LESSON -1

AGES AND DISPENSATIONS

PART-1
References : 2 Peter 3:5–13; Gen. Ch: 1-3; Rev.20:2-21:8
Memory verse : 2 Peter 3:8-9

But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand
years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slack
concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not
willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.

Objective:
The eternal God has a definite programme regarding man and the universe. It is very
important for us to understand God's eternal plan so that we may ensure our future.

Introduction:

Too many people think that death is the end of everything to man. There are many who
believe that there is life beyond death but are not very clear about of it. Some believe in the
cycle of rebirths after which Salvation (Mukti) can be finally attained; some others say one’s
good deeds must outweigh bad deeds to get qualified for heaven. However, the Bible the Word
of God is so emphatic about afterlife and the salvation through Jesus Christ.

Bible contains both scientific and historical facts, though it is not to be regarded as a
scientific or historical book. As a matter of fact, history is an account of past things. But in the
case of biblical history, it deals with the past, present and future events. No other book in the
world is as authentic and informative and all-inclusive as the Bible. It contains predictions
about various modern inventions such as supersonic aircrafts, satellites, missiles, television,
computer etc. Many people keep it aside as a myth, whereas some find it hard to understand.
Still others think it is too holy to be read and practised. But actually, the Bible stands as a
testimony to God’s power and grace revealed to man. For understanding these revelations
however, an in–depth study by the guidance of the Holy Spirit is needed.

Though the Bible contains messages for everyone, it does not appear to be decipherable
to a casual reader. The reason is that the facts of the Bible come within our grasp only gradually
in proportion to our spiritual growth. Say for instance, a new born child may not recognise
even its parents in the beginning. But gradually, the child recognises them and its knowledge
develops into a wider range of knowing other things as well.

1. CREATION OF THE UNIVERSE

Have you ever thought about the origin of this universe? You may hear many theories such as
evolution, big bang and many other concepts as the possible causes, but you may not find them
very logical. The Bible asserts, in the beginning God created the heavens and the earth (Gen.
1:1).

In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. However, the earth was destroyed by
water (2 Pet. 3:5-7). This explains why we see the earth void and chaotic in the Genesis account
(Gen. 1:2a). The original earth was created for habitation, it was full of vegetation, animals etc.

Do you know who were the inhabitants of that earth? Why was the earth destroyed?
From the Bible we are able to gather data that a group of angels under Lucifer were living on
the first earth. Because of their pride, God cast them out and destroyed the earth by water (Isa.
14:12-14, Eze.28: 12-17).

2. RENOVATION OF THE EARTH

Though the earth was thus plunged into a chaotic condition, God did not allow it to
remain void for ever (Jer. 4:27). The Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters (Gen.
1:2b) just as a mother bird broods over her eggs. Let us see how God restored the earth to its
former state “By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the Word of God” (Heb.
11:3).

1. God said, “Let there be light” (Gen. 1:3)

The earth plunged into a chaotic state after receiving the punishment following the pride of
Lucifer and darkness enveloped the earth and there was no light. We know that the polar
regions are covered with snow because of the darkness prevailing there half of the year. The
earth was in a similar or more chaotic state. Then God commanded the light to come upon the
earth.

2. God said, “Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters” (Gen. 1:6).
God made firmament and divided the waters above and the waters beneath.
 3. God said, “Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place and let
the dry land appear” (Gen. 1:9). Thus the land and the sea were separated. Again God
said, “Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed and the fruit tree yielding
fruit according to its kind” (Gen. 1:11).

4. God said, “Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the
night” (Gen. 1:14). Thus the Sun, Moon and the Stars were created.

5. God said, “Let the waters abound with abundance of living creatures and let birds fly
above the earth”.

6. God said, “Let the earth bring forth the living creature according to its kind”.

3. CREATION OF MAN

God said, “Let us make man in our image, according to our likeness” (Gen. 1:26). “And
the Lord God formed man out of the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath
of life; and man became a living being (Gen. 2:7).

See the difference between the creation of man and everything else! God created
everything by His word whereas He made man in His own image and according to His likeness.
God is a Spirit (Jn. 4:24). Therefore man’s likeness to God is not physical. But rather it is a
spiritual and moral likeness which can be explained in terms of God’s eternal attributes such
as glory, righteousness, holiness etc. For example, let us take any seed of a tree. That very seed
contains the shape of the tree, leaves, the quality and the uniqueness of the fruit etc. Yet, the
seed needs development through long years to be conformed to the mother tree. Similarity,
though we are created in God’s image and likeness, we need spiritual growth to conform to the
likeness of God, and to be like Him.

4. FALL OF MAN

Man is the crown of all of God’s creation. He is endowed with wisdom and entrusted
with the dominion over all creation. He was placed in the garden of Eden with complete
freedom of choice.

We have already seen that the original earth was inhabited by Lucifer and his
subordinate angels, but later they were cast out. After the restoration of the earth and creation
of man, he was placed in the garden as its guardian. Lucifer, the Satan grew jealous and devised
schemes to reclaim his lost dominion over earth from man. So Satan deceived man and
achieved his end. Thus man lost the dominion over the earth. Now God’s programme is to
restore the lost dominion back to man. The theme that is visible throughout the Bible is
redemption of mankind from the lost state.

For the convenience of our study; we can divide the period from the creation to the
restoration of man into Ages and Dispensations.

LESSON – 1
PART – 2
Reference : 2 Peter 3:5 -13; Genesis Ch: 1-3; Rev. 20:2-21:8
Memory verse : 2Peter 3:8-9

But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand
years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slack
concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not
willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.

Introduction
God has dealt differently with people of different times based on the revelations He
gave them. For better understanding of the Bible, we must differentiate between time and
eternity. The eternal past is Alpha and the eternal future is Omega.

Now for ease of study, we shall be dividing the span of time between the creation and final
redemption of man into different ages and dispensations.

Ages

This may be explained as a period of time between two major events that cause changes
to the outside nature of the earth. There are certain phrases in the Bible like “the end of the
world” (Matt. 13:49), “this world”, “this present evil world” (2 Cor. 4:4, Gal.1:3-6) etc, which
are used in the sense of “ages”. While considering the earth, time can be divided into three
ages.

1. “The ancient world” (age) (2 Pet. 2:5) which spans from Pre-Adamic earth to the
Diluvian earth or flood of Noah’s time.
 2. “The present world” (age). This is referred to as the present heavens and the earth as
mentioned in 2 Pet.3:7-9. This age spans from the flood to the next major event namely
the coming of Christ (Rapture).

3. “The future world” (age) (Heb.2:5, Pet.3:10-13). This age spans from Rapture to final
judgment and eternity. This includes Christ’s second coming (rapture and glorious
appearance), tribulation, millennium, renovation of the earth by fire and the ushering
of the New Heaven and the New earth and the eternal fullness of time.

Dispensation

Before we try to study about the dispensations, we must know the fact that the universe
is not a random thing and human destiny does not hang on chances like the tossing of a coin.
God is the mastermind behind the whole universe. He has a vivid blueprint for everything he
created. Everything in the universe, moves in perfect harmony with the will of God.

WHAT IS THE MYSTERY OF THE WILL OF GOD?

It is “that in the dispensation of the fullness of the times, He might gather together in
one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth -in Him (Eph1:10).
Though God is the controller of the entire universe, the world is presently under the dominion
of Satan. That's why Jesus taught His disciples to pray for God's will to be done on earth as it
is in heaven. God’s will is to redeem through Christ, the earth from the cursed condition so that
all things in heaven and on earth be united as one realm.

WHAT IS GOD’S PURPOSE ABOUT MAN?

God’s plan about man is that man should be conformed to the image of Jesus Christ or
obtain his glory (Rom.8:29-30, 2Thes.2:14, 2Cor.3:18). Man created in God’s image and
likeness has lost his glory and came under death and decay due to sin. God wants man to regain
the lost glory and therefore His plan for man is that through Jesus Christ he may be conformed
to His image. It begins by man’s rebirth (Col.3:10). Though a new born child will not appear
to resemble his father at the time of his birth, he would resemble more and more his father as
he reaches full growth. So also, we who are born again have borne the image of the Lord but
are yet to grow up to the full stature of Christ or unto all the fullness of God.
 Man is at the centre of God’s redemptive plan for the universe. He deals with man
differently at diverse times according to the revelation He provided. God reveals His will to
mankind, gradually and progressively. We find God’s will as revelations in the Bible.

As discussed earlier, God gives His revelations to man bit by bit progressively in
proportion to His spiritual growth. “Now we know in part but when that which is perfect has
come, then that which is part will be done away (1Cor.13:9,10). The gradual and progressive
revelation is due to our human limitations.

WHAT IS DISPENSATION?.

Considering the nature of God’s dealing with man, time can be divided into different
dispensations. A dispensation is a period of time during which God dealing with man in terms
of specific revelation of His will. It is a distinctive arrangement or period in history that forms
the framework through which God relates to mankind. Dispensations are a series of
chronologically successive periods of time of Biblical history.

