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Hope
for Today was founded by Dr. David Hocking in the fall of 1995.
David was born in Long Beach, CA and after High School, attended
Bob Jones University in Greenville, SC, where he graduated with
a B.A. in Bible, Greek, and Ancient History. After college, David
attended Grace Theological Seminary in Winona Lake, IN, where
he received his M. Div. degree in Biblical Studies. David also
continued graduate studies and received a Doctor of Ministry
degree as well as a Ph.D. degree in Biblical Studies and languages.
David also received a Doctor of Laws degree, being honored by
Biola University.
David has been
preaching and teaching the Bible for over 50 years and has taught
courses in Bible, Theology, Biblical Languages and Expository
Preaching in colleges as well as in graduate schools. His radio
Bible teaching began in 1970 and has included such programs as
Sounds of Grace, The Biola Hour, Solid Rock, and for the last
13 years - Hope for Today. David has served as pastor in Columbus,
Ohio, Long Beach, California, and Santa Ana, California. He has
written over 35 books.
David was married
in 1962 to his wife, Carole. Together they have three married
children and six grandchildren. They have co-authored two best
sellers - "Good Marriages Take Time" and "Romantic
Lovers," a commentary on the Song of Solomon. His Biblical
commentaries have included Genesis, Nehemiah, Psalms, Proverbs,
Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon, Isaiah, Daniel, Philippians, I
& II Timothy, Hebrews, and Revelation.
David has focused
in his ministry upon Bible Prophecy, especially as it relates
to God's plan for Israel.
~~~
Dr. Hocking's Statement of
Faith: We believe that the Bible is inspired by God in its entirety,
and is without error in the original autographs, a complete and
final written revelation from God.
We believe that there is only
one God, who is eternal and immutable, and manifests Himself
in three distinct Persons; Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
We believe that Jesus of Nazareth
is the promised Messiah, born of a virgin, totally without sin,
God in human flesh, the One Who died on the cross for our sins,
was buried, rose again from the dead on the third day, and ascended
to the right hand of the Father in heaven, where He now intercedes
for us who believe in Him.
We believe that Jesus Christ
is going to return in the clouds for His church before the tribulation
that is coming on the whole earth, and that He will return with
His saints and all His holy angels to the earth at the end of
the tribulation, and set up His kingdom on earth, ruling and
reigning forever and ever.
We believe that all humanity
is lost and born with a sinful nature, and can only be saved
by a personal faith in the death and resurrection of our Lord
Jesus Christ, and not by any human merit or performance.
We believe in a personal devil,
called Satan, who, along with all his angels, called demons or
evil spirits, are destined to spend eternity in hell, and now
seek to deceive the world, defeat the believers, and destroy
the work of God, but can be resisted by believers, who are protected
by God and the intercession of Jesus Christ our Lord.
We believe that heaven is a
real place where the saved will dwell forever, and that hell
is a literal place of torment where unbelievers will suffer forever.
We believe that genuine believers
are born again by the Holy Spirit of God, and are indwelt, baptized
into the body of Christ, the true church, and sealed by the Holy
Spirit, and thus, unable to be separated from the love of Jesus
Christ.
We believe that all believers
need to be filled and empowered by the Holy Spirit to live a
godly life and to be bold in our witness for the Lord.
We believe in the spiritual
unity of all genuine believers in the Lord Jesus Christ.
We believe that the nation
of Israel has a special place in God's plan, and that all of
the promises of God to Israel will be fulfilled. |