Weekly Bible Study – August 27, 2018; Study: Doctrine of Dispensations. The Dispensation of Promise. Part 3.

Doctrine of Dispensations.
The Dispensation of Promise. Part 3.

Scripture References, Word & Phrase descriptions: the “Logos Reftagger” scripture links 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), when finished reading, hover your cursor off the scripture reference link. If the Reftagger pop-up doesn’t show all the verses, left click on the “More” button in the Reftagger pop-up window and it will take you to the online bible. If RefTagger pop-ups don’t work on your computer, that’s OK, try left clicking the link if it’s highlighted which should open a window with all the verses at the Biblia.com website; or if that doesn’t work, you can always use your Bible to look up the verses. Word or Phrase definition links may not have a website that opens. If you are running PCMatic, the pop-ups may not work; if that’s the case, email PC Matic Support to see if they can fix that problem for you.

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]; we call this REBOUND, read the full doctrine as to “why” we need to use 1 John 1:9 to grow spiritually. REBOUND

If you have never personally believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, that He is the Son of God, the promised Messiah, 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 simply exercise faith alone in Jesus Christ alone for eternal life; when you do, you will instantly receive Eternal Life: John 3:16, 5:24, 6:47, 20:30, 31.

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 3:14-15, 16, 17, 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 McLaughlin Bible Ministries

Doctrinal Statement

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

Alphabetical Listing of Terms & Abbreviations used:

STUDY TITLE:

Doctrine of Dispensations.
The Dispensation of Promise. Part 3.

So far in our chart of the dispensation of promise we have covered the following: Dispensation = Promise Opening Event = God calls Abraham and gives him promises — Gen 12:1-7; 13:14-17; 15:5;

We have noted that the main doctrinal principle behind the Dispensation called Promise is the Abrahamic Covenant which has a two-fold aspect attached to it.

1. The Abrahamic Covenant is based upon God’s promises to Abraham concerning the creation of the Jewish race and the real estate that the Jews would possess someday as the citizens of the first and last client nation in history. This is the natural part of the promises concerning the Jews and the nation of Israel and the land they will possess someday forever.

2. However, the Abrahamic Covenant also has a spiritual aspect to it that is for all born-again Jews and born-again Gentiles.

Therefore, the Abrahamic Covenant the promises of God in the natural realm and also the promise of God in the spiritual realm. Therefore, the Abrahamic covenant or the Dispensation of Promises deals with the new racial species (the Jews) and the new spiritual species, made up of born again Jews and Gentiles throughout the different dispensations. In fact, the apostle Paul makes these distinctions in the New Testament.

For example, in Gal 3:6-9, Even so Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness. Therefore, be sure that it is those who are of faith who are sons of Abraham. And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, “All the nations shall be blessed in you.” So then those who are of faith are blessed with Abraham, the believer.

This passage clearly states that the gentiles, basically all of us, have a share in the inheritance of Abraham…not the land inheritance but the spiritual blessings promised to Abraham. Therefore, the Abrahamic covenant taught in the dispensation of promise and be summed up from Gen 12–Gen 22 as follows. 1. The promise of a national land, Gen 12:1; 13:14-15; 13:17. 2 The promise of both national and universal redemption, Gen 12:3; 22:18; Gal 3:16.

For example in Gal 3:16, Now the promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. He does not say, “And to seeds,” as referring to many, but rather to one, “And to your seed,” that is, Christ.

If the promises were given to Abraham and his seed and if we are in union with the seed (the Lord), then we share in the blessings that the seed (the Lord) would receive. And this is why Paul says what he does in Gal 3:26-29, For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise.

So again the promises of the Abrahamic covenant are:

1. The promise of a national land.

2 The promise of both national and universal redemption.

3. A great nation should come from him, Gen 12:2.

4. Abraham’s name shall be great, Gen 12:2.

5. He should be a blessing so great that in him shall all families of the earth be blessed, Gen 12:3.

6. To him personally and to his seed (not the church, but the Jews) should be given Palestine forever to inherit, Gen 13:14-17.

7. The multitude of his seed should be as the dust of the earth, Gen 13:16.

8. That whosever blessed him should be blessed and whosever cursed him should be cursed, Gen 12:3.

9. He should be the father of many nations, Gen 17:4.

10. Kings should proceed from him, Gen 17:6.

11. The covenant shall be perpetual “an everlasting covenant”, Gen 17:7.

12. The land of Canaan shall be “an everlasting possession”,

Now, if we needed to analyze these particulars in another study, we would see that certain individual promises were given to Abraham, certain national promises were given to Israel, certain promises were given to nations that Abraham would become associated with. Now, the Bible teaches that Christians and the regenerate Jews are God’s people. That’s not what the Muslim Bible says. That’s not what the Islamic religion says. That’s not what the Arab’s holy book says.

Mohammed says in the Hadith, the Bible that he wrote that “Allah hath commanded me to fight against the Christians, the Jews, and the pagans until they submit to Islam or be killed.” The Bible, the word of God says that Abraham believed in Jehovah Elohim, The Qur’an says that he believed in Allah, the moon-God. You choose what you want to believe! Do you want to believe the Qur’an which dropped out of the sky on a stone tablet written by Allah, the moon God, who disagrees with the Bible? Or do you want to believe — Heb 4:12; 2Ti 3:16-17?

Now, like every “great believer” in the Bible, or rather “grace believer” in the Bible, we now come to a period in the life of Abraham where he totally failed. Remember, our chart once again. Z Dispensation = Promise Opening Event = God calls Abraham and gives him promises — Gen 12:1-7; 13:14-17; 15:5; Repeats these promises to Isaac and Jacob — Gen 26:1-5; 28:10-15. Man’s Responsibility = Believe and obey – Gen 15:6; Rom 4:3.

Abraham passed the “believe and obey part” of the dispensation of promise concerning his salvation, Gen 15:6, but he had some problems after that when it came to trusting God to provide him a seed through Sarah. His failure began in Gen 12 with two major sins, fear and lying.

Gen 12:1-4, Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go forth from your country, And from your relatives And from your father’s house, To the land which I will show you; And I will make you a great nation, And I will bless you, And make your name great; And so you shall be a blessing; And I will bless those who bless you, And the one who curses you I will curse. And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed. So Abram went forth as the Lord had spoken to him; and Lot went with him. Now Abram was seventy five years old when he departed from Haran.

