The most significant phenomenon the world has ever known is the fact that God HATH SPOKEN. The Invisible God, Whom no man "bath seen, nor can see" (1 Tim. 6:16), has spoken. In times past God spoke in divers manners and at sundry times (Heb. 1:1). That which God has spoken He, by the Holy Ghost,
has caused to be put down in writing. The Writings
are the Scriptures.
If we are to understand what He has spoken through
the Scriptures we must be prepared to recognize that
they are "the Word of Truth." Since they are
the "Word of "Truth" the Divine manner for handling
the Word of Truth is to "RIGHTLY DIVIDE" (2 Tim.
2:15) it. Thus, we need to distinguish the people TO
whom God spoke; such as:
1. The Jew
2. The Gentile
3. The Church of God (Acts 2 to Acts 28)
4. The Church of the Mystery
We need to distinguish the "sundry times" at which
He has spoken to them and also the "divers manners."
In Plainer Words, God has spoken at various times
and in many different ways. He has spoken in
TIMES PAST
1. By the prophets to the fathers of Israel (Heb.
1:1)
2. By His Son to the Hebrews (Heb. 1:2)
3. By them that heard the Son (Heb. 2:3) to the
Church of God
That which God wanted preserved the Holy Ghost
caused to be put in writing (2 Peter 1:21). Truth
today does not come to us orally or handed down by
tradition but in writing. Writings given by the
"Spirit of Truth" (Jn. 16:13) are now complete.
Nothing is to be added to them. We have ALL that the
Spirit of Truth has written for us in "the
Scriptures of Truth." Today God still speaks to man
but He speaks through His written Word.
The "times" that God spoke to the fathers by the
prophets is set in contrast to the "times" when He
spoke to the Hebrews by His Son. This informs us
that the Holy Spirit recognizes different TIMES when
God spoke.
Times and dispensations are inseparable from the
Word of God. The word "dispensation" is a word that
is used four times in Paul's epistles (1 Cor. 9:17;
Eph. 1:10, 3:2; Col. 1:25). It comes from the word
"to dispense", to weigh out or hand out. A
Dispensary dispenses medicine. To dispense has the
idea of administering or dealing out certain things.
The use of the word "dispensation" has to do with
the act of administering a particular phase of God's
program. God has had different administrations by
which He has dealt with man. It is under these
different administrations or dispensations that God
has spoken at "sundry times." We are to distinguish
the different dispensations in which God has spoken,
thereby, interpreting what He has said in light. of
WHEN He said it and to WHOM did He say it.
The present evil age which is characterized by sin
and death extends from Adam until the return of the
Lord Jesus Christ. While it is one in essential
character, it is subdivided into different
dispensations. As God introduced different ways of
dealing with mankind you will see set forth below
divisions of dispensations. We do not pretend that
the list is without fault; we only hope that the
reader will see the need to "rightly divide the Word
of Truth."
1. From creation to the fall of Adam
2. From the fall to the flood
3. After the flood, from Noah to Abraham
4. From Abraham to Moses
5. From Moses to the entrance into the Land 6. From the entrance to
the setting up of Kingdom
7. From David to the Babylonian captivity
8. From the captivity to the birth of Christ
9. From the birth to the resurrection of Christ
10. From Pentecost to prison (Acts 2 to Acts 28)
11. The prison ministry of Paul, the Dispensation of
the Grace of God. The present age of God's Sacred
Secret (i.e. The Mystery)
12. Dispensation of Judgment (the bulk of the Book
of Revelation)
13. The millennial Kingdom
14. The new creation
It should be evident that as dispensations change so
should the particular lines of truth change as far
as God's revelation to man is concerned. This being
true the utmost care should be taken to note
dispensational changes. Things that were true before
the fall of Adam would be untrue after. Things that
were true before the Law would not be true after it
and so throughout the dispensations.
Dr. E. W. Bullinger well said, "If we take what God
said and did in one Dispensation, and carry it
forward to another in which His administration was
on quite a different principle; or, if we take a
truth subsequently revealed, and read it backward
into the Time when it was hidden from the sons of
men, it is impossible for us to understand what we
read; we shall find ourselves taking what is quite
true of one Time, and using it to contradict what is
also true of another Time."
