Definition
Dispensationalism is a theological-eschatological system that divides biblical history into distinct ages (dispensations) in which God deals with humanity in fundamentally different ways. Classic Darby-Scofield dispensationalism teaches: (1) a sharp distinction between the Church and national Israel, (2) a pre-tribulational rapture of the Church, (3) a future literal restoration of Israel as a nation in the Promised Land, and (4) a literal Davidic millennial kingdom in Jerusalem. It is closely linked to the futurist reading of Dan. 9:24-27 (the 70th week still future) and Rev. 4-19 (the church age complete before the tribulation begins).
Usage in the Corpus
Stephen Jones
Jones explicitly and extensively rejects dispensationalism. His critique targets primarily the pre-tribulational rapture expectation and the identification of the modern Israeli state with biblical Israel: “The Christian world immediately threw their support behind that state and boldly proclaimed that the rapture would take place any moment now, the tribulation was nigh, and the Jews were soon to be all converted to Christ. Obviously, this did not take place.” Jones himself employs an age-division scheme (Passover / Pentecost / Tabernacles ages), but founds it in the feast cycle of Lev. 23, not the Darby system. His dispute is with the application of dispensationalism — Israel-church separation and pre-trib rapture — not with salvation-historical periodization as such. [Jones, Secrets of Time, Ch. 11 and 14]
E.W. Bullinger
Bullinger operates within a futurist framework that overlaps significantly with dispensationalism: his treatment of Dan. 9:24-27 positions the 70th week as future, his four-kingdoms chronology anticipates a literal fifth kingdom of Christ, and his reading of the Great Tribulation as a literal 1260-day period aligns with futurist-dispensational exegesis. Bullinger preceded Scofield’s codification, however, and frames his positions primarily as numerical symbolism rather than as an ecclesiological system. [Bullinger, Number in Scripture, Part I, Ch. I-II]