SEVEN DISPENSATIONS

1. Dispensation of innocence (sinless age): this is the period of time from the creation of
Adam and Eve to their expulsion from Eden.

2. Dispensation of conscience: from the expulsion of man from Eden to the flood at the
time of Noah.

3. Dispensation of Human Government : From the Flood to the call of Abraham.

4. Dispensation of Promise: from the call of Abraham to the giving of the Law.

5. Dispensation of law: from the giving of the law to the death of Jesus Christ on the
cross.

6. Dispensation of Grace : from the cross of Calvary to the Rapture (transport to heaven)
of the Church.

7. Future dispensation
a. Rapture, marriage of the Lamb with the Church in Heaven and tribulation on earth.

b. Millennium
 c. The perfect eternal age.

Of these seven dispensations, two belong to the ancient age, the next four belong to the
recent past to the present age and the last one belongs to the future.

In the next lessons, we will study about God’s dealings with man in each dispensation.
As we study them, we can understand that we belong to the most blessed dispensation of all;
the dispensation of Grace. So we must be very careful to find God’s will fulfilled in us.
Moreover we must lead a holy life in anticipation of Christ’s second coming and His glorious
reign. The Lord is not slack in fulfilling His promise. He wants everyone to come to Salvation
and be holy in life. God has provided plenty of opportunities so that we may make the best use
of them.

Exercise – 1

Answer the following questions

1. What is meant by an “Age’?

2. Into how many ages can time be divided? What are they? Write their time span?

3. What is God’s purpose about man?

4. Why God’s divine revelations to us are gradual and what are their purposes?

5. What is meant by dispensation?

6. Mention the seven dispensations and also write the time specified for each?

7. Under which dispensation are we living now?

8. What is the mystery of the will of God?

9. Write the steps in which God restored the earth to its former state?

LESSON – 2
DISPENSATION OF INNOCENCE

Reference : Gen. 1:3-2:25

 Memory Verse : Gen. 1:26-27
Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them
have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle,
over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” So God
created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female
He created them.

Objective
God created man in His image and likeness and placed him in Eden. But because of Sin
he was separated from God and became subject to curse. The aim of this lesson is to stimulate
and inspire us to enter into the eternal sinless dispensation through Jesus Christ.

Introduction

What is the cause of all sicknesses and sufferings in the world? How did Adam and Eve
enjoy life before the fall? Don’t you love to live in such a blissful state? What were the
characteristics of that dispensation?

About creation we find in the Bible; “God saw all that He had made, and it was very
good”(Gen.1:31). Think about the earth and its atmosphere, space and the planets! How
marvellously has God arranged and set everything in order? “The heavens declare the glory
of God and the firmament shows His handwork” (Ps.19:1). God restored the earth and filled
with beautiful plants and orchards. The animal kingdom was also in a happy state. All animals
were friendly to each other and lived on herbs (herbivorous).

THE BLISSFUL STATE OF MAN PRIOR TO FALL

a. God created man in His own image and according to His likeness. He gave dominion to
man over the creation.

b. The whole animal kingdom was subject to man and accepted His lordship (Gen.1:30,
2:19).

c. Man was so wise, that he could name all living creatures.

d. God also gave man a free will. Man was able to choose either to live in harmony with the
will of God or to act according to his own wish (Gen.2:16-17). God wants us to love and
obey Him on our own and not out of compulsion.

e. Man enjoyed constant fellowship with God (Gen.3:8) He lived happily in the most
beautiful garden of Eden. There, in the garden were plants and trees bearing fruits pleasing
 to the eye and good for food. A river watering the garden flowed from Eden: from there it
divided into four headwaters (Gen.2:9-14).

f. Man was given the responsibility of dressing and guarding the garden.

g. It was in this dispensation of innocence that God established marriage (Gen.2:18-25).

Besides, God blessed him to be fruitful and to increase in number.

Oh, How blessed was the man in the sinless age!

TEST AND FAILURE:

In the dispensation of innocence, God had given man one condition.

"Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and
evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”(Gen. 2:16-17). This,
was a simple test for man's obedience to God's commandment. But he failed in the test. Man
disbelieved the true word of God and believed Satan’s lies. The man and the woman ate the
forbidden fruit (Gen. 3:6). They yielded to the temptation of lust of the flesh, lust of the eye
and the pride of life, and stepped out of God's will. Thus the first man failed in his test.

THE CONSEQUENCE OF DISOBEDIENCE:

When man disobeyed God's commandment, he came under God's judgement.

1. Man lost his likeness to God and the divine qualities (attributes), such as glory, justice,
holiness etc (Gen.3:7, Rom.3:23). His divine image was disfigured and he bore the image of
Satan; thus he became a sinner.

2. Spiritual death: He died spiritually in the sense that he lost fellowship with God (Rom.5:22).

3. Body became subject to death (Gen.3:29)

4. They were expelled from Eden so that they might not eat the fruit of the tree of life and live
forever. Re-entrance into the paradise was denied, (Gen.3:23,24).

5. Man was punished to eat his food with the sweat of his brow and the woman was punished
with increased pains in child bearing (Gen.3:5-19).

6. The beautiful earth was cursed and became subject to Satan. Ever since, the world has been
under the power of Satan (1Jn.5:19)

THE PROMISE OF A DELIVERER:

God, with His unlimited grace, made the plan for delivering man and He gave the promise of
redemption. God promised that the Messiah would be born as the seed of the woman and would
crush the head of Satan (Gen.3:15). God also covered them with coat of skin. This was a symbol
or type of the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God and of the justification obtained
through His precious blood.

How blessed was the state of man in the dispensation of innocence? When man lost those
blessings by sin, Jesus Christ suffered death for us so that He might deliver us and get us back to
the former glory. Christ is alive for us today. When He comes back He will make us partakers of
His glory and honour. Do you have this faith and hope?

EXERCISE- 2

Answer the following questions

1. Why did man become subject to God's curse?

2. Why did the earth become formless and empty?

3. How did God restore earth from its formless and empty state?

4. What was the state of man before fall?

5. What was the test laid by God before man in the dispensation of innocence?

6. Why were tests given?

7. How did man fail his test?

8. What were the consequences of man’s disobedience?

9. How did man die spiritually?

10. Why man was expelled from Eden?

11. Why Christ had to suffer death?

12. What is our faith and hope?

13. God gave the promise of redemption to Adam and Eve. How?

LESSON – 3
DISPENSATION OF CONSCIENCE
References : Gen.1:3 - 2:25
Memory verse : Gen.1:26 - 27

Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them
have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle,
over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” So God
created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and
female He created them.

Objective
We may understand that we can neither please God nor become good by the knowledge of
good and evil or by the guidance of conscience.

Introduction

Is not the knowledge of good and evil desirable? Yes. Can human beings live godly lives with
that knowledge? What about the evildoers in the whole world? Do all of them commit evil
because they lack knowledge? What is your opinion?

THE DISPENSATION OF CONSCIENCE

This is the period from the fall of man to the flood spanning about 1650 years. Man ate the fruit
of the tree of knowledge of good and evil violating God's commandment. Subsequently, his
conscience became active. In other words, man got the knowledge to distinguish between good
and evil. So this was a dispensation in which God gave the law of the conscience and tested
man's choice of God's will for his life. But the later events prove that man failed in that test too.

CAIN AND ABEL (GEN.4:1-16):

Cain and Abel started out to offer sacrifice to the Lord by the guidance of their conscience.
Cain brought an offering from the fruit of the ground and Abel brought the fat portions of the
first born of his flock. God was pleased in Abel and his offering; while God was not pleased in
Cain and his offering. It was Cain who initiated in bringing an offering to God; however, we
see it written that “God was pleased in Abel and his offering”.

WHAT DID CAIN DO?

Cain offered a sacrifice of his own will, however God was not pleased in Cain and in his
offering. Then, instead of returning to God's will by repentance, he was full of jealousy and
hatred. Thus Cain killed Abel his own brother. In this way, at the very beginning of this
dispensation, uncontrolled hate welled up against his brother because God was pleased in Abel
and his worship and not in Cain and his worship. He was unable to deal with the evil that was
lurking to take control of him though God warned him in advance that he must overcome it.
He choose anger to reign in him and rejected the path of repentance as God desired. Thus
jealousy, hatred and murder entered into human life.

Cain's descendants went to build cities and introduced worldly systems being away from God's
communion. They became experts in forging out tools, raising livestock and making musical
instruments (Gen.4:16-20).

POLYGAMY

Contrary to God's will they began to take wives (polygamy) instead of one wife to one man. It
was Lamech who first introduced polygamy into the world (Gen.4:19). Polygamy is a custom
of having more than one wife or husband at the same time. The descendants of Cain became
sexual, ungodly, wicked and transgressors. Here we find that the man who obeyed was blessed
and he who disobeyed was cursed.

