Tuesday, June 26, 2018

BOOK: Taking Thoughts Captive: Chapter 9


Joan Boney
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The apostasy in the churches / Trying to find a church to attend


Since 1982, I have looked for a church to attend in the various cities where I have lived.

Without exception, in each church I visited, I found pastors twisting scripture and doctrines and when I went to pastors to show such scripture (as I always did)without exception pastors became angry with me and showed no shame in misusing the scripture.

It was never possible to attend a church group because of this.

I grieved much over these things until I saw this is the apostasy that the apostle Paul said had to happen before Jesus could return.


*****

Paul says:

II Thess. 2  (NASB)

Let no one in any way deceive you, for it (the day of the Lord) will not come unless the apostasy comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, who opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, displaying himself as being God.

Do you not remember that while I was still with you, I was telling you these things?

And you know what restrains him now, so that in his time he will be revealed. For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only he who now restrains will do so until he is taken out of the way.

Then that lawless one will be revealed whom the Lord will slay with the breath of His mouth and bring to an end by the appearance of His coming;  that is, the one whose coming is in accord with the activity of Satan, with all power and signs and false wonders, and with all the deception of wickedness for those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth so as to be saved.

For this reason God will send upon them a deluding influence so that they will believe what is false, in order that they all may be judged who did not believe the truth, but took pleasure in wickedness.


*****

 
That which restrained antichrist was the Holy Scriptures.

When the churches removed certain scriptures or portions of scripture the restraint against the "man of lawlessness" was removed with the scriptures for scripture was all that was holding the lawlessness back in the churches.

Scripture is THE WORD OF GOD ... Jesus ...



*****


In the 1990's, I was looking for a church to attend. 

I visited a small non-denominational church on a Wednesday night service. The pastor was teaching. He began speaking of John 8, where the woman taken in adultery was brought to Jesus.

The pastor said, "And when she was brought to Jesus, she was naked from the waist up."

I was very shocked!

Immediately I took my Bible and turned to John 8, though I have read this many times. I re-read John 8 concerning this passage.


*****


Jn. 8 ... Jesus went unto the mount of Olives. And early in the morning HE came again into the temple, and all the people came unto HIM; and HE sat down, and taught them. 

And the scribes and Pharisees brought unto HIM a woman taken in adultery; and when they had set her in the midst, They say unto HIM, 

Master, this woman was taken in adultery, in the very act. Now Moses in the law commanded us, that such should be stoned: but what sayest THOU? 

This they said, tempting HIM, that they might have to accuse HIM. 

But Jesus stooped down, and with HIS finger wrote on the ground, as though HE heard them not.

So when they continued asking HIM, HE lifted up HIMSELF, and said unto them, 

He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her. 

And again HE stooped down, and wrote on the ground. 

And they which heard it, being convicted by their own conscience, went out one by one, beginning at the eldest, even unto the last: and Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst. 

When Jesus had lifted up HIMSELF, and saw none but the woman, HE said unto her

Woman, where are those thine accusers? hath no man condemned thee? 

She said, No man, Lord. 

And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: 

Go, and sin no more


*****


There were about 200 people in the congregation that night.

I looked around the room and I didn’t see anyone in the room pick up a Bible to see if what pastor spoke was truth.

The people in the church group who heard this from pastor just sat there with big smiles on their faces “loving” the man who spoke these things.

These are the corpses in the church in the poison gas dream. 


*****


Poison Gas Dream

In 1979, God gave me the following terrifying dream:  

Destruction was everywhere.

A meeting was going on. A man was speaking to a room filled with people. I went in and began to listen.

A second man rushed in and said: "Stop ... Wait ... Can't you see ... It's too late ... It's already begun." 

The first man resumed speaking.

I looked out the window to see what had "already begun."

There was a tall pole with a yellow civil defense speaker at top of the pole. A gas was coming out of the speaker. I knew it was poisonous and would kill the people. It was coming directly toward us!

The shocking thing was the speaker that was set there for the purpose of warning us was being used as the instrument which dispersed the gas that was poison and would kill us!  

I looked at the man seated next to me. He had a big grin on his face and was looking directly at the man who was speaking to the group. But then I saw this man was a corpse, though he looked alive. He was already dead! 

I looked about the room at the other people and realized they were all dead. 

As I sat back in my chair and listened to the man speaking I began to feel sleepy and I knew as I sat there among them this was killing me too. 

God was showing me the anarchy that was already going on in our church groups


*****


The next day, I called this pastor. I told him I visited his service. I asked him where it is in Bible saying the woman was naked from waist up. I couldn't find this, I told him.

