Joan Boney ... apostle/prophet
Acts 1 ... 6 When they therefore were come together, they asked of HIM, saying, Lord, wilt THOU at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?
The kingdom of the 12 tribes was divided by God after the death of Solomon.
Up to that time there had been one kingdom for the 12 tribes with the following kings over that one tribe: First Saul. And when Saul disobeyed God, the kingdom was taken from Saul and was given to David.
I Samuel 15 ... 1 Samuel also said unto Saul, The Lord sent me to anoint thee to be king over his people, over Israel:now therefore hearken thou unto the voice of the words of the Lord.
2 Thus saith the Lord of hosts, I remember that which Amalek did to Israel, how he laid wait for him in the way, when he came up from Egypt. 3 Now go and smite Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and spare them not; but slay both man and woman, infant and suckling, ox and sheep, camel and ass.
4 And Saul gathered the people together, and numbered them in Telaim, two hundred thousand footmen, and ten thousand men of Judah. 5 And Saul came to a city of Amalek, and laid wait in the valley. 6 And Saul said unto the Kenites, Go, depart, get you down from among the Amalekites, lest I destroy you with them:for ye shewed kindness to all the children of Israel, when they came up out of Egypt. So the Kenites departed from among the Amalekites.
7 And Saul smote the Amalekites from Havilah until thou comest to Shur, that is over against Egypt.
8 And he (Saul) took Agag the king of the Amalekites alive, and utterly destroyed all the people with the edge of the sword.
9 But Saul and the people spared Agag, and the best of the sheep, and of the oxen, and of the fatlings, and the lambs, and all that was good, and would not utterly destroy them:but every thing that was vile and refuse, that they destroyed utterly.
(Saul did not obey God but did what was right in his own eyes and this was going to end up costing Saul the kingdom and also causing Saul to have the Holy Spirit of God removed from him by God.)
... 10 Then came the word of the Lord unto Samuel, saying, 11 It repenteth ME that I have set up Saul to be king:for he is turned back from following ME, and hath not performed MY commandments. And it grieved Samuel; and he cried unto the Lord all night.
12 And when Samuel rose early to meet Saul in the morning, it was told Samuel, saying, Saul came to Carmel, and, behold, he set him up a place, and is gone about, and passed on, and gone down to Gilgal.
13 And Samuel came to Saul:and Saul said unto him, Blessed be thou of the Lord:I have performed the commandment of the Lord. 14 And Samuel said, What meaneth then this bleating of the sheep in mine ears, and the lowing of the oxen which I hear?
(I have encountered this many times. They disobey God and try to blame someone else. Then they partially obey God and do not seem to realize you must wholly obey God. By changing the instruction Saul was showing himself that he knew a better way than God. This is a great sin.)
15 And Saul said, They have brought them from the Amalekites:for the people spared the best of the sheep and of the oxen, to sacrifice unto the Lord thy God;
(Saul said to Samuel) and the rest we have utterly destroyed. (and even this is not true for they didn't destroy Agag, the king, as God told Saul to do. Instead Saul brought Agag back alive with them.)
16 Then Samuel said unto Saul, Stay, and I will tell thee what the Lord hath said to me this night. And he said unto him, Say on.
17 And Samuel said, When thou wast little in thine own sight, wast thou not made the head of the tribes of Israel, and the Lord anointed thee king over Israel? 18 And the Lord sent thee on a journey, and said, Go and utterly destroy the sinners the Amalekites, and fight against them until they be consumed.
19 Wherefore then didst thou not obey the voice of the Lord, but didst fly upon the spoil, and didst evil in the sight of the Lord?
(Amazingly Saul is still going to say he obeyed God even after Samuel showed that Saul disobeyed God. However I have seen this same thing many times as I have dealt with church people over the past years.)
20 And Saul said unto Samuel, Yea, I have obeyed the voice of the Lord, and have gone the way which the Lord sent me, and have brought Agag the king of Amalek, and have utterly destroyed the Amalekites.
(Even in this statement Saul shows he did not obey God for God did not tell Saul to bring Agag back alive. God told Saul to utterly destroy all.)
(Then Saul says again that it was the people who did this keeping alive the best of the sheep and oxen.) 21 But the people took of the spoil, sheep and oxen, the chief of the things which should have been utterly destroyed, to sacrifice unto the Lord thy God in Gilgal. (Again Saul explains they were going to use these sheep and oxen for sacrifice to the Lord.)
22 And Samuel said, Hath the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord?
Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice,
23 For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry.
Because thou hast rejected the word of the Lord, HE hath also rejected thee from being king.
(Finally Saul confesses that what he did was sin against God.)
24 And Saul said unto Samuel, I have sinned:for I have transgressed the commandment of the Lord, and thy words:because I feared the people, and obeyed their voice. (Samuel shows a good reason for his disobedience. He feared the people.)