God gave Adam another son named Seth. Seth worshipped the Lord (Gen.4:26). Few
generations later; in the 7th generation another man named Enoch walked with God and pleased
Him by faith (Gen.5:24, Heb.11:5). He was taken away by God without seeing death. But other
descendants of Adam turned to the way of Cain. As a result, the earth was filled with
wickedness; but Noah who lived in the 10th generation obeyed God and found God's favour.

THE DISPENSATION ENDS : (GEN.6:1-6) Towards the end of the dispensation of

conscience, man’s sin and wickedness reached enormous proportions. The human character
became so low that they had immoral relations with a group of fallen angels.

Note : The 'Sons of God' referred to in Genesis 6:2 are a group of corrupt angels. We see the
use of such term for angels elsewhere in the Old Testament (Job.1:6, 2:1, 38:7). Moreover we
can understand from the Old Testament that the angels are able to take human body and eat
with men (Gen.18:1-8). Those who were born of them are called in the original Language
"Nephilim" meaning "fallen ones". The angels who thus corrupted themselves and sinned have
been chained and kept for final judgement (2Pet.2:4-9, Jude.6:7). (There is dis-agreement
among theologians about this view: hence not authoritative).
PUNISHMENT - THE FLOOD (GEN.6:3-8, 14) Man had sufficient opportunities and
privileges to live in the will of God. They had the knowledge of good and evil as well as the
freedom of choice. Nevertheless, man took God for granted and indulged in the most horrible
and shameful sinfulness. God grieved in His Heart about man. It led God to giving suitable
punishment to that generation. But in the midst of that generation, Noah held communion with
God by his conscience. So Noah received grace in the sight of God (Gen.6:8). As instructed by
God, Noah made a ship (Ark) of three decks, obeying God. Noah and his family entered into it
and escaped from the destructive flood. Now, the ark is a type (symbol) of Jesus Christ. Have
you entered into the ark of salvation i.e. Jesus Christ? There is now no condemnation to those
who are in Christ Jesus.

It is not the knowledge of good and evil that enables man to live well and obtain God's favour.
The grace of God alone saves and empowers us to live for God. Let’s trust in His grace.

EXERCISE-3
Answer the following questions

1. Which period is called the age of conscience? What are its characteristics?
2. When did man’s conscience become active?
3. What was the will of God for the fallen man?
4. What did Cain's descendants do? Describe their spiritual and material condition?
5. What is Polygamy? Who introduced polygamy in this world?
6. Who was the son born to Adam after the death of Abel?
7. What happened towards the end of this dispensation?
8. How were the people of this dispensation punished?
9. Who found grace in this dispensation and was saved with his family?
10. Who is our Ark of Salvation?
11. What enables us to live for God & obtain His favour?

LESSON - 4
DISPENSATION OF HUMAN GOVERNMENT

References : Gen.8:15-11:19
Memory verse : Psalms 127:1
Unless the LORD builds the house, They labor in vain who build it; Unless
the LORD guards the city, The watchman stays awake in vain.

Objective

To understand that human efforts apart from God are doomed to failure.

Introduction

The reason of all frictions in the world today is man’s desire to rule others. Man was originally
endowed with power to rule but lost by reason of his fall. This explains why the tendency still
prevails. It is a common fact that we love those who are yielding and hate those who are
otherwise. This dispensation (post diluvian) was a period during which man vainly thought that
he could make the earth plentiful and prosperous by his own government and worked to achieve
it. So it is called "The Dispensation of Human Government". Is it not true of the present human
societies? But the history proves that man's attempts apart from God are liable for failure. This
dispensation spans from the Flood to the call of Abraham, about 427 years.

WELL BEGUN:

How many had survived the great flood? Who were they? Noah, his wife, three sons and their
wives stepped on the new earth. What did they do then? Noah built an altar to the Lord and
offered sacrifices on it. The Lord was pleased (Gen. 8:20, 21) in him and entered into a
covenant (agreement) with man. The covenant consisted of the blessings, promises and
commandments that God gave man.

They are summed up in the following conditions (Gen.8:20-9:7)

1. That God would never again destroy the earth by flood because of man.

2. That all living creatures would never again be destroyed.

3. God blessed man to be fruitful to increase in number and fill the earth.

4. Dominion of man over all living creatures was established

5. Man was permitted to eat flesh.

6. Flesh could be eaten but without blood in it.

7. Warned man against shedding the human blood.

As a token of this covenant, God has set the rainbow in the sky. Thus, the new dispensation of
Human Government began with power entrusted to man, great promises and blessings given
to him. It was well begun in every way.

HUMAN FAILURE:

1. Noah planted a vineyard which yielded abundant grapes, it so happened that he was
overdrunk with wine which led to cursing his son. Notice how the wrongs of the parents
adversely affect the generation!
2. Noah’s descendants disbelieved God. They thought that God might break the covenant
that he would never destroy the earth by flood. This led them to the decision of building a
heaven - reaching tower to be safe, in the event of another flood.
3. God gave the blessing and commandment to increase in number and spread across the
earth(Gen.9:1). But rather, decided to build a big city in the plains of Shinar so that they
might not be scattered over the face of the earth (Gen 11:4). That is the beginning of Babel
(Babylon). Thus they rebelled against God's covenant.
4. Their pride and self-boasting knew no bounds. Their aim was to make a name for them and
earn a big reputation instead of glorifying the name of God. That is how the city of Babylon
was built.
5. Nimrod, the grandson of Ham was a hero of the ancient time who gave leadership to
idolatry. It was Nimrod who incited the people to reject God, worship idols and other
creations. Thus it marked the beginning of what we call Babylonian idol worship.

PUNISHMENT:

Although man knew about God's judgement through the flood and the covenant made
with Noah, they rebelled against God. Men also prepared plans and projects to make life secure
and prosperous apart from God. But they failed in their attempt. God confused their language
so that their communication was crippled. This led to the emergence of different languages.
This confusion of language scattered the people all over the earth. The name 'Babel' means
“confusion'. This is how the diverse languages spoken in the world originated.

All efforts, projects, vogues and cultures despising God are deemed to utter failure and
destruction. Let’s desire and pray for God's presence and help in all our affairs.
 EXERCISE - 4

Answer the following questions

1. What was the covenant made between God & man?

2. What was the token for this covenant?
3. Why did Noah’s descendants decide to build a great tower?
4. How was the city of Babylon built?
5. Who gave leadership to begin idol-worship?
6. How did God punish the people of this dispensation?
7. What is the meaning of the word “Babel”?

LESSON – 5

DISPENSATION OF PROMISE

Reference : Gen.12-22 Chpts; Heb.11:8-27

Memory verse : Heb.11:9-10

By faith he dwelt in the land of promise as in a foreign country, dwelling in

tents with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise; for he
waited for the city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God.

Objective

Trust on God's promise fully and get encouraged to face all trials in life with a blessed
hope.

Introduction

Life has its own problems and difficulties like sickness, grief death etc. As we go through
such bitter experiences, how can we face them with courage?. If someone comes forward with
a promise to help, how relieved we may feel! If so, how relieving and encouraging will be the
promise of the Almighty God?. In the Bible we find several men of God who received God's
promises, which enabled them to face all the hardships and bitter experiences. Abraham was
a great man of faith who lived in the 10th generation from Noah. God called him out from
among the idol – worshippers in the city of Ur in Mesopotamia.
 In this lesson we will study about the dispensation of promise. Its duration is 430 years
from the call of Abraham to the giving of The Law through Moses.

A. THE CALL OF ABRAHAM

In the last lesson we saw how the descendants of Noah became rebellious and idol
worshippers. As generations passed by, idolatry became all too common. By the time of
Abraham who was in the lineage of Shem, practically the whole world became idolatrous. In
that generation, God revealed himself to Abraham and called him out. The main purpose of
calling Abraham were.

1. To found a nation believing in the only true God.

2. To present the promised Messiah to the world.

3. To allocate a special land for these people so that they should not inter-mingle with
other nations and lose their national integrity and identity.

Abraham heard the call of God and obeyed. He left his own country and kindred, and
reached Haran with his family (Acts.7:1-3). While at Haran, Terah, his father died, then
God again appeared to Abraham and gave him promises (Gen.12:1-4). These promises
were unconditional. Notice carefully the promises God gave to Abraham. Abraham
believed God and started out towards the land that God would show him. His wife Sarah
and Lot, his brother’s son also accompanied him. Abraham was seventy five years old then.

B. GOD’S PROMISES TO ABRAHAM:

This promise was confirmed to Abraham in different ways at several times.

1. I will make you a great nation.

2. I will bless you.

3. I will make your name great.

4. You shall be a blessing.

5. I will bless those who bless you.

6. I will curse him who curse you.

 7. In you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.

In the seventh blessing, the fact that all the families of the earth would be blessed
indicate salvation of the whole mankind through Jesus Christ born in the lineage of Abraham.

