|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Babylon the Great (Part
5)
Or, The Coming Destruction of the One World
Religion
Billy Graham: Christianity's Modern
Balaam
"Shouldest thou help the ungodly, and love them
that hate the LORD? therefore is wrath upon thee from before the LORD"
(2Chronicles 19:2).
by Tom Stewart
Preface
CNN/USA Today/Gallup
survey was taken of the American public on December 28th-29th 1998, sampling 1,055
adult Americans' opinions of whom they "admire
the most". "Woe
to the rebellious children, saith the LORD, that take counsel, but not of Me" (Isaiah 30:1). Despite the House of Representatives' vote to impeach
him, President Bill Clinton was voted the most admired man-- "living in any part of the world"-- for the second consecutive year. "For
My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways, saith the LORD" (55:8). It came as no surprise that NBA sports star Michael Jordan was
included near the top of that list-- 4th most admired. However, the 2nd most admired
was the only one of the top four that is not an American-- Pope John Paul II. "Moreover I will deliver all the strength of this city,
and all the labours thereof, and all the precious things thereof, and all the treasures
of the kings of Judah will I give into the hand of their enemies, which shall spoil
them, and take them, and carry them to Babylon"
(Jeremiah 20:5). The individual that ranked
as the 3rd most admired man-- by this "evil
and adulterous generation" (Matthew 12:39)-- in 1998's
year end poll, was Billy Graham, the Southern Baptist evangelist known throughout
the world. But, "11 Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute
you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for My sake. 12 Rejoice, and be exceeding
glad: for great is your reward in Heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which
were before you" (5:11-12).
How Could This Happen?
esus Christ, the Judge, "standeth
before the door" (James
5:9), and the Apostasy preceding His Second
Coming is already in progress. "When the
Son of Man cometh, shall He find Faith on the Earth?"
(Luke 18:8). Though
it may seem that the entire world has capitulated to Babylon the Great, the God of
All Comfort assures His people, "I have
reserved to Myself seven thousand men, who have not bowed the knee to the image of
Baal" (Romans
11:4). The transformation of Professed Christianity
into Babylon the Great must accelerate as the Man of Sin must shortly be revealed.
"But evil men and seducers shall wax worse
and worse, deceiving, and being deceived"
(2Timothy 3:13).
Though Christ's free gift of salvation is offered to the world-- and "few there be that find it" (Matthew 7:14)-- apparently even fewer have an "understanding
of the times, to know what Israel [i.e., the
Godly] ought to do"
(1Chronicles 12:32). [See our articles, "An
Earnest Appeal to Roman Catholics, Or, Roman Catholicism Examined in Light of the
Scriptures" and "Babylon
the Great (Part 2), The Reformation and the Church of Rome",
for an exposition of Rome's doctrine and history.]
How could this degeneration take place for the Professed Church, if the Godly continue
to "grow in grace, and in the knowledge
of our LORD and Saviour Jesus Christ"
(2Peter 3:18)?
Obviously, the Professed Church has ceased to grow, but has become "as a backsliding heifer"
(Hosea 4:16).
The command of the Holy One-- "Be ye holy;
for I am holy" (1Peter
1:16)-- has been minimized or sinfully ignored,
i.e., "Christians aren't perfect-- just forgiven". As the Saints became
"weary in well doing" (Galatians 6:9), instead of reproving the "unfruitful
works of darkness" (Ephesians
5:11), they opened their arms of fellowship
to Babylon the Great in the name of Unity and Christian Love. But, "what saith the Scripture?"
(Romans 4:3). "Shouldest thou help the ungodly, and love them that
hate the LORD? therefore is wrath upon thee from before the LORD" (2Chronicles 19:2).
Billy Graham: His Early Life and Ministry
utside of the Pope, one of the best known names of
the modern Christian culture is that of Billy Graham-- William Franklin Graham, Jr.--
born in 1918. "For unto whomsoever much
is given, of him shall be much required"
(Luke 12:48).
At the age of 16, Billy Graham made a public profession of faith in the LORD Jesus
Christ, under the preaching of Baptist evangelist, Mordechai Ham (1877-1961). "Even a child is known by his doings, whether his
work be pure, and whether it be right"
(Proverbs 20:11).
