Joan Boney ... apostle/prophet
Judges 17:1-13 And there was a man of mount Ephraim, whose name was Micah.
And he said unto his mother, The eleven hundred shekels of silver that were taken from thee, about which thou cursedst, and spakest of also in mine ears, behold, the silver is with me; I took it.
And his mother said, Blessed be thou of the Lord, my son.
And when he had restored the eleven hundred shekels of silver to his mother, his mother said, I had wholly dedicated the silver unto the Lord from my hand for my son, to make a graven image and a molten image: now therefore I will restore it unto thee.
Yet he restored the money unto his mother; and his mother took two hundred shekels of silver, and gave them to the founder, who made thereof a graven image and a molten image: and they were in the house of Micah.
And the man Micah had an house of gods, and made an ephod, and teraphim, and consecrated one of his sons, who became his priest.
This doesn't sound good, does it? One thing in the 10-commandments is the forbidding of graven images.
Deuteronomy 5:1-9 I am the Lord thy God, which brought thee out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage. Thou shalt have none other gods before me. Thou shalt not make thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the waters beneath the earth: Thou shalt not bow down thyself unto them, nor serve them:
In the Old Testament, there are 67 references forbidding graven images.
Of course, I don't know if the people of that time had access as we do today to the Old Testament.
We do have a section of scripture where the workmen found a copy of the word of God buried in the ruins of a building. They took it to the priest who took it to the king and the king was horrified that they had been disobeying the Word of God all these years.
I have met Catholics who are terrified to think of reading the Bible, for their priests had told them they should not read the Bible. The Catholic priest told those people that they, the priests, would tell the people that which they needed to know. Therefore these people are pitiful since they don't know the Word of God and they do all manner of things forbidden in the Bible.
One Catholic woman told me this amazing story. Her name is Margaret Tafoya. She was one of the great potters at Santa Clara pueblo in New Mexico (USA). She enrolled her children in McCurdy mission school because she wanted her children to study the Bible.
The Catholic priest called her in and said, "People like you don't need to read the Bible. We will tell you what you need to know."
The Catholic priest called her in and said, "People like you don't need to read the Bible. We will tell you what you need to know."
Margaret kept insisting that she wanted her children to study the Bible.
Finally the Catholic priest said to Margaret, "If you do this, we will put you out of the church and you will never be able to confess your sins again."
With great humility and sadness, Margaret said to me, I don't know what came over me. I said to the priest ... "I don't have to confess my sins to a man like you. I'll confess them to the Lord."
Margaret had no idea she had done anything good.
She said, "He (the priest) got so mad at me. And they put me out of the church and now I can't be buried in the cemetery."
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Margaret didn't know much Bible so I began explaining to her various scriptures which should have comforted her in what she did.
* John 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
In the New Testament church we go to God directly in prayer through Jesus, not through another man. We confess our sins directly to God. We have assurance that God forgives us our sins. No man can forgive us our sins nor can any man assure us that our sins are forgiven. Only God can do that for us.
II Timothy 2:5 For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;
* Persons who die are sleeping. They don't know where they are buried. It doesn't matter where they are buried.
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) 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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Another Catholic woman saw me reading the Bible, and she said to me, "Aren't you afraid to read the Bible?" (She had been taught in the Catholic church that lay people should not read the Bible; that it was dangerous for them to do this.)
I certainly agree that we should handle the Word of God with care, prayerfully going to God, asking God to lead us as we read the Bible.
But the scriptures are given to us by God so we can know HIS way, that we can know what God approves. (So many churches do things never told them in Bible.)
II Timothy 3:16-17 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.
We prove all things by the Bible through the guidance of the Holy Spirit of God.
Paul told Timothy:
II Timothy 4:13 Till I come, give attendance to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine.
If we don't prove our doctrine by Bible, especially by New Testament, how are we certain we go in the way of God in religious things? You certainly can't trust a church group or one of their ministers. For often the ministers are extortioners, using scripture to forcing people to give money to themselves. And churches today have changed many doctrines of the Bible to another doctrine which is opposite to Bible. This is the end time antichrist, the apostasy in the church, which Paul said had to come before Jesus could return.
II Thessalonians 2:3-4 Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day (of the Lord) shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;
4 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.
II Thessalonians 2:3-4 Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day (of the Lord) shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;
(Churches would fall away from portions of scripture and set up doctrine opposite to that scripture.)
4 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.
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Questions to establish through Bible:
* Can ministers marry?
