FIFTH DISPENSATION | STUDY (2)

1. Bible History 

a) In this panoramic Bible Story, we present the important events, and gradual development of Bible History, keeping in view, throughout, the spiritual purpose of divine revelation.

b) It exhibits a part at a time, by being unrolled before the viewer. An unobstructed or complete view in every direction; hence a comprehensive presentation to aid viewer with a better understanding of Bible History.

c) It follows the stream of the Bible narrative, so as to aid viewer in visualizing and grasping the great truths of Bible History.

2. The Fifth Dispensation of Law

- From the Division of the Kingdom to the Captivity

(Israel - 1 & 2 Kings, 2 Chronicles; Judah - 1 & 2 Kings, 2 Chronicles, Isaiah, Jeremiah; The Captivity - Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel)

a) "All the earth sought to Solomon, to hear his wisdom which God had put into his heart." Endowed with wisdom and understanding and favor with men, Solomon, as God's anointed had a glorious opportunity to bare witness of Jehovah, the one true God, inasmuch that delegates came continually from afar to see the splendor of his kingdom, and to hear his words of wisdom. Beginning well, Solomon's early reign was marked by an earnest and devout spirit. He sought divine guidance  and wisdom above all else, but the latter years of his reign brought about the decline, and decay, and finally the disruption of the kingdom. Following the example of other oriental kings, he subjected heavy burdens upon the people, to sustain the splendor of his court and kingdom, living in gross self-indulgence, and continually increasing the number of his wives, who eventually "turned his heart after other gods." His downfall was hastened by the building of shrines for the gods of his foreign wives, thus discouraging the worship of Jehovah, and encouraging idolatry throughout his kingdom. It was this climax of apostasy that brought judgment upon his house. God denounced his conduct and declared the disruption of his kingdom. A series of revolts followed, and God eventually sent his prophet Ahijah to Jeroboam, one of Solomon's officers, who had "lifted up his hand against the King", and revealed to him God's intention of removing ten tribes from Solomon, and committing them to him. After the prophet had thus announced God's intention, Solomon sought to kill Jeroboam, who fled into Egypt until the king's death.

b) At the coronation of Solomon's son Rehoboam, the people, discouraged by the heavy burdens imposed upon them by his father, came with respectful petition asking that their burdens be lightened. The result was a defiant refusal, with a threat of heavier burden, whereupon the people renounced their allegiance to Rehoboam, who fearful for his life, fled to Jerusalem. The dominant mind and influence in the revolt was Jeroboam, of the tribe of Ephraim, who by his energy of character, secured for himself the unanimous offer to rule the new kingdom. With the exception of their tribes of Judah and Benjamin, and later the Levites, the people rallied to the standard of Jeroboam.

c) When Rehoboam realized the extent of the revolt, he gathered an army with the determination of regaining the divided kingdom, but another prophet was sent to restrain him. Thus the two kingdoms pursued their separate courses. The first sixty years was marked by continual warfare, and eventually both kingdoms, gradually weakened within and without, were brought to an end by conquest and captivity.

d) The Kingdom of Israel lasted two hundred and fifty years, when it was overcome by the Assyrians. The siege and fall of Samaria, the capital, brought an end to the kingdom, while the captives were settled in different parts of the vast Assyrian Empire. Israel's history was marked by its gross idolatry and the fact that not one of the nations nineteen kings was a godly man.

e) The Kingdom of Judah lasted one hundred and thirty-five years after the fall of Israel. Judah was reigned over by nineteen kings and one queen, all lineal descendants of David. Its history was marked by various revivals and declines of religion, which reflected the life and spiritual interest of the king who sat upon the throne. Many of Judah's kings were godly men, and though some great revivals and reforms were accomplished, the same divine indictment was eventually pronounced, "Judah also did evil in the sight of the Lord."

f) The end came with the destruction of Jerusalem by King Nebuchadnezzar, and the final captivity of its king and people, and their deportation to Babylon. The Temple was rifled and burned to the ground, together with the king's palace. The walls of the city were overthrown, and the suffering, cruelty, and massacre of the besieged people, according to historians, were beyond description.