In 1936, Graham briefly attended Bob Jones College (now Bob Jones University of Greenville,
South Carolina [USA])-- founded by Bob Jones, Sr. (1883-1968), Fundamentalist evangelist--
citing an inability to adjust to Bob Jones campus life as his reason for leaving. "Can two walk together, except they be agreed?" (Amos 3:3). He then transferred to Florida Bible Institute (now Trinity College).
At this time, he began his life-long membership in the Southern Baptist Convention.
Graduating in 1940, he then entered Wheaton College, where he also graduated; and,
in 1943, he married Ruth Bell (b. 1920), daughter of missionaries to China and Korea. "For this cause shall a man leave father and mother,
and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh" (Matthew 19:5).
During his early ministry, Billy Graham became a well known evangelistic figure among
the Fundamentalist, Bible preaching churches of America, but still not a byword to
America's religious mainstream. "A good
name is rather to be chosen than great riches, and loving favour rather than silver
and gold" (Proverbs
22:1). From 1945 to 1948, Graham assisted Torrey
Johnson, organizing rallies and speaking for the Youth for Christ organization. "If ye continue in My Word, then are ye My disciples
indeed" (John
8:31). In 1947, William B. Riley (1861-1947)--
ardent Fundamentalist, who fought the drift of the Northern Baptist Convention into
Modernism's Social Gospel-- persuaded Graham to accept the leadership of Northwestern
Schools in Minneapolis, Minnesota [USA]. "Confidence
in an unfaithful man in time of trouble is like a broken tooth, and a foot out of
joint" (Proverbs
25:19).
After all, in 1948, at the annual convention of the fundamentalist 'Conservative
Baptist Association', Billy Graham was asked: "What
do you expect the World Council of Churches to do this August when you visit Copenhagen?" Graham replied, "I
believe they are going to nominate the Anti-Christ"
(from Ian R. K. Paisley's "Billy Graham and the Church of Rome" [1970],
p. 46). Contrast that to Graham's 1974 statement at the International Congress on
World Evangelization in Lausanne, Switzerland: "I
have nothing but the warmest of relations with the World Council of Churches" (from Dr. Bert Oately-Willis' "Billy Graham: The Facts"
[Toronto Free Presbyterian Church]). "No
man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or
else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon" (Matthew 6:24).
1949-- A Year of Decision for Billy Graham
et an excerpt from a biography of Billy Graham, "Billy
Graham and the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association - Historical Background",
prepared by the staff of the Billy Graham Center Archives at Wheaton College-- since
1980, the designated repository for the papers of Graham and the records of the Billy
Graham Evangelistic Association (BGEA)-- inform us of the sudden transformation
of Billy Graham at the close of 1949. "Within
evangelical and fundamentalist communities in America, Graham was quite well known.
At the end of 1949, he suddenly came into national prominence. An evangelistic campaign
Graham was leading in Los Angeles resulted in the dramatic conversion of a local
underworld figure and a prominent disc jockey, among others. The newspaper magnate,
William Randolph Hearst, for reasons unknown, ordered his publications to 'puff Graham'
and other newspapers around the country followed suit. The campaign, planned for
three weeks, lasted seven. Next, Graham went to Boston for a scheduled series of
campaigns and again the results were spectacular. He then went on to Columbia, South
Carolina, where he met publisher Henry Luce, who was impressed with the evangelist
and had articles about him written for his publications, Time and Life magazines." "Woe unto you,
when all men shall speak well of you! for so did their fathers to the false prophets" (Luke 6:26).
The Way of Balaam
ut, why identify the name
of the wicked prophet, Balaam,
with that of Billy Graham, a Bible preaching evangelist?
