A LOVELY TRIBUTE TO TONY "BIG MAC" McLELLAN FROM MY DEAR FRIEND AND BROTHER ALAN FRANKLIN.

DEAR FRIENDS,

MY GOOD FELLOW BROTHER IN CHRIST ALAN FRANKLIN FROM "THE FREE PRESS ONLINE" FROM FLEET IN HAMPSHIRE HAS BEEN VERY MOVED BY THE SAD PASSING OF OUR DEAR MUTUAL FRIEND AND BROTHER TONY "BIG MAC" McLELLAN.

HE HAS ASKED ME FOR A "TRIBUTE" TO THE LOVELY GENTLE GIANT OF AN IRISHMAN FOR HIS SITE, AND I DULY PASSED ON TO HIM MY "TRIBUTE" FROM BELOW.

ALAN HAS NOW PARTLY USED THIS TO SHOW HIS AND HIS WIFE PAT'S LOVE AND ADMIRATION FOR THIS FINE CHRISTIAN MAN FROM SWINDON. I REPRODUCE IT BELOW FOR YOUR DELIGHT AND CONSUMPTION. IF YOU WANT TO READ MORE FROM ALAN ON HIS SUPERB WEBSITE, IT CAN BE FOUND AT http://www.thefreepressonline.co.uk/

TILL WE MEET AT JESUS FEET,

MARANATHA BLESSINGS,

NEV.

The astonishing last words of a man with a day to live: Tony looked to the future with hope! Here is his remarkable summary of the times we live in. The world should read this!

04/03/2016

Here's a snippet of Tony's last written words:“And so my time to depart draws near, as the doctors have informed me that the cancers invading my body are inoperable and incurable, unless my Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ decides otherwise! Looking back over my life, I cringe with embarrassment."

So how could this remarkable man be so at peace as he waited for death in a hospice? Because he knew where he was going, unlike most people who sadly die in a state of fear and worry. Read on and find out the reason he was neither scared nor uncertain of what came next.......(AF)

"A few years have elapsed since I last looked at this narrative of mine. It is now March 2016, and the world has changed, for the worse. (Tony Mclellan of Swindon died on March 3)

“Like frogs in a basin of water, the heat has been quietly and artfully increased, much to the frog’s incomprehension, and the point of no return, where we can leap from the basin, has been passed.

“Good now passes as evil and evil as good. What would put a man or woman in prison not so long ago, is now lauded by populaces in general.

“The slaughter of the unborn continues unabated, and increases.

“New religions abound, the most popular being ‘climate change.’

“To criticise this new religion leaves one open to ridicule, while a cursory examination of it will expose its weaknesses, and the bed of sand it is grounded upon.

“Corruption manifests itself in politics, mainstream Christianity, the judiciary, the banking sector, big businesses etc, but I can hear you think; hasn’t it always been like this?

“The answer, dear reader, is ‘NO’!

“This time all these things line up with Bible Prophecy, especially in the Book of Revelation.

“Israel has miraculously returned to her land.

“A cashless society waits in the wings, and is warmly endorsed by most politicians.

“A New World Order, with a new world leader, is expected very soon.

“Knowledge and travel have increased exponentially.

“Men’s hearts fail them for fear, as they wonder what is coming upon the world and as they view and consider the threats of murderous fanatical groups of religious extremists.

“False prophets and teachers abound, twisting and denying God’s Word, the Bible.

“For the first time, the enemies of the new nation of Israel since its inception in 1948, surround her, and Psalm 83 describes them in detail, and what they soon intend to do to her with their vicious anti-semitic attitude and arrogance!

“Homosexual activity and marriage is now regarded as normal and to be against it invites prosecution. The theory of evolution is taught as fact in our schools and universities, brainwashing generations of students into a godless society, and laughing to scorn  those who object.

“I firmly believe that there will never be peace on earth, not while we (humans) are in charge.

“The Bible clearly states that Jesus will return to rule this earth from Jerusalem. The world derides such statements and attacks on the Bible continue unabated.

“Sadly, such attacks are not wholly from the secular humanists, but are from within the Christian Church itself.

“One can read this prophecy in Revelation chapter three, concerning the church of Laodicea, and also in the writings of the Apostle Paul - “professing to be wise, they become fools.” (Romans chapter 1, verse 22)

“And so my time to depart draws near, as the doctors have informed me that the cancers invading my body are inoperable and incurable, unless my Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ decides otherwise!

