Wednesday, January 30, 2019, in Jupiter, FL, Arthur Horlbeck shot and killed his wife and then shot and killed himself, just after shooting at a neighbor who narrowly escaped in his car. Another neighbor, Rebecca* shares how she clearly felt the hand of God guiding and protecting her from harm’s way.
Rebecca had just moved into the neighborhood in July. She recognized something unusual about Arthur, but when she spoke to a mutual friend about it, the friend assured her that Arthur was just a lonely man, caring full time for his invalid wife. Rebecca then had compassion in her heart for Arthur and was hoping for an opportunity to share the Word of God with him. She was also hoping to share the Word of God with his wife, but since July she never once saw Arthur’s wife, either inside or outside of the house.
Rebecca naturally bubbles over with the joy of the Lord, and Words of Life flow freely out of her. From the stranger on the street to the women in Bible study, she can’t help but speak the Word of God to everyone she encounters. However, she felt the Holy Spirit holding her back. “If you asked me if I was afraid of him, I would say no. And if you asked me if I was concerned about him, I would say no. Something just kept telling me, ‘Be very nice and move quickly.'”
Arthur Horlbeck began watching for Rebecca, following her to the mailbox or car, attempting to engage her in conversation. Each time, she looked up at him with a big beautiful smile, and although she felt his loneliness, she simply wished him a good morning or evening and moved quickly on her way.
One day she was loading the groceries from her car, which was about ten feet from her front door. She felt the Lord telling her, “Lock the door. Do not leave this door open at any time.” The first time she heard it, she turned around to go back to her car for another bag, but the urging became stronger and clearer. When she felt this urging, she didn’t think it was because of Arthur. She just clearly heard God’s direction in her spirit and, not understanding why, performed this unusual behavior of locking the door behind her each time she brought another bag of groceries from the car.
God gave me a fearlessness. If I had been aware of the danger, I would have suspected a lot of things.
Another day, about a month prior to the shooting, Rebecca was in her car and got out to put some items in her trunk. She looked up and saw Arthur who was telling her that a sleeve was sticking out of the trunk. Again she felt a check in her spirit. “Something was telling me, ‘Go! Go!’ I had no reason to be afraid, but I felt an urgency that I didn’t need to be around him.”
Arthur often approached Rebecca to engage in conversation, but there was something inside of her that warned her to avoid him. One day after installing a new doorbell, Arthur came alongside her to ask her about the doorbell and began pouring his heart out to her. Anyone who knows Rebecca, knows that her usual mode of conduct is to try to help and offer advice, but she heard the voice of God directing her otherwise. She heard God telling her, “Be an attentive listener to him, but slide quickly away.”
What Rebecca didn’t know is that there were episodes in the neighborhood involving Arthur that she had been unaware of. “Since he has passed away, I learned that there was a man who was just sitting in his car, and the man looked up and Arthur was staring at him, and the man must have asked, ‘Why are you staring at me?’ Arthur pulled the man from the car and beat him almost to death. Arthur was arrested for it.”
Rebecca usually went home after work and then went to Bible study, but a few weeks ago, she heard God telling her, “Don’t go home first. Just go straight to Bible study.” So she went straight from work to her Bible study at Grace Immanuel Baptist Church. She said, “I was conscious of this, but I never questioned any of it. I just did it.”
For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Jeremiah 29:11 NIV
On Wednesday, Rebecca went to Bible study. She said, “I was at Bible study while all of this was happening. At 8:30 I got in my car to go home and the entire road was full of cops and emergency vehicles, and I couldn’t get in.” She called her friend, Nancy, from Grace Immanuel who asked her to come stay the night with her.
Rebecca said, “I believe that it was God’s will that I didn’t know this man was dangerous. It would have changed a lot of things. For the plans that God had for me and the way that He needed to work in this situation, I needed to not know [of the danger], so God could protect me 100%.”
Rebecca continued, “God gave me a fearlessness. If I had been aware of the danger, I would have suspected a lot of things.” She explained that looking back, things happened for which she might have called the police, however, they would probably not have had sufficient cause to arrest Arthur. This would have left Rebecca alone with a murderous neighbor who was now angry with her.
Rebecca said,”Sometimes for God to work 100% in our lives, he needs to do it without our interference and intervention.”
*Name changed for privacy
