Dispensationalism Affirmations and Denials

The below document was drafted and adopted by The Sword and Trumpet in 2026 to explain our position on dispensationalism.

These affirmations and denials are being set forth to clarify where we stand regarding dispensationalism. It is composed with both covenantalists and dispensationalists in mind.

Dispensationalism has often been caricatured by covenantalists and others who disagree with it; sometimes this caricature is warranted. Some who call themselves “dispensational” have distorted the Bible or gone beyond what it teaches. We think this document is necessary in order to define what we mean — and do not mean — by the designation “dispensational.”

The position here defined differs from covenant theology in all its forms, classic and modern. We believe we are within the dispensational stream, though our view does not totally match the dispensationalism of a century ago. When compared to the three common designations of dispensationalism (traditional, revised, and progressive), the position presented in this document falls somewhere between revised and progressive dispensationalism.

It could be questioned whether the term “dispensational” is useful anymore, since it has been used at times to give credence to flawed and unbiblical doctrines. Can we still use it to define our position? We tentatively adopt it because, without some kind of anchor, we divorce ourselves from the stream of historic Christian thought — and therefore from the stability and trust which comes when we align ourselves with Christians who have come before us. The Sword and Trumpet has always been dispensational, and we intend to continue in that stream. We adopt the label “dispensational” because it is the closest reference point to what we here espouse.

We recognize that sincere believers will disagree on these issues. This is not intended as a be-all end-all in the larger discussion among covenantalists and dispensationalists. Rather, this is an explanation of where we as an organization stand on these issues.

Where appropriate, we have supplied references to relevant verses. These are not exhaustive but provide a sampling of biblical material to help our readers “search the Scriptures to find out whether these things [are] so.”

Article 1

Affirm that the story of the Bible unfolds in successive historic periods (sometimes called dispensations, economies, epochs, or stewardships) wherein God teaches us about Himself and ourselves by certain principles and tests by which we learn of His holiness, our sin, and His grace.

Deny that these progressions indicate changes in God’s fundamental redemptive purposes or total discontinuity between the dispensations.

Romans 15:4, Ephesians 1:10, Hebrews 1:1-2, 8:13

Article 2

Affirm that God’s glory is the unifying theme and purpose of Scripture, and that the various dispensations progressively reveal His glory.

Deny that this diminishes the significance of human salvation as a theme of Scripture.

Romans 11:36, 2 Corinthians 1:20, Ephesians 1:6, 1:12, 1:14, 2:7

Article 3

Affirm the continuity of the Old and New Testaments, that the former anticipates the latter, and that the latter rests upon the former.

Deny that this continuity erases distinctions between God’s promises to Abraham and David and His promises to the church.

Jeremiah 31 and Hebrews 8:7-13; Romans 1:17 and Habakkuk 2:4; Galatians 3:15-18 and Genesis 12:7, 13:15, 24:7

Article 4

Affirm the continuity of the people of God in both Testaments; that there is only one Savior, Jesus Christ; that there is only one way to be saved, by faith in Christ; that all who are united to Christ by faith are adopted into one body.

Deny that this erases all distinctions between Israel and the church or that this nullifies specific promises made to ethnic Israel that have no apparent fulfillment during the first advent of Christ.

Romans 3:25-26, 4:1-25, 10:1-13, 11:25-26, Ephesians 2:11-22, 4:4-6

Article 5

Affirm that God has one way of salvation for all believers: salvation by grace through faith in Christ, whether by faith in His anticipated coming (Old Testament believers) or by faith in His realized historic coming (New Testament believers).

Deny that this one plan of salvation erases particular promises made during particular historic periods (dispensations), especially the land and kingdom promises made to Abraham and David.

Romans 3:30, Galatians 2:15-16

Article 6

Affirm that there will be only one redeemed people of God in eternity future.

Deny that this erases all distinctions between ethnic Israel and the church throughout redemptive history.

Article 7

Affirm that all of the Old Testament covenants and prophecies are fulfilled in Christ.

