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Coming to the beginning of the Brethren movement, it is sometimes asserted by
opponents that dispensational truth originated with this movement. This is not true, as
the above facts show, but there is no doubt that the witness of some of the founders
helped forward a great deal the study of the Scriptures along dispensational lines, and
also brought forward the doctrine of the Second Coming of Christ as the hope of the
believer. One of the first things these writers did was to get the proper Scriptural position
of the nation of Israel. This is an absolute essential if the Divine purposes revealed in the
Word of God are ever to be understood. Once get this clear, and the doctrinal position of
the church, the Body of Christ, will fall into line; but if we err here, we shall err
everywhere and only get a distorted view of the purposes of the ages. B. W. Newton in
his commentary on Romans eleven writes:
"Circumstances however occurred, that led me to consider with care the eleventh
chapter of Romans. I could not close my eyes to the fact that the future history of the
literal Israel was there spoken of; and it was put in marked contrast with the history of
those who are at present being gathered out from the Gentiles during the time of Israel's
unbelief . . . . . I saw also that Israel when nationally converted, are not to be merged in
the present Gentile church, for then they would have been represented in this chapter as
grafted in upon the Gentile branch . . . . ."
He distinguishes three periods in Israel's history. (1) From Nebuchadnezzar to the
dispersion by the Romans in 70A.D., a few years after Acts 28: (2) The present
period of their dispersion during which there is a pause in the historic detail of Daniel.
(3) The yet future period of their national re-establishment in unbelief. The calling out
of the Body of Christ obviously takes place during (2).
J.N.Darby (1800-1882) promulgated a dispensational scheme as follows: (1) Paradise
to the Flood. (2) Noah. (3) Abraham. (4) Israel. (4a) under the Law, (4b) under the
Priesthood, (4c) under the Kings. (5) Gentiles. (6) The Spirit. (7) The Millennium
(see his Collected Writings 11 pp.568-573). He writes:
"This, however, we have to learn in its detail, in the various dispensations which led to
or have followed the revelations of the incarnate Son in Whom all the fullness was
pleased to dwell . . . . . but the dispensations themselves all declare some leading
principle or interference of God, some condition in which He has placed man, principles
which in themselves are everlastingly sanctioned by God, but in the course of those
dispensations placed responsibility in the hands of man . . . . ." (1:192,3).
The closing words of his Synopsis on Acts 28: show that he believed in the setting
aside of Israel here, and then he states believers enter into "another sphere on other
grounds".