Psalms 150:1-6 – “Praise You the LORD. Praise God in His Sanctuary: praise Him in the firmament of His Power. (This is the fifth and, therefore, last Hallelujah Psalm. As well, it should be described as the ‘Deuteronomy Psalm’ of the Deuteronomy Book.
“In this glad day of the Kingdom Age, with Christ reigning supreme in Jerusalem, praise will be offered unto God continually all over the world.
“The Divine titles in this Psalm are ‘El’ and ‘Jah.’ ‘El’ is essentially the Almighty, and ‘Jah’ signifies the Ever-existing One, for example, Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, today, and forever.)
“Praise Him for His Mighty Acts: praise Him according to His Excellent Greatness. (The theme of praise will be twofold: 1. What He does — His Mighty Acts and 2. What He is — His excellent Greatness. These express His Glory as Creator, as Redeemer, as the Lamb of God, and as the Son of God. The scene of worship in the Book of Revelation is Heaven; in this Psalm, it is the Earth in unison with Heaven.)
“Praise Him with the sound of the trumpet: praise Him with the psaltery and harp.
“Praise Him with the timbrel and dance: praise Him with stringed instruments and organs.
“Praise Him upon the loud cymbals: praise Him upon the high sounding cymbals. (These praises portray to us the fact that the worship is not only spontaneous, but orchestrated, exactly as it is now in praise and worship. By and large, the musicians of the world have formerly dedicated their talents to the Evil One. Now these talents will be dedicated exclusively to God’s Glory.)
“Let everything that has breath praise the LORD. Praise You the LORD. (The very first Psalm calls the Messiah ‘the Blessed Man.’ In this last Psalm He is worshipped as ‘the Blessed God.’ All of the 148 intervening Psalms sing of the countless perfections of His Nature and of His Actions, as both Son of Man and Son of God.
“The cry here is that everything that has breath must praise the Lord. In the coming Kingdom Age, this will be brought about. Men will have nothing but praise for Him.
“The Book of Psalms assures this. Its pages are wet with tears, and its music broken with sighs, but its last Song is a burst of satisfied rapture. Its five Volumes fitly close with a loud ‘Hallelujah!’)”

The Book of Psalms is broken down into five books corresponding to the five books of the Pentateuch. They are as follows:

Book One: Psalms 1-42 is the Genesis Book;
Book Two: Psalms 43-72 is the Exodus Book;
Book Three: Psalms 73-89 is the Leviticus Book;
Book Four: Psalms 90-106 is the Numbers Book; and,
Book Five: Psalms 107-150 is the Deuteronomy Book.

Psalms is the longest Book in the Bible, containing 150 Chapters, 2,462 Verses, and 43,743 Words. Psalms contains 202 Verses of history, 160 Verses of fulfilled Prophecy, and 274 Verses of unfulfilled Prophecy.

The theme of Psalms is “Trust, Worship, and Praise.”
When one reads the Book of Psalms, one is reading Earth’s first Songbook. The Hebrew word is “Sephertihillim,” which means the Book of Praises. In the Greek, the title is “Psalms,” which means songs.
Not only is Psalms Earth’s first Songbook, but it is also a Book of Prophecy. Its principal predictions concern the perfections, the sufferings, and the succeeding glories of the Lord Jesus Christ.
There are 15 Psalms that are said to be Messianic, which means that they are Prophetic in tone and refer to Christ. However, many Biblical scholars feel that all the Psalms in some way are Messianic. This means that they refer to Christ in His Atoning, Mediatorial, or Intercessory Work.
In effect, the Lord Jesus Christ, as the Representative and the Sin Bearer of His People, declares their sins, sorrows, sufferings, and chastisements to be His Own. He did this as the Perfect, Sinless One! In every respect, He was our Representative Man, our Glorious Substitute, the Last Adam and the Second Man.
As someone has well said, “When one reads the Gospels, one is reading the Actions and the Deeds of Christ, and when one reads the Psalms, one is reading the Heart of Christ.”
The 150th Psalm is a Prophetic Psalm. Its setting is the Kingdom Age, the 1,000 year reign of Christ upon the Earth. It is during this time that a world that largely mocked and profaned God will now be filled with voices of praise from the Earth to Heaven and back again.