“Looking back over my life, I cringe with embarrassment.

“All that ducking and diving, all those misdeeds. In between all the good bits, there were loads of bad bits. Enough to fill the largest of buckets!

“But I thank God that He has seen fit to forgive me, because of the shed blood of Jesus. It sounds too easy, doesn’t it?

“However, IT IS!

“It says so in the Bible!

“I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me,” Yeshua said in John chapter 14 and verse 6.

“Amen and Thank You Lord!”

(This is the end of Tony’s article.)

 And thank you Tony, for the warmth, friendship and humour you injected into every meeting. Your reward in Heaven will be great.

Tony organized the Swindon branch of The Prophetic Witness Movement International, under whose auspices I am privileged to speak. One of the privileges is to meet great servants of the Lord like Tony. His life story is remarkable, but a taste of what he was like came in this e-mail to me last summer (2015), as I was preparing to talk at his meeting in Swindon:

 “Your proposed Middle East Topic fine; just throw in a few hand grenades!

 “I hope that your daughter has recovered by now.

 “As for me, they discovered cancer in my gut which has spread north and west and I must commence chemo. asap. Other than that I'm fine!

 “My life is in His hands and He has infused me with a peace that passes all understanding,

 “Brotherly love to you Alan and we will be in touch before August 6th.

 “Tony.”

 Thank you Tony. We’ll meet again….

HEAVEN IS A RICHER PLACE TODAY AFTER JESUS TAKES HOME MY GREAT FRIEND "BIG MAC" TONY McLELLAN TO HEAVENLY GLORY!!

DEAR FRIENDS,

I HAVE ONLY KNOWN TONY "BIG MAC" McLELLAN FOR ABOUT FIVE OR SIX YEARS, BUT I THANK THE LORD FOR THIS PRIVILEGE OF KNOWING THIS FINE MAN OF GOD.

EVEN THOUGH IT WAS A REASONABLY SHORT SPAN OF TIME, I HAVE GROWN TO LOVE THIS MAN SO MUCH, THAT MY HEART ACHES TODAY AFTER HIS PASSING INTO GLORY LAST NIGHT. HE HAS BECOME ONE OF MY CLOSEST FRIENDS AND I WILL MISS HIM SO MUCH.

WE MET AT A BRIAN GEMMELL HOLIDAY TEACHING RETREAT AT SALTBURN NEARLY SIX YEARS AGO, AND A FRIENDSHIP WAS FORMED WHICH I WILL TREASURE UNTO THE DAY THAT YESHUA RAPTURES ME AWAY TO HEAVENLY GLORY TO BE RE-UNITED WITH MY DEAR BROTHER.

I WAS ALREADY SECRETARY OF THE NEWPORT BRANCH OF THE PWMI AT THE TIME, AND AFTER MUCH URGING FROM ME AND SEVERAL OTHERS, DEAR BIG MAC TOOK THE BRAVE STEP OF OPENING A NEW BRANCH IN SWINDON. THIS IS IN WILTSHIRE WHICH HAS ALWAYS BEEN A TOUGH NUT FOR THE PWMI TO CRACK, BUT UNSURPRISINGLY, TONY SUCCEEDED!

WE USED TO ATTEND EACH OTHER'S MEETINGS ACROSS THE SEVERN BRIDGE, WE FELLOWSHIPPED A COUPLE OF TIMES AT HOLIDAY RETREATS IN TENBY, AND WE USED TO MEET UP EVERY MONTH OR SO AT A RESTAURANT IN "HALF WAY" BRISTOL TO SHARE FRIENDSHIP, FELLOWSHIP, PWMI NEWS, AND SO MUCH MORE! 

TONY AND DIANE ON HOLIDAY A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO

TONY AND DIANE CAME TO STAY WITH US LAST YEAR, THEN LOOKED AFTER OUR HOME AND BUSINESS WHILE HAZEL AND I WENT AWAY ON A SHORT HOLIDAY. WE COULD TRUST THEM IMPLICITLY, FOR THEY WERE GREAT FRIENDS, AND GREAT CHRISTIANS AS WELL!

TONY USED TO JOKE WHEN PEOPLE ENQUIRED AFTER HIM THAT "IT WAS ALL IN THE BOOK" - A MYSTERIOUS TOME WHICH NEVER SEEMED TO SEE THE LIGHT OF DAY. AFTER MUCH PERSUASION, HE WAS COERCED INTO PUTTING THIS INTO PRINT IN THE CORRECT MANNER, AND TONY, MYSELF, AND A MUTUAL FRIEND MIKE HAVE LIAISED TO PUBLISH THIS NEW BOOKLET VERY SOON.