C. THE PROMISE OF THE SEED: (Gen.17:19, 22:17)

The promise of the seed implies that all the nations of the earth would be blessed
through Jesus Christ the Son of God born as the Seed of Abraham (Gen.12:3, 22:18, Gal.3:16).

It also implies on a much wider scale that all believers are the spiritual sons of Abraham.
They are blessed with blessings of faithful Abraham. (Gen.12:3, Gal.3:7-9 & 29).

D. PROMISE OF THE LAND:

a. God gave the land of Canaan to Abraham’s descendants as their inheritance. God has
fixed the boundaries of the North- Lebanon; South- the river of Egypt; West-
Mediterranian sea; East- The River Euphrates (Gen.15:18- 21; Deut.11:24). But the
children of Israel have never yet been able to possess the land fully. But in the
millennium (Christ’s reign of one thousand years) they will possess and occupy the
land in full measure as per the original allotment.

b. Abraham looked forward to the city with foundations whose architect and builder is
God. His spiritual sons, the believers are also looking toward to the heavenly city. They
will certainly possess it. (Heb.11:9-10, Rev.21:2).

Conditions

The conditions God required of Abraham’s family were that they must believe on God’s
promises fully and live in their promised land(Gen.26:2-3). Man’s duty in the dispensation of
promise was to dwell in the land and feed on His faithfulness.

FAILURE

Even Abraham the father of believers was no exception to the common failure of
unbelief several times. When there was a severe famine in the land, Abraham went to Egypt,
for which he paid dearly (Gen. 12:10-20). Hagar, the servant of Abraham from Egypt and her
son Ishmael became a problem for Abraham’s family (Gen.16:4, Gen.21:9-12).
 Just think of the consequence of deviation from God’s path upon the believers
themselves and their generations! Let us see Abraham’s descendants and their gradual
deterioration in spirituality. Isaac was a step below in spirituality in comparison to his father
Abraham. Of Isaacs’s sons; Esau was ungodly (Heb.12:16). Jacob, in spite of God’s vision was
crafty; he had to bear the consequences of his conduct and was less spiritual than his father
and grandfather. Among the sons of Jacob, none had spiritual insight except Joseph. The people
of Israel, the descendants of Jacob tested and angered the Lord by unbelief, grumbles and were
subject to various horrible punishments (1Cor.10:6-10). Thus we find that the blessed promises
obtained in the dispensation of promise did not help them find salvation and deliverance.

Punishment:

Abraham heeded to Sara’s counsel, went for a shortcut to inherit children rather than waiting
for God’s promise to be fulfilled, inherited Ishmael and the consequences were far reaching.
Jacob had to be reprimanded by God to fulfil the vow he made at Peniel after having the dream
(Gen 35:1-4). The descendants, the children of Israel tested the Lord in their wilderness journey
and refused to trust the Lord fully. They had to wander in the desert for forty long years as a
punishment. (Num.14: 22-23; 26-35)

E. THE WAY OUT (EXODUS):

God in His mercy and forbearance raised Moses to deliver the people from bondage and lead
them to Canaan. Through the blood of the Passover Lamb, God rescued them from the angel
of destruction and led them all the way to the Promised Land.

Let us take God at His word and absolutely trust in His promises. It is promises of God that
give and sustain our hope. When we stand for the promises, we will abound in assurance and
hope.

EXERCISE-5

Answer the following Questions

1. What is the duration of the dispensation of promise? How is the name suited to this
period?

2. What were the main purposes of calling Abraham?

3. What were the promises given to Abraham and his children?

 4. What were the boundaries of Canaan?

5. When will the Israelites occupy the land in full measure?

6. What were the conditions God required from Abraham’s family?

7. What was man’s duty in the dispensation of promise?

8. What was the punishment given to the people of this dispensation?

9. How were the Israelites delivered from their bondage?

10. Prove that the children of Abraham failed in the test given in the dispensation of
promise?

LESSON- 6

DISPENSATION OF LAW

References : Exo.19:5-24:18, Acts. 7:30-53

Memory verse : Rom.3:20

Therefore by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight, for by the
law is the knowledge of sin
.
Objective

To know that the Law given to Israel was not sufficient to save the people from sin and
judgement. The Law was not perfect without Jesus Christ. Salvation is in Jesus Christ only.

Introduction

The dispensations that followed that of innocence, such as dispensations of conscience, human
government and promise all failed to redeem man from sin and get him closer to Gods. So God
gave definite commandments and Laws to the Israelites, His chosen people. This paved the
way for the dispensation of Law beginning from Sinai where the Law was given, up to the
death of Jesus Christ on the Cross- 1524 years.

A. IN THE DISPENSATION OF LAW.

1. THE LAW GIVEN:
God delivered Israelites from Egypt through Moses. In their journey towards Canaan, the Lord
led them forth with the pillar of cloud by day and pillar of fire at night. Though the people were
under the shadow of grace, they rebelled and murmured against God. Under these
circumstances it necessitated God to give them a thorough knowledge of sin and its subsequent
punishment. That is why the Law was given (Rom.3:20). God appeared on the Mount Sinai in
His unique glory and splendour revealing His holiness and man’s shortcomings. There God
gave the divine Laws to the people. These Laws consist of three parts.

1. Commandments: They were the Ten Commandments revealing God's will: The first
four of them lay down God -ward duties and the next six lay down duties towards man
(Exo. 20:2-17).
2. Judgments: This consists of social laws (Exo. 21:1-23:3).
3. Ordinances: This consists of laws regarding spiritual life and ceremonies of worship.
They are mainly to do with the construction of the tabernacle, the place of worship and
its instruments. (Exo.23:14-31:18; 34:11-27)
2. OATH TAKING:

The people of Israel took oath three times saying that they would do everything God said. Then
it was confirmed and sealed by the sprinkling of the blood of sacrifice. (Exo.19:8; 24:3 & 24:
7)

FAILURE:

If we examine the history of the Israelites who received the great Law, we can see that it was
one of failure, rebellion and punishment

3. IN THE WILDERNESS:

After receiving the divine commandments, Moses came from Mount Sinai to find that the
Israelites had made an idol cast in the shape of a calf and worshipped it! Paul in the New
Testament has notably summarised their sins (1Cor.10:6-10). Thousands of Israelites were
killed in the wilderness because of such sins as idolatry, sexual immorality, testing God,
grumbling, lust etc. They had travelled and reached the borders of the promised Land. All they
had to do was to obey God's commandments and go possess the land. But by their unbelief and
cowardice they closed the Promised Land to themselves (Num.14). They should have reached
the promised land in much shorter time as the distance could be covered in 11 days (Deut.1:2).
As a punishment to their rebellion, they had to wander in the wilderness for 40 years. They
were not just wandering but wandering to death. All of them perished in the wilderness except
Joshua and Caleb of those who started out from Egypt above the age of 20 years. Even Moses
who received the commandments directly from God's hands was disqualified to enter Canaan
(Num.27:14)

4. IN THE PROMISED LAND:

Notice, first of all, that from those who started out from Egypt only Joshua and Caleb could
enter the promised Land. After settling in Canaan, the Israelites renewed their covenant with
God in the presence of Joshua and they had pledged themselves to following the Lord Jehovah
only (Jos.24:16-18). But during the times of Judges and kings, the people became idolaters and
law-breakers. God raised prophets, from among them, who gave people strong admonitions
and warnings (Isa.1:16-20, Jer.5:28-31). But whether it be priests, kings or ordinary people,
none heeded to their words. The prophets were not only unheeded but some were severely
persecuted like Jeremiah. The kingdom of Israel was divided into two as Judah and Israel due
to their transgressions. Then in B.C.724 Israel the Northern Kingdom was destroyed by Assyria
and was led into captivity. In 586 B.C. Judah the Southern Kingdom was taken captive by
Babylon.

5. POST-EXILIC HISTORY

The Jews who returned to Canaan from the exile re-built the Temple bit by bit and attempted
to restore the ceremonies and services. The people had affirmed by an oath that they would
stick to God's laws and commandments (Neh.10:39). Nevertheless, they defiled themselves by
such sins as intermarriage, Sabbath violation, social injustice, unfaithfulness etc. (Neh.13:15-
30; Mal.3:7-15). As a result, they underwent persecutions by foreign powers namely Greece,
Egypt, Syria and Rome. The sin of Israel reached the climax at the crucifixion of the son of
God, their promised Messiah and Redeemer. He came to His own but His own did not receive
Him (Joh. 1:11). They said, “Let His blood be upon us and our children". It was literally
fulfilled. The Jews had reaped the bitter fruit of their own sowing.

Thousands were killed by the Roman emperors in A.D. 50 and 66. In A.D. 70 Titus the son of
Vespasian, the Roman Emperor besieged Jerusalem, killed about a million Jews and burnt the
Temple of Jerusalem to ashes. The remnant Jews were scattered all over the world.