"All Scripture is given by inspiration of God." That
is, all the words recorded in the 66 books of the
Bible, from Genesis to Revelation, ARE INSPIRED BY
GOD. "And is profitable for DOCTRINE, for REPROOF,
and for CORRECTION, for INSTRUCTION in
righteousness" all of which Divinely equips "the man
of God" for every GOOD WORK. The man of God has
confidence in the Scriptures
believing 2 Timothy 3:16. However, he also knows
that since ALL SCRIPTURE is the Word of Truth it
must be"rightly divided" (2 Tim. 2:15), otherwise,
the faith of the hearers will be subverted and error
will be taught as Truth. The man of God must RIGHTLY
DIVIDE the Word of Truth, otherwise, he will stand
ASHAMED and not approved unto God.
Included in "right
division" is the necessity for the student of
Scripture to recognize the ages and dispensations to
which the various sections of Scripture apply. The
Bible itself is not silent on the fact that
different ages and dispensations existed. Romans 5
speaks of the ages from Adam to Moses. John 1
speaks of the fact that the Law came by M o s e s:
BUT, Grace and Truth came by Jesus Christ
(i.e. true grace)." Ephesians 1:21 speaks of
this age (i.e. world), 3:9 speaks of "ages
past'", and 2:7 speaks of "ages to come."
The Lord Jesus Himself said that "The law and the
prophets were UNTIL JOHN (i.e. the baptizer); since
that time THE KINGDOM of God is preached, and every
man presseth into it" (Luke 16:16). The book of
Daniel in the ninth chapter speaks of the fact that
70 weeks are determined upon Israel; that is, the
Lord is going to deal with Israel for a period of
time of 70 weeks (490 years). Then is to come the
establishment of the promised Kingdom. This Kingdom
is made mention of in
Revelation 20:1-10 where the reference to a 1,000
year period is mentioned six times. This millennial
Kingdom begins with Satan being bound and placed in
the "bottomless pit" and it ends with him being
loosed for a little season." Space does not allow
more to be said. We emphatically state however that
RIGHT DIVISION of the Word of Truth recognizes ALL
SCRIPTURE. It does not cut out unpopular doctrine;
it simply apportions ALL SCRIPTURE according to the
ages and dispensations to which it pertains.
Times were appointed by God for the fulfillment of
different purposes; such as, a time of 400 years was
appointed for the filling up of the iniquity of the
Amorites (Gen. 15:16). This 400 years was connected
with Israel's bondage in Egypt. Israel was not to be
delivered until such time that God was ready to
punish the ° "iniquity of the Amorites"; that is,
when their sin was filled up and punishment due. He
was to use Israel to execute the sword upon the
Amorites. God has, in His infinite wisdom, allotted
a period of time which the Bible refers to as "the
times of the Gentiles" (Lu. 21:24). This seems to be
the period from Nebuchadnezzar until the second
coming of Jesus Christ.
An inspired example of right division is left us in
the gospel of Luke. In Chapter 4:16-21 we note the
Lord Himself reads from Isaiah 61:1-2. He closes the
book with the words, "To preach the acceptable year
of the Lord", then He says, "This day is this
Scripture fulfilled in your ears." Had the Lord read
on in Isaiah 61:2 the next words quoted would have
been: "and the day of vengeance of our God": a day
which is connected with the millennial blessings of
Israel when they become a "holy nation°", a "royal
priesthood°', and a "kingdom of priests", and
receive "double" for their shame./This was not
fulfilled during the ministry of the days of Christ.
Almost 2,000 years have elapsed between the
"Acceptable day of the Lord" and the °"day of
vengeance" (i.e. the great tribulation). The Bible
divides these 2,000 years merely by a comma. Luke
4:20 says, "HE CLOSED THE BOOK, and gave it again to
the minister, and sat down.°' Why did the Lord close
the book at this point? The answer lies in the great
revelation to us concerning the principle of "right
division." Had the Lord read the next sentence in
Isaiah 61:2 about
"The day of vengeance of our God" He could not have
said the Scripture this day "is fulfilled in your
ears"; for "the day of vengeance of our God" had not
come, nor has it come as yet. The Lord practiced
right division. He divided the two dispensations by
closing the Book. This is what we must do if we are
not to join together what God has separated. Alas,
most Christians fail to learn the lesson of right
division, thereby, ignoring the example of the Lord
in Luke 4. They fail to see the interval of the
Mystery
between "the acceptable year of the Lord" and
"the day of vengeance of our God." Now just how
important do you think the principle of RIGHT
DIVISION is?
