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Home - Online Bible This is certainly among the best digitalized Bible study programs available. It's free to get started. If you like it, you can add your preferred versions for a nominal fee. The free package comes with a KJV and corrected Strong's numbers. Even if you know no Biblical languages, you can do word searches based on the numbers. It offers a wide range of possibilities for study of the LXX. If you like the format of the OLB, you can purchase a complete edition. It includes a large library of history and theology as well. Check it out at the link above.

About five years ago the Department of Justice (DOJ), under former President Trump, began an investigation of Hunter Biden, the son of now President Biden. That investigation has been widely reported in the media as involving major criminal issues, some of which were related to now President Trump. During the investigation it was determined that on two occasions Hunter Biden had failed to properly disclose his income. At that time, proper payments, to include fines, were paid by Hunter Biden. Following those payments, the criminal investigation continued. Today, June 20, 2023, the DOJ has an end to the criminal investigation. Hunter Biden will plead guilty to two misdemeanor charges of a failure to properly disclose his income. In addition, Hunter Biden will enter a pre-trial diversion program on a charge that he did not truthfully fill out an application to purchase a fire arm. Under normal procedures if Hunter Biden successfully completes a two year diversion program that criminal charge will be dismissed. Under normal circumstances his pleading guilty to the misdemeanor tax charges would not result in a prison sentence. But, this will be decided by the judge and not the DOJ. The other major criminal issues commonly reported by the media are now dismissed.

Fundamentalism: The following article was first published in The New York Times. It has been re-published multiple times. While one might not agree with some aspects of it, it clearly facilitates thoughtful consideration. https://dnyuz.com/2023/06/13/shiny-happy-people-fundamentalism-and-the-toxic-quest-for-certainty/

Juneteenth: For an article on how this day might related to Adventism, see: https://spectrummagazine.org/views/2023/juneteenth-and-sabbath-holidays-freedom

I was listening to Franklin Graham on the radio this morning try to explain why Sunday is the Lord's Day. It was painful to listen to him grasp at straws in trying to make a New Testament connection to Sunday sacredness. But is it really that important? God-fearing Christians have been honoring Sunday for centuries and there are millions today that still do. What difference does it really make? I don't believe that keeping the seventh day (Saturday) holy is a salvation issue unless a person feels completely convicted to do so and is rebelling against the Spirit of God. In my study of the Bible I find there are many things God allows us to do which He is not too supportive of. Throughout the centuries God has allow polygamy. That was never His ideal. God started marriage in the Garden of Eden with one man and one woman. That was and still is His ideal. However God allowed polygamy. God also allowed divorce which Jesus said was due to the hardness of man's heart. Divorce was never God's ideal but was allowed. God also allowed meat-eating. Humans were created vegetarians and were not given permission to eat meat until after the Flood. Later God tried to return men to vegetarianism by feeding them manna in the wilderness. God also blessed the prophet Daniel physically and mentally because he chose a vegetarian diet. So there is a pattern where God allows things such as polygamy, divorce and meat-eating even though they are less than His ideal. It seems that God has allowed Sunday keeping among Christians but we cannot assume that means He has blessed it. The Bible teaches that God's people have always kept Saturday holy as His day of rest and worship. The first evidence of the early church keeping Sunday may well come from Irenaeus - a second-century church father. Prophecy in both Daniel and Revelation foretold of a period of time that the church would enter into apostasy and the traces of that can be found just after the last of the apostles died. It continued through the Dark Ages and until Martin Luther was able to use the technological advance of the printing press to spread the message of forgiveness by grace. Biblical truths did not all come at once with Martin Luther. He was God's man for the hour with a very important message. Salvation is the free gift from God and cannot be bought with earthly treasure. About 200 years after Luther God called John Wesley with another important truth. He emphasized the teaching of prevenient grace which teaches God loves every person and longs salvation for them but has given each free will to accept His offer of grace or reject it. Then, about another 200 years later God brought the Sabbath truth to light. Why? If the Sabbath wasn't such a big deal for the 2nd and 3rd century Christians nor for Martin Luther or John Wesley, why would God bring it to light in the 1800s? Charles Darwin's book "On the Origin of Species" was published in 1859. The Seventh-day Adventist church was organized in 1863 by Joseph Bates, James White, Ellen G. White and J. N. Andrews. The purpose of the church was to declare the soon, literal coming of Jesus Christ and to point people to worship the Creator and Redeemer. The seventh-day Sabbath is the only doctrine that calls for action on the part of the believer which demonstrates the belief that Jesus, in conjunction with God the Father and Holy Spirit, created the Earth and all of the universe. The Sabbath message flies in the face of evolution. The Sabbath message goes hand in hand with the call in Revelation chapter 14 to worship the Creator. The reason given in the Fourth Commandment for honoring the Sabbath is that God rested on it after creating the world and life on it. Creation is the mark of God's authority and the seventh-day Sabbath is memorial of it. The Apostles never honored Sunday as the Lord's day. Much is written in the New Testament on the issue of circumcision. The fact that so little is recorded in the New Testament about the Sabbath is strong evidence that it was a non-issue. Circumcision was for the Jews. The first person to be circumcised was Abraham - the father of the Jews. The Sabbath is for all of humanity. The first person to honor the Sabbath was Adam - the father of the human race. Circumcision is not mentioned in the Ten Commandments. More words are dedicated to the Sabbath Commandment than any of the other nine. Jesus said He was the Lord of the Sabbath. That must mean that the Sabbath is the Lord's day. *This was originally posted by me as a Facebook note June 19, 2012.

