What are the seven dispensations?

TimeDispensationReferenceFailureJudgment1Creation to the fallInnocenceGen. 2:15–17The fall (Gen. 3:6)Banished from Eden (Gen. 3:22–24)2Fall to the floodConscienceGen. 3:7, 22Murder by Cain (Gen. 4:8)Flood (Gen. 6:5, 11–14)3Flood to tower of BabelGovernmentGen. 9:1, 2, 6Noah’s sin (Gen. 9:20–25)Confusion of language (Gen. 11:1–8)4Call of Abraham to SinaiPromiseGen. 12:1–3Abraham’s lack of faith (Gen. 12:10–20)Slavery in Egypt (Ex. 1)5From Moses to ChristLawEx. 19:1–8; 20Initial: Ex. 32 Recurring: 2 Ki. 17:7. Final: Acts 2:23; 7:51, 52Captivity (2 Chron. 36); destruction of Jerusalem (Luke 21:6, 20–24)6Pentecost to the rapture Grace / church / SpiritActs 2:1Acts 5; 6; 20:30; 1 John 2:18, 19, 22 Christendom judged at the appearing (2 Thess. 2:7–12; Rev. 3:16; Rev. 17-18)71,000-year reign of Christ MillenniumIsa. 11; Rev. 20 Eph. 1:10Ps. 101; Rev. 20:7–9Judgment of the nations (Rev. 20:3; 20:7–10)

The Scriptures divide time (by which is meant the entire period from the creation of Adam to the "new heaven and a new earth" of Rev. 21: 1) into seven unequal periods, usually called dispensations (Eph. 3:2), although these periods are also called ages (Eph. 2:7) and days, as in "day of the Lord." These periods are marked off in Scripture by some change in God's method of dealing with mankind, or a portion of mankind, in respect of the two questions: of sin, and of man's responsibility. Each of the dispensations may be regarded as a new test of the natural man, and each ends in judgment, marking his utter failure in every dispensation. Five of these dispensations, or periods of time, have been fulfilled; we are living in the sixth, probably toward its close, and have before us the seventh, and last: the millennium.

The dispensations are the way God lays out time. First, there was the dispensation of innocence; then of conscience, but without government; then of government, after the flood; then law; and now, if we may speak of this present time as a dispensation, it is that of grace. If we look at the church, we cannot properly so term it, but if as the kingdom of heaven we may. After this comes the reign of righteousness; and finally, the eternal state. Unless we see these several varieties of God's dealings, we do not rightly divide the word of truth. For instance, there has recently been some talk of eliminating the imprecatory Psalms. People feel that it is not christian language, but they do not see that after the church is gone it will be as right for the saints then on the earth to use them as it was for Stephen to pray for his enemies. It would mean confusion if we held that both could be pleasing to God in every measure of time. The word "dispensation" means the ordering of the household.

Upon the face of revelation it is not very hard to discover at least so many epochs of special interpositions of the Divine Worker as answer to these creative days. Thus we have (1) The antediluvian period, opened with the promise of the woman's seed; (2) Human government set up in Noah; (3) The call of Abraham, and in him of an elect family, out of all the families of the earth; (4) The church period; (5) The time of trouble after the church is taken up; (6) The millennial kingdom; (7) The eternal rest. These are all not only strictly defined periods, with each a special character of its own, but they are really stages of progress, the effects of which remain. Some that we might think at first sight strangely omitted in this enumeration have not in reality this character of permanent steps of progress at all. Thus the law, needful as it undoubtedly was, was in some important respects rather retrogression than progress. The apostle's own account of it is, that "it came in by the way" (parioeelthe); that "it was added because of transgression, till the seed should come." So it is not represented here. The transfer of dominion to the Gentiles could still less, though for a like reason, come in. We have then just these seven periods left - six formative, and the seventh the final rest, the "sabbatism" that remains to the people of God.

