Do we know if that includes payroll taxes?

Gov Ron Desantis said that they will conduct their own independent investigation as well.

We'll see who presents facts or tries to spin it for political purposes.

timothyu said:

"So God is still interested in reclaiming all nations for Himself"

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I might add that one of Heiser's big interests was driven by Psalm 82, about the council of the gods. The biblical worldview does not deny the plurality of gods. It differs from paganism (the Babylonian mystery religion of Nimrod, with the Devil behind him) by denying their equality or superiority to Yahweh Elohim - the "Lord of gods" (my rendering). Heiser's PhD thesis at UWM was on this topic, as I recall.

Scripture gives us little insight into the doings of the gods, though if angels, cherubs, seraphs, et al were taken out of the Bible, it would be a different book. They appear, often humanoid, offering piecemeal hints about the higher realm of interstellar governance. Now that humanity is on the verge of becoming space-faring, it fits in with this being the "last days" of the previous chapter in human history, where the climax of the exopolitical battle finds us in the middle of it. (I suggested on a previous thread the possibility that this conflict is about us and what Satan versus God wanted in bioengineering homo sapiens sapiens after the Ice Age. I know there is much to unpack in that statement!)

UFOlogy arose as an area of inquiry post-WWII and Michael Salla, former George Washington U. (in DC) professor of political science, has made a career of exopolitics; see his site at Exopolitics Unsurprisingly, Heiser was also interested in UFO-UAP doings and wrote some fictional books about it. (Fiction is where you can say what you believe, or strongly surmise, is true without being held to account for it!)

Rxlx said:

a 'supercontinent' implies a big island. not a totally encompassing land mass.

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It's not an island.
In geology, a supercontinent is the assembly of most or all of Earth's continental blocks or cratons to form a single large landmass.


Islands would be those pieces of land surrounded by water
Supercontinents can have any shape.

Diamond72 said:

Ezekiel 28

17Your heart grew proud of your beauty;

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Diamond72 said:

you corrupted your wisdom because of your splendor;
so I cast you to the earth;

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The meaning of Ezekiel 28:13-14 is a little harder to unravel.

You were in Eden, the garden of God; every precious stone
adorned you: ruby, topaz and emerald, chrysolite, onyx and
jasper, sapphire, turquoise and beryl. Your settings and mountings were made of gold; on
the day you were created they were prepared.
You were anointed as a guardian cherub, for so I ordained
you. You were on the holy mount of God; you walked
among the fiery stones.
Ezekiel 28:13-14 NIV



John Gill’s commentary provdes some enlightenment on this.

<< Ezekiel 28:13
Ver. 13. Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God,.... Not only in Eden, but in
the garden which was in Eden, and was of the Lord's immediate planting; and
therefore called the garden of God, as well as because of its excellency,
fragrancy, and delight; not that the king of Tyre was literally there, or ever
dwelt in it; but his situation in Tyre was as safe, and as pleasant and delightful,
as Adam's was in the garden of Eden, at least in his own imagination. So the
Targum,
"thou delightest thyself with plenty of all good things and delectable ones, as if
thou dwellest in the garden of God;'' >>

What of the mention of “guardian cherub” in verse 14? John Gill’s commentary:

<< Ezekiel 28:14
Ver. 14. Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth,.... In allusion to the
cherubim over the mercy seat, which covered it with their wings; and which,
as the ark of the testimony and all the vessels of the tabernacle were anointed,
were so likewise; in all probability the king of Tyre is called a "cherub"
because of his wisdom and power; "anointed", because of his royal dignity;
and "that covereth", because of his office, which was to protect his people; all which he either was, or ought to be, or was in his own opinion so: antichrist
makes great boasts of his wisdom, power, and authority, as a teacher, pastor, or
bishop, the cherubim being symbolical of the ministers of the word; and of his
being anointed by men, that he may be the cover and shield of the church; and
of his being the Lord's anointed, and the vicar of Christ, and head and protector
of the church, as he calls himself {s}. The Targum understands all this of regal
power, and renders it,
"thou art a king anointed for a kingdom:'' >>

The King of Tyre was never really in Eden but was in a place of delight and safety. Likewise, the King of Tyre was never a cherub in the Jewish or Christian sense, but was anointed as a king.

RawStrength said:

That was sick (as in awesome) thanks so much for that. I'm gonna keep telling myself and others that the almighty God doesn't create losers. Thank you for the support and for being my cheerleader!

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Always! Know that we on this board have your back in prayer and would love for you to keep us updated on your triumphs. They're coming! I'm glad to have met you, my brother.

