The Jesus Tomb Movie: A Reply

A Body of Evidence

I would however like to share a story that has a connection to Ireland. I want to talk about the Titanic.

It took three years to build the great ship at a cost of over $7,500,000.00 in 1912 dollars and was the pride of the White Star fleet. To build it today would cost over 400 million 2007 dollars. She was the biggest ever built and was touted as unsinkable. She was 882 feet long and could carry 3,547 passengers and crew. Over 3,000 men were employed to build her for Harland and Wolff of Belfast Ireland.

The clear April night sky was filled with sparkling stars as the largest and finest steamship in the world sped through the calm sea of the icy North Atlantic. Many of the passengers had gone to bed, but some could still be found in the lounges, enjoying the Titanic luxury. No one was alarmed by the slight jar felt around 11:15p.m.but many noticed when they no longer felt the vibrations of the huge engines.

Ignoring iceberg warnings, the Titanic had been steaming full speed ahead. Suddenly she struck a large iceberg which ripped her side. Within fifteen minutes the captain realized the danger of the situation, and the wireless operator put out a call for assistance.

Lifeboats were quickly made ready and women and children were ordered to get into them first. It was a time when Christian culture recognized chivalry and men were willing to give up there lives as protectors of those who were weaker.

The captain ordered the band to play to keep up the spirits of the passengers. It began playing a rag-time tune, but soon was playing hymns.

There were only twenty lifeboats on the huge ocean-liner barely enough for 1/3 of the passengers and crew. Not all of them would be lowered.

One of the passengers traveling on that unsinkable ship was Pastor John Harper. Born in Scotland on May 29, 1872.

The early spring of 1912 found the Scottish pastor looking forward to the voyage across the Atlantic on board the Titanic to take a position with the Moody Memorial Church in America.

His six year old daughter would be accompanying him as well as his sister Jessie Wills Leitch.

At 11:40 p.m. a giant iceberg scraped the starboard side of the worlds biggest man-made movable object. The deck was showered with ice, as it buckled the sides ripping open six watertight compartments. The sea poured in and the stern of the huge ship began to reel upwards.

The Carpathia located some sixty miles away would eventually rescue both girls who had made it safely to lifeboats. Nina and Jessie would not learn the fate of John until they arrived in New York.

John Harper had been awakened and after securing the two girls to safety he began running up and down the deck calling out, Women, children and unsaved into the lifeboats. Such was his concern for the unsaved that he begged they seek a lifeboat if they had not yet sought Jesus.

While other people were trying to buy their way onto a lifeboat John Harper flung himself into the 28 degree water. Over 1500 people jumped or fell into the icy waters and as hypothermia quickly set in many died of exposure. Only six of the 1,500 people in the water were eventually rescued, one by one each gradually drowned or froze to death.

Harper gave up his life-jacket to one man and was seen swimming frantically from one passenger to another offering the salvation of Christ. Survivors report that he then began witnessing to anyone who would listen. John Harper clung to a board for nearly an hour listening to the feeble cries as he called out trying to comfort the frightened.

A message soon arrived at John Harpers church saying Miss Leitch and Nana arrived well. Lost everything. We have no hope that Mr. Harper was rescued.

Of the half dozen survivors that were rescued from the icy waters that night, one of them was a young man Harper had spoken to while they floated among the debris.

Historian Elesha Coffman tells about John Harpers last convert. She writes.

Four years later a Scotchman rose in a meeting in Hamilton Canada, and said, I am a survivor of the Titanic. When I was drifting alone on a spar that awful night, the tide brought Mr. John Harper, of Glasglow also on a piece of the wreck near me. Man he said are you saved? No, I said Iam not He replied, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved.

The waves bore him away, but strange to say brought him back to me a little later, and he said, 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 Harpers last convert.