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The Titanic’s Last Hero... John Harper

Posted 13 months ago|5 comments|602 views
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"...Four years after the tragedy at a Titanic survivor's meeting in Ontario, Canada, one survivor recounted his interaction with Harper in the middle of the icy waters of the Atlantic. He testified he was clinging to ship debris when Harper swam up to him, twice challenging him with a biblical invitation to "believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved." He rejected the offer once. Yet given the second chance and with miles of water beneath his feet, the man gave his life to Christ. Then as Harper succumbed to his watery grave, this new believer was rescued by a returning lifeboat. As he concluded his remarks at the Ontario meeting of survivors he simply stated...
"I am the last convert of John Harper."
http://www.bpnews.net/bpnews.asp?id=3760...%29

What an incredible love story... that we may never see on the "silver screen" ...but it is remembered this 100th year anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic. This is a compelling drama of survival... but not of the fittest, but rather of the just. Some say that there were those who survived the sinking of the Titanic, but I say they all died!
100 years from that fateful voyage makes that statement an absolute fact.

Some 1500 died in the icy waters... only to be followed by the rest of the crew and passengers in the years to follow. So what was gained by surviving death at the sinking of the Titanic? Time. Time was gained. Some precious moment or month... year or decade... only to be engulfed by the waves of death that will sweep over us all some day. So what of time? How careful are we it's stewards? Granted a moment longer, how will we spend this precious commodity? As we have spent the millions before?
Or in light of the message of John Harper... in prayer.

Have you called on the name of Jesus Christ today? What have you got to lose? What have you got to gain? What would compel you to put off this important appointment? What could be given you to make you postpone? And what on the other side of death, would you give to get it back? A 100 years passes quickly...

John Harper's words have been echoed by many who have crossed your path... some in gentle patience, while others in commanding arrogance! Yet the message has been packaged and presented... signed sealed and delivered if you will, to what avail? Has it made you better or bitter... does it seem time is on your side? Or are you fading fast, and you are ready to sink this "ship" yourself? Before you do... would you give Jesus Christ one last ring? This time would you wait for Him to answer before you hang up?
IF John Harper were here he would gladly take your place in whatever sea you drown... love like that is hard to find, but you too can own it.

Such is the love of Christ, mirrored by the John Harpers of the world... be they few, they exist... and when you hear their pleas don't delay your response. February 5, 1982
I surrendered to Jesus Christ.... 30 years later my only regret, is not having done it far sooner! Don't worry what you will say... you know what to say... and your Savior has been waiting for just such a time as this to hear from you.

"He (God) says, "In a favorable time I listened to you, and in a day of salvation I have helped you." Behold, now is the favorable time; behold, now is the day of salvation." (2 Corinthians 6:2)

"Peter said to them, "Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit." (Acts 2:38)

John Harper Titanic Hero
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NhC3VCk47...

John Harper & the Titanic
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xG5esdztC...

"Don't Waste Your Life" by John Piper
http://dwynrhh6bluza.cloudfront.net/reso...
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13 months ago: Harper swam up to him, twice challenging him with a biblical invitation to "believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved." He rejected the offer once. Yet given the second chance and with miles of water beneath his feet, the man gave his life to Christ.

THAT IS WHAT THE LORD WANTS, WE SHOULD ALL BE LIKE JOHN!!!
13 months ago: That's really what I'd want while freezing to death, some wack job swimming up to me and offering me religion instead of a lifeboat ride.

Hero? Not hardly, he didn't "save" anybody except in the religious sense and that is questionable due to the circumstances and the "rules" of being saved under Christian Dogma.
13 months ago: Six,

It has nothing to do with "Christian Dogma" ...rather the very promises of the Lord Jesus Christ by the scriptures...

"Whosoever calls on the Name of the Lord shall be saved" (Joel 2:32)

...and at least one survivor that said... "I am the last convert of John Harper" ...was grateful that John Harper was persistent!
13 months ago: And what is Christian Dogma based upon......... Without the Bible you have right and wrong, immoral behavior or moral behavior, justice or injustice, etc. With the Bible you add consequences to bad behavior and even to behavior that is not actually bad, just not in line with the Bible's twisted morality and talk about twisted!

He might have been a hero to those who believe that saving someone's soul, or making the effort in a very stressful situation where your (the one being questioned) only choice was to say yes and still die or not say yes and still die (because your hero was not offering a boat ride or even a piano to climb upon. just his version of eternal salvation), but in my book he was an opportunist trying to pave his own way to his own heaven. Yes supposedly the last person he asked was picked up by someone else after his second chance, who really knows what really happened.

I would rather someone ask me if I wanted to physically live and then haul my frozen butt into their boat, actually I would prefer they didn't even ask! Just get my tail out of the danger zone, then if you must torture me, fine, at least after you actually rescue me I might have a change of heart, not while I'm under threat of death. To worry about my imaginary soul at a time when I am freezing and a few minutes from drowning and to base any help you might give me on a answer about religion while I am under life and death duress is just ludicrous. Fact is, under the tenants of Christianity as I understand them, your hero sinned big time for not giving aid to the dying if they wouldn't answer his question to his satisfaction. A true Christian saves all he physically can, physically and then works on the spiritual aspects, any less would be wrong.

Also the quote from Joel is false according to all the other things a person must do to be saved, just calling on His name won't get you in the gate, unless you are Catholic, then the Priest will insure you get in on your deathbed. If I was going to convert, it would have to be to Catholicism cause they make it easy to win the prize!
13 months ago: Six,

I appreciate your response, you seem to care a great deal about... something in your words, doesn't exist. However you missed some information, you say... "Fact is, under the tenants of Christianity as I understand them, your hero sinned big time for not giving aid to the dying" ...well, your facts are dead wrong! Didn't you read the part where John Harper gave up his life-jacket to one who said that he didn't have Christ as his savior? SO by even your standards John was a... "true Christian saves all he physically can, physically and then works on the spiritual aspects, any less would be wrong."

Did you even watch the supplied videos on the historical event???

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