Billy Graham answers tough questions about life and death in this message from the archives. Watch and share different #MondayNightClassics, uploaded every Monday at 8 p.m. Eastern.
from our archives the Billy Graham
classics I’m going to ask you to turn
with me to the third chapter of the book
of Genesis and at the end of that
chapter it says this and the Lord God
said Behold the man is become as one of
us to know good and evil and now lest he
put forth his hand and take also the
tree of life and eat and live forever
therefore the Lord God sent him forth
from the Garden of Eden to till the
ground from which it taken so he drove
out the man and he placed at the east of
the Garden of Eden a cherubim and a
flaming sword which turned every one to
keep the way of the Tree of Life in
other words God was keeping man away
from the Tree of Life
because if man had eaten the Tree of
Life he would have lived forever in his
sins without any hope of redemption
suppose for example that a man like
Hitler came along and ate of the tree of
life and live forever and we would have
Hitler for thousands of years and many
more Hitler’s and they would control the
earth and so God sent death along as a
judgment but also a blessing because
every generation comes and dies and a
new generation is born and all the
Hitler’s of the world die eventually and
the Bible says in Ecclesiastes 3 –
there’s a time to be born and a time to
die it’s appointed unto man once to die
but after that the judgment but often I
find is the clergyman that people do not
wish to talk about death why in America
17 year olds by the time they’re 17 have
seen on average 15,000 murders on
television and there’s a rash of
bestsellers on death right now
and some think of death as a period of
life Sir Winston Churchill once said the
older you get the more sleep you need
finally you sleep all the time in life
there are many avenues he said but all
lead to that all embracing death and I
want to ask you tonight are you prepared
to die
have you made any preparation at all for
your death
oh yes maybe financially you have but
what about your spirit your soul that’s
going to live forever
have you made a study of it oh it
occupies a lot of your thinking I know
that but the loss and the severance of
things you loved do not like to leave
behind family and friends and for others
it’s not only a time of life but it’s a
questionmark
death us just in so much uncertainty and
we ask ourselves why why why you see a
young man cut down in the prime of life
and you ask why or you see a boy or girl
and you asked why why does all this have
to happen part of it is the terror and
the fear of the unknown people never
like to be unprepared they’re anxious
about the future and I want to quote one
passage from Amos the fourth chapter
that says prepare to meet thy God are
you prepared if you’re not prepared and
have a doubt about it pick up the
telephone and call the number on your
screen
they’ll be counselors there that will
talk to you about how you can prepare to
meet death and judgment now we want to
soften the reality of death we don’t
want to talk about it some of us don’t
want to think about it so we have a lot
of cosmetics and facelifts and the
frantic search for the mythical Fountain
of Youth that goes on but I don’t want
to turn tonight to the psychologist or
the sociologist or the medical students
but to the Bible what does the Bible say
about death
first the Bible says that death is an
enemy of man and God Paul calls it an
enemy says first Corinthians 15 the last
enemy that shall be destroyed is death
now it’s an enemy to God because God
never meant for man to die when he
created us he meant for us to live
forever but we broke his law we rebelled
against him and he said if you do that
you’re going to die he had to keep his
word neither sin the pain no disease nor
death were part of God’s original plan
for man death was the penalty for sin
when he said thou shalt surely die and
the judgment dust thou art and unto dust
thou shalt return came after man’s
rebellion are you prepared and then
secondly the Bible teaches that this
enemy of death is going to be destroyed
1st Corinthians 15 26 the last enemy to
be destroyed is death when we were
touring Russia this past year and we
went to these great Orthodox cathedrals
and it was my privilege to preach in
them the gospel just like I do here and
in the Soviet Union I had a theologian
from the theological Academy in
Leningrad say to me in the car as we
were riding along he said Mr Graham he
said I would like to see you put more
emphasis on the resurrection of Christ
because he said if Christ be not risen
our faith is in vain and I thought to
myself Here I am learning at the feet of
a man in the Soviet Union
about the resurrection of Jesus Christ
now some people questioned the
resurrection in this scientific age but
Arnall of rugby said I know of no fact
in history of mankind which is attested
by fuller and better evidence of every
soil
said would Clark the English High Court
judge said some time ago the
evidence of the resurrection I accept
unreservedly as fact over and over again
in the High Court I’ve secured a verdict
