Thousands of people turned up for a free Franklin Graham event in London on Saturday night, exceeding the venue's capacity.
Some 15,000 people joined the event inside, filling the ExCel Centre to capacity, while another 2,000 had to be turned away but stayed to worship outside the building, said organiser the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association (BGEA).
The event on Saturday night was part of Graham's ongoing God Loves You Tour which has already taken him around numerous cities in the UK, including Glasgow, Birmingham and a previous stop in London.
Saturday night's event was supported by worship artists Michael W Smith, CeCe Winans and The Afters.
Hundreds came forward in response to an invitation to accept Christ, including many young people.
Graham preached a message of hope anchored in God's love as he expressed concerns about the state of the world with wars in Ukraine and the Middle East, and tensions between China and Taiwan.
“Since I last preached here in London two years ago, the world seems to be one step closer to Armageddon,” he said.
He continued, “Many people feel hopeless, and they’re asking is the world running out of time? Many of you who have come tonight feel hopeless.
"You begin to wonder if the world will fall apart. You can come to the One who can turn that around, and that is the Lord Jesus Christ—God’s Son.
"The Bible says that God so loved the world He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life.”
Saturday night was the culmination of a number of events hosted by local churches and supported by the BGEA in the run-up to the ExCel event.
Over 2,000 young people across the UK attended Pursuit — the BGEA’s youth-focused events designed to encourage young believers in Jesus Christ.Rebecca Pretorius, a youth leader at Freedom Church, Colchester, said 14 young people had committed to Christ during their Pursuit event. They came on Saturday night and brought non-believing friends with them.
“There’s fire. There’s an ember there, and it’s catching light," said Pretorius.
