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CREATION – DISPENSATIONS – REDEMPTION
A concise chronological timeline of all the different ages from the beginning of time until the end.
THE WILDERNESS Mission
P.O. Box 132, Spruce Pine, NC 28777 – www.wildernessmission.net
Pastor Charles Alonso – (828) 765.1066 & (828) 775.0009
INTRODUCTION: “IN THE BEGINNING GOD CREATED THE HEAVEN AND THE EARTH” (read Genesis 1:1 – 2:14).
Before “the beginning of time” God created a great host of eternal angels who would serve Him throughout all of His creations
and kingdoms – but Satan (“the anointed cherub that covered”) deceived a host of angels and together they rebelled against God
(read Isaiah 14:1–20; Ezekiel 28:1–19 & Revelation 12:1–10). God then punished them into a place that was without form and in darkness,
and many were “cast down to hell, and delivered into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment...”
“And the angels who kept not their first state... He has reserved in everlasting chains under darkness
unto the judgment of the great day” (the White Throne Judgment) (read II Peter 2:4; Jude 1:6 & Revelation 20:10–15).
It was then – during the seven literal days of creation – that we find “the beginning of time.”
God established this cycle of 24 hours in a day – right from the very first day of creation – about ± 6000 years ago.
1. THE DISPENSATION OF INNOCENCE
Adam and Eve lived in peace and in perfect harmony with God until the day they failed the test of obedience (read Genesis 2:15–3:24).
This dispensation begins with the creation of Adam and Eve in an eternal state, in innocence and in perfect harmony with God, in a perfect
environment and without a sinful nature, until the day they disobeyed God: “And the Lord God commanded the man, saying: 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 of it; for in the day that you eat thereof you shall surely die” Genesis 2:16–17.
Because of their newly found sinful state – spiritually dead & now subject to physical death – they were sent forth from the Garden of Eden.
God had given them the sole responsibility of tending the garden with just one commandment, a test of their faith and their obedience. This
commandment could have been any other – as if God would have told them: “Do not touch the dogs” or “Never look at the moon at night.”
The commandment was a test to prove their obedience. They failed the test, and for this reason the judgment of God came upon them and their
descendents, thus: all of us have received a sinful nature from our forefathers which leads us to death. The Bible says: “For Adam was first
formed, then Eve. And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression” I Timothy 2:13–14. The devil deceived Eve:
“And the serpent said unto the woman: you shall not surely die; for God does know that in the day you eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and you shall be as
gods, knowing good and evil. And when the woman saw that the tree (1) was good for food, and that it (2) was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be (3) 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” Genesis 3:4–6 ( the three sins in the world – I John 2:16 ).
But God, in His mercy and eternal purpose, cursed the devil and gave us the promise that Jesus Christ would one day destroy the works of the
devil, exercising all of His authority to redeem this world and all of humanity . “And the Lord God said unto the serpent... And I will put enmity between
you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed (Jesus Christ born of the seed of a virgin woman); He shall bruise your head (Christ would destroy the
devil with a deadly blow to his head), and you shall bruise His heel” (God allowed the devil to bruise Christ by nailing His heel to a cross) Genesis 3:15.
But God had already written, by His eternal wisdom and before the foundations of this earth, the mystery of the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
For we are redeemed: “with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot: Who verily was foreordained before the foundation
of the world...” (read I Peter 1:10–23). “But when the fullness of the time was come, God sent forth His Son, made of a woman, made under the law,
to redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons” Galatians 4:4–5 (read Matthew 13:34–35).
PARENTHESIS: THE JUDGMENT OF IMMEDIATE SPIRITUAL DEATH & SUBJECT TO PHYSICAL DEATH
(this judgment was instantaneous: read Genesis 3:16–24).
2. THE DISPENSATION 0F CONSCIENCE
All of humanity did that which is evil & failed to do that which is good as God had put it in their consciences (read Genesis 3:21 – 8:19).
Here is the beginning of what we call “a fallen humanity” – “a fallen nature,” whereby every person “ born of the will of man ” (read John 1:9–14),
is in a state of total depravity: knowing that which is good but doing that which is evil: “Which show 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...” (read Romans 2:11–16).
