The Modern Moses

 

Billy Graham passed from this world into the next at the amazing age of 99. I heard a quote by him today that is even inspiring amidst news of his passing. It was adapted from someone Rev. Graham admired, a 19th-century evangelist named Dwight L. Moody:

“Someday you will read or hear that Billy Graham is dead. Don’t you believe a word of it. I shall be more alive that I am now. I will have just changed my address. I will have gone into the presence of God.”

His legacy inspired and brought hope to presidents, and those of every race, creed and gender, even Dr. Martin Luther King, who told him, “You take the stadiums, I’ll take the streets.”

I read a story where the Bush family invited Billy Graham to Kennebunkport to meet with their son, George. George W. Bush described the walk they took through the rocky family compound, where he posed questions and doubts to Reverend Graham.

He said after that meeting, he made the decision to give up drinking and put his life and future in God’s hands.

Some in the media have made fun of people of faith, like that of Vice President Mike Pence, laughing when he says he talks to God and God talks back, likening it to a mental illness. Billy Graham would have answered that the Holy Spirit does speak, guides, comforts, admonishes, prompts, teaches, and moves mountains.

Ask the Pope, George W. Bush, or Mike Pence, and they’ll tell you what Billy Graham told millions. All you need to do is ask for help and watch the impossible unfold. Billy Graham was just the messenger. The message is still with us. God bless Reverend Graham and his family.

Update on Billy Graham’s funeral arrangements:

According to news reports about Mr. Graham’s funeral, plans are incomplete. What IS known is that he will be buried beside his wife at the Billy Graham Museum and Library (Charlotte, NC) in a simple plywood coffin made by prison inmates. Richard Liggett, who was serving a life sentence for second-degree murder, had found God in prison, and led a team of prisoners who built the coffins for the Graham family.   Dr. Graham’s grave marker will read, “Preacher of the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ.”

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  1. JoelB Member
    JoelB
    @JoelB

    My mother-in-law, as a young teenager, was contemplating suicide when a friend invited her to a Billy Graham Crusade. She became a Christian that day and set aside the suicidal thoughts. In a sense, I owe my lovely wife and family to Billy Graham’s ministry.

    • #1
  2. Saint Augustine Member
    Saint Augustine
    @SaintAugustine

    I dig.

    Still, I think it’s not quite right for a Christian to say that death does not really happen to us.  That’s an idea from Socrates in Plato’s writings.  The Christian idea is that the bodily resurrection overcomes death; in the meantime, “to depart and be with Christ . . . is better by far” even than to live!  But the resurrection is where we place our eschatological hope.

    • #2
  3. Blondie Thatcher
    Blondie
    @Blondie

    Thank you for the link to Cal Thomas’ piece.

    • #3
  4. Front Seat Cat Member
    Front Seat Cat
    @FrontSeatCat

    JoelB (View Comment):
    My mother-in-law, as a young teenager, was contemplating suicide when a friend invited her to a Billy Graham Crusade. She became a Christian that day and set aside the suicidal thoughts. In a sense, I owe my lovely wife and family to Billy Graham’s ministry.

    Wow! That is a powerful comment – thanks for sharing it.

    • #4
  5. Larry Koler Inactive
    Larry Koler
    @LarryKoler

    JoelB (View Comment):
    My mother-in-law, as a young teenager, was contemplating suicide when a friend invited her to a Billy Graham Crusade. She became a Christian that day and set aside the suicidal thoughts. In a sense, I owe my lovely wife and family to Billy Graham’s ministry.

    Very moving.

    • #5
  6. Larry Koler Inactive
    Larry Koler
    @LarryKoler

    Saint Augustine (View Comment):
    I dig.

    Still, I think it’s not quite right for a Christian to say that death does not really happen to us. That’s an idea from Socrates in Plato’s writings. The Christian idea is that the bodily resurrection overcomes death; in the meantime, “to depart and be with Christ . . . is better by far” even than to live! But the resurrection is where we place our eschatological hope.

    Death doesn’t really happen, though, does it? Even people who go to hell are still alive in the correct sense of the word, aren’t they? The point that Mr. Graham was making that the death of the body is not death of the soul or person. If bodily resurrection occurs as well — that’s all to the good.

    • #6
  7. RyanFalcone Member
    RyanFalcone
    @RyanFalcone

    He was a hero of mine. What a blessing he was to so many.

    • #7
  8. Joseph Stanko Coolidge
    Joseph Stanko
    @JosephStanko

    Larry Koler (View Comment):
    Death doesn’t really happen, though, does it? Even people who go to hell are still alive in the correct sense of the word, aren’t they?

    In some sense, yes.  It gets tricky though because of passages like John 3:16:

    For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

    Do those in hell have “eternal life” too, or have they perished?

     

    • #8
  9. Larry Koler Inactive
    Larry Koler
    @LarryKoler

    Joseph Stanko (View Comment):

    Larry Koler (View Comment):
    Death doesn’t really happen, though, does it? Even people who go to hell are still alive in the correct sense of the word, aren’t they?

    In some sense, yes. It gets tricky though because of passages like John 3:16:

    For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

    Do those in hell have “eternal life” too, or have they perished?

    Yes, great question. What does perish mean? What is the original word and who translated it? What does it mean now as translated and what did it mean then?

    • #9
  10. Saint Augustine Member
    Saint Augustine
    @SaintAugustine

    Larry Koler (View Comment):

    Joseph Stanko (View Comment):

    Larry Koler (View Comment):
    Death doesn’t really happen, though, does it? Even people who go to hell are still alive in the correct sense of the word, aren’t they?

