What Is the World Coming to?

You can prepare now for whatever may come. Hear Billy Graham talk about the end times in this 1986 message from Washington, D.C.
“World events are moving very rapidly now. I pick up the Bible in one hand, and I pick up the newspaper in the other. And I read almost the same words in the newspaper as I read in the Bible. It’s being fulfilled every day round about us.”
― Billy Graham

From our archives, the Billy Graham classics.
I want you to turn with me to Luke the 20 first chapter verses 25 through 28 Luke 21.
And there shall be signs in the sun and in the moon and in the stars and upon the earth, the stress of nations with perplexity, the sea and the waves roaring men’s hearts failing them for fear.
And for looking after those things which are coming on the earth, for the powers of heaven shall be shaken and then shall they see the son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.
And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up and lift up your heads for your redemption drive.
Now I want to call your attention to two words in that 25th verse and there shall be signs in the sun and in the moon on the stars.
In other words, signs and outer space and upon the earth. At the same time, there will be distress.
That word distress means press from all sides of the nations with perplexity. That means no way out.
Pressures will be so great that no one sees any way out.
Is there any hope as we look at the future of our world?
Think of the things that have happened In the last 150 years, 130 years ago, man could not travel any faster than a horse could run.
That’s all. Look at the world today.
When I was born, I was born on November VII, and four days later, they heard it in Europe and stopped the war.
That’s what my father used to say.
And another one started in North Carolina.
But be that as it may look at the things that have happened in my lifetime.
When I was born, there was no such thing as radio.
I can remember the first set we had, it was a crystal set that my father had made and there was only one station on the air K D K A in Pittsburgh.
And my father would uh fix that thing up and hear something saying.
He said that’s it. Now, that was radio.
In my lifetime, automobiles hadn’t been on the scene too long and a freeway was unheard of the only freeway we had was two ruts and you had to fight the fella coming towards you to see which rut you were going to use.
And up in the mountains where we lived, there wasn’t any paved roads or where we went to visit because we were born in the Piedmont section And the television.
I remember the New York World’s fair. I was already preaching at that time in 1939.
One year before the, well, just a few months before the war was to break out.
And you see, this was called the Christian century when we would have peace and utopia up on the world with social justice.
What happened in just a few years?
We had two world wars that slaughtered millions and millions of people and disrupted the life of the whole planet.
And it looks like we’re building up toward another war.
God forbid, because if we ever have another one, that could be the last war because it could be Armageddon the last war of history.
But in this passage, they were pressed from all sides and it seemingly there was no hope.
And that’s the question that is haunting people everywhere.
Today, people pick up their morning newspapers and see the headlines and they’re asking the question, what is the world coming to millions of people all over the world today are desperate to know what the future holds.
And it’s interesting to me that the scientists are telling us and they’re speculating and the sociologists are speculating and psychologists and psychiatrists are speculating the farmers out in Minnesota and I was speculating, everybody is speculating, what does the future hold.
But somehow the church is almost silent and yet there’s so much in the Bible about the future, what the future holds.
God has a plan for the future.
Computers are used on a massive scale to predict the future in the midst of pessimism gloom and frustration of the present hour.
I want to tell you today, there is a hope and that hope is in the fact that Jesus Christ is going to come again.
Yes, there is hope.
Jesus said, if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again.
Now he had been to the cross and shed his blood for our sins.
Because the Bible says, we’ve all sinned and come short of the glory of God. We’re all under condemnation.
We’re all facing judgment. We’re all sitting under the sword of Damocles and we all need redemption.
We all need forgiveness. Billy Graham needs forgiveness.
I don’t want justice in my life with God. I want mercy, forgiveness.
I don’t deserve heaven. I don’t deserve to have my sins forgiven.
But God is a God of grace and love and mercy and grace means something you don’t deserve.
And He offers His grace to every one of us, whatever the color of our skin, whatever our background.
And he says, I love you, I love you, I love you.
I love you so much that I was willing to give my son on the cross to die for you.
