Chris wallace and bret baier. Brett, i wanted to bring you in here as we have now seen the president has made his way ther there. Its this is a special moment for this country as we say goodbye to a religious leader that touched the lives of so many millions of people around the world. But also offered guidance to multiple president s, 12 to be exact. He met with every president through barack obama since world war ii. He met donald trump in 2013 when he wasnt president. Point out as the family gets ready to move into the tent here, President Trump and the Vice President met with the family today. Billy graham lost his wife in 2007, married 64 years. They had three daughters, two sons, 19 grandchildren and several great grandchildren. Harris was referencing the text on the gravestone, as you see the casket there being taken by the pallbearers. All members of his family. The text on the grave marker will say john 14 6 for the reverend billy graham. His wife ruth graham died at 87, her grave marker quotes a construction sign she saw on the side of the road, selected her marker. End of construction, thank you for your patience. A bit of a sense of humor. You are right, the reverend billy graham touch to this countrys life arguably more than any single religious figure in this country. And clearly had an impact on president s for many years. Sandra he will be buried next to her as he requested. Chris wallace, you are standing by as well. We are watching his family members, the pallbearers. All family members of billy graham, some sons and some soninlaws. Making his way to the tent there. I think one of the things we want to look at today as we watch the services that in a sense it is Billy Grahams last crusade, having died at the age of 99. He knew this day was going to, and didnt fear it at all. He said he looked forward to meeting god and to dealing with him facetoface and especially being reunited with his beloved wife ruth. He also planned this funeral, an awful lot of what you are going to see today was part of what billy graham wanted to transmit to the nation as a kind of final crusade. He had been an evangelical leader since the 1940s. Back in 1949, an eight week crusade at the canvas cathedral. A tent set up at los angeles, that really put him on the mark as something nobody ever seen before, this kind of an evangelical preacher who offered enormous crowds a path of salvation through jesus christ. He considered that crusade around the world, 200 Million People, 185 countries around the world. One of the things he very much wanted for this funeral was to continue spreading the message of the gospel of jesus christ and its no coincidence that they are holding it in a tent which is one more case of billy graham, his last time in a canvas cathedral spreading his message. Sandra as we look at the life picture of those in attendance, we can also see a live look at the president looking on. After Billy Grahams death, the president responded we will all miss him, he was a great man. This was someone the current president got to meet and spend some time with as well. He reflected on that in his remarks on the Capitol Rotunda as billy graham laid in honor there. This president has not shied away from the pros of referencing religious faith. It evangelical see this president does something they can identify with especially when it comes to the key issues they care about. Billy graham met donald trump in 2013. There you see Franklin Graham, his son, and ruth bell graham. They have taken the baton of the ministry and move forward, saying that their father has inspired them to continue to try to help this country come to cultural and moral state that they felt and still feel the country is falling away from. Sandra you are reminded of the other day when we saw the casket of billy graham carried up the steps of the capital till i am and honor in the rotunda, in , and honor only a few private citizens of had. Much like we are seeing now where we are all coming together to celebrate somebody who had such a huge, profound impact on this country and around the world. There is no question, he is one of the giants of the 20th century. I dont think there is another religious leader in this country, obviously in a international you talk about the pope and leaders of other religions but as an american evangelical leader he was one of the great spiritual figures of the 20th century. I want to talk a little bit about his relationship with president s, he was very close with a lot of politicians early in his ministry, he is one of the people who persuaded Dwight Eisenhower to run for president which gives you a sense of how enormously powerful he is. He continues to be very close to president s over time. In early 2002, some tapes came out of him talking with richard nixon, the nixon tapes, in which he said some things he very much regretted. Marie was talking earlier about the fact that he was not above looking and learning from mistakes that we all as human beings make and he thought he had gotten too political and in the last years of his life and ministry, he stayed away from politics in much more of a purely spiritual message because he felt that perhaps was divisive and not something a preacher should be involved in, getting too close to politics. Harris im listening right now, we have the program before us and we can tell you what is coming ahead. The scripture will be read shortly from now, everybody is seated. The president of the United States and the first lady and Vice President. This moment with this music is so, so deep and soulful. We know how much a part of the evangelical movement of this particular spiritual leader was so important. Bret baier, we talk about how reverend graham was politically neutral but it also speaks to the issue that sometimes politics blend with other things, like faith. We should point out as we were watching this, reverend graham was adamant that the word didnt have to do with white or black and he came up in time where that obviously was a central issue of the civil rights era. And he was one of the ones leading the charge on some of the speeches he