Billy Graham: ‘It Could Perhaps Be My Last Message’
At 94, Billy Graham says he realizes his remaining time on the earth is limited. With his My Hope America project, he wants to make one last major appeal to the nation to turn from its sin and repent and for people to give their hearts to Jesus.
Graham told Newsmax that indeed this could be his final gospel outreach—a crusade via video.
“It could perhaps be my last message, which is this: Christ is our hope for today and our promise for tomorrow. And it is fulfilled in the great work He did for mankind on the cross when He paid the penalty for our sin,” he said.
My Hope America is a nationwide outreach to reach people across the United States with the gospel of Jesus Christ. It implores Christians across the nation to open their homes next month to share the gospel message with friends, family, colleagues and neighbors through a series of video programs with life-changing testimonies and messages from perhaps the most beloved evangelist of our time.
Graham, who has been a spiritual adviser to many past presidents and has led an estimated 3.2 million people to faith in Jesus Christ, says he believes the country has been engulfed in a “sea of immorality” and that it has “dismissed God, resulting in skewed thinking and consciences that are desensitized to right and wrong, basing moral decisions solely on what fits in with our individual preferences.”
“There was a headline recently about more Americans tailoring religion to fit their needs, mixing a little Christianity with the religions of the world,” he told Newsxmax. “It is called a ‘trendy faith.’ Society does not object to this kind of faith.
“But people go on a search for anything but God. Many people do not want to face the truth of the gospel. They water it down to a myth, causing young and old to doubt the authority of the Bible. We as a nation have turned our back on God, who blessed our country because its fundamental principles were grounded in the Word of God. People want designer religion, but I pray that they instead will submit to their Creator who longs to become their God and Savior.”
In his just-published book, The Reason for My Hope: Salvation, Graham says it’s not too late—yet—for nonbelievers to find hope and salvation in Jesus, quoting 1 Timothy 2:3-4, which says:
“For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.”
“Nonbelievers can find hope because all people have sinned and come short of God’s glory,” says Graham, whose health has faltered in recent years. “Real hope is found only in the God of hope. God stands ready to grant salvation to all who believe in Him.”
While he refuses to speculate about the timing, Graham says all of the signs are pointing toward Jesus’ return. The shape of the country—a faltering economy and government, more and more people advocating same-sex marriage and abortion, and the dissension and hatred that comes with them—is evidence that the end times are coming, he says.
“I believe all of these signs are evident today,” he told Newsmax. “Regardless of what society says, we cannot go on much longer in the sea of immorality without judgment coming. God keeps His promises, and this is why we can be sure that the return of Christ is near. The Bible speaks powerfully of trouble ahead with storm warnings that carry a booming jolt of truth.
“We are at a crossroads, and there are profound moral issues at stake. It is time to return to biblical truth.”