    In some sense, yes. It gets tricky though because of passages like John 3:16:

    For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

    Do those in hell have “eternal life” too, or have they perished?

    Yes, great question. What does perish mean? What is the original word and who translated it? What does it mean now as translated and what did it mean then?

    If you want me to check the Greek, ask later.

    Hell is clearly said to be a second death.  Um . . . in Revelation, I believe.

    What does that mean?  Well, the Augustinian answer is that the life of the soul is G-d.  A soul in hell is a soul cut off from G-d.  So it’s basically a dead soul.  (Augustinian answers are good, but biblical answers are better.  At the moment I’m taking what I can get!)

    • #10
  11. Saint Augustine Member
    Saint Augustine
    @SaintAugustine

    Larry Koler (View Comment):

    Saint Augustine (View Comment):
    I dig.

    Still, I think it’s not quite right for a Christian to say that death does not really happen to us. That’s an idea from Socrates in Plato’s writings. The Christian idea is that the bodily resurrection overcomes death; in the meantime, “to depart and be with Christ . . . is better by far” even than to live! But the resurrection is where we place our eschatological hope.

    Death doesn’t really happen, though, does it?

    Defined properly–as the soul’s being severed from the body–death surely does happen.

    Even people who go to hell are still alive in the correct sense of the word, aren’t they?

    See above.

    The point that Mr. Graham was making that the death of the body is not death of the soul or person.

    An accurate point, drawn from Philippians and elsewhere in Paul.  But he spoke inaccurately, or at least imprecisely–death does happen.

    • #11
  12. Larry Koler Inactive
    Larry Koler
    @LarryKoler

    Saint Augustine (View Comment):

    Larry Koler (View Comment):

    Saint Augustine (View Comment):
    I dig.

    Still, I think it’s not quite right for a Christian to say that death does not really happen to us. That’s an idea from Socrates in Plato’s writings. The Christian idea is that the bodily resurrection overcomes death; in the meantime, “to depart and be with Christ . . . is better by far” even than to live! But the resurrection is where we place our eschatological hope.

    Death doesn’t really happen, though, does it?

    Defined properly–as the soul’s being severed from the body–death surely does happen.

    Even people who go to hell are still alive in the correct sense of the word, aren’t they?

    See above.

    The point that Mr. Graham was making that the death of the body is not death of the soul or person.

    An accurate point, drawn from Philippians and elsewhere in Paul. But he spoke inaccurately, or at least imprecisely–death does happen.

    Is it alright if I just see this as a semantics problem?

    • #12
  13. Saint Augustine Member
    Saint Augustine
    @SaintAugustine

    Larry Koler (View Comment):

    Saint Augustine (View Comment):

    Larry Koler (View Comment):

    Saint Augustine (View Comment):
    I dig.

    Still, I think it’s not quite right for a Christian to say that death does not really happen to us. That’s an idea from Socrates in Plato’s writings. The Christian idea is that the bodily resurrection overcomes death; in the meantime, “to depart and be with Christ . . . is better by far” even than to live! But the resurrection is where we place our eschatological hope.

    Death doesn’t really happen, though, does it?

    Defined properly–as the soul’s being severed from the body–death surely does happen.

    Even people who go to hell are still alive in the correct sense of the word, aren’t they?

    See above.

    The point that Mr. Graham was making that the death of the body is not death of the soul or person.

    An accurate point, drawn from Philippians and elsewhere in Paul. But he spoke inaccurately, or at least imprecisely–death does happen.

    Is it alright if I just see this as a semantics problem?

    If you mean Graham’s remark, I’d say that sounds fine.

    I think everything else is more than semantics.  We’re talking about real theological differences.

    • #13
  14. Joseph Stanko Coolidge
    Joseph Stanko
    @JosephStanko

    Larry Koler (View Comment):

    Saint Augustine (View Comment):

    Larry Koler (View Comment):

    Saint Augustine (View Comment):
    I dig.

    Still, I think it’s not quite right for a Christian to say that death does not really happen to us. That’s an idea from Socrates in Plato’s writings. The Christian idea is that the bodily resurrection overcomes death; in the meantime, “to depart and be with Christ . . . is better by far” even than to live! But the resurrection is where we place our eschatological hope.

    Death doesn’t really happen, though, does it?

    Defined properly–as the soul’s being severed from the body–death surely does happen.

    Even people who go to hell are still alive in the correct sense of the word, aren’t they?

    See above.

    The point that Mr. Graham was making that the death of the body is not death of the soul or person.

    An accurate point, drawn from Philippians and elsewhere in Paul. But he spoke inaccurately, or at least imprecisely–death does happen.

    Is it alright if I just see this as a semantics problem?

    I suspect right now Mr. Graham is pleased that he’s still inspiring people to ponder and debate such questions even after his (physical) death.

    • #14
  15. DavidBSable Inactive
    DavidBSable
    @DavidBSable

    Here are my thoughts about Billy Graham and his place in church history.  It seems that liberal strategies do not change much over the years.

    • #15
  16. DavidBSable Inactive
    DavidBSable
    @DavidBSable

    Today (Saturday) his body will be moved from the Cove in Asheville to the BG library in Charlotte.   Employees will have an opportunity to pay respect before eight and then that day it is open for people to come by.

    https://billygraham.org

    • #16
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