In this thought-provoking episode, Mike Triem of Crawford Media Group sits down with Matt Hocking and Jim Durbin to explore the powerful legacy of David Hocking’s teachings on Israel. From forecasting global events to interpreting ancient prophecies, they delve into the timeliness and significance of biblical scriptures. Why is Israel at the heart of biblical prophecy, and what makes it so crucial in today’s world? Tune in to uncover these profound insights.
Well, it’s Mike Triem with Crawford Media Group. I’m here with Matt Hocking, the president of Hope for Today with David Hocking, and executive producer Jim Durbin. Matt, Jim, thanks for taking the time with us.
SPEAKER 03 :
Thanks for having us. Good to be with you.
SPEAKER 01 :
Matt, your dad had so much to say about Israel, and some of the things that God gave him years ago are unbelievably accurate to what’s happening today. Can you unpack that a little bit for us?
SPEAKER 03 :
Love to. You know, it’s amazing because my dad has such a heart for Israel. And I believe it was a couple weeks ago, I was just listening to one of the messages in the background, and I hear my dad talk about, and again, this was nine years ago, and I’m hearing him talk about, you know, Magog and Gog, and he said, many people believe this is Russia. I don’t believe that. I believe it’s going to be Iran, and there’s going to be a sect out of Iran. You’ve probably never heard of them, but they’re going to be called Hamas. That’s what they’re called. They’re called Hamas. And he goes, they’re going to attack Israel and out of the blue. And then Israel is going to attack back, but they’re going to really show their power. And then the rest of the world, though, will start to hate on Israel. And I’m sitting there. I had to go back, Mike. I had to go back and look at the date. And I go, wait, that’s nine years ago? It just shows the Bible doesn’t come back void ever. It’s perfection. It’s amazing.
SPEAKER 02 :
It’s the timeliness of Bible prophecy every time. Amen.
SPEAKER 01 :
Amen. Yeah, Jim, you brought up a scripture passage that just fits so perfect. And I don’t know if this is a good time to share that.
SPEAKER 02 :
Well, it is alarming, the amount of anti-Semitism and hatred of Israel that is fomenting in the world today. It’s, I believe, satanic in its origin. If Satan can destroy Israel, if he’s successful in that, then God’s a liar. God is not going to allow that to happen. Indeed, in Jeremiah chapter 31, one of my favorite passages, Jeremiah 31, 35 to 37, and if I can read this, Mike, in David’s favorite, the King James, it says, Thus saith the Lord, which giveth the sun for a light by day, and the ordinances of the moon and the stars for a light by night, which divided the sea when their waves thereof roar, the Lord of hosts is his name, Verse 36. If these ordinances depart from before me, if these ordinances depart from before me, say at the Lord, then the seat of Israel. So also cease from being a nation before me forever. Verse 37 does say at the Lord, if heaven above can be measured and the foundations of the earth searched out beneath, I will also cast off all the seed of Israel for all that they have done, say at the Lord. In other words, He is not going to cast off his people and Israel will not cease to be a nation before him. Yeah. And of course there’s other passages, of course, Genesis 12, 3 and Romans 9, 10 and 11. Amos 9, 15 too. Amos 9, 15. Yeah.
SPEAKER 03 :
I will plant them upon the land and they shall no more be pulled up out of their land, which I have given them. Say it to the Lord thy God. It’s amazing. And we, I think just, it’s us being, my dad was, my dad has been so faithful. um with supporting israel you know leading tours every year and um i’ve joined him on many of them and it’s it’s it really you know when you go over there it’s fresh we get so distracted here and i think that’s just sort of an attack of satan to distract us by you know technology or whatever but when you go over there you really feel it and you really feel like the bible just come alive you know
SPEAKER 02 :
It’s just amazing how many people don’t know the size of the land of Israel. I think it’s 12 of them in the state of California. I think that’s the number. But also that don’t know God’s heart for the people of Israel. And I just happen to believe that when God makes a promise, when God makes a covenant, when God makes an eternal covenant, he means it and he keeps his promises.
