. And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life; Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field; In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.

Man is now no longer innocent. He has within him that something called "conscience" and by it he knows that which is right and that which is wrong. He is to do the good and to abstain from the evil.

Adam as a transgressor had a sense of guilt and was afraid of God. In sorrow and suffering he toiled for a living and had to sweat for his daily bread. Following the fall he was a sinful creature inhabiting a mortal body.

Each generation multiplied and the race soon became a great multitude.

2. God's requirement.

Compare:

Genesis 4:4: And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And the LORD had respect unto Abel and to his offering:

with:

Genesis 3:21: Unto Adam also and to his wife did the LORD God make coats of skins, and clothed them.

and with:

Genesis 8:20: And Noah builded an altar unto the LORD; and took of every clean beast, and of every clean fowl, and offered burnt offerings on the altar.

and with:

Hebrews 11:4: By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts: and by it he being dead yet speaketh.

Prompted by conscience man was to espouse the good and eschew the evil. By deduction we observe that when guilty of transgression he was to offer, by faith, a bloody sacrifice to God. God must have made His will known or else man could not have acted "by faith".

3. Man's conduct.

Genesis 4:3: And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the LORD.

Genesis 4:8: And Cain talked with Abel his brother: and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother, and slew him.

Genesis 4:17: And Cain knew his wife; and she conceived, and bare Enoch: and he builded a city, and called the name of the city, after the name of his son, Enoch.

Genesis 4:22: And Zillah, she also bare Tubal-cain, an instructer of every artificer in brass and iron: and the sister of Tubal-cain was Naamah.

Genesis 6:5: And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.

Genesis 6:11: The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence.

Genesis 6:12: And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth.

Genesis 6:13: And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth.

Cain rejected Divine revelation and substituted natural religion. Apparently he had many heirs. Men knew that which was right but did not always do it. They knew that which was evil but did not always abstain from it.

The masses apparently lived in selfishness and sin and devoted themselves to world progress. Cities were built and the arts and trades developed. Moral standards were lowered as is evidenced by the practice of polygamy. In the process of time wickedness, evil plans, corruption and violence prevailed.

4. God's retribution.

Genesis 6:13: And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth.

Genesis 6:17: And, behold, I, even I, do bring a flood of waters upon the earth, to destroy all flesh, wherein is the breath of life, from under heaven; and every thing that is in the earth shall die.

Genesis 7:4: For yet seven days, and I will cause it to rain upon the earth forty days and forty nights; and every living substance that I have made will I destroy from off the face of the earth.

Genesis 7:10: And it came to pass after seven days, that the waters of the flood were upon the earth.

Genesis 7:11: In the six hundredth year of Noah's life, in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month, the same day were all the fountains of the great deep broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened.

Genesis 7:12: And the rain was upon the earth forty days and forty nights.

Genesis 7:17: And the flood was forty days upon the earth; and the waters increased, and bare up the ark, and it was lift up above the earth.

Genesis 7:18: And the waters prevailed, and were increased greatly upon the earth; and the ark went upon the face of the waters.

Genesis 7:19: And the waters prevailed exceedingly upon the earth; and all the high hills, that were under the whole heaven, were covered.

Genesis 7:20: Fifteen cubits upward did the waters prevail; and the mountains were covered.

Genesis 7:21: And all flesh died that moved upon the earth, both of fowl, and of cattle, and of beast, and of every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth, and every man:

Genesis 7:22: All in whose nostrils was the breath of life, of all that was in the dry land, died.

Genesis 7:23: And every living substance was destroyed which was upon the face of the ground, both man, and cattle, and the creeping things, and the fowl of the heaven; and they were destroyed from the earth: and Noah only remained alive, and they that were with him in the ark.

Genesis 7:24: And the waters prevailed upon the earth an hundred and fifty days.

God's patience came to an end and His righteous wrath against sin was manifested. The entire human race, save the eight souls in the ark, perished and went down to a watery grave. Likewise, every creature of the earth that breathed was destroyed, save those in the ark. The waters of the flood prevailed on the earth for five months.

III. The Dispensation of Human Government.

Boundaries: From the Great Flood to the Confusion of Tongues at Babel.

1. Man's condition.

Genesis 7:1: And the LORD said unto Noah, Come thou and all thy house into the ark; for thee have I seen righteous before me in this generation.

Genesis 8:15: And God spake unto Noah, saying,

Genesis 8:16: Go forth of the ark, thou, and thy wife, and thy sons, and thy sons' wives with thee.

Genesis 8:17: Bring forth with thee every living thing that is with thee, of all flesh, both of fowl, and of cattle, and of every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth; that they may breed abundantly in the earth, and be fruitful, and multiply upon the earth.

Genesis 8:18: And Noah went forth, and his sons, and his wife, and his sons' wives with him:

Genesis 8:19: Every beast, every creeping thing, and every fowl, and whatsoever creepeth upon the earth, after their kinds, went forth out of the ark.

Genesis 8:20: And Noah builded an altar unto the LORD; and took of every clean beast, and of every clean fowl, and offered burnt offerings on the altar.

