DISPENSATIONALISM—THE CARVING UP OF TIME—WHERE DOES IT LEAD YOU? Not to where the prophets point. Discover overlooked biblical truths and learn what has already happened.

Greg Locke, like many modern American pastors in charismatic or evangelical circles, is heavily influenced by the Dispensationalist framework first popularized by John Nelson Darby and then graphically systematized by Clarence Larkin in the early 20th century. This framework dominates much of popular eschatology today—but it carries significant problems when held rigidly, as Locke appears to do.

Here’s how this plays out:

🔐 Greg Locke Is “Locked” Into Darbyism and Larkinism

🏗️ 1. The Dispensational Framework

• John Nelson Darby (1800–1882), a leader in the Plymouth Brethren movement, introduced the concept of dividing history into dispensations—distinct periods in which God interacts with humanity under different rules.
• Clarence Larkin (1850–1924) popularized Darby’s theology with detailed prophetic charts and a strong separation between Israel and the Church.

🔁 2. Core Tenets of Their View:

• A literal return of the Jews to Israel = fulfillment of end-times prophecy.
• The Church and Israel are entirely distinct; Israel’s promises are postponed.
• A secret pre-tribulation rapture of the Church.
• A rebuilt temple and reinstitution of sacrifices during a 7-year tribulation.
• Jesus returns physically to reign for 1,000 years in Jerusalem (millennial reign).

🧱 How This Affects Locke’s Interpretation

• When Locke sees Jews returning to Israel (1948, 1967), he filters this through Darby’s lens, interpreting Ezekiel 37 (dry bones) as fulfilled—even though the prophecy also speaks of spiritual resurrection, cleansing, and Messianic leadership (Ezek. 37:23–28).
• His hermeneutic (method of interpretation) is rooted not in the internal witness of Scripture but in a chart-based system inherited from Larkin and Darby.
• This leads to misapplication of prophecies, including:
• Treating modern geopolitical events as literal prophecy fulfillments.
• Ignoring the necessary repentance and spiritual rebirth of Israel described in the very same prophetic passages.

❌ The Danger of This System

• Historical blindness: It ignores the spiritual meaning of Israel’s exile and return, reducing it to nationalism.
• False timelines: Predictive charts have failed again and again.
• Misreading signs: Real signs (like the Dead Sea fish) are ignored in favor of interpretive claims that are not visibly or spiritually fulfilled.
• Spiritual reductionism: Replaces inward spiritual resurrection (Ezekiel 36–37) with outward political movement.

✅ A Better Way to Interpret

• Let Scripture interpret Scripture—especially prophetic language (e.g., “breath” = Spirit = new birth, John 3:8).
• Acknowledge the difference between partial, progressive, and final fulfillments.
• Don’t treat modern secular Zionism as synonymous with biblical restoration.
• Look for the fruit of God’s Spirit in any movement claiming to fulfill prophecy.

📝 Summary

Greg Locke, like many Dispensationalists, sees prophecy through the lens of Darby and Larkin’s charts instead of the lens of the Holy Spirit and the cross of Christ. The dry bones have rattled, but they have not breathed. And until they stand with the Spirit of Christ in them, the prophecy remains unfulfilled.

HOWEVER:

Ezekiel aligns far more closely with the biblical context, timeline, and spiritual meaning than the premature and politicized interpretation promoted by many dispensationalists.

Let’s walk through this step by step:

🦴 Ezekiel 37 and the Resurrection at Christ’s Return

🔍 1. The Vision: Dry Bones Come to Life

Ezekiel sees a valley of dry bones—“very dry”—representing the utter hopelessness of the house of Israel. God asks, “Son of man, can these bones live?” (Ezek. 37:3).

• The bones come together, flesh and skin cover them, but there is no breath (v. 8).
• Then God commands Ezekiel to prophesy to the breath (Spirit), and breath enters them, and they stand on their feet—a vast army (v. 10).
• God explains: “These bones are the whole house of Israel” (v. 11).
• He promises: “I will open your graves and cause you to come up out of your graves, My people; and I will bring you into the land of Israel” (v. 12, WEB).
• Then they will know that He is the LORD when He puts His Spirit in them and they live (v. 14).

🔁 2. Sequence Is Crucial

• Graves opened → Spirit enters → They live → They return to the land
• This is not a mere physical regathering of political refugees. It’s a resurrection—both literal and spiritual.

🧠 3. Spiritual Life, Not Nationalism

• Verse 14: “I will put My Spirit in you, and you shall live.”
• This echoes Pentecost (Acts 2) for the Church.
• But for Israel, this points to a future event, when the remnant of Israel is saved at the appearing of Christ (Rom. 11:26, Zech. 12:10).
• The house of Israel is both scattered and spiritually dead. They are resurrected at the end of the age, not by a UN declaration.

🕊️ Supporting Scriptures: Future Resurrection and Restoration

🔹 Daniel 12:2

“Many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake…” — timing? “At that time” (v. 1), when Michael stands up, and there is a time of trouble (tribulation).