Interesting that so many of the items she listed have to do with animals.

As is mine....

(N). Revelation 15:3 And they sing the song of Moses the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, Great and marvellous are thy works, Lord God Almighty; just and true are thy ways, thou King of saints.

Yes they did! What a blessing all that rain and snow they've had this past winter!!

Seventh-day Adventists view the Bible as a detailed and true record of God's intervention in the affairs of planet Earth. This record begins with the creation of Earth. It continues with a record of the entry of sin and of Satan's involvement in life on Earth. It then continues with the record of God's involvement in a plan designed to return Earth to God's kingdom, which includes providing eternal life to the humans who chose to spend eternity with God. As SDAs regard the Bible to be quite specific to God's involvement with Earth, SDAs do not consider the Bible to have much to say, about other planets in the Universe that may have intelligent life on those planets. Therefore, anything that one might say on that subject would likely be highly speculative and subject to error. Yes, I have thoughts. But, I do not claim that my thinking is grounded in authority. My thinking is simply speculative and subject to error.

Let me state the general SDA perspective on this issue. * There was a rebellion in heaven led by a created angel, often called Satan. * Satan charged that God's creation had not been given the freedom to chose whom they would follow. If given that freedom to chose, they would chose to follow Satan. * The result of that was that Satan and 1/3 of the angels who chose to side with Satan were expelled from heaven. * Satan charged that if God allowed created intelligent beings in the Universe the freedom to chose who to follow, they would chose to follow Satan. * So, Satan was given access to a newly created Earth, as described in the first chapters of Genesis, which records how the newly created humans did chose to follow Satah. * This could include intelligent life on other planets in the Universe could have been given that same choice. If so, on those planets those intelligent beings chose to follow God and rejected Satan. However, this option is not clearly stated in the Bible, which is the rule of faith. Therefore, this position is speculative, and even if true lacks Biblical support.

See: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/michigan-just-passed-the-crown-act-why-can-t-the-rest-of-the-country/ar-AA1cE7pO?ocid=msedgdhp&pc=U

There are a lot of dysfunctional Christian homes. I will even go as far as to say many are toxic. Authoritarian parenting is one of the primary reasons young adults leave their childhood religion. I came across a link to the article below on Facebook, and while I do not agree with it totally, it is an issue that deserves discussion. I think cutting family completely out of one's life is a bit like throwing out the baby with the bath water. People do need to know how to identify toxic family members and how to establish boundaries. Limiting exposure to such toxic family members should be part of one's boundaries. However, our family members are a part of us both physically (DNA) and psychologically (learned behavior). Cutting them off completely is like cutting away a part of self. Limiting exposure is definitely an option many people need to exercise. When Blood No Longer Binds—Walking Away from a Toxic Family Member

(N). Revelation 14:1 And I looked, and, lo, a Lamb stood on the mount Sion, and with him an hundred forty and four thousand, having his Father's name written in their foreheads.