Here is Abram finally obeying the order from God. And there’s a very important principle here which is the fact that whenever God gives you an order through the word of God, you should follow through on it immediately. The longer you prolong obedience, the more complicated your life becomes until you finally reach the point where you realize that life is too short to disobey God. And the common sense principle behind this is that God is smarter than us and He knows best. In fact, every time we do things His way, it always turns out better for us.

When life seems to become confused and complicated, it’s because we have done it to ourselves with our own ideas, talents, abilities, and whatever it is that you had to intrude upon the plan of God.

1Co 14:33, for God is not a God of confusion but of peace,

Therefore, the more time you stay out of God’s will, the more time you waste and delay your blessings. Abram has been delaying the blessing of Isaac and he’s not going to get Isaac until he’s a hundred because of all of this fooling around. He can’t stay in God’s will long enough. Now, there are also four geographical locations that illustrate the principle of geographical instability. The first then is Ur, Ur represents separation from glamour. Ur was the glamour city of Abram’s time. It represents separation from glamour and all the human advantages of life.

600 miles north up the Euphrates river we have Haran, the trade center between Syria and Egypt, and it represents the dried spiritual life. It represents separation from the idolatrous place of Ur but not enough separation. It represents going in the right direction but making a wrong turn into the dried up spiritual life.

The third area is Canaan which represents the place of blessing, the place of positive volition, and the place of spiritual advance and blessing.

Then there is the Negev, Abraham will break camp and we will see him going south from Canaan into the Negev which represents not rejection of doctrine but neglect of doctrine.

The key to the Negev is neglect. And we have our own Negev citizens throughout the ministry. Negev represents neglect of doctrine, apathy, indifference, once interested but now starting to get sloppy in your daily attendance to Bible class. And then after he was in the Negev a while he went on down to Egypt and Egypt is the place of rejection of doctrine.

So there is first of all neglect of doctrine and neglect leads to rejection. We will see that to neglect the word is to reject the word but the neglect comes first. First comes the Negev (neglect) and then comes Egypt (reject). And by the way, both came after Canaan, the land of promise. And for us it is a picture of individuals getting into doctrine and then falling away. The point is that after Abram was saved, every time you turn around you find Abram stumbling around.

So in Gen 12:4, So Abram went forth as the Lord had spoken to him;


However, remember why this obedience occurred, Acts 7:4, “Then he departed from the land of the Chaldeans, and settled in Haran. And from there, after his father died, God removed him into this country in which you are now living.

Notice that Abram did not separate from his father Terah, but God removed him. Abram refused to obey and God did something about it. Just as God has a plan for your life and sometimes if you refuse to obey it, he will do something about it. In grace, He will bring a shock into your life, perhaps even the death of a loved one.

Something that will at least give you another chance to turn around. And if you don’t turn around, in some cases, you even die!

Death broke the shackles which bound Abram to Terah his father and to Haran the dried up place.

Gen 12:4, So Abram went forth as the Lord had spoken to him; and Lot went with him.

Now, there is also another separation that must occur before spiritual advance can become a reality. And that is from Lot because of the evil influence of Lot’s wife. Lot is under the control of his wife and is ruled by his wife and she is used by the kingdom of darkness to hinder Abram’s spiritual growth. In fact, Lot wound up committing incest with his daughters in a cave and as a result of the incest we have two Arab groups called Moab and Ammon who have been antagonistic to Israel since the day they came into existence.

And That’s what happens when you get hen-pecked. And his wife was removed by God as well!

God graciously helps the believer in areas of personal blindness through the events of history.

No believer reaches maturity and super-grace blessing without those events which separate us from loved ones and ones that we might consider more important than Bible doctrine, and those who are negative toward doctrine.

And this is the principle of going forward and gaining ground and not losing ground and therefore standing firm against the satanic attacks designed to hinder your spiritual growth.

Eph 6:11, Put on the full armor of God, that you may be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil.

Eph 6:13-14, Therefore, take up the full armor of God, that you may be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. Stand firm therefore, having girded your loins with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness,

1Co 16:13, Be on the alert, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong.

2Th 2:15, So then, brethren, stand firm and hold to the doctrine which you were taught, whether by word {of mouth} or by letter from us.

The believer who stands firm in the angelic conflict and spiritual warfare will continue his momentum inside the PPOG. He is designed to be a crisis personality and he is prepared to be by continued momentum. And by a crisis personality, I mean one emerges as a winner in time of pressure.

The believer who stands firm in the angelic conflict and spiritual warfare must have a personal sense of destiny. This is why he is to hold his ground, because the ground which he has been gaining is part of him fulfilling his personal sense of destiny.

The believer who stands firm in the angelic conflict and spiritual warfare must have control of his life in normal times so that he will have control of his life under pressure. When you are under some sought of pressure and your schedule and your priorities do not change, that is normally a sign of spiritual growth (repeat).

The believer who stands firm in the angelic conflict and spiritual warfare must make good decisions from a position of strength. And if he does so under normal circumstances, he will do so in time of pressure and disaster.

The believer who stands firm in the angelic conflict and spiritual warfare must possess right priorities. These right priorities must come from his perception of doctrine.

The believer who stands firm in the angelic conflict and spiritual warfare functions under honor, integrity, and virtue when under pressure. Being oriented to the plan of God is what produces this in a pressure situation.

Right priorities are not developed in the crisis. Right priorities must be developed before the crisis. This means persistence and consistency in the perception and application of Bible doctrine. Therefore, the believer who stands firm in the angelic conflict and spiritual warfare is spiritually prepared for disaster. Nothing greater exists than this.

Sometimes, the pattern of the believer who stands firm in the angelic conflict and spiritual warfare is low profile during normal times, but it emerges from obscurity to standing in the gap during the crisis. This is true of some of the greatest crisis personalities in history. Only the crisis brought out their tremendous ability to lead, to solve, and to handle the situation. In fact, the Bible teaches that this sought of thing must even take place in the local assembly, in 1Co 11:19.

1Co 11:19, For there must also be heresies among you, in order that those who are approved may have become evident among you.

And the word “approved” is a very interesting. “Approved” is the noun daimio which means to be tested and approved, to pass with integrity. As the Lord Jesus Christ said in Matt 18:7, For it is inevitable that stumbling blocks come; but woe to that man through whom stumbling block comes! In fact, the Bible even teaches that the Lord will allow false teaching and false doctrine to come in and test His people, Speaking of false teachers and false doctrine Moses said in Deut 13:3, For the Lord your God is testing you to find out if you love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul.

