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If we want to understand the Bible clearly, we must divide the Bible into different dispensations. The revelation of God in the Bible differs according to different dispensations. God uses a particular way to deal with people in each dispensation. If these dispensations are mixed together in the study of the Bible, some will see many contradictions and find many passages that are difficult to understand because they do not realize that God's dealing with man differs according to different dispensations. Unbelievers think that these contradictions exist because the writers of the Bible had an incomplete concept of God. They think that the concept of God gradually evolved until it became bright and clear at the time of the Lord Jesus. This is the tone of unbelievers who try to discredit the Bible as God's revelation. We cannot accept this, but we admit that there is a progression of doctrine in the different books in the Bible. What we see only faintly at the beginning of the Old Testament is manifested, in the clear light of the New Testament, as being short of full revelation. This is not because of man's changing concept of God, but rather because God's revelation to man is different. God's dealing with man differs according to a particular dispensation; therefore, God gradually reveals Himself to man and also reveals what kind of conduct man should have during the dispensation in which he is living.
We must divide the Bible into distinct dispensations. Many people think that the only dispensational division in the Bible is the one between the Old Testament and the New Testament. Although this division is an excellent help for study, it is not perfect. All the scholars who have studied the Bible carefully have seen that there are seven dispensations in the Bible. This analysis is not based on man's idea. By diligent study, one can see that there is a natural division [of seven dispensations] in the Bible.
The first of the seven dispensations is the dispensation of innocence, covering the period of time when Adam and Eve were in the garden of Eden. The second dispensation is the dispensation of conscience, covering the period from the time after Adam was driven out of paradise and received a conscience until the end of the flood. The third dispensation is the dispensation of human rule, covering the period of time after the flood until the scattering at Babel. The fourth dispensation is the dispensation of promise, covering the period between the call of Abraham and the exodus of the children of Israel from Egypt. The fifth dispensation is the dispensation of law, covering the period from the exodus from Egypt and the giving of the law at Mount Sinai until the time of the cross. The sixth dispensation is the dispensation of grace, covering the period of time from the death of the Lord Jesus and the descension of the Holy Spirit until the rapture of the saints. The seventh dispensation is the dispensation of the kingdom, beginning with the second coming of the Lord Jesus and the establishment of the kingdom on the earth until the end of the millennium. After the millennium the heavens and the earth will be consumed by fire. Then God will make a new heaven and new earth where the righteous will dwell. This will be the beginning of eternity.
The two most important dispensations in the Bible are those of law and grace. These dispensations are the longest and most frequently mentioned in the Bible. The original condition of man, God's covenant with man, man's fall, and God's judgment are all different in these dispensations. If we do not separate the different dispensations when we read the Bible, we will see many contradictions. God deals differently with people in each dispensation. If we do not carefully differentiate between the dispensations, we might expect the people in this dispensation to keep the law. This would create confusion and cause us to misunderstand the meaning of the Bible. The seven dispensations of the Bible tell us the different ways in which God dealt with man. The greatest purpose of God in these seven dispensations, so far as man is concerned, is to show that man should be saved by grace and not by works. Galatians 3 tells us that when God gave His promise to Abraham, His purpose was that man would be saved through grace. At that time man did not know that he was sinful and would not admit that he was powerless to save himself through good works. To show man that he was sinful and could not do good, God added the law after He gave His promise to Abraham so that man might know himself. All of God's commandments and charges in the law show man's inward impotence and defilement so that he would be willing to receive grace and be saved. According to the nature of man, no one likes grace. All men think that they are capable in themselves, capable of good works, without sin in themselves, clean, and capable of being saved through good works. For this reason God must first cause man to know himself; only then will he admit that he is helpless, only then will he confess that he is a sinner and receive God's grace without any pride. God spent more than fifteen hundred years in the dispensation of the law to prove that no one in the world could keep His law or do good. After a test of fifteen centuries God manifested His real purpose in the dispensation of grace: man can be saved through believing in His grace. This grace is given to the world through the Lord Jesus' death for sinners. What a pity that even today there are many people who still do not know that they are full of sins. They are still planning to be saved through works. These people should return to the dispensation of law and be tested in order to know themselves!
