Dispensationalism History Lesson

The Origins of Dispensationalism

Now that we know where we're at and this is what we're talking about is dispensationalism the origins. How did it start? Okay, how did we get to where it was? Lewis way Was a man who believed he was a churchman.

He believes that the Jewish people had to be in the Jewish and back into the land of Palestine Before Jesus would come back and set up an earthly reign from Jerusalem. Understand that was the first time that had ever been that concept had ever been brought up.

What was it by Lewis way in the 18th century? Okay? Then after Lewis way we have a man Edward Irving you may remember last week. He's the father of not a person, but he's the father of Charismatic. What did he believe you better remember?

Edward Irving believed in signs and wanders speaking in tongues automatic writing. Okay, and that all those things would have to come before the end of the age. He actually was the the start of the Catholic Apostolic, okay this man's whole Life revolved around prophecy.

Okay, every bit of it had to be with the end of the age the coming the signs and wanders anything prophetic dealing with revelation Daniel Ezekiel and all the guys this guy was an absolute prophecy nut.

Okay, that would be an easy way to put it. He began to have these little seminars. Does anybody remember what happened? And In one of his seminars we talked about last week. Good. Yep, what was her name?

Margaret McDonald. What had was the first what was her vision that she had that nobody had ever heard of from 1800 years remember this happened in? 1830. Okay. He was in the 1830s. She had this vision in 1830 1831.

What was her vision that Jesus would come and secretly take his church away? The secret rapture. I mean I've heard of that. Okay, that's the first time that had ever even Concept had ever even been brought up was by some little girl 14 years old in a prophecy Conference.

Now she Had this had this Little vision she wrote it out. They were having these little power court is with the powers courts in Ireland conferences and a man by the name of We ended with this cat last week.

We just started with him John Nelson Nardi. Anybody ever heard of him before yay nay don't care. Okay John Nelson Darby is the father of modern Dispensationalism, okay. He is the first one to put Dispensational theology into a system an order where you can see it now.

Darby, the Brethren Movement, and the Church as Apostate

Remember the guy Edward Irving everything that surrounded his teaching was prophecy, okay? Everything that shaped his way of thinking is what we would call ecclesiology, okay? Ecclesiology the study of the church.

Eccle called out ology study study of the church. Okay, so John Nelson Darby with the prophetic theology of Edward Irving and his Theology of the church comes dispensational theology, okay. I'm not gonna bore you with all of the historical stuff with him.

But if you a couple of things one he was ordained in 1825 As a higher an Ireland Priest Church fire. Okay. He was an Anglican. He went to school in Ireland. He was ordained a priest then about 1826. 1826 to 1829 he become very disgruntled with the church, okay.

He believed that the church was in ruins and that the church was beginning to become fully apostate. And if you remember these were the last things we ended with last week he believed in this breaking bread minded people.

That was one. Okay, but he also had a very very wrong View of the church that the church was apostate and what did he tell people to do? Remember last week. He said leave the church. What he said he said leave the church and do small Bible fellowships in homes.

That started so the Brethren movement the Plymouth Brethren Church history very important. This is how we get to where we are today. This is part of church history. Okay. He starts the Brethren movement.

The Brethren movement winds up being a bunch of outcasts and decedents that were going against the church. They didn't believe in hanging out with the local assembly okay, so basically he was telling people to forsake the local assembly and Begin to hang out with one another that thought like him, but because John Nelson Darby was a very His his personality and his knowledge he became very Distinguished and came very high up in that church that little church movement I should say the Brethren movement.

Okay now He begins to teach his theology of dispensationalism. These are the distinctives he began to teach in that theology one and I know what a dichotomy is a Dichotomy is an opposition or against one another.

So what he began to teach is there was a dichotomy between Israel and the church he also a dichotomy between law and grace. He also taught that There was a distinction between the rapture second coming of Christ.

He also taught that There was what we call the paren biblical Nature Church. He also taught it would be a Jew flavored Millennium. That was his distinctives of his dispensational teaching. How he comes up?

