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Question: Can you help me with this question: “If Jesus died for all and has legally purchased all through substitutionary atonement, then how can those people go to hell? That would be a ‘Double Jeopardy’ of the sins of those people being paid for twice.” This is my husband’s main question and I would really appreciate help with it based on Calvinism.

Response: The Bible says that God wants all to be saved: “The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance” (2 Pet:3:9The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
See All...). But the Bible also says that not all will be saved (Matt:7:21-23 [21] Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. [22] Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? [23] And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.
See All...; Lk 13:22-27, etc). Nevertheless, the Bible also tells us that God is all powerful (Ps:147:5Great is our Lord, and of great power: his understanding is infinite.
See All...; Jer:32:17Ah Lord GOD! behold, thou hast made the heaven and the earth by thy great power and stretched out arm, and there is nothing too hard for thee:
See All...; Matt:19:26But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.
See All..., etc).

Calvinism has its own explanation. They strive to make things add up. “If God is all powerful,” the reasoning goes, “and God wants all people to be saved, then all people will be saved. Since not all people will be saved, Christ must have died only for some; God must not want all to be saved.”

This is unbiblical according to the much-explained John:3:16For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
See All... (what “world” means), and the blunt statement of 1 John:2:1-2 [1] My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: [2] And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.
See All...: “And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.” But to some, it makes nice, theological sense. This is, however, putting one’s reason above God’s Word; believing what makes sense rather than believing all of what God has said. 

As Dave Hunt wrote in Calvin’s Dilemma: God’s Sovereignty vs. Man’s Free Will (pp 9-10), “William L. Pettingill wrote, ‘God insists upon His sovereignty and also upon man’s responsibility. Believe both and preach both, leaving the task of ‘harmonizing’ with Him.’ In a similar vein, A. T. Pierson, although a leading Presbyterian, declared that both ‘the sovereign will of God and the freedom of man’ are taught in Scripture and that ‘if we cannot reconcile these two, it is because the subject is so infinitely lifted up above us. Man is free.... Thus the last great invitation in God’s Book is an appeal to the will.’

“Unfortunately, neither John Calvin nor many of his followers today have been willing to accept both sides of this biblical teaching. The result has been devastating in its consequences for the gospel: that man can only reject Christ; he cannot accept and believe in Him unless he is sovereignly regenerated by God. Calvinism refuses to accept what so many great evangelists have recognized is vital. Edgar Mullins expresses very well the essential balance that is missing:

“‘Free will in man is as fundamental a truth as any other in the gospel and must never be canceled in our doctrinal statements. Man would not be man without it and God never robs us of our true moral manhood in saving us.... The decree of salvation must be looked at as a whole to understand it. Some have looked at God’s choice alone and ignored the means and the necessary choice on man’s part.’”

"Three Words"

As I look back over the decades since I started The Berean Call (TBC), there are three words that come to my mind: "Thank you, Jesus!"

Whoa! Hold on a moment. Many have mistakenly thought that Dave Hunt was the head of TBC because they misunderstood the ministry's major function. From the beginning, its purpose was to free Dave up to do research, write books, write articles, debate those opposed to the gospel, confront those changing the gospel, and expose those deceiving the body of Christ with "oppositions of science falsely so called" (such as psychotherapy) as indicated in 1 Timothy:6:20O Timothy, keep that which is committed to thy trust, avoiding profane and vain babblings, and oppositions of science falsely so called:
See All.... That enablement and God's grace helped Dave lead the way in exposing some of the major deceptions of the last two centuries.

In fact, TBC started with someone who was a Hollywood screenwriter: me.

What follows are general remembrances of an 80-year-old, as well as some moments of the Lord's divine orchestration.

Soon after I gave my life to Jesus Christ, I saw a Christian-produced documentary at an evangelical church. Technically, it was one of the worst film productions I had ever seen. On the other hand, it had one of the most powerful messages I had ever experienced on screen. It had to do with men having their lives miraculously and completely changed in prison.

Being a "Hollywood guy," it immediately came to mind: These guys could use my help.

