Protestantism

» _Boanerges_ - Dispensationalism

My main contention is that dispensationalists believe that those who came before Jesus where saved because of a Lamb sacrifice. I entirely call that BS.

again.. that is not correct. dispensation simply means that God has 2 programs and 2 peoples (the Church and the Jews w/ the land... It has nothing to do with the "sacrifice"

imagine (and it's a likely scenario for that time) A poor man lives in the desert and his family is far from the cities. They don't have a spotless lamb and can't afford to travel a 2 or 3 day trip to make a sacrifice... he dies... and what? goes to hell???

Here is where you do not know what you speak, because you have not studied the OT.. If a person had nothing, he could use the littlest of birds as a sacrifice.. called a turtledove (which is actually a pigeon)...

Surely not. This is not the Gospel messag that Christ gives us.

and this is the point of WHAT dispensationalism is. The Jews were not given (until pentecost) the "Gospel message" They were told to preach the message of the "kingdom" and that, the kingdom of heaven is at hand (in that day).. Today, we do not preach that message, we preach the Gospel message (hence, the dispensation of grace)...

Now then, when you look in the book of Revelation, you do not see the Church, nor the "Gospel" message.. but, BEHOLD, the KINGDOM OF HEAVEN IS AT HAND (again)....

In fact it's opposite. Christ is trying to show us that HE has been the promise...

From Eve, God promised a "redeemer".. Imagine Eve.. She thought that was here first son!... So, those who sacrificed prior to Christ did so on "credit" and until the time of JEsus' death and resurrection, they were not saved by HIS sacrifice. These people are not part of the church, but are in fact titled as OT saints, and do not belong to the Church, but belong to the kingdom of heaven ON EARTH... John the Baptist said that he was not HE that comes, but a FRIEND.. (hence the parable of the friend of the bridegroom..)

See, only CHRIST is salvation... for now and for ever was. Not... salvation begna 2000 years ago on the cross. It was ALWAYS available... God knew it all from the beginning.

True.. but that has nothing to do with dispensations...

-- posted by _Boanerges_