Billy Graham Tells Universalist: Hell Is Real

Evangelist Billy GrahamBy Jennifer Riley | Christian Post Reporter – Apr. 06 2011 

Billy Graham, retired evangelist and spiritual counselor to U.S. presidents, stated plainly to a questioner with a universalist worldview that hell is real.

A questioner identified only as P.McN had contacted Graham and asked: “Why would a loving God send anyone to hell? I can’t reconcile the idea of hell with Jesus’ teaching about love. I’m not sure I even believe in hell anyway. Maybe everyone will be saved, even if they weren’t expecting it.”

The respected evangelical leader pointed the person to Luke 12:5, where Jesus says, “I will show you whom you should fear: Fear him who, after the killing of the body, has power to throw you into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him.”

“It may surprise you to discover that no one taught about hell or warned us against it more than Jesus – and we should take his words very seriously,” responded Graham, 92, to the questioner on the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association’s “Billy Graham’s My Answer” webpage on Tuesday. (more…)

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A Perspective on the Japan Earthquake

Cindy JacobsCindy Jacobs Newsletters – Prophetic Insight – Tuesday, 22 March 2011

 As one looks across the face of the earth today, it doesn’t take a large amount of spiritual discernment to see that things are shaking as has been prophesied over the past few years. Many voices, including mine, have spoken over what is known as the Rim of Fire nations, or the Pacific Rim. These are approximately 40 nations that ring the Pacific with some sort of volcanic activity. 

The tragedy in Japan brings this prophetic shaking starkly to the forefront of the news. Many are asking the question, “What is taking place?”

First of all, I know that we must stand in the gap and pray for Japan. The enormity of the loss and the intensity of what has transpired will continue to unfold, and it is hard to grasp with the natural mind. 
What do we know? God had warned us that shaking was coming. This doesn’t mean it was His desire for it to happen but that it was more of the biblical fulfillment that He doesn’t do anything without first warning through His servants the prophets (see Amos 3:7) In fact, I along with others prophesied volcanic eruptions would occur in the Pacific Rim. 

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Egypt, the great antagonist of Israel

Egypt, America, and IsraelEgyptA response to the unrest in Cairo by ICEJ Executive Director, Rev. Malcolm Hedding

February 1st, 2011

Egypt, but for brief moments in history, has always been a great antagonist of the people of Israel. This saga really began some 1700 years before Christ when Joseph was sold into slavery by his brothers, was wrongly accused and left to rot in an Egyptian jail. If it were not for God’s supernatural deliverance he would have perished there! His rise to power was phenomenal as was his leadership skills. He not only saved Egypt from starvation but he delivered his family and the known world as well and thereby guaranteed the existence of the Jewish people and the Messianic line of descent. If it were not for God’s supernatural deliverance Israel would have perished!

As time went by a Pharaoh arose “who knew not Joseph” and literally enslaved the Jewish people, murdered their babies and threatened the nation with extinction. God went before them and provided a deliverer in the person of Moses. He brought Israel out of Egypt with great signs and wonders by his hands. If it were not for God’s supernatural deliverance Israel would have perished!

When the children of Israel got to the Red Sea the Egyptians had them cornered. There was nowhere to go and so, once again, by a miracle, in response to Moses outstretched arm, the sea parted and Israel escaped unharmed on dry land. If it were not for God’s supernatural deliverance Israel would have perished at the hands of the Egyptians!

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Floods in Australia- Is it God, the devil, or a natural disaster? By Pr Daniel

Queensland FloodsPraying for flood victimsDear family and friends in Christ in Australia and around the World,

Many have asked Pr Daniel whether they could reprint or forward this article to others, so we are sending it again. Please feel free to do so in addition to the attached Christian Breaking News article from the Elijah List.

The above is a hot topic right now amongst many people, as Christians and non-Christians alike have been asking the question, “Is God punishing the people or is it simply a natural disaster?”
 
However, I have not personally heard many people ask the question, “Is it  the work of the devil?”
 
I am sure that even during the time of Noah’s flood many would have called it a natural disaster, until they all perished. We know this because when Noah warned the people as God’s spokesman, they did not receive his warning.  (Genesis 7:21-23)
 
Of course, there have always been many natural disasters throughout the world, but when the disaster is of the magnitude of what recently happened in Queensland, and when the secular media calls it ‘A Flood of Biblical Proportions’, we definitely need to take a good look and see whether this is more than just a natural disaster.
 
As I was recently getting my hair cut, my barber said to me, “Danny, I cannot understand why a loving God is punishing people.” My barber is a Christian, but does not go to church. In fact, I led him to the Lord a few months ago.
 
I promptly responded, “Suppose my daughter or son tell me that they are leaving home because they don’t like all the rules and regulations, but I tell them that the rules and regulations are because we love them and want to protect them from getting into trouble.  If they still choose to go, and I hear that they get into some trouble, would it be fair for them to blame me??”
 
He promptly responded, “NO.”

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Urgent – Message received regarding ‘Cyclone Yasi’ at CTFM Prayer Mtg

Christians united in prayerCyclone YasiDear family and friends in Christ in Australia and around the World,
 
This urgent  and very serious message came from the Lord at the prophetic intercessory prayer meeting today 2/2/11,  at Catch the Fire Ministries Apostolic Centre in Melbourne, (Hallam), Australia.
 
