56 Days, Surviving the Heaven's Gate Cult

"Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled." – Matthew 5:6
In October 1975, I was home on leave after graduating from Advanced Infantry Training at Ft Polk, Louisiana. My college buddy introduced me to the UFO group, and I asked them if I could be a member while in the army. I was told I would have to go AWOL if I wanted to be with the group. We were told to give them all our money, get a King James Version Bible, and separate ourselves from all worldly activities. We agreed to abstain from drugs, alcohol, and sex. I was all in, traveling with some people who believed as I did. Everything was going according to their plan except for one thing… The group required us to get a King James Bible Red Letter Edition so that we could easily pick out the words of Jesus, and reading his words awakened my hungry heart.

Matthew lives in Jackson, Missouri and is the Associate Pastor of Perry County United Pentecostal Church. While retired, he maintains several websites and provides digital services to various clients.