First he said he couldn't recall where it was in Bible.

Then I told him it was very important to me and I asked him to please find that scripture and have his secretary call me with that reference.

With this, pastor became very angry and said:

"All right ... it's not in the Bible ... Where do you go to church?" (Trying to accuse me.)


*****


In trying to find church group to attend, one Sunday morning I visited a non-denominational group.

Pastor was teaching from Genesis. As he taught, pastor said, "Sarah and Hagar were 1/2 sisters."

I was very shocked.

Never before had I read that in Bible. I checked Bible and couldn't find that in Bible. 

But thinking maybe it was there and I somehow missed it, I called and spoke with that pastor.

I asked him where that is in Bible. 

Pastor became very angry when I asked this.

He finally admitted it is not in the Bible. But he showed no shame in teaching this. 

Another thing that happened that morning at that church ... It was the Sunday school period and everyone gathered in the main auditorium before going to their Sunday school classes.

Pastor said: "A terrible thing has happened ... the train that was bringing the Sunday school teachings was delayed and the teaching booklets did not arrive. Therefore you teachers are just going to have to teach today from the Bible."

I was delighted that the train failed to come and they would have to use the Bible instead of the teaching of men.


*****


I was looking for a church group to attend. I called and spoke with pastor at a non-denominational church called "Potter's House." (Clovis, NM, USA) I told the pastor I was considering coming to visit at his church and I was looking for a church to attend. Pastor said he would come to my house and talk with me about his church.

I can't recall what pastor said when he came to see me. I just spoke freely by the Holy Spirit.

I was planning to visit his church the next Sunday. I bought an appropriate dress to wear. And I was very excited over getting to go to a church group. 

On Friday of that week, I received a phone call from the pastor.

He said: "You know that thing about your coming to our church. I've decided that I don't want you to come to our church."

I was shocked! 

(There was no plan to speak at his church. I was just going to listen as other people in congregation listen.)

A few days after this, my doorbell rang. It was a group of young people from "Potter's House". They had literature and had obviously been touring my neighborhood inviting people to come to their church.

They handed me their literature and invited me to come to their church.

I told them their pastor asked me not to come to their church. 

They were bewildered. Without another word, they left my house.


*****


When I was on radio, I received a strange letter from a pastor in Colorado. (One of my radio stations at that time was in Denver.) 

In his letter, pastor said: "Don't ever try to come to our church." 

I'd never even heard of him or his church ...


*****


Another pastor told me he was not going to stand in the church door and keep me out but he didn't want me to come to his church.

Certainly I didn't try to force my way in. I've never done such a thing.

I was on radio warning the church in the area where he was located.


***** 


In trying to find a church I could attend, I visited a Baptist church on a Sunday morning and again that Sunday night. 

That morning some things happened which I knew were wrong.  Again that evening things were wrong. I began feeling worse and worse as I visited that church.

After the Sunday night service, I told pastor I felt I needed to speak with him and asked if I could make appointment.

He said he had time to speak to me that night if I wanted to do so. I did want to. So we went into his office.

I told him I had been in the morning service, and of course I was there in the evening service.

In the morning service, they turned the service over to the youth group who had just returned from a Baptist retreat.

A young man (high school age) spoke to the congregation. He said he had a film to show us of their retreat. He began the film.  

In the film, girls were running about with hair curlers in hair. Boys were slapping each other and the various girls on rear end with towels. Boys were doing boy things. No scripture was ever quoted. Nothing of Bible was mentioned. Nothing of God was mentioned. The film was just teenagers acting like teenagers.

My dad's 1/2 brother's wife was a member of that church group and was at those services and sat by me. She said to me as they played that film, "I could do without this."

I told the pastor that when we gather as the church Paul said everything should be done to edification.  (I Cor. 14)

Pastor said: "Well ... I liked seeing it."

Also at that service pastor quoted the following scripture: 

Mt. 17 ... this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting.

But the way pastor presented this scripture was by saying, "This kind goest not out but by prayer."

As I sat there and heard him say this, I quietly said, "and fasting." 

(nobody could hear me say this except for Aline who sat next to me.)

The pastor kept speaking ... and amazingly again he quoted this same scripture but he said again, "This kind goest not out but by prayer."  

(as I quietly added "and fasting" Aline joined me in quietly saying, "and fasting.")  

Pastor kept speaking and once again he quoted this scripture as follows: "This kind goest not out but by prayer."  

(Aline and I both together quietly said: "and fasting".)  

I pointed this out to that pastor.

He became very angry and replied:  

"I've been doing this 23 years and I know exactly what I am doing."  

(What pastor was doing was taking away from the word of God.)

I said: "I think I've said all to you that I need to say."

I got up and left, never to return again to that group.


*****  


One Sunday morning, I decided to visit a Church of Christ group.

I was looking for a church to attend.

It was Sunday school class of about 8 or 9 adults and pastor was teaching.

He was in Heb. 11 and quoted the following scripture: 

By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith.

After reading this scripture, pastor asked: "Did Noah really condemn the world?"

I replied, "Yes ... because Noah obeyed God and because of this obedience the world was condemned because they did not believe God and they did not obey God.”

There was dead silence from pastor and the 8 or 9 people in the room. 

No one wanted to speak to me after that.

I didn't return to that group.


*****  


At one point in hunting a church group to attend I decided to go to a small Assembly of God group.

But before going I called the pastor and met with him. I can't recall anything either of us said.

On that Sunday morning after meeting with the pastor, I did attend his group. 

Pastor was so terrified of me that I could tell he was afraid to speak.

He just read from a prepared sheet of paper and quoted scripture. I felt pastor was trying to play it safe. But in doing such, you leave faith in God and quench the Spirit of God. 

On the wall of the assembly room, there was hanging a picture of a long haired man. It is that picture that many use and call "Jesus". It is not a picture of Jesus. There are no photos of Jesus. There were no cameras at that time. It is just a human pretending to be Jesus.

I did call this pastor and told him it would be good to take down this photo for it is a form of "graven image" and it is also false since there were no cameras in Jesus' day.

I don't recall pastor responding.  

Deut. 7 ... But thus shall ye deal with them; ye shall destroy their altars, and break down their images, and cut down their groves, and burn their graven images with fire. For thou art an holy people unto the LORD thy God: the LORD thy God hath chosen thee to be a special people unto HIMSELF, above all people that are upon the face of the earth. 

Deut. 7 ... The graven images of their gods shall ye burn with fire: thou shalt not desire the silver or gold that is on them, nor take it unto thee, lest thou be snared therein: for it is an abomination to the LORD thy God. Neither shalt thou bring an abomination into thine house, lest thou be a cursed thing like it: but thou shalt utterly detest it, and thou shalt utterly abhor it; for it is a cursed thing. 

Deut. 12 ... And ye shall overthrow their altars, and break their pillars, and burn their groves with fire; and ye shall hew down the graven images of their gods, and destroy the names of them out of that place. Ye shall not do so unto the LORD your God. 

II Kings 17 ... And the covenant that I have made with you ye shall not forget; neither shall ye fear other gods. But the LORD your God ye shall fear; and HE shall deliver you out of the hand of all your enemies. Howbeit they did not hearken, but they did after their former manner.  So these nations feared the LORD, and served their graven images, both their children, and their children’s children: as did their fathers, so do they unto this day. 

II Chron. 34 ... And when he had broken down the altars and the groves, and had beaten the graven images into powder, and cut down all the idols throughout all the land of Israel, he returned to Jerusalem.

Psa. 78 ... For they provoked Him (God) to anger with their high places, and moved Him to jealousy with their graven images. 

Psa. 97 ... Confounded be all they that serve graven images, that boast themselves of idols: worship HIM, all ye gods. 

Isa. 30 ... Ye shall defile also the covering of thy graven images of silver, and the ornament of thy molten images of gold: thou shalt cast them away as a menstruous cloth; thou shalt say unto it, Get thee hence.  

Isa. 42 ... I am the LORD: that is MY name: and MY glory will I not give to another, neither MY praise to graven images.  

Jere. 8 ... Why have they provoked ME to anger with their graven images, and with strange vanities?

Jere. 50 ... A drought is upon her waters; and they shall be dried up: for it is the land of graven images, and they are mad upon their idols.  

Jere. 51 ... Wherefore, behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will do judgment upon her graven images: and through all her land the wounded shall groan. 

Hosea 11 ... As they called them, so they went from them: they sacrificed unto Baalim, and burned incense to graven images.  

Micah 1 ... And all the graven images thereof shall be beaten to pieces, and all the hires thereof shall be burned with the fire, and all the idols thereof will I lay desolate: for she gathered it of the hire of an harlot, and they shall return to the hire of an harlot. 

