Wkly Bible Study for Dial-Up/Broadband, Sept 30, 2013

The Theocentric dispensations: The dispensation of the gentiles,
the period of positive and negative volition. Part 2
Satan is not only the instigator of the first murder but the author of Cain's religion.

PLEASE READ FIRST

Scripture References, Word & Phrase descriptions: If available on the website you're viewing this on, a few links (i.e., those without an already written scripture quote or brief explanation) are hover pop-up active, meaning the scripture reference will just pop-up if you hover your cursor over it (don’t click on the link, just hover your cursor over it), they work best using the Firefox browser – pop-ups in Internet Explorer, Chrome & other browsers only appear for a few seconds at best. If you don’t have Firefox (or hover pop-ups aren’t available on the website you’re viewing this on), that’s OK, move your cursor off and on the link until it is read; or left click the link which will open the verse at the online bible; or you can always use your Bible to look up the verses.

Prepare yourself for learning the Word of God!

Before we begin, if you are a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ (that is; you have believed [trusted] in Him for His promised gift of eternal life), it is important to prepare yourself to learn God's Word so take a moment to name, cite or acknowledge (confess) your sins privately to God (i.e.; with your thoughts directed only to God the Father).

1 John 1:9 says: "If we confess our sins, He (God) is faithful and just to forgive us our sins (known sins) and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness [unknown or forgotten sins]." NKJV (New King James Version) [italics added]

If you have never personally believed in the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior (that is, believed in Him for eternal life), the issue for you is not to name your sins; the issue for you is to have faith alone in Jesus Christ alone for eternal life:

John 6:47 says: "Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me (Jesus Christ) has everlasting life." NKJV [italics added]

Notice again what Jesus said in John 6:47: "…he who believes in Me (Jesus Christ) has everlasting life." It doesn't say, "will have"; it says, "has." Therefore, the very moment you believe in Jesus Christ for His promise of everlasting life, you have it (it's really just that simple; nothing more and nothing less), and it can never be taken away from you (John 10:28-29). Furthermore, the gift (Ephesians 2:8c) of everlasting life (also called eternal life in scripture) is available to every human being; there are absolutely no exceptions.

John 3:14-18 says: "¹⁴ And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, ¹⁵ that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. ¹⁶ For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. ¹⁷ For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. ¹⁸ He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God." NKJV

Let us now bow our hearts and take a moment to prepare for worship and learning God's Word. If there is any known sin in your life, this is the time to just cite it privately to God the Father with your thoughts directed towards Him. With your head bowed and your eyes closed, you have total privacy in your mind and soul:

Study to show yourself approved to God!

Grace Bible Church
Robert R. McLaughlin Bible Ministries

The Tree of Life is a weekly teaching summary:
God’s Word is Wednesday, Friday and Sunday mornings

STUDY TITLE:

The Theocentric dispensations: The dispensation of the gentiles,
the period of positive and negative volition. Part 2



OPTION: If you would prefer to go directly to the Grace Bible Church website to read this study message, all verse reference links are active there (but not hover active) and Enlarged Text is also an available option – right click the above link then left click “Open Link in New Window” or “New Tab”

Terms & Abbreviations used:

PPOG = Predesigned Plan of God
Human Good = Evil + Good Deeds while not in fellowship with God
OSN = Old Sin Nature
TLJC = The Lord Jesus Christ
SSE = Spiritual Self Esteem
PVTD = Positive Volition Towards Doctrine
+H - The Happiness of God
NVTD = Negative Volition Towards Doctrine
Doctrine = Bible Truth

To look up other “terms”, go to:

Alphabetical Listing

BEGIN BIBLE STUDY
Unless otherwise noted, all scripture quotes and references
are from the NASB – New American Standard Bible

We have been noting the first category of dispensations called the Theocentric dispensations which can be divided into three periods of time.

The first Theocentric dispensation we call the dispensation of the Gentiles because the Jewish race had not yet begun. It has three parts:

1. The period of positive volition.

2. The period of negative volition.

3. The period of the patriarchs.

The age of positive volition begins with the creation of mankind and ends with the fall of Adam and the woman, an unknown period of time. It started off with man and woman as trichotomous (3 parts, i.e., body, soul, spirit—italics added) beings, that is having a body, soul and a human spirit. Both Adam and the woman (Ishshah) were created and placed in a perfect environment.

The age of negative volition is a part of the dispensation of the Gentiles. This era is when the first murder in history occurred when Cain murdered his brother Abel. Cain was the original criminal in human history, and we are told what was behind his crime. For this is the message which you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another; not as Cain, who was of the evil one and slew his brother. And for what reason did he slay him? Because his deeds were evil, and his brother's were righteous. (1JO 3:12)

So it came about in the course of time that Cain brought an offering to the Lord of the fruit of the ground. And Abel, on his part also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of their fat portions. And the Lord had regard for Abel and for his offering; but for Cain and for his offering He had no regard. So Cain became very angry and his countenance fell. Then the Lord said to Cain, "Why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen? If you do well, will not your countenance be lifted up? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door; and its desire is for you, but you must master it." And Cain told Abel his brother. And it came about when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother and killed him. (GEN 4:3-8)

Cain murdered his brother Abel, because Abel fulfilled the principle of worship portraying the Lord Jesus Christ being judged for our sins [FYI: although this statement is looking forward to Christ it is based upon GEN 3:15 (the seed of the woman) when God promised Adam & Eve after the fall that He would send a Redeemer, a Messiah meaning The Christ—this is how people were eternally saved in the OT, they believed in the coming of the Messiah, The Christ—italics added]. Abel offered an animal sacrifice while Cain offered only human good, his work or produce from the ground. Cain was a great farmer, but offering up human works instead of a blood sacrifice is like an individual today believing that mankind can be justified before God by his works. So, in the immediate era following the fall we have envy, jealousy, arrogance, and this was the motive for the first murder. This is a also the beginning in history of capital punishment which has been authorized form the time of the first murder, right down to this moment.

"And surely I will require your lifeblood; from every beast I will require it. And from every man, from every man's brother I will require the life of man. Whoever sheds man's blood, By man his blood shall be shed, For in the image of God He made man." (GEN 9:5-6)

This is how crime must be controlled. This is the first statement of capital punishment. A murderer was to be executed, not rehabilitated, not counseled, but executed. If we executed everyone who committed murder, and everyone who is a rapist, (under the laws of Jurisprudence that God has designed), we would find that crime would decrease drastically.

GEN 9:6 is the beginning of capital punishment. This is not talking about killing in war, the commandment "Thou shall not kill" is incorrectly translated. It is "You shall not [ratsach] murder." Killing in warfare in defense of your country is honorable. The execution of criminals who murder is a must. Because the Jews practiced this, they had a very low crime rate, and they had no prisons.

Now, the reason for all this is given in verse 6, for in the image of God He created man. We need to note this very important principle concerning dispensations: a change in dispensation did not change the law of capital punishment. In Mat 26 Peter intended to defend the Lord with his life, and when the temple police stepped forward to seize our Lord, Peter pulled out a sword and cut off a soldier’s ear.

Then Jesus said to him, "Put your sword back into its place; for all those who take up the sword shall perish by the sword." (MAT 26:52).

The unlawful use of weapons, crime, violence, terrorism, rape, murder. All are areas where the sword is drawn illegally. All who draw the sword shall die by the sword. That means criminals who use weapons, and kill, must die by the sword. This is a perfect illustration of the fact that every dispensation has certain divine laws which apply to all of the dispensations. Capital punishment began in Gen 9; continued in the Mosaic Law, then in the Hypostatic-union, it continues in the Church-age. In the Tribulation period, terrorism is dealt with by capital punishment, and it will be practiced in the Millennium as well. Wherever people have old sin natures running wild, they will continue to commit murder, and they who do so should be executed.

