BIBLE DOCTRINE WITH PASTOR ROBERT R. MCLAUGHLIN

The Theocentric dispensations: The dispensation of the Gentiles, the period of positive and negative volition.

Wednesday, June 25, 2008

Theocentric dispensations:
The dispensation of the Gentiles = three parts:
1. The Period of Positive Volition.
2. The Period of Negative Volition.
3. The Period of the Patriarchs.

It began with the creation of mankind to the fall of Adam and the woman, an indefinite period of time.

The age of positive volition started off with man and woman on planet earth as trichotomous beings - having a body, soul, and a human spirit.

Ishshah = woman, wife, female; because she was created perfect it is actually a compliment and honor for a woman to be an ishshah today. She is described as the soulish and physical counterpart of man, deserving of his unwavering loyalty.

The Bible holds woman in the highest regard and sets forth her “graciousness,” PRO 11:16, and her “worth,” Ruth 3:11, as womanly virtues.

PRO 11:16 - as a spiritual woman she is said to be a gracious woman who attains honor and respect.
RUT 3:11 - Ruth was known as a woman [ishshah] of virtue and excellence.
PRO 11:22 As a ring of gold in a swine’s snout, so is a beautiful woman who lacks discretion or a beautiful face on an empty head.

Shiphrah and Puah of the Book of Exodus were valiant women who put their own lives at risk by defying the Pharaoh’s law of death in order to uphold God’s law of life.

Deborah, Ruth, Huldah, 2Ki 22, Sarah, Leah, Rachel, Miriam, Hanna, Abigail, Bathsheba, Esther, etc.

He who finds a true Ishshah finds one who becomes a source of blessing to him,

The excitement and energy that comes from the dispensation of the mystery, the Church-age.

Sunday, June 22, 2008

6. The divine provision of the different dispensations.

A dispensation is a period of time in human history expressed in terms of divine revelation for that period.

It is a period of time during which man is tested in respect to obedience to some specific revelation of the will of God.

1) A dispensation is a deposit of divine revelation to man.
2) A dispensation refers to man’s stewardship responsibility to that revelation.

3) A dispensation is the time period during which a certain type of the spiritual life is to be recognized with the exception of salvation, which is always the same, faith alone, in Christ alone.
4) Basically there are two parties in every dispensation: the one whose authority it is to delegate duties, and the one whose responsibility it is to carry out these charges.

Accountability, as well as responsibility, is part of the dispensational arrangement.

Dispensations are divine categories of human history, which are the divine outline and the divine interpretation of history.

Old Testament believers were under the ritual plan of God.
Our Lord Jesus Christ was under the incarnation plan of God.

The Church-age is the dispensation of the mystery plan, and what we call here, the pre-designed plan of God, for every believer in the Church-age.

A dispensation is defined traditionally as a period of time during which a particular revelation of God’s mind and God’s will is operative, and during which man is tested as to his obedience to that specific manifestation of God’s will, purpose, and plan.

We need to comprehend the true basic essentials of the dispensation of the mystery of the Church-age, in which we live, and then we will have the foundation to achieve even a greater understanding through the progression and unfolding of this mystery, which we experience as a result of our desire to seek for God diligently.

In reality the future of our country does not reside in the hands of the politicians, but in your personal attitude toward Bible doctrine, because as goes the believer so goes the nation, MAT 5:13-14.

The sooner you become briefed on how royalty functions, and what your role is in history, the better chance you have to glorify God and be the recipient of the most fantastic blessings ever.

The doctrine of dispensations emphasizes what God wants you to do after salvation and also answers the question, “After salvation, what?”

Theocentric Dispensations refer to the Old Testament periods of time emphasizing and glorifying God the Father’s purpose in the divine provision of dispensations as they relate to the angelic conflict.

1. The age of the Gentiles in the Old Testament, from Adam to the Exodus generation, 1441 B.C.
2. The age of the Jew, from 1441 B.C. to the First Advent of Christ, 4-5 B.C.

