nicknamed America's pastor Billy Graham died on Wednesday February 21 2018 at
the ripe age of 99 a farm boy from North Carolina and a Southern Baptist minister
pastor Graham has become the most widely known the most widely listened to the
most widely watched the most widely respected and the most widely loved
Christian evangelist in the history of the world which is really quite an
accomplishment during his career as a Bible preacher pastor Graham preached to
over 215 million people in more than 185 countries through the gracious influence
of the Holy Spirit Billy Graham influenced millions to believe in the
Bible as the Word of God in Jesus Christ as the only way to heaven and in
salvation by grace through repenting of one's sins and having simple faith in
the merits of Jesus Christ's sacrificial death on the cross at White Horse media
we want to affirm the tremendous good that God has done through Billy Graham
and we join others in praying for his surviving family who are grieving his
loss but in the light of the fact that pastor Billy preached from the Bible for
over 80 years we want to clarify one point yes just one point from the good
book itself one of Billy's most famous sayings which is now being quoted on
radio on television on major news networks and on social media around the
world is this Billy said quote someday you will read or hear that Billy Graham
is dead don't you believe a word of it I shall be more alive than I am now I will
just have changed my address I will have gone into the presence of God is this
really true is Billy Graham right now in the presence of God looking down on us
shockingly the Bible itself says no the Bible says that Billy Graham is not
in heaven right now but he is truly dead he is sleeping peacefully awaiting the
resurrection so let's have a little Bible study to prove these points from
1st Thessalonians chapter 4 verses 13 to 18 in verse 13 the Apostle Paul wrote
this quote but I do not want you to be ignorant brethren concerning those who
have fallen asleep lest you sorrow as others who have no hope the context here
is that Paul was writing to a group of new believers in Jesus Christ who lived
in the ancient Roman province of Thessalonica those believers had
recently lost loved ones who had died and they were very confused about this
about whether they would ever see their dead loved ones again so Paul sought to
clarify the facts because he doesn't want believers he didn't want them and
he doesn't want us to be ignorant about this very topic the word ignorant means
to be unaware or to be misinformed according to Paul in 1st Thessalonians
chapter 4 verse 13 when a person dies that person has fallen asleep but that's
not the end which is why he continued and said lest you sorrow as others who
have no hope it's a sad fact that many people in this world who lose a loved
one they have no hope of ever seeing that person again the future looks very
very dark and dreary and dismal they're sad they sorrow and they think that's it
it's all over but Paul clarified that when a true Christian dies even though
their remaining loved ones are sad which is totally understandable
we have a wonderful hope in the next few verses Paul explains exactly what that
hope is in verse 14 Paul continued if we believe for if we believe that Jesus
died and rose again even so God will bring
with him those who sleep in Jesus the core truth of the Bible and of
Christianity is that Jesus Christ died and rose again this is the center of the
Christian faith now look closely Paul said if we believe that Jesus died and
rose again even so which means in the same way God will bring with him which
means God will bring with him up from the grave those who sleep in Jesus Paul
here again clarified that dead believers sleep in Jesus when a person is asleep
they have no idea what's happening around them if you don't believe that
just take a look at a sleeping person you can talk to them but they can't talk
back to you do they know what you are doing no they don't because they are
asleep it's the same with a dead person they are unconscious they're out like a
light they are truly dead just like Jesus was truly dead they're not in
heaven in the presence of God looking down on us right now Paul then explains
exactly what the future holds to give us hope in verse 15 he says for this we say
to you by the word of the Lord that we who are alive and remain until the
coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep in other
words the living won't precede the dead and go to heaven first and neither will
it be the other way around the Dead will not precede the living and go to heaven
first and the next two verses Paul makes it very clear that the sleeping Dead and
the grieving living will both go to heaven at the same time when Jesus
Christ returns here's the proof in verse 16 Paul wrote for the Lord Himself will
descend from heaven with a shout with the voice of the Archangel and with the
trumpet of God and the dead in Christ will rise first
here Paul said that those who even Jesus if they died he said they're
dead but they are dead in Christ and when Jesus returns the dead in Christ
they will rise in verse 17 Paul said then in other words then when Jesus
returns then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in
the clouds to meet the Lord in the air and thus we shall always be with the
Lord so the word there is together will be caught up together with the dead in
Christ and we will all go up to meet Jesus in the air and we will then always
be with the Lord in these verses Paul is very very clear again he said that we
meaning the dead in Christ and the remaining living we shall be caught up
together when Jesus comes down from the sky that's when we get to meet the Lord
and that's when we shall always be with the Lord again in other words we get to
be with Jesus not instantly when we die but when he returns at his second coming
which - sleeping unconscious dead people will seem just like a few seconds just
like a short nap then it's time to wake up
verse 18 concludes with these words therefore comfort one another with these
words during this time of loss for the grand
family for many others who loved Billy Graham it is our hope that all who loved
him and all who trust his life into the hands of loving of a loving God will be
comforted and will comfort one another with these words from the words of the
Holy Bible if you would like to learn more about what the Bible really teaches
about death burial and resurrection we recommend our little easy-to-read pocket
book entitled solving the mystery of death now available from Whitehorse
Media I'll close with the words of an old Saint on his deathbed he said if you
miss me don't dis me I may have to rest on the clay but when I hear the trumpet
sound I'm coming out of the cold cold ground
hallelujah may that wonderful day come soon