A Dispensation is a time period through which God deals with man to achieve his eternal purpose and plan for the universe. There is plan in place for the whole universe, God did not create human beings for fun, he has an eternal plan and a purpose. 1. The first Dispensation This dispensation started with the call of Abraham, continued through the lives of the patriarchs, and ended with the Exodus of the Jewish people from Egypt, a period of about 430 years. During this dispensation God developed a great nation that He had chosen as a means to reach the whole world (Genesis 12:1–Exodus 19:25). 2. The second Dispensation. This dispensation is called the Dispensation of Law. It lasted almost 1,500 years, from the Exodus until it was suspended after Jesus Christ’s death. God dealt specifically with the Jewish nation through the Mosaic Covenant, or the Law, found in Exodus 19–23. 3. The third dispensation. In this dispensation God spoke to man through the Prophets. The Word of God would come only through the prophets. The anointing would come only on the prophets. This has now changed, God speaks to us directly and individually through the Holy Spirit. It not scriptural for a born again believer to go to a prophet to ask what God is saying about their lives. 4. The fourth dispensation This the one in which we now live and is called the Dispensation of Grace. It began with the New Covenant in Christ’s blood (Luke 22:20). This “Age of Grace” or “Church Age, God is now using the church as a means to reach out to the world. Man’s responsibility during the Dispensation of Grace is to believe in Jesus, the Son of God (John 3:18). In this dispensation the Holy Spirit indwells believers as the Comforter (John 14:16-26). This dispensation has lasted for over 2,000 years, and will end with the Rapture of the Church 5. The fifth Dispensation This dispensation is called the Millennial Kingdom of Christ and will last for 1,000 years as Christ Himself rules on earth. This Kingdom will fulfill the prophecy to the Jewish nation that Christ will return and be their King. The only people allowed to enter the Kingdom are the born-again believers from the Age of Grace and righteous survivors of the seven years of tribulation. No unsaved person is allowed access into this kingdom. Satan is bound during the 1,000 years. This period ends with the final judgment (Revelation 20:11-14). The old world is destroyed by fire, and the New Heaven and New Earth of Revelation 21 and 22 will begin.