Genesis 9:1: And God blessed Noah and his sons, and said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth.

Genesis 9:2: And the fear of you and the dread of you shall be upon every beast of the earth, and upon every fowl of the air, upon all that moveth upon the earth, and upon all the fishes of the sea; into your hand are they delivered.

Genesis 9:3: Every moving thing that liveth shall be meat for you; even as the green herb have I given you all things.

Genesis 9:4: But flesh with the life thereof, which is the blood thereof, shall ye not eat.

Genesis 11:1: And the whole earth was of one language, and of one speech.

Immediately following the Flood four men and their wives constituted the world's population. They were righteous before God because they offered the proper sacrifices by faith. They were not perfect in their conduct, but because of their faith, righteousness was imputed to them. Their obedience to God with reference to sacrifices evidenced their faith.

They multiplied and in the process of time became a vast multitude.

2. God's requirement.

Genesis 9:1: And God blessed Noah and his sons, and said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth.

Genesis 9:5: And surely your blood of your lives will I require; at the hand of every beast will I require it, and at the hand of man; at the hand of every man's brother will I require the life of man.

Genesis 9:6: Whoso sheddeth man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God made he man.

Genesis 9:7: And you, be ye fruitful, and multiply; bring forth abundantly in the earth, and multiply therein.

Genesis 11:4: And they said, Go to, let us build us a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven; and let us make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth.

Genesis 11:8: So the LORD scattered them abroad from thence upon the face of all the earth: and they left off to build the city.

Genesis:11 9: Therefore is the name of it called Babel; because the LORD did there confound the language of all the earth: and from thence did the LORD scatter them abroad upon the face of all the earth.

God at this time instituted Human Government. Men were to govern themselves. Society was given the responsibility of legislating for its own good and had to administer penalty for wrong doing. The highest prerogative of Civil Government is capital punishment; and with it all lesser prerogatives and responsibilities are understood.

That man was to govern for God and to His satisfaction is axiomatic.

Apparently God wanted men to scatter themselves over a wide-spread territory.

3. Man's conduct.

Genesis 11:2: And it came to pass, as they journeyed from the east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar; and they dwelt there.

Genesis 11:3: And they said one to another, Go to, let us make brick, and burn them throughly. And they had brick for stone, and slime had they for morter.

Genesis 11:4: And they said, Go to, let us build us a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven; and let us make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth.

Having selected a location in the "land of Shinar" men determined to make it a rallying base, or a place in which to permanently abide. Their ambition was to make "a name for themselves". Contrary to the purpose of God, their objective was to stay together and erect a great monument to their own glory.

4. God's retribution.

Genesis 11:7: Go to, let us go down, and there confound their language, that they may not understand one another's speech.

Genesis 11:8: So the LORD scattered them abroad from thence upon the face of all the earth: and they left off to build the city.

Genesis 11:9: Therefore is the name of it called Babel; because the LORD did there confound the language of all the earth: and from thence did the LORD scatter them abroad upon the face of all the earth.

In a miraculous manner, God sent confusion of tongues into their midst, thus dividing them into various companies. The result was that one group could not understand other groups. This was the beginning of the divisions of the race into nations and the speaking of various languages. The building of their "tower" and "city" ceased and they were compelled by circumstances to scatter and go their several ways.

Note: Babel means confusion and the nations of the earth have been more or less in confusion and turmoil since that time.

IV. The Dispensation of the Promises. (Made To Israel)

Boundaries: From the call of Abram to the giving of the Law at Sinai.

1. Man's condition.

Genesis 12:1: Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will shew thee:

Genesis 12:2: And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing:

Genesis 12:3: And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.

Genesis 12:7: And the LORD appeared unto Abram, and said, Unto thy seed will I give this land: and there builded he an altar unto the LORD, who appeared unto him.

Genesis 13:14: And the LORD said unto Abram, after that Lot was separated from him, Lift up now thine eyes, and look from the place where thou art northward, and southward, and eastward, and westward:

Genesis 13:15: For all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed for ever.

Genesis 13:16: And I will make thy seed as the dust of the earth: so that if a man can number the dust of the earth, then shall thy seed also be numbered.

Genesis 13:17: Arise, walk through the land in the length of it and in the breadth of it; for I will give it unto thee.

Genesis 15:4: And, behold, the word of the LORD came unto him, saying, This shall not be thine heir; but he that shall come forth out of thine own bowels shall be thine heir.

Genesis 15:5: And he brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be.

Genesis 15:18: In the same day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates:

Genesis 17:6: And I will make thee exceeding fruitful, and I will make nations of thee, and kings shall come out of thee.

Genesis 17:7: And I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee.

Genesis 17:8: And I will give unto thee, and to thy seed after thee, the land wherein thou art a stranger, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God.

Genesis 18:18: Seeing that Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him?

Genesis 22:15: And the angel of the LORD called unto Abraham out of heaven the second time,

Genesis 22:16: And said, By myself have I sworn, saith the LORD, for because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son:

Genesis 22:17: That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies;

Genesis 22:18: And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice.

Genesis 26:3: Sojourn in this land, and I will be with thee, and will bless thee; for unto thee, and unto thy seed, I will give all these countries, and I will perform the oath which I sware unto Abraham thy father;

Genesis 28:13: And, behold, the LORD stood above it, and said, I am the LORD God of Abraham thy father, and the God of Isaac: the land whereon thou liest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed;

Genesis 28:14: And thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth, and thou shalt spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south: and in thee and in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed.

Beginning with Genesis, chapter 12, the Old Testament Scriptures are occupied chiefly with one man, Abram, and his posterity, the nation of Israel. God called Abram from Ur and directed him to Canaan or Palestine.

God promised to Abram personal blessing; an earthly and spiritual posterity; the land of Canaan for a perpetual possession; and a Seed through which would flow national and universal blessings.

Not because of any superiority or merit on his part but through Sovereign electing grace God chose Abram, and the nation which came from his loins, to be a channel through which He would work and through which He would accomplish His eternal purposes in grace.

To Abram, God made numerous gracious, unconditional promises. Then he renewed those promises from generation to generation with Abram's posterity. Jehovah's habitual dealings with that people were sovereign, miraculous, and gracious.

2. God's requirement.

Genesis 17:9: And God said unto Abraham, Thou shalt keep my covenant therefore, thou, and thy seed after thee in their generations.

Genesis 17:10: This is my covenant, which ye shall keep, between me and you and thy seed after thee; Every man child among you shall be circumcised.

Genesis 17:11: And ye shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskin; and it shall be a token of the covenant betwixt me and you.

Genesis 17:12: And he that is eight days old shall be circumcised among you, every man child in your generations, he that is born in the house, or bought with money of any stranger, which is not of thy seed.

Genesis 17:13: He that is born in thy house, and he that is bought with thy money, must needs be circumcised: and my covenant shall be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant.

Circumcision was instituted by God. Its practice was to be a recognition of God's covenant. The Israelite through circumcision acknowledged his covenant relationship with Jehovah and thereby bore testimony to his belief in the ultimate fulfillment of the promises.

Since the promises were unconditional and gracious there is, we believe, a noticeable absence of a Divine fiat or arbitrary commands. Obedience to some specific dictatorial requirement is, in our judgment, not required during this period.

The patriarchs were entrusted with liberty. But liberty is not a license to sin and to practice ungodliness. Divine grace does not demand reciprocation but desires love, loyalty, devotion, and spontaneous service.

Because of the very nature of the case the requirements of this period are implied rather than specified.

3. Man's conduct.

Read Genesis 12 to Exodus 19.

Faith and failure were mingled together in the lives of the patriarchs and their families.

That hope in the realization of the promises was kept alive may be seen by the maintaining of the rite of circumcision; by Jacob's request concerning his burial in Canaan (Genesis 47:29: And the time drew nigh that Israel must die: and he called his son Joseph, and said unto him, If now I have found grace in thy sight, put, I pray thee, thy hand under my thigh, and deal kindly and truly with me; bury me not, I pray thee, in Egypt: Genesis 47:30: But I will lie with my fathers, and thou shalt carry me out of Egypt, and bury me in their buryingplace. And he said, I will do as thou hast said.); by Joseph's repetition of the same request (Genesis 50:25: And Joseph took an oath of the children of Israel, saying, God will surely visit you, and ye shall carry up my bones from hence. Genesis 50:26: So Joseph died, being an hundred and ten years old: and they embalmed him, and he was put in a coffin in Egypt.); and Moses' plans and purposes for Israel in delivering them from Egypt (see Exodus 1 to 19).

Jacob's early personal history records serious sins and shows that he often failed to appreciate God's grace and presumed upon His goodness. The treatment Joseph received at the hands of his brothers and the manner in which they deceived their father reveals failure, disobedience, and flagrant sins on their part also. The same may be seen by the whole nation later accepting the Law in preference to going on with the Lord under grace.

4. God's retribution.

Read Exodus 1 to 19

We are not prepared to say, as some do, that Israel's bondage in Egypt was a judgment or punishment from God upon them because they were there (out of the land of Canaan). Jacob was definitely told to go, with his family, down into Egypt (Genesis 46:3: And he said, I am God, the God of thy father: fear not to go down into Egypt; for I will there make of thee a great nation: Genesis 46:4: I will go down with thee into Egypt; and I will also surely bring thee up again: and Joseph shall put his hand upon thine eyes.).

As we understand the matter, God's dealings with Israel in Egypt were providential and disciplinary but not penal. While in Egypt, they were oppressed by Pharaoh but were preserved by Jehovah. During their sojourn there, they increased numerically, intellectually, and spiritually, and became a nation. The "plagues" were a judgment from God upon the Egyptians for their sins (Genesis 15:14: And also that nation, whom they shall serve, will I judge: and afterward shall they come out with great substance.), but through them Israel must have been instructed, encouraged, and edified.

