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John Harper’s last journey
n 10th April 1912, John Harper, a well known
Baptist pastor from Scotland, began his last
journey on earth. He boarded RMS Titanic at
Southampton en route to the USA to preach the gospel
at the Moody Memorial Church in Chicago. The journey
ended for 1522 souls when the ship, which had been
said to be virtually unsinkable, sank after colliding with
an iceberg some 400 miles off the coast of Canada.
Many of those who perished on that dreadful morning
of 15th April 1912 were not ready to die for they had no
preparation made for Eternity. However, John Harper
was ready to die, for he was saved.
His last question
As the ship began to sink, most people thought only of
themselves and how they might survive but John Harper
thought only of others and the salvation of their souls.
He refused at least one opportunity to be rescued and
eventually found himself in the icy waters of the Atlantic
Ocean. As he struggled in the dark waters that would
soon claim his life he noticed a fellow traveller clinging
to a piece of wood. He asked life’s most important
question, “Are you saved?” The stranger answered, “No.”
How would you have answered?
The preacher’s last message
John Harper was a soul winner, so with characteristic
simplicity and directness, he responded with a quotation
from the Bible, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou