The Mystery of
The Missing
Dispensation
                                                                                         By Pastor F. M. Riley
                                                                                         September 19, 2018
     "Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the Word of truth" 2 Timothy 2:15.
Introduction
     How could an entire dispensation of time be missing, and yet millions of people never realizing it wasn't there?  Let's see if we can solve this mystery.......   
     Throughout the  years I have been in the Lord's ministry, I have always taken notice of the different dispensations of time in God's Word.   There are seven such dispensations.  In each dispensation the Lord God deals with the earth and mankind upon the earth in different ways. This especially applies to the nation and people of Israel, as they are His chosen people by covenant with Abraham and his "seed."  
     Most serious Bible believers are aware of the Dispensation of Law, and the Dispensation of the Grace of God, for these two dispensations stand out in the Scriptures.  But there are also five other dispensations. However, one dispensation does not apply to the nation and people of Israel, therefore it has been totally overlooked by the Israelite people.  What dispensation is this?  Let's carefully study the Scriptures and see....  
Defined
     The Dispensatin of Law had to do with that period of time in which Israel, as a nation and people, [and all of mankind] lived under obligation to honor and obey the Law of God, given to Israel at Mount Sinai, Exodus 20.  This dispensation lasted until the Gentile people were set free from the works of the Law by the wonderful grace and mercy of God, John 8:32; 8:36; Romans 5:15-21.  The Law given to Israel also sets forth a "shadow of good things to come," Colossians 2:16-17; Hebrews 10:1.  
     The Dispensation of Grace is that period in human history when Christ Jesus Himself came to earth, and suffered and died at Calvary, in order that totally undeserving mankind might be blessed with the  favor and mercy of God.  We believers today are still living in the Dispensation of Grace, which began some 2,000 years ago.   This present dispensation will end with the return of Christ to resurrect and rapture every true believer to glory in Heaven.  
Study on the Passover
     I wrote a study on the subject of the Passover recently, which I considered to be a highly important study, in regards to the timing of the return of Chrst.  The study was entitled, "The Lord is Still Coming."  Any reader who did not receive a copy of that study, but would like to have a copy, needs only to request it, and I will send a copy to you by either email or postal  mail.  Just let me know!  
     The Law of the Passover, and all of the Holy Days which follow Passover, were given to the nation and people of Israel, and only to Israel,  as recorded in Exodus 12 and Leviticus 23.  These chapters should be carefully studied by our readers.
     Each one of the Holy Days of the Jews listed in Exodus 12 and Leviticus 23 has a dispensational application for Israel, but only for Israel. The Holy Days of the Jews have nothing to do with Gentile believers, other than that the Lord God appears to be fulfilling Bible prophecy in close alinement with the Jewish Holy Days.    This cannot be disputed by any true believer if they really believe and pay attention to what they read in God's Word.  Following is an outline of the Jewish Holy Days.....
The Holy Days Appointed to Israel
The Spring Holy Days
Passover                                       
      Abib 14    Exodus 12:1-2; Leviticus 23:5
     The month of Abib is the first month of the year on the calendar given to Israel by the Lord God Himself.  The Passover observance sets forth a "shadow" of the  suffering and sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ Himself as the Lamb of God, John 1:29; 1:36.   
     The fulfillment of the "shadow" by the actual sacrifice of Christ for the sins of mankind, also marked the beginning of this present Dispensation of Grace in which we believers are living today.        
Unleavened Bread  
     Abib 15 thru 21   Exodus 12:15-20; Leviticus 23:6-14
     This is a seven day observance appointed to Israel in which they must cleanse their lives, their homes, and all occupants of their homes,  of all leaven,   and eat only unleavened bread for seven days. Leaven in the Bible is a symbol of SIN, 1 Corinthians 5:6-8; Galatians 5:9.  Now what dispensation do our readers suppose this seven days of cleansing foreshadows?  
     It is obvious that the seven day Feast of Unleavened Bread foreshadows the seven year Tribulation period in which the nation and people of Israel will be totally cleansed of all sin and uncleaness, and saved and delivered from the bondage of the world system, which will at that future time be ruled over by the anti-christ.  
Pentecost   Leviticus 23:15-22
     This Holy Day comes fifty days from the morrow after the weekly Sabbath Day following the Passover.  According to the  yearly changes in the calendar, it does not come on the same day each year.  
     This Holy Day was appointed by the Lord in view of the ingathering of the summer harvest, and therefore typifies the harvest of the Jewish people following the seven year Tribulation.