Now, for a short time, in Gen 12:4-8, we finally have Abram in Canaan, the promise land.

Gen 12:4, So Abram went forth as the Lord had spoken to him; and Lot went with him.

Lot will feed the human viewpoint of Abram because that’s all that he gets from his wife who runs him. You see, Lot’s wife teaches Lot her viewpoint or her doctrine many times during the day. Lot was an inculcated hen-pecked husband. Lot’s wife complained a lot about Lot because Abram always had a lot more than Lot. She was a very vindictive, arrogant, petty, jealous, implacable woman. And she constantly nagged Lot about the fact that Abram always got the best out of all the business deals. She was a feminist but not feminine…...and there’s a tremendous difference.

She was a beautiful woman but like so many beautiful women, their beauty causes them to become arrogant and think more highly of themselves than what they ought to. And so Abram gets out of his reversionism by leaving Haran, however he does not separate from the reversionist, Lot. And this will bring Abram from Canaan to Egypt. He finally got in the Lord’s will, Canaan, but then because of Lot and some other things, he winds up in reversionism once again.

He goes from Haran type reversionism to Egypt type reversionism or from the dried up spiritual life back into the devil’s world or literally the kingdom of darkness. Do you realize that every time you go to the world for life that you are going to the kingdom of darkness!

So Abram got back with doctrine but he didn’t persist. Once you get back into doctrine, you must never quit, every time you quit, you’re in trouble. Lot will feed Abram’s human viewpoint! He will distract Abram. He will ambush Abram. He will cause Abram to rationalize! Therefore a principle emerges-No believer can continue to enjoy or to have fellowship or to socialize with a reversionist without getting reversionism on him. In other words, reversionism rubs off!

Gen 12:4, So Abram went forth as the Lord had spoken to him; and Lot went with him. Now Abram was seventy five years old when he departed from Haran.

He has 100 more years because he’s going to die at age 175. So, Abram finally came to geographical obedience but not personnel obedience. And the application is that you must be in the right geographical location and make daily decisions to perceive, metabolize, and apply Bible doctrine to your life. And this means strict academic discipline under whomever is your right pastor-teacher because apart from that, you can’t advance.

And the strict academic discipline is the fact that if you can’t be face to face then you should have the discipline to take doctrine in daily some other way. And let me close with something I was asked to repeat again.

1Pe 5:1-3, Therefore, I exhort the elders among you, as your fellow elder and witness of the sufferings of Christ, and a partaker also of the glory that is to be revealed, shepherd the flock of God among you, exercising oversight not under compulsion, but voluntarily, according to the will of God; and not for sordid gain, but with eagerness; nor yet as lording it over those allotted to your charge, but proving to be examples to the flock.

Acts 20:28, “Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood.”

One of the first principles of the will of God is to get under your right pastor whoever he is and stay there and never let a day go by one way or another without taking in Bible doctrine. The Lord said, you take in food every day, it’s much more important to take in doctrine.

When John was banished to the Island of Patmos by Nero, he penned the book of Revelation, which is a series of non-face-to-face messages delivered to seven churches on a regular basis; i.e., to Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea. Paul’s epistle to the Colossians was non-face-to-face teaching of those believers the apostle had never met. Yet from the beginning of the Church Age, there was a tremendous amount of non face to face teaching, illustrated by the epistles of the New Testament. They were written to churches out of sight of the apostle or pastor, in addition of a number of other non canonical epistles. Paul preached to at least a dozen churches through writing, the only technology for that time.

Epaphras was the founder and pastor of a local church at Colossae, according to Col 1:7, 4:12. However according to Philem 23, Epaphras was serving with Paul in Rome during Paul’s first imprisonment. This resulted in Paul ministering to the Colossian Church through non-face-to-face written messages during Ephaphras’ absence. The epistle to the Colossians is only one of a series of messages sent to them by Paul. Epaphroditus may or may not have been the pastor at Philippi, but when he carried the Philippian epistle from Paul to that group of believers, he carried a series of non-face-to-face messages.

While the apostle John was teaching face-to-face in Ephesus, he was at the same time teaching at least two other groups in a non-face-to-face manner. One such group was centered around an elect lady in 2 John; another group was centered around a man named Gaius in 3 John.

Gen 12:4, So Abram went forth as the Lord had spoken to him; and Lot went with him. Now Abram was seventy five years old when he departed from Haran.

In verse 5, we are told what Abram took to Canaan.

Gen 12:5, And Abram took Sarai his wife and Lot his nephew,

Now, in bringing along his wife and his nephew, he is bringing along two believers, both are born again and both will be distractions in different times as well as testing. But that’s the way life is. Those that we actually love the most and those that we are closest to often become the greatest testing at some point in our spiritual advance. People who are around people are going to be tested by people. And you might put down in your notes, no one passes all the time. And anyone who passes all the time is perfect and really isn’t a person at all, it’s really God in disguise. The only perfection that exists is among the members of the Godhead. And we are learning that in our series on invisible hero-ship!

So obviously then, people are going to be a testing to people. And one nice thing, when you pass the people test with people, those people often come to love and appreciate you more than anyone ever could! For example, Sarai is a nag, but Sarai is never going to go from nag to hag as most nags do….she will go from nag to a virtuous woman! And so, the passing of a test by Abram with her will certainly improve her.

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 – August 26, 2018; Sermon: Dispensation of the Mosaic Law. The Fifth Commandment; Honor Your Father and Mother: Respect for Authority.

EMBEDDED VIDEO SERMON in HD – NOTES
Dispensation of the Mosaic Law. The Fifth Commandment;
Honor Your Father and Mother: Respect for Authority.

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

Hymn #1

Hymn #2

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 or participating in a Communion Service, so take a moment to name, cite or acknowledge your sins privately directly to God the Father. This will assure that you are in fellowship with God the Father and the Holy Spirit’s convicting ministry, also called the convincing ministry will then be able to teach you as the Holy Spirit is the real teacher and the pastor’s message is the vehicle the Holy Spirit uses to convince you what you are learning is true or not.

