Five Dispensations Scheme*
An alternative
to (the) popular "seven-dispensations" approach comes with a
rather simple and helpful observation from reading through the Bible
with this careful question: How and by whom is God evangelizing lost
men and women at any given time of human history even into the future?
God through the ages has chosen to use people to evangelize other
people with His gospel of redemption and salvation. An interesting
pattern can be traced through the Bible from Genesis to Revelation:
Beginnning with only various Gentile Nations; then Israel (through
Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob to Christ); then The Church, (our present
age); then Israel for 7 years more (in the future); and then a
Millennial, Earthly Kingdom of Christ -
the dispensation or age of Gentile Nations (Gen 1-11), from Adam to Abraham's Call;
of Israel (Gen 12 - Acts 1), from Abraham's Call to Pentecost in Acts 2;
of The Church (Acts 2 - Rev. 2), from Pentecost in Act 2 to the end of The Church Age;
of The (missionary) Tribulation of Israel (Rev. 6-19), A yet-future Seven-year period;
of a literal, earthly 1,000-year Millennial Kingdom that has yet to come but soon will (Rev 20:4-6).