The general understanding of the EGW statements as to intelligent life on other planets is: * That they pertain to planets outside of our solar system. * That those inhabitants could have sinned but did not. * Those inhabitants are aware to some degree as to what happened on Earth after sin began to rule. * From the perspective of that knowledge. those inhabitants will never sin and reject God's leadership. I point out that Gustave speculates as to the consequences of what might result if those inhabitants were to chose to sin. His perspective includes that idea that if they sinned God would not intervene to prevent some of the results that he suggests. Can I suggest a Biblical verse for every thing that I have stater her? Of course not. What I say may be just a speculative as what Gustave has said.

A brief statement of Ellen White's view on this subject, as I understand it, and written in my words, not hers: There are other planets in the Universe that contain intelligent life. All of those planets contain life that lives in perfect harmony with God, as this planet (Earth) is the only planet in which the life living there sinned and departed from God. As Earth is the only planet on which life has sinned, the plan of salvation is specific to Earth. This plan of salvation will ultimately return those on Earth who have chosen to spend eternity with God to the same level of those on the other planets who are currently spending eternity with God. I do not understand Ellen White as suggesting that those on the other planets could sin ni the future. Again, the above is simply my words and my understanding of the position that Ellen White would take on this subject. NOTE: I do not find any support in EGW writings to suggest that any so called ET visits to Earth are those beings living on other planets in the Universe. Gregory Matthews

(N) James 4:6 But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.

If you are a millionaire in the UK some benefits will not be free. Nursing home care is one of them. Its "means tested" Those who can pay pay. Those who can't pay get it free. If you are a millionaire you can pay for whatever nursing care that you can afford. Private patients can end up in the same hospital and the same unit as a NHS patient. Quote: Can you tell me why someone on government pay needs to settle for a lower level of care?Here we do not have the choice of the benefit of help if we do not need it. The don't need to settle for a lower level of care. People with the means can opt for the facilities and location that they like.

A five minute google search makes the picture a little clearer. Don't get too exited. You posted this because you thought it was a good thing that she sold her stuff right? She's has every right to stay in a private nursing home and pay for it herself. That's a good thing. Miss Dean, 96, is hoping to raise some £3,000 from the sale after finding herself unable to cope with the cost of her nursing home in Ashurst, Hants. She has been resident in the private home for two years after breaking her hip. Miss Dean told the Southern Daily Echo: “I was hoping to be here for two weeks after breaking my hip but I developed an infection and have been here for two years. I am not able to live in my home anymore. “I am selling it all now because I have to pay these nursing home fees and am selling anything that I think might fetch some money.” http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article4954772.ece

Ben Helfgott, one of two Holocaust survivors to compete in the Olympics, dies at 93 https://www.jta.org/2023/06/16/obituaries/ben-helfgott-one-of-two-holocaust-survivors-to-compete-in-the-olympics-dies-at-93?

Vietnam-era whistleblower Daniel Ellsberg, who leaked Pentagon Papers, dies at 92 https://apnews.com/article/daniel-ellsberg-vietnam-war-pentagon-papers-12f57b417c372c1b8760a21d447cb502?

There are more than 200 Jewish religious schools [yeshivas] in New York State. These schools can receive government money as long as they provide a certain amount of secular education along with the religious instruction. It is estimated that about 1/3 of the schools do not provide the amount of secular education required. A Jewish organization called YAFFED [young advocates for fair education] has been calling attention to this issue for years, mostly to no avail, until recently. Many of these strictly orthodox Jewish children are being deprived of basic knowledge to function in modern American society. Their math, English language, science, history and other subject scores, on standardized tests, are abysmal. 99% of students fail standardized tests. This may seem hard to believe considering that your physician, lawyer, stockbroker are all Jewish; nevertheless, it's true. 375 million dollars are spent every year funding Yeshivas that produce students who are unable to function effectively in secular society. Consequent to the educational problems is the large number of Jewish families that must live off of welfare due to their inability to earn a living. What We Do - Yaffed