on evidence not nearly so compelling
many of our scientists believe in the
resurrection of Jesus Christ now third
live the Bible teaches that this enemy
of death has already been defeated
already defeated Paul says o death where
is thy sting o grave where is thy
victory by death and resurrection of
Christ he said I am he that liveth and
was dead and behold I am Alive for
evermore and have the keys of hell and
death think of it he has the keys of
hell and the keys of death now what is
this defeat of death Paul likens it to a
poisonous insect whose sting has been
withdrawn
he says the sting of death is sin now I
want you to think about death for a
person who does not know Christ for an
unbeliever this juk is our reviving that
old pop song of David clayton-thomas
which goes and when I die I pray there
ain’t no hell but the Bible teaches
there will be a judgment and you cannot
read the Bible and miss the references
to hell and I don’t see how a clergyman
can preach without talking about it
because it’s so much in the scriptures
and the one that taught so much about it
is Jesus more than any other person in
the Bible to be in hell is to be out of
the presence of God what is hell I’m not
going to give you my imagination I’m not
going to do what some have done in the
past and use their imagination to
frighten people we ought to be
frightened but I want to tell you what I
believe the Bible teaches there are
three words that describe Hell in the
Bible for me one is fire for our God is
a consuming fire says Hebrews 12 but the
Bible also teaches that fire is used
symbolically it’s
our tongues are set on fire of hell that
doesn’t mean literal combustion in James
it’s symbolic and Jesus used this symbol
over and over I believe that the fire is
a thirst for Almighty God that can never
be quenched you’ll go out into eternity
thirsting for God and you can never find
him and you can never find the
fulfillment that you missed in this life
and then secondly the word darkness the
Bible says God is light and matthew 8:12
says but the children of the kingdom
shall be cast out into outer darkness
hell is called
outer darkness its separation from God
in darkness that’s the reason those that
go to hell will not see anybody else
it’ll be too dark you’re not going to go
down there and set up a nightclub and
have a big time and have beautiful golf
courses and all the rest of it is some
people think no its separation from God
from darkness from from light and then
the third phrase that Jesus uses is the
second death God is life it is separated
from life and death and he’ll were cast
into the lake of fire this is the second
death revelation 20:14 says you die the
first time naturally your body dies now
your soul your spirit is still alive but
it’s dead it’s dead toward God just like
it is tonight there are thousands of
people here in this audience in South
Florida tonight whose spirit is dead
toward God your body is alive you go to
church you’re religious as most people
are around the world you go to India and
you’ll find more religion in any country
in the world but deep in your heart you
don’t really know Christ you haven’t
made your peace with God now God doesn’t
take any delight in hell he didn’t
create hell for you he made hell for the
devil and his angels
but if you persist and go
the devil’s way that’s where you’re
going now when Jesus Christ died on the
cross that was a judgment God judged
Christ in your place and Jesus being who
he was had the capacity to endure hell
for you and when Christ said my God my
God why hast thou forsaken me in that
terrible moment in a way that we cannot
possibly fathom or understand the Lord
Jesus Christ and his father was
separated and Jesus took the pangs of
Hell and he suffered in that moment
everything that man will ever be called
upon to suffer he did it for you because
he loves you and now God says you must
repent of your sins and receive him into
your heart and if you don’t do it and
you persist in listening to the voice of
the devil who says you have plenty of
time or who tells you that it’s not true
or whatever he’s whispering to you yes
you have to make a choice you have to
make a choice between some things that
are wrong in your life and you have to
make a choice with Christ which will it
be what is your choice if you want to
make a choice tonight for Christ or if
you want to talk about it pick up the
telephone and call the person that’s on
the other end on that number that’s on
your screen write it down now you may
dial several times and keep on dialing
they’ll be there all evening the death
of Christ was a judgment and the
scripture says that God’s desire is that
all men should be saved all women should
be saved
that’s God’s desire he wants it so much
that He gave His Son to die on the cross
for you and the words used in those
scriptures are designed wish not will
and purpose it’s not God’s will or
purpose that you die it’s his desire
that you be saved and you have a choice
now what about what happens to the
believer so much could be said about
this I could talk all evening about
heaven and about the joys and the thrill
the excitement it’s going to be in
heaven for all of us who know Christ in
