Five Important Truths Dispensationalism Maintains
Dispensationalism is one of the most important systems of biblical interpretation because it allows the Bible to speak for itself while recognizing the distinctions God has established throughout Scripture. Although dispensationalism has been criticized, misunderstood, and sometimes misrepresented, the fundamental principles of this approach to Scripture protect several important biblical doctrines that should never be abandoned.
At its heart, dispensationalism is the belief that God has progressively revealed His plan throughout human history and that He has dealt with mankind under different dispensations of responsibility. This does not mean that God has provided different ways of salvation. Salvation has always been by grace through faith. However, it does mean that God has given different instructions, responsibilities, and promises to different groups of people throughout biblical history.
There are five important truths that dispensationalism maintains, and abandoning these principles can create serious confusion concerning the interpretation of Scripture, the identity of the Church, and the future prophetic program of God.
1. Dispensationalism Maintains a Literal Interpretation of Scripture
One of the greatest strengths of dispensationalism is its commitment to interpreting the Bible according to its plain, grammatical, and historical meaning. When God makes a promise, dispensationalists believe that promise should be understood according to what God actually said, rather than spiritualized into something entirely different.
This does not mean that dispensationalists deny symbolism, figures of speech, or poetic language in Scripture. The Bible contains all of these literary forms. However, the existence of symbolic language does not give the interpreter permission to spiritualize passages that were intended to communicate literal truth.
For example, when God promised Abraham a land, a nation, and countless descendants in Genesis 12, 15, and 17, those promises were made to Abraham and his descendants. Dispensationalism maintains that these promises should not simply be transferred to the New Testament Church through an allegorical interpretation.
Second Timothy 2:15 commands believers to study the Scriptures while "rightly dividing the word of truth." This requires recognizing the different audiences, covenants, and responsibilities found throughout the Bible.
When the literal meaning of Scripture is abandoned without biblical justification, the interpreter can easily begin making the Bible say whatever his theological system requires. Dispensationalism seeks to prevent this by allowing the text to establish its own meaning.
2. Dispensationalism Maintains the Distinction Between Israel and the Church
Perhaps the most important distinction in dispensational theology is the recognition that Israel and the New Testament Church are not the same institution.
Israel is a literal nation descended from Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. God established specific covenants with this nation concerning its land, its kingdom, and its future restoration. The Church, on the other hand, is the body of Christ, composed of saved Jews and Gentiles who have been brought together in Christ during this present age.
Paul clearly recognized these distinctions when he wrote in 1 Corinthians 10:32, "Give none offence, neither to the Jews, nor to the Gentiles, nor to the church of God."
Notice that Paul identifies three distinct groups. He does not simply refer to the Church as the new Israel, nor does he suggest that God's promises to national Israel have been permanently canceled.
In Romans 11:25, Paul explains that "blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in." He continues by explaining God's future dealings with Israel and reminds his readers in Romans 11:29 that "the gifts and calling of God are without repentance."
This distinction is essential to understanding biblical prophecy. If Israel and the Church are treated as interchangeable, the unconditional promises made to Israel concerning its national restoration, land, and future kingdom become unnecessarily difficult to interpret.
Dispensationalism maintains that God has a present program for the Church and an unfulfilled prophetic program for Israel. The Church does not replace Israel, and God's promises to Israel have not been forgotten.
3. Dispensationalism Maintains the Imminent Return of Jesus Christ
Another important truth preserved by dispensationalism is the blessed hope of the imminent return of Jesus Christ for His Church.
Imminence means that the Lord Jesus Christ could return for His saints at any moment. There is no prophetic event that must necessarily occur before the catching away of the Church. Christians are instructed to live in a state of expectation, watching and waiting for their returning Saviour.
Titus 2:13 describes this expectation by saying, "Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ."
In 1 Thessalonians 4:16 and 17, Paul describes the Lord descending from heaven, the resurrection of believers who have died, and the catching away of living Christians to meet the Lord in the air. This event is commonly referred to as the Rapture.
Dispensationalism distinguishes this event from the future visible return of Christ to establish His earthly kingdom. The Rapture concerns Christ receiving His Church unto Himself, while the Second Coming involves His return in judgment and the establishment of His kingdom. This distinction is particularly important because Scripture describes specific prophetic events associated with Christ's return to reign upon the earth. However, believers are instructed to anticipate the coming of Christ for His Church without waiting for those events to unfold.
The practical significance of this doctrine cannot be overstated. The imminent return of Christ produces watchfulness, holiness, evangelistic urgency, and a proper perspective concerning the temporary nature of this present world.
When the expectation of Christ's imminent return is abandoned, the Church can easily become more preoccupied with establishing an earthly kingdom than preparing to meet its returning Lord.