1 John 1:9 says—“If we confess [simply name, cite or acknowledge to God the Father] our sins [known sins], He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins [known sins] and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness [all unknown and forgotten sins];” NKJV (New King James Version); we call this REBOUND, read the full doctrine as to “why” we need to use 1 John 1:9 to grow spiritually. REBOUND

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 to God; the issue for you is to believe by faith alone in Jesus Christ alone for eternal life and you will be saved the very second you believe in Him:

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

Weekly Bible Study – August 20, 2018; Study: Doctrine of Dispensations. The Dispensation of Promise. True freedom found in the promises of God.

Doctrine of Dispensations.
The Dispensation of Promise.
True freedom found in the promises of God.

Scripture References, Word & Phrase descriptions: the “Logos Reftagger” scripture links 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), when finished reading, hover your cursor off the scripture reference link. If the Reftagger pop-up doesn’t show all the verses, left click on the “More” button in the Reftagger pop-up window and it will take you to the online bible. If RefTagger pop-ups don’t work on your computer, that’s OK, try left clicking the link if it’s highlighted which should open a window with all the verses at the Biblia.com website; or if that doesn’t work, you can always use your Bible to look up the verses. Word or Phrase definition links may not have a website that opens. If you are running PCMatic, the pop-ups may not work; if that’s the case, email PC Matic Support to see if they can fix that problem for you.

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]; we call this REBOUND, read the full doctrine as to “why” we need to use 1 John 1:9 to grow spiritually. REBOUND

If you have never personally believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, that He is the Son of God, the promised Messiah, 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 simply exercise faith alone in Jesus Christ alone for eternal life; when you do, you will instantly receive Eternal Life: John 3:16, 5:24, 6:47, 20:30, 31.

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 3:14-15, 16, 17, 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 McLaughlin Bible Ministries

Doctrinal Statement

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

Alphabetical Listing of Terms & Abbreviations used:

STUDY TITLE:

Doctrine of Dispensations.
The Dispensation of Promise.
True freedom found in the promises of God.

We have begun to look at the life of Abraham and the important aspects related to our next dispensation, the Dispensation of promise. This is very interesting because Abraham was born and raised at a place called the Ur of The Chaldees. Ur of the Chaldees was a very well popular place in the ancient world because it was known as the center of worshipper of the moon God, who was called by many Allah. And this being Independence Day, this fourth of July, this day is really identified by one word – “Freedom” where we have the right of free speech.

Freedom of course is major principle in the Christian way of life. Freedom includes authority. Remember the important principle that freedom without authority is anarchy and authority without freedom is tyranny. If people are free but don’t respect authority is leads to anarchy which is lawlessness and rebellion, and so there may be freedom but it is out of control. On the other hand, if you have authority but do not have freedom then you have tyranny which is oppression, cruelty and dictatorship.

The key is to have balance which is what our nation was founded upon. Prov 11:1. A false balance is an abomination to the Lord, But a just weight is His delight. The key to our nation’s greatness in freedom began in the beginning of the birth of this great nation because it was based passages found in the word of God. For example, Psa 119:45, “And I will seek freedom, for I seek Your doctrines, O God.” John 8:32, “and you shall know the doctrine, and the doctrine [truth] shall make you free.” Or, look at Gal 5:1, It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery. And then there’s the balance in Gal 5:13, For you were called to freedom, brethren; only do not turn your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.

So, the great issue and blessings that we should be celebrating today is our freedom. Just as freedom is the heritage of physical birth, so spiritual freedom is the heritage of the new birth or regeneration.

2Co 3:17-18, “Now the Lord is the Spirit [God the Holy Spirit is deity], and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. But we all, with an unveiled face looking into a mirror to produce a reflection of the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into that same image from glory to glory, as it were from the Spirit of the Lord.”

Notice how important it is to see the relationship between true natural and spiritual freedom with the word of God. Without God’s word, there is really no true freedom. This is what Abraham had to learn and why he had to separate from moon-god worship which violates true freedom. For when you have teachings that violate other people’s freedom, you have bondage, guilt and condemnation. One of the major principles that we should celebrate and major characteristics of true freedom is that we are free to say what we believe without fear of retaliation.

And as I mentioned on Friday evening, when you have verses that teach lies like it is godly or to:

The teachings of the moon-god or Allah or the Muslim religion today is based upon destroying the promises that God made to the Jews beginning with His promises to Abraham. Ever since God promised that He would send the Messiah into the world, in Gen 3:15, when He said And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed [Satan’s seed is represented by the Adamic nature, John 8:44] and (I will put enmity between) her seed; a reference to the Lord at the point of his incarnation or the virgin birth He (the seed of the woman) shall bruise you on the head literally crush the head of Satan (i.e., operation footstool) And you [Satan] shall bruise him on the heel, a reference to the Cross. Ever since this promise was given to mankind, Satan tried to destroy the Lord Jesus Christ and now is trying to destroy one of His royal families.

Remember that Jesus Christ has three royal titles or three royal families. His first royal title is “Son of God.” The members of His royal family are God the Father and God the Holy Spirit with whom He has eternal and infinite coexistence, Satan tried to destroy that Royal title and that Royal family in Eze 28:15, Isa 14:12-14. And of course he failed.

Then because of the virgin birth, our Lord was born Jewish royalty. The virgin birth introduced the humanity of Christ into the world, at which point Jesus Christ became Jewish royalty. Therefore, His second royal title is “Son of David,” and His royal family is the dynasty or the house of David. As Jewish royalty, our Lord will fulfill the Davidic covenant or the promises that He made to David at the Second Advent. The Davidic Covenant says that the seed of the woman, the humanity of Christ, will descend from the tribe of Judah through the family of David, 2Sa 7:8-17; Psa 89:20-37, and that He would rule upon the throne of Jerusalem. Just like Satan tried to destroy our Lord’s first Royal title and first Royal family, he is trying to do that today.

Then By virtue of His strategic victory on the Cross, our Lord received His third royal title: “King of kings, Lord of lords, the Bright Morning Star.” Rev 19:12-16. Therefore, a third royal family had to be formed. So, God the Father interrupted the dispensation of Israel and inserted the Church-age for the calling out (formation, election) of a royal family to accompany our Lord’s third royal title. Satan still tries to destroy this royal family but even he must realize now that that is a lost cause…..though he does succeed at times in causing division but as our Lord’s word teaches — Gen 50:20; Deut 23:5; Isa 54:17, and 1Co 11:19, “For there must also be factions among you, in order that those who are approved may have become evident among you.”