Establishment principles remain basically the same throughout dispensations. The difference in dispensations is God's plan for believers, not the laws of divine establishment. The biblical concept then is capital punishment. The question that some ask is "If murder demands capital punishment then why did God allow Cain to keep on living?" The reason is that there was no law up to the time of Cain.

So the Lord said to him, "Therefore whoever kills Cain, vengeance will be taken on him sevenfold." And the Lord appointed a sign or a mark for Cain, lest anyone finding him should slay him. (GEN 4:15)

The mark of Cain was the mark of divine protection not a mark of violence. The mark of Cain permits Cain to remain alive so that he can have an opportunity to be saved. God's grace permits the unbeliever to live on the earth even in direct defiance of God. Cain always defied God, but as long as he was alive, he can always be saved by believing in Jesus Christ. So, God in His very own righteousness gives the unbeliever every chance to be saved. God took punishment into His own hands and protected the human race from further violence at this time. By God administering the punishment, the punishment is correct because God is perfect. A perfect God can only administer perfect punishment. By administering the punishment Himself, God keeps the human race from entering into warfare over whether the justice is correct or not.

People are always interested in what the mark of Cain was. It is impossible to tell whether it was some physical mark, some sign upon in his body, which indicated that he was God's property, or something else. We simply do not know. Whatever it was, it indicated to people that even though he was a murderer, God had speared his life for a reason. Cain was marked, but from that time on, any murder meant execution.

Notice that in the age of negative volition, a part of the dispensation of the Gentiles, the first murder was committed, and the first murder was due to a religious dispute. It was Cain's works and merits against Abel's bloody sacrifice or faith toward trusting in God for the sacrifice for his sin. Abel claimed that a bloody sacrifice was necessary. Cain claimed that an offering of works taken from the soil which God had cursed, was sufficient enough. Cain became angry, but he did not kill Abel that day.

The Bible tells us that Satan was not only the instigator of the first murder, but he was the author of Cain's religion. Religion started in the Garden and was perpetuated by Satan through Cain. So Cain fled and was the first one to build a city with all its filth and sin.

And Cain had relations with his wife and she conceived, and gave birth to Enoch [not the Enoch who walked with God]; and he built a city, and called the name of the city Enoch, after the name of his son. (GEN 4:17)

Among the descendants of Cain were Jubal, the inventor of musical instruments, and Tubal-Cain, an instructor of workers in brass and iron. In those days, they used their knowledge and their genius to improve and build up a godless civilization. They didn't live for a mere 70 or 80 years, but for hundreds of years. Therefore, their accumulation of knowledge, experience, and skill advanced the arts and sciences and resulted in the invention and manufacture of all the appliances of a luxurious civilization. The building of the ark built by Noah, or the building of the tower of Babel, or the Great Pyramids all required a tremendous knowledge of mathematics and astronomy.

We tend to observe those days as primitive but they were not. The outcome of this brilliant but Godless civilization is described in Gen 6. In the midst of this Godless civilization a startling event occurred, Beni-ha-Elohim came on the scene in GEN 6:2. The outcome of this invasion of the earth by the fallen angels brought on the flood. The earth was changed thus wiping out the Garden of Eden, and it brought an end to the antediluvian age.

In this dispensation mankind was treated as a whole, there were no nations, no Mosaic Law, conscience was the standard of human conduct. It was the standard by which men accused or excused themselves.

For when Gentiles who do not have the Law do instinctively the things of the Law, these, not having the Law, are a law to themselves, in that they show the work of the Law written in their hearts, their conscience bearing witness, and their thoughts alternately accusing or else defending them. (ROM 2:14-15)

God was very near to mankind in those days and His voice was heard in rebuke, as it was to Cain in GEN 4:14; in communion with Enoch in GEN 5:22-24; in counsel as with Noah in GEN 6:3. We must distinguish this Theocentric dispensation as one being one without law, and then the next Theocentric dispensation as the one under law. We're right back to the same principle: No matter what God does for mankind, mankind is still not satisfied. No matter what God gives to mankind, mankind always wants more. It doesn't matter if He gives them a set of laws and rules to follow. For all who have sinned without the Law will also perish without the Law; and all who have sinned under the Law will be judged by the Law (ROM 2:12).

While there was no written law in the dispensation before the flood, there was an unwritten law, written in the hearts of men. Therefore, the characteristics of this age are: An advance in fullness and clearness of divine revelation; then a gradual spiritual descend; followed by conformity to the evil of the world system appealing to the selfishness of mankind. Then a perverted mixture of a half angel-half human civilization; followed by an apostasy and finally a catastrophe. We find that this is the basic characteristic of every dispensation that follows.

"For the coming of the Son of Man will be just like the days of Noah. For as in those days which were before the flood they were eating and drinking, they were marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and they did not understand until the flood came and took them all away; so shall the coming of the Son of Man be." (MAT 24:37-39)

Mankind still ignores what God has revealed to every generation. A generation goes and a generation comes, But the earth remains forever (ECC 1:4). Generations come and generations go, but the world still remains. People are constantly coming and going through this world. Everyday a child is born, everyday a person dies, and planet earth is still here. One generation comes along trying to find happiness apart from God, and it disappears. Another generation comes along and makes the same mistake; then another, and another; and history continually repeats itself, so that we must conclude with the German philosopher Hegel (Ha-gel): "We learn from history that we learn nothing from history."

Then the Lord said to Cain, "Where is Abel your brother?" And he said, "I do not know. Am I my brother's keeper?" (GEN 4:9).

In reality, Cain is looking straight into the eyes of the Lord and lying to His face. Note that there's no fear, and definitely no respect for God. Apparently, Cain really did not learn, or simply rejected the doctrine of the essence of God (His omnipresence, omniscience, or omnipotence) as it was revealed in that dispensation. Here's an unbeliever who talked with God, and denied God's character. He was not a believer, but he was religious. To get the attention of selfish, self-centered individual who thinks that life should revolve around them, you hit them where it hurts.

"What have you done? The voice of your brother's blood is crying to Me from the ground. (GEN 4:10)

"When you cultivate the ground, it shall no longer yield its strength to YOU; YOU shall be a vagrant and a wanderer on the earth." And Cain said to the Lord, "My punishment is too great to bear!" (GEN 4:12-13).

Next, Cain, like the devil, makes accusations against God, "Behold, YOU hast driven me this day from the face of the ground; and from Your face I shall be hidden, and I shall be a vagrant and a wanderer on the earth, and it will come about that whoever finds me will kill me" So the Lord said to him, "Therefore whoever kills Cain, vengeance will be taken on him sevenfold." And the Lord appointed a sign for Cain, lest anyone finding him should slay him. Then Cain went out from the presence of the Lord, [notice it doesn't say that the Lord went out from the presence of Cain] and settled in the land of Nod, east of Eden. (GEN 4:14-16)

The following link is to a good news message describing how one can receive eternal life:
Ticket to Heaven, it was written for anyone not absolutely certain about their eternal future.

Internet Church Service, Sunday, Sept 29, 2013

This week’s sermon title:
Similarities of being a soldier
and the Art of War; Part 12.

Today’s Sermon Message:
Similarities of being a soldier
and the Art of War; Part 12.
Video & Audio

Please join us as we fellowship in the Word of God, listen to
Christian Music, Pray in Christ’s Name and Praise the Lord
in our Hearts and Minds.

ALL ARE WELCOME!!

# # # # # # # #

from - Romans 8:38-39

Thank you for joining us for today’s worship service. Please enjoy the music before you watch and|or listen to today’s message.

