“We tell you this directly from the Lord . . . For the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a commanding shout, with the voice of the archangel, and the trumpet (shofar) call of God. The believers who have died will rise from their graves, Then, together with them, we who are
alive and remain on earth will be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. Then we will be with the Lord forever. So encourage each other with these words”
1 Thessalonians 4:15-18 NLT.
I just had my latest parole hearing this past May . . .
alive and remain on earth will be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. Then we will be with the Lord forever. So encourage each other with these words”
1 Thessalonians 4:15-18 NLT.
I just had my latest parole hearing this past May . . .
I opted not to attend this time, and I felt comfortable about my decision. It was my thirteenth hearing. I now have forty-eight years of continued incarceration, which by the grace of God, I have done well. I remain productive with a positive attitude, all because of my faith in Messiah Jesus.
And aside from some negative media coverage regarding my parole hearing, in which they showed hostility towards me for not attending, everything went smoothly. It was the right decision. The Lord needs me here, I believe, to help oversee and guide the flock as an elder, and to help the younger men stay on course, and to remain faithful to Jesus, and to feed them with the word of God. And this is what I've committed to do.
But aside from this, I've been asked this question again and again . . . “David, do you want to go Home?” My answer? “Of course I do!” And I say right now for the record, I am going to go Home one day. I believe it with all my heart. However, it's not necessarily how people will think it will be.
I will leave prison either by physical death, or by the Rapture. I may get paroled one day, if it's God's will. But if parole is not in His plan, I'm fine with that.
If I should die physically, my spirit will go up to Heaven. As the apostle Paul wrote, “For me to live is Christ, and to die is gain” (Philippians 1:21 KJV). Paul saw death as a victory because Heaven awaited him. And I see it in the same light as well.
While the other way out of prison is by the “Rapture of the church.” And I do believe that one day, unknown to us all, Messiah Jesus will call His “bride” Home to glory. This is the event that I long for. Each day I live with a yearning in my heart for the call from Heaven to “Come Home!”
If I'm alive when the Rapture happens, I'll be gone in an instant. The authorities will be looking for me, but they'll be looking in vain. The world will be turned into a panic. Millions will be gone. Vanished! And by God's mercy I'll be one of the missing. I will finally be Home.
“Even so, come, Lord Jesus!” (Revelation 22:20).
D.B.
And aside from some negative media coverage regarding my parole hearing, in which they showed hostility towards me for not attending, everything went smoothly. It was the right decision. The Lord needs me here, I believe, to help oversee and guide the flock as an elder, and to help the younger men stay on course, and to remain faithful to Jesus, and to feed them with the word of God. And this is what I've committed to do.
But aside from this, I've been asked this question again and again . . . “David, do you want to go Home?” My answer? “Of course I do!” And I say right now for the record, I am going to go Home one day. I believe it with all my heart. However, it's not necessarily how people will think it will be.
I will leave prison either by physical death, or by the Rapture. I may get paroled one day, if it's God's will. But if parole is not in His plan, I'm fine with that.
If I should die physically, my spirit will go up to Heaven. As the apostle Paul wrote, “For me to live is Christ, and to die is gain” (Philippians 1:21 KJV). Paul saw death as a victory because Heaven awaited him. And I see it in the same light as well.
While the other way out of prison is by the “Rapture of the church.” And I do believe that one day, unknown to us all, Messiah Jesus will call His “bride” Home to glory. This is the event that I long for. Each day I live with a yearning in my heart for the call from Heaven to “Come Home!”
If I'm alive when the Rapture happens, I'll be gone in an instant. The authorities will be looking for me, but they'll be looking in vain. The world will be turned into a panic. Millions will be gone. Vanished! And by God's mercy I'll be one of the missing. I will finally be Home.
“Even so, come, Lord Jesus!” (Revelation 22:20).
D.B.