Luke 17:1, And He said to His disciples, “It is inevitable that stumbling blocks should come, but woe to him through whom they come!

Speaking to pastors the apostle Paul warns us in Acts 20:30 and from among your own selves men will arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after them.” In Gal 5:19-20, Paul writes, Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, and things like these, of which I forewarn you just as I have forewarned you that those who practice such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.

Tit 3:10-11, Reject a factious [divisive] man after a first and second warning, knowing that such a man is perverted and is sinning, being self condemned.

2Co 13:5-8, Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you unless indeed you fail the test? But I trust that you will realize that we ourselves do not fail the test. Now we pray to God that you do no wrong; not that we ourselves may appear approved, but that you may do what is right, even though we should appear unapproved. For we can do nothing against the truth, but only for the truth.

The Church has been around for almost 2,000 years and already has enough winner believers in this dispensation throughout the ages to add another nail to the coffin of Satan and the fallen angels in the historical phase of the angelic conflict.

Therefore, Satan has only one royal title and one royal family to try and destroy our Lord’s second royal title, “Son of David,” and His royal family, the dynasty of David, true Israel. Satan failed and will fail in this objective. Now, remember that the first satanic attack on Christ becoming true humanity was when Cain murdered Abel in Gen 4, which was a satanic attack on Adam’s seed. It was an attack on the first promise given to Adam after he sinned. The promise was the fact that God the Father would provide the Savior from Adam’s seed, who would come through the woman as the child-bearer. Again the importance of knowing your enemy.

In Gen 4:8, Abel didn’t realize that Cain had been motivated by Satan to kill him, And it came about when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother and killed him. So, in that first generation, Satan inspired Cain to murder Abel, a believer. However, in Gen 4:25, the line continued on through Seth, Satan realized that murder wouldn’t work to cut off the line.

Gen 4:25, And Adam had relations [sex] with his wife again; and she gave birth to a son, and named him Seth, for, she said, “God has appointed me another offspring in place of Abel; for Cain killed him.”

Now, Satan began to see that because the human race was just getting started you can’t use murder to cut off the line…not at this time. And therefore because Satan has millions of angels under his command, Rev 5:11, 12:4, certain ones were delegated to frustrate the possibility of the Lord Jesus ever becoming true humanity to fulfill this prophecy. So he said, what we need to do is to destroy true humanity. Therefore, in an attempt to destroy all true humanity, fallen angels invaded earth and copulated with females, producing half-angel half-human beings, documented in Gen 6:1-6.

Satan was hoping that that would wipe out the promise of Jesus Christ coming into the world as true humanity. However, because of Noah and his family, that satanic attack was also frustrated because on the ark was Noah’s son Shem, and in Luke 3:36, our Lord would descend from the line of Shem. What does all of this have to do with the satanic deception behind the attacks upon America? It has to do with Israel and the Jews because since the Jews are a part of the center of the angelic conflict, there is great Satanic motivation and opposition against the Jews, not only in the Middle East, but scattered throughout the world.

So, it’s important to “know” who our enemy really is. And by the way it is not only the Arabs or the Muslims or the those involved in Islam, that are ones causing all the problems, 1Pe 5:8, Your adversary, the devil, who prowls about like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.

Now, in the Qur’an, instead of having, Eph, Col, Phil, Phi, or the Gospels every one of their chapters is called Surah, so when I quote a verse called Surah, I am quoting a chapter in the Qur’an of which there are a total of 114 chapters. Now, without you thinking I am being judgmental, how much clearer you get when in their own Bible, the Muslims say in Surah 5:51, O ye who believe! take not the Jews and the Christians for your friends and protectors: They are but friends and protectors to each other. And he amongst you that turns to them (for friendship) is of them. Verily Allah guideth not a people unjust.

In Surah 2:111, Any who say: “None shall enter Paradise unless he be a Jew or a Christian.” Those are their (vain) desires.

How else can you interpret that?

In Surah 2:113, The Jews say: “The Christians have naught (to stand) upon; and the Christians say: “The Jews have naught (To stand) upon.” Yet they (Profess to) study the (same) Book. Like unto their word is what those say who know not; but Allah will judge between them in their quarrel on the Day of Judgment.

Surah 2:120, Never will the Jews or the Christians be satisfied with thee unless thou follow their form of religion. Say: “The Guidance of Allah, -that is the (only) Guidance.” Wert thou to follow their desires after the knowledge which hath reached thee, then wouldst thou find neither Protector nor helper against Allah.

Surah 2:135, They say: “Become Jews or Christians if ye would be guided (To salvation).” Say thou: “Nay! (I would rather) the Religion of Abraham the True one, who followed Allah.”

Surah 2:140, Or do ye say that Abraham, Isma’il, Isaac, Jacob and the Tribes were Jews or Christians? Say: Do ye know better than Allah. Ah! who is more unjust than those who conceal the testimony they have from Allah. but Allah is not unmindful of what ye do!

Over and over again, we see the lies coming from the moon god.

In Surah 8:12 we read, “I am with you: give firmness to the Believers: I will instill terror into the hearts of the Unbelievers: smite ye above their necks and smite all their finger-tips off them.”


Surah 8:39, And fight them on until there is no more tumult or oppression, and there prevail justice and faith in Allah altogether and everywhere; but if they cease, verily Allah doth see all that they do.

Notice the violence that is condoned with no dispensational divisions, so to them it’s all ONE dispensation or one period of time where these things are always commanded.

Surah 8:65. O Messenger. rouse the Believers to the fight. If there are twenty amongst you, patient and persevering, they will vanquish two hundred: if a hundred, they will vanquish a thousand of the Unbelievers: for these are a people without understanding.

Surah 9:5. Fight and slay the Pagans wherever ye find them and seize them, beleaguer them, and lie in wait for them in every stratagem (of war);

Surah 9:20. Those who believe, and suffer exile and strive with might and main, in Allah’s cause, with their goods and their persons, have the highest rank in the sight of Allah. they are the people who will achieve (salvation).

Surah 9:41. Go ye forth, (whether equipped) lightly or heavily, and strive and struggle, with your goods and your persons, in the cause of Allah. That is best for you, if ye (but) knew.

Surah 9:73. O Prophet! strive hard against the unbelievers and the Hypocrites, and be firm against them. Their abode is Hell,- an evil refuge indeed.