TONY ALWAYS SAID THAT HE WANTED TO HAVE IT PASSED OUT TO FRIENDS AND FAMILY AT HIS FUNERAL, AND WE ALWAYS URGED HIM TO STOP TALKING IN SUCH A NEGATIVE FASHION! SADLY HIS WISH HAS COME TRUE, AND THE LAST COUPLE OF PAGES OF HIS 52 PAGE LIFE STORY WERE COMPLETED JUST A FEW DAYS AGO! 

HE DESCRIBED HIMSELF AS "A BIG OLD SOFTIE FROM NAAS", FOR IT WAS IN THIS TINY IRISH VILLAGE THAT BIG MAC WAS BORN ON THE 2ND OF JUNE 1940, BEFORE HE PASSED TO BE WITH JESUS YESTERDAY ON THE 3RD MARCH 2016, MAKING HIM A GRAND OLD, AND FABULOUS 76 YEARS OF AGE!

BIG MAC TONY McLELLAN WITH ARNOLD FRUCTENBAUM AT THE SWINDON PWMI

IT IS "ALL IN THE BOOK" AS TONY STATED, AND IT WILL BE FINISHED OFF IN TIME FOR HIS UPCOMING FUNERAL FOR DISTRIBUTION TO FRIENDS AND FAMILY. FOR THOSE UNABLE TO ATTEND WHAT WILL BE AN EMOTIONAL TIME, BUT ALSO A FABULOUS CHRISTIAN SEND OFF (DATE STILL TO BE ANNOUNCED), COPIES WILL BE AVAILABLE UPON REQUEST.

I WILL CLOSE NOW PUBLISHING HIS "LAST WRITTEN PUBLIC WORDS" WHICH WILL PROVIDE THE FINAL SECTION OF THE BOOKLET COVERING HIS MARVELLOUS LIFE: 

Tony wrote, "A few years have elapsed since I last looked at this narrative of
mine. It is now March 2016, and the world has changed, for the
worse.

Like frogs in a basin of water, the heat has been quietly and artfully
increased, much to the frog’s incomprehension, and the point of no
return, where we can leap from the basin, has been passed.

Good now passes as evil and evil as good.

What would put a man or woman in prison not so long ago, is now lauded
by populaces in general.

The slaughter of the unborn continues unabated, and increases.

New religions abound, the most popular being “climate change.”

To criticise this new religion, leaves one open to ridicule, while a
cursory examination of it will expose its weaknesses, and the bed of
sand it is grounded upon.

Corruption manifests itself in politics, mainstream Christianity, the
judiciary, the banking sector, big businesses etc, but I can hear you
think, hasn’t it always been like this?

The answer dear reader is “NO”!

This time all these things line up with Bible Prophecy, especially
in the Book of Revelation.

Israel has miraculously returned to her land.

A cashless society waits in the wings, and is warmly endorsed by most
politicians.

A new world order, with a new world leader is expected very soon.

Knowledge and travel have increased exponentially.

Men’s hearts fail them for fear, as they wonder what is coming upon
the world, and as they view and consider the threats of murderous
fanatical groups of religious extremists.

False prophets and teachers abound, twisting and denying God’s Word, The Bible.

For the first time, the enemies of the new nation of Israel since its inception in 1948, surround her, and Psalm 83 describes them in detail, and what they soon intend to do to her with their vicious anti-semitic attitude and arrogance!

Homosexual activity and marriage is now normal, and to be against it invites prosecution. The theory of evolution is taught as fact in our schools and
universities, brainwashing generations of students into a godless
society, and laughing at those who object to scorn.

I firmly believe that there will never be peace on earth, not while
we, (humans,) are in charge.

The Bible clearly states that Jesus will return to rule this earth,
from Jerusalem. The world derides such statements, and attacks on the Bible continue unabated.

Sadly, such attacks are not wholly from the secular humanists, but are
from within the Christian Church itself.

One can read this prophecy in Revelation chapter three, concerning the
church of Laodicea, and also in the writings of the Apostle Paul - “professing to be wise, they become fools.” (Romans chapter 1, verse 22.)

And so my time to depart draws near, as the doctors have informed me
that the cancers invading my body are inoperable and incurable, unless my Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ decides otherwise!

Looking back over my life, I cringe with embarrassment.

All that ducking and diving, all those misdeeds. In between all the
good bits, there were loads of bad bits. Enough to fill the largest of buckets!

But I thank God that He has seen fit to forgive me, because of the
shed blood of Jesus.

It sounds too easy doesn’t it?

However, IT IS!!.

It says so in the Bible!

“I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father
except through Me” Yeshua said in John chapter 14 and verse 6.

Amen and Thank You Lord!

THANKS FOR YOUR FRIENDSHIP TONY - I WILL NEVER FORGET IT!

CANNOT WAIT TO SEE YOU AGAIN "BIG MAC", WHEN OUR GREAT GOD AND SAVIOUR, THE LORD JESUS CHRIST BRINGS US ALL TOGETHER AGAIN IN HEAVENLY LOVE.

GOOD NIGHT OLD FRIEND - SEE YOU IN THE MORNING!

LOVE AND BLESSINGS IN YESHUA,

"YOUR OLD MATE" - NEV.

THE VERY SAD PASSING OF MY DEAR FRIEND AND BROTHER, "BIG MAC" TONY McLELLAN FROM SWINDON.

Dear Friends,

It is with a very heavy heart that I write this email to inform you that my very dear friend "Big Mac" Tony McLellan passed away in Swindon tonight around  8.30pm.

He did not want to end his life in a hospice, but he had deteriorated so much in the last 24 hours that his wife Diane reluctantly agreed for him to be taken there this morning, but sadly it was only to be a short stay!

He was in great pain at the end as cancer had riddled most of his body, and although he was only partially conscious these past few days, prior to this he remained in good spirits. Although he knew that his end was approaching, he was looking forward to it, to be with his Lord and Saviour, and to be released from his rapidly declining body ridden with cancer.

Tony (pictured above with Dr Arnold Fruchtenbaum at Swindon last year) is now at peace and pain free, and we rejoice that he is now in his rightful place with our Lord Jesus Christ. He always liked to quote "absent from the body, and present with the Lord", and this is very true tonight.

I will miss him greatly, as will all of you, but we know that one day soon we will all be united in our glorified bodies when Yeshua comes for us. Please pray for Diane and his three children at this very sad time of mourning.

It is too early to say for definite, but Diane has indicated that she would like to continue running the Swindon branch of the PWMI, as this was Tony's wish if it could be arranged.

If you would like any further details of arrangements still to be organised, please let me know.

Every Blessing In Christ,

Nev.

SCIENTISTS ARE PUZZLED BY UNEXPLAINED RADIO WAVES DISCOVERED AND COMING IN CLUSTERS FROM DEEP SPACE!!

New post on Now The End Begins

Unexplained Radio Waves Discovered Coming In Clusters From Deep Space by Geoffrey Grider Mysterious and powerful radio waves from deep space are coming in clusters, scientists revealed on Wednesday, having only discovered their existence a decade ago. The repeated pulses emanate from well beyond the edge of the Milky Way Galaxy, according to a study published in the journal Nature. It was previously thought that these so-called fast radio bursts (FRBs) -- which can emit as much energy in a millisecond as the Sun emits in 10,000 years -- were one-off phenomena. Less than 20 have been detected since 2007, though more than 10,000 are suspected to occur every day. Their origins remain unknown. Up to now, astronomers speculated that they were produced by cataclysmic events such as stars exploding into a supernovas, or neutron stars collapsing into black holes. But none of these scenarios are consistent with multiple pulses, leaving scientists at a loss as to how to interpret the new data. Peter Scholz, a graduate student at the McGill Space Institute at McGill University in Montreal and a co-author of the paper, discovered evidence of the bursts in November while sifting through data gathered by the Arecibo telescope in Puerto Rico. "I knew immediately that the discovery would be extremely important in the study of FRBs," Scholz said in a statement. The telescope, the largest of its kind, had picked up a total of 10 radio wave pulses, all grouped within the space of a minute. "Not only did these bursts repeat, but their brightness and spectra also differ from those of other FRBs," said Laura Spitler, lead author and a researcher at the Max Planck Institute for Radio Astronomy in Bonn, Germany. The latest findings appear to be at odds with research published only last week in Nature that concluded that FRBs are generated by one-off cataclysms. But it is now thought that there could be two or more sources for frequent radio bursts. The researchers speculated that multiple pulses could come from an "exotic object" such as a hugely powerful, rotating neutron star. Locating the galaxy from which the serial burst came would be "critical to understanding its properties," said Jason Hessels, a co-author of the study and a professor at the University of Amsterdam. Pinpointing the source could also tell astronomers how long it took for the waves to reach Earth, a voyage likely measured in billions of light years. Comparing theoretical travel time in a vacuum with actual travel time could shed light on the distribution of matter in the universe. source

"WHO ARE THE PALESTINIANS" BY DAN PAYNE FROM "RAPTURE READY"!!