And Jesus Christ died for us and God laid upon him all of our sins and we’re going to go to heaven because of what Christ did on that cross, but he rode, but he also rose again.
And then after he had died on the cross and risen from the dead and ascended back to the father.
The disciples stood there looking at him as he was ascending.
And I believe that the cloud that the Bible describes was really a cloud of angels that had come to take him back and escort him back as they escorted him that first Christmas night and he ascended and the disciples were standing there with tears in their eyes.
Their master was going, Jesus was going away from them back to the heavenly father.
And two men in white apparel stood beside them, two great angels and said to them, you men of Galilee, why do you stand here gazing into heaven?
This same Jesus that you see going into heaven shall so come in like manner he’s coming back.
And it was the fact of the resurrection and the coming again of Christ that they went out to turn the world upside down.
That was their motivation they had within them, the hope that death and hell had been conquered and that someday there was going to be peace and justice in the world without hope.
The world could not go on.
Emil Bruner was a great theologian in Switzerland and a wonderful friend of ours and a great encourager to me as a preacher.
And he once said, what oxygen is to the lungs such as hope to the meaning of life.
Nobody can live without hope. John F.
Kennedy once said it remains to be seen whether civilization would be mended before it’s ended.
Winston Churchill’s favorite American song was my eyes.
Have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord that we heard a moment ago.
And the great creeds of the church teach it the nice see creed that I heard over and over again in the Soviet Union said in those great orthodox cathedrals and the people would be standing and they would say the nicene creed and it says in the nicene creed, he shall come again with glory to judge both the living and the dead.
He’s coming again. Then secondly, Jesus left signs of his coming.
People are always asking me at press conferences. They say, do you believe Jesus Christ is coming again?
I say, yes, they said, do you know when?
No, I don’t know when I tell them that Jesus warned against speculating on dates.
It could be tonight. It could be a million years from now. I don’t know.
I only know one thing I’m to be faithful in the job he’s called me to do.
Now, I’ll talk about that in a minute.
But in Matthew 24 the disciples were sitting at the Mount of Olives in Peter James, John and Andrew.
And they asked three questions of Jesus recorded in Matthew 24.
They said, when shall these things be, what shall be the sign of your coming and what shall be the sign of the end of the age, not the end of the world, just the end of an age, an age that’s dominated by evil that will come to an end.
Matthew Mark and Luke differ slightly, but a condensation of a much longer discussion Is found in Matthew 16 and in Luke 21 so forth.
And in Matthew 16, it says when it’s evening, you say it’ll be fair weather for the sky is red and in the morning, it will be foul weather today for the sky is red and oh, you hypocrites, you can discern the face of the sky, but you cannot discern the signs of the times and in that brilliant little parable, what Jesus was saying was this in the realm of scientific observation.
Man is tremendously brilliant, but in the realm of spiritual awareness, he’s astoundingly ignorant.
We live in a world of maddening complexity in an age of doubt and upheaval in a generation which has lost its bearings and lost its way as we scan the face of the contemporary skies.
What do we see another missile blows up yesterday, I wrote a book on the four horsemen of the Apocalypse and during the study in preparation for that book, so I learned a great many things.
Those four horsemen are predicted by the Lord Jesus Christ in this 24th chapter, Matthew, because the first horse has to do with false Christ, false religion, the devil, the devil never seems to run out of Caliphates, Counterfeit Christ today.
Did you know that I read in a paper some time ago that there are over 400 people in Los Angeles alone.
That claim to be the messiah false religion everywhere. You can find that.
I’m sure here in Washington and then the second thing was the Red Horse wars and rumors of wars.
And certainly I don’t have to emphasize that rumors of war everywhere.
And then 3rd horse is the black horse and that stands for famine.
And in this century, think of it in this century of plenty and all the wealth of this century, more people are starving than probably any other period in the history of the world.
Millions of people starved to death last year in Africa alone.
Thank God for those organizations and those groups that were helping those people.
And then there was the Pale horse. In spite of all the advantages of modern medicine, Pesticides.
