Dispensationalism is a theological system that teaches biblical history is best understood in light of a number of successive administrations of God’s dealings with mankind, which it calls “dispensations.” It maintains fundamental distinctions between God’s plans for national Israel and for the New Testament Church and emphasizes prophecy of the end-times and a pre-tribulation rapture of the church prior to Christ’s Second Coming. Its beginnings are usually associated with the Plymouth Brethren movement in the UK and the teachings of John Nelson Darby.”
Dispensationalism
An adherence to or advocacy of a system of interpreting history in terms of a series of God's dispensations.
What is dispensation?
Definition:
a general state or ordering of things
specifically: a system of revealed (see REVEAL entry 1 sense 1) commands and promises regulating human affairs
an exemption from a law or from an impediment, vow, or oath
Reveal Definition
the act or an instance of showing, revealing, or disclosing something (such as surprising information or a new product) for the first time.
When examining definitions there is always things that will stand out such as synonyms of words. One of the synonyms of Reveal is Betray, Considering that the dispensation is one enormous lie and a betrayal to everyone to whom it is taught. I can see why it would relate to betray, Because that is exactly what it is Betrayal.
Betray Definition
As in to backstab,
to be unfaithful or disloyal to
as in to tempt
to lead away from a usual or proper course by offering some pleasure or advantage.
How does the verb betray differ from other similar words?
Some common synonyms of betray are Disclose, Divulge, Reveal, and Tell. While all these words mean "to make known what has been or should be concealed," betray implies a divulging that represents a breach of faith or an involuntary or unconscious disclosure. When could reveal be used to replace betray?
While in some cases nearly identical to betray, reveal may apply to supernatural or inspired revelation of truths beyond the range of ordinary human vision or reason
Overcoming the Damnable Doctrine of Dispensationalism
The doctrine of dispensationalism is completely false, though if you’ve ever been taught it before, you’re going to have an exceedingly difficult time overcoming it. If you’re honest hearted and ready to believe the Bible and only the Bible, then this article will give you some tools to help you see the truth for yourself.
But as one man said, “I can only explain it to you, I can’t understand it for you.” To understand the Bible, you’re going to have to be willing to reject man’s teaching, and let the Bible speak for itself.
Most of the time, the difficulty in understanding does not come from a lack of mental faculties, but for a lack of will. In other words, people who can’t understand God’s truth (The Law), can’t understand it because they don’t want to understand it. They prefer to stay stuck in a false belief system because it is what they are familiar with—and usually because they WANT it to be true.
THE BIG LIE
One of the things that facilitated the Nazi rise to power in Germany earlier this century was their propaganda approach called “The Big Lie.” If you told a big enough lie often enough then the people would come to believe it. This the Nazis did well.
DARBY AND THE PRE-TRIB RAPTURE
Brethren writer, Roy A. Huebner claims and documents his belief that J.N. Darby first began to believe in the pre-tribulation rapture and develop his dispensational thinking while convalescing from a riding accident during December 1826 and January 1827.12 If this is true, then all of the origin-of-the-rapture-conspiracy theories fall to the ground in a heap of speculative rubble. Darby would have at least a three-year jump on any who would have supposedly influenced his thought, making it impossible for all the “influence” theories to have any credibility. Huebner provides clarification and evidence that Darby was not influenced by a fifteen-yea-old girl (Margaret Macdonald), Lacunza, Edward Irving, or the Irvingites. These are all said by the detractors of Darby and the pre-tribulation rapture to be bridges which led to Darby’s thought. Instead, he demonstrates that Darby’s understanding of the pre-tribulation rapture was the product of the development of his personal interactive thought with the text.
SCHOLARS DO NOT ACCEPT THE BIG LIE
The various “rapture origin” theories espoused by opponents of pretribulationsm are not accepted as historically valid by scholars who have examined the evidence. The only ones who appear to have accepted these theories are those who already are opposed to the pre-tribulation rapture. A look at various scholars and historians reveals that they think, in varying degrees, that MacPherson has not proven his point. Most, if not all who are quoted below do not hold to the pre-tribulation rapture teaching.
Ernest R. Sandeen
declares, This seems to be a groundless and pernicious charge. Neither Irving nor any member of the Albury group advocated any doctrine resembling the secret rapture Since the clear intention of this charge is to discredit the doctrine by attributing its origin to fanaticism rather than Scripture, there seems little ground for giving it any credence.