Israel had received the law from God. Yet they did not keep it. They received God's punishment
for their disobedience from time to time. The history of Israel in the dispensation of Law tells
us that by law man cannot be saved. Before the Law, all sinners are condemned to death. But
Jesus Christ is able to save us having borne the penalty of sin on Himself. Let's put our trust in
Him!
 EXERCISE - 6
Answer the following questions
1. What did God test, in the dispensation of Law?
2. Why was the Law given?
3. Where did God give the divine laws to the people?
4. What did the law consist of?
5. How many times did the Israelites take oath? How was their oath confirmed and sealed?
6. How was the Promised Land closed for the Israelites?
7. How many years did they wander in the wilderness? Who were the two men that could
enter Canaan?
8. When and how was the covenant of Israelites renewed with God?
9. Why did God raise prophets?
10. What did the Jews do after returning from Israel?
11. How did they defile themselves? What was it’s result?

LESSON- 7

DISPENSATION OF GRACE

References : John 1:1-18, Heb. 1:1-4; Romans 5:1-21; Eph. 2:4-10

Memory verse : Eph. 2:8

For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it
is the gift of God,

Objective

Of all the preceding dispensations, the dispensation of grace is the greatest and the most
glorious one. Of all others, we who are living in this dispensation are the most blessed and
privileged people. We have to understand this fact and possess all its blessings and avail its
privileges.

Introduction
In each of the old dispensation, God gave various commandments and laws to mankind and
required obedience from them. But man in all the dispensations proved inefficient to obey the
commandments and were punished. Thus it was found that man could not please God or get
saved by his own works and efforts. Then God in His eternal grace put forward a way to redeem
mankind and freed man from the punishment. The punishment for sin is death (Rom.3:23).
Therefore Jesus Christ died as our substitute. We have to accept this fact by faith. See the
marvellous grace of our God! However, this grace is available only for a period. This period is
known as the dispensation of Grace.

DURATION:

The dispensation of Grace commenced from the death of Jesus Christ on Calvary and this
dispensation will end by the second coming of Jesus Christ in the clouds.

ITS CODE:

The Old Testament is the book of law whereas, the New Testament is the code of the
dispensation of Grace. The first four books known as the Gospels, record the life and teachings
of Jesus Christ. The Acts of the Apostles and the Epistles lay out the doctrines and precedent
of the dispensation of Grace.

CHARACTERISTICS

1. Salvation by Faith:

In all the former dispensations, man tried to please God by offering sacrifice. Sacrifice was a
temporary remedy for sin. According to God's verdict, any violation of law or sinful deed
demanded death of the person responsible for it. So man sought deliverance by sacrificing an
animal in his stead. More sins and repeated violations required more sacrifices. In this way,
sacrifices and rituals went on endlessly with no satisfaction in man's conscience. Then the
merciful God sent His son Jesus Christ to this earth to take the sins of all mankind, and die on
the cross. When Jesus died, God counted that all men died with Him on the cross. Since Jesus
Christ died instead of each individual, no more sacrifice is needed for man’s deliverance. God
has declared life for all who believe on this sacrificial death of Jesus Christ.

People know that unless they please God they cannot attain salvation. So they do all they can
do to please God; say, by pilgrimages, holy bath, giving alms, charitable deeds etc.. But in spite
of all the efforts and attempts, man remains all the more desperate and guilt-conscious. This is
due to the fact that men are ignorant of God's will and plan for Salvation. Before trying to
please God, one must know from God Himself what His will is. All that God wants is that we
believe in His son Jesus Christ. For the Salvation of the mankind, God has done His part.
Everything for Salvation is 'done' and the work is 'finished'. Our part is to accept it by faith
(Rom.3:24, 25, Eph.2:8). In this dispensation, the greatest privilege is that Salvation is attained
freely and unconditionally.

2. The Work of The Holy Spirit:

Another speciality is the work of the Holy Spirit, in the former dispensations, the Holy Spirit
came upon individuals occasionally for particular purposes. But the difference in this
dispensation of Grace is that God has sent the Spirit to be with us always to teach and guide us
in the will of God (Jn.14:16-26; 15:26; 16:7-8,16:13).

3. Church:

In the New Testament period, Church (Ecclesia), the assembly of saints is also called as the
Body of Christ. While Christ is the head of the Church, all the believers everywhere (living
stones) during the period of Grace forms the ‘Body of Christ’. God has appointed five different
offices for its effective growth and administration. They are (1) Apostles (2) Prophets (3)
Evangelists (4) Pastors (5) Teachers (Eph.4:11). An important aspect is that the leaders are not
to rule over the church, but rather “serve one another” in the love of God. Christ gave Himself
to the Church so that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the Word of God and He can
present her to Himself as a glorious church, not having spot, wrinkle, and without blemish.
(Eph.5:25-27).

4. Open For All:

In the previous dispensations, promise was given to Abraham, law was given to the Israelites
(Jews) but now the salvation through grace is offered to all irrespective of religion, caste or
creed. This Salvation was declared by the angels at the time of Jesus’s birth. The angel said-
“I bring you good news of great joy which shall be for all people. For there is born to you this
day in the city of David, a Saviour who is Christ the Lord" (Lk.2:10,11). Paul said- “For the
grace of God that brings Salvation has appeared to all men” (Tit. 2:11).

5. Equal Privilege For All:

In the preceding dispensations, though one could go to the worship place; the requirement
differed based on their social status. But in grace, there is no difference whatsoever. Paul said,
"There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female,
for you are all one in Christ Jesus" (Gal.3:28).

We who are privileged to live in this dispensation of Grace are truly blessed. Make sure that
you take full benefit of this opportunity. How shall we escape if we neglect so great a Salvation
(Heb.2:3).

EXERCISE 7
Answer the following questions

1. What is the duration of the dispensation of Grace?

2. What is recorded in the Gospels?

3. What do the books of “The Acts of Apostles” and “the Epistles” tell us?

4. What are the characteristics of the dispensation of grace?

5. What are the different ways in which people try to please God?

6. What is our greatest privilege in the dispensation of grace?

LESSON - 8
THE FUTURE DISPENSATION

Reference : Isa. Chapter 11-12; Rev. Chapter 20-21

Memory verse : Rev. 21:3-5

And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of
God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God
Himself will be with them and be their God. And God will wipe away every tear
from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There
shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.” Then He who
sat on the throne said, “Behold, I make all things new.” And He said to me,
“Write, for these words are true and faithful.

Objective
To get inspired by the hope of our glorious future. Be prepared to meet the soon coming Lord
Jesus Christ and therefore, lead a holy and acceptable life before God.
Introduction

In the present world, we find problems and tensions everywhere. Repeated economic collapses,
degrading social, moral standards, abounding dreadful diseases, all staring at humanity grimly.
Everyone is anxious and worried about tomorrow. People are more insecure with increasing
natural calamities; political uncertainties, destructive weaponry etc.. Man is unable to bring
about a solution to the problems that the World faces. Man today is less hopeful of a bright
future.

It is in such a critical situation that God promises us about a glorious future. It will be inspiring
and delightful to study about the new future dispensation following the coming of Jesus Christ.

PART- 1

The future dispensation can be divided as follows:

1. The rapture of the saints; conferring of rewards and the marriage of the Lamb in
heaven. The great tribulation on earth (7 years)
2. The Millennium - Kingdom Age (one thousand years). The final judgement before the
white throne. The Renovation of the earth by fire.
3. Eternity - The New Heaven and the New Earth.

1. THE RAPTURE AND REWARDS:

At the close of the dispensation of Grace, the Lord Jesus Christ will descend from heaven to
the mid-air to take up the perfected saints from the earth. From the clouds, three sounds shall
be heard such as the shout of the Lord, the voice of the archangel and the trumpet of God. Then,
the dead in Christ shall be resurrected first and the living saints shall be transformed. Both shall
be taken up to meet the Lord in the air (1Cor.15:52-54, 1Thes.4:16.7). This event is known as
the rapture of the church. Soon after this event, there will be a time of giving each saint his or
her rewards. Rewards will be decided at the judgement seat of Christ (2 Cor.5:10) on the basis
of what the born again believers have done for the Lord. The rewards will be crowns as listed
below:

1. Incorruptible crown to those who won the race (1Cori.9:25)

 2. Crown of glorying or rejoicing to soul winners (1Thes. 2:19)

3. Crown of righteousness to those who fought the fight of faith (2Tim. 4:8).

4. Crown of glory unfading to faithful pastors (1Pet. 5:4).

5. Crown of life to the faithful enduring trials (Jam.1:12, Rev.2:10).

After the distribution of rewards, the glorified church arrayed in fine linen of righteousness,
shall live with Christ as His Bride in heaven. This will be for about seven years.

THE GREAT TRIBULATION:

When the saints are with Christ in heaven, the inhabitants of the earth especially the Jews shall
have the hardest time of troubles. The Holy Spirit and the saints are no longer on the earth; but
Satan is cast down to the earth. God's wrath is poured out on the people of earth as they have
rejected the ‘Salvation by Grace’. This time is also known as the time of Jacob’s trouble (Jer.
30: 6-7). There shall be no peace on earth. Severe famine and horrible natural calamities shall
occur, Anti-Christ, a world ruler will rise and rule the nations. Eventually, the Jews and the
leaders of the nominal Christendom shall make a covenant with him. Though the Anti-Christ
shall be friendly with them at first, he will break the covenant and turn to persecute them very
cruelly (Rev. 17:16). God shall send two witnesses into their midst (Rev.11:3-6) who will
proclaim about the kingdom of God. When they shall have finished their testimony, the Anti-
Christ will kill them. After three and a half days, life will return to them and will be taken up
to heaven in body. Meanwhile, Israel shall repent and look forward to the one whom they had
pierced. Then the Lord will appear on the Mount of Olives with all His saints in great glory
and splendour (Rev.19:11-16, Zech.14:4; 2Thes.1:5-11). The Anti-Christ will gather his army
to the valley of Megiddo (Armageddon) for battle. But Jesus Christ will destroy the army of
the wicked by the breath of His mouth and the brightness of His coming (2Thes.2.8) and cast
both the Anti-Christ and the false prophet into the Lake of fire burning with sulphur
(Rev.19:20). Besides, Satan will be bound in the bottomless pit for one thousand years.

PART – II

2. THE MILLENNIUM: The Lord Jesus Christ, after His public (glorious) appearance, will
reign over this world one thousand years having Jerusalem as His capital. This reign is known
as the thousand years reign or millennium. The blessings and happy state of Adam prior to the
fall shall be partially restored to mankind. The future state of the earth at that period is described
in Bible (lsa.11th Chapter). Since Satan is cast into the bottomless pit bound, he shall not tempt
mankind to sin. Moreover, the earth shall be free from the curse resulted by sin. So even the
animal kingdom will be free from brutality.

The wolf also shall dwell with the Iamb, the leopard shall lie down with the young goat,
the calf, the young lion and the fattened calf will be together and a child shall lead them. The
cow and the bear shall graze, their young ones shall be down together and the lion shall eat
straw like the ox.

The nursing child shall play by the cobra’s hole and weaned child shall put his hand in
the viper’s den. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain, for the earth shall be
full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea (Isa.11:6- 9; Jer.16:15).

Condition of Israel:

All the Jews of the earth will be gathered together and they will accept Jesus Christ as
their Saviour and get saved (Zech.12:10,13:1, Rom.11:26-27). The Temple in Jerusalem shall
be built and worship will be restored (Eze.Ch 40,45). Israel shall be blessed both spiritually
and materially

The Glorified Saints

The saints resurrected in the rapture and the martyrs of tribulation period will rule the earth
with Christ. Thus the prophecy of Daniel shall be fulfilled that the kingdom and dominion shall
be given to the saints of the Most high (Dan.7:27).

In the Millennium earth, there will be the New Testament church, Old Testament saints, the
Jews and the Gentiles. After thousand years, Satan shall be let loose. Satan will instigate
innumerable people of many nations to his fold to war against Christ and His people. It will be
his last attempt to destroy Christ and His holy people. But fire will come down and consume
them all. Satan will be cast into the Lake of fire burning with sulphur forever.

The Final Judgement

It is appointed for men to die once, but after this, the judgement (Heb.9:27). Some people think
that physical death is the end of all whereas some other think that man will go through long
cycles of rebirths until salvation is attained. But the Holy Bible, refutes both these views, and
asserts that once everyone must die and that all will be judged at the end of the dispensations.
Since God is just in all dispensations, He condemns the guilty but at the same time provides a
way of Salvation by His love and concern for the mankind. Therefore, every individual is
responsible for his condemnation.

After the Millennium, the Lord Jesus Christ will sit on the White Throne for judgement. Then
the court will be seated and the books will be opened. Witnesses also shall be produced. All
the unsaved shall be resurrected and produced before the court. They will be judged each one
according to his works. Anyone not found written in the book of life will be cast into the lake
of fire (Rev.20:11-15, Dan.7:9-10).

The Renovation By Fire:

After the flood at the time Noah, God covenanted that the earth would never again be destroyed
by flood. But is written that “the present heaven and the earth are kept in store for fire” (2 Pet.
3:6-7)

3.THE NEW HEAVEN AND THE NEW EARTH:

When the white Throne judgement is carried out, the earth will undergo a tremendous change.
The heavens will disappear with a roar, the elements will be destroyed by fire and everything
in it will be laid bare (2Pet.3:10). In its place, new heaven and new earth shall appear. There
shall be no longer sea (Rev.21:1-5). The New Jerusalem, the holy city will come down out of
heaven from God, papered as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. We have the details
of this city laid out like a cube whose length, breath and height are the same. It is 1400 miles
(2200 kilometres) in length and as wide and as high as it is long. Jesus Christ the lamb will be
the lamp in the city for light and sun and moon will not be needed. There flows the river of life
from the throne of God and of the Lamb (Christ) down the middle of the street. On each side
of the river stands the trees of life, bearing twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit every month.
The servants of God shall worship him day and night. In eternity, God’s children will share in
the glory of Christ and reign with Him. Do you have this blessed hope of reigning with Christ?
Examine yourself.
 EXERCISE 8

PART-I

Answer the following questions

1. Into how many parts can the Future Age be divided?

2. When will Jesus Christ descend from heaven and why?

3. At that time which sounds will be heard?

4. What is meant by the rapture of the Church?

5. What will happen soon after the rapture?

6. Where will the rewards be given and on what basis?

7. What will be the rewards?

8. What will take place after the distribution of rewards?

9. What will be the condition of Jews after the rapture of the Church?

10. What is known as the 'time of Jacob's trouble’?

11. What will happen during that time?

12. Who will rule the world during the time of tribulation?

13. What will be the attitude of Anti-Christ towards the Jews?

14. What will the two witnesses do on the earth?

15. What will happen to the two witnesses in the end?

16. When will the Lord appear on the Mount of Olives?

17. How will Jesus Christ destroy the army of the Anti-Christ?

18. For how many years will Satan be bound and where?

PART-11

1. What is meant by Millennium?

2. Write in brief about the blessed and happy state of ‘Millennium'?

3. Who will rule the earth with Christ?

 4. Who all will be there in the millennium earth?

5. When will Satan be loosed?

6. What will Satan do at that time?

7. What will happen to Satan in the end?

8. On which throne will Jesus sit for the Last Judgement?

9. Who will be cast into fire?

10. What changes will take place in the earth after the white throne judgment?

LESSON - 9

COVENANTS

References : Gen.1:26-31, Gen.8:21-9:17; Gen.15:12-18

Memory verse : 2Cor.1:20

For all the promises of God in Him are Yes, and in Him Amen, to the glory of
God through us.

Objective

To understand that God is faithful and just in all His dealings and to realise the greatness of
God’s new covenant through Jesus Christ.

Introduction

In the previous lessons we have learned about the dispensations. We understood how God dealt
with man in each dispensation. Now, let us study about the covenant that God made to man in
each dispensation. Mainly there are eight covenants such as Edenic, Adamic, Noahic,
Abrahamic, Mosaic, Palestinian, Davidic and the New Covenant

As we study about these covenants, we will know the excellence and greatness of the New
Covenant through Jesus Christ.

A Covenant is a legal agreement between God and his people, in which God formulates the
conditions and, usually, requires certain conduct from them; the disobedient are punished while
obedient are rewarded with promises. In the Old Testament, God made agreements with Noah,
Abraham, Moses and David.

1. EDENIC COVENANT (Gen.1:28-30, 2:15-17).

This covenant was given during the dispensation of innocence.

a. Conditions:
a) Have children so as to fill the earth by the descendants.

b) Have control over the earth.

c) Have dominion over the animal creation.

d) Eat herbs and fruits.

e) Guard and cultivate the garden.

Test: Don't eat the fruit of the Tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

b. Punishment: Death and expulsion. A very simple test was given to know whether the
man would obey the commandment of God or not. The result was failure on man's side.
As warned by God they were subject to death.

2. ADAMIC COVENANT (Gen.3:13-21)

This covenant was given to Adam and Eve after they broke the first covenant. The Adamic
covenant contains the file of fallen man. The elements of the Adamic covenant are:

a. The consequence of sin on:

i. The Serpent (Satan's tools)
ii. The Woman (The executor, deceived by Satan)
iii. The man (The deliberate participant)
iv. The Earth (Cursed due to man's sin)

b. The first promise of the Redeemer:

The promise of the redeemer can be seen in Gen.3:15 “The seed of the woman shall crush the
head of the serpent”. Later, sacrifices are introduced until its fulfilment by Jesus Christ.
Some covenants have certain conditions. Of such conditions too, some remain overlapping a
certain period of ages. The condition of this covenant is a transitional one which has its effect
till the Kingdom Age. The promise of the Redeemer was fulfilled in Jesus Christ (with this
covenant begins the lineage of "The seed of The Woman" beginning from Seth through Noah,
Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Judah and David.)

c. Punishment: Destruction by Flood.