During the time before the flood one could still see traces of a perfect environment: the animals were still tamed, all of the animals and all of
humanity did not eat meat, and it had never rained: “for the Lord God had not caused it to rain upon the earth... But there went up a mist from the earth, and
watered the whole face of the ground” Genesis 2:5–6. God gave all of humanity the responsibility to do right and reject evil according to their
consciences: “[But] God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only ev il continually”
Genesis 6:5. Humanity failed again the test of obedience which brought the judgment of the worldwide flood: “when once the longsuffering of God
waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water” I Peter 3:20.
PARENTHESIS: THE JUDGMENT OF THE WORLDWIDE FLOOD (the flood lasted a year and ten days: read Genesis 6:1 – 8:19 ).
3. THE DISPENSATION OF HUMAN GOVERNMENT
All the generations born after the flood failed to establish new governments to rule the world for God ( read Genesis 8:20 – 11:9).
Right after the flood God gave all of humanity new laws whereby they could govern the world. Certainly, life now after the flood was even
more difficult: “And the fear of you and the dread of you shall be upon every beast of the earth...” It was here that God allowed all of humanity to eat meat:
“Every moving thing that lives shall be meat for you... But flesh with the life thereof, which is the blood thereof, you shall not eat” (read Genesis 9:1–5).
It was here, through the means of human governments, that God gave the people new laws in order to govern the world for God. “Whosoever
sheds man’s blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God made He man” Genesis 9:6. It was here, for the first time, that God instituted the
death penalty (although God had instituted the animal sacrifice on the altar as a foreshadowing and a temporary remembrance of His promise to send
“the Lamb of God, which takes away the sin of the world” John 1:29 & 36). God again demanded faith and obedience to His laws in order to establish social
well-being and to fill the whole earth abundantly, but humanity failed again by their disobedience by refusing to be scattered throughout the earth.
But, even worse, the people wanted to live selfishly independent from God, so they decided to build a tower to see if they could control their own lives.
Therefore, God confounded their languages and forced them to be scattered throughout the earth. Although God changes His demands by means of the
different dispensations, the governments by man will continue until Christ returns to this earth.
PARENTHESIS: THE JUDGMENT OF THE DIFFERENT LANGUAGES (this judgment was instantaneous: read Genesis 11:1–9) .
4. THE DISPENSATION OF PROMISE
The descendents of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob failed to obey God by leaving the Promised Land ( read Genesis chapters 12 – 15) .
This dispensation started in Genesis 12:1, and continued until the end of the four hundred years spent as slaves in Egypt: Exodus 12:51.
Again, ± 2000 years before Christ, God intervened in His grace and called another man and his descendents in order to establish a new
dispensation. Up to this time God had treated all of humanity equally. But now, with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, God starts to bring up a
nation who would be the instrument He would use to bring the Savior and His laws to the whole world. In the midst of such gross immorality
and idolatry, the Jewish people (later called “Israel”) could, by their faith and obedience, serve God, preserve His laws, and be an example of a
people covered by God’s blessings and protection.
Their responsibility: obedience and faithfulness in the Promised Land. But for Jacob and his twelve sons (the twelve tribes of Israel) life in the
Promised Land became very difficult as the many testings of drought and famine came. Therefore, in the course of time, they all moved down
to Egypt. Eventually, “there arose up a new king over Egypt, which knew not Joseph” nor his family (read Exodus 1:1–14), therefore, being afraid of
their numbers, the Egyptians enslaved the children of Israel until the four hundred years ended, as prophesied by God in Genesis 15:13–14 .
PARENTHESIS: THE JUDGMENT OF THE CAPTIVITY IN EGYPT (this judgment lasted four hundred years in Egypt: read Genesis 47:1 through Exodus 12:51 ).
5. THE DISPENSATION OF THE LAW OF GOD
The Jewish people failed by falling into idolatry continuously. This dispensation begins in Exodus 19:1 – 20:17 , but it covers the rest
of the Old Testament, ending at the last few chapters of the four Gospels in the New Testament with the crucifixion and resur rection
of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ (read Matthew 27:52–53 & Ephesians 4:7–10 ). Truly “the Law” could not forgive our sins, for it was
only our schoolmaster to lead us to the Savior (read Galatians 3:10–25 ).
Some ± 1500 years before the crucifixion and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Jewish people had received “the Law of God” through
Moses at Mount Sinai . The law was given as a way to lead the Jewish people in all aspects of their lives and their relation with God and with all
of humanity. But soon after receiving the Law they started murmuring and rebelling against God: “And changed the glory of the incorruptible God
into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and four footed beasts, and creeping things” (statues of idols, virgins, & saints) Romans 1:23.
