"For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord." 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17.
With the Second Coming of Christ close at hand, evangelist Billy Graham is urging people to commit their lives to Jesus Christ -- without delay.
An individual simply known as "K.G." wrote into the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association asking the 97-year-old preacher, "How bad is the world going to have to get before God finally steps in and Jesus comes back? I get very concerned when I see all the evil things that are happening in the world today. Are we living in the last times?"
In his reply published in the Kansas City Star on Tuesday, Graham wrote: "The Bible warns us against making precise predictions about the exact time of Jesus' return, but his return is certain, and we may well be living in the last days before he comes again. The Bible says, 'The night is nearly over; the day is almost here' (Romans 13:12).
The evangelist explained that prior to his return to heaven, Jesus told his disciples that the Gospel must be preached throughout the world (Mark 13:10) before His Second Coming.
"Never before has this been possible, but now it is, through radio and the Internet and other modern means of communication," Graham wrote.
Jesus gave another sign of his return: Satan's final attempt to halt God's work through a massive onslaught of evil, the evangelist contended.
"Our world is no stranger to evil; Satan has always been working to stop God's plans," he said. "But God's enemies now have access to modern weapons of mass destruction, and no one can predict what the outcome will be. Jesus said, 'You will hear of wars and rumors of wars. ... Nation will rise against nation' (Matthew 24:6-7)."
The ultimate question individuals must ask themselves, however, is, "Am I ready for Christ's return?"
"You can be, by turning to him and putting your faith and trust in him," Graham concluded. "Don't take his warnings lightly, but commit your life without delay to Jesus Christ."
As reported by The Gospel Herald, Graham was named among the ten most admired men in America for the 59th time. The evangelist first made Gallup Poll's Most Admired Men list 59 in 1955 and has appeared on the list more than any other individual.
In honor of Billy Graham's 97th birthday in November, his son, Franklin Graham, explained that while his father is no longer able to preach due to physical complications related to Parkinson's disease, his mind is clear, and his passion for sharing the Gospel is as strong as ever.
"His desire is still there to tell the world about God's love for them and how God sent His Son, Jesus Christ from heaven to earth to take the sins of all mankind to the cross, die, and arise on the third day," Graham wrote. "My father's desire is that all men and women everywhere would come to know Jesus Christ as their personal Savior and trust Him and follow Him as their Lord."