You show yourself unfit if you allow the people to rule over the Word of God and if your fear of the people is greater than your fear of God.
28 And Samuel said unto him, The Lord hath rent the kingdom of Israel from thee this day, and hath given it to a neighbour of thine, that is better than thou. 29 And also the Strength of Israel will not lie nor repent:for he is not a man, that he should repent.
32 Then said Samuel, Bring ye hither to me Agag the king of the Amalekites. And Agag came unto him delicately. And Agag said, Surely the bitterness of death is past.
33 And Samuel said (to Agag), As thy sword hath made women childless, so shall thy mother be childless among women. And Samuel hewed Agag in pieces before the Lord in Gilgal.
34 Then Samuel went to Ramah; and Saul went up to his house to Gibeah of Saul. 35 And Samuel came no more to see Saul until the day of his death:nevertheless Samuel mourned for Saul:and the Lord repented that he had made Saul king over Israel.
I Samuel 16 ... (God has Samuel go to anoint David to be king of HIS people ... Then God removes the kingdom and the Spirit of God from Saul and even brings an evil spirit to Saul.)
... 13 Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the midst of his brethren:and the Spirit of the Lord came upon David from that day forward. So Samuel rose up, and went to Ramah.
14 But the Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the Lord troubled him.
(You must have a "fear of the Lord". There is no reason that justifies us when we disobey God. We simply bring on ourselves hardship and life filled with want, where we once had a life of prosperity with God looking over us continually.)
Remember how God told Saul to utterly destroy Amalek?
I Samuel 15 ... 2 Thus saith the Lord of hosts, I remember that which Amalek
did to Israel, how he laid wait for him in the way, when he came up from
Egypt. 3 Now go and smite Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they
have, and spare them not; but slay both man and woman, infant and
suckling, ox and sheep, camel and ass.
What had Amalek done?
Exodus 17 ... 8 Then came Amalek, and fought with Israel in Rephidim. 9 And Moses said unto Joshua, Choose us out men, and go out, fight with Amalek:to morrow I will stand on the top of the hill with the rod of God in mine hand. 10 So Joshua did as Moses had said to him, and fought with Amalek:and Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill. 11 And it came to pass, when Moses held up his hand, that Israel prevailed:and when he let down his hand, Amalek prevailed. 12 But Moses 'hands were heavy; and they took a stone, and put it under him, and he sat thereon; and Aaron and Hur stayed up his hands, the one on the one side, and the other on the other side; and his hands were steady until the going down of the sun. 13 And Joshua discomfited Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword. 14 And the Lord said unto Moses, Write this for a memorial in a book, and rehearse it in the ears of Joshua:for I will utterly put out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven.
Saul had the opportunity to fulfill the will of God and the word of God had Saul obeyed God's instruction and utterly destroyed Amalek.
Sometimes we don't know exactly what is behind the word God gives us.
We just have to do that word having faith in God. If God tells us and we believe it is God then we do it. This is very simple, but many fail in this and alter the word given them, usually for a "good reason", perhaps to keep from hurting another person.
To change the instruction or pervert the telling of the instruction could be destruction for you and this shows you do not have a proper fear of the Lord in you if you alter the word of God or mishandle it for any reason.
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In approximately 1976, when I owned a business in Dallas and was a new Christian, a woman took me to court. God told me, "Don't testify." My lawyer said if I would testify, we would win the case. He said there was no way we could lose if I testified. I told him I would see. We were at the court when he said this but on a recess. I went into bathroom and prayed, asking God what I should do. I heard, "Don't testify." The man I was dating at the time was upset with me. He said, "Joan, you aren't doing this girl any good by not testifying." I told Bob that I wasn't trying to do her any good. I was just trying to obey God who told me "Don't testify". The woman who worked for me was angry with me because she was called to testify and all the burden was going to be on her. I said to her, "What can I do? Every time I pray and ask God what HE wants me to do, HE says to me, "Don't testify."
I did not testify and we won the case. (At the beginning of the trial, the judge himself was shocked when my lawyer declared before the court that I would not be testifying. The judge "froze" and leaned over and looked down at me from his bench, and said, "You're not testifying"?)
This was the beginning of my being taught to fear God above all else.
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David ruled the kingdom in place of Saul. Then David died, and God selected Solomon as king of the kingdom of the 12 tribes.
But Solomon sinned a grievous sin and the penalty for that sin is the kingdom, except for one tribe, would be taken from him.
Then there would be a divided kingdom.
I Kings 11 ... 1 But king Solomon loved many strange women, together with the daughter of Pharaoh, women of the Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Zidonians, and Hittites;
2 Of the nations concerning which the Lord said unto the children of Israel, Ye shall not go in to them, neither shall they come in unto you:for surely they will turn away your heart after their gods:Solomon clave unto these in love.