The exegesis of the Verses is as follows:

VERSE 1

“Praise You the LORD. Praise God in His Sanctuary: praise Him in the firmament of His Power.”
This Verse identifies the two locations of praise, the Sanctuary, which is earthly and the firmament, which is heavenly. The praises of the nations of the Earth during the Millennial Reign will go up from the Sanctuary to the firmament when the praises of all the Angelic Host and created beings will join together into one great Symphony of praise to the Lord.

VERSE 2

“Praise Him for His Mighty Acts: praise Him according to His Excellent Greatness.”
This Verse tells us that the theme of praise will be focused on two specific things:

1. We will praise the Lord for what He has done and what He will do, i.e., “His Mighty Acts.”
2. Secondly, we will praise Him for what He is, “His Excellent Greatness.” This expresses His Glory as Creator, as Redeemer, as the Lamb of God, and as the Son of God.

VERSES 3 THROUGH 5

“Praise Him with the sound of the trumpet: praise Him with the psaltery and harp. Praise Him with the timbrel and dance: praise Him with the stringed instruments and organs. Praise Him upon the loud cymbals: praise Him upon the high sounding cymbals.”
These Verses tell us that the worship is not only spontaneous, but orchestrated. Just think of the glorious sounds coming forth with music and voices of praise and adoration for the Lord and unto the Lord. What a choir. What an orchestra during that great time of celebration.

VERSE 6

“Let everything that has breath praise the LORD. Praise You the LORD.”
George Williams, the Irish theologian and Hebrew scholar, says: “In the day when He appears, everything that hath breath will praise Him. His appearance will vindicate Him. Men will have nothing but praise for Him. Thus, Messiah the Blessed Man of the First Psalm will be worshipped as the Blessed God of the Last Psalm: whilst the intervening Psalms sing of the countless perfections of His Nature and of His Actions as both Son of Man and Son of God.”
As these Verses are Prophetic and future, one may wonder what does this have to do with us today. The answer is simple. Why do we have to wait until the Kingdom Age to praise the Lord? We are His Sanctuary. He has done great things for us. We have musical instruments that can make joyful music of praise. We have voices that can sing of His Greatness. We have hands that can clap for joy. We don’t have to wait, for we have something to praise the Lord for now.
We can praise Him because He is our Lord, our King, our Deliverer, our Saviour, our Healer, our Hope, our Fortress, our Rock, our Strong Tower, our Shepherd, our Provision, our Peace, our Comforter, our Counselor, our Mighty God, our Everlasting Covenant, our Sacrifice, our Sure Foundation, our High Priest, our Mediator, our Bread of Life, our Lily of the Valley, our Lion of the Tribe of Judah, our Resurrection, our Rose of Sharon, the One Who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. Let everything that hath breath praise the Lord! Praise the Lord.

Your Evangelist,

Donnie Swaggart

Acts 2:1-4 – “And when the Day of Pentecost was fully come (the Feast of Pentecost, one of the seven great Feasts ordained by God and practiced by Israel yearly; it took place fifty days after Passover), they were all with one accord in one place (not the Upper Room where they had been previously meeting, but rather the Temple [Lk. 24:53; Acts 2:46]).

“And suddenly there came a sound from Heaven as of a rushing mighty wind (portrays the coming of the Holy Spirit in a new dimension, all made possible by the Cross), and it filled all the house (the Temple) where they were sitting (they were probably in the Court of the Gentiles).

“And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire (the only record of such in the New Testament, and was the fulfillment of the Prophecy of John the Baptist concerning Jesus [Mat. 3:11]), and it sat upon each of them (refers to all who were there, not just the Twelve Apostles; the exact number is not known).

“And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit (all were filled, not just the Apostles; due to the Cross, the Holy Spirit could now come into the hearts and lives of all Believers to abide permanently [Jn. 14:16]), and began to speak with other Tongues (the initial physical evidence that one has been baptized with the Spirit, and was predicted by the Prophet Isaiah [Isa. 28:9-12], and by Christ [Mk. 16:17; Jn. 15:26; 16:13]), as the Spirit gave them utterance (meaning they did not initiate this themselves, but that it was initiated by the Spirit; as we shall see, these were languages known somewhere in the world, but not by the speaker).”

This article is actually from a sermon I preached about 15 years ago. I recently came across it while looking through some of my old preaching Bibles, and as I looked over the notes, it blessed me to the point that I thought it would make a great article. I hope you enjoy and learn from it.

THE INFILLING OF THE HOLY SPIRIT IS NOT AN OPTION, BUT A COMMAND

In Acts, Chapter One, which could be called the Last Will and Testament of the Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord gave the following instructions just prior to His Ascension to the Father in Heaven.

1. He “Commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the Promise of the Father, which said He, you have heard of Me” (Acts 1:4).

2. “For John truly baptized with water; but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days hence” (Acts 1:5).

3. Then in Acts 1:8, our Lord said, “But you shall receive power after that the Holy Spirit is come upon you: and you shall be witnesses unto Me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the Earth.”

So, one can see the importance the Lord placed upon His Followers being filled with the Holy Spirit. Therefore, if the Lord would use His Last Words to His Followers to be filled with the Holy Spirit, then we today should take heed to His Command.

THE DAY OF PENTECOST

The Day of Pentecost refers to the Feast of Pentecost, which was one of the Seven Feasts Israel was to observe. Pentecost means, “Fiftieth,” and occurred fifty days after the Feast of Passover. It’s interesting to note that on the very first Pentecost observed, which was in the wilderness fifty days after the first Passover in Egypt, the Bible says that 3,000 men of Israel were killed due to Israel’s sin with the Golden Calf. But on the Day of Pentecost in Acts, Chapter 2, 3,000 men were Saved.

In this article, I want to deal with specific words or phrases that give us a greater insight into the Person and the Work of the Holy Spirit. So let’s look at them now.

ONE ACCORD

This phrase means, “To be likeminded.” The idea is that it is the Desire and Work of the Holy Spirit in our lives to bring us into likemindedness with the Lord and His Word. He Desires to form us into the Image of Christ in word and deed. The Holy Spirit is always in Perfect Agreement with Christ and His Word. A lot of religious bias and error would fall to the wayside if we would ask the Holy Spirit to help us understand the Bible.

SUDDENLY

As used in Verse 2, the word “suddenly” means, “an unexpected occurrence”; as in you never know when the Holy Spirit is going to Move. You don’t have to be in Church for there to be a sudden unexpected Moving of the Holy Spirit in your heart. It can happen during your prayer time or during your Bible Study. It can happen in Service during the Praise and Worship. That’s one of the most beautiful things about the Holy Spirit. While we might not know when He is going to Move, He does; and when He does Move, what a change He brings.

A SOUND FROM HEAVEN

The word “sound” means, “something which is heard,” or another meaning is “echo.” The Holy Spirit desires to be heard in our hearts and our Services. As well, as it regards the word “echo,” the idea is that if we let the Holy Spirit have His Way in our life, we become an “echo” of only what the Word of God has to say.

RUSHING MIGHTY WIND

“Wind” is one of the five Symbols of the Holy Spirit and it speaks of the Power of the Holy Spirit. The mighty Power of the Holy Spirit is greater than the forces of darkness that war against us. The Power of the Spirit is what our churches need. Power to see souls Saved, sick bodies healed, Believers filled with the Spirit, demons cast out, and broken
hearts mended.

FILLED

This word means, “to furnish.” The idea being that the Holy Spirit is the One to furnish what we need such as Grace, Anointing, Faith, Power, Wisdom, Guidance, etc. The word also means, “to finish.” Whatever the Lord starts, the Holy Spirit finishes (see Gen. 1:1-2). It also means, “to dwell in.” Jesus told His Disciples that when the Holy Spirit would come, He would not only be with you but He would dwell within you (Jn. 14:17).

CLOVEN

This word means, “to separate” or “to divide.” The idea is that the Holy Spirit, if we let Him have His Way in our hearts, He will separate or divide us from that which is false and not of God.

FIRE

Fire is another Symbol of the Holy Spirit and it speaks of purity. In Matthew 3:11-12, John the Baptist said, “I indeed baptize you with water unto Repentance: but He Who cometh after me is mightier than I, Whose Shoes I am not worthy to bear: He shall baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire: Whose fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly purge His Floor, and gather His Wheat into the garner; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.” The idea is that even though one is Saved and even filled with the Holy Spirit, there are still things in our lives that are not pleasing to the Lord that He wants to purge out of our lives.