Micah 5 ... Thy graven images also will I cut off, and thy standing images out of the midst of thee; and thou shalt no more worship the work of thine hands. And I will pluck up thy groves out of the midst of thee: so will I destroy thy cities. And I will execute vengeance in anger and fury upon the heathen, such as they have not heard.


***** 


It was a Wednesday night and I decided to visit another Assembly of God church group.

That night there were 150-200 people in congregation and pastor was speaking to the group.

Pastor started speaking about Jimmy Swaggart and the scandal where Swaggart was found with a prostitute.

Pastor said: "We should pray for brother Swaggart."

In a very soft voice, I said: "He (Swaggart) should be put out of the church."

The woman sitting in front of me apparently heard what I said though it was very soft. She turned and glared at me.

What the apostle Paul said to do when a "brother" is a fornicator ... 

I Cor. 5 ... It is reported commonly that there is fornication among you, and such fornication as is not so much as named among the Gentiles, that one should have his father’s wife. And ye are puffed up, and have not rather mourned, that he that hath done this deed might be taken away from among you. For I verily, as absent in body, but present in spirit, have judged already, as though I were present, concerning him that hath so done this deed, In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when ye are gathered together, and my spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ, To deliver such an one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.  

Your glorying is not good. Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump?  

Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us:

Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth

I wrote unto you in an epistle not to company with fornicators: Yet not altogether with the fornicators of this world, or with the covetous, or extortioners, or with idolaters; for then must ye needs go out of the world. 

But now I have written unto you not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such an one no not to eat. For what have I to do to judge them also that are without? do not ye judge them that are within? But them that are without God judgeth.  

Therefore put away from among yourselves that wicked person.


***** 


Paul didn't say to pray for such a "brother" ... nor did Paul say for us to counsel such.

Paul said: put away from among yourselves that wicked person.

A few years after Swaggart cried on TV and said he had sinned and asked for forgiveness, he was caught with another prostitute.

This time when the policeman stopped him with the prostitute in the car, Swaggart said: "It's flat out none of your business." (Report from Wikipedia Internet Encyclopedia)

I didn't return to that Assembly of God church again.


*****


For more than 35-years, I have looked for a church I could attend.

I could not find one. 

In March, 2017, God gave me one word by HIS Spirit (the Holy Spirit) ...

"Restraint"

By that one word, I knew what had been going on in the churches for the past decades.

II Thess. 2 ... NASB 

Let no one in any way deceive you, for it (the day of the LORD) will not come unless the apostasy comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, who opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, displaying himself as being God.

Do you not remember that while I was still with you, I was telling you these things?

And you know what restrains him now, so that in his time he will be revealed.

For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only HE who now restrains will do so until HE is taken out of the way.

Then that lawless one will be revealed 

 *****

By removing scripture (in part), they removed JESUS, THE WORD, from the churches and this was the only restraint against antichrist, the man of lawlessness.

When specific verses of scripture were changed or removed, they removed the restraint and antichrist moved into the churches.

(Antichrist is a spirit, not one man.  Like the devil is a spirit in many men, antichrist is a spirit in many men.)

To remove any portion of scripture is like a home owner opening his front door and going out of town on a vacation with the front door of his house left open.

The churches removed the restraint which was scripture. 

(Even one small portion of scripture removed is enough to remove the restraint against antichrist.)



*****


In March, 2017, I was praying and I said to God:

"I wish there was a way I could make the teaching on antichrist stronger."

Immediately, I heard the following words by the Spirit of God:

"Tell the poison gas dream."


*****



Poison Gas Dream 

In 1979, God gave me the following terrifying dream:

Destruction was everywhere.

A meeting was going on. A man was speaking to a room filled with people. I went in and began to listen.

A second man rushed in and said: "Stop ... Wait ... Can't you see ... It's too late ... It's already begun." 

The first man resumed speaking. 

I looked out the window to see what had "already begun."

There was a tall pole with a yellow civil defense speaker at top of the pole. A gas was coming out of the speaker. I knew it was poisonous and would kill the people. It was coming directly toward us!

The shocking thing was the speaker that was set there for the purpose of warning us was being used as the instrument which dispersed the gas that was poison and would kill us! 

I looked at the man seated next to me.  He had a big grin on his face and was looking directly at the man who was speaking to the group.  But then I saw this man was a corpse, though he looked alive.  He was already dead! 

I looked about the room at the other people and realized they were all dead.

As I sat back in my chair and listened to the man speaking I began to feel sleepy and I knew as I sat there among them this was killing me too.




God was showing me the anarchy that was already going on in our church groups.



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