SPEAKER 01 :
Yeah. Why do you think… Matt, your dad, David Hocking, was so adamant about supporting Israel because was it the biblical importance? And he knew that he knew that most people didn’t understand that. Or was it truly having been there, all those tours, as you mentioned, being able to say, OK, until you go, when you go, it changes your perspective about the Bible.
SPEAKER 03 :
You know, there’s there’s so many things. When my dad first started in Israel, it was amazing because the Lord put him in situations where it really developed his love for Israel and why it was important. Back in the early 70s, he was on an airplane with a tour. I think it was his first tour, actually. And this little old lady had seen this guy on the plane and said, well, that guy doesn’t look like he belongs there. Well, my dad sort of passed her off and said, well, okay, whatever. Gets on the airplane and sees that guy. My dad looks and he goes, well, yeah, you’re right. He doesn’t belong here. He went up to the back and asked for his papers. The guy had a gun in his back. Wow. Pants there. And my dad, he goes, I saw him throw a little brown paper bag up there. They got it off. It was a bomb. It was supposed to go off above the stadium when they came in and they raided the stadium. Back in the 70s, I think it was the way that they did the Israeli massacre there. Yeah, and it was my dad’s plane was supposed to blow up over the top of it. They were supposed to look up, and then they came in. And that alone made it my dad said, wow, we have to, wow, because he just got committed right then. And I think the Lord just puts those things in our lives where it really shows us how important things are. We don’t see them because we’re over here sometimes.
SPEAKER 02 :
Well, it’s that miracle after miracle. I think about the founding of the nation of Israel. Years ago, I was engineering an interview with Vidal Sassoon, which I don’t believe he knew the Lord. But Vidal said the Israeli military, they lost 75% of their air force on the first day of the war for independence, and they were left with one plane. I mean, they started with four. They ended up with one. And still, with all the Arab nations around them coming against them, they survived. And it’s nothing less than a miracle.
SPEAKER 01 :
How could people not think that Israel is God’s chosen people? I mean, how? It’s time after time after time, right? From biblical times all the way through to now, you almost have to be a bit delusional not to get that once it’s presented to you.
SPEAKER 03 :
You know, and I had a buddy of mine who we just, you know, we were just kind of okay friends. And then when everything happened with Hamas, I gave him a big hug. I saw him, and I said, I gave him a big hug. And I said, hey, man, I just want you to know I support Israel. He would not let go of me, Mike. And ever since then, it’s like. That’s cool. Yeah, I’m going, wow, these people need the Lord’s comfort, you know. And the Lord has let us clearly know that these are his chosen people.
SPEAKER 01 :
We’re speaking with Matt Hocking, the president of Hope for Today, and executive producer Jim Durbin. Matt, your father wrote a book, Israel Chosen by God. And we’re so honored that we have some copies of that here at KLTT, where we’re going to give that away over the month of July. How much can you tell us about that book, and is that just more of an extension of his understanding of the importance of Israel?
SPEAKER 03 :
Yeah, because I get it. It can be kind of difficult sometimes when you see, okay, how does this apply? How does this mean? What does it mean? And my dad really wanted to give a volume that’s easy to understand, one that’s rooted in biblical teachings and understanding so that people can understand. people can personalize it. You know what I mean? It basically is a simple and clear understanding about the existence, history, and prophecies of the nation of Israel. It’s not an attempt to be exhaustive in any of its subjects or discussions. It’s more to just help people understand and personalize it and make it part of their spiritual walk as well.
SPEAKER 02 :
I think, Mike, it’s cutting through the fog. You know, you’re hearing so many different sides of the question. There’s the side that portrays Israel as the villain here and that’s not god’s heart that’s not what scripture says this book takes you to the scriptures that speak to god’s heart for the people of israel i want god’s heart for israel not cnn’s heart for israel or anybody else’s i want god’s heart for the people of israel this book is so skillfully written by David, in that it takes you to those scriptures, lays them out so that you can see that.
SPEAKER 01 :
Yes. That’s so good. Yeah. And guys, wouldn’t you love to get this in the hands of these college graduates that have been indoctrinated on their campuses? You know, pro-Palestine, you know, they hear this whole thing. Israel’s just mean Israel. They’re doing this and they’re doing that. And they don’t know the truth. And they don’t know the biblical truth. And hello, here’s what happened, you know, through the ages. Here’s all the things that have happened against Israel. It’s nuts.