We can only say this much concerning the teaching of the seven dispensations. Now we want to point out why the story of creation in Genesis 1 expresses the teaching of these seven dispensations in the Bible. There are many writers in Europe and in the United States who are more capable than I and who have written many discourses on this point. I do not believe that I can write better than they, but I just want to mention these points briefly in order to help those who do not yet know this teaching.
Before we go any further, we must first mention one verse in particular. We know that in the seventh dispensation there will be one thousand years. This is the millennial kingdom, and Revelation 20 clearly tells us that the dispensation of the kingdom will actually last one thousand years. Many misunderstand the Sabbath of creation to be a type of this millennial kingdom. Since the millennial Sabbath day is one thousand years, according to 2 Peter 3:8 they think that the previous six days are also six thousand years. They think the seven days of creation are a type of seven thousand years of world history. Their basis is "that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years." This is a mistake, and I do not believe this myself. The teaching in 2 Peter 3:8 does not tell us that the Lord considers one day to be a thousand years. The purpose of this verse is to make clear to the saints that time is not a problem to the eternal God. He is the eternal God; therefore, time has no effect on Him. If we say that the seven days of creation mean seven thousand years because the Lord considers one day as a thousand years, then how do we explain the following clause which says that the Lord considers "a thousand years like one day." Therefore, the real meaning of the verse that the Lord considers "a thousand years like one day" is that in His longsuffering a thousand years is not much. As far as His delaying is concerned, the Lord considers that "one day is like a thousand years." This means that a delay of one day for Him is like a delay of a thousand years. This speaks of the faithfulness of the Lord's promise and the broadness of His grace. This is proven in the following verse. We should not take the word of the Bible out of context to prove our ideas.
Now we return to our theme. Genesis 1:1 says, "God created the heaven and the earth." This signifies the dispensation of innocence. What God created was perfect, good, and without blemish. During the dispensation of innocence, mankind was also innocent. However, the heaven and the earth created by God did not remain in the same condition as they were when they came out of God's hand. Verse 2 tells us that "the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep." The earth created by God changed from its former appearance. It was judged by God; therefore, it fell into a state of desolation. The former, excellent perfection was lost. This depicts the situation after man was driven away from the garden of Eden. Man sinned, fell, followed Satan's word, and rebelled against God's commandment. They received God's judgment and wrath. They no longer had the right to live in the beautiful paradise of Eden. They were driven away in nakedness, sufferings, and curses. Although they were covered with coats of skins, they lost their original countenance. Henceforth, the only way to describe their condition was that in the sweat of the face he would eat bread, and in sorrow she would bring forth children and be under oppression. This is the beginning and the conclusion of the first dispensation — the dispensation of innocence.
The work of the first day is a type of the second dispensation, the dispensation of conscience, because the work on this day clearly shows the condition before the flood. Although light was shining, the shining neither interfered with nor helped the creation. The shining of the light only revealed the desolation. At this time even though man received a conscience to differentiate good from evil and understand right and wrong, they did not have God's help to restrain their sinful nature or the sinful deeds issuing from their sinful nature. Aside from revealing man's sinfulness, the conscience does not keep one from doing evil. The work of the conscience is like the shining of God's light into the sinners; it reveals one by one the failures of the sinner and fully exposes even the smallest item. Just as the light of the first day was not able to render help to the desolate world, the conscience is unable to render us any help.
The work of the second day was the creation of the heavens. It is not difficult to find out the meaning of the heavens in the Bible. Daniel 4:26 says, "After you have come to know that the heavens do rule." According to the Bible, the heavens mainly refer to the position of authority. Water is above the heavens. If we study the properties of water, we know that water is the weakest, most uncertain substance. The expression "weak as water" indicates this. The heavens and water combine to mean weak and uncertain authority. There is authority, but it is weak and uncertain. The work of this day is a type of the dispensation of human rule. After the flood God committed a governing authority to man. Before the flood, when Cain's brother died, he said, "I know not: Am I my brother's keeper?" (Gen. 4:9). After the flood, God commanded, "Whoso sheddeth man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed" (9:6). This clearly speaks of human government because God committed to man the authority to execute a death sentence. There was authority, but the man who had the authority was as weak as water. The commandment was committed to Noah, but after a short time Noah exposed his own weakness in the matter of drunkenness and sleeping in nakedness (v. 21). Although God did not commend His work on the second day as being good, His purpose was good. Human government was established by God. He could not bless man's government, but through government He caused man to receive the blessing.