This is not automatic. It is something one must desire and seek the Lord to show us what must be purified in our lives.

SAT

The word “sat” means, “to hover over.” The idea of this word is that the Holy Spirit not only dwells within us, but He also “hovers over” us. He saturates us. He covers us in His mighty Power.
As a Spirit-filled Believer, I desire for all these attributes of the Holy Spirit to be prevalent in my life and I hope you do, too.

Your Evangelist,

Donnie Swaggart

By: Donnie Swaggart

I Samuel 3:1 – “And the child Samuel ministered unto the LORD before Eli (served in the Tabernacle). And the Word of the LORD was precious (rare) in those days; there was no open vision. (Although prophetic utterances had been given, even as we witnessed in the last Chapter, still, the Office of the Prophet had not yet been established. In fact, Samuel would be the first one to occupy that Office. Considering that the priesthood was corrupt, the nation, for all practical purposes, was then without spiritual leadership.)”

The word “precious” means that the Word of God was scarce in Israel of those days. The reason being the Priesthood was corrupt and without spiritual leadership. Never forget a nation or church can only rise as high as its leadership.
By the use of the word “precious” this tells us that Revelations, Prophecies, Visions, and personal contact with Jehovah God was rare and scarce, thus, “precious”; hence, the people were not receiving a constant flow of godly instruction, teaching, and guidance.

THE CHURCH TODAY

This Verse is so applicable for much of today’s Church, not all, but way more than should be.
We see everything under the sun being preached, except the plain Gospel Message. Here is a short list of what is being preached in too many churches today:
• Social Justice;
• Psychology;
• Community;
• Self-esteem;
• Prosperity, or better stated, the “greed gospel”;
• Good deeds;
• Works;
• Law (“The Hebraic Movement”);
• Denominational Rules and Regulations; and,
• Improvement of self by self.
Everyone reading this should ask yourself, “What is my pastor preaching?”

WHAT ARE WE TO PREACH?

The simple answer is the Word of God. However, we must stress that for one to truly preach the Bible, one must preach Christ and Him Crucified and Resurrected.
The Cross (not a wooden beam, but what Christ did on the Cross) is the foundation of the entirety of the Bible. Every Bible Doctrine springs forth from the Truth of Christ Crucified.

WHAT PAUL SAID

In I Corinthians 1:23 and 24, Paul stated, “But we preach Christ Crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock, and unto the Greeks foolishness; But unto them who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ is the Power of God, and the Wisdom of God.”
Then in I Corinthians 2:2, Paul would write, “For I determined not to know anything among you, save Jesus Christ and Him Crucified.”
This is the preaching of the Gospel, the preaching of the Cross. As stated, the Cross must be the foundation of all preaching, if not, then the people can’t grow or truly understand God’s Word.
The Church is by and large majoring on “improvement of self.” However, that’s not the story of the Bible and as well it’s impossible for self to improve self; only Jesus Christ can improve man and only if one is properly “in Christ.”
The Believer properly “in Christ” is the only answer for self. Only then can man be properly improved. If one tries to depend on one’s works or efforts, all that will be produced is pride and self-righteousness.
If we truly understand that all we have gained in Christ is because of the Cross, then man will properly see himself for what he really is. Salvation not only comes through the Cross, but our Sanctification comes through the Cross as well.

WHAT IS OUR RESPONSIBILITY?

If you’re a preacher, it is to preach the Message of the Cross; for the laity, it is to support those ministers that are truly preaching Christ and Him Crucified and Resurrected.