The Fall Holy Days
     The first four Holy Days all occur in the Spring of the year.  The next three Holy Days are the Holy Days which occur in the Fall of the year, and all three of them in the same month of the year.  
The Feast of Trumpets   Leviticus 23:24-25  
     This Holy Day, today referred to by the Jewish people as Rosh HaShanah, comes on the first day of the month of Tishri, the seventh month on the calendar God gave to Israel.  This entire day is devoted to the blowing of Trumpets.  At the end of the day, there is one long final blast of a Trumpet, which is appropriately called, "The Last Trump."  Now don't fail to read Psalm 81:3 and Isaiah 27:13.   
The Day of Atonement  Leviticus 23:26-32
     This Holy Day occurs on the 10th day of the month of Tishri; the seventh month.  This Holy Day is regarded by the Jewish people living  today, as the most sacred Holy Day of all the Holy Days they observe throughout the year.  This Holy Day is generally referred to today as Yom Kippur by the Jewish people.  It is a special Sabbath Day, and the day when every person in Israel is expected to afflict their souls and confess their sins as they seek the face of God in prayer. Those  Israelites who refuse to do so, will be destroyed from among the nation and people of Israel, Leviticus 23:29-30. I suspect this Day of Atonement has something to do with the Lord saving Israel as He destroys the armies of the anti-christ at  Armageddon.  
The Feast of Tabernacles   Leviticus 23:33-43
     Five days after the Day of Atonement, the Feast of Tabernacles begins.  "5" is the Bible number signifying, the Grace of God."  Therefore this festival reveals the nation and people of Israel finally entering into the Grace of God, following their redemption on the day of Atonement.
     This is the final  Holy Day of the year, which Israel was to observe for eight days, beginning on the 15th day of Tishri and extending through the 22nd day of Tishri.  Today this Jewish Festival is called Succoth by the Jewish people.  During the eight days of this Festival, the Jews were to build booths, using the boughs or branches of trees, including Palm Trees and Willows as noted in God's Word.  They were then to live in and rest in their booths during the eight days of this Festival.  
     This festival obviously typifies the "rest" that Israel, and all of mankind still alive on the earth, will enter into during the Millennial Kingdom of Christ, Psalm 132:11-14; Matthew 11:28; Hebrews 4:9.       
The Order of Fulfillment
     All of these Holy Days were given to Israel, and have to do with the nation and people of Israel.  None of these Holy Days, as set forth in Exodus 12 and Leviticus 23,  have anything to do with the Gentiles. Let this truth soak into the hearts and minds of our readers.  These Holy Days are Jewish through and through, and were given only to Israel and  the Jewish people.  
     Since the Holy Days were a part of the Law given to Israel, then they  are also a "shadow of good things to come," Colossians 2:16-17; Hebrews 10:1. It is obviously for this reason that the Lord God is following the outline of these Jewish Holy Days in the fulfillment of Bible prophecy.   
       It is the "appearing" of the Lord at the time of the resurrection and rapture, which is "the blessed hope" of the Lord's Church, and of all true believers among the Gentile nations and peoples.  Glory to God!  
      It is glaringly obvious that these Holy Days emphasize the harvest season of Israel, both throughout the year, but also dispensationally. Now since these Holy Days began with the Passover, let's take a closer look at these Holy Days, and their significance to the nation and people of Israel.
Passover
    The Lord Jesus Christ, is twice clearly stated in God's Word to be "the Lamb of God." Remember that the sacrifical lamb was to be selected on the 10th day of Abib, Exodus 12:3.  The lamb was then to be kept up by the Israelite family, and was to be carefully examined over the next three days.  The lamb had to be without blemish of any kind, for it was to be sacrificed to God, and God will only accept a perfect sacrifice.  Then on Passover, the 14th day of Abib, the lamb was to be killed.    
     Now dear readers, is it just "coincidence" that on the 10th day of Abib in 30 A.D. the Lord Jesus made His Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem?  In the Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem, the Lord was publicly declaring Himself to be God's appointed Messiah and Savior for the nation and people of Israel.  The Jewish people in Jerusalem at that time thronged around Him with songs and praises.  Read it for yourself in the Gospel accounts of the final five days of the Lord's ministry to the nation and people of Israel.  
