THE SEVENTH DISPENSATION

Six thousand years from Adam's fall, which ended the First Dispensation (Innocence), there remains one dispensation (a time period in which God reveals new information, and man's subsequent responsibility of stewardship of that information). God has required man to be accountable to Him through six dispensations: Innocence, Conscience, Human Government, Promise, Law, and the Church. All six end in failure of man to comply with God's instructions. Innocence ended with Adam's Fall; Conscience ended with the Flood; Human Government ended with the Tower of Babel; Promise ended with Egyptian Bondage; Law ended with the Crucifixion; and the Church will end with Apostasy. The Seventh Dispensation, the Millennial Reign of Christ, will also end in Rebellion.

It is almost incomprehensible that they all end in man's failure to be good stewards of God's revealed truth, especially the Seventh Dispensation in which the Creator will literally "tabernacle with man." Jesus, raised and glorified by His Father, will rule over our world Himself (Dan. 2:35; Zech. 14:9; Rev. 20:1-7)! The Omniscient, Omnipotent, Omnipresent, Eternal God will reign as King of kings and Lord of lords, ruling with "a rod of iron" (Ps. 2:9; Rev. 2:27; 12:5; 19:15). The King will be the perfect, sinless, holy Son of God. The King will have perfect wisdom and understanding (Isa. 11:2-3). He will do that which is right and just (Isa. 11:4-5; Jer. 23:5). The whole world will know of His glory (Isa. 11:9; Jer. 31:34).

The Millennial Kingdom of Christ will be free from the influences of Satan. John wrote:

"And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years, and cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season" (Rev. 20:1-3).

The character of man, although forcefully restrained for the thousand years, is consistent with his nature throughout history, and it manifests itself when Satan is "loosed a little season" (Rev. 20:3, 7-8).

The Seventh Dispensation will be safe from crime because the Lord, Himself, will govern with His saints. John wrote:

"And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years" (Rev. 20:4).

There will be no sickness (Isa. 29:18; 33:24), nor will there be any animals that threaten man (Is. 11:6-9; 65:25). The land will be garden-like with plenty of water (Isa. 32:15; 35:1-7). You would think with those conditions, man would love the Lord and desire to serve Him for eternity. You would think! But that is not the case. Satan deceives the world into rebelling against Christ, and He defeats them with fire coming down from heaven (Rev. 20:9). Man's seventh failure ends with the Great White Thrown Judgment (Rev. 20:8-12).

The bad news is, mankind is a total failure no matter what he knows.
The good news is, the Risen Lord has provided for man's victory!
For by grace (unmerited favor) are ye saved through faith - believe it or not!