With these distinctives Comes from a hermeneutical. Hermeneutical meaning the the art and science of interpreting scripture of a literal interpretation of Scripture. That's what he would say he would say the Israel in the church.

Israel and the church are completely separate. Okay, that left led to the teaching that there were Two peoples of God means there was Israel the people of God and the church the people of God. Well, if there's two peoples of God then that conclusion means there's two plans for those people which leads to two Covenants, okay literal interpretation of law and grace.

Meaning they're opposed to one another. Meaning that under the old covenant. And then were saved by the works of the law in Application it wasn't blatantly said by John Darby that that was the case. But it was blatantly said by this man.

See I Schofield. Okay, and his commentary on John that is his strict adherence to the law Would lead to their salvation. Now there's a problem with that in there. Because how our Old Testament Saints saved By grace through faith, okay.

He didn't see the law and grace as being Complementary to one another nor did he see the church and Israel as being complementary to one another as in God's progressive revelation of himself. Okay. But then because of his literal interpretation of Scripture Led to what we just said the Parenthetical nature of the church.

He believes in the Old Testament. The church was completely unheard of. Okay, how many of y 'all have heard that we are living in the parenthesis age? That's that's the church age is if you look at any of those charts that we all grew up with and we've seen my past One around last week.

There's a parenthesis. We are in that age. The church was because there was the original people was Israel. Okay. Understand you follow Who rejected Jesus Christ as Messiah? The nation of Israel. Then they they meaning his theology says that he then turns from Israel because they reject him as being the Messiah they crucify him and then he turns to the Gentiles and Begins to Offer them the kingdom through the time of the church age, right?

Through the time of the church age until the Gentile then once the church All the Gentiles were saved. He will Secretly rapture these people away resume that covenant with Israel. Now I'm seeing some heads go like this y 'all heard that He says the church was not heard of in the Old Testament and we are living in a parenthesis.

It was a complete mystery. That was his theology. Okay now It's theology of the church. Also there were seven epics. Seven epics of the church. They may know he got the seven epics seven times of the church.

Anybody know where you got that from book of Revelation? Okay, the seven letters to the church, right seven letters to the churches and he said Reason we should depart from the church was because this last one was the lay Christian Church.

That's where he said we were at that's the church and revelation that that Jesus does what. But Spits him out. He says hey if you don't want to get spit out you better call keister from those places. So you're not spit out.

That was his theology. Okay, how did John Nelson Darby's? Dispensationalism that was all over Europe and Ireland get to here. Understand that's where it started. 1862 to 1877 John Nelson Darby made seven Transatlantic trips to the United States.

Understand I didn't say flight. He got on a boat. Seven times and came over here. And he taught his theology in Ireland and England the Brethren movement. Caught on very well.

Darby's Influence in America Through Moody, Bible Institutes, and the Scofield Reference Bible

Where people Just as the Holy Spirit moved them begin to preach or teach.

They didn't have and the brother you talk about the Brethren movement. Yeah, the Brethren movement didn't really have any church structure like we would have. Leaders elders that type of it was kind of just lay people getting together having a Bible study.

So what you had and I'll say this word carefully in the sense that they weren't teaching A false teaching or a false gospel because they were very. John Nelson Darby was an adamant man about the doctrines of grace justification by faith alone.

All of that which I'll talk about why he he's stuck really well in a few minutes here in the States. But the Brethren movement had no church structure be like all of us getting together once a week and having a Bible study in a home but they were treating it as a church and not Comparing him to Charles Camping.

Okay. I'm not saying Charles Camping was a heretic. I don't know if y 'all know who he was, but he was once said the end of the world was coming and May 21st 2011 or something ridiculous like that. Okay, he taught the same thing the church is apostate.

Church age is over come out of those and start meeting in with like-minded people in homes. That's what he taught. Well, John Nelson Darby too, but John Nelson Nelson Darby wasn't a heretic. Okay, he loved the Lord.

Although I believe his his dispensational theology is very deficient and In the flow of in showing the flow of redemption of God from beginning to end and we can talk about that. We won't get that today might be next week or the following.