* What does Bible teach concerning divorce and remarriage today?
* Does Lent exist in the New Testament Bible?
* What should the gathering of the church look like? What should we do when we come together in the church today? I Corinthians 14:26
* Do we pray to dead people? To whom should we pray?
* What are graven images?
* Are we forbidden in the New Testament to eat certain foods?
Certainly you may have other questions, but all things pertaining to the New Testament church today should be established and settled by the New Testament Bible by the Spirit of God.
If you play tennis or golf, there are rules of the game established that you go by.
If you deal with spiritual things today, you have the New Testament Bible as your "rule book".
It seems impossible that people would turn to other humans to find out about their own souls.
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Judges 17:6 In those days there was no king in Israel, but every man did that which was right in his own eyes.
Proverbs 16:25 There is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.
The Bible is inspired by God Himself.
Of course people can get scriptures wrong ... but certainly leaders in churches can set up false doctrines.
Paul says: I Thessalonians 5:21 Prove all things; hold fast that which is good.
Pray, ask God, read the New Testament. God will help you. You can trust God.
Most people go to other people to see what is right. I understand doing that especially as a new Christian. But often those preachers and other religious people are wrong, according to Bible, about that which they are doing. God will not let you down when you turn to HIM wanting to know.
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Back to the story of Micah:
Judges 17:7 And there was a young man out of Bethlehemjudah of the family of Judah, who was a Levite, and he sojourned there.
In the Old Testament, the tribe of Levi was separated by God for the work of God. So in those days, when they found a Levite they often turned to him for religious needs.
Today Jesus has separated to himself apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, teachers for the work of the ministry.
Ephesians 4:8;11-15 Wherefore HE saith, When HE (Jesus) ascended up on high, HE led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men ... And HE gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ: That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;
But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into HIM in all things, which is the head, even Christ:
In the New Testament Bible, ministers are not called priests. Ministers are not called pope, arch bishop, cardinal, or such. There is no such thing in the Bible.
Prove this for yourself. Read the New Testament.
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Judges 17:8- And the man (the Levite) departed out of the city from Bethlehemjudah to sojourn where he could find a place: and he came to mount Ephraim to the house of Micah, as he journeyed.
And Micah said unto him, Whence comest thou? And he said unto him, I am a Levite of Bethlehemjudah, and I go to sojourn where I may find a place.
And Micah said unto him, Dwell with me, and be unto me a father and a priest, and I will give thee ten shekels of silver by the year, and a suit of apparel, and thy victuals. So the Levite went in.
And the Levite was content to dwell with the man; and the young man was unto him as one of his sons.
And Micah consecrated the Levite; and the young man became his priest, and was in the house of Micah.
Then said Micah, Now know I that the Lord will do me good, seeing I have a Levite to my priest.
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Judges 18:1-31 In those days there was no king in Israel: and in those days the tribe of the Danites sought them an inheritance to dwell in; for unto that day all their inheritance had not fallen unto them among the tribes of Israel.
And the children of Dan sent of their family five men from their coasts, men of valour, from Zorah, and from Eshtaol, to spy out the land, and to search it; and they said unto them, Go, search the land: who when they came to mount Ephraim, to the house of Micah, they lodged there.
When they were by the house of Micah, they knew the voice of the young man the Levite: and they turned in thither, and said unto him, Who brought thee hither? and what makest thou in this place? and what hast thou here?
And he said unto them, Thus and thus dealeth Micah with me, and hath hired me, and I am his priest.
And they said unto him, Ask counsel, we pray thee, of God, that we may know whether our way which we go shall be prosperous.
In the Old Testament the Holy Spirit was not given to all the people. They went to the prophet or OT priest to inquire of God.
In the New Testament every believer is sealed with the Holy Spirit so God leads the believer directly though His Spirit, Ephesians 1, John 14:26, John 16:13, although God certainly speaks also today through other people to us and through NT prophets as HE (God) wills.
Hebrews 1:1-2 God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, Hath in these last days spoken unto us by HIS Son, whom HE hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also HE made the worlds;
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But in Old Testament days, they had to ask the Levite (or prophet) to inquire of God for them and the Levite said:
And they came unto their brethren to Zorah and Eshtaol: and their brethren said unto them, What say ye?
And they said, Arise, that we may go up against them: for we have seen the land, and, behold, it is very good: and are ye still? be not slothful to go, and to enter to possess the land.
The tribe of Dan had not yet gone in to possess the land God had given them.