A thoughtful evaluation of the ministry of Billy
Graham will reveal that Billy Graham has been mightily used of Satan to break
down the walls of separation between the Godly and the ungodly. "And ye shall be holy unto Me: for I the LORD am holy,
and have severed you from other people, that ye should be Mine" (Leviticus 20:26). It will also reveal that Billy Graham's most effective
work for Babylon the Great has been that of masquerading as a Bible believing evangelist--
doing "the work of the LORD deceitfully" (Jeremiah 48:10)-- seducing unwary Pilgrims into laying aside the "Sword of the Spirit"
(Ephesians 6:17)
in the name of Christian Love and Unity. If the Pope had approached the Bible-Believing-Evangelical-Community
with the need for Ecumenical Unity in previous generations, he would have been viewed
with suspicion-- on account of the corruptions of the Medieval Catholic Church, the
terrors of the Inquisition, the wicked absurdity of Papal infallibility, etc. "Ye shall know them by their fruits" (Matthew 7:16). [See our articles, "Babylon
the Great (Part 1), The Purpose and History of Babylon the Great",
for a discussion of Balaam's relationship to promoting Israel's Baal worship.]
But, when Billy Graham, who is supposed to be a respected leader of the Bible-Believing-Evangelical-Community,
calls for Love and Christian Unity with the Church of Rome, i.e., Babylon
the Great, it becomes palatable to the rank and file. "Woe
unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light
for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!" (Isaiah 5:20). Though Billy Graham is only one of "many antichrists"
(1John 2:18)--
for he opposes the necessity to "come
out of" Babylon the Great (Revelation 18:4), which is
the antichristian Church of Rome-- he does prepare the way for the False Prophet
and the Antichrist. "For he that biddeth
him God speed is partaker of his evil deeds"
(2John 11). [See our article, "Babylon
the Great (Part 3), The Ecumenical Movement and the Church of Rome",
to trace the prophetic significance of the False Love and Unity of Ecumenism.]
A Chronology of the Compromise of Billy Graham With Babylon the Great.
1966, December 6th. A National Council of Churches-- or, the National Council
of the Churches of Christ in the U.S.A., Inc., which is "the
largest ecumenical body in the United States, with a membership of about 40 million" (Britannica CD 99)-- committee invited Billy Graham to
speak at a December 6th luncheon. Dr. Graham said, "We
need to remind ourselves of such scriptures as Paul wrote to the Corinthians, 'Wherefore come out
from among them and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing,
and I will receive you.' [2Corinthians
6:17] Now some people have interpreted that
verse to mean the National Council-- that you're to come out and touch not the unclean
thing. (Laughter) That's not the meaning there, the meaning is paganism-- the evils
of the world. Indeed we're to go into the world, and mingle with the publicans and
sinners but we're not to participate in the moral and social evils" (from Ian R. K. Paisley's "Billy Graham and the Church
of Rome", pp. 27-28). Concerning Graham's mocking of spiritual separation, "Fools make a mock at sin" (Proverbs 14:9). Ian Paisley wisely assessed that the purpose of the Ecumenical
Movement is the final union of all churches with Babylon the Great. "Without a doubt the aim of both the National Council
of Churches in America, and the World Council of Churches on the international level
is the final unity of all churches with the Roman Catholic Church" (Paisley, "Billy Graham and the Church of Rome",
p. 25). Concerning Babylon the Great, "a
whore is a deep ditch; and a strange woman is a narrow pit" (23:27).
1967, November 21st. Belmont Abbey College, a Roman Catholic school in Belmont,
North Carolina (USA), climaxed the week long program of its Institute for Ecumenic
Dialogue-- "designed to promote understanding
among Catholic and Protestant clergymen"--
with the presentation of an honorary degree of doctor of humane letters (D.H.L.)
to Southern Baptist evangelist, Billy Graham. "The
gospel that built this school and the gospel that brings me here tonight is still
the way of salvation," Graham assured
his audience of 1,700 Protestants and Catholics (from an article, "Belmont Abbey
Confers Honorary Degree" by Paul Smith, taken from the "The Gastonia Gazette"
[North Carolina] November 22, 1967). "I
marvel that ye are so soon removed from Him that called you into the grace of Christ
unto another Gospel" (Galatians
1:6).
