How Dispensational Pretribulationism Interprets the Tribulation and the Church

      This post explains how Dispensational Pretribulation scholars understand how the Tribulation relates to the Church Age.  Charles Ryrie, recognized as authoring the modern essential text on Dispensationalism, defines a dispensation as, “a distinguishable economy in the outworking of God’s purpose.” [1]  Ryrie states the essence of dispensationalism as (1) the recognition of a consistent distinction between Israel and the church, (2) a consistent and regular use of a literal principle of interpretation, and (3) a basic and primary conception of the purpose of God as His own glory rather than the salvation of mankind[2]. While Ryrie entertains the Tribulation being its own dispensation [3], he discards that idea since it violates principles of reverting back to former things such as Israel observing the Sabbath and animal sacrifice.  In addition, Ryrie also recognizes there is no rule that dictates precisely how many dispensations there are so long as the stated principles are not violated.  Ryrie offers seven dispensations (captured below in Table 1) in his book on Dispensationalism.

Table 1 – Dispensations According to Charles Ryrie [4]

Name	Scripture	Responsibilities	Judgments
Innocency	Genesis 1:3-3:6	·       Keep garden ·       Do not eat one fruit ·       Fill, subdue earth ·       Fellowship with God	·       Curses, and physical and spiritual death
Conscience	Genesis 3:7-8:14	·       Do good	·       Flood
Civil Government	Genesis 8:15-11:9	·       Fill earth ·       Capital punishment	·       Forced scattering by confusion of languages
Patriarchal Rule	Genesis 11:10-Exodus 18:27	·       Stay in Promised Land ·       Believe and obey God	·       Egyptian bondage and wilderness wanderings
Mosaic Law	Exodus 19:1- Acts 1:26	·       Keep the law ·       Walk with God	·       Captives
Grace	Acts 2:1-Revelation 19:21	·       Believe in Christ ·       Walk with Christ	·       Death ·       Loss of rewards
Millennium	Revelation 20:1-15	·       Believe and obey Christ and His government	·       Death ·       Great White Throne Judgment

      To be clear, Ryrie does not recognize the Tribulation as a distinct dispensation. Ryrie states it clearly with, “The same is true of the argument based on the seventy weeks. They are not in themselves determinative of a dispensational change. After all, they began about a thousand years after the law was given to Israel without inaugurating a new dispensation, and even though God turns His attention to Israel again during the Tribulation, He does not do this to the exclusion of others.”[5] “Therefore, it seems that the Tribulation with its many judgments is from the dispensational viewpoint the end of the economy of Grace.”[6] “But from the dispensational viewpoint of God’s running the affairs of the world, it seems more natural to consider the Tribulation as that time when He is bringing to a conclusion the economy of Grace, with judgments on men who have rejected Him and grace upon the many who will accept Him, rather than to consider it a separate dispensation. The church will not be subject to the judgments, just as Noah was not judged by the Flood in his day. But in both cases the dispensation does not end until the judgments are completed.”[7]  Ryrie’s instruction in these quotes about the Tribulation is based on dispensationalism instead of directly from scripture—the dispensationalism framework is providing the interpretive lens.

      Scripture never defines the Tribulation as being a time when God brings judgment on those who have rejected Him.  Yes, there will be a time of trouble for those who reject God.  However, the Bible does not technically call this period the Tribulation, instead it is called the Day of the Lord.  These terms, Tribulation and Day of the Lord should not be interchanged.  Dispensationalism has heavily influenced Pretribulationism – hence Pretribulationism is sometimes more precisely referred to as Dispensational Pretribulationism.

      Here are some key points about Dispensational Pretribulationism according to Ryrie in relation to the Church and the Tribulation period:

• God divides history into distinct periods of administration through which God carries out his purposes.
• The dispensations do not overlap.
• The Tribulation contains judgments.
• The Tribulation is defined as the entire time covered during Daniel’s 70th Week, which lasts roughly seven years.
• The Tribulation does not itself represent its own dispensation but rather concludes the dispensation of Grace.
• The Church Age is the time between Pentecost and the Rapture before the Tribulation as defined by Pretribulational Dispensationalism.

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[1] Ryrie, Charles C.. Dispensationalism (p. 28). Moody Publishers. Kindle Edition.

[2] Ryrie, Charles C.. Dispensationalism (p. 45). Moody Publishers. Kindle Edition.

[3] Ryrie, Charles C.. Dispensationalism (p. 50). Moody Publishers. Kindle Edition.

[4] Ryrie, Charles C.. Dispensationalism (p. 54). Moody Publishers. Kindle Edition.

[5] Ryrie, Charles C.. Dispensationalism (pp. 50-51). Moody Publishers. Kindle Edition.

[6] Ryrie, Charles C.. Dispensationalism (p. 51). Moody Publishers. Kindle Edition.

[7] Ryrie, Charles C.. Dispensationalism (p. 51). Moody Publishers. Kindle Edition.