Perhaps without exception, dispensationalism is not accurately understood or described by those who do not accept it. One common failure is to emphasize features that were articulated by one person 100 years ago but which are not widely held today. Opponents often stress aspects that dispensationalists do not believe. This includes:
1. The significance of dispensations. Dispensationalism no more needs dispensations than any other view. (All believe that God’s ways of working have changed with time; for instance, no one believes sacrifices are required today.) Proposals about “tests” and “failures,” as well as the number (4, 5, 6, 7, 8), are at best peripheral to the view.
2. A distinction in salvation. Dispensationalists do not believe that Israel and the church are saved in different ways. They insist that all people in all times are saved through faith in God’s provision of the death of Jesus on the cross.
3. A contrast between earthly people and spiritual people. Israel is just as earthly as the church and just as spiritual. Both Israel and the church live on the earth and will live on the earth in the future kingdom. Both Israel and the church are spiritual to the degree that they are submitted to God’s will and living by his Spirit.
4. A claim that the church is outside of God’s original plan. God always planned to bless the nations (Gentiles) through Israel. But God did not reveal prior to Israel’s rejection of their Messiah that he would establish a single body of Jews and Gentiles in order to provoke Israel to jealousy. This lack of revelation in the OT is why Paul called the church a mystery (Eph 3). It’s not surprising that God would not reveal this reality given the sincere desire that Israel would embrace its Messiah.
I ‘ll finish this series tomorrow with some additional misconceptions.