The Seven Dispensations

The story of Man's Failure - as demonstrated in all ages

                                                                         ^  v                   Christ returns     Christ         The Great
              Beginning                Call of                   Ascension  |                    in the air.       returns       White Throne  
              of civilization          Abram        The Law      of Christ  |                        ^             to earth       Judgment
              |                         |           given to             ^  Descent of the       Rapture of          |            Rev 20:11
  Creation    |          Landing        |           Moses        The     |  Holy Spirit          the church          |               |
  of man      |          of the ark     |           Ex 20:1-17   Cross   |  v                        |               |  Christ's     |
  |           |            |            |            |             __|__ ^  |                        |               |  Millenial    |
  | INNOCENCE | CONSCIENCE | GOVERNMENT |  PROMISE   |     LAW       |   |  |         GRACE          |  TRIBULATION  |  KINGDOM      |
  |___________|____________|____________|____________|_______________|___|__v________________________|_______________v_______________|
    Gen 2:25 |  Gen 3:22  |  Gen 9:5   | Gen 12:1-3 |   Gal 3:19  |            | Eph 3:2  Rom 6:14  |   Mat 24:21    |  Dan 2:44     |
             |            |            |            |             |            |                    |                |             Final
         Expulsion       The         Confusion      Slaves       Israel       Fall of              Confusion        Armageddon     rebellion
         from Eden       Flood       of tongues     in Egypt     Dispersed    Jerusalem            of Religions                    crushed
   
   
Dispensation   Opening Event         Man's Responsibility  Man's Failure       Man's Tendency     Closing Event
    
INNOCENCE      God creates man       Believe & obey        Innocence lost      Away from God      Judgment- Expelled from Eden
               Gen 1:26,27           Gen 2:15-17           Gen 3:6,7           Gen 3:9,10         Gen 3:17-19
                   2:7,25                                                                             3:22-24
     
CONSCIENCE     Abel offers a lamb    Believe & obey        Consc. defiled      Away from God      Judgment- The Flood
               and is murdered       Gen 4:4-7             Gen 6:5,11-12       Gen 6:5-13         Gen 7:11-12,23
               Gen 4:2-15            Heb 11:4   
     
GOVERNMENT     Noah-worships God     Believe & obey        Personal disorder   Away from God-     Judgment- Confusion of tongues
               -receives a covenant and responsibility        Gen 9:20-23      "Man's Failure"    Gen 11:5-9
               Gen 8:20-22           Gen 9:1-6             Societal disorder   references
                                                              Gen 11:1-4       apply.
     
PROMISE        Abram-is called       Believe & obey        In Egypt, Israel    Away from God-     Judgment- Bondage in Egypt
               -receives promises    Rom 4:3               became comfortable  They desired the   Ex 1:7-14              
                Gen 12:1-7           Gen 15:6              & forgot God's      things of Egypt
               Promises repeated                           promised land.      not of the Lord.      
               to Isaac & Jacob                             Ex 1:7             cp Ex 16:2,3                                                 
                Gen 26:1-5
                    28:10-15
     
LAW            Israel-promises       Believe & obey        Repeated failure    Away from God      Judgment- Captivities: 
               to keep the Law       Deu 7:11-15           Judg 21:25          Dan 9:4-16          Israel by Assyria, 2Kin 17:1-18
               Ex 19:1-8                 8:11-20           Psa 106                                 Judah by Babylon,  2Kin 25:1-11
                                                                                                  Christ came into the world to save sinners.
                                                                                                   Gal 3:10, Gal 4:4,5
    
GRACE          Christ-ascends        Believe & obey        Apostasy            Away from God      The Bride of Christ snatched up               
               -sends the Spirit     Acts 2:36-47          2Tim 4:3-4          2Tim 3:13            1The 4:16-17, Rev 3:10 
               Acts 1:1-9            John 6:28,29,47       Heb 6:4-8           2Pet 2:1-3,17-22   Judgment-The apostate church
                    2:1-4,                5:24                                                      enters the Tribulation       
                                     Eph 2:8,9                                                      Rev 2:21-23
                                     Rom 5:1,2                                                          3:15-16
     
TRIBULATION    The man of sin        In The Tribulation, man's failure comes to awful fruition:   Judgment-Christ casts out
-a special     is revealed             Innocence- Men live the lie & call evil good (Gen 3:5).    satan & his false leaders. 
7 yr. period   1The 5:1-3              Government- The world unites with antichrist against God.    Rev 19:11-21
               2The 2:1-12             Promise- Israel in the promised land, but in unbelief.           20:1-3
               Mat 24:21-22            Law- The rebuilt temple is given over to false worship. 
                                       Grace- The apostate church is aligned with the antichrist.
                                     But even in this terrible time, God's Grace is available:
                                      Salvation is by Grace through faith in the blood of the Lamb.
     
KINGDOM        Jesus Christ          Believe & obey        Even in the age of Righteousness,      Judgment-the final rebellion
               returns to earth      Isa 2:1-4             man turns away from Christ to follow   is crushed. Eternal destinies
               as King of kings.         11:1-16           Satan when given the opportunity.      are decreed.
               Rev 20:4-6                12:1-6            Rev 20:7-10                            Rev 20:10-15
                                         55:1-3
                                     Zech 14:16-18
                                     During the Kingdom age, the disorder of previous ages is corrected:
                                       Innocence- God's people have holy hearts to serve Him.
                                       Government- Christ rules from Jerusalem. Righteousness covers the earth.
                                       Promise- Israel is in her land. Abrahamic & Davidic covenants fulfilled.
                                       Law- True temple worship declares that Christ has fulfilled the Law.
                                       Grace- The true church is with Christ in His glory.

     
          
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