Your Evangelist,

Donnie Swaggart

Matthew 21:1-10 – “And when they drew nigh unto Jerusalem (the last six days of the Lord’s earthly life began here), and were come to Bethphage (very near Jerusalem), unto the Mount of Olives, then sent Jesus two Disciples (tradition says that it was Peter and John),
“Saying unto them, Go into the village over against you (probably refers to Bethphage), and straightway (immediately) you shall find an ass tied, and a colt with her: loose them, and bring them unto Me.
“And if any man say ought (anything) unto you, you shall say, The Lord has need of them; and straightway (immediately) he will send them.
“All this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying,
“Tell ye the daughter of Sion, Behold, your King comes unto you, meek, and sitting upon an ass, and a colt the foal of an ass (Zech. 9:9).
“And the Disciples went, and did as Jesus commanded them,
“And brought the ass, and the colt, and put on them their clothes (a saddle of sorts), and they set Him thereon (He rode the colt, with the other one, its mother, following with its back also prepared for a rider, nevertheless absent, which served as a symbol of Israel which rejected Christ).
“And a very great multitude spread their garments in the way (concerned the thousands who were coming into Jerusalem to celebrate the three great Feast’s, ‘The Passover, Unleavened Bread, and First-fruits’; Christ would fulfill all three); others cut down branches from the trees, and strawed (scattered) them in the way (probably referred to palm fronds and branches from olive trees).
“And the multitudes that went before, and that followed (represents Israel before and the Church which followed), cried, saying, Hosanna to the Son of David (this was a Feast of Tabernacles expression, but premature): Blessed is He Who comes in the Name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest (all of this was terminology by the people recognizing Him as the Messiah; but He was not recognized as such by the religious leaders of Israel).
“And when He was come into Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, Who is this? (‘Was moved’ refers to ‘quake’ as in an earthquake; thousands before and behind Him, were making the city ring with the great Salutation, ‘Hosanna in the Highest’.)”

The time frame of the Text occurred during the last week of the Life of Jesus Christ before the Crucifixion. This event is known as “The Triumphal Entry”. Thousands had gathered in Jerusalem to celebrate the three great Feasts, “The Passover”, “Unleavened Bread”, and “First Fruits”.
There were seven Feasts ordained by God in the Mosaic Law. All seven portray Christ in the Type and Shadow. Let’s look at these seven Feasts and their meanings.

THE FEAST OF PASSOVER

“The Feast of Passover” portrays the death of Christ on Calvary’s Cross to atone for humanity’s sin. He would be the Lamb of God, who would give His Life in order to pay man’s debt of sin.

THE FEAST OF UNLEAVENED BREAD

“The Feast of Unleavened Bread” spoke of the Perfect Sinless Body of Christ, which would serve as the Perfect Sacrifice, because it had never been tainted by sin. It also typified His Perfect, Sinless, and Spotless Life.

THE FEAST OF FIRST FRUITS

This feast portrays the Resurrection of Christ. His Resurrection would serve as the “Firstfruits” of the coming Resurrection of Life, referred to as the Rapture of the Church (I Thess. 4:16-17).

THE FEAST OF PENTECOST

Pentecost, which means fiftieth as it took place 50 days after the Passover, portrays Christ as the Baptizer of Believers in the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:4-5; 1:8; 2:1-4; Isaiah 28:11-12, Joel 2:28-29). It is interesting to note that on the very first Pentecost observed in the wilderness, 50 days after the first Passover in Egypt, 3,000 men were killed because of Israel’s sin with the golden calf (Ex. 32). But on the Day of Pentecost in Acts, Chapter 2, 3,000 men were saved.

THE FEAST OF TRUMPETS

This feast portrays all the events from the Rapture of the Church up and until the Second Coming. In Israel of old, there were two certain trumpet blasts used to call the people together for a united assembly (i.e., the Rapture when all the Saints will, at the sound of the Trump of God, assemble together in the clouds to meet the Lord), and the second blast was a call to war (the Battle of Armageddon, when all the Saints will come back to Earth with the Lord as a mighty army to defeat the Antichrist).

THE GREAT DAY OF ATONEMENT

This portrays the day when Israel will finally accept Christ as their true Messiah.

THE FEAST OF TABERNACLES

This refers to the coming Kingdom Age when Jesus Christ will set up His Throne in Jerusalem and rule in Righteousness and Holiness.

“WHO IS THIS?”