Following a long list of providential deliverances and miraculous provisions, the Law was temporarily given them at Sinai. It was to be operative until Calvary. The Law "was added – till the seed (Christ) should come": (Galatians 3:19: Wherefore then serveth the law? It was added because of transgressions, till the seed should come to whom the promise was made; and it was ordained by angels in the hand of a mediator.).

V. The Dispensation of Law. (Given to Israel)

Boundaries: From the giving of the Law at Sinai to the death of Christ at Calvary.

1. Man's (Israel's) condition.

Exodus 2:23: And it came to pass in process of time, that the king of Egypt died: and the children of Israel sighed by reason of the bondage, and they cried, and their cry came up unto God by reason of the bondage.

Exodus 2:25: And God looked upon the children of Israel, and God had respect unto them.

Exodus 19:4: Ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians, and how I bare you on eagles' wings, and brought you unto myself.

As heirs of the promises, Israel could look back to God's miraculous, gracious, and wonderful dealing with them and on their behalf. Their preservation in Egypt, their exodus from Egypt, and their sojourn from Egypt to Sinai were all one continuous series of Divine interventions. They had been oppressed and abused, but, like the burning bush, they were not consumed (Exodus 3:2: And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush: and he looked, and, behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed.). They had been providentially preserved, delivered, sustained, and directed by Sovereign grace. Their history could be recorded by the Plagues (see Exodus 7 to 9), the Passover (see Exodus 12), the Red Sea (Exodus 14:22: And the children of Israel went into the midst of the sea upon the dry ground: and the waters were a wall unto them on their right hand, and on their left.), the Pillar of Fire and Cloud (Exodus 13:21: And the LORD went before them by day in a pillar of a cloud, to lead them the way; and by night in a pillar of fire, to give them light; to go by day and night: Exodus 13:22: He took not away the pillar of the cloud by day, nor the pillar of fire by night, from before the people.), the Bread from Heaven (Exodus 16:4: Then said the LORD unto Moses, Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you; and the people shall go out and gather a certain rate every day, that I may prove them, whether they will walk in my law, or no.), and the Water from the Rock (Exodus 17:6: Behold, I will stand before thee there upon the rock in Horeb; and thou shalt smite the rock, and there shall come water out of it, that the people may drink. And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel.).

They should have appreciated their favored position and heritage and have cast themselves unconditionally upon God's grace and mercy and His Lordship.

2. God's requirement.

Exodus 19:5: Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine:

Exodus 19:6: And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation. These are the words which thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel.

Exodus 19:7: And Moses came and called for the elders of the people, and laid before their faces all these words which the LORD commanded him.

Exodus 19:8: And all the people answered together, and said, All that the LORD hath spoken we will do. And Moses returned the words of the people unto the LORD.

See Exodus 20: 1-26

Exodus 24:1: And he said unto Moses, Come up unto the LORD, thou, and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel; and worship ye afar off.

Exodus 24:2: And Moses alone shall come near the LORD: but they shall not come nigh; neither shall the people go up with him.

Exodus 24:3: And Moses came and told the people all the words of the LORD, and all the judgments: and all the people answered with one voice, and said, All the words which the LORD hath said will we do.

Exodus 24:4: And Moses wrote all the words of the LORD, and rose up early in the morning, and builded an altar under the hill, and twelve pillars, according to the twelve tribes of Israel.

Exodus 24:5: And he sent young men of the children of Israel, which offered burnt offerings, and sacrificed peace offerings of oxen unto the LORD.

Exodus 24:6: And Moses took half of the blood, and put it in basons; and half of the blood he sprinkled on the altar.

Exodus 24:7: And he took the book of the covenant, and read in the audience of the people: and they said, All that the LORD hath said will we do, and be obedient.

Exodus 24:8: And Moses took the blood, and sprinkled it on the people, and said, Behold the blood of the covenant, which the LORD hath made with you concerning all these words.

Exodus 25:8: And let them make me a sanctuary; that I may dwell among them.

Exodus 25:9: According to all that I shew thee, after the pattern of the tabernacle, and the pattern of all the instruments thereof, even so shall ye make it.

Deuteronomy 6:16: Ye shall not tempt the LORD your God, as ye tempted him in Massah.

Deuteronomy 6:17: Ye shall diligently keep the commandments of the LORD your God, and his testimonies, and his statutes, which he hath commanded thee.

Deuteronomy 6:18: And thou shalt do that which is right and good in the sight of the LORD: that it may be well with thee, and that thou mayest go in and possess the good land which the LORD sware unto thy fathers,

Deuteronomy 6:19: To cast out all thine enemies from before thee, as the LORD hath spoken.

Deuteronomy 6:20: And when thy son asketh thee in time to come, saying, What mean the testimonies, and the statutes, and the judgments, which the LORD our God hath commanded you?

Deuteronomy 6:21: Then thou shalt say unto thy son, We were Pharaoh's bondmen in Egypt; and the LORD brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand:

Deuteronomy 6:22: And the LORD shewed signs and wonders, great and sore, upon Egypt, upon Pharaoh, and upon all his household, before our eyes:

Deuteronomy 6:23: And he brought us out from thence, that he might bring us in, to give us the land which he sware unto our fathers.

