Last Chance

Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, Acts 16:31

It’s been 111 years since Titanic, the greatest ship of its time, sank on its maiden voyage, killing more than 1,500 passengers. The “unsinkable ship” had done the unthinkable. One of the unforgettable stories of the fateful event is of the Titanic preacher John Harper and his passion for saving souls.

On Sunday the 14th of April, 1912, the day when the iceberg was struck, Harper attended the church service for the passengers. His niece reported that later that afternoon she saw her Uncle speaking individually to people about their souls. It seems he was in the habit of seeking out the lost sheep wherever he went.

The Titanic struck the iceberg at 11:40 P.M. on April 14, 1912. One survivor distinctly remembered hearing him shout, "Women, children, and the unsaved into the lifeboats!" Harper knew that believers were ready to die but the unsaved were not ready. Harper then ran along the decks pleading with people to turn to Christ. As the ship began to lurch, he jumped into the icy waters and swam frantically to all he could reach, beseeching them to turn to the Lord Jesus and be saved.

Harper swam to the people one by one and asked them, “Are you saved?” One man later testified that he replied, No, I am not,' He replied, 'Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved,' The waves bore him away; but later the waves brought him back and asked, 'Are you saved now?' ‘No,’ I said, ‘I cannot honestly say that I am.’ He said again, ‘Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved,’ and shortly after he went down; and there, alone in the night, and with two miles of water under me, I believed. I am John Harper’s last convert.

Finally, as hypothermia set in, John Harper sank beneath the waters and passed into the Lord’s presence; he was 39. In the Hollywood movie of the Titanic, nothing was said about John Harper, but he was truly one of the great heroes of the Titanic.  In the face of death and drowning, he was concerned about the souls of men.