🔹 Romans 11:15

“If their rejection brought reconciliation to the world, what will their acceptance be but life from the dead?”

Paul connects Israel’s final restoration with a kind of resurrection—not just metaphorical, but eschatological.

🔹 Matthew 24:30–31

“Then shall appear the sign of the Son of Man… and He will send His angels with a trumpet to gather His elect…”

This aligns with Ezekiel’s vision being ultimately fulfilled at the return of Christ, not in 1948 or any earlier historical moment.

✋ Why the 1948 Application Falls Short

• Modern Israel is predominantly secular and not filled with the Spirit.
• The twelve tribes (including the lost ten) have not been gathered.
• There has been no resurrection from the grave, either physically or spiritually.
• Christ has not yet returned as the one shepherd ruling over a united Israel (Ezek. 37:24).

✅ What This Really Means

The prophecy of Ezekiel 37 speaks of a future resurrection and spiritual awakening of Israel that will occur:

• At the return of Lord Jesus Christ.
• When He reigns as King over a united house of Israel (Ezek. 37:22–28).
• When the Spirit is poured out, and they finally live (see also Zech. 12:10; Joel 2:28–32).

📝Summary:

The dry bones will not rise by political decree, but by the breath of God at the return of the Son of Man. The graves will be opened, the Spirit will be poured out, and the house of Israel will be restored—not in part, but in fullness—under the eternal rule of Lord Jesus Christ. 

BUT:

Matthew 27:52–53 is overlooked and points to the firstfruits fulfillment of the resurrection imagery in Ezekiel 37. When interpreted in harmony with Ephesians 4 and 1 Corinthians 15, it strengthens the argument that the resurrection of the dry bones is not just about the end times, but began with a real, historical resurrection of saints at Christ’s own resurrection.

For you we'll unpack this argument carefully.

✨ The Dry Bones and the Resurrection at Christ’s Victory

🧱 1. Matthew 27:52–53 – The Holy Ones Raised

“...the tombs also were opened. And many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised, and coming out of the tombs after his resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many.” (Matthew 27:52–53, ESV)

• This resurrection did not happen at Jesus’ death, but after His resurrection.
• These saints (likely from the Old Covenant) were bodily raised and witnessed by many in Jerusalem.
• It is the only place in Scripture where many dead saints are bodily raised and appear publicly before the general resurrection at the last day.

➕ Connection to Ezekiel 37

• Ezekiel says: “I will open your graves and bring you up from them, O my people. Then you will know that I am the LORD” (Ezek. 37:13).
• That phrase “open your graves” is almost identical in expression and purpose.
• This is not metaphorical; it's resurrection language.
• So in Matthew 27, we see a real, historical moment where graves were opened and saints were raised. This offers a prophetic prototype of what Ezekiel envisioned.

🕊️ 2. Ephesians 4:8–10 – Christ Led Captives in His Train

“When he ascended on high he led a host of captives, and he gave gifts to men.”
(In saying, ‘He ascended,’ what does it mean but that he had also descended into the lower regions, the earth?)
He who descended is the one who also ascended far above all the heavens, that he might fill all things.” (Ephesians 4:8–10, ESV)

• Paul interprets Psalm 68 and applies it to Christ’s resurrection and ascension.
• The “captives” He led likely refers to the righteous dead — saints held in Sheol (Abraham’s bosom).
• This affirms that at Christ’s resurrection, He didn’t rise alone — He liberated others.
• In Jewish understanding, resurrection was associated with messianic victory. Christ began that process.

🔁 3. 1 Corinthians 15:20–23 – Christ the Firstfruits

“But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep... Each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ.” (1 Cor. 15:20, 23, ESV)

• “Firstfruits” means there was more than one raised—Christ and others.
• If Christ alone had risen, Paul would not have said “firstfruits” (plural connotation).
• Matthew’s account of others being raised gives us the historical anchor for the firstfruits idea.

📖 So What Does This Mean for Ezekiel 37?

• Ezekiel’s prophecy can be understood as having layers:
1. Symbolic: Israel’s future national and spiritual revival.
2. Spiritual: The rebirth of the nation by the Spirit (still to come in fullness).
3. Literal/Prophetic: The resurrection of actual saints (partially fulfilled in Matthew 27).
4. Eschatological: Fulfilled in full at the Second Coming when all the dead in Christ rise (1 Thess. 4:16).
• In this view, Matthew 27 was a partial and prophetic fulfillment of Ezekiel 37’s vision — a preview, a firstfruits resurrection that verifies what is coming.

🔑 A Synthesis

The dry bones were raised—literally—at Christ’s resurrection, as a firstfruits fulfillment of Ezekiel’s prophecy.
But they will be raised again—in fullness—at His return, when both Israel and the Church, all the people of God, are united under one Shepherd and filled with His Spirit forever.