3. NOAHIC COVENANT (Gen.8:21-9:17)

This was the covenant God made to Noah after the earth was destroyed by flood. In this also
we see God’s love demonstrated to man. This covenant was given at the beginning of the
dispensation of Human Government.

a. The main elements of this covenant area:

a) The earth is secured against another universal judgment by flood. (God placed His
rainbow on the clouds as a token of this Covenant)
b) Be fruitful with children and multiply on the earth to fill it by descendants.
c) Eating of flesh permitted (without the life blood in it)
d) Human government established.

b. Punishment: Confusion of language

4. ABRAHAMIC COVENANT (Gen.5:12.18)

This was the covenant God made to Abraham who left his own country believing and obeying
God.

a. Main elements of this covenant are:

(a) Promise of Christ as the seed of Abraham, through whom all the nations of the earth
shall be blessed.
(b) Promise of the land to the descendants of Abraham marked by boundaries as “from
the river of Egypt to the river of Euphrates”.
(c) That Abraham’s descendants would be strangers in a foreign land and after 400
years would return.
b. Punishment: Famine
 5. MOSAIC COVENANT. (Exo.19:25 to 20:17; 24:6-8)

This was the covenant that God made to Israel at the time of Moses.

a. The main element of this covenant is “the Ten commandments” comprising of

conditions in relation to God (first four) and man (other six). In this covenant, blessing
is conditional.
b. Punishment: Scattering among nations.

6. PALESTINIAN COVENANT (Deut.30:3-6)

This was another covenant that God made to Israel. It laid down that, in spite of being scattered
to all nations in punishment, Israel would be brought back and restored in their Promised Land-
Palestine. History bears witness to this fact that God keeps His covenant in this respect even
today.

7. DAVIDIC COVENANT (2 Sam.7:8-17)

This was the covenant God made to David, after rejection of Saul from the throne.

A. The main elements are:

a) The Dynasty of David to last for ever.

b) His throne to be established forever.

c) His kingdom to be established forever.

Here we find its fulfilment in Jesus Christ- the Seed of the woman. That is why it was
mentioned to Mary by the angel Gabriel:

1. ''You will name Him Jesus.

2. The Lord God will give Him the Throne of David.

3. His kingdom will never end.

8. THE NEW COVENANT (Heb.10:14-16, Mat.26:28, Jer.31:31).

Man could not fulfil any of the covenants, due to the weakness of human nature. Therefore,
God prepared the way of salvation for man through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. Under the new
covenant man can obtain justification and new nature by faith in the sacrifice of Jesus Christ.

May God help us to receive Jesus Christ by faith as our Lord and Saviour and obtain salvation
and to grow in His grace.

EXERCISE 9

Answer the following questions

1. How many covenants are there? What are they?

2. When was the Edenic covenant given?

3. What were the conditions of this covenant?

4. What was the test and the punishment given during the Edenic covenant?

5. When was the Adamic covenant given?

6. What were the elements of the Adamic covenant?

7. When was the Noahic covenant given?

8. What was the punishment given during the Noahic covenant?

9. What were the main elements of this covenant?

10. To whom was the Abrahamic covenant made?

11. What were the main elements of this covenant?
12. What was the punishment given during the Abrahamic covenant?

13. When and to whom was the Mosaic covenant given?

14. What were the main elements of this covenant?

15. What punishment was given during this covenant?

16. What was Palestinian covenant?

17. When and to whom was the Davidic covenant made?

18. What were the main elements of this covenant?

19. When did the Davidic covenant find its fulfilment?

20. Why did God give the New Covenant?

 21. What can men obtain under this New Covenant?

LESSON -10
THE HOLY BIBLE

References : Psalms.119:1-24

Memory verse : Heb.4:12-13

For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged
sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow,
and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. And there is no
creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of
Him to whom we must give account.

Objective

That we may understand that the Bible is the Inspired Word of God and God's precious gift to
mankind. Also to get to know how the Bible has come into our hands in the present form and
have love and respect for the Word of God.

Introduction

Books play an important role in the civilization of the world. Vedas, epics, sciences, histories,
poetries etc are notable in this respect. But the Holy Bible is the only book inspired by God,
although it was written by different authors, many of whom unknown to each other, living in
different times and circumstances, yet its subject wise oneness throughout is amazing.

I. ITS AUTHORSHIP :

Bible consists of 66 books written by about forty different men over the period of 1600 years
(B. C. 1500 to A.D.100). Moses was its first writer and John the Apostle the last. The writers
belonging to different circumstances and positions such as shepherds, rulers, prophets,
warriors, priests, scholars, the learned statesmen, ordinary and ignorant men etc. Is it not
wonderful that the 66 books written by such persons over the span of 1600 years, have a unity
in thought and message?

The reason is that the Holy Spirit is the author of the Bible, though different men were
instrumental in recording them: “No prophecy of the Scripture is of any private interpretation.
For Prophecy never came by the will of men; but holy men of God spoke as they were moved
by the Holy Spirit” (2Pet.1:20, 21).

1. A PROPHETIC BOOK :

Its prophecies can he divided into Five :

1. Regarding the Universe

2. Regarding the Nations

3. Regarding the Church

4. Regarding Christ

5. Regarding Israel

The Bible contains a vast variety of subjects such as God’s dealings towards man, the
redemptive work of God for man and the earth, the rise and fall of nations, the rise, growth
restoration, and future of Israel, the birth, life, crucifixion, resurrection and the second coming
of Christ, the formation and the rapture of the Church etc.

2. A BOOK REVEALING GOD'S VICTORY:

Though the Bible starts with the account of creation, it eventually states about the pathetic
story of human fall. By sin, man and the earth have deviated from God’s plan. The Bible
describes about the depravity of sin and the need of deliverance from it. To be more precise,
the central theme of the Bible is “Redemption through Jesus Christ, the incarnate Son of
God”. The Bible proclaims the victory of God’s plan.

3. A BOOK INFLUENCING HUMAN LIFE :

Since the Word of God is as powerful as God, the influence of the Bible is unique. How
remarkable is its transforming power that brings changes into the human hearts? It transforms
the savage into a lover of man, a sinner into a saint, a man devoid of peace into a peaceful
person, the unhappy into a happy person and the greedy into a most generous person. It is
sharper than the sharpest sword and as powerful as the hammer that breaks the rock. It is
sweeter than the honey and more nutritious than milk to the hungry soul. The Word of God is
the mirror that reflects our image. It is the traveller’s guide and the pathfinder's light. There is
no other book in the world that has influenced the world history and the individuals as the
Bible.

4. A HOLY BOOK :
There is no other book in the world like the Bible that reveals sin in its sordid and serious
manner. The Word of God reveals how the Holy God looks at sin. The Bible teaches us about
the horrible consequence of sin. It also tells us about the atonement for sin that Jesus Christ
performed and that we can obtain justification and sanctification by faith-and trust on Him.

5. A BOOK INSPIRED BY GOD:

All scripture is inspired by God (2Tim.3:16-17). What does it mean by inspiration? The Words
or thoughts in the Bible were not by the will of man, but were spoken and written as men of
God were guided by the Holy Spirit (2Pet.1: 20,21). Bible contains not only God's direct words
but it contains the words of angels, men and even of demons. Even then, they were included in
the scriptures by the inspiration of God’s Spirit for a divine purpose. There are even such
books in the Bible that have no mention of God (Esther, Song of Solomon). Nevertheless, we
can find in them God’s love, concern, miracles in these books. There was a special anointment
by the Holy Spirit upon the authors to write down God`s revelation, which is God breathed.

By inspiration we do not mean that God suppressed the writer’s personality traits and skills but
they were made use of. Thus the scriptures are the inspired Word of God. The inspiration
includes even the words used by the writers. The Bible contains deep spiritual truths and their
lofty meanings. Therefore, we must understand that the Bible, the Word of God is inerrant and
infallible.

6. A SOVEREIGN BOOK :

The sovereignty of the Bible goes beyond our reasoning and restrictions of
denominations (Ecclesiastical Powers). We are not bound to believe or observe what the Bible
does not teach or recommend. If the traditions are at variance with the Word of God, we must
renounce them no matter how orthodox they are. At the same time we must follow the precepts
of the Bible exclusively, because the Bible is the only mandate for our faith and practice.
Especially in the New Testament, we have the fullest revelation through His Son (Heb.1:1-2).
It we add or delete any of them, we cannot escape God’s Punishments (Rev.22:18-19).