Historian Timothy P. Weber’s
evaluation is a follows: The pretribulation rapture was a neat solution to a thorny problem and historians are still trying to determine how or where Darby got it. A newer though still not totally convincing view contends that the doctrine initially appeared in a prophetic vision of Margaret Macdonald, Possibly, we may have to settle for Darby’s own explanation. He claimed that the doctrine virtually jumped out of the pages of Scripture once he accepted and consistently maintained the distinction between Israel and the church. American historian Richard R. Reiter
informs us that, [Robert] Cameron probably traced this important but apparently erroneous view back to S. P. Tregelles, Recently more detailed study on this view as the origin of pretribulationism appeared in works by Dave McPherson, historian Ian S. Rennie regarded McPherson’s case as interesting but not conclusive.
Posttribulationist William E. Bell
asserts that, It seems only fair, however, in the absence of eyewitnesses to settle the argument conclusively, that the benefit of the doubt should be given to Darby, and that the charge made by Tregelles be regarded as a possibility but with insufficient support to merit its acceptance On the whole, however, it seems that Darby is perhaps the most likely choice—with help from Tweedy. This conclusion is greatly strengthened by Darby’s own claim to have arrived at the doctrine through his study of II Thessalonians 2:1-2.25 Pre-tribulation rapture opponent John Bray does not accept the MacPherson thesis either. He [Darby] rejected those practices, and he already had his new view of the Lord coming FOR THE SAINTS (as contrasted to the later coming to the earth) which he had believed since 1827, It was the coupling of this “70th week of Daniel” prophecy and its futuristic interpretation, with the teaching of the “secret rapture,” that gave to us the completed “Pre-tribulation Secret Rapture” teaching as it has now been taught for many years makes it impossible for me to believe that Darby got his Pre-Tribulation Rapture teaching from Margaret MacDonald’s vision in 1830. He was already a believer in it since 1827, as he plainly said. Huebner considers MacPherson’s charges as “using slander that J. N. Darby took the (truth of the) pretribulation rapture from those very opposing, demon inspired utterances.” He goes on to conclude that MacPherson did not profit by reading the utterances allegedly by Miss M. M. Instead of apprehending the plain import of her statements, as given by R. Norton, which has some affinity to the post-tribulation scheme and no real resemblance to the pretribulation rapture and dispensational truth, he has read into it what he appears so anxious to find.
The pre-tribulation rapture doctrine is a clever scheme of Satan, along with his various forms of unconditional and/or automatic eternal security, to lull Christians to sleep, take them off-guard, and give them a false sense of security in the world as they’re duped into believing that they can have friendship with the world (am) and cut corners in walking in the living, obedient faith in Christ that leads to genuine holiness. They’re given the guarantee that they’re just going to be taken to heaven anyways without really having to be obedient to Jesus’ Word and suffering for it. They’re deceived into believing that if anything actually leads them to tribulation, that it could not possibly be from God.
Did I Used to be a Dispensationalist?
I’m not slamming or attacking you if you are a dispensationalist. On the contrary, this article is written based on my own empathy with you, as I too, once was a dispensationalist without even knowing it, like many of you. I was in the Calvary Chapel church system for decades, and for many years I just sat and listened with deaf ears and mud on my eyes, I simply regurgitated the dispensational saved by grace, rapture nonsense teachings of the ignorant Pastors and the churches So-called fellowship.
I have told many messages where I scared people into coming to Christ to pray and seek repentance because we were living in the “end times” and “Christ is about to come back,” and you are “going to hell if you’re not ready for the rapture!”, Man how stupid was I.
Yes, I did all that, That was me. In the moment, it felt right. But today, I am deeply ashamed for all of that behavior. Why? Because I did it all in ignorance, I never knew what the Bible actually said about any of it. I just repeated what I had heard preached over and over and over again.
Hey, Pastor Bob said Christ was coming soon, and that we’re living in the last days, and that we’re going to have a cashless society, and that the antichrist was rising to power, and all that. So, it must be true, right? I mean everyone said so! We even sang songs about it.
The problem is that this is the way 99.99999999999999 percent (that’s called hyperbole) of all Christians get their doctrine. Few Christians actually know what the Bible says for themselves because they never actually pick it up and read it. They too, like I did, just repeated what they’ve heard from Pastor Bob and other teachers. They just repeat what everyone else says without actually knowing for themselves. I understand that well.
However, once I read what the Bible actually taught on the subject, I was deeply ashamed, as I already mentioned. Because there is nothing worse than teaching or spreading false doctrine. The Bible even warns teachers to be extra careful about what you teach because teachers and church leaders will receive a more severe judgment:
James 3:1
“1 My brethren, be not many masters, knowing that we shall receive the greater condemnation.
2 For in many things we offend all. If any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man, and able also to bridle the whole body”.
