God blesses you when people mock you and persecute
you and lie about you and say all sorts of evil things against
you because you are my followers. Be happy about it!
Be glad! For a great reward awaits you in heaven...
Matthew 5:11-12 NLT
I have now been in prison for 45 years and I admit that I deserve the life sentence I received from the court…
you and lie about you and say all sorts of evil things against
you because you are my followers. Be happy about it!
Be glad! For a great reward awaits you in heaven...
Matthew 5:11-12 NLT
I have now been in prison for 45 years and I admit that I deserve the life sentence I received from the court…
I also do not expect to get out, save for a miracle from God. And while I wish the situation was different, I accept my fate. The Lord has given me peace about it, and I've been handling things well.
Yet even after all this time, and while I have repeatedly and publicly apologized for my criminal acts on countless occasions, there are still those who continue to hate me. They've even taken to social media and other outlets to unleash their fury upon me with lies and exaggerated stories. They will say the most vile and twisted things as they seek to get others to join their campaign of hate. But such is life.
Honestly, I cannot blame them. My crimes were shocking and atrocious. They were just plain awful. And while I am sorry for what transpired when I was in a delusional state of mind and was convinced that I was a soldier for a satanic deity by the name of Samhain who demanded human sacrifices, none of this can ever be undone.
While others may hate me for being a Jew who believes that Jesus (Yeshua) is Israel's promised Messiah. And because I remain active and outspoken in sharing my beliefs with both Jews and Gentiles, this too will sometimes bring a degree of disdain my way.
Finally, there are those who hate me just for the pleasure they get out of hating someone. In the Psalms, for example, Israel's King David said, "Let not them that are mine enemies wrongfully rejoice over me; neither let them wink with the eye that hate me without a cause" (Psalm 35:19).
Even the Lord Jesus Himself warned His disciples with these words, "If the world hates Me, know that it hated Me before it hated you" (John 15:20). He then once more repeated almost the exact same thing when He said, "they hated Me without a cause" (John15:25).
The truth is, many people don't need a reason to hate. Apparently, they just enjoy doing it. But for me, the good news is that Christ Himself has promised eternal rewards for all who are hated because they belong to Him. With the Lord, there are no wasted sufferings.
In my case, there are rewards coming to me in eternity because of the hatred that people have sent my way. Being that I continue to stay faithful to Messiah Jesus even as these Berkowitz haters pound away at me with more and more lies and wacky stories, you can bet the Lord has taken notice. I will be rewarded for sure.
And I do forgive all who seek my harm. I've no animosity towards any of them.
D.B.
Yet even after all this time, and while I have repeatedly and publicly apologized for my criminal acts on countless occasions, there are still those who continue to hate me. They've even taken to social media and other outlets to unleash their fury upon me with lies and exaggerated stories. They will say the most vile and twisted things as they seek to get others to join their campaign of hate. But such is life.
Honestly, I cannot blame them. My crimes were shocking and atrocious. They were just plain awful. And while I am sorry for what transpired when I was in a delusional state of mind and was convinced that I was a soldier for a satanic deity by the name of Samhain who demanded human sacrifices, none of this can ever be undone.
While others may hate me for being a Jew who believes that Jesus (Yeshua) is Israel's promised Messiah. And because I remain active and outspoken in sharing my beliefs with both Jews and Gentiles, this too will sometimes bring a degree of disdain my way.
Finally, there are those who hate me just for the pleasure they get out of hating someone. In the Psalms, for example, Israel's King David said, "Let not them that are mine enemies wrongfully rejoice over me; neither let them wink with the eye that hate me without a cause" (Psalm 35:19).
Even the Lord Jesus Himself warned His disciples with these words, "If the world hates Me, know that it hated Me before it hated you" (John 15:20). He then once more repeated almost the exact same thing when He said, "they hated Me without a cause" (John15:25).
The truth is, many people don't need a reason to hate. Apparently, they just enjoy doing it. But for me, the good news is that Christ Himself has promised eternal rewards for all who are hated because they belong to Him. With the Lord, there are no wasted sufferings.
In my case, there are rewards coming to me in eternity because of the hatred that people have sent my way. Being that I continue to stay faithful to Messiah Jesus even as these Berkowitz haters pound away at me with more and more lies and wacky stories, you can bet the Lord has taken notice. I will be rewarded for sure.
And I do forgive all who seek my harm. I've no animosity towards any of them.
D.B.