1968, July 5th. In the magazine "Christianity Today"-- founded in
1955 by Graham, his father-in-law L. Nelson Bell, and others "to present the evangelical viewpoint to theologically liberal
Protestant pastors" (from "Billy
Graham and the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association - Historical Background"
of the Billy Graham Center Archives at Wheaton College)-- Graham spoke of cooperation
with the Church of Rome, saying, "I don't
think we have all to unite and be one big church to do the work of God, but there
are areas where we can cooperate" (from
Dr. Bert Oately-Willis' "Billy Graham: The Facts" [Toronto Free Presbyterian
Church]). Billy Graham was speaking of willingness to cooperate with Babylon the
Great, i.e., to have "fellowship with
the unfruitful works of darkness" (Ephesians 5:11). This step
in Graham's disobedience formed part of a gradual slide away from any kind of Scriptural
separation. "But the Word of the LORD
was unto them precept upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon
line; here a little, and there a little; that they might go, and fall backward, and
be broken, and snared, and taken" (Isaiah 28:13).
1977, June 3rd. "Would Billy Graham
conduct a crusade at the Vatican? If a place were made available and Christian leaders
in Rome wanted him to, he might. No campaign in Catholicism's capital is on the evangelist's
calendar now, but his five-day crusade last month
[May 1977] on the Notre Dame University Campus
proved he is not afraid to go deep into Roman Catholic territory. It also showed
that many elements in the once hostile Catholic community are now receptive to Graham's
type of ministry. Graham's sermons were of the type that audiences around the world
have heard, with only a few more references to such Catholics as Bishop Fulton Sheen
and Mother Teresa of Calcutta" (from "Christianity
Today" June 3, 1977). Even King David would have to disagree with Billy Graham's
unscriptural evangelism. "4 I have not sat with vain
persons, neither will I go in with dissemblers [pretenders]. 5
I have hated the congregation of evil doers; and will not sit with the wicked" (Psalm 26:4-5). When Billy Graham began to refuse to keep his evangelistic
crusades from being sponsored by the enemies of the Gospel of Christ, then he openly
surrendered his ministry to the Devil. "Enter
not into the path of the wicked, and go not in the way of evil men" (Proverbs 4:14). Billy Graham forgot that only the methods of the LORD
could properly promote his ministry. "6 For promotion cometh neither
from the east, nor from the west, nor from the south. 7 But God is the Judge: He putteth down one, and setteth
up another" (Psalm
75:6-7).
1978, January. In an interview given to "McCall's Magazine" Graham
said, "I used to believe that pagans in
far off countries were lost going to hell if they did not have the Gospel of Jesus
Christ preached to them. I no longer believe that. I believe that there are other
ways of recognizing God through nature for instance and plenty of other ways
of saying 'yes' to God". But, Dr. Graham,
what happened to the Gospel necessity of turning solely to Jesus Christ in
faith? "Neither is there salvation in
any other: for there is none other name under Heaven given among men, whereby we
must be saved" (Acts
4:12). The Billy Graham Evangelistic Association
later issued a statement citing Graham as saying, "On
the whole I am pleased with the accuracy of the article
(McCall's)... a few statements unfortunately
convey meanings which I never intended. This may be due to my own failure to make
myself as plain as I should have". However,
in the same McCall's article, Graham said, "I've
found that my beliefs are essentially the same as those of orthodox Roman Catholics...
we differ on some matters of later church tradition".
Notice how the difference between Graham and the universal Church of Rome is admittedly
nonexistent. "Ye adulterers and adulteresses,
know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore
will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God"
(James 4:4). The
Scripture telling of the degeneration of evil men, i.e., Billy Graham's departure
from salvation by faith alone in Christ Jesus, must also be true. "But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving,
and being deceived" (2Timothy
3:13).
1979, September. "The Christian Courier" of Milwaukee, Wisconsin
published the following report on their recent Milwaukee Crusade: "Sister Maureen Hopkins, Director of the Ecumenical and Interfaith
Commission of the Milwaukee Roman Catholic Archdiocese, and a liaison member of the
Crusade committee, reported that 120 people have volunteered within the Catholic
community to help her with the task of contacting each of the 3,500 inquiries. Sr.
Maureen received the names and telephone numbers from the Crusade Committee, based
upon the inquirers indication of leaving a Catholic background on his inquiry card...