As the Lord was riding on the back of a donkey, Verse 10 says, “All the city was moved.” Picture the scene. Jerusalem was overflowing with thousands of people from all over the Roman Empire, shouting and exclaiming His praises. Many in the crowd had been healed through His Ministry, many had heard the Words of Life that fell from His Lips, and many, having heard of His mighty Acts, were eager to see just who this Man was.
The words, “was moved,” really mean “to quake,” as in an earthquake, as thousands upon thousands shouted “Hosanna in the Highest.”
Unfortunately, the attitude of the Pharisees was totally different. Their attitude was completely opposite of the people and their response was, “Behold the world is gone after Him.” This proclaimed their opposition to the Lord; actually, they hated Him. Sad to say, nothing has changed. The Apostate Church, of which the Pharisees were a type, must always attempt to kill the True Church.
The question, “Who is this?” is the question of the Ages. How one answers this question determines where one will spend eternity – Heaven or Hell.
Islam and Hinduism proclaim Jesus Christ as just a Prophet, but not the Son of God. Mormons say Jesus was the first baby born to God in Heaven, and that He and Lucifer were brothers. Jehovah’s Witnesses say that Jesus was Michael the Archangel prior to coming to Earth. The list is endless as to who religions of the world say Jesus is, too much to go into detail.
However, it doesn’t matter who people say Jesus is. The only way to answer that question is to go to the Word of God. Here is Who the Bible says Jesus Christ is:
Jesus Christ is God!
In Genesis, He is the Creator.
In Exodus, He is the Deliverer.
In Leviticus, He is the Sacrifice.
In Numbers, He is the Sanctuary.
In Deuteronomy, He is the Word.
In Joshua, He is the Victory.
In Judges, He is the Righteous Judge.
In First and Second Samuel, He is the Anointed One.
In First and Second Kings, He is the King.
In First and Second Chronicles, He is the Temple.
In Ezra, he is the Restoration.
In Nehemiah, He is the Wall.
In Esther, He is the Unseen but Guiding Hand.
In Job, He is our Sanctification.
In Psalms, He is our Song.
In Proverbs, He is Wisdom.
In Ecclesiastes, He is the Preacher.
In The Song of Solomon, He is the Virgin Born Son.
In Isaiah, He is “A Nail in a Sure Place.”
In Jeremiah, He is the Balm of Gilead.
In Lamentations, He is the Sorrowing Saviour.
In Ezekiel, He is the Wheel in the middle of the wheel.
In Daniel, He is the Fourth Man in the fiery furnace.
In Hosea, He is the Altar Call.
In Joel, He is the Promise of the Holy Spirit.
In Amos, He is Judgment.
In Obadiah, He is Vengeance.
In Jonah, He is the Presence of the Lord.
In Micah, He is the Ruler of Israel.
In Nahum, He is the Holiness of God.
In Habakkuk, He is the Vision.
In Zephaniah, He is the Day of the Lord.
In Haggai, He is the Lord of Hosts.
In Zechariah, He is the Holiness unto the Lord.
In Malachi, He is the Son of Righteousness Who arises with Healing in His Wings.
In Matthew, He is King.
In Mark, He is the Servant.
In Luke, He is The Man.
In John, He is God.
In Acts, He is the Baptizer in the Holy Spirit.
In Romans, He is Justification by Faith.
In First Corinthians, He is the Resurrection.
In Second Corinthians, He is the Ministry of Reconciliation.
In Galatians, He is Faith.
In Ephesians, He is the One seated by the Right Hand of the Father.
In Philippians, He is the Exalted One.
In Colossians, He is the Head of the Church.
In First Thessalonians, He is the Rapture.
In Second Thessalonians, He is the Victor over the man of sin.
In First Timothy, He is Sound Doctrine.
In Second Timothy, He is Power, Love, and a Sound Mind.
In Titus, He is the Pastor.
In Philemon, He is the Saviour of Slaves.
In Hebrews, He is a Better Covenant.
In James, He is the Healer.
In First Peter, He is Redemption.
In Second Peter, He is All Things that Pertain to Life and Godliness.
In First John, He is Love.
In Second John, He is Love.
In Third John, He is Love.
In Jude, He is the Common Salvation.
In Revelation, He is King of kings and Lord of lords.
Jesus Christ is All in All; He is Our Everything. That’s Who Jesus Christ is! He is the Answer to every broken heart and sin sick soul. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever.

