Question #262

What about dispensationalism?

Thank you so much for your ministry. Your website has been a blessing to me. I believe that the Lord led me to your website. As of late, I leaned towards Dispensationalism. However, I came into a conflict because one of my fellow Christian friends is so adamant about Dispensationalism that I was told that my views/beliefs (prayers can change things/the Lord can and does intervene in worldwide events), that contradicted Dispensationalism, would lead me biblically astray. I believe that a lot of Dispensationalists are determined that their interpretations of the future will manifest that they will not even consider any other point view, instead cling to the belief about how the Illuminati will make their power known to the world in 2012 and lead the world into a New World Order.

I have been reading your work on Revelation and listening to the teachings of Steve Gregg.

The Answer:

Dispensationalism is a form of premillennialism that that became popular in the 1800’s and early 1900’s. Its initial propagation is attributed to John Darby (11/18/1800 – 4/29/1882), an Anglo-Irish preacher, and an influential figure among the original Plymouth Brethren. The term “dispensationalism” comes from the fact that the interpretive grid that it supplies for the flow of the Bible as a whole. Depending on the from of dispensationalism, there may be as few as three (dispensation of law, of Grace, and of the Kingdom) or as many as seven (Dispensation of Innocence, of Conscious, of Government, of Patriarchal Rule, of Mosaic Law, of Grace, of the Millennium) dispensations.

You are correct in concluding that dispensationalism, and the premillennial theory of which it is a part are not taught in Scripture. I have not reviewed the teaching of Steve Gregg at length, but what little I have seen of it leads me to conclude that it is not a dependable source for learning the truth of God’s word. Continue to read Eric Hall’s commentary on Revelation on this website. It will lead you in the right direction.

As for the Illuminati, their 2012 prediction is pure balderdash. Starting in 1776, the year of the American Revolution, moving in 13 year intervals they find, they find in each 13th year an event that they attribute to the Illuminati. Some years bring rebellion, but others bring an end to war. They never explain any event from any of years 1-12 in each cycle, some of which were surely more monumental that those mentioned for each 13th year. This gibberish is as far wrong as the work of those who have sought to find secret codes in the Bible. I don’t know what power the Illuminati think that they have, but somehow I believe that there is sufficient political and military power to prevent them from doing to much mischief.