“Understanding the Kingdom of God” Lesson 37 – Covenant Versus Dispensation

God rules and relates to man by covenant and not dispensations. Unfortunately, because the emphasis has been focused on the Church and not the greater picture of the Kingdom, dispensational teaching has replaced covenant teaching.

There is a popular theory in the Church world called dispensationalism. According to this theory, which started in 1830, the Word of God is divided into dispensations and God rules during these different periods of time. This doctrine teaches that the Old Covenant was divided into the dispensations of Innocence, Conscience, Human Government, Promise, and the Law. The New Covenant was divided into two dispensations: the dispensation of the Church Age and the dispensation of the Kingdom.

However, the Bible speaks differently.

God has only one way that He rules and that is through covenant, not dispensations. He established His Covenant in the beginning and kept renewing that Covenant. The New Covenant is a renewing of the Old Covenant. The Kingdom of God is established by obedience to this covenant.

Born-again believers are in the Kingdom now. God’s spiritual Kingdom exists on earth through His body of believers known as the Church. We each are members in particular. The Church is a temporal entity. It is not intended to be on earth eternally, nor with a literal throne on earth that King Jesus sits upon.

The Church began on the Day of Pentecost in Acts 2. It will be on earth until the last trumpet on the last day. We which are alive and remain shall then join the dead in Christ and so shall we ever be with the Lord. It shall happen in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye.

When the earth exists no more, God’s spiritual Kingdom shall forever remain. The elect shall forever be with the Lord.