Who Are the Palestinians? - By Dan Payne -http://www.raptureready.com/soap2/payne64.html

 

Just exactly who are the Palestinians anyway? The answer to this question can be found in two parts: the ancient Philistines and the modern-day Palestinians.

 

The modern-day Palestinians have taken up the mantle of the ancient Philistines in that they are Israel's closest and most intimate enemy.

 

Palestine was first used as a name to describe a small portion of the ancient land of Canaan. It is a translation of "Philistia" and refers to the ancient land of the Philistines. The ancient Philistines were a "sea people" migrating from the Aegean Islands (Crete) and Asia Minor to the Eastern Mediterranean at the beginning of the 12th Century B.C.

 

Philistia in ancient Israel consisted of an area of land approximately twice the size of the current Gaza Strip. It stretched from near the southern border of modern-day Gaza, to approximately twice as far north as the Gaza Strip's northern border, and about twice the width.

 

Israel largely avoided direct conflict with the Philistines in its earliest history prior to the Exodus. Later, the Philistines became known as the non-Israelites of the Promised Land, as well as also becoming the main enemy of Israel prior to the Babylonian captivity.

 

Today, the name Palestine is nothing more than another form of the name Philistine, and it is just another name applied to the land of Israel by the world, as is the Southern Levant, etc. There is no evidence that anyone of ancient Philistine lineage is alive anywhere on earth today, let alone the Gaza Strip.

 

But even if so, those claiming to be of ancient Philistine lineage would have to identify with the true meaning of their name from the adjective "Peleshet", meaning "dividers" or "invaders". 

 

Modern Palestinians are not ancient Canaanites, as the Canaanites assimilated into the peoples of Israel: "Judah begot Perez and Zerah by Tamar" (Matthew 1:3). See also Genesis chapter 38.

 

Modern Palestinians are not ancient Philistines, as the Philistines were conquered by King David (2 Samuel 8:1), and finished off by Sargon II, and no further record of them is found in history.

 

The birth of modern-day Palestine began in December of 1920 as a movement led by the dethroned Hashemite king, Amin Husseini, as a nation composed predominately of Arabic speaking peoples from neighboring lands.

 

In the following generations, more specifically during the past quarter century, the world at large, led by an underground Marxist agenda, has endeavored to force Israel to give up most                of its land in exchange for "peace" with the newly created state of Palestine.

 

These so called land-for-peace deals are never realized because the Palestinians have no interest in peace, they only have an interest in the land;  all of it.

 

The God of the Bible is a benevolent God. He gives land to all peoples. 

 

"In that day shall there be a highway out of Egypt to Assyria, and the Assyrian shall come into Egypt, and the Egyptian into Assyria, and the Egyptians shall serve with the Assyrians. In that day shall Israel be the third with Egypt and with Assyria, even a blessing in the midst of the land: Whom the Lord of hosts shall bless, saying, 'Blessed be Egypt my people, and Assyria the work of my hands, and Israel mine inheritance'" (Isaiah 19:23-25).

 

The Islamic God wants to take all land away from all peoples and leave none for anyone else except his own people. The world saw a prime example of this truth at the Middle East Peace Summit in 2000 when former PLO Chairman Yasser Arafat rejected a 90 percent land-grab for his people; he wanted 100%. 

 

It just so happens that the Creator of the universe decided to give the land of Canaan to a particular man and all of his following genetic descendants:

 

"Then Abram fell on his face, and God talked with him, saying: 'As for Me, behold, My covenant is with you, and you shall be a father of many nations. No longer shall your name be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham; for I have made you a father of many nations. I will make you exceedingly fruitful; and I will make nations of you, and kings shall come from you. 

 

And I will establish My covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you in their generations, for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and your descendants after you. Also I give to you and your descendants after you the land in which you are a stranger, all the land of Canaan, as an everlasting possession; and I will be their God'" (Genesis 17:3-8).