Deny that this means all the Old Testament promises were fulfilled in Christ’s first advent or that all of the promises made to Israel are or will be fulfilled in the church.

2 Corinthians 1:20

Article 8

Affirm that certain Old Testament covenant promises to the Jews appear to have remained unfulfilled in Christ’s first advent or in the church, and therefore it is right to anticipate a future fulfillment of those prophecies to the physical descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

Deny that there is no correlation between the promises made to the Jews and the blessings experienced by the church, since the apostle Paul teaches that the Gentiles are grafted into the Jewish tree.

Matthew 23:39, Romans 11, Hebrews 8:7-13, Ephesians 2

Article 9

Affirm that the church as described in the New Testament was a mystery in the Old Testament and came into being as a distinct entity established by Christ after He was rejected by the Jews.

Deny that the New Testament ecclesia (church) is an entirely separate entity from Israel, but rather…

Affirm that it participates in some of the promises originally made to Israel, that it was grafted into Israel and thereby made the recipient of spiritual promises made to Israel, that Abraham’s “true children” are not those who are merely his physical descendants but are those who emulate his faith.

Ephesians 3:1-7, Galatians 3

Article 10

Affirm that New Testament teachings (including the Sermon on the Mount) apply to the church in this age and are not restricted to a future restored Israel.

Deny that this diminishes the significance of New Testament teachings to a future, restored Israel.

Article 11

Affirm that God made particular promises to ethnic Israel in the Old Testament that will be fulfilled to ethnic Israel in the future.

Deny that every descendant of Abraham will experience the benefits of these promises, but rather…

Affirm that a remnant of true believers from Abraham’s descendants will be saved to experience the fulfilment of these promises.

Isaiah 14:1-2, 43:1-7, 44:21-23, Romans 9-11

Article 12

Affirm that God continues to deal graciously with Abraham’s physical descendants, the Jews.

Deny that the Jews experience the blessings of the New Covenant while they persist in rejecting Jesus as their Messiah.

Article 13

Affirm that God blesses those who honor and bless the Jewish people, and that He stands opposed to all expressions of antisemitism.

Deny that this requires uncritical support for all policies or actions of the modern nation-state of Israel.

Genesis 12:3

Article 14

Affirm that the area of land promised by God to Abraham and his offspring for an eternal possession even now rightfully belongs to his descendants, ethnic Israel.

Deny that the modern nation-state of Israel matches the biblical descriptions of their state as a restored covenant people, or that Israel’s modern warfare is holy war on par with that which was prescribed in the Old Testament.

Genesis 13:15, Deuteronomy 30:1-10, Isaiah 62:1-12

Article 15

Affirm that the millennium spoken of in Revelation 19 will be an actual 1000 year period, wherein particular Old Testament promises will be fulfilled in Christ’s return and earthly reign, including the physical land and kingdom promises made to Abraham and David.

Deny that the promise of Christ’s future millennial reign means He is not reigning over the earth now as sovereign King of earthly rulers and as Lord of His church.

Isaiah 11:1-16, 35:1-10, 62:1-12, 63:1-6, 65:17-25, Jeremiah 31-33, Hosea 1:10-11.

Article 16

Affirm a straight-forward hermeneutic by which we interpret Scripture grammatically (according to the meaning of the words in context) and historically (as it would have been understood by its original recipients).

Deny that all who study the Bible with a grammatical-historical hermeneutic will arrive at dispensational conclusions.

Article 17

Affirm that a grammatical-historical hermeneutic naturally leads to a dispensational framework and a premillennial view of eschatology (including the expectation of a rapture of the church prior to the great tribulation and the millennium) and to an expectation of a time-and-space fulfillment of yet unfulfilled promises to the Jews.

Deny that dispensational premillennialism is the only view that can be substantiated by Scripture, or that sincere, biblically-faithful believers always reach the same conclusions regarding the millennium and God’s intentions for Israel.