TIP to enlarge the print hold down the “Ctrl” key on your key board, while it is being held down, move your mouse forward until the desired print size is just right for you. To return to normal screen size, reverse the process (some will see a % in the lower right corner of your screen, normal is 100%)

The lyrics have been provided so you can sing along with the artist in your mind and soul; imagine that the artist’s voice is your voice. I’m not a very good singer myself so I often get the lyrics for some of my favorites and sing along in my mind and soul, this way it’s as if I’m doing the singing to the Lord; try it.

Hymn #1

You Laid Aside Your Majesty – Lyrics in video
(You can skip the commercial if there is one)

Hymn #2

Mighty to Save – Lyrics in video
(You can skip the commercial if there is one)

Preparing yourself for the study of God’s Word

Before we begin, if you are a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ (that is— you have trusted in Him for eternal life), it is important to prepare yourself to take-in God’s Word so take a moment to name, cite or acknowledge your sins privately to God the Father.

1 John 1:9 says—“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” NKJV (New King James Version)

If you have never personally believed in the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior (that is, believed in Him for eternal life), the issue for you is not to name your sins; the issue for you is faith alone in Jesus Christ alone:

John 6:47 says: “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me (Jesus Christ) has everlasting life.” NKJV

Notice again what John 6:47 says, “he who believes in Me (Jesus Christ) has everlasting life.” It doesn’t say, “will have”; it says, “has.” Therefore, the very moment you believe Jesus Christ’s promise of everlasting life, you have it (it’s really just that simple), and it can never be lost or taken away from you (John 10:28-29). Furthermore, the gift of everlasting life (also called eternal life in scripture) is available to every human being; there are absolutely no exceptions.

John 3:14-18 says: “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.” NKJV

Let us now bow our hearts and take a moment to prepare for worship and learning God’s Word, if there is any known sin in your life, this is the time to just cite it privately to God the Father with your thoughts directed towards Him. With your head bowed and your eyes closed, you have total privacy in your mind and soul:

Lectionary

The word of God is alive and active, sharper than any double-edged sword. It cuts all the way through, to where soul and spirit meet, to where joints and marrow come together. It judges the desires and thoughts of the heart. (Heb. 4:12) GNB-UK

All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching the truth, rebuking error, correcting faults, and giving instruction for right living, so that the person who serves God may be fully qualified and equipped to do every kind of good deed. (2 Tim. 3:16-17) GNB-UK

Do your best to win full approval in God's sight, as a worker who is not ashamed of his work, one who correctly teaches the message of God's truth. (2 Tim. 2:15) GNB-UK

Study to show yourself approved to God!

Opening Prayer
(Do your best to make it your own – below is a sample prayer)

Heavenly Father, we pray that we will all be richly edified by Your Word today and that You will make what we study today clear to us. We pray that all participants in this service as well as those who review it at a later date will be edified and blessed by today’s message. We pray this in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen

Our guest Pastor-Teacher is:

Robert McLaughlin - Grace Bible Church
and Robert McLaughlin Bible Ministries

Doctrinal Statement

This ministry is non-denominational and is dedicated to teaching the Word of God from the original languages and making it available at no charge throughout the world.

Today's Sermon

Similarities of being a soldier
and the Art of War; Part 12.

(To view the sermon right click the above link then click on open in “new window” or “new tab” and 3 windows will open – 1) audio or video player which should start automatically, 2) slide show, 3) note pad. When finished return to previous window or tab to finish the service with Hymn and Prayer.)

OPTIONAL: On-line Bible – NASB95

If you wish to use it, right click the link and in the drop-down box, left click the "Open Link in New Window"; when the new window opens, reduce the window size of both the on-line bible and the slideshow and configure them to be side-by-side. Also, the window opens to John 3:16, click the word “more” below the verse, you will then see two online bible columns, Use the column on the left as it is set for the NASB95, at the top of the column where you see John 3:16 in the search box, type the book and verse the Pastor asks you to go to a particular Bible verse, e.g., 1tim 5:21, or eph 3:10, etc., then click “Enter” on your key board. You can use the “right column” if you wish for a different bible version but you’ll need to type in the verse you want each time as I directed you for the column on the left side.

Hymn #3

Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus – Lyrics in video
(You can skip the commercial if there is one)

CLOSING PRAYER:
(Again, below is a sample prayer, do your best to make it your own)

Heavenly Father, we pray that the Holy Spirit will make what I’ve learned today clear to me, for I pray this in my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ’s name. Amen

If you have any questions that are pertinent about today’s message, please don’t hesitate to ask, you are welcome to ask them via a private message or by a reply in today’s post. However, sometimes questions can be real short but require a much longer answer in order to give an adequate answer. If I don’t think that the question is able to be answered quickly I’ll reply back telling you that I’ll research it and get to you with the answer (it may even be a few days as I’m a little slower than I used to be). Please don’t let what I’ve just said make you hesitate to ask questions.

I want to thank all of you who have attended this Sunday service as well as those who will view it at a later time or date.

The following link is to a good news message describing how one can instantly receive eternal life: Ticket to Heaven, it was written for anyone not absolutely certain about their eternal future.

Internet Church Service, Sunday, Sept 22, 2013

This week’s sermon title:
Similarities of being a soldier
and the Art of War; Part 11.

Today’s Sermon Message:
Similarities of being a soldier
and the Art of War; Part 11.
Video & Audio

Please join us as we fellowship in the Word of God, listen to
Christian Music, Pray in Christ’s Name and Praise the Lord
in our Hearts and Minds.

ALL ARE WELCOME!!

# # # # # # # #

from - Romans 8:38-39

Thank you for joining us for today’s worship service. Please enjoy the music before you watch and|or listen to today’s message.

TIP to enlarge the print hold down the “Ctrl” key on your key board, while it is being held down, move your mouse forward until the desired print size is just right for you. To return to normal screen size, reverse the process (some will see a % in the lower right corner of your screen, normal is 100%)

The lyrics have been provided so you can sing along with the artist in your mind and soul; imagine that the artist’s voice is your voice. I’m not a very good singer myself so I often get the lyrics for some of my favorites and sing along in my mind and soul, this way it’s as if I’m doing the singing to the Lord; try it.

Hymn #1

Wonderful, Merciful Savior – Lyrics in video
(You can skip the commercial if there is one)

Hymn #2

Worthy is the Lamb – Lyrics in video
(You can skip the commercial if there is one)

Preparing yourself for the study of God’s Word

Before we begin, if you are a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ (that is— you have trusted in Him for eternal life), it is important to prepare yourself to take-in God’s Word so take a moment to name, cite or acknowledge your sins privately to God the Father.

1 John 1:9 says—“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” NKJV (New King James Version)

If you have never personally believed in the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior (that is, believed in Him for eternal life), the issue for you is not to name your sins; the issue for you is faith alone in Jesus Christ alone:

John 6:47 says: “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me (Jesus Christ) has everlasting life.” NKJV

Notice again what John 6:47 says, “he who believes in Me (Jesus Christ) has everlasting life.” It doesn’t say, “will have”; it says, “has.” Therefore, the very moment you believe Jesus Christ’s promise of everlasting life, you have it (it’s really just that simple), and it can never be lost or taken away from you (John 10:28-29). Furthermore, the gift of everlasting life (also called eternal life in scripture) is available to every human being; there are absolutely no exceptions.