 

God also renamed the land "Israel":

 

"And God said to him, 'Your name is Jacob; your name shall not be called Jacob anymore, but Israel shall be your name.' So He called his name Israel. Also God said to him: 'I am God Almighty. Be fruitful and multiply; a nation and a company of nations shall proceed from you, and kings shall come from your body. The land which I gave Abraham and Isaac I give to you; and to your descendants after you I give this land'" (Genesis 35:10-12).

 

After the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ, Israel also became a Spiritual inheritance for all who trust in Jesus for their salvation as their Messiah.

 

"For the promise that he would be the heir of the world was not to Abraham or to his seed through the law, but through the righteousness of faith. Therefore it is of faith that it might be according to grace, so that the promise might be sure to all the seed, not only to those who are            of the law, but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all (as it is written, 'I have made you a father of many nations'" (Romans 4:13, 16-17a).

 

Paul tells us that God's sovereign choice for the people of Israel was not just confined to Abraham's earthly descendants, but also to all who put their trust in the Lord, the same way that Abraham did.

 

The promise of Israel to all who are of the faith of Abraham will be fulfilled during the millennial reign when Abraham's seed, the Lord Jesus, reigns as King of kings and Lord of lords upon His throne in Jerusalem.

 

"The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh comes; and to Him shall be the obedience of the people" (Genesis 49:10).

 

On one very fine Day, the Spiritual inheritance of Israel for all who trust in Jesus, along with all of Abraham's genetic descendants of like faith, will be realized as a physical inheritance.

 

"Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection. Over such the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years" (Revelation 20:6).

 

True born-again Christians believe in Yeshua as the One and only Mashiach: 

 

"Jesus saith unto him, 'I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me'" (John 14:6).

 

We also believe in the eternal covenant Elohim made with Abraham:  

 

"In the same day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying, 'Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates'" (Genesis 15:18).

 

Jews who live in Israel along with us true believers who support Israel, both Jew and Gentile, face a common threat. Let us all of like faith stand united in support of Israel. 

 

"Thus saith the Lord, which giveth the sun for a light by day, and the ordinances of the moon and of the stars for a light by night, which divideth the sea when the waves thereof roar; The Lord of hosts is his name: 'If those ordinances depart from before me,' saith the Lord, 'then the seed of Israel also shall cease from being a nation before me forever'" (Jeremiah 31:35-36).

 

Israel forever!

"WHY TRUE CHRISTIANITY IS DISPENSATIONAL" BY PETE GARCIA FROM "THE OMEGA LETTER"!!

Why True Christianity is Dispensational - Pete Garcia -http://www.omegaletter.com/articles/articles.asp?ArticleID=8202

 

Despite the mounting criticism, orthodox Christians are dispensational whether they admit it or not simply due to the very nature of our Scriptures.  While many accept this reality and embrace it, many more deny it and vainly attempt theological work-arounds that end up failing on numerous levels.  They fail because they are either overly complicated, or overly simplified and fail to grasp the enormity, simplistic intricacy, and beauty of our God's grand design.  Since the Bible in and of itself is Dispensational one thing must first be clarified; what defines Dispensationalism?

 

Dispensationalism, as defined by one of the foremost theologians on the subject, the late Dr. Charles Ryrie states; a dispensation is a distinguishable economy in the outworking of God's purpose.  Usually, when someone disagrees with your interpretation or doctrinal position on a given subject, the first thing they try and do is accuse one of adding non-Biblical ideas to the Bible.  Except, you can't do that with Dispensationalism.  Dr. Ryrie continues:

 

The Greek word oikonomia comes from the verb that means to manage, regulate, administer, and plan. The word itself is a compound whose parts mean literally "to divide, apportion, administer or manage the affairs of an inhabited house." In the papyri the officer (oikonomos) who administered a dispensation was referred to as a steward or manager of an estate, or as a treasurer. Thus, the central idea in the word dispensation is that of managing or administering the affairs of a household.