SPEAKER 03 :
And you’re only good as the information you receive. And so if that’s all they’re teaching in these colleges, that’s horrible. You know, it’s like you’re going to get in half the side of the picture.
SPEAKER 02 :
I think you have to remember that Satan is a deceiver. Amen. Totally. And the campaign against Israel, like I said earlier in our conversation, if Satan can destroy Israel, then God’s a liar. Yes. He has an active campaign to do that.
SPEAKER 01 :
True. I think I remember David saying exactly that in some of the messages. You know, David Hocking saying, you know, here’s what this really means. Yeah.
SPEAKER 03 :
And that’s the amazing thing, Mike, is because he lives it too. I remember my first trip when I was just a kid, and my dad said, we’re planting a tree today in Israel. I go, why? He goes, because the Bible tells us to do it. And I remember sitting there, of course, I was busy with my little screenshot, trying to learn how David did that. He goes, get over here and plant your tree. And it was so funny because I would go back and see the tree. I would go back and plant more trees. And my dad always said, because the Bible tells us to do it, we’re going to plant them.
SPEAKER 02 :
Well, and Mike, that doesn’t mean we are, don’t have compassion for little children, Palestinian children that die. But the enemy of those Palestinian children, I would say it’s not Israel. It’s really an ideology that teaches them to hate and to try and destroy the people of Israel. And Hamas is not your friend. And in the West here, people have gotten that idea. Many people have gotten the idea that Hamas are freedom fighters. and they aren’t.
SPEAKER 01 :
Yeah, it’s interesting how some of the people of some Palestinians react when Hamas gets attacked, and you realize they seem to be pretty good with Hamas going down, and those must be the ones that realize what you just said, that they’re not freedom fighters, that they’re really terrorists.
SPEAKER 03 :
Yeah, and the main thing is… We as Christians have to encourage all of us to really basically believe upon the truth of the Bible, not human opinion, which is really today’s society.
SPEAKER 02 :
I sometimes joke around where two or three are gathered, there are four opinions. Like Matt said, there’s one source of truth. That’s the Bible, and it will never let you down, ever. And I want that to saturate me from the top of my head to the bottom of my feet.
SPEAKER 01 :
Yes, yes. And hope for today is a huge part of that. Before we go, there’s a book about morality. It’s your book of the month, Whatever Happened to Morality, that fits exactly into what we just talked about, is all these other voices and listening to them. Jim or Matt, whoever is probably the better person to talk about it, real quick on that book, because I want people to know.
SPEAKER 03 :
Oh, that’s our special for this month, actually. We have it. And what it is, is you’ve seen the moral design, you know, over the years. And it’s slow, but it’s steady. And we get to new spots every, seems like every year. If we look back, you know, 20 years, look where we are now. I mean, where are we going to be in another 20 years? You know, this world is just going down, down the tubes. And the title of the book is very aptly put, Whatever Happened to Morality?
SPEAKER 02 :
Well, it addresses some of the key moral issues of our day from God’s word. And I think there’s a fair amount of confusion, fair amount, that’s what I’m saying. There’s an abundance of confusion out there on some of these critical issues like abortion and marriage. And people are embracing their immorality. That’s what blows my mind. Right, and it’s sometimes from the pulpit, these things are being embraced. And again, we go back to what we said earlier. What does God’s word say about these issues, number one? And I think number two, what is the hope for believers today in the body of Christ in an age where biblical values are under attack?
SPEAKER 01 :
Yeah, fresh, relevant teaching from God’s Word. You know, that’s always been hope for today. It’s always been David Hocking. We’re speaking with Matt Hocking, the president of Hope for Today, and executive producer Jim Durbin. Jim and Matt, David was such a blessing to all of us, and we’re grateful to have these book resources to really help people understand why Israel is chosen by God. So thanks for taking the time with us, and we’re looking forward to having you guys on again very soon.
SPEAKER 02 :
Thanks for having us, Mike. You’re a blessing, Mike. Thank you. Our hearts are one in the mission and the gospel of Jesus Christ with KLTT. We appreciate you.