But seven transatlantic trips is how he made Brethren movement caught on in England. Okay, those seven trips here Dispensationalism caught on. Okay Destination caught him really well one because he met with men's like How about this guy, I mean our deal Moody.

All right, because if people like DL Moody, he allowed him although DL Moody didn't actually teach Dispensationalism. He let him propagate that man put in schools where he had to the Moody Bible Institute and Biola Bible Institute of Los Angeles.

They began to put permanent people that taught that theology and that's how it became so prominent in the United States. Okay, and the reason why it caught on in the late 19th century. Early 20th century is because of liberalism.

Liberalism the Bible really became not a study book it became something Where people made stories kind of where we're at today people may talk about good stories of the Bible, but didn't teach theology.

So when he did come over in those times and begin to teach that and set these up with a man named Dr. Brooks in Walnut Baptist Church in st. Louis with DL Moody in Chicago and he began to set up this type teaching because it was an adherence to Bible study study your Bible man.

He was adamant. You must study your Bible. You've got to read your Bible and because he he Promoted that in a time in which liberalism was beginning to take feet. That's why it grabbed a hold of so well because it was encouraging people to study their Bible.

But it was encouraging them to study their Bible in light of his system. Okay? Follow me. Okay now. You got it proof texting more so okay, that's basically what he did. Look if we all may not agree. Hey, look, I'm not a dispensationalist.

Okay, just let you know I'm not you can believe that way and you can teach that way and that's fine. You show Christian charity to me. I'll show Christian charity. It's not a dividing matter. I just want you to know that but I think it becomes very deficient in understanding the relationship between law and grace between the church and Israel and The end of the age how Jesus reveals himself.

Look, if you think that you're going to be secretly raptured out of here before it gets rough I can believe that all you want, but you're sadly mistaken. The Bible does not teach that. Okay, that system teaches that and it caught over good.

Well here because we have escapism mentality I understand that the the secret rapture and all of that stuff. It only is taught here some places in Latin America. On the other side of the globe that that stuff doesn't count over there tell about those people that are getting their heads cut off their children's being taken off into Into slavery and their wives being raped and made to marry other men.

Tell them that they're going to be secretly rapture out of here before the Tribulation comes they don't think it could get much worse than what it is right now. As they're watching their people being butchered and burned and all of that.

The Scofield Reference Bible and the Problem of Proof-Texting

Okay, so John Nelson Darby's theology the influence. Became from one book. It was in 1909 see I scofield. Did This book right here the reference Bible. And because at the bottom it had all of his notes down here.

Look, I don't have problem to study Bibles. Okay, I used to have really bad Because all of his notes were down here we now have everybody can be a theologian. By reading the notes on the bottom of his page, but think about it was his and all of his notes were bent towards Dispensational theology.

Okay, so everything that people begin because it was a Bible where everybody could say wow, man I don't have time to study but I can read my Bible and look at these notes that book a Bible was the biggest reason for the spread of dispensationalism in the United States.

Okay I'm not going to get into everything. He's a scoundrel and let you know he's a scoundrel it was his system you're right. It was hit it was his notes that everybody grabbed a hold of. Okay. If you spend more time in the notes of a Bible and you do actually your Bible I have a problem.

Because you're letting a man Shape your thinking versus letting the Word of God now, there's nothing wrong with commentaries. There's nothing wrong with saying hey, I'd like to know what this man thinks versus this man's thing, but don't go.

Hey. What does that passage say instead of doing the hard labor of? Exegesis and principles of hermeneutics to see what the text means and light of its Context don't just reach up there on the shelf and pull out a commentary and go.

Oh because I like this man I'm gonna believe what he believes don't do that. Men can be wrong. I Can be wrong. That's why I want when we do teach and we do stand up and preach. I want you to take everything that I say go home line it up with Scripture if I am wrong I will fall on my knees repent before God and I will seek forgiveness From you, but know that if I did that it would not be intentional.

Okay, it would never be intentional. That's why when we do stand up and we teach and preach people make life-changing Choices to change their life by the words that come out of these lips. That's why we have to take it with with great weight.

Okay. So he propagated his that Bible sent The Schofield reference Bible was the biggest reason for the spread of dispensationalism theology in the United States. But then after him some of these guys Hal Lindsey Tim way.