Two Christocentric Dispensations where TLJC is the center of the dispensation.
3. The Hypostatic Union, 4-5, B.C. to His death, burial, resurrection, and ascension, 30 A.D.
4. The Church-age, 30 A.D., to the Rapture, ? A.D.

Two Eschatological Dispensations:
5. The Tribulation, from Rapture to the Second Advent of Christ.
6. The Millennium, from the Second Advent, to the last Judgment.

There are basically six dispensations, which is interesting because in the Bible, 6 represents the number of man and therefore it can refer to history of man.

While 7 represents God’s perfection, His sovereignty and holiness, and therefore after human history is completed we will enter into that perfection, sovereignty and holiness, found in the eternal state.

This is why the greatest prayer a pastor could pray for every single one of you is to ask the God of glory - to make you intelligent and discerning in knowing Him personally, through mystery doctrine of the Church-age.

So that your eyes, the eyes of your heart or right lobe, need to be spiritually opened, focused and clear, so that you can see exactly what it is He is calling you to do, and to comprehend the extraordinary glorious plan and way of life He has for Christians.

By having the eyes of your heart overflowing with the light that Bible doctrine gives you, so that you can see and perceive and understand the hope or the confidence to which He has called you, and how rich is His glorious inheritance to the saints.

COL 1:16-17 For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities - all things have been created by Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.

1JO 5:19 We know that we are of God, and the whole world lies in the power of the evil one.

At the center of all this, is you and I, the Church, living the dispensation of the mystery, the Church-age, and Christ rules the church.

The church is the body of Christ, in which He speaks and acts through, and by which He fills everything with His presence.

MAT 24:22 “And unless those days had been cut short, no life would have been delivered; but for the sake of the elect those days shall be cut short.”
ISA 53:6 All of us like sheep have gone astray, Each of us has turned to his own way;
JOH 19:30 “It is finished!”

We live in the dispensation of the most intensified stage of the angelic conflict, but we are also a part of the greatest dispensation of invisible assets and spiritual freedom.

When we were totally in bondage and lost, God reached out to us with His mercy and with His incredible love,
in EPH 2:4-5, and He embraced us.

Then He raised us up and placed us in union with His Son and set us down in the highest place in heaven, seated at the right hand of God, EPH 2:6.

The downfall of the god of this age, the unraveling of the whole cosmic system, the destruction of the lie and Satan's appeal trial.

Friday, June 20, 2008

He was committed with the message of the mystery dispensation of the Church-age, which meant the downfall of the god of this age......
and the unraveling of the whole cosmic system.....
and the complete destruction of the lie and the destruction of Satan’s appeal trial.

Paul realized that he was in God’s plan for the Church-age, the dispensation of the mystery, as an apostle, and as a special agent of Jesus Christ.

Paul taught the Ephesians that long before God laid down the foundations of the earth, He had us in mind, and that He had chosen us as the special focus of the Church-age, the dispensation of the mystery, EPH 1:4.

Paul also taught believers of the mystery dispensation of the Church-age that long ago God decided to adopt us into His family through our Lord Jesus Christ and that He also took tremendous pleasure in doing so, EPH 1:5.

God wanted us to enter into the celebration of His grace and His lavish gifts, giving by the hand of His beloved Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, who freed the justice of God to bless the righteousness of God in us.

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They are like the first son in the parable of the two sons, where the father went up to the first son and said, “Son, go out for the day and work in the vineyard,” and the son answered, “Sure, I’ll be glad to,” But he never went, MAT 21:28-31.

God not only thought of everything, but provided for everything we could ever possibly need.

Not only that but He also chose to reveal to us these plans and the Bible says that He took great pleasure in doing so.

The envy that would have existed on the part of the O.T. saints as they would envy what you have, would have been a distraction.

EPH 1:10 with a view to a dispensation suitable to the fulness of the times, that is, the summing up of all things in Christ, things in the heavens and things upon the earth.

God planned for the maturity of the times and the climax of the ages, the Church-age, the dispensation of the mystery, to unify all things and head them up and consummate them in Christ, both things in heaven and things on the earth.