The producer of the film introduced me to a man who believed the Lord was encouraging him to write a story to be made into a feature film. After reading his brief outline of his story, I admitted to him—quite sadly—that I was sorry I couldn't help him. His story was exciting, but I had no clue as to what he was talking about. I thought it was going to be about Christianity, about which I only had a perspective as a former Roman Catholic. Instead, it had UFOs, psychic phenomena, Eastern mysticism and gurus, levitation, and yoga. The man's name was Dave Hunt, and he said he could explain to me what it had to do with Christianity, especially a "new age" false Christianity. What Dave wasn't able to do, however, was write a script for such a film. He then asked me if I'd consider working on it with him.

That was the start of nearly 40 years of assisting Dave Hunt, primarily through The Berean Call. THANK YOU, JESUS!

It all began in Southern California where Dave and I both lived. He was an established author and I was a documentary filmmaker (The Godmakers) and a novice book-writer. Dave nevertheless encouraged me to collaborate with him on The Seduction of Christianity, which became a best-seller published by Harvest House.

When Harvest House then moved to Oregon, Dave asked me to join him there to work with our publisher. When I mentioned that I heard that it snows there (my family and I were beach people), his ploy and sense of humor was classic Dave Hunt. He said it gets a light dusting of snow in the morning and usually melts sometime in the afternoon. He was correct...sort of. Our first winter in Bend started with a "dusting" of two-and-a-half feet one November morning, and finally melted one late afternoon in March. Again, Dave was only partially correct...and our kids loved it! They forever called him "Uncle Dave."

I mentioned that I turned 80 not too long ago, and it reminded me of what a TBC board member did when he entered his 80s. He was a godly man, as well as full of wisdom from the Holy Spirit. His name was William MacDonald, author of Believer's Bible Commentary. However, at my young age, I wasn't happy with a particular decision he made. He told me he would be stepping down from the TBC Board and retiring from ministry. His reasoning was thus: he was thankful for how the Lord had used his life as a prolific writer of spiritually edifying books, and he did not want anything he might say or do in his later years to bring disrepute on what the Lord had brought to pass through him.

Now that I'm 80, while I don't have the same concerns as Bill, I do have concerns. My health is certainly not what I would like it to be. My hope is that, before my health reaches a difficult stage, I can spend much of my time ministering to my family members as well as where the Lord guides, directs, and enables.

All of this has to do with a major transition now taking place for TBC, along with my retirement. It also involves making Rob Yardley (presently the head of The Berean Call Board of Directors) the new president of TBC.

Rob has known Dave and worked with him as a friend for nearly as long as I have known Dave, so there are few things Rob does not know about The Berean Call ministry. There's no one else (other than myself) about which I can say that. Extensive discussions with Rob and Mark Vander Ark (TBC's operations manager) give me assurance that the ministry will continue as it has been under my direction and Dave Hunt's teachings.

Although my title as President and TBC's authority will soon end, I've asked the leadership to give me a replacement title, a non-paid honorary one such as "Berean Emeritus," meaning simply, “Once a Berean, always a Berean." I believe that the Lord has given every true believer instruction in the practice of biblical discernment, as was the case in Acts:17:11These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.
See All...: "In that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily [to know whether or not what they were being taught was true to the Word of God].” Additionally, I want to be available to assist the ministry in encouraging biblical discernment.

Also, to that end, TBC has had in the works an extensive digitizing program that has preserved the material produced by Dave Hunt, T. A. McMahon, and some of the major contributors to the ministry in a searchable format. Our goal is and has been to safeguard the biblical integrity of the ministry’s content and to keep it available for the church.

I covet your prayers that all this will be done in the Lord's will. Amen.

In His love, 

T. A. McMahon

Berean Emeritus

Why Stay Away From The Book of Enoch?

CoffeeandChristshop.com, 10/1/23, “Why Stay Away from the Book of Enoch?” [Excerpts]: The Book of Enoch is an ancient Hebrew religious text that is not part of the biblical canon. It is a pseudepigraphal work, which means that it is falsely attributed to a famous author. In this case, the book is attributed to Enoch, who was the grandfather of Noah in the Bible.