The work of the third day is a type of the dispensation of promise. In the work on this day, the dry land was separated from the waters. According to the teachings of Daniel 7:2-3 and 17 and Revelation 17:15, we know that the waters refer to the Gentile part of humanity. In the Bible the dry land is a type of the Jewish nation. We can see this frequently in the books of the prophets, because every time the prophets mention "this land," it refers to the land of Judah. Therefore, the separation of dry land from the waters signifies the children of Israel being separated from the Gentiles. The dispensation of promise began with the calling of Abraham. The call to leave Ur of the Chaldees was like the dry land being separated from the waters. Beginning with Abraham, the children of Israel became a people of God's special choice. His call to be separated from the Gentiles was the beginning of the separation of the children of Israel by God. God's purpose in separating the dry land from the waters was for it to bear fruit. This brings us to the second half of the work on the third day.
We have previously mentioned that the work of the third day is divided into two halves. In the first half, God separated the dry land from the waters; in the second half, God caused the land to produce fruit. The first half of the work is a type of the fourth dispensation, the dispensation of promise. The second half of the work on the third day is a type of the fifth dispensation, the dispensation of law. God gave the law to the children of Israel for them to bear fruit. The law was like a plow to till the land deeply so that it could produce fruit. When God gave the law to the children of Israel, His original intention was for them to bear fruit. Water cannot bear fruit. Similarly God did not demand that the Gentiles bear fruit unto Him. God paid attention to the land. Through the law He sowed seeds in the nation of Israel. As a householder He often sent His servants to the husbandmen to ask for the fruits. We know that very little fruit was produced by the children of Israel. Nevertheless, God used them to produce fruits because "salvation is of the Jews" (John 4:22). The Lord Jesus was a man under law (Gal. 4:4). He kept the perfect law and produced the most excellent fruit. He was a real Israelite. As for the rest of the children of Israel, they will produce fruits in the millennial kingdom.
The work of the fourth day is the type of the sixth dispensation, the dispensation of grace. The heavenly luminaries clearly speak of Christ and His church. This represents the present church age. Christ is like the sun who appears in the heart of men through the power of the Holy Spirit. In this way men understand and receive His grace. During this period the church has a responsibility to reflect Christ's light. The present age is a long dark night. During this period Christ has ascended to the heavens. The church and saints are the only luminaries on the earth. We know that all the luminaries are from the heavens. For us to shine before men means that we should be seen as people of another world. Others will see that Christ is not of the world and that we also are not of the world. Our living should also bear the heavenly nature with Christ shining from our face through our joy and satisfaction in Him. The entire testimony of the church during this age of grace is related to this shining. What a pity that the light today has become so dim and unclear! The Bridegroom delays, and the light has become hazy. Apart from the lamps of the virgins, what other light is there in the world? The shining of the light of the gospel is the characteristic of the dispensation of grace.
The work on the fifth day is a type of the great tribulation period which starts at the end of the church age. There is a short period between the end of the sixth dispensation and the beginning of the seventh dispensation called the great tribulation. It is a time of testing for the inhabitants of the earth.
In the work on this day, God again worked in the waters. At that time billows and waves rose in the sea. This situation is described in Psalm 93:3-4. "The floods have lifted up, O Lord, / the floods have lifted up their voice; / the floods lift up their waves." This was the original condition on this day. But "the Lord on high is mightier than the noise of many waters, / yea, than the mighty waves of the sea" (Psa. 93:4).
