Today at Family Worship Center, Evangelist Jimmy Swaggart reads 2nd Samuel 24:25 preaching on David’s success militarily, but his failure to take a proper census. David ignored God’s instructions to collect a half shekel of silver from every fighting man. Israel’s strength was not in her fighting men, but in the God of glory. The silver represented redemption. The Holy Spirit convicted David’s heart that he had not trusted in the strength and power of Christ alone. A plague follows, killing 70-thousand of David’s men, with Jerusalem threatened by the death angel. To stop the threats of evil, God told David to build an altar, and the plague was stayed. Only the Cross of Christ alone can throttle sin and protect the child of God. Our nation’s safety today lies in the preaching of the Cross. We must build the altar, i.e., preach the Cross of Christ.