The Book of Enoch was not included in the biblical canon for a number of reasons. First, it was not written by a prophet. Second, it contains some questionable content, such as the claim that angels slept with human women and gave birth to giants. Third, it was not widely accepted by early Christians…. The earliest Christian writings do not mention the Book of Enoch.

The Bible does not explicitly forbid the reading of the Book of Enoch. However, it warns against false teachers and doctrine (Matt:7:15-20 [15] Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. [16] Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? [17] Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. [18] A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. [19] Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. [20] Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.
See All...; 2 Pet:2:1-22 [1] But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction. [2] And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of. [3] And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not. [4] For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment; [5] And spared not the old world, but saved Noah the eighth person, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly; [6] And turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrha into ashes condemned them with an overthrow, making them an ensample unto those that after should live ungodly; [7] And delivered just Lot, vexed with the filthy conversation of the wicked: [8] (For that righteous man dwelling among them, in seeing and hearing, vexed his righteous soul from day to day with their unlawful deeds;) [9] The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished: [10] But chiefly them that walk after the flesh in the lust of uncleanness, and despise government. Presumptuous are they, selfwilled, they are not afraid to speak evil of dignities. [11] Whereas angels, which are greater in power and might, bring not railing accusation against them before the Lord. [12] But these, as natural brute beasts, made to be taken and destroyed, speak evil of the things that they understand not; and shall utterly perish in their own corruption; [13] And shall receive the reward of unrighteousness, as they that count it pleasure to riot in the day time. Spots they are and blemishes, sporting themselves with their own deceivings while they feast with you; [14] Having eyes full of adultery, and that cannot cease from sin; beguiling unstable souls: an heart they have exercised with covetous practices; cursed children: [15] Which have forsaken the right way, and are gone astray, following the way of Balaam the son of Bosor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness; [16] But was rebuked for his iniquity: the dumb ass speaking with man's voice forbad the madness of the prophet. [17] These are wells without water, clouds that are carried with a tempest; to whom the mist of darkness is reserved for ever. [18] For when they speak great swelling words of vanity, they allure through the lusts of the flesh, through much wantonness, those that were clean escaped from them who live in error. [19] While they promise them liberty, they themselves are the servants of corruption: for of whom a man is overcome, of the same is he brought in bondage. [20] For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning. [21] For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them. [22] But it is happened unto them according to the true proverb, The dog is turned to his own vomit again; and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire.
See All...).

Ultimately, whether or not to read the Book of Enoch is up to each individual. If you are a Christian, you should weigh the arguments for and against reading the book and make a decision that aligns with your conscience.

https://bit.ly/427ynvN

Using Public Education to Transform America

MidwestOutreach.org, 10/3/24, “Using Public Education to Transform America” [Excerpts]: For a quarter of a century, we have been pointing out that the cultural transformation that was coming had begun in the 1930s with John Dewey. Dewey recognized that in order to transform America into a Marxist nation and embrace abortion and euthanasia, the public schools would have to be taken over and educate the students on these beliefs.

Now that it has effectively been accomplished, others are catching on to what has happened. In “America’s Current Schooling Catastrophes Were Set In Motion 100 Years Ago,” Tim Goeglein wrote:

“These radical changes also led to the dumbing down of the American populace, which is no longer equipped with the skills to determine truth from error or to be contributing members of society.”

The Marxism/Progressivism in our churches and public and private institutions is not by accident. It was engineered [by] those who rejected God and worked to replace Judeo/Christian ethics and morality. They have been pretty effective.

https://bit.ly/4gELAk1

Does Pauli Exclusion Rescue Dino Protein? 

ICR.org, 9/23/24, “Does Pauli Exclusion Rescue Dino Protein?” [Excerpts]:Perhaps no other fossil discoveries have rocked the world of paleontology more than original organics like proteins in old bones. ICR helps curate a list of mainstream science publications that describe what’s inside these fossils...The number exceeds 120, making the presence of proteins and similar finds an increasingly common occurrence.

