Smith & Rowland Brand of Dispensationalism (Ep. 811 Explained)

Alan Smith and Jeff Rowland

Episode 811 of The Smith and Rowland Show, titled “Smith & Rowland Brand of Dispensationalism”, aired on December 2, 2025. In this episode, the hosts take time to spell out what they mean when they talk about dispensationalism and why their way of handling it matters for everyday believers.

In this context, Smith and Rowland are Bible teachers and hosts who teach from a dispensational view of Scripture. They want listeners to see how their system shapes the way they read the Bible, think about Israel and the church, and understand prophecy.

In the sections that follow, you will see what this “Smith & Rowland brand” looks like, how it compares with other views, and why it affects real questions about hope, mission, and daily Christian life. As you read, hold your Bible in mind and check their claims for yourself. They would rather you think than simply agree.

Background: What Smith & Rowland Mean By Dispensationalism

At its core, dispensationalism is a way of saying that God works with people in different ways in different time periods. These time periods are often called “dispensations.” God’s character does not change, and salvation is always by grace through faith, yet His commands and arrangements with people can change from one period to another.

The Smith & Rowland brand of dispensationalism is one form of this bigger family. In Ep. 811 they are not trying to invent a new religion. They work inside historic evangelical Christianity and keep the authority of Scripture at the center. Their focus is how to organize what the Bible already says.

They draw on older dispensational teachers but also speak to today’s questions. Their view sits in the same broad camp as classic dispensationalism, yet it has its own lines and points of stress. That is why they call it a “brand.” It is still Christian, still gospel-centered, but marked by their way of reading key texts.

Simple definition of dispensationalism for everyday believers

Smith and Rowland describe history like a book with different chapters. God is the same Author the whole way through. The story moves from one chapter to the next, but the main plot of grace and redemption runs from start to finish.

You can picture some of the main chapters like this:

• A chapter of innocence in Eden.
• A chapter of conscience after the fall.
• A chapter of law under Moses.
• A chapter of grace in the present church age.
• A coming chapter of kingdom under Christ’s rule on earth.

In each chapter, God gives new light and fresh commands. People are always called to trust Him, yet they do not all live under the same covenant terms. Adam did not live under Moses’ law. Israel under law did not live in the same way as the church under grace.

Ep. 811 makes clear that salvation has always been by grace through faith, not by human works. What changes is how much light people receive, what God commands, and how He orders His relationship with people in each period.

Why a unique “Smith & Rowland brand” matters in 2025

Not all dispensationalists agree on every detail. Some are very traditional. Others are more flexible. Smith and Rowland know this, so they take a whole episode to show where they stand.

In 2025, many Christians are asking new questions about Israel, the Middle East, global unrest, and prophecy. Social media is full of quick takes on Daniel and Revelation. In that setting, small differences in systems can shape whole ministries.

The Smith & Rowland brand matters because it gives clear answers on:

• How to read Old Testament promises.
• How to relate Israel and the church.
• How to think about the kingdom and the end times.

Later sections of the episode, and of this outline, show how they draw these lines on Israel, the church, the kingdom, and the future.

Core Beliefs In The Smith & Rowland Brand Of Dispensationalism

Ep. 811 highlights a few main pillars that define their brand. They do not present these as new ideas, but as a clear way of stating what has guided their teaching for years.

Their main pillars include:

1. A strong literal reading of Scripture, especially prophecy.
2. A sharp distinction between Israel and the church.
3. A clear map of past, present, and future dispensations.
4. A firm belief in a future, literal kingdom with Christ on earth.

Throughout the episode they keep coming back to these points. They repeat them in simple terms so listeners can track them and test them by their Bibles.

How Smith & Rowland read the Bible literally but not woodenly

Smith and Rowland stress what they call a “plain sense” reading of Scripture. When they say literal, they do not mean they ignore symbols. They mean that the normal sense of the words is the starting point.

If a text uses a clear figure of speech, they treat it as a figure. If a vision in Daniel or Revelation gives an image, then explains the image, they follow the explanation. What they resist is turning clear promises into vague symbols with no scriptural reason.

They apply this most strongly to:

• Old Testament promises to Abraham, David, and Israel.
• Prophetic passages about the coming kingdom.
• New Testament texts about the Lord’s return.

Ep. 811 walks through how this method guides their reading of books like Daniel and Revelation. They argue that a plain sense approach, kept in context, points toward a real future for Israel and a real future kingdom on earth.

Israel and the church in the Smith & Rowland system

One of the marks of the Smith & Rowland brand is a firm line between national Israel and the New Testament church. They do not see the church as a new form of Israel. They see two distinct groups in God’s plan.

In their view:

• Promises of land, nation, and throne given to Abraham and David still belong to ethnic Israel.
• The church is a new body, made of Jews and Gentiles, formed by the Spirit from Pentecost onward.
• The church shares in spiritual blessings, but does not cancel God’s earthly plans for Israel.

Ep. 811 also touches on present events related to Israel. The hosts warn against “spiritualizing” Israel’s promises into only church terms. They see this as a form of replacement that flattens the storyline of Scripture.

Their system expects God to deal again with Israel as a nation in a future period that is not the same as the present church age.

How they divide history into dispensations

Smith and Rowland work with a classic set of dispensations. The exact labels may shift, but the flow looks like this:

1. Innocence in Eden, before the fall.
2. Conscience, from the fall to the flood.
3. Human government, after the flood.
4. Promise, beginning with Abraham.
5. Law, from Moses to the cross.
6. Grace, the present church age.
7. Kingdom, the future reign of Christ on earth.

In each dispensation, God gives people clear tests and commands. For example, under law, Israel lived under the Mosaic system with its sacrifices and festivals. In the present age, the church lives under grace, not under the law as a covenant.

