For there must be also heresies among you, that they which are approved may be made manifest among you. 1 Corinthians 11:19
"In the 1500s, Jesuit priest Francisco Ribera wrote a commentary on the book of Revelation that
Ribera succeeded beyond his wildest dreams. From his early work arose dispensationalist thinking, a method of Bible interpretation that is common to nearly every Protestant church today. As a result, few Protestant churches would criticize the Pope or agree that the papal system is the Biblical Antichrist.
The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions defines dispensationalism as a "Millennial scheme of biblical interpretation. It divides history into seven ‘dispensations’, in which God deals differently, and progressively, with humanity."
This doctrine creates false hope of a second chance. How many
Dispensationalism is a dangerous corruption of Scripture. Here are some of the errors in the dispensational viewpoint:
The Ryrie Study Bible says that the seven-year tribulation period "is the 70th week of Daniel and is therefore of seven-years’ duration" (Daniel 9:27).
This statement illogically separates the 70th week from the preceding 69 weeks. The seven years are placed over 2000 years into the future, to the time of Antichrist. A prophecy referring to Christ is twisted to refer to the Antichrist instead.
By stating that the Antichrist is an individual, dispensationalism ignores the Bible. The Antichrist is more than an individual. 1 John 2:18 says, “even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time.”
Dispensationalists see the "Church Age" as a parenthesis in God’s plan, during which many Gentiles will be saved. Then, the Kingdom will be established when geographic Israel receives its promised glory. According to this view, the time between Pentecost and the rapture is a temporary hiccup in God’s plan for Israel. The Old Testament and parts of the New Testament are meant for the Jews, and not applicable to Christians.
Dispensationalism teaches that God interrupts Daniel’s prophetic timeline to insert the “Church Age” between the 69th and 70th week.
The seven dispensations are usually described as follows:
1. The Age of Innocence (Genesis 1 to 3:7) that leads up to Adam’s fall into sin.
2. The Age of Conscience (Genesis 3:8 to 8:22) from Adam’s fall to Noah’s flood.
3. The Age of Government (Genesis 9:1 to 11:32) from Noah, to the tower of Babel and to Terah (Abram’s father).
4. The Age of Promise (Genesis 12 to Exodus 19:25) from Abram (who becomes Abraham), through the 12 sons of Israel, to Moses (just before the Ten Commandments).
5. The Age of Mosaic Law (Exodus 20 to Acts 2:4) from Moses to the beginning of the Christian Church.
6. The Age of Grace (Acts 2:4 to Revelation 20:3) referred to as “The Church Age,” or the “Present Dispensation.”
7. The Age of the Millennium Kingdom (Revelation 20:4 to the end of the Bible) this is the literal earthly reign of Christ from Jerusalem for 1000 years. This is still to come in the future.
Another variation of classical dispensationalism has four periods:
1. The Patriarchal Period (Genesis 1 to Exodus 20).
2. The Mosaic Period (Exodus 20 to Acts 1).
3. The Ecclesial or Church Period (Acts 2 to Revelation 20.)
4. The Zionic Period including the millennium and the Eternal Kingdom (Revelation 20 to 22).
And still another variation has three periods of time:
1. The Age of Law (Genesis to Acts 1).
2. The Age of Grace (Acts 2 to Revelation 20).
3. The Age of the Kingdom (Revelation 20 to 22 and into eternity).
Dispensationalists link the destinies of the secular state of Israel with the spiritual Israel—the Church. Jesus told Pilate, “My kingdom is not of this world...” (John 18:36).
John Nelson Darby, “the father of dispensationalism,” was a founder of the Plymouth Brethren