Inevitable chemical reactions turn even the most resistant biological materials (or “biomaterials” for short) into dust in fewer than one million years under ideal conditions, whereas the fossils that contain them were supposedly deposited tens to hundreds of millions of years ago. Evolutionary workers strive to protect deep time from this chemistry. While the latest attempt describes how the front door to collagen longevity stands strong against destructive chemistry, it ignores a wide-open back door.

A key term in their report is the “Pauli Exclusion Principle.” This refers to the status of electrons in an atom or molecule. When more than one electron occupies the same orbital, or zone, one electron always differs from its partner in at least one aspect—usually its spin direction. When it comes to collagen, its collection of electrons comes pleasantly partnered, beautifully balanced, and, in short, too happy with themselves to want to react with outsiders.

Then came the conclusion, which far overstepped the worthy results. The study authors wrote, “This discovery has implications for the stability of collagen, which is replete with n→π* [contented electron] interactions and has remained intact for (at least) hundreds of millions of years, exceeding the half-life of a peptide bond by a millionfold or more.”

Two clear points surface from this report. First, when it comes to evolutionary time, circular reasoning once again substitutes for good science. Last, even with the Pauli Exclusion Principle to ensure that the middle of collagen molecules resists water chemistry, chemical reactions still take place at their measured rates—rates that exclude millions of years.

https://bit.ly/4agrU3t

In his book, God’s Undertaker, John Lennox says, “[Astrophysicist] Arno Penzias used the space platform of earth to make the brilliant discovery of the ‘echo of the beginning,’ the cosmic background of microwave radiation, for which he was awarded a Nobel Prize. In contrast to the increasingly belligerent New Atheists, Penzias has said, ‘Astronomy leads us to a unique event—a universe that was created out of nothing, one with the very delicate balance needed to provide the exact conditions to permit life and one which has an underlying (one might say) supernatural plan.’”

Within Judaism, the New Year, which occurs in the fall for them occurs in the fall of the year, is more than a turning of the calendar. It is a time of renewing their faith and focus on G-d. One of the prayers is, "May it be Your will, Eternal our God, that this be a good and sweet year for us." Not all who are of Jewish decent believe in God; some are agnostic or atheists, and yet, many of those participate in the celebrations as part of their family traditions and also hope for "a sweet year" for themselves and their families. But for those who are G-d fearing, there is more going on, as Menachem Posner points out in Shana Tova, Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur Greeting:

“The Jewish new year is not just a time to renew our resolve to lose another fifteen pounds. Rather, it’s the time when our fate stands in the balance as G‑d reviews our past year and decides whether or not to renew our lease on His planet. As such, Jewish greetings for this time of year (the Jewish New Year is in the fall) reflect our prayers for a good, sweet year up ahead.”

Their eternal fate is hopeful but somewhat unknown. After G-d's review, will they remain and be in the Book of Life? Posner explains and gives the full meaning of their greeting to one another, “A good inscription and sealing [in the Book of Life].” He also points out something additional:

“From noon on Rosh Hashanah, when our fates are already written, until Yom Kippur, when our fates for the coming year are to be sealed, we wish each other “Gemar chatimah tovah” (גמר חתימה טובה), “A good final sealing.”

It is different for those who are in Christ. In Ephesians 4 Paul talks about how we should live toward one another and includes two reasons, "And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption." (Ephesians:4:30And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.
See All...) Living badly toward other members of the Body of Christ grieves God, AND we are "sealed for the day of redemption." We are not up for an annual review to see if we are kept in the Book of Life for another year. Instead, we can praise and thank G-d that we have "a good final sealing" and pray for all of those who do not, whether they are Jews or Gentiles. "A good final sealing" is guaranteed to all who call on Yeshua for salvation. (Romans:10:9-13 [9] That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. [10] For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. [11] For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. [12] For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him. [13] For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
See All...)

https://mailchi.mp/b0ef5c8210e5/the-week-of-new-year-tidings?e=169825fd77

One of the greatest astrophysicists of the twentieth century, Sir Arthur Eddington, frankly confessed, “We have learned that the exploration of the external world by the methods of the physical sciences leads not to a concrete reality but to a shadow world of symbols.”8 In agreement, great mathematician and astronomer Sir James Jeans declared, “The most outstanding achievement of twentieth-century physics is not the theory of relativity . . . or the “theory of quanta . . . or the dissection of the atom . . . it is the general recognition that we are not yet in contact with ultimate reality.” Sir Karl Popper, one of the most influential philosophers of science in the twentieth century, stated that the theory of evolution is not science but “a metaphysical research programme.”