Through the many judgments of God for all of their rebellions: the ten tribes to the north (called “Israel”) were carried away as captives by the
Assyrians some ± 700 years before Jesus Christ (read II Kings 17:1–23). Later, some ± 600 years before Jesus Christ, the last two tribes to the
south (called “Judah”) were carried away to Babylon as captives for seventy years (read II Chronicles 36:11–23 & Jeremiah 25:1–14).
PARENTHESIS: THE FUTURE JUDGMENTS OF THE TRIBULATION YEARS ARE THE LAST SEVEN YEARS
OF THIS DISPENSATION ACCORDING TO THE PROPHECIES ABOUT THE SEVENTY WEEKS OF YEARS.
The (70 x 7) 490 years were divided into 483 years and 7 years ( read Daniel 9:20–27 & Matthew 24:1–31) . God stopped the prophetic clock
at the end of the 483 years, with the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, in order to introduce the mystery of “The Grace of God.”
6. THE DISPENSATION OF THE GRACE OF GOD
All of humanity can attain unto eternal life – by faith alone and faith in Christ alone – for the sacrifice He offered on the cross for
the sins of the whole world, and runs from the resurrection to the revelation of Jesus Christ. This dispensation of “the Grace of God”
is introduced to the world at the very moment that God stopped the prophetic clock. The apostle Paul states: “If you have heard of the
dispensation of the Grace of God which is given me to you-ward: how that by revelation He made known unto me the mystery; (as I wrote afore in few
words, whereby, when you read, you may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ) which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men,
as it is now revealed unto His holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit; that the Gentiles should be fellow heirs, and of the same body, and partakers of His
promise in Christ by the gospel” (read Ephesians 3:1–12). With the death, burial, and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ, the prophetic clock
stopped (read Daniel 9:20–27), leaving seven years yet to be fulfilled at the end of this dispensation (Jesus said: “For then shall be great tribulation,
such as was not since the beginning” Matthew 24:21). The dispensation of “the Grace of God” has this responsibility throughout the whole world:
WE ARE SAVED BY GOD’S GRACE THROUGH FAITH AND ONLY THROUGH FAITH IN JESUS CHRIST – Ephesians 2:1–10 & John 1:9–18.
We are living here, at the end of these ± 2,000 years of “the Grace of God,” before God judges this world during the Tribulation period.
PARENTHESIS: THE JUDGMENT OF THE TRIBULATION FOR SEVEN YEARS ( read Revelation 6:1 – 20:6 ).
This judgment is not only the last week of years (seven years) of the dispensation of the law of God for the Jews,
but it is also the judgment at the end of this dispensation of “the Grace of God” which comes upon the whole world
for not accepting Jesus Christ as their Savior: “ The Lamb of God, which takes away the sin of the world” John 1:29 & 36 .
7. THE DISPENSATION OF THE KINGDOM OF JESUS CHRIST OVER ALL OF HIS CREATION
Jesus Christ will restore and reign over all of His creation here on earth for one thousand yea rs (read Isaiah 11:1–10 & 65:20–25).
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with all spiritual blessing s in heavenly places in Christ:
according as He has chosen us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love,
having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will,
to the praise of the glory of His grace, wherein He has made us accepted in the Beloved. In Whom we have redemption through His blood,
the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace; wherein He has abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence; having made known
unto us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He has purposed in Himself: that in the dispensation of the fullness of times
(the Kingdom of Christ) He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in Him:
in Whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of Him (God) who works all things after the counsel
of His own will: that we should be to the praise of His glory, who first trusted in Christ...” (read Ephesians 1:1–14).
CONCLUSION: “GOD CREATES A NEW HEAVEN AND A NEW EARTH” (read Revelation chapters 21 & 22).
At the end of the one thousand year reign of Jesus Christ here on earth all true believers will be ushered into eternity.
“But God, who is rich in mercy, for His great love wherewith He loved us, even when we were dead in sins, has quickened us together with Christ,
(by grace ye are saved); and has raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: that in the ages to come He might
show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. For by grace are you saved through faith; and th at not of yourselves:
it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are His workmanship (God’s beautiful masterpiece),
created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God has before ordained that we should walk in them” (read Ephesians 2:1–18).
“It is never too late for a new beginning with Christ” – Pastor Charles Alonso – First John 5:11–15.