Now those are just some examples of the lies that are portrayed by those who follow the Qur’an which is based up the moon god of the Ur of the Chaldees that God had to separate Abraham from. Both the Koran and the Hadith (commentary to the Qur’an) promote lying, taking false oaths or breaking treaties and promises all in the name of Allah. Look at a passage that reminds us of how free we are both naturally and spiritually. John 8:31-44, Jesus therefore was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, “If you abide in My word, {then} you are truly disciples of Mine; and you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” They answered Him, “We are Abraham’s offspring, and have never yet been enslaved to anyone [that’s lie, they were enslaved to Rome at the time;] how is it that You say, ‘You shall become free’?” Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is the slave of sin. And the slave does not remain in the house forever; the son does remain forever. If therefore the Son shall make you free, you shall be free indeed. I know that you are Abraham’s offspring [Jews]; yet you seek to kill Me, because My word or doctrine has no place in you. I speak the things which I have seen with {My} Father; therefore you also do the things which you heard from {your} father —that is the devil.” They answered and said to Him, “Abraham is our father.” Jesus said to them, “If you are Abraham’s children, do the deeds of Abraham. But as it is, you are seeking to kill Me, a man who has told you the truth, which I heard from God; this Abraham did not do – that is not like our Lord did it. You are doing the deeds of your father.” They said to Him, “We were not born of fornication [the virgin birth]; we have one Father, {even} God.” Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love Me; for I proceeded forth and have come from God, for I have not even come on My own initiative, but He sent Me. Why do you not understand what I am saying? {It is} because you cannot hear My word. You are of {your} father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own {nature;} for he is a liar, and the father of lies.”

Note in John 8:44, Satan was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own {nature;} for he is a liar, and the father of lies. He deceives the whole world, 1Jo 5:19, Rev 12:9. Now, while the devout Muslim believes with all of his heart that the rituals and doctrines of Islam are entirely heavenly in origin and cannot have any earthly sources, Middle East scholars have demonstrated beyond all doubt that every ritual and belief in Islam can be traced back to pre-Islamic Arabian culture. In other words Muhammad did not preach anything new.

Everything he taught had been believed and practiced in Arabia long before he was ever born. However, even many of the sincere Muslims do not really know what their Koran teaches. If you have any prejudice don’t take it out on the Arab race, especially in this country, but again realize where the true battle lies. Know your enemy. Islam is still one of the fastest growing religions today. There are more Muslims than Jews in North America. Now, you have heard it said that the Muslim religion is a peaceful religion or a religion of peace.

Where does it say that in their Koran? In fact, notice what it says concerning violence. Violence is commanded in the Quran for it says in the Surah 9:5: “Fight and slay the pagans (infidels) wherever ye find them, and seize them, beleaguer them, and lie in wait for them in every stratagem of war.”.

What about is Islam or Allah or the Muslim religion is resisted? “The punishment of those who wage war against Allah or his apostle and strive to make mischief in the land is only this, that they should be murdered or crucified or the cutting off of hands and feet from the opposite sides, or exile from the land.” Surah 5:33.

In the Al Tawbah which is a Muslim commentary on the Koran it says in the section called “The Repentance:” “Prophet, make war on unbelievers and hypocrites, and deal rigorously with them.” Surah 9:73.

“Let not the unbelievers think they will ever get away… strike terror into the enemy of God and your enemy… rouse the faithful to arms! If they (the non-Muslims) incline to peace (accept Islam) make peace with them.” Surah 8:59-60.

Muhammad was not sinless: See Surah 40:55. He never performed a single miracle: Surah17:91-95. He did not die for anyone. No personal relationship with him is possible: he is dead. Islam is also Anti-Jewish.In the Al Maidah (The Table) it says: “Believers (Muslims), take neither Jews nor Christians to be your friends: they are friends with one another. Whoever of you seeks their friendship Shall become one of their number, and God does not guide (those Jewish and Christian (called “wrong-doers,” 5:51-5:74). They teach that the Jews are evil-doers?” 5:57. And believe or not Islam is said to be Anti-Black. American blacks have been widely deceived. Only people with white faces will be saved; people with black faces will be damned: Surah 3:106,107.

Surah 106-108, On the Day when some faces will be (lit up with) white, and some faces will be (in the gloom of) black: To those whose faces will be black, (will be said): “Did ye reject Faith after accepting it? Taste then the penalty for rejecting Faith.” But those whose faces will be (lit with) white, they will be in (the light of) Allah’s mercy: therein to dwell (forever). These are the Signs of Allah. We rehearse them to thee in Truth: And Allah means no injustice to any of His creatures.

Arab Muslims were enslaving black Africans long before Westerners. Our nation’s founders wrote “With Freedom comes Vulnerability” The statement has been around for awhile and I’m not sure who said it first. It was and is both a warning and a simple statement of fact. It is a very true statement, one that applies to many realms of life. As parents we know that well, we want to give our children some levels of freedom, but with each increase of freedom given, vulnerability is increased. We are free to choose, Duet 30:19, there is a choice, choose life it says so that you may live.

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 – August 19, 2018; Sermon: Dispensation of the Mosaic Law. The Fifth Commandment. Respect for Authority. Resurrection Sunday.

EMBEDDED VIDEO SERMON in HD – NOTES
Dispensation of the Mosaic Law. The Fifth Commandment.
Respect for Authority. Resurrection Sunday.

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

Hymn #1

Hymn #2

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 or participating in a Communion Service, so take a moment to name, cite or acknowledge your sins privately directly to God the Father. This will assure that you are in fellowship with God the Father and the Holy Spirit’s convicting ministry, also called the convincing ministry will then be able to teach you as the Holy Spirit is the real teacher and the pastor’s message is the vehicle the Holy Spirit uses to convince you what you are learning is true or not.

1 John 1:9 says—“If we confess [simply name, cite or acknowledge to God the Father] our sins [known sins], He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins [known sins] and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness [all unknown and forgotten sins];” NKJV (New King James Version); we call this REBOUND, read the full doctrine as to “why” we need to use 1 John 1:9 to grow spiritually. REBOUND

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 to God; the issue for you is to believe by faith alone in Jesus Christ alone for eternal life and you will be saved the very second you believe in Him:

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

Weekly Bible Study – August 13, 2018; Study: Doctrine of Dispensations. Tower of Babel.

Doctrine of Dispensations. Tower of Babel.

