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Dispensationalism is an evangelical tradition and theology. The term is derived from the word dispensation, which refers to the way God manages or administers his relationship with people on earth.

Dispensationalists hold to certain core beliefs:

• 1. Authority of Scripture
• 2. Literal method of interpretation (historical-grammatical)
• 3. Distinction between Israel and the Church
• 4. Philosophy of History with dispensations
• 5. Significance of Biblical prophecy
• 6. Futurist premillennial
• 7. Imminent return of Christ

Wide diversity of dispensationalists...

Definition

• Word - Latin origin (DPT p. 93) and Greek oikonomios

Compare/contrast division into dispensations with dispensationalism

Core Beliefs

Historical-Grammatical method of interpretation

Literal emphasis Another important theological concept is the emphasis on what is referred to as the historical-grammatical method of interpretation. This is often popularly (but inaccurately) referred to as the "literal" interpretation of Scripture. Just as it is with progressive revelation, the historical-grammatical method is not a concept or practice that is exclusive just to dispensationalists. However, a dispensational distinctive is created when the historical-grammatical method of interpretation is closely coupled with an emphasis on progressive revelation along with the historical development of the covenants in Scripture.

Dispensationalists hold to the historical-grammatical method of interpretation. Emphasis upon progressive revelation so that the dispensationalist interprets the Old Testament in such a way as to retain the original meaning and audience. Dispensationalists place great emphasis on the original meaning and audience of the text.

Progressive Revelation

One of the most important underlying theological concepts for dispensationalists is progressive revelation. While some nondispensationalists start with progressive revelation in the New Testament and refer this revelation back into the Old Testament, dispensationalists begin with progressive revelation in the Old Testament and read forward in a historical sense. Therefore there is an emphasis on a gradually developed unity as seen in the entirety of Scripture. Biblical covenants are intricately tied to the dispensations. When these Biblical covenants are compared and contrasted, the result is a historical ordering of different dispensations. Also with regard to the different Biblical covenant promises, dispensationalists place emphasis on to whom these promises were written, the original recipients. This has led to certain fundamental dispensational beliefs, such as a distinction between Israel and the church.

Distinction between Israel and the Church

the nation of Israel is distinct from the Church Church has a beginning - Acts 2 Includes a national future for Israel

All dispensationalists perceive a clear distinction between Israel and the church, particularly as different groups who receive a different set of promises. Dispensationalists hold that God provided the nation of Israel with specific promises which will be fulfilled at a future time in the Jews. The Church has received a different set of promises than that of Israel. Most dispensationalists also recognize "membership" overlap between Israel and the Church. Jewish Christians such as Paul, Peter and John are in this category. While most do not believe that Israel and the church are mutually exclusive groups, there is a small minority of past and present dispensationalists who do. Those who do hold that Israel and the church are mutually exclusive include some classical dispensationalists and virtually all ultradispensationalists.

Dispensations

Dispensationalists hold that there are a series of chronologically successive dispensations, that emphasize certain Biblical covenants.

	Range of Bible Chapters
Schemes	Genesis 1-3	Genesis 3-8	Genesis 9-11	Genesis 12 to Exodus 19	Exodus 20 to Acts 1	Acts 2 to Revelation 20	Revelation 20:4-6	Revelation 20-22
7 or 8 Dispensational Scheme	Innocence or Edenic	Conscience or Antediluvian	Civil Government	Patriarchal or Promise	Mosaic or Law	Grace or Church	Millennial Kingdom	Eternal State or Final
4 Dispensational Scheme	Patriarchal				Mosaic	Ecclesial	Zionic
3 Dispensational Scheme (minimalist)	Law					Grace	Kingdom

Futurist Premillennial

Dispensationalism is in essence an eschatological "end times" view, as all dispensationalists hold to premillennialism and most hold to the pretribulation rapture.

Dispensationalists are premillenialists who affirm a future, literal 1,000 year reign of Jesus Christ which merges with and continues on to the eternal state in the "new heavens and the new earth" (Rev. 21), and they hold that the millennial kingdom will be theocratic in nature and not mainly soteriological, as it is viewed by George Ladd and others who hold to a non-dispensational form of premillennialism. Dispensationalism is known for its views respecting the nation of Israel during this millennial kingdom reign, in which Israel as a nation plays a major role and regains a king, a land, and an everlasting kingdom. Dispensationalism is also uniquely associated with belief in the pre-tribulation rapture of the church.

Not all dispensationalists are pre-tribulationists, however, and there are those who are mid-tribulational and post-tribulational who also adhere to the dispensationalist ideology.[citation needed]

Transdenominational

In other areas of theology, dispensationalists hold to a wide range of beliefs within the evangelical and fundamentalist spectrum.

Types of Dispensationalism

History of the development of dispensationalism

Classical dispensationalism

Early dispensational writers such as Darby and Chafer are referred to as classical dispensationalists. This view differs from today's traditional or "revised" dispensationalists. The early Scofield Bible (but not the Revised Scofield Bible) reflects a classical dispensational view. Classical dispensationalists are a small minority today, and Miles Stanford is one writer who represents this point of view.