All 3,500 were immediately invited to a Eucharistic celebration which was held on
August 16 at St. Theresa's Church in Milwaukee. The mass was attended by more than
400 people. The primary purpose for the mass was to remind the inquirers that their
commitments to Christ should be nurtured within the sacramental framework of the [Catholic] church." "Woe be unto
the pastors that destroy and scatter the sheep of My pasture! saith the LORD" (Jeremiah 23:1).
"Christianity Today" for September 7,1979 pointed out that "Graham had sent a team member almost a year before
the Crusade to conduct a seminar on the working of the Crusade for Milwaukee [Catholic] priests
and lay workers". Pastor John Ashbrook
writes, "It is a tragedy that 3,500 decision
cards were turned over to the Roman Catholic Church, but, it is a worse tragedy when
you realize that it did not 'happen,' It was planned by the world's best-known evangelist" (from John Ashbrook's "Billy Graham's Catholic Connection").
"Woe unto him that buildeth his house
by unrighteousness" (Jeremiah
22:13).
1979, September 27th. On the eve of the Papal visit to the United States in
1979, The Religious News Service produced a September 27,1979 dispatch which quoted
Billy Graham as follows: "The visit of
Pope Paul II to the United States is an event of great significance not only for
Roman Catholics, but for all Americans-- as well as the world... In the short time
he has been Pope, John Paul II has become the moral leader of the world. My prayers
and the prayer of countless other Protestants will be with him as he makes his journey" (from John Ashbrook's "Billy Graham's Catholic Connection").
"When thou sawest a thief, then thou consentedst
with him, and hast been partaker with adulterers"
(Psalm 50:18).
And, "They that forsake the Law praise
the wicked: but such as keep the Law contend with them" (Proverbs 28:4).
1980, January/February. Alan Cairns recorded that, "DR.
GRAHAM HAILS THE POPE AS 'THE GREATEST RELIGIOUS LEADER OF THE MODERN WORLD.'" Billy Graham wrote this in a lengthy article in the "Saturday
Evening Post" of January/February 1980, referring to John Paul II as "one of the greatest moral and spiritual leaders of
this century" and "an evangelist" who
"sought to speak to the spiritual hunger
of our age in the same way Christians throughout the centuries have spoken to the
spiritual yearning of every age-- by pointing people to Christ" (from Alan Cairns' "Billy Graham and His Bible"
[Greenville, South Carolina-- in association with the Toronto Free Presbyterian Church]).
When the Professed Church begins to believe such lies as Graham wrote for the "Saturday
Evening Post", then the Scripture is rejected. "Let
not an evil speaker be established in the Earth: evil shall hunt the violent man
to overthrow him" (Psalm
140:11). Also, the Scripture is spurned that
declares, "I am a companion of all them
that fear Thee, and of them that keep Thy Precepts"
(119:63).
1981. Billy Graham "met the pope
for the first time, and was the first Protestant to speak at the North American College,
a seminary for students from North America at the Vatican" (reported from "Roman Catholic- Evangelical Cooperation"
at ReligiousTolerance.org-- an unscriptural website, i.e., "tolerant of all religious beliefs, accurate in our writing,
and inclusive", run by two "Unitarian Universalists", one "Wiccan" [witch], and one "liberal
but unaffiliated Christian"). "Come [quickly], LORD Jesus"
(Revelation 22:20).
Billy Graham's toleration of wickedness is the essence of his sin, i.e., hypocritical
love. "Let love be without dissimulation [literally, hypocrisy].
Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good" (Romans 12:9). Any tolerance of that which is known to be evil, in the name of
being balanced, fair, inclusive, etc. is a devious means of stripping the
Saint of his holiness. "Wherefore come
out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the LORD, and touch not the unclean
thing; and I will receive you" (2Corinthians 6:17). When the
very word "tolerance" can be used as a weapon against the Godly, then the
enemy has come in like a flood. But, "when
the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the LORD shall lift up a standard
against him" (Isaiah
59:19). Amen, and Amen!