John 3:14-18 says: “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.” NKJV

Let us now bow our hearts and take a moment to prepare for worship and learning God’s Word, if there is any known sin in your life, this is the time to just cite it privately to God the Father with your thoughts directed towards Him. With your head bowed and your eyes closed, you have total privacy in your mind and soul:

Lectionary

The word of God is alive and active, sharper than any double-edged sword. It cuts all the way through, to where soul and spirit meet, to where joints and marrow come together. It judges the desires and thoughts of the heart. (Heb. 4:12) GNB-UK

All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching the truth, rebuking error, correcting faults, and giving instruction for right living, so that the person who serves God may be fully qualified and equipped to do every kind of good deed. (2 Tim. 3:16-17) GNB-UK

Do your best to win full approval in God's sight, as a worker who is not ashamed of his work, one who correctly teaches the message of God's truth. (2 Tim. 2:15) GNB-UK

Study to show yourself approved to God!

Opening Prayer
(Do your best to make it your own – below is a sample prayer)

Heavenly Father, we pray that we will all be richly edified by Your Word today and that You will make what we study today clear to us. We pray that all participants in this service as well as those who review it at a later date will be edified and blessed by today’s message. We pray this in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen

Our guest Pastor-Teacher is:

Robert McLaughlin - Grace Bible Church
and Robert McLaughlin Bible Ministries

Doctrinal Statement

This ministry is non-denominational and is dedicated to teaching the Word of God from the original languages and making it available at no charge throughout the world.

Today's Sermon

Similarities of being a soldier
and the Art of War; Part 11.

(To view the sermon right click the above link then click on open in “new window” or “new tab” and 3 windows will open – 1) audio or video player which should start automatically, 2) slide show, 3) note pad. When finished return to previous window or tab to finish the service with Hymn and Prayer.)

OPTIONAL: On-line Bible – NASB95

If you wish to use it, right click the link and in the drop-down box, left click the "Open Link in New Window"; when the new window opens, reduce the window size of both the on-line bible and the slideshow and configure them to be side-by-side. Also, the window opens to John 3:16, click the word “more” below the verse, you will then see two online bible columns, Use the column on the left as it is set for the NASB95, at the top of the column where you see John 3:16 in the search box, type the book and verse the Pastor asks you to go to a particular Bible verse, e.g., 1tim 5:21, or eph 3:10, etc., then click “Enter” on your key board. You can use the “right column” if you wish for a different bible version but you’ll need to type in the verse you want each time as I directed you for the column on the left side.

Hymn #3

Your Name – Lyrics in video
(You can skip the commercial if there is one)

CLOSING PRAYER:
(Again, below is a sample prayer, do your best to make it your own)

Heavenly Father, we pray that the Holy Spirit will make what I’ve learned today clear to me, for I pray this in my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ’s name. Amen

If you have any questions that are pertinent about today’s message, please don’t hesitate to ask, you are welcome to ask them via a private message or by a reply in today’s post. However, sometimes questions can be real short but require a much longer answer in order to give an adequate answer. If I don’t think that the question is able to be answered quickly I’ll reply back telling you that I’ll research it and get to you with the answer (it may even be a few days as I’m a little slower than I used to be). Please don’t let what I’ve just said make you hesitate to ask questions.

I want to thank all of you who have attended this Sunday service as well as those who will view it at a later time or date.

The following link is to a good news message describing how one can instantly receive eternal life: Ticket to Heaven, it was written for anyone not absolutely certain about their eternal future.

Wkly Bible Study for Dial-Up/Broadband, Sept 23, 2013

The Theocentric dispensations: The dispensation of the gentiles,
the period of positive and negative volition. Part 1

PLEASE READ FIRST

Scripture References, Word & Phrase descriptions: If available on the website you're viewing this on, a few links (i.e., those without an already written scripture quote or brief explanation) are hover pop-up active, meaning the scripture reference will just pop-up if you hover your cursor over it (don’t click on the link, just hover your cursor over it), they work best using the Firefox browser – pop-ups in Internet Explorer, Chrome & other browsers only appear for a few seconds at best. If you don’t have Firefox (or hover pop-ups aren’t available on the website you’re viewing this on), that’s OK, move your cursor off and on the link until it is read; or left click the link which will open the verse at the online bible; or you can always use your Bible to look up the verses.

Prepare yourself for learning the Word of God!

Before we begin, if you are a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ (that is; you have believed [trusted] in Him for His promised gift of eternal life), it is important to prepare yourself to learn God's Word so take a moment to name, cite or acknowledge (confess) your sins privately to God (i.e.; with your thoughts directed only to God the Father).

1 John 1:9 says: "If we confess our sins, He (God) is faithful and just to forgive us our sins (known sins) and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness [unknown or forgotten sins]." NKJV (New King James Version) [italics added]

If you have never personally believed in the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior (that is, believed in Him for eternal life), the issue for you is not to name your sins; the issue for you is to have faith alone in Jesus Christ alone for eternal life:

John 6:47 says: "Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me (Jesus Christ) has everlasting life." NKJV [italics added]

Notice again what Jesus said in John 6:47: "…he who believes in Me (Jesus Christ) has everlasting life." It doesn't say, "will have"; it says, "has." Therefore, the very moment you believe in Jesus Christ for His promise of everlasting life, you have it (it's really just that simple; nothing more and nothing less), and it can never be taken away from you (John 10:28-29). Furthermore, the gift (Ephesians 2:8c) of everlasting life (also called eternal life in scripture) is available to every human being; there are absolutely no exceptions.

John 3:14-18 says: "¹⁴ And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, ¹⁵ that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. ¹⁶ For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. ¹⁷ For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. ¹⁸ He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God." NKJV

Let us now bow our hearts and take a moment to prepare for worship and learning God's Word. If there is any known sin in your life, this is the time to just cite it privately to God the Father with your thoughts directed towards Him. With your head bowed and your eyes closed, you have total privacy in your mind and soul:

Study to show yourself approved to God!

Grace Bible Church
Robert R. McLaughlin Bible Ministries

The Tree of Life is a weekly teaching summary:
God’s Word is Wednesday, Friday and Sunday mornings

STUDY TITLE:

The Theocentric dispensations: The dispensation of the gentiles,
the period of positive and negative volition. Part 1



OPTION: If you would prefer to go directly to the Grace Bible Church website to read this study message, all verse reference links are active there (but not hover active) and Enlarged Text is also an available option – right click the above link then left click “Open Link in New Window” or “New Tab”

Terms & Abbreviations used:

PPOG = Predesigned Plan of God
Human Good = Evil + Good Deeds while not in fellowship with God
OSN = Old Sin Nature
TLJC = The Lord Jesus Christ
SSE = Spiritual Self Esteem
PVTD = Positive Volition Towards Doctrine
+H - The Happiness of God
NVTD = Negative Volition Towards Doctrine
Doctrine = Bible Truth

To look up other “terms”, go to:

Alphabetical Listing

BEGIN BIBLE STUDY
Unless otherwise noted, all scripture quotes and references
are from the NASB – New American Standard Bible

We have noted the importance of understanding the dispensation of the mystery of the Church-age. Before we go on with our main passage in Rom 9, we need to note some of the differences between the other dispensations.

We begin with the first of the two dispensations called Theocentric Dispensations.

Theocentric dispensations: The dispensation of the Gentiles is broken down into three parts:

1. The Period of Positive Volition.

2. The Period of Negative Volition.

3. The Period of the Patriarchs.

The age of positive volition begins with the creation of mankind and ends with the fall of Adam and the woman, an unknown period of time. It started off with man and woman as trichotomous beings, that is having a body, soul and a human spirit. Both Adam and the woman (Ishshah) were created and placed in a perfect environment. Ishshah is an interesting name, it means woman, wife, or female, and because she was created perfect it is actually a compliment. It is an honor for any woman to be referred to as an Ishshah). She is described as the soulish and physical counterpart of man, deserving of his unwavering loyalty.