EPH 1:11 that also we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to His purpose who works all things after the counsel of His will,

We have been foreordained, chosen and appointed beforehand, to bring glory to God in accordance with God’s purpose, Who works out everything in agreement with the counsel and design of His will, and that includes everything that is happening in your life.

GEN 50:20 “And as for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about this present result, to preserve many people alive.”

DEU 23:5 “the Lord your God can turn the curse into a blessing for you because the Lord your God loves you.”

Long before you even heard of Christ or thought that there was a God who had such an exciting plan for you, He had His eye on you, and had a blueprint for your life and for glorious living.

Once you heard the truth and believed it, you found true liberty and freedom, and you could say - signed, sealed, and delivered I’m yours, by means of the Holy Spirit.

COL 2:6 As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him,

The greatest prayer I could pray for every single one of you is to ask the God of glory - to make you intelligent and discerning in knowing Him personally, through mystery doctrine of the Church-age.

Your eyes, the eyes of your heart or right lobe, need to be spiritually opened, focused and clear, so that you can see exactly what it is He is calling you to do.

To comprehend the extraordinary glorious plan and way of life He has for Christians.

Paul’s prayer to God the Father was that He may graciously give to you a spirit of wisdom and revelation of insight into the mystery doctrine of the dispensation of the Church-age.

By having the eyes of your heart overflowing with the light that Bible doctrine gives you, so that you can see and perceive and understand the hope or the confidence to which He has called you, and how rich is His glorious inheritance to the saints.

Our role and goal in the Church-age, the dispensation of the mystery.

Thursday, June 19, 2008

Theocentric Dispensations refer to the Old Testament periods of time, emphasizing and glorifying God the Father’s purpose in the divine provision of dispensations as they relate to the angelic conflict.

Two Theocentric Dispensations:
1. The age of the Gentiles in the Old Testament, from Adam to the Exodus generation, 1441 B.C.
2. The age of the Jew, from 1441 B.C. to the first Advent of Christ, 4-5 B.C.

Christocentric Dispensations refer to the New Testament periods of time emphasizing and glorifying God the Son’s purpose in the divine provision of dispensations as they relate to the angelic conflict.

3. The Hypostatic Union, 4-5, B.C. to His death, burial, resurrection, and ascension, 30 A.D.
4. The Church-age, 30 A.D., to the Rapture, ? A.D.

Eschatological Dispensations refer to the future periods of time emphasizing and glorifying God the Holy Spirit’s purpose in the divine provision of dispensations as they relate to the angelic conflict.

5. The Tribulation, from Rapture to the Second Advent of Christ.
6. The Millennium, from the Second Advent, to the last Judgment.

There are basically six dispensations divided into three categories:
1. Theocentric
2. Christocentric
3. Eschatological

In the Church-age, the dispensation of the mystery, our role and goal is to become invisible heroes glorifying our Lord Jesus Christ.

He will honor and glorify Me, because He will take of (receive, draw upon) what is Mine and will reveal (declare, disclose, transmit) it to you.

2TI 2:3-4 Suffer hardship with me, as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. No soldier in active service entangles himself in the affairs of everyday life, so that he may please the one who enlisted him as a soldier.

A soldier on duty doesn’t get caught up in making deals in the business world; he concentrates on carrying out divine orders from above. All of us are ordinary believers, but we have the grace and power offered to us to become extraordinary invisible heroes.
2CO 6:9 we are unknown yet well-known,

Invisible heroes, like Bible doctrine, are the least publicized of heroes.

Invisible heroes are born again believers who execute the plan of God, recognize that they are a vital part of the angelic conflict in human history, and avoid all the distractions of the details of life and religion, especially legalism, etc.

Like Bible doctrine and like invisible heroes, the trial called the angelic conflict is the least publicized of all trials.

Just like Bible doctrine is the least publicized of priorities in this world because this is the devil’s world. Invisible heroes are the least publicized of heroes. Like Bible doctrine and like invisible heroes, the trial called the angelic conflict is the least publicized of all trials.

That which is the least publicized is that which I must major in as a kerux or a preacher-communicator of Bible doctrine.