     The people of Judah at that time were willing to receive the Lord Jesus Christ as  their Messiah!  But their wicked religious leaders were having none of it!  The religious leaders spent the next three days asking the Lord questions and inspecting Him; the same three days the Jewish people were inspecting their lambs.  The priests, the Pharisees, the Saducees, and the Herodians, tried every thing they could think of to find some "blemish" in the Lord Jesus Christ, but there simply was none.  The Lord Jesus, the  Lamb of God, was without blemish.  Glory to God!  
     At the conclusion of the three days, the furious chief priests and their followers then falsely accused the Lord of stirring up the people to revolt against the Roman government.  Due to their false accusations Christ was arrested and subjected to three illegal trials before Pilate, the Roman governor, and before Herod, the Roman King.  Both men reached the same conclusion, "I find no fault in this man," Luke 23:4.  
     However, just like many cheap politicians today, Pilate wanted to please the priests and other assorted religionists who were demanding the death of Christ, so, even though knowing that Christ was innocent of all accusations made against Him,  Pilate turned the Lord over to the Roman soldiers to be crucified.  
     Again, is it just "coincidence" that right there on Abib 14, God's appointed day for the Passover lamb to die, the Lord Jesus Christ suffered and bled and died as He was crucified, Isaiah 53:7-12?  
     Then just as the blood of the Passover lamb was struck on the doorposts and lintel of the Jewish homes, so the hammer of a Roman soldier nailed the hands of the Lord Jesus to the cross of Calvary.  They had previously placed a crown of thorns upon His head, then drove the thorns into His scalp by striking His head with a rod, Matthew 27:29-30.   So indeed the blood of the "Lamb of God" was struck on each side of the cross, and the blood flowing from the Lord's head flowed onto the upper post of the cross.  What is the significance of this exact scene?
The Doorway  to Salvation
     The Lord Jesus Himself, during His personal ministry, explicitly stated, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep," John 10:7.  And again, "I am the door: by Me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture," John 10:9.  The precious blood of Christ transformed the cross of Calvary into the doorway of salvation, for all who will believe.  Pause and read 1 Corinthians 1:18.   
     Now notice the Lord's letter to His church at Laodicea, the letter which represents the very church period we are living in today, "Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear My voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with Me," Revelation 3:20.  Folks, the bloodstained cross of Christ is the doorway to salvation, and the Lord Jesus is still standing on the other side of the cross right to this day, knocking and calling out to lost souls, and even to His people, to open the door.  By faith, hear His voice calling, and  open the door and the Lord Jesus will come in.  ".....for He is faithful who promised," Hebrews 10:23.
The Security of the Believer
     The Lord Himself told the Jewish people in Egypt, that the blood on the doorposts and lintels would be "...a token [sign] upon the houses where ye are, and when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy you, when I smite the land of Egypt," Exodus 12:13.  
     Dear readers what was true for the ancient Israelites in Egypt that believed God and applied the blood of the slain lamb to the doors of their homes, is "a shadow" for Gentile believers,  who  hear the voice of the Lord calling to them, and who, in repentance and faith, open the door of salvation and let Christ Jesus come in.  Christ is our security, both now and in the future.  When the destroyer comes to destroy the wicked, unbelieving, lost world, we believers will be in glory supping with Christ,  Luke 12:32-38.   
The Lord's Passing Over Egypt
     What is recorded next in Exodus 12, is that during the night of Abib 14,  the Lord then flew in the sky above the earth, passing over the land of Egypt, Exodus 12:13; 12:27; 12:29.  Again, since the Passover was given to Israel as a Law, and the Law sets forth "a shadow of good things to come," then what is this "shadow" portraying?    
     There are only two places in the Bible, which directly effect God's believing people as the Lord "appears"  in the sky above the earth.  
     The first place is in Exodus 12:23 and 12:29, when the Lord "passed over" the land of Egypt at "midnight" on the 14th day of Abib.  
     The second place is in 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17, when the Lord comes to resurrect and rapture His Church and all true New Covenant believers to glory.  
     Does this give the reader any insight into what time of the year [or perhaps even the day] the Lord will come to resurrect and rapture His Church and believing saints to glory?    
     The first time the Lord flew over the earth was at the first  Passover in the land of Egypt.  The inspired Word explicitly tells us He is going to fly over  the earth a second time.  When will this be?  Since the first time occurred on the Passover, and the Law of the Passover is "a shadow of good things to come," then why would the Lord not fly over the earth again on Passover, Saturday, April 20th, 2019?  Well...??  