Deuteronomy 6:24: And the LORD commanded us to do all these statutes, to fear the LORD our God, for our good always, that he might preserve us alive, as it is at this day.

Deuteronomy 6:25: And it shall be our righteousness, if we observe to do all these commandments before the LORD our God, as he hath commanded us.

Deuteronomy 27:26: Cursed be he that confirmeth not all the words of this law to do them. And all the people shall say, Amen.

The law might be thought of as being in two parts: (1) the moral ordinances regulating personal conduct and businesses and social relationships; (2) the ceremonial ordinances directing the ritual of the tabernacle in the worship of Jehovah. Israel was to observe the Law in its entirety. The only alternative to obedience was condemnation (Galatians 3:10: For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them.).

3. Man's (Israel's) conduct.

Exodus 32:1: And when the people saw that Moses delayed to come down out of the mount, the people gathered themselves together unto Aaron, and said unto him, Up, make us gods, which shall go before us; for as for this Moses, the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we wot not what is become of him.

Exodus 32:2: And Aaron said unto them, Break off the golden earrings, which are in the ears of your wives, of your sons, and of your daughters, and bring them unto me.

Exodus 32:3: And all the people brake off the golden earrings which were in their ears, and brought them unto Aaron.

Exodus 32:4: And he received them at their hand, and fashioned it with a graving tool, after he had made it a molten calf: and they said, These be thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.

2 Kings 17:7: For so it was, that the children of Israel had sinned against the LORD their God, which had brought them up out of the land of Egypt, from under the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and had feared other gods,

2 Kings 17:8: And walked in the statutes of the heathen, whom the LORD cast out from before the children of Israel, and of the kings of Israel, which they had made.

2 Kings 17:9: And the children of Israel did secretly those things that were not right against the LORD their God, and they built them high places in all their cities, from the tower of the watchmen to the fenced city.

2 Kings 17:10: And they set them up images and groves in every high hill, and under every green tree:

2 Kings 17:11: And there they burnt incense in all the high places, as did the heathen whom the LORD carried away before them; and wrought wicked things to provoke the LORD to anger:

2 Kings 17:12: For they served idols, whereof the LORD had said unto them, Ye shall not do this thing.

2 Kings 17:13: Yet the LORD testified against Israel, and against Judah, by all the prophets, and by all the seers, saying, Turn ye from your evil ways, and keep my commandments and my statutes, according to all the law which I commanded your fathers, and which I sent to you by my servants the prophets.

2 Kings 17:14: Notwithstanding they would not hear, but hardened their necks, like to the neck of their fathers, that did not believe in the LORD their God.

2 Kings 17:15: And they rejected his statutes, and his covenant that he made with their fathers, and his testimonies which he testified against them; and they followed vanity, and became vain, and went after the heathen that were round about them, concerning whom the LORD had charged them, that they should not do like them.

2 Kings 17:16: And they left all the commandments of the LORD their God, and made them molten images, even two calves, and made a grove, and worshipped all the host of heaven, and served Baal.

2 Kings 17:17: And they caused their sons and their daughters to pass through the fire, and used divination and enchantments, and sold themselves to do evil in the sight of the LORD, to provoke him to anger.

2 Kings 17:19: Also Judah kept not the commandments of the LORD their God, but walked in the statutes of Israel which they made.

Matthew 21:33: Hear another parable: There was a certain householder, which planted a vineyard, and hedged it round about, and digged a winepress in it, and built a tower, and let it out to husbandmen, and went into a far country:

Matthew 21:34: And when the time of the fruit drew near, he sent his servants to the husbandmen, that they might receive the fruits of it.

Matthew 21:35: And the husbandmen took his servants, and beat one, and killed another, and stoned another.

Matthew 21:36: Again, he sent other servants more than the first: and they did unto them likewise.

Matthew 21:37: But last of all he sent unto them his son, saying, They will reverence my son.

Matthew 21:38: But when the husbandmen saw the son, they said among themselves, This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and let us seize on his inheritance.

Matthew 21:39: And they caught him, and cast him out of the vineyard, and slew him.

Matthew 21:40: When the lord therefore of the vineyard cometh, what will he do unto those husbandmen?

Acts 2:22: Ye men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know:

Acts 2:23: Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain:

Acts 7:51: Ye stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Ghost: as your fathers did, so do ye.

Acts 7:52: Which of the prophets have not your fathers persecuted? and they have slain them which shewed before of the coming of the Just One; of whom ye have been now the betrayers and murderers:

Israel's transgressions commenced with the molding of a golden calf and culminated with the murder of the Son of God. From Sinai to Calvary, their history is a story of disobedience, transgression, and apostasy. From time to time the masses would heed the call of the prophets to repentance and revivals were experienced. But alas, the people would soon drift into carelessness and carnality and again rebellion, apostasy and idolatry would sway. But for a small remnant they forsook the Lord their God, presumed upon His grace, ignored His Word, persecuted His prophets, committed spiritual adultery with idols, and finally crucified the Messiah.

4. God's retribution

Israel:

2Kings 17:1: In the twelfth year of Ahaz king of Judah began Hoshea the son of Elah to reign in Samaria over Israel nine years.