And the Lord God fashioned into a [la'ishshah] woman the rib which He had taken from the man, and brought her to the man. And the man said, "This is now bone of my bones, And flesh of my flesh; She shall be called [ishshah]. Woman, Because she was taken out of Man." For this cause a man shall leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave to his wife; and they shall become one flesh. (GEN 2:22-24)

The Bible holds women in the highest regard, and sets forth their graciousness, and worth as womanly virtues. Many women in the Old Testament were spiritual champions, and held positions of prestige, especially those who were faithful to their husbands who were winner believers as well. Shiphrah and Puah, of the Book of Exodus, were valiant women who put their own lives at risk by defying the Pharaoh's law of death in order to uphold God's law of life. There was also Deborah, Ruth, Huldah, Sarah, Leah, Rachel, Miriam, Hanna, Abigail, Batsheba, Esther. These are just a few of the many women, or ishshah's of influence in Old Testament history. We are told that he who finds a true Ishshah finds one who becomes a source of blessing and honor to him in PRO 18:22 and PRO 12:4. A fruitful wife is a sign of the blessing of God upon you in PSA 128:3.

In the first dispensation, they (Adam and Ishsah) were involved in two categories of perfection. The first was that they were created perfect beings, created with body, soul and human spirit. With the human spirit they had the ability to have fellowship with God every day even though there was no Bible. Because of their perfect soul they also had wonderful interaction, and a wonderful relationship with each other. In addition to a perfect soul and spirit, they were also perfect physically. They had everything that one could imagine or wish for in life; plus they were both geniuses. The second category of perfection was the fact that they were placed in perfect environment: the Garden of Eden. When the Lord Jesus Christ came in the garden to teach them, He taught them directly; this was an age of positive volition. However, certain negative vibes began to develop. This illustrates that even in perfect environment mankind had problems.

In the age of positive volition, they had two divine institutions already established; they had free-will and they had marriage. They had perfect environment and total freedom. They were married by God; they had great sex, marvelous conversations, and total admiration for each other's beauty. However, they both soon discovered that neither perfect environment nor marriage is a source of happiness or the means to solve the desires and needs of mankind. God has made everything meaningful for mankind in its time. He has also set the desire for eternity in their heart [right lobe-brain] (ECC 3:11).

In the first dispensation we have one man and one woman, both perfect in body, soul and spirit and in perfect environment. In the Garden of Eden, marriage, a divine institution, failed under perfect environment. Proving that a change of environment is not the solution to any problems you may be facing. Perfect environment, body, soul and spirit, and marriage were all tested in the Garden of Eden. While there was no written canon of Scripture during this dispensation, there was positive volition for a certain period of time. The point is that God's plan, pattern and policy toward them was totally different then as it is toward us. They were perfect, we are fallen sinners. They were in perfect environment, we are in the devil's world. They were under only one negative mandate (GEN 2:17), we are under grace along with many commands.

The dispensation of the Gentiles is broken down into three parts: the period of positive volition, negative volition and the patriarchs. The age of negative volition is a part of the dispensation of the Gentiles. It began with the fall of Adam and the woman, and continued to Abraham. There was no written canon of Scripture during this dispensation. This period of time is covered for us later on by Moses in Gen 4 - 9. Moses lived around 1440 BC and God revealed to him what He wanted us to know about these early dispensations. Just like God revealed to Paul what he wanted us to know about the dispensation of the mystery of the Church-age.

The period of negative volition is the dispensation of the first murder in history, when Cain murdered his brother Abel, GEN 4:8. Cain was religious and he typifies the self-righteous, jealous, petty type of person who thinks more highly of himself than what he ought to. Cain and Abel were brothers. Cain turned out to be a murderer and a loser in life. Abel turned out to be a winner and a visible hero. They both came from the same home, had the same parents, and came from the same environment. Just like Abraham and Terah, his father, Issac and Ishmael, Jacob and Esau, Joseph and his brothers. There are many other examples, but the point is that there is no place for blaming spouses, parents, children, family or nation. Instead, everything depends upon free will. Cain was a product of his own decisions not his genes. He was the first recorded unbeliever in history. He was also the first criminal in history. Adam and the woman were right man and right woman, designed for each other by God, and, in spite of that, not all of their children turn out right.

The difference between the first two individuals mentioned in the period of negative volition is found in HEB 11:4 when it says "by faith." This is from the Greek noun Pistei, which in the instrumental case means through the instrument of faith. It means that which is believed, or the body of faith and belief, and therefore translated as doctrine. That is the meaning in HEB 4:11, By means of doctrine [and the implication is doctrine resident in the soul] Abel offered to God a better sacrifice than Cain. Every sacrifice that Abel ever made portrayed doctrine resident in his soul. Cain offered certain types of gifts and sacrifices, but they had no meaning. There was no doctrine in Cain's soul, he was an unbeliever, and therefore was minus the appropriate doctrine. Abel is a picture of the believer who has positive volition towards doctrine and does the right thing in the right way. Cain is a picture of an individual who is minus doctrine and tries to impress God with his works.

The sacrifice of Abel was greater for two reasons. First, Abel was a believer, Cain was not. It is impossible for anyone who is an unbeliever to enter into any ritual that will worship God. The ritual is meaningless because the person is not born again. Secondly, Abel offered a sacrifice that was accurate because of doctrine resident in the soul. He was constantly taking in doctrine as it was made available to him in that particular era or dispensation. Abel is one of the first cases in history of a believer who had positive volition toward doctrine and became a spiritual champion and a visible hero.

The period of negative volition of the antediluvian age (before the flood) was a very peculiar time. One of the greatest cultures of all time occurred during this period, the music, literature, and drama was far greater than anything produced since. Yet the greatest violence also existed. Culture and violence always go together. When a population gets to this point of saturated evil and violence, God intervenes with judgment.

It's interesting to note some of the things about the people who lived during this dispensation before the flood. They possessed some skills that compare with modern technology. Cain built cities according to (GEN 4:17). Jubal was a musician, and Tubal-Cain was an "instructor of every craftsman in bronze and iron" (GEN 4:22). The fact that Noah could construct his huge ark is also a witness to the engineering skills, and tools that were available. The antediluvian civilization began with Adam and the woman in the Garden of Eden in a state of perfect environment, and ended with the flood. Perfect environment was denied to them as a result of the fall, because mankind in the state of sin has no capacity for perfect environment.

So He [the Lord] drove the man out; and at the east of the Garden of Eden He stationed the cherubim, and the flaming sword which turned every direction, to guard the way to the tree of life. (GEN 3:24).

In this civilization brothers and sisters married without any genetic problems. The animals were also different. All animals, reptiles and birds were to be destroyed, except for those preserved in the ark. Weather was different, there was no bacteria; and because of that people lived for 700-800 years. Adam lived 930 years; Seth 912 years; Mahalaleel 895 years; Jared 962 years; Methuselah 969 years; Lamech 777 years (GEN 5:5-31). The women were also breathtakingly beautiful.

That the sons of God saw that the daughters of men were beautiful; and they took wives for themselves, whomever they chose. (GEN 6:2)

This civilization degenerated due to the fallen angels having sexual relations with the females of the human race. This produced a super race of heroes, who were the subject of mythology (Gen 6; JOB 1:6; JOB 2:1; JOB 38:7; PSA 29:1; PSA 89:6), The Hebrew phrase BENI HA ELOHIM refers to angels. The world was also filled with the NEPHILIM, the half angel half human creatures. This was Satan's strategy to destroy true humanity on the earth and prevent the Incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ. This super race was characterized by two things: degeneracy and self-destruction, and negative volition and spiritual death. We are told that both Noah and Enoch preached to the antediluvian.