Hyper-dispensationalism and Ultra-dispensationalism

Main articles: Hyperdispensationalism and Ultradispensationalism

The majority of dispensationalists are known as Acts 2 dispensationalists, or mainstream dispensationalism. They believe the present church began on the day of Pentecost in Acts chapter 2. The majority also believe the New Testament epistles of James through Jude were written directly to the present church. Likewise, most dispensationalists also believe the doctrine contained in the Four Gospels also pertains to the present church.

However, there are two minority camps within dispensationalism commonly referred to as hyper-dispensationalists and ultra-dispensationalists. One camp, known as the Mid-Acts view, believe the church began with the Apostle Paul in Acts chapters 9-15. The second camp believe that the church began with the Apostle Paul in Acts 28:28 in Paul's announcement "Be it known therefore unto you, that the salvation of God is sent unto the Gentiles, and that they will hear it." The latter camp differs over the relevance of Paul's ministry from the middle of Acts to the end of the book, and consequently over Paul's epistles written prior to the so-called Prison Epistles.

Both camps believe that the Church of today is based on Paul's unique ministry. This belief is referenced in Scripture in what may be referred to as the "Pauline Distinctive" and the "Gospel of the Grace of God", and marks an unmistakable shift away from the Mosaic law and the beginning of a completely new Church, called the physical "Body of Christ" comprising of both Jews and Gentiles "in one body." It is this distinction, rather than eschatology as such, that marks both camps.

One notable implication of both hyper-dispensationalism and ultra-dispensationalism is the view that the doctrine contained in the four Gospels (biographies of Jesus' earthly ministry) and many of the New Testament epistles written by the Twelve Apostles was applicable to the Jews of Jesus' day, and which will come to fruition in the coming millennial kingdom. These books are held as proclaiming the "Gospel of the Kingdom", and as such are not applicable for the Christian, largely Gentile, church of today. The Pauline Epistles are held to be the primary authority for the Church as they proclaim the Gospel of the Grace of God.

The prefixes "hyper" or "ultra" simply mean "farther than", and are not meant to be derogatory terms, although some mainstream dispensationalists use them as such. These two groups are called "hyper-dispensationalists" and "ultra-dispensationalists" because they tend to take dispensational concepts farther than their more traditional brethren.

Traditional dispensationalism

The traditional view is the majority view for dispensationalists today. John Walvoord and Charles Ryrie are two traditional dispensational authors. The Revised Scofield Bible of the 1960s also reflects a traditional dispensational view, which is why traditional dispensationalists are sometimes called "Revised" dispensationalists.

Progressive dispensationalism

Main article: Progressive dispensationalism

In the late 1980s a number of dispensational scholars -- in particular Craig A. Blaising, Darrell L. Bock, and Robert L. Saucy -- proposed a significant new position developed from within dispensationalism. The major difference between traditional and progressive dispensationalism is in how each views the relationship of the present dispensation to the past and future dispensations.

Traditional dispensationalism perceive the present age of grace to be a parenthesis or "intercalation" with relation to past and future dispensations. In general that means God's plans as revealed in the past dispensations have been "put on hold" until after the rapture. Progressive dispensationalists however hold that this present dispensation is a key link between past dispensations and the future dispensations. In general that means God's plans have continued in this present dispensation, marking it as a crucial link between past and future dispensations and not a parenthesis. This idea of a key link or progression between dispensations has resulted in the label progressive dispensationalism.

Progressive dispensationalism holds much in common with traditional dispensationalism, including a distinction between Israel and the Church, a future rapture, a 7 year tribulation, and the rule of Christ over the earth centered in Jerusalem during the millennial kingdom.

Both progressive and traditional dispensationalists hold to a clear distinction between Israel and the Church. In short, God has provided the nation of Israel with specific promises such as possession of the land, promises which will be fulfilled in the future. Both Progressive and traditional dispensationalists do recognize some "membership" overlap between the Israel and the Church: Jewish Christians such Paul, Peter, and John are both Jewish (of Israel) and Christian (members of the church). This is in contrast to ultradispensationalists who see the Church and Israel as mutually exclusive.

Both progressive and traditional dispensationalists hold to a distinctly "dispensational" end-time view with a pretribulation rapture and a millennial kingdom with Jesus physically reigning from Jerusalem. This common view with traditional dispensationalism is also what clearly distinguishes progressive dispensationalism from historical premillennialism.

The reasons for progressives holding to a progression of dispensations as opposed to a parenthesis is related to: 1) the relationship between the covenants, and 2) hermeneutics.

Popular Dispensationalism

Hal Lindsey , Tim Lehaye, Others Combination of futurist and historicist interpretation Usually an emphasis on prophecy fulfilled in the state of Israel's formation in 1948

Groups who hold to dispensationalism

Transdenominational Dispensationalism has come to dominate the American Evangelical scene, especially among nondenominational Bible churches, many Baptists, and most Pentecostal and Charismatic groups. Specific denominations - Evangelical Free Church

History and background