Your Evangelist,

Donnie Swaggart

In closing, it was interesting to note in both the Ukraine and London the attitudes of the people concerning our nation’s political and economic situation. In short, they couldn’t understand how we could have re-elected the President as their view of him is that he is a Socialist. That’s their view of his policies and beliefs. Actually, the Ukrainians said to me that the U.S. is headed in the direction that they had just in the last few years come out of. While I really made no comment regarding their thoughts, it was interesting to hear what other nationalities were thinking about the U.S.
These have been the musings and ramblings of a very tired world traveler and a very proud grandfather.

I Samuel 2:1-10 – “And Hannah prayed (the Chaldee reads, ‘And Hannah prayed in the Spirit of Prophecy’), and said, My heart rejoices in the LORD, my horn (a part of a woman’s headdress, at least in that culture, at that time) is exalted in the LORD: my mouth is enlarged over my enemies; because I rejoice in Your Salvation (that Salvation is Christ, which Hannah will acknowledge in Verse 10).
“There is none holy as the LORD (the reason for her holy joy is first God’s absolute Holiness): for there is none beside You (the second reason is His absolute existence, in which she finds the proof of His Holiness): neither is there any rock like our God (in referring to the Lord as a ‘Rock,’ she assigns to Him strength, calm, immovable, enduring, but a strength which avails for the safety of His People).
“Talk no more so exceeding proudly; let not arrogancy come out of your mouth: for the LORD is a God of knowledge, and by Him actions are weighed. (God judges all things in the light of His Omniscience, which signifies every type of knowledge, past, present, and future. Knowing this, man had best be careful as to what he says.)
“The bows of the mighty men are broken, and they who stumbled are girded with strength (the working of this attribute of Deity tells us that human events are not the result of chance, but of God’s direction).
“They who were full have hired out themselves for bread; and they who were hungry ceased: so that the barren has born seven; and she who has many children is waxed feeble (this Verse typifies the Gentile Church, which is now abundant, by contrast with Israel, who is now barren, even though Hannah would not have understood this [Gal. 4:27]).
“The LORD kills, and makes alive: He brings down to the grave, and brings up (oftentimes, the Lord brings a man to the very brink of the grave, and then, when all hope seems past, raises him up again).
“The LORD makes poor, and makes rich: he brings low, and lifts up (therefore, ‘promotion comes from the Lord’ [Ps. 75:6-7]).
“He raises up the poor out of the dust, and lifts up the beggar from the dunghill, to set them among princes, and to make them inherit the Throne of Glory: for the pillars of the Earth are the LORD’s, and He has set the world upon them. (This speaks of Salvation, when man is raised out of dust to the Glory of God. The ‘pillars’ refer to everything hanging upon God and God Alone. This is a fact of Divine Government, which is distasteful to man.)
“He will keep the feet of His Saints (the Lord does such by the Believer placing his Faith and trust exclusively in Christ and the Cross, which then gives the Holy Spirit latitude to work in one’s life, Who Alone can bring about the needed change and strength [Rom. 6:3-14; 8:1-2, 11]), and the wicked shall be silent in darkness; for by strength shall no man prevail (‘the flesh,’ one’s own personal strength [Rom. 8:1, 8]).
“The adversaries of the LORD shall be broken to pieces (whoever it be who contends with Him); out of Heaven shall He thunder upon them (the Lord is the Supreme Judge): the LORD shall judge the ends of the Earth (the whole Earth up to its remotest quarters); and He shall give strength unto His king (is a distinct prophecy of David’s kingdom), and exalt the horn of His Anointed. (Looks onward to the Messiah, David’s greater Son. This is the first time that the term ‘His Anointed’ is used, as it refers to the Messiah. It is even more special in that Hannah used it. From this point on, others take up the theme of God’s Anointed One — the Messiah [Ps. 2:2; 45:7; Isa. 61:1; Dan. 9:25-26]. And so the song of Hannah ends here, but actually continues on in the hearts and lives of untold millions.)”

