Dr. Chafer On Covenant Theology

[CarolLyn]

No offense taken, brother! Sometimes I get in a hurry and forget to post scriptures. Thanks for the links, I look forward to checking them out. God bless!

[Fishy]

Hello everyone!

I am new here, I found this thread while googling dispensation vs. covenant stuff. I am now registered here.:90 I am currently in no mans land on the subject of eschatology. I was a pre-trib guy, but I am now a Calvinist and not sure about the premil vs. amil debate. The conversation here has been a pleasant read and very informative. Sorry to revive this, but wanted to say hello and thanks.

[BlessedinHim]

That is ok, this thread has just been waiting for me to get back to it. LOL Other things in life has put this thread on hold for me. Welcome to the board.

[LaMontre]

Good thread.

Personally, I see things as progressively dispensational. In other words, the dispensations do not conflict, they compliment, or one is built upon the other, and they have been progressively collecting the elect people of God into the house of God.

Ultimately (and quite literally), all of us across all the dipensations are all one people. And we will all recieve equal rewards (although varied based upon our works) in the kingdom of God.

Mat 20:1 For the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is a householder, which went out early in the morning to hire laborers into his vineyard.
Mat 20:2 And when he had agreed with the laborers for a penny a day, he sent them into his vineyard.
Mat 20:3 And he went out about the third hour, and saw others standing idle in the marketplace,
Mat 20:4 And said unto them; Go ye also into the vineyard, and whatsoever is right I will give you. And they went their way.
Mat 20:5 Again he went out about the sixth and ninth hour, and did likewise.
Mat 20:6 And about the eleventh hour he went out, and found others standing idle, and saith unto them, Why stand ye here all the day idle?
Mat 20:7 They say unto him, Because no man hath hired us. He saith unto them, Go ye also into the vineyard; and whatsoever is right, that shall ye receive.
Mat 20:8 So when even was come, the lord of the vineyard saith unto his steward, Call the laborers, and give them their hire, beginning from the last unto the first.
Mat 20:9 And when they came that were hired about the eleventh hour, they received every man a penny.
Mat 20:10 But when the first came, they supposed that they should have received more; and they likewise received every man a penny.
Mat 20:11 And when they had received it, they murmured against the goodman of the house,
Mat 20:12 Saying, These last have wrought but one hour, and thou hast made them equal unto us, which have borne the burden and heat of the day.
Mat 20:13 But he answered one of them, and said, Friend, I do thee no wrong: didst not thou agree with me for a penny?
Mat 20:14 Take that thine is, and go thy way: I will give unto this last, even as unto thee.
Mat 20:15 Is it not lawful for me to do what I will with mine own? Is thine eye evil, because I am good?
Mat 20:16 So the last shall be first, and the first last: for many be called, but few chosen.

The work day is the entire panorama of time, and the hours represent different dispensations. There are 5 dispensations, and each was under the same terms.

God went and found them, and called them, and they that came were sent out to work, and they that were sent out are rewarded. Now some may see themselves as having deserved more (it was the Jews to whom Jesus referred), but they do not.

The eleventh hour dispensation is the age we are currently in.

Certainly, Paul saw his mission as the fulfillment of Israels hope.

Act 26:6 And now I stand and am judged for the hope of the promise made of God unto our fathers:
Act 26:7 Unto which promise our twelve tribes, instantly serving God day and night, hope to come. For which hope's sake, king Agrippa, I am accused of the Jews.

And those from the Old Testament are saved just as we, but retroactively (as it were):
Heb 9:15 And for this cause he is the mediator of the new testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance.

So they too are joined with us in Christ:
Heb 11:39 And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise:
Heb 11:40 God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect.

The Old Covenant (at the time of the writing of Hebrews) was in the process of passing away. And it passed away gradually, until AD70. So there is an overlap of Old and New Covenant in the book of Acts. But this mattered not to God ultimate plan.
Heb 8:13 In that he saith, A new covenant, he hath made the first old. Now that which decayeth and waxeth old is ready to vanish away.

And so we are looking at the progressive continuation of all of the dispensations through the millenial kingdom, to the pinnacle (as far as we know), the eternal state.

2Co 1:20 For all the promises of God in him are yea, and in him Amen, unto the glory of God by us.

For all you Calvinists out there, in this case "all" indeed means "all". :wave