The 20th century has had tremendous epidemics.
The prospect of man made diseases for which we do not have any resistance is a horrible prospect.
AIDS is only the beginning. And we keep reading in the paper that maybe they’re on the verge of discovering something to help aids.
I hope so. I pray so. I feel sorry for those people that have it.
But if we don’t find an answer to it.
We are told that millions of people will have it in the next five years.
It’s spreading like wildfire, but that’s just one think of others.
We haven’t even heard of yet that are on the way. That’s the pale horse.
So we see these horses galloping riding toward us with all their devastation, with all their ability to destroy the world that we know.
And it all comes as the judgment of God.
But it’s also God speaking to us in love and saying, turn to the cross like those people that had been bitten by snakes out in the desert.
Those Israelites, it said turn to the serpent of brass and be saved. Those that turned were saved.
Those that did not were lost. There’s nothing about a brass serpent that could heal them.
It was by faith doing what God said do and that’s something man doesn’t want to do because man is a rebellious person.
We don’t want to obey God’s laws. We don’t want to do what God says.
We do not want to act like the good Samaritan and go out and help our neighbors that are suffering.
We don’t want to love certain people.
We consider them beneath us or inferior to us or something else.
We don’t want to love them.
And yet the scripture teaches that we are to love and that love is to be the dominant feature if you were to follow Christ.
Now, the scripture has a great deal to say about signs.
Many more signs like the loss of fervent love in the church.
That’s the reason we need revival in the church today because of iniquity shall abound.
The love of many will grow cold.
The Bible says, and then as in the days of no, they were eating and drinking and marrying and giving and marriage.
In other words, there was immorality and break up of marriages and homes breaking up.
And Jesus said, it’s going to be that way again just before my coming and then the proclamation of the gospel.
He says, this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached into all the world for a witness to all nations.
Then shall the end come? For the first time in history, we have the ability now by radio, by television, by the printed page to carry the gospel to every person in the whole world and it’s being done.
Jesus said that would happen just before he returns.
That’s one of the signs we had to look for. I never dreamed.
In 1950, 1959, Grady Wilson and I sat in Lenin Stadium in Moscow, beautiful stadium and they were cleaning it up and there was music playing and the music playing was Rosemary Clooney singing and we pray oh God, if it be thy will help us to come someday to the Soviet Union and preach the gospel.
I prayed it, but I didn’t believe it I never dreamed that God had a plan that someday we would preach the gospel in various parts of the Soviet Union.
But God in his own providence worked it out.
The gospel of the Kingdom shall be preached in all the world.
You know, when took over China, there were about two or three million Christians according to Time Magazine.
Do you know how many believers there are there today?
Without any missionaries, between 30 and 50 million God has been working mightily.
He’s not dependent on us, us Americans.
God works through all the people and we’re going to have a now what is going to be the results of the coming of Christ?
Well, first of all, there’s going to be an examination man will be accountable to God at the judgment exam time.
Like the old grandmother and the little boy said to his friend said, what in the world is your grandmother doing?
She was reading her Bible said she’s cramming for exams.
And one of these days, a lot of us are going to be cramming but it may be too late.
The Bible says in Isaiah 51, the everlasting joy shall be upon their heads.
They shall attain gladness and joy and sorrow and mourning shall flee away. Is there any hope?
Yes, there’s tremendous hope for those who put their trust and their faith in Jesus Christ.
Do you know Him? Are you sure that you know Him?
Have you received him into your heart.
There’s a challenge to the fact that he’s coming again.
First, we had to be pure in first John three.
It says every man that had this hope in him purified himself.
And then secondly, we can be patient watching to watch implies not only to believe that he will come, but to desire that he would come to be often thinking of his coming and to be always looking for it, Paul wrote looking for that blessed hope and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Savior Jesus Christ.
And then we are to be prepared.
Therefore, be y ready for in such an hour.
You think not the son of man coming and then we had to be occupied.
The greatest motivation for service among believers today is the fact that Jesus Christ is coming again and that we have hope and we’re living in a world without hope.