gave. Chris mentioned Dwight Eisenhower. He was the first president that reached out to billy graham for counsel before he sent troops. Dwight eisenhower said that billy graham is one of the best ambassadors of our country, but graham turned around and told him i am ambassador to heaven. He did try to keep himself out of the daytoday politics. Each president up until this current president really had some aspect of counsel from billy graham. Harris as he looked up and brought forth those notes, it takes us back to to a time in r nations history where it took faith and christianity from every corner of the United States, and this was a man who was willing to do that. Even in the tough times, to continue to say that jesus was the way and christianity is the way. Up next weve got david bruce who is the executive assistant to billy graham. He will give the welcome is the gospel continues. We see somebody who works on a daytoday basis. Chris wallace, you are still with us. Maybe a final thought as you get ready for the program here. I want to followup on this idea of civil rights. In the 1950s, civil rights was a very fraud issue. The evangelical Movement Space was in the south where it was especially fraught. Billy graham, and this was quite a brave and daring thing for him to do, insisted that in his crusade the audience had to be completely integrated. Blacks and whites sitting together, no barriers one to the other. And service of thanksgiving and celebration for the life of William Franklin graham jr. , better known to the world as evangelist really graham. The preacher of the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. For more than eight decades, mr. Graham preached the good news of the gospel. In it he spoke the very words of jesus who said himself, i am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live. Who shall ever live and believe in me shall never die. I never know that my redeemer h and he shall stand and though this body be destroyed, yet shall i see god. While who i shall see for myselt as a stranger. It is certain we can carry nothing out, the lord has given, the lord has taken away. Blessed be the name of the lord. Our service continues as mr. Grahams longtime pastor, pastor of the First Baptist church of spartanburg, south carolina, read scripture and leads us in prayer. Mr. Graham had a profound and deeply spiritual conviction concerning the word of god, the bible. He loved the bible. It governed how he lived and it governed how he died. He believed that the bible teaches us the truth about god in christ. One of the passages he requested that i read at his Funeral Service speaks most eloquently to the life and testimony of our beloved mr. Graham. I am reading to you, verse four through nine. But god being rich in mercy, because of his great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trust trespase us alive together with christ. And raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in christ jesus. So that in the ages to come, he might show the surpassing riches of his grace in kindness toward us in and through the Lord Jesus Christ for by grace you have been saved through faith and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of god. Not as a result of works so that no one may burst. Would you join me as we pray together . Our god and our father, we lift high the name of the Lord Jesus Christ today, recognizing that you alone are lord. You are god, you created us and your purpose for us would be through the love of god in christ jesus, we would be reconciled to a holy and a righteous god. Mr. Graham would want us most desperately today to think of nothing other than lifting higher than name of the Lord Jesus Christ, his lord and savior. We gave you all praise and all glory. And as we celebrate the life of your servant, we pray oh god that you would bless us today, that you would speak to us in our hearts and that we as a people would rise up and to be determined to live lives that would be well pleasing in gods sight, just as mr. Graham did. We pray these things in the wonderful name of the Lord Jesus Christ and for his sake alone, amen. As we continue this wonderful celebration, let me ask you to join as we sing great coronation him all hail the power of jesus name. Stand as we continue to rejoice. All hail the power of jesus name let angels prostrate fall bring forth the royal and crown him lord of all bring forth the royal diadem, and crown him lord of all o seed of israels chosen race now ransomed from the fall, hail him who saves you by his and crown him lord of all hail him who saves you by his grace, and crown him lord of all oh, that with all the sacred throng we at his feet may fall well join the everlasting song and crown him lord of all you dont know how funny it makes me feel to sit here and look at my house. And my husband and i just had an argument about which room was mine. Thank you all for being here. You are here because you are loving. But you dont love him like i do. And you havent loved him as long as i have. When the president s army today, he said my goodness, your family has good genes. He didnt know that my name is jean. [laughter] my brother billy, my sister catherine, my brother melvin and i grew up here in this house, we learn the hard, we learned to love the lord. We learned to pray. We learned to love the scriptures. And thats never left any of us. My other brother and sister have gone on and i was reminded when i heard that my brother died of the song the choirs used to sin sing, heaven came down and filled my soul with glory. On february 21st, heaven came down. And took my brother for me. One day, heaven will come down and take me. And i know what he would want me to say today. Heaven is coming again. And would like to take you also. I am the eldest, i tell people that i dont want to be called the oldest or eldest of the family, i want to be called the one that daddy loved the longest. I read many articles, ive seen things on television, the cards so many have written, there are so many adjectives have been given and they are also wonderful. I wanted to read something, theres a little girl that was born many years ago on a faraway country. And she i dont believe had probably ever heard of charlotte, north carolina, but she was born many years ago, a long time away. Her parents had taught her to pray, even at that early age, that god was prepared for her. There was a little boy here in charlotte milking cows every morning and every afternoon and he had no idea that there was a little girl praying for him in china. Mother, many years after that wrote she was about 13 when she wrote this little poem and i couldnt think of any adjectives that have been said that could do better than this poem and i want to share this poem that many of you have maybe heard or heard quoted but it is worth doing it again. 