When ye go, ye shall come unto a people secure, and to a large land: for God hath given it into your hands; a place where there is no want of any thing that is in the earth.
And there went from thence of the family of the Danites, out of Zorah and out of Eshtaol, six hundred men appointed with weapons of war.
And they went up, and pitched in Kirjathjearim, in Judah: wherefore they called that place Mahanehdan unto this day: behold, it is behind Kirjathjearim.
And they passed thence unto mount Ephraim, and came unto the house of Micah.
Then answered the five men that went to spy out the country of Laish, and said unto their brethren, Do ye know that there is in these houses an ephod, and teraphim, and a graven image, and a molten image? now therefore consider what ye have to do.
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Holy Garments: Old Testament Only ... New Testament has no holy garments. The body is the temple of the Holy Spirit. In New Testament ministers are called by Jesus and given the Holy Spirit to live inside them and rule by God's word. New Testament Bible has no example of ministers of God wearing collars, robes, hats, or other garments that some wear today. Always check New Testament to see what we do today.
Old Testament: Exodus 28:4 And these are the garments which they shall make; a breastplate, and an ephod, and a robe, and a broidered coat, a mitre, and a girdle: and they shall make holy garments for Aaron thy brother, and his sons, that he may minister unto ME in the priest's office.
(for further information concerning this Old Testament garment, search "ephod" in your Bible. 42 verses ... but ephod does not exist in the New Testament Bible. We have the Holy Spirit to guide us today in the New Testament church.)
(for further information concerning this Old Testament garment, search "ephod" in your Bible. 42 verses ... but ephod does not exist in the New Testament Bible. We have the Holy Spirit to guide us today in the New Testament church.)
teraphim: small images or cult objects used as deities or oracles by ancient Semitic peoples (Oxford Dictionary definition)
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Judges 18:15 And they turned thitherward, and came to the house of the young man the Levite, even unto the house of Micah, and saluted him.
And the six hundred men appointed with their weapons of war, which were of the children of Dan, stood by the entering of the gate.
And the five men that went to spy out the land went up, and came in thither, and took the graven image, and the ephod, and the teraphim, and the molten image: and the priest stood in the entering of the gate with the six hundred men that were appointed with weapons of war.
And these went into Micah's house, and fetched the carved image, the ephod, and the teraphim, and the molten image. Then said the priest unto them, What do ye?
And they said unto him, Hold thy peace, lay thine hand upon thy mouth, and go with us, and be to us a father and a priest: is it better for thee to be a priest unto the house of one man, or that thou be a priest unto a tribe and a family in Israel?
And the priest's heart was glad, and he took the ephod, and the teraphim, and the graven image, and went in the midst of the people.
So they turned and departed, and put the little ones and the cattle and the carriage before them.
And when they were a good way from the house of Micah, the men that were in the houses near to Micah's house were gathered together, and overtook the children of Dan.
And they cried unto the children of Dan. And they turned their faces, and said unto Micah, What aileth thee, that thou comest with such a company?
And he said, Ye have taken away my gods which I made, and the priest, and ye are gone away: and what have I more? and what is this that ye say unto me, "What aileth thee?"
And the children of Dan said unto him, Let not thy voice be heard among us, lest angry fellows run upon thee, and thou lose thy life, with the lives of thy household.
And the children of Dan went their way: and when Micah saw that they were too strong for him, he turned and went back unto his house.
And they took the things which Micah had made, and the priest which he had, and came unto Laish, unto a people that were at quiet and secure: and they smote them with the edge of the sword, and burnt the city with fire.
And there was no deliverer, because it was far from Zidon, and they had no business with any man; and it was in the valley that lieth by Bethrehob.
And they built a city, and dwelt therein.
And they called the name of the city Dan, after the name of Dan their father, who was born unto Israel: howbeit the name of the city was Laish at the first.
And the children of Dan set up the graven image: and Jonathan, the son of Gershom, the son of Manasseh, he and his sons were priests to the tribe of Dan until the day of the captivity of the land.
And they set them up Micah's graven image, which he made, all the time that the house of God was in Shiloh.
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Leviticus 26:1 God says: Ye shall make you no idols nor graven image, neither rear you up a standing image, neither shall ye set up any image of stone in your land, to bow down unto it: for I am the Lord your God.God forbid HIS people to set up graven images to bow down to.
(Look up graven image in your Bible as you will see 47 scriptures forbidding graven images.)
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