7 works required in the Kingdom Gospel

One of my favorite Mid Acts preachers that I like to listen to on Youtube is Pastor Ron Knight of Northern California Grace Fellowship (http://www.norcalgrace.com/)

Unfortunately like all other Mid Acts teachers he is not Charismatic (i.e. he does not believe supernatural gifts of the spirit such as healing or prophesy are available to us today). If you overlook that flaw he still gives a lot of good teaching.

Here is a link to his talk on the 7 Required Works for the Little Flock (Messianic Jewish Church).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xfVKE4p-ZWo

The 7 works he claims will be necessary for salvation for believers during the tribulation (once the time of the Gentiles / age of grace is over) are:

Required works for Israel in the Kingdom Gospel

1) Confess the name of Jesus as the Messiah before men. Luke 12:8-9, Mat 10:32-33

2) Water baptism. Mat 3:11, Jhn 3:5, Mat 28:19

3) Baptised in the Spirit. Mat 3:11, Jhn 3:5, Mat 28:19 (<- this is not a work you do)

4) Baptised by fire (great tribulation). Mat 3:11 (<- this one is open to debate albeit I believe it)

5) Cannot blaspheme the Holy Spirit. Mark 3:29, Mat 12:31

6) Cannot take the mark of the beast. Rev 14:9-10

7) Love your neighbor. James 2:10-18, Mar 12:31 + Mat 7:21**

Personally I would remove number 3 from Pastor Ron Knight's list above as receiving the Holy Spirit is not a work that you do rather the infilling of the Holy Spirit is a gift to you. The Holy Spirit fills believers during the gospel of grace dispensation too. I would replace this point number 3 (in order to keep the number of items at 7) with another work required in the Kingdom Gospel which he did not mention which is forgive your neighbor Mat 6:14-15 “For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.” And similarly Mar 11:26.

To avoid any confusion let me also point out that today all believers are baptized in the Holy Spirit as a sign of their salvation (the baptism in the Spirit is a gift to you not a work you do) 1Co 12:13, Eph 4:5***

** Here I have added Mar 12:31 (love your neighbor is God's law i.e. will) to Mat 7:21 (do God's will to be saved) to conclude "love your neighbor to be saved" is part of Kingdom gospel. However as long as I am mentioning Mat 7:21 I would be remiss if I did not also mention John 6:40 (God's will is that you believe in Jesus).

***The one Baptism is not water baptism unless you wish to claim that you are not baptised in the Holy Spirit. But all believers are baptised in the Holy Spirit as assurance of salvation.



Note: that the standard Mid Acts Dispensational belief is that not only was the Kingdom Gospel (which Jesus and the disciples preached) active up until Jesus died on the cross but it was still active after Jesus resurrection until at least Pentecost and in fact up until Paul's conversion (recorded in Mid Acts) after which it was replaced by Paul’s “my” gospel (communicated to him by the risen Lord Jesus – and also hinted at by Christ before his death John 3:13-18 and at the Last Supper). The Jews final (predestined) rejection of Jesus as the Messiah at the stoning of Stephen was likely the switching point from the Kingdom Gospel to the new gospel of grace that Paul introduced (the same Paul who consented to Stephen’s stoning).

And in fact the Kingdom Gospel will again be active after the rapture of the body of Christ during the 7 year great tribulation. The time of the Gentiles ends at the rapture of the body of Christ whereupon God picks up dealing with Israel again where He left off (at Paul’s conversion and the dispensation of grace) dealing with Israel according to the Kingdom gospel. Jesus will then reign physically from Jerusalem (with the devil locked up) with Israel a nation of priests for 1000 years – after which there will be the great white thrown judgement and then He will create a new heavens and earth.

Note that the purpose of the rapture is not to stop Western Christian’s from suffering – there is still plenty of Christian martyrdom today – just ask Christians in the middle east - rather the purpose of the rapture is to restart the Gospel of the Kingdom in order to fulfill prophecy and make Israel fulfill God’s plans for them (they will get it right – accept Jesus as their Messiah and become a nation of priests ministering to the rest of the world – in the end).



I'll also point out that while I am grateful to be saved by grace and that I don't need to do any works to be saved I have confessed the name of Jesus as my Lord and Saviour before men and will continue to do so, I was water baptised and while I agree that the baptism in the Holy Spirit is the only baptism in this dispensation period I personally don't have a problem with people being water baptised as a sign, I am baptised in the Holy Spirit as a confirmation of my salvation, I trust God to give me strength to overcome any trials I face, I certainly won't be blaspheming the Holy Spirit or taking any marks of any beasts (though I don't expect to be here then) and it is certainly my aim to love my neighbour as myself (again grateful to be saved through faith) and certainly my aim to forgive those who trespass against me (how much more does this apply to us today saved by grace albeit I am grateful that my salvation does not depend on it).