For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to pits of darkness, reserved for judgment; and did not spare the ancient world, but preserved Noah, a preacher of righteousness [note that Noah was a preacher, therefore preaching was one of the ways that they received doctrine during the antediluvian period], with seven others, when He brought a flood upon the world of the ungodly. (2PE 2:4-5)

Because true humanity on the earth was in jeopardy, God administered the great judgment of the universal flood which destroyed the half human half angelic creatures plus all unbelievers. Only eight believers still existed on the earth, Noah and his family. The other believers had already died. God also took away all sexual ability from angels as part of this judgment. The demons involved in that sexual attack are now incarcerated in the compartment of Hades called Tartarus.

"For God did not spare the angels when they sinned [GEN 6:2] but incarcerated them in Tartarus with chains of thick darkness, He delivered them over to judgment, being constantly guarded." (2PE 2:4)

The only demons operational today are disembodied spirits, so that any such sexual attacks can never occur again. During the antediluvian civilization, the earth was also not yet tilted on its axis; there was no bacteria, therefore, there was perfect climate. Mankind has a different life span in each civilization.

The saturation of evil was so great that the human race had reached a point of total self-destruction. This was a part of the satanic plot to destroy true humanity on the earth so that Jesus Christ could not come in the flesh. Yet only as perfect true humanity could Jesus Christ come and be judged for our sins. Therefore, to protect the remnant of believers, God had to destroy the antediluvian civilization. The only way that God could keep his divine promise that there would be a savior, and that "whosoever believes in Him will never perish but have eternal life," was by destroying the corrupted part of the human race. This is how true humanity would be preserved beyond the great catastrophe of a universal flood. There will never again be a universal judgment of the earth, like the flood. The earth will only be destroyed once more in its entirety, and that will occur at the end of the Millennium. At that time, God will cause a nuclear explosion that will destroy the earth and universe entirely.

The Theocentric dispensation, the period of negative volition, the antediluvian period, was a time when God not only spoke audibly to believers, but also to unbelievers. We know that because God spoke to Cain in Gen 4. In this dispensation of negative volition, Abel communicates to us the importance of Bible doctrine resident in the soul; the importance of becoming an invisible hero and a spiritual champion. In every dispensation, even though the plan and policy of God may vary, we can still learn from the winner believers. This requires consistency with the intake of doctrine. Abel reveals that no matter what the dispensation may be like, Bible doctrine resident in the soul is what glorifies God. Cain was jealous of Abel, but jealousy did not stop the momentum of Abel. Jealousy is the epitome of selfishness and is incapable of true love. It is irrational in its resentment of others. It is an emotional sin, remember that emotion has no ability to think or to reason. Cain was jealous of Abel and he learned the hard way that jealousy like many of the mental attitude sins can produce physical sickness as well as mental disorder. A tranquil heart is life to the body, But jealousy is rottenness to the bones (PRO 14:30). Jealousy is self-destructive For jealousy slays the foolish man and anger kills the stupid (JOB 5:2). Jealousy is the strongest mental attitude sin.

Here is Abel, the recipient of jealousy, bitterness, implacability, and hatred, but it did not hinder his testimony or his spiritual growth. Remember, always give your best. Never get discouraged or be petty. Always remember, others may hate you, but those who hate you don't win unless you hate them in return. Life often demands very strong concentration from you. A concentration whereby you ignore the petty things around you. Do not let negative, critical, judgmental, pessimistic individuals drag you down to their level. This is why David was so great. His older brother Eliab criticized him. His brother made fun of him but he didn't stop to argue with his brother. David just went on out and killed himself a giant. That's the concentration that life often requires. Stay focused on the objective. Don't get side-tracked.
Cain murdered Abel but the death of Abel did not hinder the advance of doctrine or the importance of doctrine resident in the soul.

By means of doctrine [resident in the soul] Abel offered to God a greater sacrifice than Cain, through which [offering] he received confirmation that he was or kept on being righteous, God testifying about his gifts, and through it [the doctrine resident in his soul], though he is dead, he still speaks. (HEB 11:4)

The tragedy was not the death of Abel, but Cain as a murderer going through life in misery and then as an unbeliever burning forever and ever in the lake of fire. Nothing can stop Bible doctrine, and that includes the lies, the jealousy, the hatred, the hypocrisy of those who try. Bible doctrine moves on and even increases more and more in spite of the attacks made upon by fools. EXO 1:12 says that the more you try to afflicted God's people and His word, the more they multiply and spread out.

Remember man in GEN 3:19 was to live by the sweat of his brow. And of course, in this immediate era following the fall we have envy, jealousy, arrogance and this was the motive for the first murder. This is a also the beginning in history of capital punishment. Capital punishment has been authorized form the time of the first murder, right down to this moment.

“And surely I will require your lifeblood; from every beast I will require it. And from every man, from every man's brother I will require the life of man. Whoever sheds man's blood, By man his blood shall be shed, For in the image of God He made man” (GEN 9:5-6).

This is how crime must be controlled. This is the first statement of capital punishment. A murderer was to be executed, not rehabilitated, not counseled, but executed. The reason for all this is given in verse 6, for in the image of God He created man. A change in dispensation did not change this principle. In MAT 26:52 Peter intended to defend the Lord with his life, and when the temple policemen stepped forward to cease our Lord, Peter pulled out a sword and cut off a soldiers ear. In MAT 26:52 Jesus tells Peter to put the sword away. It's the unlawful use of weapons, crime, violence, terrorism, rape, murder, all of these categories draw the sword illegally. All who draw the sword shall die by the sword. That means criminals who use weapons and kill must die by the sword. This is a perfect illustration of the fact that every dispensation has certain divine laws which apply to all of them.

Capital punishment began in Gen 9. It continued in the Mosaic Law in EXO 21:14. It continues into the church-age. In the tribulation, terrorism is dealt with by capital punishment. In REV 2:26-28, capital punishment will be practiced in the Millennium. Wherever people have old sin natures they will continue to commit murder.

The following link is to a good news message describing how one can receive eternal life:
Ticket to Heaven, it was written for anyone not absolutely certain about their eternal future.

Wkly Bible Study for Dial-Up/Broadband, Sept 16, 2013

Principles the Lord has established which guarantee
that the human race will not self-destruct. Part 3

PLEASE READ FIRST

Scripture References, Word & Phrase descriptions: If available on the website you're viewing this on, a few links (i.e., those without an already written scripture quote or brief explanation) are hover pop-up active, meaning the scripture reference will just pop-up if you hover your cursor over it (don’t click on the link, just hover your cursor over it), they work best using the Firefox browser – pop-ups in Internet Explorer, Chrome & other browsers only appear for a few seconds at best. If you don’t have Firefox (or hover pop-ups aren’t available on the website you’re viewing this on), that’s OK, move your cursor off and on the link until it is read; or left click the link which will open the verse at the online bible; or you can always use your Bible to look up the verses.

Prepare yourself for learning the Word of God!

Before we begin, if you are a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ (that is; you have believed [trusted] in Him for His promised gift of eternal life), it is important to prepare yourself to learn God's Word so take a moment to name, cite or acknowledge (confess) your sins privately to God (i.e.; with your thoughts directed only to God the Father).

1 John 1:9 says: "If we confess our sins, He (God) is faithful and just to forgive us our sins (known sins) and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness [unknown or forgotten sins]." NKJV (New King James Version) [italics added]

If you have never personally believed in the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior (that is, believed in Him for eternal life), the issue for you is not to name your sins; the issue for you is to have faith alone in Jesus Christ alone for eternal life:

John 6:47 says: "Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me (Jesus Christ) has everlasting life." NKJV [italics added]

Notice again what Jesus said in John 6:47: "…he who believes in Me (Jesus Christ) has everlasting life." It doesn't say, "will have"; it says, "has." Therefore, the very moment you believe in Jesus Christ for His promise of everlasting life, you have it (it's really just that simple; nothing more and nothing less), and it can never be taken away from you (John 10:28-29). Furthermore, the gift (Ephesians 2:8c) of everlasting life (also called eternal life in scripture) is available to every human being; there are absolutely no exceptions.