2Kings 17:2: And he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD, but not as the kings of Israel that were before him.

2Kings 17:3: Against him came up Shalmaneser king of Assyria; and Hoshea became his servant, and gave him presents.

2Kings 17:4: And the king of Assyria found conspiracy in Hoshea: for he had sent messengers to So king of Egypt, and brought no present to the king of Assyria, as he had done year by year: therefore the king of Assyria shut him up, and bound him in prison.

2Kings 17:5: Then the king of Assyria came up throughout all the land, and went up to Samaria, and besieged it three years.

2Kings 17:6: In the ninth year of Hoshea the king of Assyria took Samaria, and carried Israel away into Assyria, and placed them in Halah and in Habor by the river of Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes.

2Kings 17:18: Therefore the LORD was very angry with Israel, and removed them out of his sight: there was none left but the tribe of Judah only.

Judah:

2Kings 24:11: And Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came against the city, and his servants did besiege it.

2Kings 24:12: And Jehoiachin the king of Judah went out to the king of Babylon, he, and his mother, and his servants, and his princes, and his officers: and the king of Babylon took him in the eighth year of his reign.

2Kings 24:13: And he carried out thence all the treasures of the house of the LORD, and the treasures of the king's house, and cut in pieces all the vessels of gold which Solomon king of Israel had made in the temple of the LORD, as the LORD had said.

2Kings 24:14: And he carried away all Jerusalem, and all the princes, and all the mighty men of valour, even ten thousand captives, and all the craftsmen and smiths: none remained, save the poorest sort of the people of the land.

2Kings 24:15: And he carried away Jehoiachin to Babylon, and the king's mother, and the king's wives, and his officers, and the mighty of the land, those carried he into captivity from Jerusalem to Babylon.

2Kings 24:16: And all the men of might, even seven thousand, and craftsmen and smiths a thousand, all that were strong and apt for war, even them the king of Babylon brought captive to Babylon.

See also 2 Kings 25: 1-21.

Because of the Nation's persistent and continued violations of the Law, the judgments of God fell upon them. After repeated pleadings and warnings Israel (the Northern Kingdom) was taken into captivity by the Assyrians. Then a little over a century later, Judah fell under the cruel hand of Nebuchadnezzar and was taken into the Babylonian captivity.

From the Babylonian captivity a remnant returned to "the land" under Ezra and Nehemiah but were under Gentile domination.

Then "in fullness of time", and under these subservient conditions, the virgin mother Mary bore Jesus into the world (Galatians 4:4: But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law,). The remnant of the nation finally filled up the cup of iniquity by rejecting and crucifying Jesus Christ, the Son of God, their Messiah. Then followed their final dispersion which continues to the present hour (Luke 23:20: Pilate therefore, willing to release Jesus, spake again to them. Luke 23:21: But they cried, saying, Crucify him, crucify him. Luke 23:22: And he said unto them the third time, Why, what evil hath he done? I have found no cause of death in him: I will therefore chastise him, and let him go. Luke 23:23: And they were instant with loud voices, requiring that he might be crucified. And the voices of them and of the chief priests prevailed. Luke 23:24: And Pilate gave sentence that it should be as they required. Matthew 23:37: O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not! Matthew 23:38: Behold, your house is left unto you desolate. Matthew 23:39: For I say unto you, Ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord.).

Note: The present rejection and scattering of the Nation of Israel is, however, only temporary. At the time of Christ's Second Coming they will be regathered and restored.

Note: It is quite important that the purpose of the giving of the Law be understood. Especially so because of the ignorance and error that are current regarding the subject.

1. The Law was given to Israel exclusively and temporarily.

2. The Law was to give the knowledge of sin. To make sin sinful; to manifest to them their need (Romans 3:20: Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.).

3. The Law was never given as a means of salvation. The purpose of the Law was to judge and not to justify; to administer condemnation and not salvation; to reveal sin and not to remove it (Romans 3:20: Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.).

VI. The Dispensation of Grace Abounding.

Boundaries: From the crucifixion of Christ to His Second Advent.

Note: We are now living in this, the 6^th, Dispensation. As we have said before, in our judgment, we are nearing the end of the age. The appearing of Christ we believe is imminent.

1. Man's condition.

Romans 3:9: What then? are we better than they? No, in no wise: for we have before proved both Jews and Gentiles, that they are all under sin;

Romans 3:10: As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:

Romans 3:11: There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God.

Romans 3:12: They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.

Romans 3:13: Their throat is an open sepulchre; with their tongues they have used deceit; the poison of asps is under their lips:

Romans 3:14: Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness:

Romans 3:15: Their feet are swift to shed blood:

Romans 3:16: Destruction and misery are in their ways:

Romans 3:17: And the way of peace have they not known:

Romans 3:18: There is no fear of God before their eyes.

Romans 3:19: Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God.

Romans 3:23: For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;

John 3:16: For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

John 3:18: He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

John 5:24: Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.

Matthew 18:11: For the Son of man is come to save that which was lost.