British outlet The Telegraph reported that the Freedom From Religion Foundation pulled the article "Biology is not Bigotry" from its site following backlash from pro-trans individuals. In turn, Dawkins resigned.

In his resignation letter to the foundation, Dawkins called the removal of the piece "an act of unseemly panic" and accused the foundation of having "caved in to hysterical squeals from predictable quarters and retrospectively censored that excellent rebuttal."

Biologist and fellow FFRF member Jerry Coyne composed the "censored" article as a rebuttal to non-binary author and FFRF fellow Kat Grant’s November article titled, "What is a Woman?"

The biologist’s piece argued that "any attempt to define womanhood on biological terms is inadequate."

Coyne’s follow-up challenged Grant’s point directly, arguing "the biological definition of ‘woman’" is based on gamete type.

Shortly after FFRF published Coyne’s piece, board co-presidents Dan Barker and Annie Laurie Gaylor unpublished it and released a statement explaining their decision.

"Publishing this post was an error of judgment, and we have decided to remove it as it does not reflect our values and principles. We regret any distress caused by this post and are committed to ensuring it doesn’t happen again," they wrote.

Following the move, both Coyne and US-Canadian psychologist Prof. Steven Pinker resigned from the foundation. Pinker blasted the group, saying it’s "no longer a defender of freedom from religion but the imposer of a new religion, complete with dogma, blasphemy, and heretics."

In an email to FFRF leadership, Coyne wrote, "That is a censorious behavior I cannot abide. I was simply promoting a biological rather than a psychological definition of sex, and I do not understand why you would consider that ‘distressing’ and also an attempt to hurt LGBTQIA+ people, which I would never do."

He added, "The gender ideology which caused you to take down my article is itself quasi-religious, having many aspects of religions and cults, including dogma, blasphemy, belief in what is palpably untrue (‘a woman is whoever she says she is’), apostasy, and a tendency to ignore science when it contradicts a preferred ideology."

https://www.yahoo.com/news/richard-dawkins-leaves-atheist-foundation-185849168.html

After more than a year of pro-Palestinians telling Jews that their historical and biblical links to Israel were irrelevant (in an attempt to delegitimise the Jewish state) it turns out that historical and biblical links really are important, so long as they don’t involve Jews. Now Jesus is Palestinian, the theory goes, it’s completely fine to argue that “some” of those who inhabited the region 2,000 years ago do have a claim on the land after all. Placards at marches read “Jesus is Palestinian” or “Jesus, the most famous Palestinian”.

There is, of course, a deeper precedent for this, in that Jesus’ Jewishness has been played down since the third century, when “Christianity” proliferated into Roman society. Then, even more so when his death became an excuse for anti-Semitism in the Middle Ages. In that sense, this attempt to politicize him is nothing new. There was also a certain German group you may have heard of from the 1930s and 40s who were very keen to eliminate any link between Jesus and his Jewish identity. It’s in this long, troubled context that we should see the potential harm this idea possesses.

If you leave aside the theological and historical absurdity – equating a Jewish man from 2000 years ago with a political identity that didn’t exist – this is the nub of the problem. It promotes the idea that Jews are systematic baby killers. This is the sort of thing that is screamed at elderly people on the streets of London, Glasgow and Brighton. That’s not something Jesus would have approved of. He was Jewish, after all.

—George Chesteron (English writer, UK Telegraph, Senior Writer, noted for his stand against Anti-Semitism, and correcting the use of History against the Jews and Israel).