       Some reader may claim that this is just my theory.  and not based on any real insight from the Scriptures.  Is that so?  Let's see.....
The New Moon
      How about the "new moon," which the Lord God explicitly commanded Israel to observe by the blowing of a Trumpet?  Read it for yourself in Numbers 10:10; ".....in the beginning of your months..."  Folks, it is the "new moon" which marks the beginning of a new month on the calendar given to Israel by the Lord God.    
     Now look at Hosea 5:7, "They have dealt treacherously against the Lord: for they have begotten strange children; now shall a month [a new moon...Hebrew text] devour them with their portions."  Our readers might also look at Hosea 2:11.  
     The "new moon" marks the beginning of each month on the Jewish calendar.  Passover is on the 14th day of Abib.  The "new moon" in April of 2019 occurs on April 6th.  Now, beginning on that date,  count 14 days and it will bring one to April 20th, the exact day of the Passover in 2019.  The passages in Hosea appear to indicate that the Tribulation period will also begin on that date.  
     These Scriptures appear to indicate that the rapture will occur and unbelieving, Christ rejecting, Israel will enter into the Tribulation period on Passover, the Jewish Sabbath, April 20th, 2019.  If this is correct, and not just my theory, we New Covenant believers will SOON know!
 The Mystery and the Solution
     According to the instructions given by the Lord God Himself in Exodus 12 and Leviticus 23, the observance of Unleavened Bread immediately followed the observance of Passover.  Unleavened Bread was to be a seven day observance.   Read 2 Peter 3:8.  
     Now if the observance of  Unleavened Bread by Israel is indeed "a shadow" of the future seven year Tribulation period, when Israel as a nation and people shall be totally cleansed of all their sin and reconciled to the Lord God,  then why is it placed in Exodus 12 and Leviticus 23 immediately following Passover?  What happened to the intervening Dispensation of Grace that comes between the sacrifice of Christ, and the Tribulation period?  Well...??  
      The observance of Unleavened Bread is the only exact seven day festival given to Israel, and it is clearly a time of purging and purification, and judgment against those in Israel who choose not to apply the blood of God's Lamb to the doorposts of their souls, Exodus 12:15. This makes it appear to be a "shadow" of the future seven year Tribulation period.   
     In "rightly dividing the Word of truth," we know that the Tribulation period did not begin immediately following the crucifixion of Christ.   So, in listing these Holy Days in Exodus 12 and Leviticus 23, the Lord left out a Holy Day portraying the intervening Dispensation of Grace, and went directly from the sacrifice of the lamb to the feast portraying the future seven year Tribulation.  Surely our readers can see this!  
     Why were the Holy Days assigned to Israel in this manner?  Why is a Holy Day foreshadowing the Dispensation of Grace totally missing in this list?  The answer may surprise our readers!
The Warnings Given by the Lord
     Throughout the personal ministry of Christ at His first coming, He warned the Israelite people, to whom He had specifically been sent [Matthew 15:24], over and over again, of the terrible judgments that would come upon them due to their unbelief and rejection of Him as their Messiah and Savior.  
The Days of Vengeance
     At the time the Lord Jesus Christ came into the world, He was Father God's "only begotten Son," John 3:16.  Mankind was created in the image and likeness of God, Genesis 1:26-27.  Every good man has a deep abiding love for his only son.  No good man would want to see his only son suffer, and bleed, and die, especially for unjust people who just didn't care about his suffering and death.
       Father God didn't want to see it either!   He knew Christ came into the world to be a sacrifice for the sins of mankind, and was pleased that His Son was willing to die in order that lost, seeking, souls might be saved, Isaiah 53:10.
     But now go back and read the Law of the Passover lamb again in Exodus 12 and Leviticus 23.  The lamb was to be slain on Passover, but there were no instructions given for the lamb to be abused, beaten, wounded, and caused to suffer terribly before it was killed.  This  undeserved suffering and abuse of Christ at Calvary was so bad that Father God turned His eyes away, and refused to look upon the scene.  Read Isaiah 52:14.  The Lord Jesus Christ, God's sinless Son, "who knew no sin," was made "sin for us," 2 Corinthians 5:21.  Read again Psalm 22:1, Matthew 27:46, and Mark 15:34, and this time let the truth stated soak in.  Much of the suffering that Christ endured at Calvary as He died for the sins of mankind was totally unjust.  Wicked men, obviously influenced and encouraged by Satan, added their own depravity and evil to the death of our Lord.  