This particular song by Hannah, the mother of Samuel, shows us the true nature of the song of prayer. The song is not only poetic but, above all, it is prophetic, and must be placed alongside the songs of Moses, Miriam, Deborah, David, Elisabeth, Mary, and all other Psalmists and Prophets whose utterances inspired by the Holy Spirit were recorded in God’s Word.
George Williams, the Irish theologian of the ’50’s said of this song, “The song of Hannah should be read together with the song of Mary (Lk. 1:46). The theme of both is one and the same,
the Lord Jesus Christ, His Glory as King and Priest: and God’s action in government in raising up the meek and casting down the proud.”
He went on to say, “The song of this chapter is constructed in sections, which alternates; thus contrasting Jehovah and His enemies as follows:

Verse 2: Jehovah, His Holiness
Verse 3: The enemy, his arrogance
Verse 3: Jehovah, His Knowledge
Verse 4: The enemy, his ignorance
Verses 6-9: Jehovah, His Power
Verse 10: The enemy, his weakness
Verse 10: Jehovah, His Glory.”

Williams concluded by saying, “In fact this contrast runs not only through the song of Hannah and Mary, but as well through the entirety of the Bible.”
Now let us look at these Verses in detail.

HOLINESS

Verse 2 says, “There is none holy as the LORD.”

This tells us that all of man’s personal holiness is rejected by God. No man through their own works and efforts can attain Holiness. With this in mind, how can one be Holy?
The only Holiness that the Lord acknowledges in the heart of a person is that which is freely given to him upon one’s Repentance and acceptance of Jesus Christ as their Lord and Saviour. In other words, it is imputed or freely given upon Faith in Christ. Holiness only comes to us through what Jesus did on the Cross.
Sad to say, the church of today is by and large trying to be Holy by methods or works.
What exactly is Holiness? “Holiness is the Moral Perfection of God.” That’s why it’s impossible for man to perfect himself and make one holy by their good works. As stated, Holiness is a free gift, imputed to us by simple Faith in Christ and what he did on Calvary’s Cross.

PRIDE

The Third Verse says, “Talk no more so exceeding proudly.” This tells us that God resists pride and arrogance. It’s not just a coincidence that in Verse 2, the Lord, through Hannah’s Prophecy, mentions Holiness, which can only come through the Cross, and in Verse 3, mentions “pride.” Pride is the reason for man’s unbelief! MAN IS PROUD AND RELIGIOUS MAN IS MORE PRIDEFUL THAN ALL.
Every human being in this world is morally and spiritually bankrupt. No good deeds or good intentions can save them, only Jesus Christ can make man Holy and extinguish pride.
Verse 3 then states, “The Lord is a God of knowledge.” This unequivocally tells us that God and only God knows what’s in our hearts, and He Alone is the only Judge that matters.

THE FLESH

Verse 4 says, “The bows of mighty men are broken,” this states that which is mighty in the eyes of men, is nothing in the Eyes of God. No man’s intellect, power, or ingenuity count with God.
Then it states, “And they who stumbled are girded with strength.” This tells us that all redeemed men who depend 100% on Christ and what He did at Calvary are “girded with strength.”

“THE BARREN HAS BORN SEVEN”

This statement is found in Verse 5. It refers to Hannah who was ultimately given seven children. Therefore, the barren did bring forth children.
This statement is speaking of Hannah personally, yet it also has a great Spiritual meaning for all Believers.
“Seven” is God’s Number of perfection, totality, completeness, and universality.
The Spiritual and Scriptural meaning for us is that no matter how “barren” the situation of your life may be, the Lord can turn your life and situation around, and “the barren can bring forth seven.”

“AND TO MAKE THEM INHERIT THE THRONE OF GLORY”

Verses 6 through 8 refer to the total Authority and Control of the Lord in every situation. We must not depend upon flesh or borrow from the world to bring about the Will of God. The Lord is dependent on no one, and as God’s Children, neither should we. The Lord takes the lowest of us, puts in His Salvation, thus causing us to inherit the Throne of Glory.
Verses 6 through 8 are capped by the words “for the pillars of the Earth are the LORD’s, and He has set the world upon them.” This tells us that everything hangs upon God and God Alone.

“HE WILL KEEP THE FEET OF HIS SAINTS”

Verse 9 tells us that the Lord is the only One Who can “keep the feet of His Saints.” As the old hymn states:
“On Christ the Solid Rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand.”
Then the Verse states, “For by strength shall no man prevail,” refers to human strength. The Prophet Zechariah would state, “Not by might (human might), nor by power (human power), but by My Spirit, says the LORD of Hosts.”