28/02/2013
THE EIGHT DISPENSATIONS OF MAN
PREFACE
There are different times and seasons in the world settings, and in these different times and seasons God relates with man in quite different ways and different principles apply. Right from the creation of the world and man, we have recorded five different dispensations in history, but in actual fact there are three more dispensations coming which we are yet to be experienced, and these makes the total dispensations eight.
We have the first dispensation which is the dispensation of innocence; this is the dispensation of Adam in the Garden of Eden, the dispensation reigned right from the time he was created to the time he disobeyed. The second dispensation is the dispensation of conscience; this is the time of the fall, it reigned from the time Adam was driven from the Garden to the time of Noah after the flood. The third dispensation is the dispensation of the patriarchs; this is the dispensation of the fathers (chosen), it reigned from the time of Abram (Abraham) to the time of Moses and the law. The forth dispensation is the dispensation of the law which was the one we are most familiar with the fifth dispensation, grace, (in fact many believe that we have just two dispensations, before the law and after the law, thus the New Testament and the old Testament); the dispensation reigned from the time when God gave Moses the law to the time of Jesus coming, death and resurrection. The fifth dispensation is the one we live in now and which also many of us are familiar with along with the forth, it is the dispensation of grace; it reigned from the time of the resurrection of Jesus and the Apostles, and would be consummated at the first phase of the second coming of Jesus (rapture). The sixth dispensation is the dispensation of lawlessness; this is the dispensation after the rapture, it will reign from the time after the first phase of the second coming of Jesus (rapture) to the second phase of His second coming, when the beast and the false prophets will be cast into the lake of fire and the devil would be bound for a thousand years and Christ will set up a kingdom of millennium reign. The seventh dispensation is the dispensation of the millennium reign; this is the dispensation of the one thousand year reign with Christ, it will reign from immediately after the second phase of the second coming of Jesus with the saints to reign on earth for a thousand year to the end when Satan, his cohorts and those that their names not found in the book of life be cast into the lake of fire after the judgment at the great white throne of judgment. The eighth and last dispensation is the dispensation of forever and ever; this is the dispensation of eternal reign with God and His Christ; it will begin from the time of the New Jerusalem and will never end.
The different dispensations are the different times in the life of man as from when he was created to his final destination where he will be forever and ever. Man was created to live forever and not die, but as a result of the disobedience of Adam, man was subjected to death in the flesh. The death in the flesh does not mean the end of man, the intention of God was not defeated even when man disobeyed. God intended for him to live forever and ever which he still does, but God never wanted him to die even in the flesh. God intended for him to live forever and ever and not taste death in the flesh but be transformed, so now that he dies in the flesh he would still live forever, but now stand the danger of spending eternity in Hell aside from God if he yet refuse the free gift of God which is Christ Jesus. Hell was not created for man according to the scripture, Hell was created for the devil and his fallen angels (demons as the case is now Mathew 25:41), but as a result of the disobedience of Adam, the devil now have the right to drag man (men) along with him.
We now live in the time (dispensation) of grace whereby we can now escape the coming wrath of God by accepting the sacrifice that was made on our behalf, the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ gives us new life. During the dispensation of grace, as many as will accept Jesus as their lord and savior would be saved and have the hope of living with God in the New Jerusalem, but as many as will reject Him will be condemned and have their portion in the lake of fire Revelation 21:7-8. As many as will not live with Christ in this part of eternity as the option still await them, will continue so without Christ when they die.

Now the bible says it is appointed unto man to die once and after death comes judgment Hebrews 9:27, but the Judgment spoken of is going to be in two forms. The main judgment is reserved for the end of all things, but there is going to be an informal judgment immediately anyone dies. When anyone dies without accepting Jesus as his lord and savior, the person will automatically go to Hell, the person will close his eyes in death in the flesh and open his eyes in Hell just in a twinkling of an eye; this is the informal judgment, you are judged based on your acceptance of Christ as your Lord and savior and living for Him. Then the final judgment which is going to be the main judgment at the end of all things, the bible says men will stand before the great white throne of judgment and their names will be checked to see if it is in the book of life, and if not found will be thrown into the lake of fire which is the second death and different from Hell that some are in already. The reason for the judgment is to determine their degree of punishment in the lake of fire because there will different degrees of punishment based on what was done, just like there will be different rewards for Christians at the judgment seat of Christ Romans 14:10, 2Corinthians 5:10. No Christians will be among those that will be judged before the throne of judgment because they have passed from judgment to life Romans 5:24; 8:1, but they will appear before the judgment seat of Christ for their rewards because there will be different rewards according to their works on earth.
Before the final judgment, there will be rapture which is the second coming of Jesus to take the saints to Heaven. the rapture is going to be in two phase, the first phase of the second coming of Jesus is going to be known just by the believers, the believers will be the only ones to see Him when He comes, then they will be caught up with Him in the atmosphere and go with Him to Heaven Mathew 21:30-31, John 14:1-3, Act 1:11, 1Corinthians 15:51-52, 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18 (Though some unbelievers and sinners left behind will also realize because there will mass report of missing people, but it would soon fade off with time Mathew 24:21). The second phase of His coming is going to be quite different, all would see Him when He comes in the cloud with the saints, he will bind the devil and keep him chained for a thousand years, cast the beast and the false prophets into the lake of fire, and set up a millennium reign on earth with the saints ruling with Him. After the one thousand year reign, the devil will be released for a little while whereby he would deceive men from one corner of the earth to the other (the people that will be deceived are the ones that are left that did not take the mark of the beast and also did not live for the thousand years but had children and the children also had children and continued like that during the thousand years, so it will be their children who would be deceived but the saint would not be deceived because the second death had no power over them Revelation 20:4-6). The devil will convince them to go wage war against Christ and the saints and they will be deceived to do that, but the bible records that the Lord will destroy him and all that align themselves with him by the breath of His nostrils, he will be cast in the lake of fire along with them that followed him Revelation 20:7-15.
After all this things, there will be a new Jerusalem come down from Heaven, the Lord will make all things new and the old Heaven will pass away. God will set up His everlasting kingdom and reign sovereign over all things. The earth will now be the kingdom of God and His Christ, they will reign forever and ever, in the new kingdom there will be nothing that defile and there will also be no light from the sun for God and Christ will be light in the new kingdom. The saints will reign in the new kingdom forever and ever and enjoy life in all ramification and perfection, which was the original intention of God for man but was truncated by the devil and later perfected in Christ Jesus Revelation 21:1-27.