Hope you are learning much from what is being unpacked—and we're on point across every major prophetic and theological thread. What we've outlined presents a clear, compelling alternative to the dispensational framework promoted by figures like Greg Locke. Let's provide some more structured critique and theological exposition.

📜 Critique of Dispensational Misinterpretation: The Dry Bones and the True Resurrection of Israel

🧱 1. The Problem with the Darby-Larkin-Scofield-Ryrie Framework

The dispensational system—popularized by John Nelson Darby, visualized by Clarence Larkin, and institutionalized by C.I. Scofield and Charles Ryrie—is built on the rigid separation between Israel and the Church and demands interpretive insertions rather than awaiting Scriptural fulfillment.

🔍 Example:

• Greg Locke (and others like him) interpret Ezekiel 37 (dry bones) as fulfilled in 1948 with the founding of the modern state of Israel.
• Yet this fulfillment is not literal or spiritual:
• No graves were opened.
• No breath of God (Spirit) has entered the people as a nation.
• No king from David is ruling them.
• No reunification of Judah and the 10 lost tribes.

Dispensationalism becomes a chart-driven system of premature declarations, detached from the actual timing, scope, and substance of the prophecies.

🌊 2. The Real Fulfillment: Observable vs. Allegorical

Compare two prophecies from Ezekiel:

🐟 Ezekiel 47 – Waters Flowing into the Dead Sea

• Freshwater and fish now appearing in areas near the Dead Sea is an observable, measurable partial fulfillment of prophecy.
• Unlike the dry bones vision, this is not a forced interpretation—it is happening.
• Yet dispensationalists rarely highlight this, because it does not fit their chart.

🦴 Ezekiel 37 – Dry Bones and Resurrection

• A vision of national resurrection with spiritual life—fulfilled only when:
• Graves are opened.
• The Spirit is poured out.
• The Son of David rules forever.
• Firstfruits of this were literally fulfilled in Matthew 27:52–53, when “many bodies of the saints” were raised after Jesus’ resurrection.

✝️ 3. Christ’s Resurrection and the Firstfruits Typology

• Jesus’ resurrection fulfilled the Feast of Firstfruits—pointing to a real, bodily resurrection that is the guarantee of all future resurrections (1 Cor. 15:20–23).
• The only other time the firstfruits feast was observed in this way was Joshua 5, when Israel entered the Promised Land—a type of the resurrection life.
• Paul explains this in Ephesians 4:8 and 1 Corinthians 15, confirming that Jesus raised others with Him, beginning the resurrection process. Christ, the firstfruits, those at his coming and then the end.

🔥 4. Pentecost: A Nation Born in a Day

“Shall a nation be born in a day?” (Isaiah 66:8)

• Dispensationalists claim this refers to modern Israel in 1948.
• But in Acts 2, Pentecost fulfills it far more perfectly:
• 3,000 are born again and baptized.
• Peter proclaims the risen Christ as Lord and King.
• The Church is formed—a “holy nation, a royal priesthood” (1 Peter 2:9).
• Peter explicitly identifies this as fulfillment (Acts 2:16–21).

Thus, the Church becomes the true continuation of Israel, not in nationality, but in faith and Spirit (Gal. 3:7, Rom. 9:6–8).

🧬 5. Who Are the Real Israelites? The Lost Tribes and the Global Gospel

• Jesus came not only to the Jews (Judah) but also to the lost sheep of the house of Israel (Matt. 15:24).
• The ten northern tribes were scattered, and their identities absorbed into the nations.
• Researchers like Yair Davidiy argue that many of these tribes became part of the European  national identities—exactly where the Gospel made its deepest inroads.
• Romans 11 affirms that a remnant of Israel will be saved and grafted in again.

This dismantles Locke’s claim that today’s Jews know their tribal heritage or that they represent the full house of Israel. The modern Israeli state is predominantly populated by people of mixed or uncertain descent, with secular orientation and no evidence of spiritual rebirth.

🌍 6. Abraham’s Seed: Inheritors of the Promise

“I will multiply your descendants as the stars of heaven… and in your seed all the nations of the earth will be blessed.” (Genesis 22:17–18)

• Paul explains that this promise is fulfilled in Christ (Gal. 3:16), and those who are in Christ are Abraham’s seed (Gal. 3:29).
• The land promise is not abolished, but transformed:
• Hebrews 11:13–16 says Abraham looked not for Canaan, but for a heavenly country.
• Romans 4:13 says Abraham was promised to be heir of the world, not just one strip of land.

Thus, the true heirs of the promise are those born of the Spirit, not of flesh (John 1:13, Gal. 4:28).

🔚 Final Summary

The resurrection of the dry bones did not happen in 1948.
It began at Christ’s resurrection, continued at Pentecost, and will conclude at His return.
The true Israel is the people of God—born of the Spirit, raised in Christ, and gathered under one Shepherd.
Modern Zionism is not the climax of prophecy—it is a diversion from it.