He's the one that says and John when he saw Locust just look like Hell the locust in Revelation that had teeth like a lion and hair like a woman. Oh John was seeing Huey helicopters. That's what he said because he made all of Revelation future.

Come from dispensational theology. Tim LaHaye, they know who he is. Tim LaHaye did the left-behind series movies books and all the novel and the novel section and you know where they ended up. This ought to be a Dead giveaway if the world if the pagan world.

The lost and dying world that hates God hates everything about God agrees with your theology. You got something wrong. Okay. Something wrong. So questions comments outburst of anger. I Got two questions last week.

I actually got more than that and neither one of them's here. Somebody asked me do I believe that Israel is God's chosen people in short? No, I do not. The Bible does not teach that. There's one people of God the elect one people of God.

Do I believe in The Old Testament that the nation of Israel was God's chosen people by which he pulled out from the rest of the world to make a Covenant with them to make them a peculiar people to make them a different people and to be a light into the world.

Yes, I believe that because that's what the Old Testament teaches about Israel. Okay, this is part of Israel the elect. You better believe it. Yes. That's what it says in Romans. Not all of Israel is of Israel.

Israel, the Elect, and the Fulfillment of the Abrahamic Promise

So now you see there is what Paul is saying is not all of true Israel is really Israel or not all of Israel's true Israel because who are what is a Galatians who are the true Israelites of God. That's it.

Only those that believe by faith are the children of Abraham's what it says. That's right only those so to have this then I can we can talk about it next week about the teaching of Dispensationalism as the church and all those differences so what happens is if you say that Israel is one people and the church was of God.

This plans not yet fulfilled and that is what it teaches have to be back in Palestine and they have to do that in order to To fulfill the Abrahamic promise didn't anybody go back and read Joshua Chapter 11 last week anybody that was here.

I told you that it was fulfilled that Abraham's Promise was fulfilled when under Josh was conquest. It's uh, actually you don't have to read the whole chapter if you want to just go look and see where it says it.

It's chapter 11. Excuse me chapter 11 verse 23 says that After Joshua had conquered all the land that God had promised to the forefathers. That's all the land that God promised to the forefathers. It was given to Joshua and that they were inhabiting all of the land.

Would that not mean or wouldn't that mean that Abraham's promise was fulfilled, correct? Yes was fulfilled so Land promise but because of the sharp distinction between the church and Israel. They say can't be.

Because God would be a covenant breaker if he didn't continue to give them the land that he promised them but in Romans chapter 4 He says it's not just the land of Palestine that he gave Abraham. It says read that thing.

Read the whole chapter because it talks about Abraham and the fulfillment of the Abrahamic promise. He gives them the whole world so you understand just and I'll shut up so we could. Hey, let's say right here look here.

Here's the rest of the globe. God promised Abraham that land right there. Okay, if God only gave him That much when he was supposed to give him that much That make God a covenant breaker would it not.

But he promised him this all of this he expanded that promise without ever Abraham knowing that. Okay without Abraham knowing that that's grace. That's fulfilling the the covenant over above and beyond you could ever imagine.

Say that he is able to do it exceedingly and above and abundantly all that the mind could even comprehend. And that's what he did by giving the children of Abraham those that believe by faith the whole world.

He is going to give them the whole world. Look, we're not waiting for a little piece of land in Palestine with a rebuilt temple and all of that stuff. Why would we why don't we look forward to that when we look forward to the new heavens and the new earth?

God has done away with all lying stealing thievery adultery murder strife and anger all of those things God's done away with and he wipes away all the tear and he cast all of the old heavens in the old earth into the Wherever he does away with it.

That's what we should be waiting for. Okay, so next week we will talk about the teachings of The distinction between the rest of the distinction between the church and Israel and the complications that that has and implications that has is as believers and then we're going to talk about the The law grace dichotomy they're not opposed to one another okay, and then maybe the following week or maybe by the end of next.

We might get into the the Millennium views. Because that is probably the major thing that y 'all would understand about that theology. Okay.