The Errors And Heresy Of Dispensationalism By Cohen G.

Reckart, Pastor

REFUTING THE ERRORS OF DISPENSATIONALISM S.J. Mounce ThM; MCE, writing for the membership of the Assemblies of the Lord Jesus Christ wrote his errors in support of dispensationalism in their official organ, the * Apostolic Witness* in the August 1992 edition. A few facts are in order before starting this refutation: 1.) Dispensationalism is a new false doctrine that had its birth from 1800-1830. This heresy came to birth during the same time that the Mormons were born, the Jehovah's Witnesses were born, and the Seventh Day Adventist were born. 2.) There is absolutely no record in Church history that his heresy was ever taught as it was developed by Edward Irving and John Darby. Claims that Ephraim the Syrian wrote of dispensationalism and a pre-trib rapture are false. Claims that the Kingdom were postponed and this doctrine was believed by the Apostles and succeeding generations of Believers is false. 3.) Dispensationalism is a complete corruption of the New Testament Scriptures from the plan of salvation all the way to revelation of the Godhead. Dispensationalism is based upon the trinity doctrine of three separate gods being three separate persons: God the Father is married to Israel and is working out the redemption of the Jews, while God the Son is espoused to a Gentile Church and working out the redemption of this accidental mistake. The error is that there is no such thing as two separate gods with separate wives. Another error is the Church was not a mistake that came about because *some* Jews rejected the Kingdom. Even another heresy is that when God the Father could not redeem Israel because the Jews rejected the Kingdom Jesus tried to give them, that God the Father then decided to postpone the Kingdom and allow God the Son to turn to the Gentiles for a people for *his name sake* and thus slip in a new mystery called plan *B* or the Church. These errors and heresies must be accepted and believed before dispensational can appear to be a revelation from God. Prophet S.J. Mounce claimed the following: 1. "Each Covenant introduces a New Dispensation." 2. The Covenants are: "Edenic Covenant [Dispensation of Innocence]; Adamic Covenant [Dispensation of Conscience]; Abrahamic Covenant [Dispensation of Promise]; Noahic Covenant [Dispensation of Human Government]; Mosaic Covenant [Dispensation of Law]; Davidic Covenant [Dispensation of Grace]; Davidic Kingdom [Dispensation of the NEW COVENANT or Millennial].

Quotes from Mr. Mounce's Dispensationalism follows for your study and review. There are a number of points that need to be brought out. A: The Scriptures no where hint at or implies the idea of dispensations. In fact, the word dispensation as it occurs it the New Testament, does not refer to marked off periods of time at all. The entire idea is mysticism and spiritualizing Scripture. B: According to Mr. Mounce, the punishment for breaking the Edenic Covenant was "physical death." Then the Adamaic Covenant was ushered in, which "embodied a curse and a promise." The earth was cursed and the promise given "that Christ shall redeem the world." He says, "this Covenant reaches until the Renovation of the earth by fire." He says further, that during this era, "the laws of capital punishment were established. This has never been abrogated (abolished)." Our question is, what about the death penalty for adultery, homosexuality, fornication, idolatry, using the name of the LORD in vain, etc. etc. etc.? Did the death penalty not stop for these at Calvary? Did Jesus not taste and take of the death penatly once and for all for sins? The doctrine of Mr Mounce negates Calvary and takes away Messiah dying for our sins, on dying in our place for our sins. Do you beleive this? Concerning the Abrahamic Covenant, Mr. Mounce says: "There was neither Jew or Gentile." He reports that the Covenant God made with Abraham was UNCONDITIONAL! By "unconditional" he means that it was God's faithfulness to Abraham, not Abraham's faithfulness to God. The concept of unconditional eternal security as a proof of God's imputed grace, is here established. This doctrine teaches that the Jews and Israel need do nothing to be saved, they are alleged to have unconditional eternal security by virtue of Divine right, and being the seed [flesh and blood] of Abraham [See Matthew 3:9 to see what Jesus thought of this doctrine]. Mr. Mounce teaches that a Jew has to do nothing to be saved, God promises the Jews that by His own faithfulness, he will not let those he unconditionaly saves to be lost? Is this a true doctrine in the New Testament? Mr. Mounce then proceeds to teach that among those who are "unconditionally saved," are two groups. There is a "natural" posterity, and a "spiritual" posterity, which he likens to the "earth" and the stars. The natural is the earth and represents the Jews and the spiritual are the Gentiles who are saved and these are represented by the stars. As with other dispensationalist, they make these Israel and the Gentile Church. The SIGN OF THIS COVENANT with Abraham is CIRCUMCISION. He says, "the Covenant extends to the end of time, taking in the new earth" [Does this apply to the Church?]. Now he separates Israel and the Church into two groups. One is Abraham's seed, the other is not. Israel he calls the Hebrew race and the Church he calls the Gentiles. He builds back up the wall that the death of Messiah tore down between Jews and Gentiles. As a good dispensationalist, he separates the "star seed," the "spiritual Israel," from the natural Israel, and makes them thus, so that they DO NOT SHARE THE SAME COVENANT OR PROMISES together! Is this Biblical? Is this New Testament? Is this found in the books of Romans, Galatians, or Hebrews? He reports that the Adamic and Noahic Covenants "covers the whole Gentile world; and that the "Dispensations of Conscience and Human Government still continue as to the Gentiles." This is a false doctine that authenticates the Talmudic heresy that the seven laws of the Noahide Covenant are the present salvation of Gentiles and not the finished work of Messiah on Calvary. According to Mounce, the Abrahamic Covenant was merged into the Law Dispensation and runs together within and parallel to it. He also says the sign of this Covenant and mixture was the Sabbath? Is this true? Where is there one hint that Abraham observed the Sabbath? Where is this theory of the Sabbath ever taught in the Scriptures? Is this in the New Testament? Is it in the Old Testament? Is this what the Apostles taught? Is this what Jesus taught what he sent the Apostles into all the world to preach to all nations? Q. Why then was it necessary for Messiah to come and shed his blood for the Gentiles, if they could be saved by keeping the alleged Covenants of Adam after the fall and the Noahide Covenant after the flood? Q. He claims that the Abraham Covenant was merged into the Law, but rejects that the Abraham Covenant was merged into the Church by Messiah as Paul records in Galatians 3:29? Instead of the Law being ended upon the Cross, Mr. Mounce reports that the Sabbath as the sign of the Law Dispensation "will continue in force until the Jews were scattered at the destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70. It will be renewed when Israel is converted and restored to their own land." Is this New Testament doctrine? Is the Law taken down from the nail-scared hands of Jesus in order to make this true? Was the Law not abolished at Calvary? Did the Sabbath rest not get replaced by the Baptism of the Holy Ghost as our *rest* or Sabbath (Isa 28:11-12)? Q. Was the Law abolished upon the Cross as a means of salvation for both Jews and Gentiles? Can a Jew reject Jesus as the Messiah, continue to keep the Law and observe the Sabbath and still be saved? The Pharisees are banking on this to be true but is it? Mr. Mounce claims that it is? Is he preaching the doctrine of Messiah here or the leaven and doctrine of the Pharisees? Q. Did the death of Messiah as the one supreme sacrifice end the Law on the Cross for sacrifices or did the law and animal sacrifices continue for the Jews who rejected to enter into the Kingdom [John 3:5, Mark 16:16]? Or are we now going to have a *partial law* abolished doctrine? Where is the Scripture for this *partial law abolishe* doctrine? The Apostle Paul did not believe it in Galatians 2:16, 5:4? Q. If the Law was nailed to his Cross and fully abolished, who can keep it for salvation? Paul wrote Hebrews while the Temple was still standing and sacrifices were still being offered and made no such claims. For what purpose would the Law be reactivated if it was FULFILLED IN Jesus Messiah (Romans 8:4)?