1984, February 9th. John Ashbrook, pastor of Bible Community Church in Mentor,
Ohio, reported that the Lake County (Ohio) "News Herald" of February 9,
1984 printed a headline stating: "Graham's Help on Vatican Ties". The article
was an Associated Press release: "A spokesman
for Billy Graham confirms that the evangelist played a behind-the-scenes role in
President Reagan's decision to establish formal diplomatic relations with the Vatican,
a newspaper reported yesterday. Early in 1983, Graham was asked by the president
and adviser William Clark to make informal, private inquiries among evangelical Protestant
leaders about likely response to such an action, said Donald Bialy, media director
for the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association in Minneapolis. A copy of the seven-page
letter that the Baptist evangelist sent to Clark was obtained by the Chicago Sun-Times,
which quoted Graham as saying, 'If anyone can do it and get away with it, it is Mr.
Reagan.'" Concerning the sinful overture
of the United States to the Vatican, "Righteousness
exalteth a nation: but sin is a reproach to any people" (Proverbs
14:34). And concerning America's departure
to Rome, "My people have committed two
evils; they have forsaken Me the Fountain of Living Waters, and hewed them out cisterns,
broken cisterns, that can hold no water"
(Jeremiah 2:13).
1989, June 8th. Commenting on a highlight of his life, Billy Graham offered
this anecdote about a 1989 meeting with Pope John Paul II: "There was a pause in the conversation; suddenly the Pope's
arm shot out and he grabbed the lapels of my coat, he pulled me forward within inches
of his own face. He fixed his eyes on me and said, 'Listen Graham, we are brothers'" (from "Today" June 8, 1989). "Make no friendship with an angry man; and with a furious man
thou shalt not go" (Proverbs
22:24). And, "Take
ye heed every one of his neighbour, and trust ye not in any brother: for every brother
will utterly supplant, and every neighbour will walk with slanders" (Jeremiah 9:4).
1995, June 2-8. "The European" reported, "DR.
GRAHAM SENDS HIS ENQUIRERS INTO ROMAN CATHOLICISM, EASTERN ORTHODOXY, LIBERAL PROTESTANTISM,
ETC." This has been a consistent policy
since Billy Graham's early evangelistic days. "His
name and address and a lot of information about him is taken and within 24 hours
that is sent to a minister of the church of his choice regardless of denomination" (from an interview with Graham in the "U.S. News and
World Report" of August 27, 1954). "But
whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for
him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the
depth of the sea" (Matthew
18:6). Why has Billy Graham done this? Like
Balaam, Billy Graham "loved the wages
of unrighteousness" (2Peter
2:15), i.e., the acceptance of man, the success
of man, the materialism of man, etc. But, the "deceivableness
of unrighteousness" (2Thessalonians
2:10) caused Billy Graham to believe the lie
that he has done all of this for Jesus Christ. In the end, Billy Graham has no one
to blame but Billy Graham. "Neither is
there any creature that is not manifest in His sight: but all things are naked and
opened unto the eyes of Him with whom we have to do"
(Hebrews 4:13).
1997. In Billy Graham's autobiography, he made clear that his goal was not
to lead people out of Roman Catholicism: "My
goal, I always made clear, was not to preach against Catholic beliefs or to proselytize
people who were already committed to Christ within the Catholic Church. Rather, it
was to proclaim the Gospel to all those who had never truly committed their lives
to Christ" (from Billy Graham's autobiography,
"Just As I Am", p. 357). "3 If any man teach otherwise,
and consent not to Wholesome Words, even the Words of our LORD Jesus Christ, and
to the doctrine which is according to Godliness; 4 He is proud, knowing nothing, but doting about questions
and strifes of words, whereof cometh envy, strife, railings, evil surmisings, 5 Perverse disputings of men
of corrupt minds, and destitute of the Truth, supposing that gain is Godliness: from
such withdraw thyself" (1Timothy 6:3-5).
1997, January. Larry King interviewed Billy Graham, and he easily induced
Graham to make statements applauding the Pope and the Church of Rome.