 

The various forms of the word dispensation appear in the New Testament twenty times. The verb oikonomeo is used once in Luke 16:2, where it is translated "to be a steward." The noun oikonomos appears ten times (Luke 12:42; 16:1, 3, 8; Rom. 16:23; 1 Cor. 4:1, 2; Gal. 4:2; Titus 1:7; 1 Peter 4:10) and is usually translated "steward" or "manager" (but "treasurer" in Rom. 16:23). The noun oikonomia is used nine times (Luke 16:2, 3, 4; 1 Cor. 9:17; Eph. 1:10; 3:2, 9; Col. 1:25; 1 Tim. 1:4). In these instances it is translated variously ("stewardship," "dispensation," "administration," "job," "commission").  (Link)

 

If one simply takes the Scripture at face value and uses the normal rules of interpretation i.e....neither being overly literal, nor overly allegorical, but keeping the passage in context with the surrounding subjects, one cannot deny the differing eras and stages man's had to progress from the Garden of Eden until today.  Aside from the telescoping view we have of mankind's history on earth from Genesis to Revelation, we can see the changes that Scripture clearly demonstrates how God administrates our affairs while at the same time, allowing for free will.  At a minimum (and skipping a lot of divine details), a minimalist has to accept that there are at least two distinct periods of time man has existed in thus far;

 

1. The time before Christ came.

 

2.  The time after His death, burial, and resurrection.

 

Given these two, if one were to take that logic one step further, then you would recognize that there is also a future eternal state.  This now means that there are three distinct periods of time.  But maintaining only three dispensations...grossly ignores and underrates the vast amounts of Scripture provided to us which says otherwise.  A normal reading of Scripture demonstrably shows at least seven distinctive eras that are irrefutable if we simply take our Bible at face value:

 

1.  Innocence:  Adam and Eve physically walked with God in a state of innocence prior to their fall. (Gen. 1-3)

 

2.  Conscience:  Life after the fall of man, and up to the Flood was marked with unusually long life spans, no written Scripture, and abundance of human-angelic interactions.  This same group also became so exceedingly wicked and corrupt, God had no choice but to destroy them by the Great Flood.  (Gen. 4-6)

 

3.  Promise:  Hundreds of years after the flood, God created a nation by the calling of one man, Abram, from out of the land of the Ur of the Chaldeans, to the land of Canaan in which He made covenant with him (Abraham) and his offspring through his son Isaac, and grandson Jacob, of land, seed, and blessing. (Gen. 11:27-25:28)

 

4.  Law:  From the birth of a nation (Israel), to the rise of the Patriarchs, Exodus, and subjugation of Canaan (the Promised Land), lineage of the Messiah to Mary. (Gen. 8-Deuteronomy)  From the giving of the Law at Mt. Sinai, up to the death of Jesus Christ on the cross. (Matt. 27:51, John 19:30)  This includes David, Solomon, the Prophets, Babylonian captivity, and lineage of the Messiah to Mary.  (Exodus 19-Gospels)

 

5.  The Church:  The current age, beginning from that first Pentecost immediately after the death, burial, and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ, until today.  This is the time when Christ Himself is building the Church, which is a corporate, multi-membered, multi-generational, singular body, of which Christ Himself is the Head of.  (1 Cor. 12:20, Eph. 5:23)  This age ends with the Rapture of the Church.  (Acts-Rev. 3:22, 1 Thess. 4:13-18, 1 Cor. 15:51-55)

 

6.  The Kingdom:  This is preceded by the conclusion of the 70th Week of Daniel, and is initiated at the Second Coming of Christ, when Israel becomes the head of all nations, with Christ at the head of Israel.  Nations beat swords into plowshares, wolf and lamb lie together, and lions eat straw, there will be no more war, and all nations pay tribute to the Messiah in Israel.  This ends with the Final Judgment of the damned, and then ushers in the Eternal State.  (Isaiah 11, 65; Ezekiel 40-48, Dan. 9:24-27,Rev. 20-22)

 

7.  The Eternal State:  The Millennial Reign of Christ (1,000 years) is the front porch if you will, of the Eternal State.  Scripture does not record much on this, but what we know, is that we will be in our immortal bodies and forever with Christ. (1John 3:1-3, Rev. 21-22)

 

Minimalists (Reformed/Covenant Theology, etc.) would have you believe that there are only two dispensations, (of course they'd never call it that)...the one before Christ came and the one after.  Yet, this structurally has a number of fatal errors which ignore logic and make sweeping assumptions...as if all of the way things are just came to be accidentally.

 

The first being that Jesus came to fulfill the Law, and He did so perfectly.  Yet the law wasn't given to mankind writ large but was given only to the nation of Israel as a conditional (if/then) covenant.  But Israel first had to become a distinct people, thus necessitating their calling and separation from the pagan gentiles who surrounded them.  Neither was Israel called all at once but through just one man and who through his immediate lineage would come to form the patriarchs of the nation Israel.  Thus, we see a progression (or stages) by which God orchestrated His plan to be implemented upon mankind.  In other words, there was a plan from the beginning.