Mr Mounce reports that the Dispensation of Promise and the Dispensation of the Law will continue until "the Palestinian Covenant, which ends with the Renovation of the Earth by fire." This fire baptism is seen in Larkin's Charts and teachings takes place after the great tribulation and before the millennial. Following this fire purification to get rid of unsaved Gentiles, it is claimed that God will revive the Davidic Covenant "which ushered in the Dispensation of Grace." However, because of Israel's disobedience, the Kingdom of David was postponed and will come during the Millennial. So he says the Davidic Covenant was ushered in and ushered back out as quick as it was ushered in. Is this in the Scriptuires somewhere or is this heresy just in his imagination? He reports that the Kingdom is "in ABEYANCE (TEMPORARY SUSPENSION)." According to his dispensational theory, when Israel's chastisement is over for rejecting Messiah, Jesus will return having received the Kingdom, and restore Israel to the Davidic Kingdom they previously rejected. This he calls the era or time of the NEW COVENANT. He does not believe that the New Covenant was already brought by Jesus Messiah and is enjoyed by the Church as the New Testament in his blood. He cannot believe it! He says: "It (speaking of the new Covenant) is made with Israel after they get back to their own land." He reports that this Kingdom "does not belong to this Dispensation and it has nothing to do with the Church." This is false doctrine through and through! Q. Was not the New Covenant already made and is it not the New Testament and the Gospel of Christ as in Acts 2:38? Did Jesus not give us his Passover Memorial of the Communion cup as a testimony of the New Covenant in his blood? Why then are dispensationalist even taking Communion if they do not believe it represents the New Covenant in his blood? To postpone the New Covenant is to postpone the entire sacrifice of Jesus and this is heresy! Q. Did not Jesus say in Mark 9:1 that there were some standing there who would not die until they had seen the KINGDOM COME WITH POWER? Not not Jesus say in Acts 1:8 the Power would come with the Holy Ghost baptism? Did not the Holy Ghost baptism come on the Day of Pentecost? Did not Jesus give Peter the KEYS TO THE KINGDOM? Were these keys not *repentance, water baptism in the name of Jesus Messiah, and the promise of Holy Spirit baptism? If Acts 2:38 does not contain the keys for entry into the Kingdom, should not someone be telling us why Peter was given these keys if they are of no account of worth until the millennial? Will someone please tell us then what the plan of salvation is without a NEW COVENANT? Q. So, if the Kingdom was postponed, to which Kingdom was Peter given the keys and why would Acts 2:38 be postponed until the Millennial, if the Kingdom to which Peter was given the keys was postponed? Q. Thus far, the Dispensationalist have all the Dispensations continuing until the end of the Millennial or the Renovation by fire just before the millennial. Why then do they say one replaced the other and they all ended in judgment? B: According to Mr. Mounce, the dispensation of Conscience was without conditions. That is, there was no actual Covenant, and there was no Law of God to be broken to cause judgment. Yet, Dispensationalist insist that this dispensation ended in judgment because a Covenant was broken? The errors and heresies of dispensationalism are great. They are designed to deny that the Messianic Judaism of Jesus was the Davidic Kingdom into which a remnant of the twelve tribes were converted. It is to deny that this Israel of God is the olive tree into which Gentiles converted to the Messianic Judaism of Jesus were converted. It denies that the Church is the Israel of God and that this Israel is made up of Jew and Gentile. It denies that there is one Lord, one Faith, and one Baptism for Jew and Gentile alike. Flee the errors and heresies of dispensationalism today and become a convert to the Messianic Judaism of Jesus. Cohen G. Reckart, Pastor