Hebrews 11:3 and the Ordering of the Dispensations
Question: About the ordering of the ages or dispensations: This concerns Hebrews 11:3 and how E. W. Bullinger handles it. It seems he is really reaching here to make this verse into a dispensational truth. I agree that each dispensation succeeded but did not spring from its predecessor as a plant does from its seed. I am not sure if that is what this verse is saying.
This answer argues from the text, not from tradition. If the passage will not carry a doctrine, the doctrine is set aside.
The verse in question is Hebrews 11:3:
"Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.’’
E. W. Bullinger suggests a dispensational application of this verse, relating the “worlds” to “ages” or dispensations and arguing concerning how one age relates to another. While his theological point about the discontinuity between dispensations has merit, the question is whether Hebrews 11:3 is actually teaching that point.
subsection*What Hebrews 11:3 Is Explicitly Saying
The verse explicitly asserts that:
Access note: public and archive access are still being finalized. Use the passages, test the reasoning, and question the assumptions.
- By faith we understand that God framed the worlds (or ages) by His word.
- Things which are seen were not made of things which are visible.
At its core, the statement is about creation and the invisible origin of what is visible. By faith we apprehend that the visible order did not arise out of pre-existing visible materials, but by the word of God. The emphasis is on God’s creative act and the necessity of faith to grasp it.
subsection*Bullinger’s Dispensational Extension
Bullinger tends to emphasize that the “worlds” can be understood as “ages,” and from there he moves to thinking about how ages or dispensations relate to one another. He stresses that each dispensation is framed by God’s word and that one does not simply grow organically out of the previous as though it were merely a development of what came before.
The theological point—that dispensations are not just natural outgrowths of one another, but God-initiated administrations—is sound. However, the question is whether Hebrews 11:3 is making that specific point, or whether Bullinger is importing a broader theological framework into a verse whose immediate focus is on creation and the unseen origins of the visible world.
subsection*Agreement with the Principle, Caution with the Exegesis
It is reasonable to agree that:
- Each dispensation is framed by God’s word and purpose.
- A given dispensation does not simply “grow out of” the previous like a plant from its seed; there are real discontinuities, especially between law and grace.
However, it is a separate question whether Hebrews 11:3 is intended to teach that specific dispensational truth. The verse speaks of “things which are seen” not being made from “things which do appear.” It is about invisible causation, not primarily about how one age relates structurally to another.
Bullinger’s application seems to press the verse beyond its plain emphasis. He is not wrong about the nature of dispensations in general, but Hebrews 11:3 itself is not obviously a proof text for the claim that each age does not spring from its predecessor in a direct developmental line. It is better to derive that dispensational observation from broader biblical patterns than to rest it heavily on this verse.
So, your instinct is sound: one can agree with the theological statement about dispensations succeeding one another without being persuaded that Hebrews 11:3 is making precisely that statement. In this case, Bullinger appears to take a legitimate doctrinal point and attach it to a text that does not clearly assert it.