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Dispensationalism II - Lesson 2
Attached Audio:
- THE DISPENSATION OF INNOCENCE (Genesis 2:4-9 [4] These are the generations of the heavens and of the earth when they were created, in the day that the LORD God made the earth and the heavens,
[5] And every plant of the field before it was in the earth, and every herb of the field before it grew: for the LORD God had not caused it to rain upon the earth, and there was not a man to till the ground.
[6] But there went up a mist from the earth, and watered the whole face of the ground.
[7] And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.
[8] And the LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed.
[9] And out of the ground made the LORD God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil.
See All...) (Continued) - Commission (Genesis 1:28And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.
See All...) - Be fruitful
- Multiply
- Replenish the earth
- Subdue the earth
- Have dominion over the animals
- Covenant (Genesis 2:16-17 [16] And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat:
[17] But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.
See All...) - Liberty: Eat freely of the trees of the garden
- Restriction: Do not eat the tree of the knowledge of good and evil
- Judgment: In the day you eat thereof you die
- Crisis (Genesis 3:1-8 [1] Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?
[2] And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden:
[3] But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.
[4] And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die:
[5] For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.
[6] And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.
[7] And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons.
[8] And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees of the garden.
See All...) - The Test: God allows the serpent (Satan) to tempt Eve concerning the tree (verse 1)
- The Plan
- The serpent questions God’s word (verse 1)
- The serpent contradicts God’s word (verse 4)
- The serpent changes God’s word (verse 5)
- NOTE: Compare the three attacks made on the word by the Pharisees (Matthew 15:3But he answered and said unto them, Why do ye also transgress the commandment of God by your tradition?
See All..., 6, 9) - The Fall
- Eve adds to the word (verse 3)
- Eve takes of the forbidden fruit (verse 6)
- Good for food
- Pleasant to the eyes
- Desired to make one wise
- NOTE: Compare to the three kinds of lust in the world (1 John 2:16For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.
See All...) - Eve gave of the fruit to Adam (verse 6)
- The Consequences
- They lost their innocence (verse 7)
- They lost their fellowship (verse 8)
- Their spirit died at that moment (see Romans 7:9For I was alive without the law once: but when the commandment came, sin revived, and I died.
See All...) - Condemnation (Genesis 3:14-24 [14] And the LORD God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life:
[15] And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.
[16] Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee.
[17] And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life;
[18] Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field;
[19] In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.
[20] And Adam called his wife's name Eve; because she was the mother of all living.
[21] Unto Adam also and to his wife did the LORD God make coats of skins, and clothed them.
[22] And the LORD God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever:
[23] Therefore the LORD God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken.
[24] So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life.
See All...) - The serpent is cursed (verses 14-15)
- The woman is judged (verse 16)
- The ground is cursed (verses 17-18)
- The man is judged (verses 19-24)
- Compassion
- God covers man with coats of skins (Genesis 3:21Unto Adam also and to his wife did the LORD God make coats of skins, and clothed them.
See All...) - God promises a future Redeemer (Genesis 3:15And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.
See All...) - Change
- Man now has a fallen, sinful nature
- Man now lives in a sin-cursed world
- Man is cast out of the Garden of Eden
- Man now will die and return to dust
- THE DISPENSATION OF CONSCIENCE (Romans 2:12-15 [12] For as many as have sinned without law shall also perish without law: and as many as have sinned in the law shall be judged by the law;
[13] (For not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified.
[14] For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves:
[15] Which shew the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another;)
See All...) - Notes on the Conscience
- The purpose of the conscience – an inner source of knowledge
- Knowledge of the existence of God (Romans 1:19Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them.
See All...) - Knowledge of evil actions – conviction (John 8:9And they which heard it, being convicted by their own conscience, went out one by one, beginning at the eldest, even unto the last: and Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst.
See All...; Romans 2:15Which shew the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another;)
See All...) - Knowledge of right actions (Romans 9:1I say the truth in Christ, I lie not, my conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Ghost,
See All...) - The need for a redeemed conscience (Hebrews 9:8-9 [8] The Holy Ghost this signifying, that the way into the holiest of all was not yet made manifest, while as the first tabernacle was yet standing:
[9] Which was a figure for the time then present, in which were offered both gifts and sacrifices, that could not make him that did the service perfect, as pertaining to the conscience;
See All..., 14; Hebrews 10:1-3 [1] For the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect. [2] For then would they not have ceased to be offered? because that the worshippers once purged should have had no more conscience of sins. [3] But in those sacrifices there is a remembrance again made of sins every year.
See All..., 22) - The operation of a good conscience (Acts 23:1And Paul, earnestly beholding the council, said, Men and brethren, I have lived in all good conscience before God until this day.
See All...; Acts 24:16And herein do I exercise myself, to have always a conscience void to offence toward God, and toward men.
See All...; 1 Timothy 1:5Now the end of the commandment is charity out of a pure heart, and of a good conscience, and of faith unfeigned:
See All..., 19; 1 Peter 2:19For this is thankworthy, if a man for conscience toward God endure grief, suffering wrongfully.
See All...; 1 Peter 3:16Having a good conscience; that, whereas they speak evil of you, as of evildoers, they may be ashamed that falsely accuse your good conversation in Christ.
See All..., 21; cp. Hebrews 5:14But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.
See All...) - The failure of the human conscience
- A weak conscience (1 Corinthians 8:7Howbeit there is not in every man that knowledge: for some with conscience of the idol unto this hour eat it as a thing offered unto an idol; and their conscience being weak is defiled.
See All..., 12) - A defiled conscience (Titus 1:15Unto the pure all things are pure: but unto them that are defiled and unbelieving is nothing pure; but even their mind and conscience is defiled.
See All...) - A seared conscience (1 Timothy 4:2Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron;
See All...) - Content
- From the fall of man to the flood
- Genesis 4-8
- 1,656 years (Genesis 5)
- Conditions
- A fallen world (Genesis 3:17And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life;
See All...) - The loss of innocence (Genesis 3:22And the LORD God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever:
See All...) - Sinful nature (Genesis 4:1-10 [1] And Adam knew Eve his wife; and she conceived, and bare Cain, and said, I have gotten a man from the LORD.
[2] And she again bare his brother Abel. And Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground.
[3] And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the LORD.
[4] And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And the LORD had respect unto Abel and to his offering:
[5] But unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell.
[6] And the LORD said unto Cain, Why art thou wroth? and why is thy countenance fallen?
[7] If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door. And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him.
[8] And Cain talked with Abel his brother: and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother, and slew him.
[9] And the LORD said unto Cain, Where is Abel thy brother? And he said, I know not: Am I my brother's keeper?
[10] And he said, What hast thou done? the voice of thy brother's blood crieth unto me from the ground.
See All...; John 6:63It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.
See All...; Romans 7:18For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not.
See All...; Galatians 5:17For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.
See All...) - Loss of God’s presence – beginning of prayer (Genesis 3:24So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life.
See All...; Genesis 4:16And Cain went out from the presence of the LORD, and dwelt in the land of Nod, on the east of Eden.
See All..., 26) - Death (Genesis 4:8And Cain talked with Abel his brother: and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother, and slew him.
See All...; Genesis 5:5And all the days that Adam lived were nine hundred and thirty years: and he died.
See All...)
Proverbs 25:18
A man that beareth false witness against his neighbour is a maul, and a sword, and a sharp arrow.