3 And he had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines:and his wives turned away his heart.
4 For it came to pass, when Solomon was old, that his wives turned away his heart after other gods:and his heart was not perfect with the Lord his God, as was the heart of David his father.
5 For Solomon went after Ashtoreth the goddess of the Zidonians, and after Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites.
6 And Solomon did evil in the sight of the Lord, and went not fully after the Lord, as did David his father.
7 Then did Solomon build an high place for Chemosh, the abomination of Moab, in the hill that is before Jerusalem, and for Molech, the abomination of the children of Ammon. 8 And likewise did he for all his strange wives, which burnt incense and sacrificed unto their gods.
9 And the Lord was angry with Solomon, because his heart was turned from the Lord God of Israel, which had appeared unto him twice, 10 And had commanded him concerning this thing, that he should not go after other gods:but he kept not that which the Lord commanded.
11 Wherefore the Lord said unto Solomon, Forasmuch as this is done of thee, and thou hast not kept my covenant and my statutes, which I have commanded thee, I will surely rend the kingdom from thee, and will give it to thy servant. 12 Notwithstanding in thy days I will not do it for David thy father's sake:but I will rend it out of the hand of thy son. 13 Howbeit I will not rend away all the kingdom; but will give one tribe to thy son for David my servant's sake, and for Jerusalem's sake which I have chosen.
14 And the Lord stirred up an adversary unto Solomon,
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We see the truth of the following words spoken by Jesus.
Mt. 7 ...13 Enter ye in at the strait gate:for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat:14 Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.
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After the death of Solomon, God caused the 12 tribes to be divided into two kingdoms.
Judah was ruled by Rehoboam, son of Solomon, and was in Jerusalem.
Israel (10 tribes) was ruled by Jeroboam who was set up by prophecy from God.
I Kings 11 ... 26 And Jeroboam the son of Nebat, an Ephrathite of Zereda, Solomon's servant, whose mother's name was Zeruah, a widow woman, even he lifted up his hand against the king. 27 And this was the cause that he lifted up his hand against the king:Solomon built Millo, and repaired the breaches of the city of David his father. 28 And the man Jeroboam was a mighty man of valour:and Solomon seeing the young man that he was industrious, he made him ruler over all the charge of the house of Joseph. 29 And it came to pass at that time when Jeroboam went out of Jerusalem, that the prophet Ahijah the Shilonite found him in the way; and he had clad himself with a new garment; and they two were alone in the field:30 And Ahijah caught the new garment that was on him, and rent it in twelve pieces:31 And he said to Jeroboam, Take thee ten pieces:for thus saith the Lord, the God of Israel, Behold, I will rend the kingdom out of the hand of Solomon, and will give ten tribes to thee:32 (But he shall have one tribe for my servant David's sake, and for Jerusalem's sake, the city which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel:) 33 Because that they have forsaken me, and have worshipped Ashtoreth the goddess of the Zidonians, Chemosh the god of the Moabites, and Milcom the god of the children of Ammon, and have not walked in my ways, to do that which is right in mine eyes, and to keep my statutes and my judgments, as did David his father. 34 Howbeit I will not take the whole kingdom out of his hand:but I will make him prince all the days of his life for David my servant's sake, whom I chose, because he kept my commandments and my statutes:35 But I will take the kingdom out of his son's hand, and will give it unto thee, even ten tribes. 36 And unto his son will I give one tribe, that David my servant may have a light alway before me in Jerusalem, the city which I have chosen me to put my name there. 37 And I will take thee, and thou shalt reign according to all that thy soul desireth, and shalt be king over Israel. 38 And it shall be, if thou wilt hearken unto all that I command thee, and wilt walk in my ways, and do that is right in my sight, to keep my statutes and my commandments, as David my servant did; that I will be with thee, and build thee a sure house, as I built for David, and will give Israel unto thee.
What we should see from these scriptures is the Word God speaks comes to pass at some point in time. All through the OT we have examples of the Word of God happening as God said it would happen in the previous scripture in the OT.
This should build our faith in God and also cause us to have a proper fear of God which is missing today among many church people.
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To read the scriptures of the OT starting with I Kings 12, the kingdom is divided into Judah and Israel. You must understand this division to read the chapters of the OT that will be printed in the coming months. Think on these things and try to get these facts inside you for they will be very important as a basis for further reading of the OT and even for understanding some things in NT.
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So after the death of Solomon, the kingdom is divided into two parts: Judah and Israel
Judah is at Jerusalem.
Rehoboam (son of Solomon) reigned as king of Judah
Jeroboam ruled as king over Israel (10 tribes)
If you read in OT after I Kings 12, when they speak of Judah, they are usually speaking of the tribe of Judah. When they speak of Israel, they usually speak of the other 10 tribes.
The Levites were not assigned to either Judah nor Israel for they are priests to the Lord.