Bobber said:

It's actually an interesting question. A few months back in our home bible study we were pondering this very thing.

I suggested the following that many found quite interesting. Just why would Satan who they say was called Lucifer at the time.....even think to go this direction. Could it possibly have been for this reason? He knew God was all powerful when it came to ability....but perhaps he looked upon the gracious, kind, loving character of God as being LOVE and started to envision within himself maybe it's a weakness? In other words if he took actions to rebel against LOVE maybe LOVE would be too nice and give in having no backbone.

His great failure however was not to appreciate that for LOVE to be LOVE it has to draw the lines and stand by them in no uncertain terms or it'll bring darkness or what I call the degeneration of LIFE. LOVE made a warning of punishment so severe as well to keep all away from going into death. I think Satan wagered God ultimately wouldn't have the character to back it up. His way was a new way of strength according to him and he talked some angels into it. Of course we know the end result. HE WAS WRONG. He was trying to re-invent the wheel which rightly didn't need to be changed and most of the angels rejected his crazy presumptuous notion. I'm not saying all I shared here was exactly the way it was but it feels that way to me.

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Presumably Satan thought he could rule the earth as his own kingdom just as he rules it now from his base on and in the moon?

so..... what is the point of this thread?

When the Iron Curtain fell in 1989, it revealed another wall unseen for decades. Tens of thousands of children living behind the walls of orphanages across Eastern Europe were seen for the first time, and it was a heartbreaking sight. Years of institutionalization left generations of boys and girls scarred and aimless.

Western organizations such as Buckner International moved into countries like Russia to serve these orphans. At first, our approach was intercountry adoption. From 1995 until Russia closed these adoptions in 2013, Buckner placed more than 350 children in U.S. homes. But 350 children out of more than 1 million wasn’t enough, and intercountry adoption couldn’t be the only solution.

Wanting to serve more children, we began training orphanage workers and introducing in-country, family-centered care — a holistic approach to supporting children and their parents. That model aligns with our belief that every child belongs in a family, not an institution.

Continued below.

Pastor David Lin | FreePastorLin.com

California Pastor David Lin has been released from a Chinese prison after nearly two decades and has returned to the United States, the State Department said Sunday, ending a case that sparked an international outcry from free speech advocates and U.S. officials who say he was wrongfully detained.

“We welcome David Lin’s release from prison in the People’s Republic of China,” the State Department said, Politico reported, adding that the 68-year-old pastor “now gets to see his family for the first time in nearly 20 years.”

Lin’s daughter, Alice Lin, told the outlet that the State Department notified her on Saturday that Chinese authorities had released her father from prison and that he would arrive in San Antonio, Texas, on Sunday.

Continued below.

JosephZ said:

There were five lies being pushed in the video that I included in that paragraph.

The lies:

• 15,000 Haitians were imported into Springfield by VP Harris

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This needs a little explanation. From the Springfield News-Sun

"Status extended by feds​

Most Haitians are here legally, making their way from a violent and gang-ruled island homeland to Mexico.

Katie Kersh, senior attorney with Advocates for Basic Legal Equality, said many Haitians coming here go to Mexico and get a CBP One, a mobile app that allows users to request appointments related to immigration. That allows them to be legally processed into the U.S. through what’s called the parole program. They then typically obtain Temporary Protected Status, or TPS, which allows them to temporarily stay in the country. Others may apply for asylum, which is evaluated based on a person’s individual situation and if they were persecuted or have a fear of persecution, or for both TPS and asylum."
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

In other words, the Haitian immigrants get a mobile app on their phones in Mexico, which allows them to get an appointment with
the courts. This allows them to be legally processed into the US through the app. They get a TPS via the US Federal Government.
As I understand it, the US Government change the rules for applying for asylum when Biden took office.
They go to Springfield from Mexico because they have relatives and friends there, who will help them get a job.
Of course the businesses in Springfield hire them at minimum wage, because Haitian immigrants are willing to live in
apartments with multiple families. The citizens of Springfield live with one family in an apartment and as a result, can't
survive on minimum wages.

In other words, before Biden, they would be illegally in the US. But because the rules changed, they now hold a legal status while
waiting to go to court. In the past, 80% of immigrants who applied for asylum, never showed up at the court date they were given.
Why would they, when there's a chance, they'll be sent back to the country they came from?

But they're here so the only humane thing to do is help them and this is what Catholic Charities does, not only in Springfield,
but across the nation.

