Dispensational Theology Highlights
v Identify chapter content as related to chapters
o Abrahamic – Genesis 12 (Genesis 15 covenant confirmed)
o Davidic – 2 Samuel 7
o Noahic – Genesis 9
o New Covenant – Jeremiah 31
v genesis early things
o fall – Genesis 3-4
o protoevangelium – Genesis 3:15
v Reference to “Son of Man”
o Daniel 7
o Daniel 8
v Where mosaic covenant given
o Exodus 19
v Specific references to the word dispensation in the sense that we use it
o Ephesians 1:10 (kingdom)
o Ephesians 3:2 (church age/grace)
o Colossians 1:25-26 (everything before church age)
v Reference searching what manner of what we knew aforetime
o I Peter 1:11 – prophets never figured the full idea of messiah but knew basic things
v Key passages relating to rapture
o I Thessalonians 4:13-18
o John 14:1-3
o I Corinthians 15:51-58
o Revelation 3:10
v Sermon on the mount is found where
o Matthew 5,6,7
v passages about the millennium, eternal state
o millennium
§ Revelation 19:15
§ Isaiah 2:1-4
§ Isaiah 11:4
o Eternal state
§
v Familiar with terminology about kingdom
o Intercalation – an insertion, as into a calendar; an insertion between existing elements (parenthesis)
o Interregnum – an intervening period between the kingdom phases
o Postponement – God postponed His plan for Israel when they rejected Messiah, so the earthly kingdom was postponed and God set them aside for a time
v Three elements that comprise a kingdom
o Ruler – God, as opposed to all other alternatives
o Realm – the whole of creation, the universe
o Reign – means and extent to which the ruler exerts his authority
v Christ’s relationship with his people, desire for people fellowship (they will be my God they shall be my people)
o Found underneath main theme of dispensationalism
o Jeremiah 24:7
v Son of man expression
o Daniel 7:13
o When Christ was using this expression He was presenting Himself as Messiah, He was not trying to present Himself as human
o Always refers to Himself, never anyone else
v Number of things about progressive dispensationalism
o Inaugurated eschatology – already not yet. Basically the kingdom is being fulfilled now in some ways and in some ways not.
o Complementary hermeneutics – Using the NT to expand OT promises without jettisoning the original promises (sensus plenior – fuller meaning)
o Davidic throne – they think that Christ’s present right-hand session equals Him being on the Davidic throne. However, the Davidic throne is earthly
v Eschatology
o Essential differences
§ Nature of millennial kingdom – what is it like
§ Chronology of the inauguration of the millennial kingdom – when is it going to start
§ The agency “means of establishment” of the millennial kingdom – how is it going to get established
o Essential agreements
§ Immortality of the soul
§ Intermediate state
§ Future bodily resurrection
§ Future divine judgment
§ Future return of Christ
§ Future eternal state
v Different millennial systems
o Premil – Christ returns to the earth before the millennium
o Postmil – the church will establish the kingdom on earth before Christ returns, Christ then returns (2nd coming), and then eternity
o Amil – Christ’s return marks the end of this present age, the church is the kingdom on earth, after Christ’s 2nd coming is eternity. According to them we are living in the kingdom right now
v Is Dispensationalism Optimistic or pessimistic?
o Dispensationalism – optimistic because we are looking toward the kingdom and can have victory now and look forward to the kingdom, the Covenants think we are in the kingdom now
o Covenant Theology – pessimistic because we cannot have victory until the eternal state
v Survey Ryrie and have a big picture sense of the chronology of the key events in a proper premil pretrib understanding
I. Events surrounding the end of the church age
a. Increasing apostasy
b. Preparation for ecumenical church
II. Rapture of the Church
a. Believer’s works judgment (between rapture and 2nd coming)
III. Tribulation
a. OT saints (end of trib/2nd coming)
b. Living gentiles (end of trib/2nd coming)
c. Nations/living gentiles(end of trib/2nd coming)
IV. Second coming
a. Sheep and goats judgment
b. Tribulation saints / martyrs?