John 3:14-18 says: "¹⁴ And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, ¹⁵ that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. ¹⁶ For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. ¹⁷ For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. ¹⁸ He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God." NKJV

Let us now bow our hearts and take a moment to prepare for worship and learning God's Word. If there is any known sin in your life, this is the time to just cite it privately to God the Father with your thoughts directed towards Him. With your head bowed and your eyes closed, you have total privacy in your mind and soul:

Study to show yourself approved to God!

Grace Bible Church
Robert R. McLaughlin Bible Ministries

The Tree of Life is a weekly teaching summary:
God’s Word is Wednesday, Friday and Sunday mornings

STUDY TITLE:

Principles the Lord has established which guarantee
that the human race will not self-destruct. Part 3



OPTION: If you would prefer to go directly to the Grace Bible Church website to read this study message, all verse reference links are active there (but not hover active) and Enlarged Text is also an available option – right click the above link then left click “Open Link in New Window” or “New Tab”

Terms & Abbreviations used:

PPOG = Predesigned Plan of God
Human Good = Evil + Good Deeds while not in fellowship with God
OSN = Old Sin Nature
TLJC = The Lord Jesus Christ
SSE = Spiritual Self Esteem
PVTD = Positive Volition Towards Doctrine
+H - The Happiness of God
NVTD = Negative Volition Towards Doctrine
Doctrine = Bible Truth

To look up other “terms”, go to:

Alphabetical Listing

BEGIN BIBLE STUDY
Unless otherwise noted, all scripture quotes and references
are from the NASB – New American Standard Bible

We are noting the sixth and final principle that the Lord uses which guarantees the continuance of the human race until the end of human history. This final principle deals with the divine division and provision of the different dispensations.

Throughout human history there are different dispensations given for the continuance of human history. We need to understand this subject as it relates to the biblical interpretation of history. These divine divisions of dispensations are periods of time in human history expressed in terms of divine revelation for that period. This means that the inerrancy of the Word of God is the only true source for looking at history, for this is divine viewpoint. There are many interpretations of history, but the only accurate interpretation is from a dispensational viewpoint.

Dispensations are the means that God uses by which believers, living at a specific time in history, can adjust to God's will; God's plan and God's purpose for their lives. This is very important to understand because God's plan is not the same for every dispensation. The key to understanding each dispensation is based upon the courtroom trial of the angelic conflict. The oldest book in the Bible, from the standpoint of writing, is not the book of Genesis, but the book of Job. This book was written long before Moses wrote the first five books in the Bible. The book of Job starts out with a scene in the courtroom of heaven, and the angelic conflict with man being entered into evidence testing.

Human history began in a courtroom, the Garden of Eden, with two individuals Ish and Ishshah (Adam and the woman), being interrogated by Satan (called the serpent in Gen 3). Human history ends in the last book of the Bible with mankind standing in another courtroom, the Supreme Court of Heaven, before the Great White Throne Judgment. Here they are pleading their case before God. They, in effect, have said that during their lifetime that they did not need God, and so God will honor their free will by letting them live forever without Him. Since God is light, and since He won't be there, there will no light where they will live forever. In fact, they will live forever in a place where God will not be, and therefore the following attributes will be missing, and even longed for:

1. The sovereignty of God.
2. The integrity or holiness of God.
3. The love of God.
4. The life and personality of God.
5. The omnipresence of God.
6. The omniscience of God.
7. The omnipotence of God.
8. The faithfulness of God.
9. The happiness of God.
10. The grace of God.

Human history is divided into different phases, and one of the definitions we use to describe those phases is dispensations. The Church-age, the dispensation of the mystery, is what we call the intensified stage of the appeal trial of Satan and the angelic conflict.

“Of this church I was made a minister according to [not the stewardship but the oikonomia or administration] the dispensation from God bestowed on me for your benefit that I might fully carry out the preaching of the word of God, that is the mystery which has been hidden from the past ages and generations; but has now been manifested to his saints, to whom God willed to make known what is the glorious riches of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the confidence of the glory [the indwelling of the Lord Jesus Christ, which only takes place in this dispensation].” (COL 1:25-27)

Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus according to the commandment of God our Savior, and of Christ Jesus, who is our hope; to Timothy, my true child in the faith: Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord. As I urged you upon my departure for Macedonia, remain on at Ephesus, in order that you may instruct certain men not to teach strange doctrines, nor to pay attention to myths and endless genealogies, which give rise to mere speculation rather than furthering the dispensations [not administration] of God which is by faith or literally associated with doctrine. (1TI 1:1-4)

There are six dispensations in history and they fall into three categories:

The first is the Theocentric dispensations which refer to the Old Testament periods of time emphasizing and glorifying God the Father's purpose in the divine provision relating to the angelic conflict. There are two of these:

1. The age of the Gentiles in the Old Testament, from Adam to the Exodus generation, 1441 B.C.

2. The age of the Jew, from 1441 B.C. to the first Advent of Christ, 4-5 B.C.

Secondly, there are Two Christocentric dispensations where the Lord Jesus Christ is the center of the dispensation.

3. The Hypostatic Union, 4-5 B.C. to His death, burial, resurrection, and ascension, 30 A.D.

4. The Church-age, 30 A.D., to the Rapture, which has not yet occurred.

Finally we have Two Eschatological dispensations.

5. The Tribulation, from Rapture to the Second Advent of Christ.

6. The Millennium, from the Second Advent, to the last Judgment.

Those six dispensations are divided into three categories. In each dispensation, there is one member of the Godhead or the Trinity exalted. In the Church-age, the dispensation of the mystery, our role and goal is to become invisible heroes glorifying our Lord Jesus Christ. Our Lord accomplished the strategic victory of the angelic conflict through His salvation ministry on the Cross plus his physical death, burial, resurrection and ascension. The believer accomplishes the tactical victory of the angelic conflict through his advance to spiritual maturity in the PPOG, at this point he becomes an invisible hero. If enough believers grow to spiritual maturity to form a pivot, there will be prosperity where they reside. If believers reject doctrine and do not grow in grace, then Satan dominates using either angelic power, or human power organized for influence and control. The Royal Family of God (RFOG) on earth represents Jesus Christ. In this way, we function as royal ambassadors under the PPOG.

Our Lord will have representation on earth until the Second Advent when the devil's kingdom comes to an end. The application is that Jesus Christ doesn't come down to the earth today to bail you out as He did with believers in the past. You have a portfolio of invisible assets and the PPOG. As RFOG, you do not need Christ present. Even miracles do not compare to your portfolio of invisible assets. In the Old Testament, Jesus Christ was present many times on earth, including His incarnation, which occurred in the dispensation of Israel. In the Millennium He will be on the earth ruling for 1000 years. Today, it is not necessary for our Lord to be here, because the provision for the RFOG is infinitely greater than the grace provision of any other dispensation in history. God's grace provision of the portfolio of invisible assets plus the PPOG in time duplicates the grace provision of eternity past and the angelic conflict. If even one believer in the Church-age fully utilizes this grace provision through metabolized doctrine, the prosecution, the Lord Jesus Christ can use this believer as evidence to prove Satan's appeal invalid. We are the very center of the angelic conflict. All the demon activity, wars, invasions, and violence of the coming Tribulation period is nothing compared to your challenge in the Church-age. The invisible impact of history resides in you; it is dependent upon your routine, your daily perception of doctrine. God is demonstrating during this phase of the Church-age, the dispensation of the mystery, the most important lesson of the prehistoric angelic conflict. As a winner, you demonstrate the validity of the sentence to fallen angels in eternity past.