4. Dispensationalism Maintains the Premillennial Return of Christ and His Literal Thousand Year Reign
Dispensationalism also maintains that Jesus Christ will physically return to the earth before establishing a literal kingdom that will last for one thousand years.
Revelation 20 repeatedly describes this thousand year period. In Revelation 20:4, John writes concerning those who reign with Christ, "and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years."
The expression "a thousand years" appears six times in the first seven verses of Revelation 20. Dispensationalists understand this repetition as a description of an actual future period of history, rather than simply a symbol representing the present Church Age.
This kingdom will fulfill numerous Old Testament prophecies concerning the Messiah reigning upon the earth. Isaiah 11 describes the righteous reign of the Messiah and the extraordinary conditions that will characterize His kingdom. Zechariah 14 describes the Lord returning and standing upon the Mount of Olives. Revelation 19 describes Christ returning in power and glory, followed by the establishment of His millennial reign in Revelation 20.
This understanding also preserves the promises God made concerning the throne of David. In Luke 1:32, the angel Gabriel declared concerning Jesus Christ, "and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David."
Dispensationalism maintains that these promises have a real, future fulfillment. Christ will not merely reign in a symbolic sense, but will literally reign over the nations of the earth.
Rejecting a literal millennium often results in interpreting these prophetic passages as descriptions of the present Church Age or as general symbols of Christ's spiritual victory. While Christians certainly recognize that Christ presently possesses all authority, dispensational premillennialism maintains that His promised earthly kingdom is still future. This doctrine reminds believers that human governments will never accomplish what only Jesus Christ can accomplish. The ultimate hope of the world is not political reform, religious cooperation, or human progress, but the personal return and righteous reign of the Lord Jesus Christ.
5. Dispensationalism Maintains the Importance of Pauline Doctrine for This Present Age
Finally, dispensationalism recognizes the unique importance of the Apostle Paul's ministry and writings in explaining God's present program for the Church.
Paul identified himself in Romans 11:13 as "the apostle of the Gentiles." He was specifically commissioned by Jesus Christ to preach the Gospel among the Gentiles and was given further revelation concerning the nature, purpose, and function of the Church. To make it simple: if you remove Paul from the Bible, you change everything!
In Ephesians 3, Paul explains the mystery of Jews and Gentiles becoming fellow heirs and members of the same body through the Gospel. This truth was not revealed with the same clarity in previous ages, but became an essential part of the New Testament revelation concerning the Church.
Recognizing the importance of Paul's writings does not mean that the Church began with Paul, nor does it mean that the teachings of Jesus Christ or the other apostles should be rejected. The Church began with Christ and His disciples, and every book of the Bible is inspired and profitable for believers.
However, the Pauline epistles provide particularly detailed instruction concerning Christian living, salvation, justification, the spiritual gifts, the organization of local churches, and the believer's relationship to the Law of Moses.
This distinction is especially important when comparing the instructions given to Israel under the Mosaic Law with those given to the New Testament Church under grace.
Romans 6:14 declares, "for ye are not under the law, but under grace." Paul further explains in Ephesians 2:8 and 9 that salvation is by grace through faith and not by works.
Failure to recognize these distinctions can lead Christians into serious doctrinal confusion. Some attempt to place the Church under the ceremonial requirements of the Mosaic Law, while others confuse the kingdom promises made to Israel with the instructions governing local churches today.
Dispensationalism maintains that all Scripture is inspired and profitable, but not every command in Scripture was given directly to the Church for its obedience. We must understand who is being addressed, what God is revealing, and how those truths apply to believers in the present age.
This is not an argument for hyperdispensationalism or for dividing the New Testament into competing messages of salvation. Rather, it is a recognition of the important role Paul played in explaining the doctrines of the Church Age.
Conclusion: Why These Truths Matter
Dispensationalism is much more than a collection of prophetic charts or a particular interpretation of the book of Revelation. It is an approach to biblical interpretation that seeks to preserve the distinctions God has established throughout His Word.
It maintains the literal meaning of Scripture, the distinction between Israel and the Church, the imminent return of Jesus Christ for His saints, the future earthly reign of Christ for one thousand years, and the special importance of Pauline revelation for the present Church Age.
Certainly, dispensationalists may disagree among themselves concerning particular prophetic details or theological questions. No system of interpretation should be placed above the authority of Scripture itself. Nevertheless, these five principles provide a consistent framework for understanding God's plan throughout the Bible.
When these distinctions are ignored, the promises to Israel can become confused with the promises to the Church, the expectation of Christ's return can become obscured, and the teachings intended for this present dispensation can become entangled with instructions given under previous dispensations.
The issue is not whether someone identifies with a particular theological label. The issue is whether we are willing to allow the Bible to make the distinctions that God Himself has made.
Our responsibility is not to force every passage into a predetermined theological system, but to study the Word of God faithfully and rightly divide the truth He has revealed.
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