2 SWORD OF THE LORD September 17 , 2021
Eighty-Seven Years and Counting !
Yes , 87 years ago this month , on September 28 , 1934 , the first small issue of the Sword of the Lord was hand-delivered on the streets of Oak Cliff in Dallas , Texas . The years that have followed have been an amazing and greatly blessed adventure .
The Lord has been so good to us . He has given us wonderful friends all around the world . He has also blessed us with many opportunities of influence and ministry . The pastors and other Christian workers who count on the Sword of the Lord are located far and near across the entire globe . The souls that have been saved directly and indirectly because of the Sword of the Lord are multi - tudes in number .
And on this eighty-seventh anniversary , we are still excited ! Still dreaming the dream ! Still laboring daily ! Still thrilled in the Lord ! Still going after the lost ! Still praying for revival ! Still standing for the truth ! Still tackling the issues ! Still so amazed that the Lord would allow us to do what we do each day .
Even after all these years we feel that we have just barely begun because there is so much that needs to be done . Very candidly , I believe , and others say to me , that the Sword of the Lord is needed more today than ever before . In our currently crazy world I have no doubt that is true .
So let ’ s press on ! Let ’ s make year 88 the best year yet ! Let ’ s keep sounding the trumpet until we hear the sounds from Heaven announcing our Lord ’ s return . Amen !
The Flags We Fly
With every breath we breathe , we want to honor our heritage and keep building upon it . If we do so , the polls , the trends of the times and the fads of the con - temporary culture cannot be the catalysts of influence upon us .
To the contrary , we must fly the flags of fundamentalism as a badge of honor . In this day , in this hour , let ’ s run the race faithfully and fervently . As Dr . Hutson said to a number of us during his final days , “ Hold the banner high .”
By ‘ holding the banner high ,’ we mean making much ado about Jesus , the Bible , revival , soul win - ning , the local church , the Great Commission , the Spirit-filled life , godly Christian living ; we mean standing against sin and for the family and the second coming of Christ ; we mean withstanding day by day without fear or favor .
I hope this 87 th anniversary issue will remind you of from whence we ’ ve come and why we believe the fundamental path on which we set our feet is the one where we ought to walk every waking moment ! Amen !
Twenty Years Since 9-11
Just a few days ago we marked twenty full years since the Is - lamic-driven terrorists attacked America and killed 2,977 of our citizens . It is a day of infamy that will forever be etched upon the memory of every one of us .
Tragically , a lot of our national leaders have refused to take what should be commonsense measures to secure our nation against future attacks from the same source .
Unsealed borders are an open invitation to the bad guys . A failure to properly vet incoming visitors and immigrants makes us openly vulnerable .
Although the clumsy , ridiculous handling of things continues , we must keep the matter before us . We must never forget . Hopefully our leaders will wake up before it is too late .
It is important that we honor the memory of the lives lost on that day and more than twice that number of our military men and women who have died in the resulting wars .
Vax or No Vax ??
I ’ m getting that question from some of our friends who are in a quandary about what to do . So in
( USPS 531-160 ) ( ISSN 0039-7547 ) AMERICA ’ S FOREMOST REVIVAL PUBLICATION DR . JOHN R . RICE , Founder-Editor 1934-1980 DR . CURTIS HUTSON , President-Editor 1980-1995
DR . SHELTON SMITH , President , Editor
MARLON SMITH , Executive Vice President BART WALKER , Treasurer JIMMY BARRETT , Customer Service Manager
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a few brief paragraphs , I want to give a response that hopefully will help .
1 . COVID and its variants are serious issues . Anyone who denies that is just not facing reality . All of us need to do all we can to protect ourselves from it . We must also take into account the well-being of other people .
2 . I am not anti-vaccine , but these vaccines themselves are not without risks . The Liberty Counsel law firm reports that “ As of August 13 , 2021 , the COVID shots have caused 595,620 injuries , 54,142 hospitalizations and 13,068 deaths reported to VAERS , the CDC and FDA tracking system .” That ’ s not from COVID ; that ’ s from the vaccines .