Are you ready?
You said, well, Billy, what would I have to do to get ready?
Because I want to tell you something we talk about the end of the world.
Do you know when the end of the world can come for you?
It may not be the coming of Christ.
Like I’ve just explained the moment you die. That’s the end of the world for you.
That’s the end of the world for you.
You enter another world, heaven or hell and you travel to one of those two places by a broad road that leads to destruction and the narrow road that leads to heaven.
Which road are you on? Jesus said, behold, I stand at the door and knock.
If any man hear my voice and open the door, I will come to him and will suck with him and he with me.
In other words, come in and eat with me.
He said he has his arms outstretched and he says, I want you to come to me.
I want to forgive your sins. I want you to know that you’re going to heaven when you die.
Are you sure of that? Are you certain of that?
What do you have to do first, first repent of your sins?
It’s very simple and yet very difficult too.
It means that you say to God, I have sinned, I’m sorry for my sin.
Will you say that?
And then you say God with your help, I can’t do it alone but with your help, I’ll turn from my sins.
I’ll quit. I’ll change courses. I’ll change roads, but I’ve got to have your help.
I can’t do it alone. He’ll help you if you mean it.
And then you turn by faith. Now, notice I said by faith.
Now faith means commitment and it means that you’re willing to follow him and serve him in total commitment to him.
Everything else in your life becomes secondary.
Christ is first, Jesus demands that you believe enough to come to the cross and say, Lord, I need you.
And I believe you’re my only hope you come and make your commitment to Christ today.
You see this crusade in which thousands of people that you don’t even know all over the world have prayed for you.
They didn’t know your name, they didn’t know your problem.
They didn’t know your need, but they’ve been praying.
Many countries have been praying for this Washington crusade. You may be a member of the church.
You may be a good member of the church.
You may be an office in the church, but deep in your heart, you’re not sure that you’re ready to meet God.
You’re not sure that you know Christ as your Lord and master and Savior, you’re not sure that you’re totally committed to him.
I’m going to ask you today to take that first step and say I do want to be committed because you see, after you come to Christ, there’s a lot more to following Christ than I’m able to tell you this afternoon.
It’s a lifetime of learning growing doing and it’s an exciting time.
Even in the midst of suffering, there can be joy in the midst of tears.
There can be a smile with Christ in your heart and your name written on the Book of Life.
If I didn’t know that my name was written on the Book of Life, I don’t believe you could drag me out of this stadium this afternoon.
Till I was sure I’m going to ask you to do something that you’re going to be a little timid about.
It’s going to be easy, but it’s going to be hard.
I’m glad it’s hard because it was hard when you look at Jesus on the cross for you, I’m going to ask you to get up out of your seat right now and come and stand here on the field and just say by coming, I open my heart to Christ.
I want him to come in and forgive me and change me. I want to be ready for that moment.
When I must meet him. Everyone in prayer.
As people are making this great decision, there’s still time for you to make your decision for Christ.
And as Mr Graham has just told you, call the number on your television screen and talk with one of our counselors.
If the line is busy, just wait a few moments and call again, we’ll be there as long as the calls keep coming in.
If you just prayed that prayer with my father, or if you have any questions about a relationship with Jesus Christ, I would just call that number that is on the screen.
There’ll be someone there to talk with you, pray with you and answer those questions and remember God loves you.
If you would like to commit your life to Jesus Christ, please call us right now.
Toll free at 18777724559. That’s 1877772 45 59.
Or you can write to us at Billy Graham one, Billy Graham Parkway Department C Charlotte, North Carolina 28201.
Or you can contact us on the web 24 7 at peace with God dot TV.
We’ll get the same helps to you that we give to everyone who responds at the invitation on behalf of Franklin Graham and the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association.
Thank you for watching and thank you for your prayers tonight.
I am glad to tell you as we close that the Lord Jesus Christ can be received, your sins.
Will give us the Billy Graham library is a place for all walks of life to recharge reflect, renew your faith and dang.