The Church-age exists to challenge Satan during the absence of Christ from the earth. This is why you have many problems and difficulties in your life (EPH 6:12; 2CO 10:3-4). While Jesus Christ is seated at the right hand of the Father, the Church exists to challenge and to defeat Satan's purposes. Because of the great power experiment of the Church-age, this dispensation is the crossroads of history, the final blow to Satan's power on earth in the spiritual realm. Satan's power on earth will not be broken until the Second Advent of Christ. In the meantime, we live in the most exciting and unusual period of history.

In the angelic conflict, Satan tries to convince people that God is unfair, unjust and a God who is not merciful or gracious. In this dispensation of grace, the dispensation of the mystery, God demonstrates the fallacy of that satanic lie through people who are graced-out. There has never been a time where so much power has been released toward merit less objects for the fulfillment of the plan of God. There's an infinite gap between divine perfection and human imperfection, and grace is the filler. Only the grace of God toward man can fill that gap. You have more opportunity, power, and assets from God to glorify God than any Old Testament Saint had. We are all ordinary believers, but we have the grace and power offered to us to become extraordinary invisible heroes.

Invisible heroes are found in 2CO 6:9 where the apostle Paul says that we are unknown yet well-known. Invisible heroes are the least publicized of heroes. There heroes are not written about in history books. They are usually considered the last, but always remember, the last, one day, will be first! Invisible heroes are born again believers who execute the PPOG, and who recognize that they are a vital part of the angelic conflict. They avoid the distractions of life and religion, especially legalism. They are unknown in terms of human history but are well known in terms of the angelic community who are watching them.

"If indeed you have heard of the dispensation of God's grace which was given to me for you; that by revelation [not by Old Testament scriptures but by revelation] there was made known to me the mystery, as I wrote before in brief. And by referring to this, when you read you can understand my insight into the mystery of Christ, which [mystery] in other generations was not made known to the sons of men, as it has now been revealed to His holy apostles and prophets by means of the Spirit; to be specific, that the Gentiles are fellow heirs and fellow members of the body [meaning that we are in union with Christ], and fellow partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel, of which I was made a minister, according to the gift of God's grace which was given to me according to the working of His power. To me, the very least of all saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles [all of you] the unfathomable [the word means the incomprehensible, mysterious, baffling] riches of Christ, and to bring to light what is the [not administration, the word is oikonomia and it means dispensation] of the mystery which for ages has been hidden in God, who created all things; in order that [here's the purpose or the reason] in order that the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known through the church to the rulers and the authorities in the heavenly places [the elect and fallen angels]. This was in accordance with the eternal purpose which He carried out in Christ Jesus our Lord," (EPH 3:2-11

Bible doctrine is the least publicized of priorities in this world because this is the devil's world. Likewise, invisible heroes are the least publicized of heroes, and the angelic conflict, or trial, is the least publicized of all trials. That which is the least publicized is that which pastors must major in. The entirety of pastor’s message is directed toward that which Satan, the god of this age, is attempting to crush and suppress. That's why you should always pray for communicators of Bible doctrine (EPH 6:18-20). They are charged with the communication of the very message that millions of angelic beings are charged to hide and destroy. The pastor is charged to "Preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction." This is also another reason why your prayers should also consist of praying for those who operate with their time, talent, and treasure, and function in their spiritual gift to support the communication of doctrine.

“For through the grace given to me I say to every man among you not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think; but to think so as to have sound judgment, as God has allotted to each a measure of faith. For just as we have many members in one body and all the members do not have the same function, so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. And since we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, {let each exercise them accordingly}: if prophecy, according to the proportion of his faith; if service, in his serving; or he who teaches, in his teaching; or he who exhorts, in his exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness. Let love be without hypocrisy. Be devoted to one another in brotherly love; give preference to one another in honor;” (ROM 12:3-10)

That there should be no division in the body, but {that} the members should have the same care for one another. (1CO 12:25)

Therefore encourage one another, and build up one another, just as you also are doing. (1TH 5:11)

This happens when believers understand that they are a part of the most intensified stage of the angelic conflict and that they have a divine calling on their lives and therefore, they should be a part of building up one another not destroying and distracting one another.

For God, who said, "Light shall shine out of darkness," is the One who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ. But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the surpassing greatness of the power may be of God and not from ourselves; we are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not despairing; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying about in the body the dying of Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body. For we who live are constantly being delivered over to death for Jesus' sake, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh. So death works in us, but life in you. (2CO 4:6-12)

Paul's life report, and life support, is recorded in 2CO 11:23-33. He said, “I've worked much harder than most, been jailed more often, beaten up more times than I can count, at death's door time after time. I've been scourged by he Jews' with thirty-nine lashes, stoned to death with rocks once. I've been shipwrecked three times, immersed in the open sea for a night and a day. I was exposed to danger from rivers, danger from bandits, threats from my own government and nation, threats from the Gentiles and other people, dangers in the city, and desert places, dangers in the sea, dangers from those posing as believers, accusations from those who think that have doctrine but are really destitute of Christian doctrine and knowledge; struggle with friends and enemies, endangered by desert sun and sea storm, betrayed by those I thought were my brothers.”

“Likewise, in no way be intimidated by your enemies, which to them [this intimidation] is a manifestation of destructive ways [toward you] but with reference to you, [these destructive ways] are an opportunity for divine deliverance, in fact, this [deliverance] is from the source of God. [here's the reason why] to you it has been graciously given with reference concerning Christ, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer on behalf of Him,” (PHI 1:28-29)

Today the kingdom of darkness is succeeding in blinding arrogant young men. Unfortunately, in this generation (not dispensation), even arrogant females, who willfully disobey the apostle Paul when he commanded: “Let a woman quietly receive instruction with entire submissiveness. But I do not allow a woman to teach or exercise authority over a man, but to remain quiet” (1TI 2:11-12). The kingdom of darkness is succeeding in blinding these individuals who are more interested in getting numbers and huge crowds with their dog and pony show than to teach. The kingdom of darkness is also succeeding in the life of believers who become distracted by the details of life, and waste hundreds of hours considering nonsensical things in life. They then try to squeeze in a minute or two of devotion for the day.

Paul refers to this when he says, “Therefore I ask you not to lose heart at my tribulations on your behalf, for they are your glory.” (EPH 3:13). Paul is saying do not grow weary because of the adversities that I must face, because they are in honor of you, they are for the purpose of your glory. This is why so many things happened to Paul in terms of adversity. He was committed with the message that meant the undoing of the god of this age, the unraveling of the whole cosmic system, and Satan's appeal trial. Paul realized that he was in God's plan for the Church-age, the dispensation of the mystery. Paul taught that long before God laid down the foundations of the earth, God had us in mind, and had chosen us as the special focus of the Church-age, the dispensation of the mystery (EPH 1:4).

Paul also taught that long ago God decided to adopt us into His family through our Lord Jesus Christ, and He also took tremendous pleasure in doing so (EPH 1:5). God wanted us to enter into the celebration of His grace and His lavish gifts, given by the hand of His beloved Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, who freed the justice of God to bless the righteousness of God in us all. This all began because of the sacrifice that our Lord Jesus Christ made upon the Cross.

The following link is to a good news message describing how one can receive eternal life:
Ticket to Heaven, it was written for anyone not absolutely certain about their eternal future.