The dispensation of veiled glory

1. The outline of the dispensation of Israel. It is divided into three parts:

a) The period of the patriarchs, from Abraham to Moses.

b) The period of the law, from Moses to Christ.

c) The Tribulation.

2. The characteristics of the Age of Israel

a) There were many languages on the earth in contrast to the Age of the Gentiles.

b) There were many races on the earth. This is why God developed a special nation to represent Him.

c) There was for the first time in human history a missionary agency. The first missionary was Abraham. Throughout the Old Testament the nation Israel was responsible for the dissemination of the gospel.

d) Security for the regenerate Jews. This is found in four unconditional covenants: Abrahamic, Palestinian, Davidic and New. Each one of these covenants had an eternal life clause which provided the basis for their eternal security.

e) Israel had specific discipline for failure. Leviticus 26, the five cycles of discipline.

f) Salvation was by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. The pattern: Abraham believed in the Lord and it was credited to his account for righteousness.

g) Spirituality was the fiath-rest technique, not the ministry of the Holy Spirit.

3. The ministry of the Holy Spirit in the Age of Israel.

a) There Holy Spirit indwelt some believers, less than one per cent. There are perhaps 10-16 people in all of the Old Testament who actually had any ministry of the Holy Spirit. Enduement or empowering are better words than indwelling in the Old Testament. The Holy Spirit empowered Joseph — Genesis 41:38; Bezaleel and Aholiab — Exodus 28 & 31; some of the elders who assisted Moses received help from the Holy Spirit — Numbers 11:18,25; Joshua — Numbers 27:18; certain judges, such as Othniel — Judges 3:10; Gideon — Judges 6:34; Samson — Judges 13:25; 14:6; 15:14; Saul and David — 1 Samuel 10:9,10; 16:13; Daniel — Daniel 4:8; 5:11-14; 6:3; certain post-exilic references — Zechariah 4:3-14. This is just about it.

b) These believers who did have the empowering of the Holy Spirit as a matter of discipline could lose the enduement of the Spirit — 1 Samuel 16:14; Psalm 51:11.

c) The believer could obtain the Holy Spirit by asking for him — 2 Kings 2:9,10; Luke 11:13.

d) There would be an elapse of 10 days between the departure of Jesus Christ from the earth and when the Church Age would begin. During that ten days the believers gathered in Jerusalem simply couldn’t remain together, they need help. So Jesus didn’t tell them anymore to ask, He just simply gave them the Holy Spirit to sustain them — John 20:22.

e) The Holy Spirit was not given in that dispensation of veiled glory because Christ was not yet glorified — John 7:39. He was not seated at the right hand of the Father. But once He, is the veil is taken off. The ministry of the Holy Spirit in he Church Age — John 16:14, the glorification of Jesus Christ.