No distinction is now made between Jew and Gentile. All have sinned and all are guilty before God. Red and yellow, black and white, educated and ignorant, crude and cultured, civilized and uncivilized are alike in that all are spiritually dead, all are perishing, and all are lost apart from Christ.

2. God's requirement.

John 1:12: But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:

John 3:16: For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

John 3:18: He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

John 3:36: He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.

John 5:24: Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.

John 6:29: Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.

Acts 16:31: And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.

Acts 10:43: To him give all the prophets witness, that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins.

Romans 4:5: But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.

Romans 10:9: That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.

Romans 10:10: For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

Christ died for ALL. He came to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself. His death was a propitiation for the sins of the whole world. Jesus Christ, God's Son, settled the "SIN" question in behalf of every man at Calvary. Now men must settle the "SON" question. "What will you do with Jesus?" is the paramount and all-important question for everyone. To receive Christ means a glorious salvation. Belief in Christ is the divine command and the supreme requirement of the present age.

The following by James Denney is truth well put and truth that needs to be proclaimed by Christians everywhere: "As there is only one God so there can be only one Gospel. If God has really done something in Christ on which the salvation of the world depends, and if He has made it known, then it is a Christian's duty to be intolerant of everything which ignores, denies, or explains it away."

Jesus Christ said, " I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me." (John 14:6).

3. Man's conduct.

Matthew 7:13: Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat:

Matthew 7:14: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.

Luke 19:12: He said therefore, A certain nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom, and to return.

Luke 19:13: And he called his ten servants, and delivered them ten pounds, and said unto them, Occupy till I come.

Luke 19:14: But his citizens hated him, and sent a message after him, saying, We will not have this man to reign over us.

Luke 19:26: For I say unto you, That unto every one which hath shall be given; and from him that hath not, even that he hath shall be taken away from him.

Luke 19:27: But those mine enemies, which would not that I should reign over them, bring hither, and slay them before me.

Luke 18:8: I tell you that he will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?

John 3:19: And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.

1 Timothy 4:1: 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;

1 Timothy 4:2: Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron;

1 Timothy 4:3: Forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth.

2 Timothy 3:1: This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.

2 Timothy 3:2: For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,

2 Timothy 3:3: Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good,

2 Timothy 3:4: Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God;

2 Timothy 3:5: Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.

While many have been saved all during the Christian era, and while many of the present generation are true children of God, yet it remains true that the righteous have always been in the minority. Despite much faithful Gospel preaching, the great masses of humanity continue on in sin and in rejection of Christ as Savior. Many have been evangelized, but few are truly born again (Matthew 20:16: So the last shall be first, and the first last: for many be called, but few chosen.).

The masses are in reality saying, "We will not have this man (Jesus Christ) to reign over us." Unbelief dominates the world and apostasy holds sway in much of Christendom. The outlook is not very encouraging but the "up-look" is encouraging and inviting, grand, and glorious.

4. God's retribution. (Prophetic)

Matthew 24:37: But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.

Matthew 24:38: For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark,

Matthew 24:39: And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.

Matthew 24:40: Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left.

Matthew 24:41: Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left.

Matthew 25:31: When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory:

Matthew 25:32: And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats:

Matthew 25:33: And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left.

Matthew 25:34: Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:

Matthew 25:35: For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in:

Matthew 25:36: Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.

Matthew 25:37: Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink?

Matthew 25:38: When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee?

Matthew 25:39: Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?

Matthew 25:40: And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.

Matthew 25:41: Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:

Matthew 25:42: For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink:

Matthew 25:43: I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not.

Matthew 25:44: Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee?

Matthew 25:45: Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me.

Matthew 25:46: And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.

Luke 17:26: And as it was in the days of Noe, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man.

Luke 17:27: They did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all.

Luke 17:28: Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded;

Luke 17:29: But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all.

Luke 17:30: Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed.

Luke 17:31: In that day, he which shall be upon the housetop, and his stuff in the house, let him not come down to take it away: and he that is in the field, let him likewise not return back.

Luke 17:32: Remember Lot's wife.

Luke 17:33: Whosoever shall seek to save his life shall lose it; and whosoever shall lose his life shall preserve it.

Luke 17:34: I tell you, in that night there shall be two men in one bed; the one shall be taken, and the other shall be left.

Luke 17:35: Two women shall be grinding together; the one shall be taken, and the other left.

Luke 17:36: Two men shall be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left.

Luke 17:37: And they answered and said unto him, Where, Lord? And he said unto them, Wheresoever the body is, thither will the eagles be gathered together.

2 Thessalonians 1:7: And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels,

2 Thessalonians 1:8: In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ:

2 Thessalonians 2:3: Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;

2 Thessalonians 2:4: Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.

2 Thessalonians 2:5: Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things?

2 Thessalonians 2:6: And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time.

2 Thessalonians 2:7: For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way.

2 Thessalonians 2:8: And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming:

2 Thessalonians 2:9: Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders,

2 Thessalonians 2:10: And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.

2 Thessalonians 2:11: And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie:

Jude 1:14: And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints,

Jude 1:15: To execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against him.

Revelation 6:17: For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?

