"He arose, and smote the Philistines until his hand was weary, and his hand clave unto the sword: and the LORD wrought a great victory that day; and the people returned after him only to spoil." (2 Samuel 23:10)

This verse of scripture is referring to Eleazar one of King David's MIGHTY MEN. David was a great type of Christ in the Bible. He is the only person in the Old Testament that fulfilled three offices as Prophet, Priest and King. Eleazar means "God's helper."

Eleazar is one of my favorite men in the Bible. He was a faithful, mighty man who followed the King.

Dr. Jack Hyles was a present day Eleazar. He was truly God's helper.

The first thing one should notice about our text is that "he arose".

Dr. Hyles liked to tell how he arose from a little, shy boy in Texas, whose daddy was a drunk and his mother was a wonderful Christian lady. He said, "I was the most unlikely person to ever become a preacher." Some of his friends, also, could hardly believe that God had called little "Jackie boy" to preach.

I remember in one of his messages how Dr. Hyles said he did not know anything about notes and outlines when he first started preaching. He said he would simply read a verse and then holler!

The Bible says: "But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and god hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; And BASE THINGS of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are. That no flesh should glory in his presence." (1 Corinthians 1:27-29)

The BOOK also says, "For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe." (1 Corinthians 1:21)

So God chose this young man from Texas to become His Eleazar for the end time.

Many of our readers know how God led Brother Hyles to Hammond, Indiana to pastor the First Baptist Church. Through out the years, God wrought many victories through His Eleazar from Hoosier Land. Time and space would fail us to list all of the battles and victories in the ministry of Dr. Jack Hyles.

The first time I met Dr. Hyles was on the occasion of our twentieth wedding anniversary. In 1969, Mrs. Perkins and I, along with another couple from our church, traveled to Hammond to visit First Baptist Church. Somehow Dr. Hyles learned it was our anniversary. We were sitting close to the front when he looked down from his pulpit and asked my wife, "and you have put up with him for twenty years?"

On this particular Sunday the church had the goal of 5,000 in Sunday school. This was a day of VICTORY for the church and the Lord. The theme was "Feed the 5,000." I remember someone said: "Dr. Hyles you are unscriptural because you had 6,824 in Sunday school instead of 5,000."

Dr. Hyles replied, "We were not unscriptural, the Bible says there were 5,000 MEN that Jesus fed. That means there must have been 1824 women and children." "And they that had eaten were about five thousand men, BESIDES WOMEN AND CHILDREN." (Matthew 14:21) Dr. Hyles had a great wit and was very wise in many ways.

Over the years, Dr. Hyles was a great inspiration to thousands of people. Many preachers came to Pastor's School and went away with a revived spirit to go out and win souls, baptize more converts and build soul-winning churches.

Brother Hyles preached all over America with our friend Dr. John R. Rice in Sword Conferences. After the Lord called Dr. Rice home, Dr. Hyles continued to be out preaching somewhere almost every week.

Thousands and thousands of people will be in Heaven because of his faithfulness to God's calling. Thousands and thousands of Christians will receive the soul winner's crown because of Brother Hyles and his ministry.

"For what is our hope, or joy, or CROWN OF REJOICING? Are not even ye in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at his coming?" (1 Thessalonians 2:19)

The Lord led Dr. Hyles and Dr. Russell Anderson to start Hyles Anderson College, a training school for Christian soldiers. He also established a goodly number of other ministries during his sojourning here on earth.

Some people did not like Dr. Hyles, yet he was always a gentleman concerning his enemies. One way to determine the worth of a man is to observe who his enemies are. We know who the accuser of the brethren is. (Revelation 12:10)

After Brother Roloff went home to glory, Dr. Hyles took a stronger grip on his sword. Following Brother Roloff's example, regarding the King James Bible, Dr. Hyles preached messages like, "No smiths in the land" and "Logic must prove the King James Bible."

Some of the brethren got upset because of his stand for the inerrancy of the King James Bible. Others followed suit and also took a stronger stand, and like Eleazar, their "hands clave unto their swords." Many men of God are still standing, like Eleazar and Brother Hyles, and Brother Roloff across America, for the word of God, "and his hand clave unto the sword."

Some preachers took pot shots at Brother Hyles, mostly because of jealousy. He was accused by the "Lordship salvation" crowd of "easy believe-ism" and "bottonhole soulwinning." It did not seem to bother Dr. Hyles. He said our duty is to "GO AND TELL" and it is the Lord's business to do the saving. He kept on swinging his sword until his "hand was weary with age" and then the Lord said okay, "My helper," come on up here. The doctors and surgeons of Earth tried to keep him here but the Lord wanted him up there. It was his time. (Ecclesiastes 3:1-8)

Can't you imagine what a great reunion went on in Heaven when they saw the angels come flying across the galaxies to the sides of the north, escorting this great saint of God into the third Heaven and into the presence of the Lamb of God. You talk about shouting!

One could almost see Brother Hyles thumbing his nose at the great red dragon as he flew into the great deep, through the door of Heaven and landing on the sea of glass. Then came the voice from the throne: "Well done, good and FAITHFUL SERVANT; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy Lord." (Matthew 25:23) "Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints." (Psalms 116:15) WELCOME HOME MY ELEAZAR!

(See OBITUARY of Dr. Jack Hyles on page thirteen)