On Friday, rapper DMX died at the age of 50 following a heart attack that put him on life support for a week. While many in the media will note his musical accomplishments and the troubled life he led as a result, it should be remembered that DMX was an out and proud Christian who always returned to God. In 2020, for instance, in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, he led an online Bible study where he called upon his followers to receive Jesus “as lord and savior.”
At the time, the “Ruff Ryders” singer led over 14,000 viewers on a study of verses from Ecclesiastes, primarily 3:1-8, that focused on the changing of seasons:
There is an appointed time for everything. And there is a time for every event under heaven—
A time to give birth and a time to die;
A time to plant and a time to uproot what is planted.A time to kill and a time to heal;
A time to tear down and a time to build up.A time to weep and a time to laugh;
A time to mourn and a time to dance.A time to throw stones and a time to gather stones;
A time to embrace and a time to shun embracing.A time to search and a time to give up as lost;
A time to keep and a time to throw away.A time to tear apart and a time to sew together;
A time to be silent and a time to speak.A time to love and a time to hate;
A time for war and a time for peace.
At times, the rapper would deliver sermons about him being “God’s child” and the need to have wisdom in times of uncertainty.
“The word says my people perish for lack of knowledge. Perish is not always dying. It’s being lost, not being found, not being able to be found,” he said.
“God is giving you the time, he’s giving you the time, to get closer to Him, to become familiar with Him,” he later added.
On keeping the faith during this pandemic, the rapper said to lean on “God’s will” and not try to decipher it so intensely.
“At the end of the day, at the beginning of the day, it’s going to be God’s will,” he said. “If you try to understand why He does what He does, you’re just going to end up with a headache. Just do the right thing.”
Who knew that DMX reading the Bible was exactly what I needed right now pic.twitter.com/PrNa3CWznV
— philip lewis (@Phil_Lewis_) April 25, 2020
Though having served jail time for a litany of offenses, the rapper admitted to reading the Bible daily and even aspired to become a pastor. As fate would have it, DMX, real name Earl Simmons, died before that could become a reality.