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Billy Graham

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arion:
I watched a bit of the service and if I was still in Christendom I would of been enthralled.  I have no doubt that Billy, his late wife and children do love the Lord with the limited understanding that they have and that we all had at one point.  But for them it still comes down to respond to an altar call and pray a prayer and presto chango your immediately saved.  I do wonder however as Billy approached the end of his life if he ever questioned any of the doctrines that he espoused.

For the heck of it I went to their website to look at their statement of faith.  In the past I would of seen nothing wrong with it and now error after error.  I.E.; 

We believe the Bible to be the inspired, the only infallible, authoritative Word of God revealing the love of God to the world.

Umm, the scriptures and not the bible are infallible otherwise what particular bible do they consider infallible?


We believe that there is one God, eternally existent in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit

Since when is the spirit of God a separate person from the Father and Son?  It's like introducing yourself to someone 'Hello, my name is Doug and this is my spirit Fred'.


....Furthermore we believe that God will reward the righteous with eternal life in heaven, and that He will banish the unrighteous to everlasting punishment in hell.

Did Billy believe at the end of his life that although God is love and love never fails but yet the God of loved he preached for 70 years is going to torture the vast majority of his creation in real fire for all eternity?  We are commanded to love our enemies but apparently by their theology God's love turns to incredible hatred when the sinner dies.  Did he still believe all that with no qualms? 


We believe in the resurrection of both the saved and the lost; the saved unto the resurrection of eternal life and the lost unto the resurrection of damnation and eternal punishment

What do they need a resurrection for because as they said in the service Jesus was already waiting for Billy and now Billy is alive and in heaven seated at Jesus feet?  How can a man serve God for 70 years and still believe all the contradictions?  It was a nice service with all the nice touches and accolades but I wonder how many of them have ever been confronted with the beast within and come face to face with the real enemy?  I'm glad that God has taught me some of these lessons on this side of the veil instead of on the other side in the 2nd resurrection.

Dave in Tenn:
And all those things make perfect sense as long as your eyes are clouded.  That's why they made perfect sense to me and others of us until they began to not make sense at all. 

I'd have to be a pretty hardhearted so-and-so to not acknowledge that there have been many individuals whose "present" lives (these lives as grass) have been positively effected through ministries such as Graham's--and even of others far worse than him, just as many were healed and raised from the dead before Pentecost. 

I also have to acknowledge that those whom the Lord is choosing/carving out/separating and undergoing Judgement in the Fire of God in this life as grass are not some breed apart, but come from (and out of) the masses represented and led by these preachers.  This is a strange work the Lord is doing and we had no real say in any of it.  Nor do we now.  It's all of Him.  Some know that, and many have yet to learn it.  But their salvation is as sure as yours and mine.

   

Wanda:
This is my second go round at being drawn to the truth, Im one blessed son of a gun. First it was as a JW, our slogan, "The Truth" we were Gods chosen people, heck he even gave us his name so there would be no doubt in our minds, and most importantly, signifying our seperation from the world. That's an honor of the highest importance, with expectations that were even higher. God fearing people, with lives devoted to serving him under very strict and rigid observance.  This was Gods will for me then, and it's his will for those still there.

It was by his grace I was given this indescribable freedom of his truth. Drawing from experience and God's word,  I feel a sense of sadness for those God has neither called or chosen. I just can't wrap my head around why he called me. I was no better than my fellow believer, and in some ways I was worse.

Who was Billy Graham?

A man who was respected by many, believers and non believers as well.
A man who never had one public report of imorality brought against him,  to bring shame and dishoner to himself or his family.
A man who believed he was doing the will of the Father
A man who lived a rather modest and simple life
A gentle and loving father and husband, inspired by his love and devotion to God.
A man who could only do the will of God
Because God willed it so.

I watched a video of Mr. Graham when he was 96. He was at his home, sitting in his wheelchair, speaking of his deep reflection into the things of God since retiring.  He had come to understand hell was not a litteral place of fiery torment, but rather a state of being cut off from God for eternity. He said he could not think of a worse torment than that.

He truly believed he was going home to God when he died. Maybe this was God's mercy and Mr. Graham's ignorant bliss.

Dave in Tenn:

--- Quote from: Wanda on March 03, 2018, 07:23:35 PM ---
Who was Billy Graham?

A man who was respected by many, believers and non believers as well.
A man who never had one public report of imorality brought against him,  to bring shame and dishoner to himself or his family.
A man who believed he was doing the will of the Father
A man who lived a rather modest and simple life
A gentle and loving father and husband, inspired by his love and devotion to God.
A man who could only do the will of God
Because God willed it so.

I watched a video of Mr. Graham when he was 96. He was at his home, sitting in his wheelchair, speaking of his deep reflection into the things of God since retiring.  He had come to understand hell was not a litteral place of fiery torment, but rather a state of being cut off from God for eternity. He said he could not think of a worse torment than that.

--- End quote ---

Some of those might be true, depending on what standard of measure you use.  Even the heathen can manage some of those.

I'll bet you if he had thought about it long enough, he could have thought of a worse torment than that.  That bit of twaddle is more at the heart of blaspheming God than what kind of "hell" you preach is.  "Hell light" might sound more pleasing to the ear than "Hell heavy" to a softhearted listener, but if "Separation from God for all eternity" (even though this is such an impossible a state as can enter the soft-headed imagination) is truly "the worst torment he could think of", then he has condemned himself with his own words.

He was as fine a man as many of the godless, an inspiring and influential minister of Satan preaching an impossible gospel, and he raised a son worse than himself.  I don't know what glories God may have revealed to him in the waning years of his thinking life, but if the above is the end of it, then that's not the end of it.



       

     

Wanda:
The saintly attributes are courtesy of the media,  and their porttraial  of him throughout his life.  I never followed his ministry,  and know zilch about the man he was. He could have been a wonenizer, child molester or drunk for all I know. I wasn't singing his praises,  just not judging him.

I don't know how much thinking went into that bit of twaddle, ☺ apparently very little.
Graham also believed there was life on other planets, and this one,  was the only one rebelling against God.

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