But Jereboam did great evil in the sight of God. (though Jereboam was chosen by God and anointed king of Israel by will of God.)
I Kings 12 ...25 Then Jeroboam built Shechem in mount Ephraim, and dwelt therein; and went out from thence, and built Penuel. 26 And Jeroboam said in his heart, Now shall the kingdom return to the house of David:27 If this people go up to do sacrifice in the house of the Lord at Jerusalem, then shall the heart of this people turn again unto their lord, even unto Rehoboam king of Judah, and they shall kill me, and go again to Rehoboam king of Judah. 28 Whereupon the king took counsel, and made two calves of gold, and said unto them, It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem:behold thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt. 29 And he set the one in Bethel, and the other put he in Dan. 30 And this thing became a sin:for the people went to worship before the one, even unto Dan. 31 And he made an house of high places, and made priests of the lowest of the people, which were not of the sons of Levi.
This forced the Levites to go to Jerusalem to the tribe of Judah for Jeroboam would not allow the priests assigned by God to do the work of God in Israel. So the Levites went to Jerusalem where they did the work of God.
Many generations of kings followed Rehoboam and Jeroboam ... yet the kingdom remained divided into Judah and Israel. They fought each other and were not united as brothers and Israel was exceedingly evil, having no priests of the Lord because of Jeroboam's sin of casting out the priests of the Lord and setting up the two golden calves for gods for the people to worship. But Judah also had some evil kings along the generations. Yet the kingdom remained divided.
Jesus comes to the earth in the flesh. After the resurrection and before Jesus was taken into heaven, the disciples ask Jesus when HE will unite the kingdom. Thus the question: Acts 1 ... 6 When they therefore were come together, they asked of Him,
saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to
Israel?
They were still expecting an earthly kingdom in Jerusalem with a union of the tribes into one tribe.
Later the apostle Peter explains:
II Peter 3 ... 13 Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.
The kingdom was going to be a heavenly kingdom and we would have a new heaven and new earth and this would have true righteousness. We will not have this true righteousness on this present earth. The Jerusalem we know today on this earth will not be the heavenly Jerusalem. This earthly Jerusalem will be destroyed with the remainder of the earth. The new Jerusalem will be a Jerusalem of the new heavens and the new earth as John saw in Revelation.
Revelation 21:2 And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
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When the disciple asked Jesus: Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?
Jesus answered in an interesting way, almost the same way Jesus spoke parables ... Jesus replied to this disciple: Jesus said: It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in HIS own power. (and Jesus then told the disciples what to focus on) 8 But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you:and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth. Acts 1
The past history of the 12 tribes of Israel is very interesting and revealing for us.
Paul says: 11 Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples:and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come. I Cor. 10
We are greatly instructed by these OT examples that we not sin as they sinned, that we would put faith in God and not in man, that we would continue in God and not slip away doing foolish things and bringing penalty and destruction from God upon ourselves.
Can we really bring penalty on ourselves in NT church?
Gal. 6 ... 7 Be not deceived; God is not mocked:for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. 8 For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.
Heb. 10 ... 22 Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water. 23 Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;) 24 And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works:25 Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another:and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.
26 For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins, 27 But a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries. 28 He that despised Moses 'law died without mercy under two or three witnesses:29 Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace? 30 For we know him that hath said, Vengeance belongeth unto me, I will recompense, saith the Lord. And again, The Lord shall judge his people. 31 It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
John 8 ... Jesus says: If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; 32 And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.
And in the NT church we have Ananias and his wife Sapphira to warn us to keep our hearts diligently.
Acts 5 ... 1 But a certain man named Ananias, with Sapphira his wife, sold a possession, 2 And kept back part of the price, his wife also being privy to it, and brought a certain part, and laid it at the apostles 'feet. 3 But Peter said, Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost, and to keep back part of the price of the land? 4 Whiles it remained, was it not thine own? and after it was sold, was it not in thine own power? why hast thou conceived this thing in thine heart? thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God. 5 And Ananias hearing these words fell down, and gave up the ghost:and great fear came on all them that heard these things. 6 And the young men arose, wound him up, and carried him out, and buried him. 7 And it was about the space of three hours after, when his wife, not knowing what was done, came in. 8 And Peter answered unto her, Tell me whether ye sold the land for so much? And she said, Yea, for so much. 9 Then Peter said unto her, How is it that ye have agreed together to tempt the Spirit of the Lord? behold, the feet of them which have buried thy husband are at the door, and shall carry thee out. 10 Then fell she down straightway at his feet, and yielded up the ghost:and the young men came in, and found her dead, and, carrying her forth, buried her by her husband. 11 And great fear came upon all the church, and upon as many as heard these things.
If you think the blood of Jesus keeps you from any penalty for sin, you should re-examine these many examples in both OT and NT.