     And.......Father God did not like it one bit!  He did not take the unjust suffering and abuse of His Son lightly.   How do I know this?  Because of what the inspired Word has to say about "vengeance" and "wrath."  
     "Vengeance" literally means, "to take revenge for an injustice."  See Strong's No. 5359.  "Wrath" has to do with the pouring out of "vengeance" in an angry rage.  See Strong's No. 5678.  Both terms are used repeatedly in both the Old Testament and the New Testament prophecies, when speaking of God and of Christ. The Lord Himself repeatedly warned the Israelites that there would come a time in the future when both "vengeance"  and "wrath" would be poured out upon them.  Why?  Obviously for His rejection and cruel death, at the hands of the very people He was sent to, to seek and to save, Luke 19:10.  Carefully study Luke 21:20-22.  Read also Psalm 94:1, Isaiah 34:8, 35:4, 61:2, 63:4, and many similar Scriptures in  God's Word.   
The Dispensation of Grace
     Most certainly there has been, and still is, a Dispensation of Grace.  But not for Israel.  The Lord God, knowing in advance the unbelief and rejection of Christ by Israel, when He gave His inspired outline of the Holy Days for Israel, simply ommited the Dispensation of Grace for that nation and people.  Instead the Lord in the outline took Israel directly from the sacrifice of the lamb on Passover, to the seven days of Unleavened Bread [a type of the Tribulation].  Even though the Israelite people have lived through the time period, there has never been a Dispensation of Grace for Christ rejecting Israel.  
A Brief Review of Israel's History
     During the personal ministry of Christ at His first coming, He prophesied the destrucion of the Jewish Temple, to the extent that not one stone would be left upon another.  Forty years later, in 70 A.D., what the Lord had prophesied literally came to pass.  
     The Roman armies laid seige to Jerusalem, and over a million of the Jewish people were killed or deliberately starved to death.  Read the eye witness account of this terrible seige, written by Flavius Josephus, in his histories, The Antiquites of the Jews, and The Wars of the Jews.   
     Those Jews who were not trapped in Jerusalem, then fled from the land of Israel and became scattered all over the world.  Everywhere they went, they were despised and persecuted, right through the centuries.  In some manner, they were always prevented from returning to their ancient homeland.  There was a 400 year period, from 1517 to 1917, during the reign of the Ottoman Turks, when not a single Jew was allowed to set foot in the land of Israel.  
     Yes, while Christian believers were enjoying the blessings of the Dispensation of Grace, the Israelites as a nation and people, lived through it, but due to their unbelief, and their rejection and crucifixion of Christ, they were suffering terribly.  
     This is why the outline of the Jewish Holy Days in Exodus 12 and Leviticus 23, goes directly from the sacrifice of the Lamb to the seven years of the Tribulation.  The Israelites, as a nation and people have had no Dispensation of Grace.  
     Certainly, there have been individual Jews all through these centuries, who have received Christ as their Savior, and have come under the blessings of God's Grace, and such is still happening today as I write. Praise the Lord!
       But as a nation and people the Jews will not come into God's grace until the Day of Atonement.  It will be at that time when the Lord Jesus Christ Himself returns to deliver His Jewish people from the wickedness of the anti-christ whose intent is to totally destroy them from off the face of the earth.  At that time the Jewish people will see the Lord Jesus Christ for themselves, Matthew 24:29-31; Revelation 1:7; Zechariah 12:9-14; 13:1;13:6.  
     Then nationally and individually, they will acknowlege their sins and receive the Lord Jesus Christ as their Messiah, their Savior, and their King.  Glory to God!  Hallelujah!  Praise the Lord!
     It is five days between the Day of Atonement and the Feast of Tabernacles.  "5" is the Bible number signifying "the Grace of God."  Folks, at the end of the Tribulation period, there will not be a man made structure still standing on the face of the whole earth.  This will mean that the Jewish people [and yes, the surviving Gentiles] will have no choice, but to use the branches and leaves of trees to build temporary shelters to sleep and rest in until they are able to once again build houses, and the Feast of Tabernacles will be literally fulfilled.  Glory to our Great God!  Let every reader  give praise to  His Holy Name!
      And may our gracious God add His blessings to this study.......
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     Any reader desiring to make personal contact with me should use one of the methods listed:
POSTAL.......Pastor F. M. Riley, 14275 Co. Rd. 8120, Rolla, Missouri 65401
EMAIL..........francismriley34@gmail.com
PHONE........573-202-6493
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