This is the day of trial for the world because at this time God will cause trial to come on the whole inhabited earth (Rev. 3:10). The waters refer to the Gentiles. At this time the Gentiles will become loose in their own ways and rebel against the Lord. Therefore, they will be under trials from God. "Upon the earth anguish of nations in perplexity at the roaring of the sea and the billows, men fainting from fear and expectation of the things coming upon the inhabited earth" (Luke 21:25b-26a). "When Your judgments are in the earth, / The inhabitants of the world learn righteousness" (Isa. 26:9). Therefore, the waters will be teeming with many living things. By this time God will have called all of his heavenly people home because God wants to prepare His earthly people on the earth. Although the duration of this period will not be long, God will do a preparation work, because He wants all the inhabitants on the earth to enjoy the blessings in the days when His righteousness and justice reign.
While the inhabitants on the earth are being tried, God will be working in the air. God not only created living creatures in the waters, He also made winged fowls in the air on this day. The spiritual meaning of this is not difficult to understand. The Bible tells us that when the inhabitants of the earth, the Gentiles, are under trials and being judged by God, the saints will be received by the Lord in the air. "Look at the birds of heaven. They do not sow nor reap nor gather into barns, yet your heavenly Father nourishes them. Are you not of more value than they?" (Matt. 6:26). "Are not two sparrows sold for an assarion? And not one of them will fall to the earth apart from your Father...Therefore do not fear; you are of more value than many sparrows" (Matt. 10:29, 31). Does this not refer to Christians? The winged fowls are actually animals in the heavens. Although they sometimes come to the earth, eventually they return home. The place where they abide and fly is in the air. God has ordained that winged fowls would fly above the earth in the air. At the time of the tribulation, "the Lord Himself, with a shout of command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, will descend from heaven, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are living, who are left remaining, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air; and thus we will be always with the Lord" (1 Thes. 4:16-17). The winged fowls will be returning home soon.
In the work on the sixth day, God created Adam and Eve and charged them to rule the earth. This is a type of the seventh dispensation, the dispensation of the kingdom. The apostle Paul tells us in Romans 5:14 that Adam was a type of Christ who was to come. He also tells us in Ephesians 5:25 and 32 that Eve is a type of the church, who will be offered to Christ without spot or wrinkle. During the seventh dispensation, Christ, as the Son of Man, will sit on His throne with His people (Rev. 1:13; 3:21). This kind of ruling involves God ruling through man. This man is the man Christ Jesus (1 Tim. 2:5).
In the work on this day, we see many living creatures produced on the earth. The living creatures in the waters and the winged fowls in the air have been mentioned. God will turn His attention to the children of Israel again. They are "the land." During the millennium, not only will Gentiles who have passed through the great tribulation become subjects of the kingdom, and not only will the saints reign with Christ, but also the children of Israel will become prosperous again. They will receive God's blessing which was prophesied through the prophets; they will receive what God promised when He made a covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. "In the days to come Jacob will take root; / Israel will blossom and bud; / And they will fill the face of the earth with their produce" (Isa. 27:6). At this time God will sow Jezreel in the land (Hosea 2:22b-23a).
The rest on the seventh day is a type of the new heavens and new earth, and of eternity after the millennium. Seven dispensations have passed. What remains is the rest. This rest is not a type of the millennium, because the millennium is not a rest. God rested on the seventh day and did not work anymore. But the millennium is still not the time for God to rest; not until the new heavens and new earth will God have rest. Therefore, the day of rest is not the type of the millennium.
There is not another day after the seventh day. All the work will have been completed. The heart's desire of God will have been accomplished. He blessed the day of rest. According to God's thought, there are only seven days. There is no need to continue another day after seven days. The work of redemption will have been accomplished. All things will have been accomplished according to God's eternal purpose. There will be no more need for time after the completed work. God will admire Himself in all the work He has done among the creatures and will bless them forever. Before the new heavens and new earth with the eternal rest come, however, God's work is not complete. His eyes delight to see His work of redemption being fully completed. Before it is fully complete, He cannot be satisfied. Truly, how can God have rest before such a consummation? He will rest when He sees His redeemed people completely joined to the unique, appointed One, receiving all authority and blessing. This is eternity. Eternity rests in God's satisfaction and praise. When will this time be?