II. DIFFERENT NAMES OF THE BIBLE :

1. Bible: The word “Bible” was derived from the Latin word “Biblia” which means
“books”. The first Latin translation of the Old Testament from Septuagint was called
 Bible. By 5th century A.D., the Greek church Fathers began to use the word Biblia and
the English word for it is “The Bible”.
2. The Word of God : As the contents of the Bible are words that proceeded out of God’s
mouth, it is called the Word God (Duet.8:2-3)
3. Scriptures : Since God is the author of the Bible. It is named Scriptures in plural or
Scripture in singular (Mat.22:29; Luke:24:32; Acts.8:32; Gal.3:22). As they are the
records of the Holy Spirit, they are known by the name Holy writings (Rom.1:2; 2Tim
3:15)
4. Oracles (Spoken words) Since they are what God has spoken, Bible is known as
Oracles (Heb.5:12)
5. The book of the Lord : Since its author and the owner is the Lord Himself, it is named
as “The Book of the Lord” (Isa.34:16)

Let's be thankful to God for this great book Bible in our hands in its present form. We must
love and respect the Word of God, we must read, believe and meditate it daily for our
spiritual standing, edification and growth.

EXERCISE -10

Answer the following questions

1. How many books are there in the Bible?

2. How many authors wrote the Bible?
3. How many years did it take to complete the Bible?
4. Which are the five types of prophecies in the Bible
5. What are the contents of the Bible?
6. Who inspired the authors for writing the Bible?
7. Which are the different names of the Bible?

LESSON – 11
THE BIBLE- Contents and Divisions
References : Psalms. 119:97-128
Memory verse : Jer. 23:29

“Is not My word like a fire?” says the LORD, “And like a hammer that breaks the
rock in pieces?

Objective
To get an overall knowledge of the Bible and understand its importance.
Teaching aid: A chart showing the 66 books of the Bible and its writers.

Introduction

We have already learnt that the Bible is the inspired Word of God and is beyond all human
limitations. Now you may be anxious to know what are the specialities of this great book. How
many books does the Bible consist of? Now let us learn how they can be grouped, who wrote
the books and when and under what conditions.

THE CENTRAL THEME

The central theme of the Bible is Jesus Christ. The Old Testament is the history of the nation
of Israel who prepared the stage for the life and ministry of Jesus Christ. Whereas the New
Testament presents the very person and the work of Jesus Christ. Nearly every portion in the
Bible tells directly or indirectly about Jesus Christ and the redemption through Him.

CONTENTS OF THE BIBLE

In our Bible, the Old Testament consists of 39 books with 929 chapters; the New Testament
consists of 27 books with 260 chapters. The names “Old Testament” and “New Testament”
were used in A.D. 2nd century to distinguish between Jewish and Christian writings. The Old
Testament was written in Hebrew; most of the New Testament books were mainly written in
Greek and some in Aramaic. The word “testament” is related to Greek word “Diathik” and
Latin word “Testamentum”.

A). OLD TESTAMENT (OT)- DIVISONS

The Old testament consists of 39 books in the Bible we use. Based on the characteristics of
each, the OT can be divided into four.
 1. The Book of The Law (Pentateuch) The five books from Genesis to Deuteronomy
are included in this group. They are referred to as the five books of Moses- Mosaic
Pentateuch.
2. Historical Books: (12 Books)
Twelve books from Joshua to Esther come in this category. These are the historical
records of Israel.
3. Poetical books : The five books from Job to the Song of Solomon and Lamentations
are in this group. (Total 6 books)
4. Prophetical books: (16 books)
This group consists of 4 major prophets namely Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel and Daniel and
12 minor prophets from Hosea to Malachi.

The arrangement found in our English Bible is from the Septuagint. In the Hebrew Old
Testament (Tanakh) the books are arranged in a different way. Instead of counting thirty nine
books as we do, the Jews counted twenty four. The number twenty four is obtained by counting
the 12 minor prophets as one book. Samuel, Kings and Chronicles each as one book (instead
of 1 and 2nd Samuel etc) and Ezra – Nehemiah as one book.

B). NEW TESTAMENT - DIVISIONS

The 27 books of the New Testament can be divided into four.

i. The Gospels - Matthew, Mark, Luke and John - 4

ii. Historical - The Acts of the Apostles - 1

iii. Epistolatory-Romans to Jude - 21

iv. Prophetical - The Revelation - 1

The following list shows the author and the date of each of the books in the Bible. The books
in our Bible are arranged subject wise and not chronologically.

THE OLD TESTAMENT BOOKS

Book Author Date B.C

Genesis (Jenesis) Moses 1492-1451 “
Exodus (Eksodus) “ “ “
Leviticus (Leviticus) “ “ “
Numbers (Numbers) “ “ “
Deuteronomy (Diyooteronomy) “ “ “
Joshua (Joshua) Joshua 1451-1427 “
Judges (Judges) Samuel 1100-1080 “
Ruth (Rooth) “ “ “
I Samuel (Samuel) “ “ “
II Samuel (Samuel) Gad, Nathan 1060-1010 “
I Kings (Kings) Not certain “ “
II Kings (Kings) “ “ “
I Chronicles (Kronicles) Ezra 457-445 “
II Chronicles (Kronicles) “ 457-445 “
Ezra (Esra) “ 457-445 “
Nehemiah (Neehemaya) Nehemiah “ “
Esther (Esther) Mordecai 521-510 “
Job (Job) Moses 1491-1451 “
Psalms (Sams) Ezra compiled 1451-450 “
Proverbs (Proverbs) Solomon 1000-960 “
Ecclesiastes (Ekkleessiastes) “ “ “
Song of Solomon “ “ “
Isaiah (Isaya I, as, in island) Isaiah 750-698 “
Jeremiah (Jeeremayaa) Jeremiah 629-584 “
Lamentations (Lamentasions) Jeremiah 629-584
Ezekiel (Eseekiel) Ezekiel 606-586 “
Daniel (Daniel) Daniel 606-534 “
Hosea (Hoseya) Hosea 760-720 “
Joel (Joyel) Joel 620-800 “
Amos (A, as, in Asia) Amos 780-754 “
Obadiah (Obadaya) Obadiah 586-584 “
Jonah (Jona) Jonah 785 “
Micah (Maika) Micah 750-700 “
Nahum (Nahoom) Nahum 630 “
Habakkuk (Habakkook) Habakkuk 607-606 “
Zephaniah (Sefenaya) Zephaniah 630-610 “
 Haggai (Haggeyi) Haggai 520
Zachariah (Sekkeraya) Zechariah 520-516
Malachi (Malakkai) Malachi 400

THE NEW TESTAMENT BOOKS

Book Author Place Date A.D

Matthew (Mathyu) Matthew - 60-70 “
Mark (Mark) Mark Rome 57-68 “
Luke (Look, as in loose) Luke Rome 63-68 “
John (Jon) John Ephesus 90-96 “
Acts of the Apostles Luke - 64 “
Romans (Romans) Paul Corinth 58 “
1 Corinthians (Korinthians) “ Ephesus 59 “
2 Corinthians (Korinthians) “ Philippi 60 “
Galatians (Galasians) “ Corinth 60(57) “
Ephesians (Efesians) “ Roman Prison 62-63 “
Philippians (Filippiyans) “ “ “ “
Colossians (Kolosiyans) “ Roman Prison 62-63 “
1 Thessalonians “ Corinth 52 “
(Thessaloniyans)
2 Thessalonians “ Corinth 52 “
(Thessaloniyans)
1 Timothy (1 Theemathy) “ Macedonia 65 “
2 Timothy (2 Theemathy) “ Rome- Prison 67 “
Titus (Tayitus) “ Nichopolis 55 “
Philemon (Fayiliman) “ Rome- Prison 62-63 “
Hebrews (Heebroos) Paul? Rome? 64 “
James (James) James - 60 (45?) “
1 Peter (1 Peter) Peter Babylonia 60 “
II Peter (II Peter) “ “ 60 “
1 John (I Jon) John Ephesus 90 “
II John (II Jon) “ “ 90 “
III John (III Jon) “ “ 90 “
 Jude (Jood) Jude Jerusalem? 66 “
Revelation (Revelation) John Patmos 96 “

Note: These dates are approximate. They give us the chronological order of the Bible books.
Question marks are given in doubtful cases.

EXERCISE 11

Answer the following questions

1. How can you group the books of the Bible?

2. How can you group the books of the Old and New Testament on the basis of its contents?

3. Prepare a chart depicting the names of the books of the Bible, their authors, time and place
at which they were written?

4. Prepare a chart of the books written by Paul with their time and place of writing.

5. Of the 4 gospels, which was written first and which last?

6. Write down the books of the New Testament in order.

7. Write down the books of the Old Testament in order.

8. Which are the prophetical books of the Old Testament?

9. Arrange in order the books given below based on the time of their writing?

Song of Solomon, Judges, Exodus, Isaiah, Daniel, Jeremiah, Malachi, Haggai, Revelation,
Mark, 1 Thessalonians, Jude, 2 Timothy.