Anne Graham Lotz: I Believe We Are Living at the End of Human History (Interview)
WASHINGTON — The daughter of world-renowned evangelist Billy Graham, Anne Graham Lotz, is calling on Christians to evangelize, warning that America is experiencing the last stages of God's judgment before the end of human history.
Speaking to a gathering of pastors at the Family Research Council's 2016 "Watchmen on the Wall" conference on Capitol Hill Thursday, Lotz, the founder of AnGeL Ministries, discussed the "urgency to reach the lost," emphasizing that this is a critical time for believers to lead others to Christ before they are forced to live an eternity separated from God in Hell.
Lotz, who has authored a number of books including The Daniel Prayer: Prayer That Moves Heaven and Changes Nations, sat down with The Christian Post for an interview following her speech and elaborated on her belief that her generation will not pass before the return of Jesus Christ, and her warning to Americans that the transgender bathroom debate reveals the country is in the last stages of God's judgment.
Below is an edited transcript of CP's interview with Lotz:
CP: In the prayer during your speech, you said the evangelical community seems distracted. What did you mean by that?
Anne Graham Lotz: [It's] distracted by [focusing on] a man or political party to get us out of this mess.
I think the pastor who just followed me [on stage,] [Jack Hibbs of Calvary Chapel in Chino Hills, California,] put it in context when pastors preach the Gospel and pastors pray and pastors hold up the light and the truth, then they turn their people loose. God can lead us to get involved in whatever way that God chooses.
I believe that we need to be involved. I'll vote. But that is just not where my hope is. It distresses me that evangelicals are referred to not by the Gospel, not their love for Jesus or their love for eachother. They are referred to as a voting bloc. Now, that may be media spin, I understand that. I feel like media wouldn't be spinning [and] evangelicals wouldn't be coming on to represent other people in that [way] if there wasn't something there.
CP: In the beginning of your speech, you provided an update about the status of your 97-year-old father. You talked about how you feel God may be keeping your father alive for some reason and it might have something to do with the return of Jesus. Could you explain that thought?
Lotz: My father's life is very unique. His life in ministry will never be equaled. The fact that he is still on this planet at 97 years of age, that is not an accident. God is not whimsical and He does everything very intentionally. The fact that my father is still here, God is holding him for a reason.
So, one of the things that I thought, possibly — only God would know — when my father goes to Heaven, one more time, the Gospel will be preached to the whole world. Every news outlet, I would think, they won't be able to talk about Billy Graham without talking about the Gospel, I wouldn't think unless they do contortions.
So then, Matthew 24:14 says, "Then the end will come." "The Gospel that will be preached will be preached to the whole world." And so maybe, God is holding him for that particular moment in time for things that will happen at the very end of this age.