The seventh and final period is the thousand years of the golden age of CHRIST'S reign on earth, the Millennium, extending from the Introduction of the Kingdom of the Son of Man, until its close. This is indeed the Age of Righteousness, Blessing and Glory, and the final dispensation. One brief, decisive clash with all organised evil led by the Evil One in person; then the final judgment of the Great White Throne; after which CHRIST having put down all authority, delivers up the Kingdom to the Father, and time merges into Eternity. Eternity marked by Omega then begins, when GOD shall be all in all — Father, Son and Holy Spirit — the ever-blessed, all-glorious Trinity in Unity; then appear the new heavens and new earth wherein dwells righteousness; but throughout all, the Church in her predestined station eternally witnesses to the manifold wisdom, grace, kindness, power and glory of Him that is, and was and ever shall be; and to the Lamb of GOD the Effectuator of all the Divine purposes, the One Who bore away the sin of the world. But who that glorious blaze Of living light shall tell, Where all His brightness GOD displays And the LAMB'S glories dwell? GOD and the LAMB shall there The light and temple be; And radiant hosts for ever share The unveiled mystery.

‘Innocence’ and ‘conscience’, the first two dispensations in Scofield’s scheme, are not regarded as dispensations by all dispensational teachers (e.g. J N Darby[1]) because innocence was not abolished, but lost. Conscience — that is, the knowledge of good and evil (Gen. 3:22) — was also not abolished, but was preserved through the succeeding dispensations.

First, we present a division of man’s history on earth into seven dispensations. Different divisions may be found elsewhere. It is perhaps less important whether there are seven or six or eight dispensations — what matters is that there are dispensations and that there is a reason why they exist.

The covenant theologian, for all his opposition to dispensationalism, also makes certain rather important distinctions. However, it must be noted that his dispensational distinctions are viewed as related to the unifying and underlying covenant of grace. Nevertheless, within his concept of this covenant he does make some very basic distinctions. Louis Berkhof will serve as an example.[24] After rejecting the usual dispensational scheme of Bible distinctions, he enumerates his own scheme of dispensations or administrations, reducing the number to two -- the Old Testament dispensation and the New Testament dispensation. However, within the Old Testament dispensation Berkhof lists four subdivisions, which, although he terms them "stages in the revelation of the covenant of grace", are distinguishable enough to be listed. In reality, then, he finds these four plus the New Testament dispensation, or five periods of differing administrations of God. Thus, the covenant theologian finds biblical distinctions a necessary part of his theology, even though the covenant of grace is his ruling category.

The dispensationalist finds his answer to the need for distinctions in his dispensational scheme. The dispensations supply the need for distinctions in the orderly progress of revelation throughout Scripture. His dispensations are not stages in the revelation of the covenant of grace but are God's distinctive and different administrations in directing the affairs of the world. It makes little difference at this point in the discussion whether there are seven dispensations or not; the point is that dispensations answer the need for distinctions.

Theoretically, the sine qua non ought to lie in the recognition of the fact that God has distinguishably different economies in governing the affairs of the world. Covenant theologians hold that there are various dispensations (and even use the word) within the outworking of the covenant of grace. Charles Hodge, for instance, believed that there are four dispensations after the Fall -- Adam to Abraham, Abraham to Moses, Moses to Christ, and Christ to the end.[36] Berkhof writes, as we have seen, of only two basic dispensations -- the Old and the New, but within the Old he sees four periods and all of these are revelations of the covenant of grace.[37] In other words, a person can believe in dispensations, and even see them in relation to progressive revelation, without being a dispensationalist.

Coming now to what is our subject this evening — the Holy Spirit in the Dispensations — it will hardly be necessary to more than remind you that there are dispensations in the history of God's ways with man. A dispensation is God's manner of dealing during any period of time. For our purpose at this time it will suffice to include these in three general divisions, marked most clearly in Scripture. We have the ages before Christ, the present or Christian period, and the future or Millennial age. All God's counsels centre in Christ, and until He came and accomplished His work, all God's ways were of a preparatory and anticipative character. The law had a shadow of good things to come. God could and did bless individuals, give revelations of His will, and intrust a testimony to a special people, but everything looked onward; the heir was yet a child, under tutors and governors until the time appointed of the Father. During this period the Holy Spirit's work was, of course, in accordance with the purpose of God. He was, as ever, the executor of the divine will.