Scripture References, Word & Phrase descriptions: the “Logos Reftagger” scripture links 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), when finished reading, hover your cursor off the scripture reference link. If the Reftagger pop-up doesn’t show all the verses, left click on the “More” button in the Reftagger pop-up window and it will take you to the online bible. If RefTagger pop-ups don’t work on your computer, that’s OK, try left clicking the link if it’s highlighted which should open a window with all the verses at the Biblia.com website; or if that doesn’t work, you can always use your Bible to look up the verses. Word or Phrase definition links may not have a website that opens. If you are running PCMatic, the pop-ups may not work; if that’s the case, email PC Matic Support to see if they can fix that problem for you.

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]; we call this REBOUND, read the full doctrine as to “why” we need to use 1 John 1:9 to grow spiritually. REBOUND

If you have never personally believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, that He is the Son of God, the promised Messiah, 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 simply exercise faith alone in Jesus Christ alone for eternal life; when you do, you will instantly receive Eternal Life: John 3:16, 5:24, 6:47, 20:30, 31.

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 3:14-15, 16, 17, 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 McLaughlin Bible Ministries

Doctrinal Statement

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

Alphabetical Listing of Terms & Abbreviations used:

STUDY TITLE:

Doctrine of Dispensations. Tower of Babel.

The next dispensation is called the Dispensation of Promise with the Abrahamic Covenant as the major doctrinal principle behind the dispensation.

Dispensation = Promise Opening Event = God calls Abraham and gives him promises – Gen 12:1-7; 13:41-17; 15:5; Repeats these promises to Isaac and Jacob — Gen 26:1-5; 28:10-15. Man’s Responsibility = Believe and obey – Rom 15:6; Rom 4:3. Man’s failure = Promised blessings pursued by fleshly means; Abram Gen 16:2–Jacob; Gen 27:19; Moses Acts 7:22-29. Man’s Tendency = Away from God – God’s promises disregarded by Lot — Gen 13:10-13; Esau —Gen 25:31-34; Sons of Israel – Gen 37:18-20. Closing Event = Judgment – Bondage in Egypt — Exo 1:7-14; 2:23-25. Personal Salvation = By Grace through Faith – Rom 4:3-5; Gen 11:8-22; Gen 22:8; 15-18. Gen 49:8-12,18.

Nine generations after Shem, Abraham was born. Abraham was about 75 years old and living in Ur of the Chaldees when God one day spoke to him. Gen 11:27-32, Now these are the records of the generations of Terah. Terah became the father of Abram, Nahor and Haran; and Haran became the father of Lot. And Haran died in the presence of his father Terah in the land of his birth, in Ur of the Chaldeans. And Abram and Nahor took wives for themselves. The name of Abram’s wife was Sarai; and the name of Nahor’s wife was Milcah, the daughter of Haran, the father of Milcah and Iscah. And Sarai was barren; she had no child. And Terah took Abram his son, and Lot the son of Haran, his grandson, and Sarai his daughter in law, his son Abram’s wife; and they went out together from Ur of the Chaldeans in order to enter the land of Canaan; and they went as far as Haran, and settled there. And the days of Terah were two hundred and five years; and Terah died in Haran.

God, through His amazing grace, wanted to make another covenant with man and chose Abraham as His partner. The covenant He made with Abraham was again unconditional and contained many promises. Gen 12:1-3, Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go forth from your country, And from your relatives And from your father’s house, To the land which I will show you; And I will make you a great nation, And I will bless you, And make your name great; And so you shall be a blessing; And I will bless those who bless you, And the one who curses you I will curse. And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” The only hint of a condition appears to be that Abraham had to forsake his home and family and go to a land God would show him.

When Abraham obeyed and entered the land the promises became fixed. God promised to do the following: Make Abraham a great nation (Gal 12:2), this promise has been fulfilled both physically and spiritually. Physically through Isaac and Ishmael, spiritually through all those who have Abraham’s faith (Gal. 3:7). To bless him (Gal 12:2), and He did this also both physically (Gal 13:14-18) and spiritually (Gal 15:6).

Gen 13:14-17, And the Lord said to Abram, after Lot had separated from him, “Now lift up your eyes and look from the place where you are, northward and southward and eastward and westward; for all the land which you see, I will give it to you and to your descendants forever. And I will make your descendants as the dust of the earth; so that if anyone can number the dust of the earth, then your descendants can also be numbered. Arise, walk about the land through its length and breadth; for I will give it to you.” Then
Abram moved his tent and came and dwelt by the oaks of Mamre, which are in Hebron, and there he built an altar to the Lord.

To make his name great (Gen 12:2), still today the name of Abraham is known and respected by millions. Make him a blessing to others (Gen 12:2). Abraham blessed people in his own time and blessed humanity by his seed Jesus Christ. To bless those who bless him (Gen 12:3). And curse those who curse him (Gen 12:3). God has not only blessed those who blessed Abraham, but He also blessed those who blessed the nation that sprang from his loins, Israel. On the other hand, those who cursed Israel (Babylon, Assyria, Rome, Germany, etc.) must suffer. Some have suffered already, but these promises will not be completely fulfilled until the future. Bless all the families of the earth in him (Gen 12:3). The fulfillment of this is Christ himself, who blesses all those who believe on Him with salvation and who will also physically bless all who are in the Millennium. Though this covenant is unconditional it does not apply universally to everyone. Doctrinally, it only applies to the Hebrew race through Isaac and Jacob (Israel). Gentiles can only get in on it by receiving Abraham’s promised Seed—Jesus Christ. Those who refuse to receive Him, Jew or Gentile, will be judged by Him.

Like the Noahic Covenant this covenant also has a sign, and it is circumcision Gen 17:9-14, God said further to Abraham, “Now as for you, you shall keep My covenant, you and your descendants after you throughout their generations. This is My covenant, which you shall keep, between Me and you and your descendants after you: every male among you shall be circumcised. And you shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskin; and it shall be the sign of the covenant between Me and you. And every male among you who is eight days old shall be circumcised throughout your generations, a servant who is born in the house or who is bought with money from any foreigner, who is not of your descendants. A servant who is born in your house or who is bought with your money shall surely be circumcised; thus shall My covenant be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant. But an uncircumcised male who is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin, that person shall be cut off from his people; he has broken My covenant.”