Billy Graham's self-admitted "fellowship" with
Mormonism and Catholicism makes him a "partaker
of [their]
evil deeds" (2John
11). "Have
no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them" (Ephesians 5:11). However, no amount of historical proofs or Scriptural
texts will convince you of the blackness of Billy Graham's compromise or the present
nakedness of the Professed Church, if you are unwilling to receive it. "If any man will do His will, he shall know
of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of Myself" (John 7:17). In fact, that
so few of the Professed Church can understand Billy Graham's compromise and oppose
it, demonstrates that the "coming of the
LORD draweth nigh" (James
5:8). For, "when
the Son of Man cometh, shall He find Faith on the Earth?" (Luke 18:8).
1997. David Frost interviewed his long time friend, Billy Graham. Frost noted
the change that took place in Graham from the early days of his evangelistic ministry
to the present.
It has become more humanistically expedient and
acceptable for Billy Graham to now say, "I
don't know" than in his early Fundamentalist
days-- and later-- when his oft used expression was, "The
Bible says". "Horror
hath taken hold upon me because of the wicked that forsake Thy Law" (Psalm 119:53). The certainty of a "plain
path" (27:11) from the LORD directed by a "more
sure Word of prophecy" (2Peter
1:19) has now been replaced by the same uncertainty
possessed by those who perish. "17 This I say therefore,
and testify in the LORD, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the
vanity of their mind, 18 Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life
of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart" (Ephesians 4:17-18). True Christians have the Infallible Scriptures-- "16 All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable
for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: 17 That the man of God may
be perfect, throughly [thoroughly] furnished unto all good works" (2Timothy 3:16-17)-- while Babylon the Great has only an "infallible" Pope.
"For their rock is not as our Rock, even
our enemies themselves being judges" (Deuteronomy 32:31).
1999. With Parkinson's disease, Billy Graham is now more of a university chancellor,
watching over the vast expanse of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association (BGEA)--
with his son, William Franklin Graham III (b. 1952), already positioned as his father's
successor at the BGEA. "26 And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth
them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand:
27 And the rain
descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and
it fell: and great was the fall of it" (Matthew
7:26-27). Sadly, Billy Graham still presents
himself as the affable senior statesman of Evangelical Christianity, admired by the
world religious community, but he has yet to repent of his adultery with Babylon
the Great. "Behold, I will cast her [Jezebel, i.e., Babylon the Great] into a bed, and them that commit adultery with her into great tribulation,
except they repent of their deeds" (Revelation 2:22). Perhaps
the Amazingly Merciful God would allow Billy Graham to be cast into the Tribulation
Week (Daniel 9:27)
to gain his repentance. "When He slew
them, then they sought Him: and they returned and enquired early after God" (Psalm 78:34).
On Separating Obedience From Love, And Truth From Unity
rue Christian love responds to the Father that sent
His "Only Begotten Son" (John 3:16), to the "Greater Love" (15:13) of the LORD Jesus Christ that laid "down
His life for His friends" (15:13), and to the "Love of the Spirit"
(Romans 15:30)
that pursued us with the "Great Love wherewith
He loved us" (Ephesians 2:4). The only right response of the Saints to the Love of God is loving
obedience. "For this is the Love of God,
that we keep His Commandments: and His Commandments are not grievous" (1John 5:3). The Body of Christ
must be taught that obedience to the Word of God is the demonstration of a heart
of love from a True Saint. "He that hath
My Commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth Me: and he that loveth Me
shall be loved of My Father, and I will love him, and will manifest Myself to him" (John 14:21).
If the Body can be somehow persuaded that Christian Love can be separated from Obedience,
then the way of the Antichrist can be prepared so that no heed need be given to the
warning that damnation will come to all those who receive the Mark of the Beast.
"9 And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice,
If any man worship the Beast [the Antichrist] and his image, and receive his Mark in his forehead, or
in his hand, 10
The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without
mixture into the cup of His indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and
brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb" (Revelation 14:9-10).