Ep. 811 is careful to say that there are not many different ways of salvation. From Abel to Paul to believers today, salvation is always by trusting God and His provision. Dispensations show changes in administration, not changes in God’s heart.

Their view of the end times and Christ’s kingdom

When they describe the future, Smith and Rowland give a simple outline that many listeners will recognize. They see:

• The present church age, while the gospel goes out.
• A future removal of the church (often called the rapture), seen as distinct from the final return.
• A real period of tribulation on earth, tied to prophecies in Daniel and Revelation.
• The return of Christ to earth to rule in a literal kingdom.
• A final judgment and the eternal state.

Ep. 811 does not chase every detail, but it treats a pre-tribulation rapture and a future earthly kingdom as serious readings of the text. Their main burden is clear: prophecy points to real events in time, not just symbols of general spiritual truths.

How The Smith & Rowland Brand Differs From Other Views

The hosts also know that their listeners have heard other systems. Ep. 811 gently sets their brand next to other ways Christians read the Bible, so people can see the contrasts.

They mention three broad patterns:

• Covenant theology and classic Reformed views.
• Progressive dispensationalism.
• A more general non-dispensational evangelical reading.

The focus is not on attacking others, but on showing how different views treat Israel, the church, prophecy, and daily application.

Key contrasts with covenant theology and Reformed views

Covenant theology often speaks of one people of God across all history. Many in that camp see Israel and the church as two stages of the same group, not as two distinct bodies. Promises to Israel are often applied straight to the church.

Smith and Rowland object to this for several reasons.

For example, when God promises land to Abraham’s physical seed, covenant theology tends to see that land promise as a picture of spiritual rest, finally fulfilled in Christ and the church. Smith and Rowland see that as too quick. They expect a real, future land element for Israel.

When they read the new covenant in Jeremiah, covenant theologians often say it is simply the covenant of grace restated. Smith and Rowland agree that believers share in new covenant blessings, but they still expect a future application to national Israel.

Their tone stays respectful, but they make the case that blending Israel and the church blurs the sharp lines of prophecy and weakens the clarity of many Old Testament texts.

Differences from progressive dispensationalism

Progressive dispensationalism keeps the idea of dispensations and a future for Israel, but it talks more about overlap. It often uses the phrase “already and not yet” for the kingdom. In that view, Christ is already reigning in a kingdom sense, yet the full kingdom is still future.

Smith and Rowland see some value in this, but they think it can go too far. Their own brand keeps a cleaner break between:

• The present church age, with Christ ruling from heaven, and
• The future kingdom age, with Christ ruling on earth.

They warn that too much overlap can soften texts that speak of a future, visible rule of Christ over the nations. When almost everything is “already,” the sharp hope of “not yet” can fade. In their teaching, the coming kingdom stays distinct and bright.

How their approach affects preaching, missions, and daily Christian life

For Smith and Rowland, dispensationalism is not just a chart. It shapes how they preach, how they think about missions, and how they call believers to live.

In preaching, they give strong weight to Paul’s letters for church life and practice. The Sermon on the Mount is still Scripture and still for the believer, yet they will frame it in light of the kingdom context and future reign of Christ. A sermon on Matthew 5 in their system will often stress kingdom standards and future reward, while a sermon on Ephesians will spell out present church life under grace.

In missions, their view feeds a sense of urgency. If the church age is a distinct, limited period before the tribulation and kingdom, then there is real pressure to preach the gospel while there is time.

In daily life, their end-times hope breeds watchfulness and comfort. A believer who expects Christ to return at any time, before a real time of trouble, will be serious about holiness and yet steady in trials. That is the tone Ep. 811 seeks to set.

Key Takeaways From Ep. 811 For Thoughtful Believers

Ep. 811 gives more than a system. It teaches habits of reading the Bible carefully and humbly. Whether you agree with every detail or not, you can learn from how Smith and Rowland handle the text.

They model three key moves:

• Read the Bible in its own contexts.
• Let promises stand unless the text clearly says they are symbolic.
• Treat systems as tools, not as masters.

How Ep. 811 helps believers read the Bible with more clarity

The episode keeps driving listeners back to Scripture. The hosts urge people to compare verse with verse, and to read whole passages, not just single lines. When you read prophecy, they ask you to start with the plain sense, then look for clear signals when a symbol is used.

That habit protects you from chasing every new trend about the end times. It also guards against reading your own ideas into the Bible.

The best way to test what Smith and Rowland teach is simple. Open your Bible. Ask what the text says. Then ask if their system helps that text speak more clearly or makes it more cloudy.

Questions to ask yourself as you weigh the Smith & Rowland view

Here are some reflection questions to help you think:

• How do I understand the difference between Israel and the church?
• What do I think the Old Testament promises to Israel mean today?
• How does my view of the end times shape my choices this week?
• When I read prophetic books, do I start with symbols or with the plain sense?
• Do I let my system rule the text, or do I let the text correct my system?
• How does the hope of Christ’s return affect the way I handle fear and loss?

Use questions like these in prayer and in your own study. They can help you grow in both conviction and humility.

Conclusion

The Smith & Rowland brand of dispensationalism, as laid out in Ep. 811, is a clear, structured way of reading the Bible. It keeps a strong distinction between Israel and the church, holds to real dispensations in history, and expects a future, literal kingdom under Christ. It stands beside other systems like covenant theology and progressive dispensationalism, offering a different way to trace the storyline of Scripture.

At the end of the day, the goal is not to collect labels. The goal is to know Christ, trust His Word, and live in hope. Let this episode push you back to your Bible, with an open heart and a careful mind. Listen or re-listen to Ep. 811 with your Bible open, pray for wisdom, and talk with your pastors or elders as you sort these matters out. Hold truth and charity together, and keep your eyes on the Lord who is coming.