13yearold girl, remember. Dear god, i prayed all unafraid as we are inclined to do. I do not need a handsome man, but oh god let him be like you. I do not need one big and strong or are so very tall, nor need he be a genius or wealthy lord at all. But let his head be high, dear god. And let his eyes be clear. His shoulders straight, but ere his earthly sphere. But oh god, let his face have character and a ruggedness of soul. And let his whole life show, dear god, singleness of gold. And when he comes, as he will come with those quiet eyes aglow, ill understand that hes the man i prayed for long ago. The lord answered every single one of those prayers that mother and many more. Of course that little girl, my sisters and my brothers and i called mom and the little boy was daddy. How grateful that god has brought them back together again for eternity. When i was a girl growing up, mother let us do family devotions every day. She read the bible and she prayed and that was that. When daddy was home he led in family devotions, he read the bible but he didnt just read it. My daddy would stop and make a comment, he would ask a question and we would discuss the scripture. My mother taught me by her example to love reading my bible every day and my daddy taught me by his example to think about what i was reading. So about ten years ago, 11 years ago when my mother went to heaven, my daddy started asking me to read him the bible. At first it was very intimidating and then it became such a joy and there were times when i would sit in front of my daddy, he was hard of hearing so i would sit in front of him, need to need, and he would ask me to give him a full 60 minute message. He never took his eyes off my face. Once in a while he would interrupt and ask a question or we would discuss it. But he loved to hear gods words. As he got weaker, we went from 60 minutes to 510 10 minutes bt the pattern was always the same. Whoever was in the house was called together around him, and we did that whether he was in the kitchen or his study or more recently when he was in his bedroom. People would gather around and i would read a passage of scripture. Before i did i would explain to him why i had chosen that particular passage of scripture. I dont need them, those are all kleenex. I may need them, actually. We would gather around and i would explain to him why i had chosen that passage of scripture and i would read the passage to him and i would always end by saying daddy, i love you. I want to do that this time, we are gathered around daddy and i want to read a passage of scripture but i want to explain to you why i have chosen this particular passage and the reason is this. I believe from heavens perspective, that my fathers death is as significant as his life. And his life was very significant. I think when he died, that was something very strategic from heavens point of view. I know that for the foundations of the world, february 21st 2018 was the day god chose to take my father home. I looked up what was significant about that day and i found out that february 21st, 2018 is the day of focus of scripture readings on the death of moses. He brought many people out of bondage of slavery, brought them to the edge of the Promised Land. Then god brought joshua to take them into the Promised Land and take them home. My father is a great liberator, he brought millions of people out of bondage to sin and god has called him home. Could it be that god is going to bring joshua, to lead us into the Promised Land, to lead us to heaven. You know the new testaments name for joshua . Its jesus. I believe this is a shot across the bow for heaven. I believe god is saying wake up, church. Wake up, world. Jesus is coming. Jesus is coming. And jesus says, when the gospel is preached to the whole world as it is today, jesus said it best. When the gospel is preached to the whole world, then the end will come. I would like to read to you, beginning with verse 13, i will read it the way my mother taught to me. Then i will read it to the way my daddy taught me and i will make a comment here or there. It says i do not want you to be ignorant, falling asleep is just the physical term for when gods children die. Falling asleep is when you close your eyes to this life and open them to the face of jesus. I dont want you to be ignorant concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow and others who have no hope. If you believe jesus died and rose again, and i do, even so god will bring with him those who sleep in jesus. For this we say to you about the word of the lord, this is not fantasy, not wish, this we say to you about the word of the lord. We who are alive and remain, by no means precede those who sleep. The lord himself will descend from heaven with a shout for the trump of god, thats my daddy, thats my mother, thats my husband. You and i who are alive and remain will be caught up together. And thus we shall always be with the lord. Therefore, comfort one another with these words. This is the comfort. There is hope for tomorrow. This life is not overcome of the best is yet to come. I want to make a pledge for my daddy. I pledge to you today, in front of all these witnesses, i will preach the word. I will do the work of an evangelist, i will share the gospel and i will run my race and live my life so that 5 minutes before i see jesus, i have no regrets. I will live my life to exalt and glorify the nam