Communicators of the Church-age, the dispensation of the mystery, are charged with the communication of the very message that millions of angelic beings in the atmosphere are charged to squelch and smash and hide.

2TI 4:2 “Preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction.”

Your prayers should also consist of praying for those who operate with their TTT, and function in their spiritual gift to support the communication of doctrine.

1CO 12:25 that there should be no division in the body, but {that} the members should have the same care for one another.
1TH 5:11 Therefore encourage one another, and build up one another, just as you also are doing.

Paul’s life report and life support, 2CO 11:23-33.

PHI 1:28 Likewise, in no way be intimidated by your enemies - which to them [this intimidation] is a manifestation of destructive ways [toward you] but with reference to you, [these destructive ways are an opportunity for divine deliverance, in fact, this [deliverance] is from the source of God.

PHI 1:29 Because [here is the reason why] to you it has been graciously given with reference concerning Christ, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer on behalf of Him,

1TI 2:11-12 Let a woman quietly receive instruction with entire submissiveness. But I do not allow a woman to teach or exercise authority over a man, but to remain quiet.
COL 1:26 the mystery which has been hidden from the {past} ages and generations; but has now been manifested to His saints,

The kingdom of darkness is also succeeding in the life of believers who become distracted by the details of life and spend hundreds of hours considering nonsensical things in life.

Pray for the communicators of Bible doctrine because they are a kerux, someone who has important news to bring.

Kerux = they are to have a strong voice and proclaim the message with vigor without lingering to discuss it or argue about it.

Why the Church-Age, the dispensation of the mystery, is so important for you to master.

Wednesday, June 18, 2008

f. The divine division and provision of the different dispensations.

These divine divisions of different dispensations are periods of times in human history expressed in terms of divine revelation for that period.

The inerrancy of the Word of God is the only true source for looking at history from the divine viewpoint.

Dispensations are the means that God uses by which believers living at a specific time in history can adjust to God’s will, and God’s plan and God’s purpose for their lives.

The whole key to understanding every dispensation is based upon the courtroom trial of the angelic conflict and how the biblical interpretation of history relates to the different dispensations and to that conflict.

The oldest book in the Bible from the standpoint of writing is not the book of Genesis but the book of Job which is written in Archaic Hebrew.
The very first book that God gave man starts out with a scene in the courtroom of heaven and the angelic conflict and a man being entered into evidence testing.

The very first passage of human history began in a courtroom, actually the Garden of Eden, with two individuals, Ish and Ishshah, or Adam and the woman, being interrogated by Satan, whose name means attorney, accuser, and who is called serpent, Gen 3.

Then human history ends with the last book of the Bible, Revelation, with mankind standing in another courtroom, the Supreme Court of Heaven, before the Great White Throne Judgment to plead their case before God as to why they did not think they needed Him.

Since God is light, and since He won’t be there, there will be no light where they live.

Since God is love, and since He won’t be there, there will be no love where they live.
Since God is holy, and since He won’t be there, there will be no holiness, where they live.

a. The sovereignty of God.
b. The integrity or holiness of God.
c. The love of God.
d. The life and personality of God.
e. The omnipresence of God.
f. The omniscience of God.
g. The omnipotence of God.
h. The faithfulness of God.
i. The happiness of God.
j. The grace of God.

The Church-age, the dispensation of the mystery = the intensified stage of the appeal trial of Satan and the angelic conflict.

Oikonomia - “the management of a household or of household affairs” (oikos, “a house,” nomos, “a law”).
The Theological Dictionary of the New Testament = it is used for the “divine plan” of salvation and spiritual instruction or training in faith.

Theocentric Dispensations refer to the Old Testament periods of time emphasizing and glorifying God the Father’s purpose in the divine provision of dispensations as they relate to the angelic conflict.

Two Theocentric Dispensations -
1. The age of the Gentiles in the Old Testament, Adam to the Exodus generation, 1441 B.C.
2. The age of the Jew, 1441 B.C. to the first Advent of Christ, 4-5 B.C.