See also Revelation 4 to 19.

The returning of Christ to the earth will close this present dispensation and usher in the next or Kingdom Age.

For the saved, His appearing will mean the completion of their salvation, but for the great masses of humanity it will mean a time of judgment and condemnation.

Into a world filled with confusion and conflict, war and wreckage, chaos and Christless living the Lord Jesus will come to execute righteous judgments upon the sin-loving, God-hating, Christ-rejecting multitudes. He will purge the earth by removing the persistently unrighteous therefrom.

VII. The Dispensation of the Kingdom.

Boundaries: From the Second Advent of Christ to the Judgment of the Great White Throne.

This will be the literal, personal reign of the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, in the world. The Kingdom of God on earth; commonly called "The Millennium".

1. Man's condition.

Isaiah 2:2: And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the LORD's house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it.

Isaiah 2:3: And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.

Isaiah 2:4: And he shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people: and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.

See Isaiah 11.

Amos 9:11: In that day will I raise up the tabernacle of David that is fallen, and close up the breaches thereof; and I will raise up his ruins, and I will build it as in the days of old:

Amos 9:12: That they may possess the remnant of Edom, and of all the heathen, which are called by my name, saith the LORD that doeth this.

Amos 9:13: Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that the plowman shall overtake the reaper, and the treader of grapes him that soweth seed; and the mountains shall drop sweet wine, and all the hills shall melt.

Amos 9:14: And I will bring again the captivity of my people of Israel, and they shall build the waste cities, and inhabit them; and they shall plant vineyards, and drink the wine thereof; they shall also make gardens, and eat the fruit of them.

Amos 9:15: And I will plant them upon their land, and they shall no more be pulled up out of their land which I have given them, saith the LORD thy God.

Micah 4:1: But in the last days it shall come to pass, that the mountain of the house of the LORD shall be established in the top of the mountains, and it shall be exalted above the hills; and people shall flow unto it.

Micah 4:2: And many nations shall come, and say, Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, and to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for the law shall go forth of Zion, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.

Micah 4:3: And he shall judge among many people, and rebuke strong nations afar off; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up a sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.

Micah 4:4: But they shall sit every man under his vine and under his fig tree; and none shall make them afraid: for the mouth of the LORD of hosts hath spoken it.

Micah 4:5: For all people will walk every one in the name of his god, and we will walk in the name of the LORD our God for ever and ever.

Acts 15:16: After this I will return, and will build again the tabernacle of David, which is fallen down; and I will build again the ruins thereof, and I will set it up:

Acts 15:17: That the residue of men might seek after the Lord, and all the Gentiles, upon whom my name is called, saith the Lord, who doeth all these things.

Revelation 20:1: And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand.

Revelation 20:2: And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years,

Revelation 20:3: And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season.

Revelation 20:4: And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.

Revelation 20:5: But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection.

Revelation 20:6: Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.

Following the rapture of the Church, great multitudes from many nations will experience salvation, survive the period of judgment (endure to the end and be saved, Mathew 24:13: But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.), and subsequently inherit the Kingdom. This great company, saved during "the tribulation period", will comprise the earth's population at the beginning of the Kingdom Age. Thus there will be a converted world to begin the Millennium. This will be brought about only because all who will not yield to God's message of truth will be removed from the scene by divine wrath and judgment (2 Thessalonians 2:10: And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. 2 Thessalonians 2:11: And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: 2 Thessalonians 2:12: That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness. Matthew 24:37: But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. Matthew 24:38: For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, Matthew 24:39: And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. Matthew 24:40: Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Matthew 24:41: Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Matthew 13:41: The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity; Matthew 13:42: And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth. Matthew 13:43: Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.).

Satan will be chained and incarcerated in the pit. Thus sin will be without leadership.

The Lord Jesus Christ will assert His regal right, take the reigns of government into His own hands, set up a world autocracy with Jerusalem as the Capital, and establish Himself (by power and not persuasion) as the absolute Sovereign of the earth. The Word of the Lord will be the law in every land.

Ideal world conditions will maintain. Then there will be no wars, no social injustice, no political graft, no corrupting agencies, no evil institutions, no destructive influences, no barren desert wastes, and no degeneracy in plant and animal life.

"JESUS SHALL REIGN where'er the sun, doth his successive journeys run."

2. God's requirement.

Psalms:72:5: They shall fear thee as long as the sun and moon endure, throughout all generations.

Psalms:72:9: They that dwell in the wilderness shall bow before him; and his enemies shall lick the dust.

Psalms:72:10: The kings of Tarshish and of the isles shall bring presents: the kings of Sheba and Seba shall offer gifts.

Psalms:72:11: Yea, all kings shall fall down before him: all nations shall serve him.

Isaiah 26:9: With my soul have I desired thee in the night; yea, with my spirit within me will I seek thee early: for when thy judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness.

Isaiah 60:12: For the nation and kingdom that will not serve thee shall perish; yea, those nations shall be utterly wasted.

Jeremiah 23:12: Wherefore their way shall be unto them as slippery ways in the darkness: they shall be driven on, and fall therein: f