c. Armageddon (at the end)
V. Millennium
a. Great white throne (end of millennium)
b. Satan and fallen angels (end of millennium)
v Basic principles that lead to a literal systematical interpretation (was on quiz)
o Primacy of authorial intent – discover God’s intended meaning
o Univocal nature of language – has only one meaning
o Textual locus of meaning – found in the text
o Single truth intention of Scripture – can never mean what it never meant
v sensus plenior
o fuller meaning, expanded meaning (NT into OT)
v Four characteristics of an appropriate philosophy of history
o An ultimate purpose
o An offer of the explanations for distinctions in history
o Proper concept of the progress of revelation
o Unifying principle
v You can have a valid philosophy of history that is wrong
v Stair-step dispensational chart
v Questions about where which of the dispensations figure what out, what is involved in them
v KNOW VERSE ON SYLLABUS Ephesians 1:8-10
v Different distinctions about the church (in the identification sense)
o In character
§ Baptism of Holy Spirit
§ Components of body (Jew and Gentile)
§ Indwelling Christ
§ Expanded ministry of the Spirit
o In time
§ Begins with Pentecost
§ Departs at rapture
v Be familiar with Hebrews 12:22-23
o Heb 12:22 But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels,
o Heb 12:23 To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect,
o Distinction between Israel and the church is maintained even in the eternal state. It is not just dispensational, but for all eternity
v Covenants
o Conditional
§ Mosaic
o Unconditional
§ Noahic
§ Abrahamic
§ Davidic
§ New Covenant
v Primary and 2nd characteristics of dispensation
o Primary
§ New special revelation
§ Governing relationship between God and man changes
§ Stewardship – man’s responsibility
o Secondary
§ Test
§ failure
§ judgment
v Ancient near eastern covenant types
o Parity treaty – bilateral in nature between 2 equal parties
o Suzerainty treaty [Mosaic] - Between a king and a vassal. The king held “all the cards” and said here is what I am going to do and here is what I expect you to do.
§ Mosaic
o Royal Grant or Promisory Covenant – the king would obligate himself by means of a promise and would promise to do things for those people, not contingent on the subjects
§ Abrahamic, Davidic, New Covenant
v Promises made to David and Solomon
o David
§ Everlasting dynasty
§ Everlasting kingdom
§ Everlasting throne
o Solomon
§ The privilege of building the temple
§ The promise of an everlasting throne
§ The promise of perpetuity of the covenant amid chastening
v General provisions of the Abrahamic covenant
o Blessing
o Seed
o Land
v What is the essential area of difference between dispensationalism and ultradispensationalism (the real big picture)
o Primary - Difference over when the church began
§ We say with Pentecost
§ They say with Paul some time later
v Brief question about the relationship between the new covenant and the church
o In a sense the church receives a pre-fulfillment application of the benefits of the death of Christ which benefits were first intended for Israel
v Handling of figurative language
o Always take a literal sense unless there is a good reason for doing otherwise
Reasons for doing otherwise
§ Literal involves impossibility
§ Literal creates an absurdity
§ Literal would demand an immoral action
§ Follow-on exemplary literal statement
§ Qualify adjective or prepositional phrase
v Few key bible terms
o Covenant – berith – a binding agreement or obligation of some sort
o Dispensation – a distinguishable economy in the outworking of God’s purpose
o Rapture – “snatching away”
v Different unifying principles
o Covenant theology is redemptive
o Progressive is Christological
o Dispensational is doxological
v Discuss Revelation 3:10
o Keep from the hour of temptation – a strong defense of pretrib rapture
o Ek – out of (out of the very hour of the trial)
v Discuss ryries comment about the basis of salvation in every dispensation is the death of Christ, content, of faith, object of faith, explain Messiah as object of faith as opposed top the tradional view
o Basis of salvation is the death of Christ
o Requirement of salvation in every dispensation is faith
o The object of faith in every dispensation is God
§ This one is not right, the object of faith must be the Messiah
o The content of faith may change from dispensation to dispensation
v Moral efficacy
o Made real atonement for moral sin when offered in true faith
o Saved on credit idea
o Ceremonial cleansing and restoration in covenant community
v How do we determine that the church started at Pentecost and not buried in the OT
o Because it was a mystery in the OT
o It was not revealed, and not realized
o Ephesians 3:3
§ Progressives say it was revealed but not realized
v Characteristics of a true biblical covenant
o a clear declaration in Scripture of the existence of the covenant
o There must be definite and specific covenant language (e.g. “I will”)
o there are no hidden covenants, are expressly called covenants
o There must be divine promises; may be precepts and/or warnings
o Biblical covenant may be conditional or unconditional
v What are the covenants of covenant theology, and do they pass muster
o Covenant of works
o Covenant of grace
v Was the Abrahamic covenant fulfilled by Solomon
o No
§ No permanent land owning
§ Not all the land
§ Did not occupy all the land
§ Post-Solomon promises
v The centrality of the levitical system
o It was to the Israelite properly understood as indispensably necessary to, connected with, actual faith
v Comparison of dispensationalism/ covenant theology or dispensational/progressive (be familiar with charts)
v Continuing principles
a. It is clearly restated in later revelation
b. It is based on the nature of God
c. It is based on the natural created order of God
d. It is not superceded (i.e., it does not create a conflict with subsequently revealed, clearly stated Bible principles)
CONTINUING (UNIVERSAL) PRINCIPLE
↑ ↓
OT COMMAND: NT Application
Principle Applied of the Principle