CHECK DI COMMENTS

Does God determine the time of a person’s death?

God is at War: The Spiritual Battle – Don’t Blame God series (2 of 4)

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Here are two very significant theological statements that too few Christians understand:

(1) Life is not a giant bakery.
(2) People are not milk cartons.

How many times have you heard people say, when commenting on someone’s untimely death (biblically, all death is untimely), “His number was up.” Huh?

My question is: What number?

Yes, the Bible speaks about “the bread of life,” but life is not a giant bakery, as in “Take a number.” In the bakery scenario, people wait with anticipation for their number to be “up,” so they can enjoy the jelly doughnut or whatever. But in life, no one wants to hear his number called and find a speeding bus inches away from him.

Or what about someone saying that he had a close call with death, but “It wasn’t my time to go.” That could give special meaning to the ordinary question, “What time is it?” Your time. nooo!!!

And I ask, “Who sets that time?”

Yes, the Bible speaks of “the milk of the Word,” but people are not milk cartons. That means that no human being comes from the factory with an expiration date stamped on him or her.

I’m not sure what year it was that expiration dates began to be stamped on food products, but when you see something with a date in the next decade, don’t eat it. The preservatives in it will not preserve you. What does preserve you, or at least give you the best chance of sticking around this life for a while, is learning the will of God from the Word of God, and doing it. God created mankind with genuine free will, and our choices play a major role in determining the quality, and length, of our lives.

If we hold to the Bible as the only source of truth regarding God, Jesus, and all spiritual matters, we will not find ourselves believing that people are milk cartons in a giant bakery, because those ideas are nowhere in Scripture. The Word of God does not say that He determines the time of a person’s death. Legally, that would make Him a murderer.

God makes it clear, for those with eyes to see and ears to hear His Word, that He is love, that death was never part of His original plan, and that He wants all people to live and be blessed by having a personal relationship with Him and His Son, the Lord Jesus. God gave us genuine free will, and our choices in large part determine our quality and quantity of life on this earth.

Georgia Tax Return Preparer Sentenced to Prison
Sentenced to More Than 11 Years in Prison for Preparing False Tax Returns Claiming Hundreds of Thousands of Dollars in Refunds
Tyrone Thompson was sentenced today to 137 months in prison by U.S. District Judge Hugh Lawson in the Middle District of Georgia for conspiracy and filing fraudulent tax returns in order to receive tax refunds, to which the defendant was not entitled, the Justice Department and Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced. In addition to Thompson, the scheme involved four others who had already been sentenced. Judge Lawson also ordered Thompson to pay $516,363 in restitution to the IRS. In October 2012, all five defendants pleaded guilty to filing a false claim for tax refunds. In addition, Thompson pleaded guilty to conspiracy to file false claims for tax refunds.

According to court documents, Thompson organized a scheme in which he prepared and filed fraudulent federal income tax returns using the names of other individuals. He included with the returns fictitious Schedules C reporting business income and losses and also claimed false First-Time Homebuyer Credits, in order to obtain tax refunds to which he and his co-defendants were not entitled. He directed fraudulently-obtained refunds to be deposited to his co-defendants’ bank accounts. The attempted tax refund fraud exceeded $400,000.

“Today’s lengthy jail sentence sends a strong message that those who would consider committing tax fraud should think carefully about the serious risks involved,” said Assistant Attorney General for the Justice Department’s Tax Division Kathryn Keneally. “As millions of honest, hard-working taxpayers prepare and file their tax returns, they should be assured that those who would shirk their civic duty or try to ‘game the system’ will be investigated by the IRS and, where appropriate, criminally prosecuted by the Department of Justice.”

“These folks are stealing from every good tax paying citizen, and we won’t tolerate it,” said U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Georgia Michael J. Moore.

“Tyrone Thompson organized a scheme to file fraudulent tax returns using the identities of third parties in order to receive false refunds,” said Richard Weber, Chief, IRS Criminal Investigations. “Mr. Thompson cheated the government by filing false Schedule C and false First-Time Homebuyer Credit forms to increase the fraudulent tax refunds. IRS Criminal Investigation has made investigating refund fraud a top priority and we will vigorously pursue those who undermine the integrity of the U.S. tax system.”

Assistant Attorney General Keneally commended the efforts of Special Agents of IRS – Criminal Investigation, who investigated the case, and Trial Attorneys Charles Edgar and Alexander Effendi of the Tax Division, who prosecuted the case.

Former Rising Star contestant Noddy Virtue has come under attack from his ex-girlfriend. According to Kim Sinclair, their relationship turned sour after she realised she was being used by the artiste.

Sinclair told THE STAR that she began seeing Noddy Virtue in 2006 but separated shortly after that due to his alleged affair with another contestant from the show.

According to Sinclair, after rekindling their romance in August 2011, she made plans to visit Jamaica in January this year.

“I used my credit card to purchase things for him and his mother. When I came to Jamaica him a tell me bout some issues whe him have and how him car not working, so I spent a lot of money renting car etc. Everyday I had to be going to the bank. I even had to cut my visit short because he was draining my money,” she said.

Sinclair added that when she went back home to the U.S., he asked her to lend him US$1000 to take care of some business.

“I loaned him the money and then one day I was on the Internet and I found out that Noddy Virtue was married. I asked him about it and he said him married fi business. Mi even threaten fi put it in the paper and he said to go ahead. He needs to be exposed, he can’t just be using people like that,” Sinclair told The STAR.

Since then, she says Noddy Virtue has been avoiding her calls and that she is left feeling hurt, stressed and betrayed. The STAR also received emails from her with Western Union receipts along with intimate pictures of the two.

“All I want from him is the money he owes me and I want to expose him for his lies. He shouldn’t be allowed to trick anybody anymore. I don’t want him to do the same thing that he did to me to other women. I want what he owes me,” she said.

When contacted Noddy Virtue told THE STAR that he had no comment on the issue.

Name changed on request.