Although the national media is not reporting these facts , the CDC and a Harvard study also say these numbers are only a fraction of the totals . Admittedly tens of millions of people have taken the vaccines with no difficulty , but we must be candid and tell the whole story .
3 . Whether or not you take the vaccine is , I believe , within your constitutional rights to decide . The Constitution guarantees per - sonal liberties in regard to your person , your conscience and your religion .
Again , I ’ m not against vaccines . We need vaccines for a number of things . What I am against is government — or anyone else — mandating that you have no choice but to do what they have decided for you . Compulsory mandates — I am strongly opposed to them .
4 . Some of us , like me , are so highly allergic to so many things that we must be ultra careful about food , medicines and such like . For those of us with such issues , a misstep can easily become a lifeor-death matter .
5 . So , be informed , ponder your own situation , pray for wisdom and then do as you deem best for you .
6 . Let ’ s be gracious and show respect to our family and friends who may not do as we do on this .
7 . There ’ s yet a lot we do not know about COVID and its variants , but we do know they are danger - ous . So be wary and be careful to protect yourself as best you can .
This and That
Since I was scheduled on August 26 to be a part of the David Barnes-Amy Long wedding in Pigeon Forge , Tennessee , Betty and I took a couple of extra days while we were there .
The tri-cities of Sevierville , Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg are tucked into the midst of east Tennessee ’ s Great Smoky Mountains . With hundreds of shops , restaurants and amusements along with several hundred hotels , the resort area stretches off of Interstate 40 for twenty-five miles into the majestic moun tains .
It is a fabulously beautiful area and with all of the attractions it is
Answers to Puzzle
Christians in Afghanistan Targets for Execution
Christians in Afghanistan are praying … amid the terror they face today .
The Hill reports : “ Some Christians on the ground have expressed that , with the takeover of Kabul , they expect to be killed , mafiastyle .…[ S ] ome reports say that the Taliban is already conducting targeted killings of Christians and other minorities found using public transportation , as well as executing anyone found with Bible software installed on their cell phones .
“ Christians also fear for the safety of their children , with the Taliban already publicizing plans to ‘ eradicate the ignorance of irreligion ’ by taking non-Muslim women and girls as sex slaves and forcing boys to serve as soldiers .”…
Fear and uncertainty weigh heavier and heavier on Christians and their families as the Taliban ’ s “ search and destroy ” objective intensifies .…
“ Afghan Christians are reportedly fleeing to the mountains in a desperate attempt to escape the Taliban who is going door to door trying to kill them ,” reports the Daily Wire .
“ Taliban militants are even pulling people off public transport and
a very interesting place to visit . We did not stay long enough to do a lot , but we enjoyed being there .
Our granddaughter Jessica and her husband , Zach , came up from South Carolina and brought our little three-month-old great-grand - daughter for us to see for the first time . I told several people that little Quincey was driving up to see us . Nobody really believed that she could drive ; but after seeing her , Betty and I are convinced she will do such things ahead of schedule .
According to us , her totally biased great-grandparents , she is not only beautiful but also very smart . Would you believe we are excited ? Just a bit , indeed !
Since Betty has been unable to travel for so many months , Zach and Jessica met us halfway so we could get acquainted with the baby . My , oh , my , we are blessed and we are thankful .
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The Barnes wedding was one of the most special and sweetest wed dings I ’ ve ever attended or conducted . I opened the hour with a welcome , prayer and a message in which I emphasized marriage and gave a salvation message and invitation .
The bride ’ s brother , Andy Long , conducted the vows .
The bride ’ s employer , Pastor Dexter Landers , and the Barnes family ’ s pastor , Brother Doug Anderson , also had parts in the service .
We were glad to be a part of the wedding and we give a warm salute of congratulations to Mr . and Mrs . David Barnes .
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Keep us in your prayers and do stay in touch with us . May the Lord ’ s bountiful blessings be yours today .