Christ the judgement is past the storm
is over the hell is past if you know
Christ
there’ll be no judgment for you there’s
therefore now no judgment to them that
are in Christ Jesus there is no hell for
you you will live eternally with the
Lord Jesus Christ and with the saints of
all the ages by his death he destroyed
dead in Christ we no longer regard death
is the king of terrors Paul said I have
a desire to depart to be with Christ
which is far better he said to be with
Christ is better than living here and
now I want to be with him said the
Apostle Paul why was it because he
worked so hard for Christ because he’d
suffered so much no he was ready because
long ago he had met Christ on the
Damascus Road and had an experience with
the Lord Jesus Christ and Christ came
into his heart and he had found a
fulfillment and a peace and a joy he
found the purpose and the meaning of his
life when he had that encounter with
Christ you can have that same experience
with Christ tonight right here before
you leave here there many people think
that it’s a long process in there may be
a process in which you’re convicted by
the Spirit of God and there may be a
process like birth there’s the moment of
conception there’s the months of
gestation then comes birth and then
there comes growing all of those are
different steps and different processes
some may take place almost all at once
we do not know how the Holy Spirit works
at that point in each individual life
sometimes it’s individual but tonight
you need to take a step to Christ and
make sure if you don’t know and you’re
not certain be sure many people do not
have a date when they came to Christ but
it’s good for many people to come and
make a date and say yes that was the
night that I became sure
now the conquest of death
is the final great achievement of what
we call Christianity and Judaism
physical death is but a transition from
life on earth with Christ to eternal
life in heaven with Christ it’s like
going through a door when you die you
leave one room and you enter another
bigger room which is more beautiful and
more wonderful and the transition which
we call death is based on the fact that
Jesus was raised from the dead for we
know that Christ being raised from the
dead will never die again death no
longer has in a dominion over him says
Romans 6:4 as in Adam all die so also in
Christ shall all be made alive you’re
not going to die alone if you know
Christ I believe as I said in a book
that I wrote on angels that there is a
death angel and that angel comes and
takes you by the hand and leads you into
the presence of Christ it’s a wonderful
thing to die as a believer I’ve seen
believers die and I’ve seen those that
did not know Christ died and there’s a
vast difference in the way they die
today people are so sedated we don’t
have their final words as we used to
have but I have many memories of people
dying talking about the music that they
hear talking about who they see my own
mother was one she seemed as though she
could hear and see into the future jesus
said he that believeth on me shall never
die
believe it’s how this he meant that
you’ll never die spiritually an atheist
only sees a hopeless end to life but the
Christian sees an endless hope we look
beyond our present sorrow to the triumph
of Christ blessed are the dead who die
in the Lord but Christ brings a
permanent freedom from evil to the
believer who dies in him those that
don’t know Christ may not desire this
they may prefer go on living in your
sins you have only a short time so
it up as we get older life is pressing
in on us get all you can out of it now
that’s the philosophy of many here in
South Florida as well as all over the
world you don’t have long
you’ll be an eternity and the decision
you make tonight may decide where you’ll
be
do you know Christ the word depart the
Bible uses the word depart you see the
Bible teaches that we’re citizens of two
worlds now I’m a citizen of the United
States but I’m also a citizen of heaven
I’m a citizen of another world heaven
and that’s where I’m going
and I’ll be there it won’t be too many
months of years before I go the vast
majority of my life has already been
lived my record has already been made I
don’t have very much longer I know that
I don’t plan to retire I feel like I’m
eighteen years of age but I know that
I’m not I can look at the x-rays when
they take the x-rays and see
deterioration of a bone here and there
through something that I don’t even know
what it is I can’t feel it
but I know at some point I’ll feel it
that’ll start having its effect on the
body we all die
I’m not going to escape it I don’t want
to escape it I want to go because to be
with Christ is far better than to be
even in Florida
the Bible says we shall be like him for
we shall see him as he is Napoleon once
said I die before my time and my body
will be given back to the earth to
become the food of worms such as the
fate soon of the great Napoleon what a
contrast to the words of Jude he said I
know my Redeemer liveth and though after
my skin worms destroy this body yet in
my flesh shall I see God I’m looking
forward to seeing him face to face
there’s an old English prayer that says