Circumcision was the only obligation Abraham and his people, the Jews, had under this covenant. If they performed it by faith, they had full access to all the promises. God again reconfirmed this covenant in Genesis chapter 15 after Abraham “believed in the Lord…” and asked for more details. God also revealed the boundaries of the land given to Abraham. Moreover, God promised all of this to Abraham while Abraham was asleep! This proves the covenant is unconditional. God reconfirmed the covenant again after Abraham passed his severe but revealing test of offering Isaac.

Gen 22:15-18, Then the angel of the Lord called to Abraham a second time from heaven, and said, “By Myself I have sworn, declares the Lord, because you have done this thing, and have not withheld your son, your only son, indeed I will greatly bless you, and I will greatly multiply your seed as the stars of the heavens, and as the sand which is on the seashore; and your seed shall possess the gate of their enemies. And in your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice.”

The dispensation that began with this covenant is called the Dispensation of Promise for obvious reasons. For the first time God has made promises to one group of people at the exclusion of all others. From the time of Abraham on in the Old Testament, the only way someone other than an Israelite could partake of the promises was to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ himself. The promises He made to Abraham He reconfirmed to his son Isaac, his grand-son Jacob, and then to Jacob’s sons, the heads of the twelve tribes of Israel. The manner of behavior God expected in this dispensation is much like the previous except that He told Abraham to go to a certain land and stay there (Canaan).

We begin with a profile of Abraham so that you will know something about him as an Arab and how he became a Jew. Abraham was called Abram in the Bible before God changed his name. Abraham was a Gentile who became a Jew when God started the Jewish race through him at age 99. He was the ninth generation descended from Noah’s son, Shem. He was born in the city of Ur about 2161 BC and this passage picks up Abraham around 2086 BC (where he had just entered Canaan or was about to.

The accounts about Abraham are found in Gen 11:25-26 with the focus on four important aspects of his life.

First, his migration or his moving from one place to another. Abraham’s story begins with his migration with the rest of his family from UR of the Chaldeans in ancient southern Babylonia.

Gen 11:26-32, And Terah lived seventy years, and became the father of Abram, Nahor and Haran. Now these are the records of the generations of Terah. Terah became the father of Abram, Nahor and Haran; and Haran became the father of Lot. And Haran died in the presence of his father Terah in the land of his birth, in Ur of the Chaldeans. And Abram and Nahor took wives for themselves. The name of Abram’s wife was Sarai; and the name of Nahor’s wife was Milcah, the daughter of Haran, the father of Milcah and Iscah. And Sarai was barren; she had no child. And Terah took Abram his son, and Lot the son of Haran, his grandson, and Sarai his daughter in law, his son Abram’s wife; and they went out together from Ur of the Chaldeans in order to enter the land of Canaan; and they went as far as Haran, and settled there. And the days of Terah were two hundred and five years; and Terah died in Haran.

He and his family moved north along the trade routes of the ancient world and settled in the flourishing trade center of Haran, several hundred miles to the northwest. While living in Haran, at the age of 75, Abraham received a call from God to go to a strange, unknown land that God would show him. Remember at this time in human history, there was no Bible so God spoke personally to those whom He chose. He did do so, sometimes personally, sometimes in a dream or a vision, sometimes through the stars.

The Lord promised Abraham that He would make him and his descendants a great nation, according to Gen 12:1-3. However, like many promises from God to His people, because they are so fantastic, they seem unbelievable. And the promise must have seemed unbelievable to Abraham because his wife Sarah (called Sarai in the early part of her life) was childless and he had no children, Gen 11:30-31, 17:15.

Gen 11:26, And Terah lived seventy years, and became the father of Abram, Nahor and Haran.

Terah was an Akkadian unbeliever and according to Jos 24:2, he was an idolater (Jos 24:2). His name means delayed and he’s well named for he delayed Abraham from getting to the place where the Lord wanted him. Be careful of those in your life who are sent by the kingdom of darkness to delay you. God had a plan for Abraham, but as long as Abraham stuck with his father he was delayed in fulfilling the will of God.

Now, the king of Ur was a very well known worshipper of the moon God called Ur and Ur was the great center of moon-god worship and other forms of idolatry. The Muslim bible called the Qur’an or Koran never explains tenets of their faith: it assumes familiarity with them and that the name Allah is assumed to be well known to the reader. It should not come as a surprise that the word “Allah” was not something invented by Muhammad or revealed for the first time in the Koran. The reason that Muhammad never had to explain who Allah was in the Koran is that his readers had already heard about Allah long before Muhammad was ever born. The word “Allah” comes from the compound Arabic word, al-ilah. Al is the definite article “the” and ilah is an Arabic word for “god.” It is pure Arabic.

According to Middle East scholar E.M. Wherry, whose translation of the Koran is still used today, in pre-Islamic times Allah-worship, as well as the worship of Ba-al, were both astral religions in that they involved the worship of the sun, the moon, and the stars. The symbol of the worship of the moon god in Arabian cultures and elsewhere throughout the Middle East was the crescent moon. Archaeologists have dug up numerous statues and ancient inscriptions in which a crescent moon was seated on top of the head of the deity to symbolize the worship of the moon god.

While the moon was generally worshiped as a female deity in the Ancient Near East, the Arabs viewed it as a male deity. In Arabia, the sun god was viewed as a female goddess and the moon as the male god. The moon god was called by various names, one of which was Allah. The name Allah was one of the names used as the personal name of the moon god, in addition to other titles that could be given to him. The use of the crescent moon as the symbol for Islam which is placed on the flags of many Islamic nations and on the top of mosques and minarets (tower on a mosque) is a throwback to the days when Allah was worshiped as the moon god in Mecca.

Now, the Quraysh tribe into which Muhammad was born was particularly devoted to Allah, the moon god, and especially to Allah’s three daughters who were viewed as intercessors between the people and Allah. The literal Arabic name of Muhammad’s father was Abd-Allah. His uncle’s name was Obied-Allah. I give you all of this to show you that these names reveal the personal devotion that Muhammad’s family had to the worship of Allah, the moon god.

Many of you are also familiar with the phrase praying toward Mecca. This is done because an Allah idol was set up at the Kaaba, a Muslim shrine in Mecca along with all the other idols. The pagans prayed toward Mecca and the Kaaba because that is where their gods were stationed. It only made sense to them to face in the direction of their god and then pray. Since the idol of their moon god, Allah, was at Mecca, they prayed toward Mecca.

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.