Two Christocentric Dispensations where TLJC is the center of the dispensation -
3. The Hypostatic Union, 4-5, B.C. to His death, burial, resurrection, and ascension, 30 A.D.
4. The Church-age, 30 A.D., to the Rapture, ? A.D.

Two Eschatological Dispensations:
5. The Tribulation, from Rapture to the Second Advent of Christ.
6. The Millennium, from the Second Advent to the last Judgment.

There are basically six dispensations, which is interesting because in the Bible, 6 represents the number of man and therefore it can refer to history of man.

7 represents God’s perfection, His sovereignty and holiness, and therefore the after human history is completed we will enter into the eternal state.

God the Holy Spirit restored the earth in seven days.
The seven-day week is a reminder of our creator.
God blessed the seventh day, making it holy, EXO 20:8-11.

Noah took every clean beast and every bird by sevens, and in seven days it rained; where’s that in the Bible? Gen 7.
The New Testament has the seven loaves; seven devils exorcised from Mary Magdalene; forgiveness seventy times seven.

Revelation has seven churches.
Luke’s Gospel demonstrates that Jesus was predestined for greatness because great men occurred in multiples of seven generations starting from Adam, Enoch at 7, Abraham at 21, David at 35 and Jesus at 77.
Also in Acts, there were seven deacons of the church.

LUK 6:40 “A pupil is not above his teacher; but everyone, after he has been fully trained, will be like his teacher.”

Six dispensations divided into three categories:
1. Theocentric
2. Christocentric
3. Eschatological

Our Lord accomplished the strategic victory of the angelic conflict through His salvation ministry on the cross plus His physical death, burial, resurrection, and ascension.

The believer accomplishes the tactical victory of the angelic conflict through his advance to spiritual maturity in the PPOG; at this point he becomes an invisible hero.

In the Church-age, if enough believers grow to spiritual maturity to form a pivot, there will be prosperity in certain portions of the earth.

(1) Angelic power, manifest by a lot of demon possession among unbelievers and a lot of demon influence of believers.
(2) Human power, organized for influence and control.

Our Lord will have representation on earth until the Second Advent when the devil’s kingdom comes to an end.

Jesus Christ does not come down to the earth today to bail you out as He did with believers in the past.

You have a portfolio of invisible assets and the PPOG.

If God performs a miracle, it is an insult, for it can never be compared to your portfolio of invisible assets.

During the Old Testament, Jesus Christ was present many times on earth, including His incarnation, which occurred in the dispensation of Israel.

In the Millennium He will be on the earth ruling for 1000 years.

The provision for the Royal Family of God is infinitely greater than any grace provision of any other dispensation in history.

God’s grace provision of the portfolio of invisible assets plus the PPOG in time duplicates the grace provision of eternity past and the prehistoric angelic conflict.

All the demon activity, wars, invasions, and violence of the coming Tribulation period is absolutely nothing compared to your challenge in the Church-age. As a winner, you demonstrate the validity of the sentence to fallen angels in eternity past.

The Church-age exists to challenge Satan during the absence of Christ from the earth.
This is why you have many problems and difficulties in your life, EPH 6:12, 2CO 10:3-4.

While Jesus Christ is seated at the right hand of the Father, the Church exists to challenge and to utilize divine power to defeat Satan’s purposes. Because of the great power experiment of the Church-age, this dispensation is the crossroads of history, the intensified stage of the angelic conflict, the final blow to Satan’s power on earth in the spiritual realm.

In the angelic conflict, Satan tries to convince people that God is unfair, unjust, and a God who is not merciful or gracious.

In this dispensation of grace, the Church-age, the dispensation of the mystery, God demonstrates the fallacy of the satanic lie through people who are graced-out totally.

There has never been a time in human history where so much power has ever been released toward merit-less objects for the fulfillment of the plan of God.

There is an infinite gap between divine perfection and human imperfection and grace is the infinite filler that fills the gap.

EPH 3:2 - calls this the dispensation of the total grace-out.
2CO 6:9 we are unknown yet well-known,