Lord grant that my last hour may be my
finest hour
Paul said I fought the good fight I
finished the race I’ve kept the faith an
Anglican bishop of the last century said
I hope when I come to die I shall not
have to say I wish I had loved Christ
more I’m going to ask you tonight to
make sure that you’re ready what do you
have to do father mother
senior citizen boy or girl we never know
in this world in which we live when
anyone is going to go you get out on
these highways and streets and you never
know are you ready what do I have to do
to be ready first the Bible teaches you
must repent of your sins and you say
well what is repentance repentance is
changing changing your mind toward God
and toward yourself seeing yourself a
sinner and seeing the holiness and the
righteousness of God looking at the
cross of Christ and seeing that he died
for you but it also means a change of
living you’re going to change your
habits from this moment on you’re going
to ask God to help you you may not be
able to you may not have the strength to
but if you’ll ask God to help you he’ll
help you and then the second thing you
must do is to believe that word believe
means more than just believing with your
mind it Means Committee
yourself your total self to Christ as
Savior and Lord and then the third thing
you must be willing to follow him and
serve Him
are you willing to do that you say Billy
I decided that years ago did you really
is there a doubt about it many older
people have been religious and younger
people too because I was young when I
accepted Christ 16 or 17 years of age
and vice president the young people
Society in my church but I knew that I
really didn’t know Christ I already knew
that and when they asked people to come
and make it certain I went and I’m so
glad that I did that night you can make
sure tonight I’m going to ask you to
come and stand in front of this platform
as we’ve seen hundreds every night do
I’m asking you to come publicly he said
if you’re not willing to acknowledge me
publicly before men
I’ll not acknowledge you before my
father which is in heaven there’s
something about coming publicly that
helps settle it and I’m going to ask you
to come if you’re with friends or
relatives they’ll wait and after you’ve
all come I’m going to say a word to you
and have a prayer with you give you some
literature to help you in your Christian
life you get up and come we’re going to
wait on you hundreds of you if you come
from this stand back here it’ll take
about a minute many of you have a minute
and a half this stand and this one over
here close to two minutes get up and
come right now and after you’ve come
we’ll stand here a few minutes and have
a prayer and then you go back and join
your friends very simple but very
important because your whole eternal
future may hang on what happens tonight
and you that are watching by television
pick up the telephone and call that
number and make your commitment to
Christ as people are already beginning
to come here in this Stadium in Fort
Lauderdale Florida just get up and come
now hundreds of you we’re going to wait
on
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just as many hundreds are making their
commitment to Jesus Christ here at
Lockhart stadium you can too by calling
the telephone number on your screen
right now this is probably the most
important call you could ever make so
call now
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to you that are watching by television
you can see that here in Fort Lauderdale
Florida many hundreds of people are
coming to make their commitment to
Christ to make sure that they know him
as their Lord and Savior you can make
sure where you are you may be in a hotel
room maybe in your bedroom living room
maybe in a bar somewhere I don’t know
where you can say yes Lord Jesus come
into my heart and be sure and go to
church next Sunday if you just prayed
that prayer with my father or if you
have any questions about a relationship
with Jesus Christ I’ll just call that
number that is on the screen there’ll be
someone there to talk with you pray with
you and answer those questions and
remember God loves you if you would like
to commit your life to Jesus Christ
please call us right now toll free yet
187 seven seven seven two four five five
nine that’s one eight seven seven seven
seven two forty five fifty nine or you
can write to us at billy graham one
Billy Graham Parkway Department C
Charlotte North Carolina two eight two
zero one or you can contact us on the
web 24/7 at peace with God TV will get
the same helps to you that we give to
everyone who responds at the invitation
on behalf of Franklin Graham and the
Billy Graham Evangelistic Association
thank you for watching and thank you for
your prayers
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witness the story that and give your
wife
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me
do the Billy
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towards the bottom into the darkness
this is all mission sharing
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the Billy Graham Evangelistic
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