Further, if Christian Unity can be separated from Truth, then the lack of obedience
to the "Word of Truth" (Ephesians 1:13) will breed a False Christian Unity-- in the name of "that they may be one" (John
17:11)-- free of the restrictions of the Word
of God. But, "Sanctify them through Thy
Truth: Thy Word is Truth" (17:17) was the high priestly prayer of the LORD Jesus Christ in Gethsemane,
understanding that True Christian Unity only comes from submission to the Truth of
the Word of God. "13 Till we all come in the Unity of the Faith, and
of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature
of the fulness of Christ: 14
That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with
every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they
lie in wait to deceive; 15
But speaking the Truth in Love, may grow up into Him in all things, which
is the head, even Christ" (Ephesians 4:13-15).
Once Truth has been divorced from Christian Unity, then it is unnecessary to discriminate
if the one who enters Jerusalem to seat himself in the "temple
of God, shewing himself that he is God"
(2Thessalonians 2:4)
is really Jesus Christ or simply the Antichrist. The stage has been set for the advent
of that Antichrist, for the predicted Apostasy-- falling away from Obedience to the
Truth of the Word of God-- that precedes the Man of Sin is well under way (and, speeding
to completion). "2 That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither
by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the Day of Christ is at
hand. 3 Let no
man deceive you by any means: for that Day shall not come, except there come a falling
away first, and that Man of Sin be revealed, the Son of Perdition" (2Thessalonians 2:2-3).
Conclusion
he LORD Jesus Christ had His John the Baptist. "For this is he that was spoken of by the prophet Esaias,
saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the LORD,
make His paths straight" (Matthew 3:3). The False Prophet
and the Antichrist also have their Balaam to prepare their way into the Tribulation
Week (Daniel 9:27)--
but, for their inevitable judgment at the conclusion of that Week. "And the Beast [the Antichrist]
was taken, and with him the False Prophet that
wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the Mark
of the Beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into
a Lake of Fire burning with brimstone"
(Revelation 19:20).
May God grant that Modern Balaam-- Billy Graham-- "repentance
to the acknowledging of the Truth" (2Timothy 2:25). But, whether
or not the Sovereign God should bestow mercy-- "Therefore
hath He mercy on whom He will have mercy, and whom He will He hardeneth" (Romans 9:18)-- upon Billy Graham, may the True People of God "judge righteous judgment" (John 7:24)
by separating from Babylon the Great. "Come
out of her, My people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive
not of her plagues" (Revelation
18:4).
.
Parts
The History of Protestantism ---New Window
by J. A. Wylie
FROM THE LEIPSIC DISPUTATION TO THE DIET AT WORMS,
1521.
Volume First - Book Sixth ---New Window
"Unless with all your hearts you abandon the Papacy, you cannot save your souls.
The reign of the Pope is so opposed to the law of Christ and the life of the Christian,
that it will be safer to roam the desert and never see the face of man, than abide
under the rule of Antichrist. I warn every man to look to his soul's welfare, lest
by submitting to the Pope he deny Christ. The time is come when Christians must choose
between death here and death hereafter. For my own part, I choose death here. I cannot
lay such a burden upon my soul as to hold my peace in this matter: I must look to
the great reckoning. I abominate the Babylonian pest. As long as I live I will proclaim
the truth. If the wholesale destruction of souls throughout Christendom cannot be
prevented, at least I shall labor to the utmost of my power to rescue my own countrymen
from the bottomless pit of perdition." -Martin Luther
An Earnest Appeal
to Roman Catholics ---New Window
Or, Roman Catholicism Examined in Light of
the Scriptures
by Tom Stewart
"We would have healed Babylon, but she is not
healed: forsake her"
(Jeremiah 51:9).
---New Window
---New Window
Big Chart
- The tribulation timeline displayed all at once.
Index - An in-depth index of
all topics displayed on the Big Chart, but in small chart form.
Print - It is recommended that
you print out the Big Chart, to help you see an overview easier, and for future reference.
Section Index for Timeline
Readers are permitted and encouraged to copy and freely share this article with others.
.
Homepage Holy Bible
.Jehovah Jesus
Timeline .Prophecy Philadelphia Fellowship Promises Stories Poetry Links
Purpose ||.What's New
|| Tribulation Topics || Download Page || Today's Entry
Topical Links:
Salvation || Catholicism || Sound Doctrine || Prayer
Privacy Policy
.