Thank you so much for your ministry. Your website has been a blessing to me. I believe that the Lord led me to your website. As of late, I leaned towards Dispensationalism. However, I came into a conflict because one of my fellow Christian friends is so adamant about Dispensationalism that I was told that my views/beliefs (prayers can change things/the Lord can and does intervene in worldwide events), that contradicted Dispensationalism, would lead me biblically astray. I believe that a lot of Dispensationalists are determined that their interpretations of the future will manifest that they will not even consider any other point view, instead cling to the belief about how the Illuminati will make their power known to the world in 2012 and lead the world into a New World Order.
I have been reading your work on Revelation and listening to the teachings of Steve Gregg.
Dispensationalism is a form of premillennialism that that became popular in the 1800’s and early 1900’s. Its initial propagation is attributed to John Darby (11/18/1800 – 4/29/1882), an Anglo-Irish preacher, and an influential figure among the original Plymouth Brethren. The term “dispensationalism” comes from the fact that the interpretive grid that it supplies for the flow of the Bible as a whole. Depending on the from of dispensationalism, there may be as few as three (dispensation of law, of Grace, and of the Kingdom) or as many as seven (Dispensation of Innocence, of Conscious, of Government, of Patriarchal Rule, of Mosaic Law, of Grace, of the Millennium) dispensations.
You are correct in concluding that dispensationalism, and the premillennial theory of which it is a part are not taught in Scripture. I have not reviewed the teaching of Steve Gregg at length, but what little I have seen of it leads me to conclude that it is not a dependable source for learning the truth of God’s word. Continue to read Eric Hall’s commentary on Revelation on this website. It will lead you in the right direction.
As for the Illuminati, their 2012 prediction is pure balderdash. Starting in 1776, the year of the American Revolution, moving in 13 year intervals they find, they find in each 13th year an event that they attribute to the Illuminati. Some years bring rebellion, but others bring an end to war. They never explain any event from any of years 1-12 in each cycle, some of which were surely more monumental that those mentioned for each 13th year. This gibberish is as far wrong as the work of those who have sought to find secret codes in the Bible. I don’t know what power the Illuminati think that they have, but somehow I believe that there is sufficient political and military power to prevent them from doing to much mischief.
You Must Hear the Gospel
Romans 10:17
You must hear the gospel and then understand and recognize that you are lost without Jesus Christ no matter who you are and no matter what your background is. The Bible tells us that “all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23) Before you can be saved, you must understand that you are lost and that the only way to be saved is by obedience to the gospel of Jesus Christ. (2 Thessalonians 1:8) Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” (John 14:6) “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12) "So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God." (Romans 10:17)
You Must Believe
Hebrews 11:6
You must believe and have faith in God because “without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.” (Hebrews 11:6) But neither belief alone nor faith alone is sufficient to save. (James 2:19; James 2:24; Matthew 7:21)
You Must Repent
Acts 3:19
You must repent of your sins. (Acts 3:19) But repentance alone is not enough. The so-called “Sinner’s Prayer” that you hear so much about today from denominational preachers does not appear anywhere in the Bible. Indeed, nowhere in the Bible was anyone ever told to pray the “Sinner’s Prayer” to be saved. By contrast, there are numerous examples showing that prayer alone does not save. Saul, for example, prayed following his meeting with Jesus on the road to Damascus (Acts 9:11), but Saul was still in his sins when Ananias met him three days later (Acts 22:16). Cornelius prayed to God always, and yet there was something else he needed to do to be saved (Acts 10:2, 6, 33, 48). If prayer alone did not save Saul or Cornelius, prayer alone will not save you. You must obey the gospel. (2 Thess. 1:8)
You Must Confess
Romans 10:9
You must confess that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. (Romans 10:9-10) Note that you do NOT need to make Jesus “Lord of your life.” Why? Because Jesus is already Lord of your life whether or not you have obeyed his gospel. Indeed, we obey him, not to make him Lord, but because he already is Lord. (Acts 2:36) Also, no one in the Bible was ever told to just “accept Jesus as your personal savior.” We must confess that Jesus is the Son of God, but, as with faith and repentance, confession alone does not save. (Matthew 7:21)
You Must Be Baptized
Acts 2:38
Having believed, repented, and confessed that Jesus is the Son of God, you must be baptized for the remission of your sins. (Acts 2:38) It is at this point (and not before) that your sins are forgiven. (Acts 22:16) It is impossible to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ without teaching the absolute necessity of baptism for salvation. (Acts 8:35-36; Romans 6:3-4; 1 Peter 3:21) Anyone who responds to the question in Acts 2:37 with an answer that contradicts Acts 2:38 is NOT proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ!
You Must Be Faithful Unto Death
Revelation 2:10
Once you are saved, God adds you to his church and writes your name in the Book of Life. (Acts 2:47; Philippians 4:3) To continue in God’s grace, you must continue to serve God faithfully until death. Unless they remain faithful, those who are in God’s grace will fall from grace, and those whose names are in the Book of Life will have their names blotted out of that book. (Revelation 2:10; Revelation 3:5; Galatians 5:4)