Billy Graham's Legacy Echoes Through Eternity

MONTREAT, N.C. -- Evangelist Billy Graham passed away this morning at 7:46 a.m. at his home in Montreat. He was 99. Throughout his life, Billy Graham preached the gospel of Jesus Christ to approximately 215 million people who attended one of his more than 400 crusades, simulcasts and evangelistic rallies in more than 185 countries and territories. He also reached millions more through TV, video, film, the internet and 34 books. Graham provided spiritual counsel to presidents, and his evangelistic crusades and gospel preaching brought him into contact with many world leaders and influencers, including multiple American presidents, Martin Luther King, Jr. and Queen Elizabeth II. In 2001, he comforted the world when he spoke at the National Cathedral in Washington, following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. At three global conferences held in Amsterdam (1983, 1986, 2000), Graham gathered some 23,000 evangelists from 208 countries and territories to train them to carry the message of Jesus Christ around the world.

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Graham always stayed true to his simple message of hope in Jesus Christ. At his final crusade in June 2005 at Flushing Meadows Corona Park in New York, he said, "I have one message: that Jesus Christ came, he died on a cross, he rose again, and he asked us to repent of our sins and receive him by faith as Lord and Savior, and if we do, we have forgiveness of all of our sins." During the week of his 95th birthday in 2013, Graham delivered his final message via more than 480 television stations across the U.S. and Canada. More than 26,000 churches participated in the My Hope project, making it the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association's largest evangelistic outreach ever in North America. Graham's grave marker will read, "Preacher of the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ." "There were a few times when I thought I was dying, and I saw my whole life come before me..." said Graham at his Cincinnati Crusade on June 24, 2002. "I didn't say to the Lord, 'I'm a preacher, and I've preached to many people.' I said, 'Oh Lord, I'm a sinner, and I still need Your forgiveness. I still need the cross.' And I asked the Lord to give me peace in my heart, and He did-a wonderful peace that hasn't left me." "Billy Graham's promotion to heaven today is a reminder that one person who is totally and humbly surrendered to the Lord can have an incredible eternal impact on the world. Billy Graham's legacy will echo through eternity," said Mat Staver, Founder and Chairman of Liberty Counsel.

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