Christian apologist Gratia Pello has been released on parole after more than a year in an Indonesian prison, where he was held on charges of blasphemy for allegedly insulting the Islamic prophet Muhammad in a video.

Pello was arrested on Dec. 6, 2022, on charges of blasphemy for posting the video, which refuted insults against Jesus. He was granted parole earlier this year, reported the U.S.-based persecution watchdog International Christian Concern, whose staffer recently confirmed his release.

Pello is required to report to the prosecutor’s office monthly until his parole concludes in December, ICC said.

Continued below.

o_mlly said:

No, you have not directly addressed the argument in its premises or conclusion. Rather, you have repeatedly deflected using nonsensical rabbit holes. Your latest rabbit hole leaves the mammalian category and invites us to go down a "tree" hole.

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I have addressed the first "premise" of your "argument" multiple times. You seem incapable of grasping your failure.

o_mlly said:

Only those with an open mind can be persuaded. Based on your replies, I judge that your mind is closed so I will only respond to your new posts that directly address the simple argument put forward.

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I see no attempt to persuade, only to obfuscate and weave.

Fantine said:

Photoshop's getting better.

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wouldn't now a days the first thing you jumpt to be AI not photogshop?

The aggressive advocacy of abortion by Democratic Party candidates up and down the ballot this year, coupled with abortion ballot measures in 10 states, is causing pro-life groups across the political spectrum to adjust their tactics as well as expand collaborative efforts.

At the state level throughout the country, “there are things that we are excited about and others that are very troubling,” said Americans United for Life (AUL) Chief Executive Officer John Mize in an interview with CNA.

“What we find most troubling are the ballot initiatives that are very deceptive by pro-abortion forces that have caused utter confusion in a vast swath of the American public,” Mize indicated.

Continued below.

God does what is needed that is according to not being willing that any would perish. But the way is still really narrow and many are going toward the destruction, as there is no deliverance that God provides without repentance, with which there is essential faith with salvation in Christ through his accomplishments. Those in Christ that way are all delivered to be in bliss with him coming to God eternally then, after making it through this world yet with curse that has grown with sin since the fall.

ViaCrucis said:

A lot of the language that Paul uses (not just Paul, obviously, but Paul is big on it here) is proleptic. There is a sense in which the future bleeds into, or breaks into the present.

A really good example of this is when Paul says that we are "seated with Christ in heavenly places". Paul speaks present tense, even though we are obviously still very much right here on earth; yet at the same time we are--because we are in Christ--seated with Him. We are living and reigning with Him even though we are still down here.

Regeneration means the birth of a new man, a new human person; we are sharing in Christ's (resurrected) humanity right now, as a gift and work of God's grace. There is still the old man, who must be put to death daily through repentance. St. Paul talks about this struggle between the new man and the old man in Romans ch. 7. But Paul sees, already, in the powerful work of God's grace, by which we are alive by the Spirit, united to Christ, a new creation in Christ, that the old is passed, the old is dead. The old man died already in baptism (see Romans chapter 6), even as the new man was created, born, in that very baptism. Because we are in Christ there is a sense of receiving already what will be. We know that when Christ returns the dead shall be raised, in a sense we have received this already proleptically, through faith, by the power of the Holy Spirit.

We are also called to put off the old man and put on the new (Ephesians 4:22-23). It's something we have been given; and it's something that is to mark our ongoing struggle as followers of Jesus. We have been made new, we are being made new, and we will be made new.

The telos--the end or goal--is something which defines the present already. We will be saved, we have been saved, and we are being saved. We will rise again, we have been raised, we are being raised. What will be, has already, and is now.

We see in Christ what God will do, and God has already done it in/for Christ; and since we are in Christ, it is now our present reality. Through faith, by the power and work of the Holy Spirit.

-CryptoLutheran

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Very interesting way to put it--"Proleptic." And I agree. What we will have in the future, with respect to our resurrection and glorification, is, in some sense previewed by our current redemption. We have a downpayment, spiritually, on our future inheritance. A great way to express it, I think. Thank you!

Larniavc said:

Didn’t he post pics of roasting chickens and claim they were cats?

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They are killing and eating your chickens!

RileyG said:

He's quite old. I don't blame him?

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Yeah, I suppose that could be his reason for not going. I don't blame him for not going, either. As I said, I don't know what his reasons for not going are. He may very well have had a very good reason for choosing not to attend.

Hammster said:

You said you could point out a difference but you wouldn’t because it wouldn’t change my mind. That would be the point in doing so.

