I used to believe that there were seven dispensations in the Bible, but I now think that this teaching is based on a misunderstanding of scripture. I believe that the Bible is divided into periods of time, but the dispensation teaching is based on a comparison of loosely-connected passages from different parts of the Bible.There seems to be a lot of taking an idea from another part of scripture and using it to create a false division between these supposed ages. I believe that dispensations are simply different economic systems that are progressively explained. But the scripture is a history of redemption that shows salvation is in God alone. So the intent of scripture is not to show how God works through economies, but to show the works of God as a saving God. This salvation is explained through covenants.The authority of man over the earth is not absolute. The history of redemption tells the story of how God's eternal government works in the history of the world, over coming man's attempts to replace God. God as governor preserves a lineage through out the history in the Old Testament, which establishes Christ as His ruler. This history of redemption is the great theme of the Bible, and it provides the context through which we interpret all of scripture.The world is divided into three realms according to the way God governs it. The earth is the first realm, the realm of the heavens is the second realm, and the realm of God's people, Israel, is the third realm. The purpose of the history of Israel is to show the works of God, especially His faithfulness, kindness, judgements, and justice. All of these things are demonstrated in the history of Israel so that people can understand that all of God's actions are fulfilled in one man, Jesus Christ. Dispensationalists put a false division between the Old and future Israel, claiming that the future Israel will establish the Temple worship and the sacrifices. However, this is contradicted by the text itself, which states that everything that is happening in the Old Israel is leading up to the coming of the Messiah. Therefore, dispensationalism is a false interpretation of Scripture that should be avoided.The book of Revelation is a window into the spiritual realm, which allows us to see how God has acted in the history of the world. God is always in control, even when the governments of the world do not obey Him. Revelation is simply a description of how God governs the world from on high, judging the nations according to their deeds. This process will continue until the end of time, at which point all people will be saved and a new heaven and earth will be created.