 

The next false charge against Dispensationalism, is that no one ever taught it prior to John Nelson Darby in the 1830's.  Having already illustrated that the concept of Dispensationalism is clearly taught in Scripture, let us look and see if the concept of God working through different stages has any historical merit before Darby.  Although the disagreed on a variety of things, to include the number of ages, many of the early church fathers also believed in distinct ages in varying degrees, with four dispensations being the most common.  Dr. Thomas Ice in citing Larry Crutchfield, quotes in his extensive article A Short History of Dispensationalism:

 

Crude but clear, schemes of ages and dispensations are found in ante-Nicene fathers such as Justin Martyr (110-165), Irenaeus (130-200), Tertullian (c. 160-220), Methodius (d. 311), and Victorinus of Petau (d. 304).   In every major area of importance in the early church one finds rudimentary features of dispensationalism that bear a striking resemblance to their contemporary offspring (" Ages and Dispensations," 398).

 

Dr. Ice then continues to show how prevalent Dispensational thought was prior to J.N. Darby from the post-Nicene era onwards.  Granted, the Middle (Dark) Ages lacked in abundant survivable teachings on the subject, but the Christian world then, was also under the iron fist of Roman Catholicism...and it wasn't only Dispensationalism that suffered censorship, but also Pre-Millennialism, sola scriptura (Scripture alone), sola gratia (grace alone), sola fide (faith alone), owning your own Bible, etc.  The point being, is that although J.N. Darby codified 'Dispensationalism', he didn't invent it.

 

Conclusion

 

Although this topic has been covered numerous times, and the anti-Dispensational crowd continues to ignore history, I feel as though it's still important to reiterate this from time to time.  When one simply takes Scripture for what it actually says, rather than what we want it to say, one is forced to contend with the reality that God has orchestrated different parameters, given the differing circumstances man was under.  The method of salvation has never changed (grace through faith), God has never changed, the only that did change was the conditions on the ground for man.

 

From Adam until Job, there was no written Scripture that we are aware of.  Man lived for centuries prior to the Flood.  Prior to Abraham, there was no Israel.  Prior to Moses, the Law had not yet been given to the nation of Israel.  Prior to Christ coming, faith was in the One who would come...although they didn't fully understand who or when.  We (the collective we), replete with full historical knowledge and a complete Bible, have become not only complacent but overly presumptuous about who and what we think we are.

 

Last week I laid out how the burgeoning gentile church began to assume the roles and promises of Israel, who since AD70 had been dispersed into diaspora courtesy of the Roman legions.  And while it might have made sense to them back then, in the end, God proved faithful in keeping His promises to restore Israel back to the table of nations. (Isaiah 11:11; 46:9-10, Ezekiel 37, Amos 9:11-15, Luke 21:24, Romans 11:25-27)

 

Critics of Dispensationalism cite their hermeneutical approach as the more "scholarly" one.  Evidently, it takes academic grooming to teach one how to completely disregard the literal meaning and redefine it so as to become relevant to their current conditions.   Had the early church fathers, such as Justin Martyr or Irenaeus been able to see the rebirth of the nation of Israel some 17 centuries later, I doubt seriously they would have been as quick to conclude that the Church replaced Israel.  More often than not, what we see doesn't align itself with what Scriptures state will happen, and many are quick to make assumptions...yet despite the odds and despite the common wisdom of said day will offer, Scripture always comes through as promised.

 

In closing, I believe that we should model our understanding of Scripture in a literal manner.  The prophet Daniel, for instance, understood literally, Jeremiah's prophecy about their captivity being seventy years, and that their time was almost complete.  (Daniel 9:1-2)  He doesn't attempt to apply some spiritualization or allegorization to the time frame, even though nothing in his current conditions would have led him to believe otherwise.  His nation was conquered.  Jerusalem and Solomon's temple lay in ruins.

 

Yet, Scripture records only seventy years they would spend in captivity and seventy they stayed.  When Cyrus the Medo-Persian king took over, he allowed the Jews to start going back, because his own name appeared in Isaiah's prophecy (some 150 years earlier) and felt compelled to do so.  (Isaiah 44:28)  Dispensationalism is true, not because J.N. Darby deemed it so, but because that is the natural flow and outworking of God's word...and no matter what, God's word trumps everything else.

 

 

That in the dispensation of the fullness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him:  Eph. 1:10