As around 50 intercessory prayer warriors met to prayerfully seek the Lord from 10am – 2pm at our ministry and church base regarding the crisis with Cyclone Yasi (expected to hit the North Eastern part of Queensland sometime soon), we were burdened with the ferocity and possible destruction of peoples lives, livelihoods, devastation of land, homes, and the intense repercussions this will have on our nation of Australia.

We worshipped the Lord in His holiness and then began to pray on our knees before the Lord around the map of Australia. Many prayed and began to beseech (cry out to) the Lord for this situation. As this happened, it became apparent that God was speaking and making His voice heard and Pastor Daniel began weeping and physically struggling as others prayed. Almost overcome, he shared the following with those God had gathered to pray, “God will not allow me to pray for the cyclone not to happen (for His protection) as He is making it clear to me that this is to happen… many will look to Him in their time of need and know Him. Hearts will become softened by the situation and many will cry out and know His salvation.”

Pr Daniel went on to state, “God just reminded me of the people of God how they refused to go to the promised land and were planning to stone Moses, Caleb & Joshua. They then wanted to elect a leader and go back to Egypt. How God wanted to lift His protection off them, so that they may be destroyed, but Moses got in the way and pleaded with God to protect them. God did protect them, but they never entered the promised land (Numbers 14 ).

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Tragedy, Judgment, Grace

Bill Muehlenberg of CultureWatchCultureWatch – 11.01.11 – Bill Muehlenberg’s commentary on issues of the day…

Whenever a major disaster or national tragedy breaks forth, a heated debate tends to arise within Christian circles. Opinions tend to be polarised, with two sets of extremes on offer. On the one hand are those who claim this is all the judgment of God, and people need to repent. On the other hand are those who argue that God would never do such things, and it is ridiculous to drag God into any of this.

From a biblical point of view, I tend to find both perspectives unhelpful. The truth is, we often simply do not know – and are not told – why a particular event happens. Are the floods in Queensland the direct and specific work of God, whether in judgment or for some other reason?

Who knows? I can’t say that it is or it is not. We simply cannot know for certain. So we need to be careful about rushing to judgment here. The truth is, when God acted in the Old Testament, he generally revealed his purposes in his actions. He would communicate his purposes to man, often through his prophets. Thus divine actions were explained by divine speech.

We now refer to this as speech acts. God acts, but he utters his intentions along with it. There are countless examples of this found in the Old Testament. For example, Yahweh says to Jeremiah, “When you tell these people all this and they ask you, ‘Why has the LORD decreed such a great disaster against us? What wrong have we done? What sin have we committed against the LORD our God?’ then say to them, ‘It is because your ancestors forsook me,’ declares the LORD, ‘and followed other gods and served and worshiped them. They forsook me and did not keep my law’” (Jer. 16:10-11).

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Prayer Rally on Victorian Parliament Steps a Great Success

100 Christians gather to pray at Victorian ParliamentChristians on their knees in repentance to the LordDear family & friends in Christ in Australia and around the World,

Firstly, We want to praise and thank our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ for stopping the rain just in time in downtown Melbourne, so that we could have the prayer meeting on the steps of Parliament. 

For those of you living out of Melbourne, there was heavy rain pouring down all night and early morning, but after we prayerfully asked our faithful Heavenly Father to stop the rain so that we could have the prayer meeting, He answered our prayers. Glory to God.

Around 100 Bible-believing God-fearing Christians from many churches, denominations & cultures dared the rain and gathered today Wednesday 12th January 2011 at midday at the Victorian Parliament steps in Melbourne to prayerfully repent and stand in the gap for our nation of Australia, particularly for the flood crisis in QLD and the fires in WA.

We thank and praise our prayer answering God that thousands more gathered around the country at the same time to bring our nation of Australia before the Lord’s heavenly throne of grace and mercy to seek Him to heal our land as in 2 Chronicles 7:13-14.

It was a very rare sight to witness around 100 Christians fall on their knees in repentance and prayer, kneeling right on the steps of the Victorian Parliament in full view of all the public in the city of Melbourne.

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Are the QLD floods the result of Kevin Rudd speaking against Israel?

Avigdor Liberman meets with Kevin Rudd in JerusalemDear family & friends in Christ,Flooding of Biblical Proportions

It is 11.50pm on Friday night the 7th of January.  You might wonder what I am doing in my office at this time.  Well we are all at the all night prayer meeting at the CTFM base.  We started the prayer meeting at 7.30pm and would be  finishing at 6am but this issue was so urgent, I thought I must  get the info out to you as soon as possible, so that we can repent on behalf of Australia.

Around 8pm on Friday night the 7th of January we had a strong prompting by the Holy Spirit to repent on behalf of Australia. As we started doing so, I was reminded that every time America went against Israel, there was disaster in the land and this has been documented over the years.

Then at once I was reminded of Kevin Rudd speaking against Israel in Israel on 14th December 2010.  It is very interesting that Kevin Rudd is from QLD.  Is God trying to get our attention?  Yes,  I believe so.

Also the Lord said to us, “ I will humble Australia and bring her down on her knees. As she has taken pride in my blessing, and man has taken the glory and not given it to Me”.

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