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The Third Dispensation

The Dispensation of Human Government

The third dispensation begins after the flood God brought upon the earth to destroy the corruption of all flesh by man and fallen spirit beings. ThirdDispensationRule

Noah is the Steward of the Dispensation of Human Government

And God blessed Noah and his sons and said to them ” Be fruitful and multiply, and replenish the earth. And your fear and your terror will be upon all living of the earth and upon all fowl of the air and upon which move of the earth and all the fish of the sea. In your hand they are given. Every moving thing which itself lives to you will be for food like the herb I have given to you all. However the flesh with its soul, you will not eat its blood. And surely with your blood for your soul I will seek from the hand of all living, I will seek it. And from the hand of the man, from his hand who is his brother I will seek the soul of the man who pours out blood of man by man his blood will be poured out because in an image of Elohim I made the mankind. And you be fruitful and multiply, swarming in the earth and multiply in it. Genesis 9:1-7

Rules of the Household

  1. If a man kills another man, he is to be put to death by man.
  2. Dietary changes. Mankind is now permitted to eat anything that moves upon the earth, only he is not to eat the blood of any living creature.
  3. Mankind is to multiply and replenish the earth.

Failure of […]

The Third Dispensation2023-12-27T11:20:53-08:00

Stewardship and Dispensations: The Significance of Οικονομός and Οικονομία

Stewardship and Dispensations: The Significance of Οικονομός and Οικονομία

The sixty-six books of the Bible span thousands of years of man’s history and beyond. They begin before God created man and end with the creation of new heavens and a new earth where righteousness settles down and feels at ease1.  Within the pages of the Bible, we see changes in the relationship and expectation that God has for mankind and the failure of mankind to live up to God’s expectation, which ultimately brings judgment. In the garden of Eden, man was not allowed to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil2. Upon eating of the fruit from this tree, mankind’s spirit was separated from God3, he became subject to physical death, and was expelled from the garden4. Having been expelled from the garden, the expectation for man was to properly govern the manner of his life by the knowledge of good and evil that he now possessed. However, again men failed and God judged the earth by bringing a flood5. After the flood, God instructs Noah that men are to govern themselves and capital punishment is implemented6. Again, men fail to follow God’s instruction, rejected God, and sought their own way. Therefore, God brought judgment and forced man to separate and spread across the earth7.  This judgment brought about multiple languages and the division of the continents, which caused man to spread out across the earth8.  Having scattered man across the face of the earth, God then approaches Abram and ultimately offers him four covenants9. These covenants included a promise of […]

Stewardship and Dispensations: The Significance of Οικονομός and Οικονομία2020-12-05T05:37:14-08:00

Happy are those who die by a lord, Revelation 14:13

In Revelation 14:13, we come across the phrase “by a lord” when John is instructed to write, “Happy are the dead, the ones who die from now on by a lord (ἐν κυρίῳ).” The word “lord” is capitalized in some English translations, indicating it is in the Lord Jesus. However, the context does not support this interpretation. The timing of Revelation chapter fourteen, starting in verse six, is in the last half of the Tribulation Period, just before the return of Christ. Three angels are seen giving distinctly different messages. The first angel has good news related to eternity, the gospel for those in the Great Tribulation. This is not the gospel message presented today, which has the inherent ability to save a person, Romans 1:16, and relates to the death for sin and resurrection of Christ three days later according to the Scriptures, 1 Corinthians 15:3-4. This messenger is bringing a message to the Nations, telling them to worship the God, Who is the Creator of heaven and earth, for the hour of His judgment has come, Revelation 14:7. The second angel cries out with the message that Babylon, the great religious harlot, has fallen, Revelation 14:8. Her fall is just before the return of Christ to claim the earth and set up His kingdom. A third angel is then heard shouting that anyone who worships the beast and his image, having received his mark, will now face the wrath of God, Revelation 14:9-11. At this point, John is instructed to write, “Happy are the dead, the ones dying by a lord from now.” They are happy because they are able to rest from their hard labor, Revelation 14:13.

The tribulation period […]

Happy are those who die by a lord, Revelation 14:132024-04-04T05:30:14-07:00

Image and Likeness

In the first chapter of Genesis, Scripture records that God states He would make man in His image and likeness, Genesis 1:26. However, by Genesis 5:3, after the fall of Adam, the likeness and image of humans is that of Adam, for he passed on his corrupt nature to his children, Genesis 5:3.

The concept of image (צֶ֫לֶם – tsĕ-lĕm) is that which has a similar appearance. When examining God’s appearance, we find that He dwells in light, 1 Timothy 6:16; therefore, when God created Adam, He wrapped him in light so that Adam would have a similar image. When Adam and Eve ate from the forbidden tree, they were stripped of this image, Genesis 3:7. It is worthy to note here that the word used in Genesis 3:7, often translated as naked (עֲרוּמִּ֔ים), actually means stripped (עֵֽירֻמִּ֖ם). They both knew they were stripped, for they could visibly see that they had lost their covering. However, this does not mean that the similarity to God was lost entirely to humans, for Adam was made in the image of God. This is why, after the Noahic flood in the dispensation of government, a new rule is placed upon the household that if a man sheds the blood of another man, his life is to be forfeit, Genesis 9:6. Although Adam was created in a state of innocence (not knowing good and evil) and resided in the garden during a time when there was no sin upon the earth, his offspring inherit his corrupt nature resulting from the penalties of spiritual and physical death for his trespass and sin, which brought death into this world, Romans 5:12, 17.

In the realm of false religions, an image refers to the […]

Image and Likeness2023-12-14T08:08:24-08:00

An Age (αἰών)

An age (αἰών) is a period in which God shows something about Himself to intelligent beings. Ages are not restricted to time and are distinct from dispensations (οἰκονομία), which are administrations within time during which God shows something to humans about themselves. Ages may overlap with another age, begin at the same time as a dispensation, or run for a period longer than a single dispensation. Ages end when God has finished revealing the intended aspect of His nature to the intelligent created beings. Dispensations change due to judgment coming upon those in the household for failing to abide by the rules and run consecutively and are bound to time.

An age is not the same as eternal or forever. When referring to things that go beyond the ages, such as the eternal life we have in Christ, aiōnios (αἰώνιος) is used, 1 John 5:13. Where aiōn (αἰών) references a period in which God is showing something about Himself to intelligent beings, whether in or out of time. In the future, there will be ages (αἰών) of the ages (αἰών); however, each age (αἰών) is not eternal (αἰώνιος). This is also true in the Old Testament where ōw·lām (עֹולָם) conveys the concept of an age, Psalm 9:6; however ăd (עַד) with the preposition (לְ – to) expresses perpetuity, Psalm 61:8. The Lord will reign from an age (עֹולָם) and perpetually (עַד), Exodus 15:18.

Before the creation of humans, Scripture reveals that there were three ages. God created the spirit beings before He created the universe, Job 38:7. Therefore, the first age was the creation of the universe. During this age, the spirit beings learned of the omnipotent power of God, for they witnessed Him create the universe […]

An Age (αἰών)2023-12-14T08:08:48-08:00
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