Joan Boney ... apostle/prophet
II Corinthians 4:14 Knowing that HE which raised up the Lord Jesus shall raise up us also by Jesus,
How does Jesus raise the church?
I Thessalonians 4:13-18 But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep (dead), that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.
For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with Him.
For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent (precede/go before) them which are asleep (dead).
For the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
Wherefore comfort one another with these words.
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Jesus comes "with a shout" ... a trumpet sound ... Truly this is a "voice" that wakes the dead.
And with that, those dead in Christ who are asleep, awaken and rise to meet Jesus "in the air".
Then those in Christ who are still living are changed from these current physical bodies (I Corinthians 15) and rise to meet Jesus "in the air."
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One day, the Holy Spirit brought to my mind these words: "in the air"
I turned to I Thessalonians 4 and there it was: "in the air"
I knew this had significant meaning.
I Thessalonians 4:17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
As I thought on this, God opened my understanding and I realized we will be raised to live somewhere other than this present earth.
And I remembered what the apostle Peter and the apostle John told us.
Peter said:
II Peter 3:10-14 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.
Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness,
Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat?
Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.
Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of Him in peace, without spot, and blameless.
Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness,
Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat?
Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.
Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of Him in peace, without spot, and blameless.
John said:
Revelation 21:1-5 And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.
And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and HE will dwell with them, and they shall be HIS people, and God Himself shall be with them, and be their God.
And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.
And HE that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new.
And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and HE will dwell with them, and they shall be HIS people, and God Himself shall be with them, and be their God.
And HE that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new.
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We cannot live on this present earth for it will be destroyed by God when the wrath of God comes in the last days.
Further, this scripture shows us this present earth will never be righteous. It is the new heaven and the new earth "wherein dwelleth righteousness." So we can stop being disturbed over the unrighteousness we see on this current earth and we can now live in peace, knowing this present earth will not be righteousness.
It is very important that we live in peace while we are on this present earth!
It helps so much to know the following truths.
* Before the return of Jesus the churches will become corrupt for the apostasy comes into the church before Jesus returns. It is ordained to be this way and there is nothing we can do to correct it. So instead of fighting against what is going to happen, we simply come away from churches where they fail to follow all the scriptures and teach another doctrine for they have "fallen away" as Paul told us they would do in the last days.
II Thessalonians 2:3-4 (NASB) ... Let no one in any way deceive you, for it (the day of the Lord) will not come unless the apostasy (KJV: the "falling away") 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.
* The falling away / the apostasy: churches will "fall away" from portions of scripture such as Matthew 5:32 where Jesus says the man who marries the divorced woman commits adultery. As a result, lawlessness against scripture, will move into the church as scriptures are omitted or explained away.
* Antichirst, the man of sin (of lawlessness), sits in the "temple of God" ... in the church itself. For decades churches have been taught to look for antichrist in governments of men. But Paul explains to us that antichrist will sit in the "temple of God", in the church, where he opposes scripture and things of God and exalts his own thinking over the church. (Antichrist is not one man but a spirit living in many men ... the apostle John explained in I John 2 that there were already "many" antichrists among them in that day.)
* The righteousness we look for will be in "the new heaven and the new earth" ... in the "new Jerusalem."
II Peter 3 Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.
II Peter 3 Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.
Revelation 21:1-2 And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.
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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Knowing these truths, we can stop fretting over the governments of men on this present earth. It will not be righteous here according to Bible.
We can stop fretting over the churches and the changing of church doctrine away from the Bible for we see in Bible this apostasy in the church was going to happen, and is taking place now before our own eyes, before Jesus returns.
Paul even says Jesus will not return unless this happens in the churches.
II Thessalonians 2:3-4 Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;
Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.
Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.
As long as the church people held to all scripture, antichrist could not move into the church. But when portions of scripture were removed from the doctrine of the church group, the restraint which held antichrist back from the church was removed and antichrist moved into the church group.
The restraint was the Word of God, the Bible, the Holy Scripture.
(One woman described her church group as "watered down" today. That is antichrist in the church, removing portions of scripture or just not speaking all the scripture.)
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I feel great peace in knowing these things.
Now I can focus on walking away from evil and living daily, prayerfully attached to God, while exhorting the real church, those individuals who hold to Bible as they live on this earth.
I can encourage them in the faith in God.
(So many church people hold fast to their own church instead of clinging to God.)
Pray for God to open your eyes to the Bible. (Church doctrine ... traditions of men ... often blinds ones eyes to Bible.)
Our salvation is in God and in The Word (Jesus), not in the flesh and blood church group.
Turn to God and uphold HIS truths.
Walk away from those church groups where portions of Bible have been cast aside, for these church groups are the end time apostasy where antichrist rules over the scriptures.
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"But where will I go to church?"
We are the church.
Gather and associate with individuals who cling to the Bible. You may have to do this by phone or internet, sharing things of God, for you might not find another in the city where you live today.
Jesus says: where two or three are gathered together in MY name, there am I in the midst of them. (Matthew 18:20)
We have internet and emails and can go all over the world telling one another the wonders God has done, edifying the church and holding fast to scriptures that we have seen cast aside by church groups.
You will grow in God in ways you never imagined as you hold onto scripture and live the Word of God daily.
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Hymn: I'm pressing on the upward way
(Click forward arrow > to play music:)
1. I’m pressing on the upward way,
New heights I’m gaining every day;
Still praying as I onward bound,
Lord, plant my feet on higher ground.
Chorus:
Lord, lift me up, and let me stand
By faith on Heaven's tableland;
Lord, plant my feet on higher ground.
2. My heart has no desire to stay
Where doubts arise and fears dismay;
Though some may dwell where these abound,
My prayer, my aim, is higher ground.
3. I want to live above the world,
Though Satan’s darts at me are hurled;
For faith has caught the joyful sound,
The song of saints on higher ground.
4. I want to scale the utmost height
And catch a gleam of glory bright;
But still I’ll pray till rest I’ve found,
Lord, lead me on to higher ground.
(Click pause symbol, " ... at beginning of hymn, to stop music)
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Scripture pertaining to this hymn:
V. 3. I want to live above the world,
Matthew 7:24-27 Jesus says whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock.
And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.
We live above the world by doing that Word given us by God by HIS Spirit. We press on to higher ground each time we hear the Word of God and do the Word of God. We build our house on the Word of God by doing the Word of God and when we live that way, our house will never fall!
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