Bible Teacher David Hocking Dies at 85: Jack Hibbs Honours the Mentor Who Shaped His Ministry

David Hocking, the longtime radio Bible teacher and founder of Hope for Today, has died at 85, leaving a legacy of biblical exposition, Christian broadcasting and personal mentorship. Hocking died on October 27, 2026, according to his published death notice, with Christian radio stations paying tribute to a teacher whose ministry spanned nearly seven decades.

Among those remembering him is Pastor Jack Hibbs, whose tribute offers a personal glimpse of Hocking's influence beyond the microphone. In an Instagram message, Hibbs credited Hocking with helping him develop the habits that would shape his own preaching.

"I would like to give God thanks for allowing Dr. David Hocking to have such a tremendous influence upon my life," Hibbs wrote.

"What kind of a man takes in a Bible student and teaches them how to study the Word of God, to craft an outline, and to search out the treasures of God's amazing Word? That's exactly what he did for me."

The remembrance highlights a significant part of Hocking's legacy: his willingness to teach others how to teach. Hibbs described practical instruction in studying Scripture and constructing sermons, revealing how a mentor's work can continue through the ministries of those he trained.

Hocking's public teaching reached listeners through decades of Christian radio. His broadcasting career began in 1970 and included programmes such as Sounds of Grace, The Biola Hour and Solid Rock. He founded Hope for Today in the autumn of 1995, establishing a ministry identified with the declaration, "The Bible, the whole Bible, and nothing but the Bible."

His work also extended into local churches and theological classrooms. According to his ministry's biography, Hocking planted and pastored churches in Ohio and California, taught Bible, theology and biblical languages at college and graduate levels, and authored more than 50 books alongside numerous booklets and Bible studies. For more than 45 years, his ministry included tours to Israel and other biblical lands.

His published teaching covered books across both Testaments, including Genesis, Nehemiah, Psalms, Isaiah, Daniel, Hebrews and Revelation. Biblical prophecy, particularly his understanding of God's purposes for Israel, was a recurring emphasis. With his wife, Carole, whom he married in 1962, he also co-authored Good Marriages Take Time and Romantic Lovers, a study of the Song of Solomon.

Christian broadcasters have remembered the everyday place his teaching occupied in listeners' lives. Southern California's KBRITE described Hocking as a familiar presence across its airwaves, while Denver's KLTT recalled his teaching as an enduring part of its programming and an encouragement to listeners throughout Colorado. Those tributes point to a ministry sustained through regular listening and years of engagement with Scripture.

For Hibbs, the loss carries both grief and a renewed sense of responsibility.

"I look forward to seeing Pastor David again in heaven; until then, I will continue to carry on, in a small way, the great vision he gave me to honor God's Word and put Christ first in everything," he wrote.

His closing words were simple: "Well done, Pastor David."

Hocking leaves behind recorded teaching and published studies, but Hibbs's remembrance identifies a more personal inheritance: the patient work of helping another preacher open the Bible, understand its message and communicate it to others.