There are two contrasting views regarding Christ as “the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world” (Revelation 13:8) and its implications for understanding God’s plan for salvation. The dispensationalist view, as articulated by John Nelson Darby and in the Scofield Reference Bible, posits that God has governed humanity through a series of historical “dispensations,” or distinct periods of divine administration, each revealing different aspects of His character and requirements. In this view, while Christ’s sacrifice is timeless, the full understanding and application of redemption are progressively disclosed across dispensations, culminating in the age of grace. Each period—from the age of law to the age of grace—demonstrates humanity’s need for redemption and builds toward the ultimate revelation of salvation in Christ. In contrast, a non-dispensational view holds that Christ’s atonement, foreordained “from the foundation of the world,” is an eternal and unchanging provision that renders separate dispensations unnecessary. This perspective argues that God’s salvation plan, anchored in the cross, transcends time entirely, making redemption accessible to all humanity at all times without reliance on distinct administrative eras. From this view, Revelation’s language indicates that Christ’s sacrifice is complete and universally available, asserting that the atonement operates outside of human history and bypasses the need for incremental dispensational phases, thereby affirming the constancy of God’s redemptive work across all ages. (ChatGPT, 2024)