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I suspect changing your mind would be a nonstarter anyway, so I doubt there is any argument or piece of information I could offer that would suffice.

Besides, since Joe Biden isn't running, I'm not sure how productive a discussion of the differences between his agenda and Kamala Harris' would be anyway.

Hammster said:

You do realize I can see all of your posts, right?

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Yup.

Hammster said:

So for the last few pages you’ve posted a lot of reasons why they used that phrase, largely due to leadership, and when you finally stated that there were differences, you’ve bailed out.

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I made the point I intended to make. Apologies if it wasn't the one you wanted me to make.

Hammster said:

I get it. I’ll leave you to your final and inevitable excuse.

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No excuses from this end. I'll just wish you a good day.

-- A2SG, always nice to end on a friendly note....

PloverWing said:

I think of the question along these lines. Person A says "Consider the set of humans with traits X, Y, and Z." Person B says "Consider the set of humans with traits Z and either W or X." Person C is interested in still another set of human traits, etc. And now A, B, and C argue about which set is more useful to consider and which set is more usefully labelled "woman". The argument is about which set to attach the vocabulary word to.

But if instead there's something essential about being a "woman", then it's meaningful to say that a particular definition "should"/"shouldn't" be used, or that a particular definition is right or wrong. From this point of view, saying "that definition is wrong" is saying more than just "that's not how most people use the word". I think.

So from this second viewpoint, it's meaningful to say things like "it's wrong for a women's college to accept thus-and-so kinds of students, because those students aren't really women", and the speaker is saying more than just "this is the set of students I want to study with". And this clarifies for me some of the earlier statements in the thread, and some of the miscommunication.

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Ok. That's interesting. Your approach to this topic sounds a bit Instrumentalist/Pragmatic in nature rather than Idealist, politically and even analytically speaking. I'm kind of surprised at this, but it is what it is.

Thank you for offering some brief and concise clarification about your personal praxis, PloverWing.

Midwestern Loner said:

As a faithful Christian it’s been said there are many voices that seek control of our minds. Everyone gets hit with something, and everything from self doubt, to anger, judgment, and so on. Lately I’ve felt like a ping pong ball being bounced between good and evil.

I trust the Word. As a believer I know things are not as bad as they seem. I would like to request some prayers during this strange season that I’m in.
Thank you

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Be very careful of the things you choose to feed into your mind. A great many Christians fail in this one area

Phil 4:
4 Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!
5 Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand.
6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; 7 and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

Meditate on These Things​

8 Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things. 9 The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you.

===================

If you allow your mind to focus downward, on sin and evil , rebellion -- even when it is simply the rebellion against God's Word done by others -- you are filling your soul with darkness not light.


Richard Wurmbrand: book "Tortured for Christ" on Amazon

Tells of a Christian tortured for many years in a communist prison - who was always rejoicing even while being tortured. One day one of his torturers asked how he could have a smile and be cheerful even while being tortured.

Rom 12:15 was his response
15 Rejoice with those who rejoice

He was being kept below ground , prison basement -- no access to real sunlight, flowers, birds, butterflies

He said "I would think of that and then say to myself -- but many are out there right now and people can see it all - I rejoice for those who are right now rejoicing to see the sun, the green grass the colors of the butterflies".

The story is amazing

This is similar to how Tucker Carlson's showing an empty hallway from J6 "proves" that the riot was actually "peaceful". It smacks of desperate trickery - but apparently this sort of thing cheers the base.

Men play games, and it’s insane
What they in pride do hope to gain.
Full of tricks and trips and pride
They now take others for a ride.

Liars plenty in disguise,
They’re not so very, very wise.
Hide their motives, truth not tell,
Manipulating men to hell.

Evil workmen do not care,
They are not looking lives to spare.
Selfish motives, greed their god,
Masqueraders, so they are frauds.

Mind control, it is their game,
They’re wanting everyone the same.
Unity with men, their sell,
Not unity with God do tell.

Change the message flesh to feed,
No people from their sins do free.
Give permission sins to do,
Do not to Jesus say, “I do.”

Don’t fall underneath their spell.
Please know the truth and know it well.
Show the lies, and tell the truth,
Expose the liars so uncouth.

An Original Work / July 2, 2022

[2 Co 11:13-15; Php 3:2; Matt 7:15-23; Matt 24:11-14; John 10:1-15; 2 Peter 2:1-22; 1 Tim 1:3-7; 1 Tim 6:3-10; 1 John 4:1-6; Jude 1:3-23]

*This does not exclude women who may do the same.