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    Titanic True Story: Preacher John Harper’s Last Hours Remembered

    14.9KViews Modified: Feb 8, 2022 · Published: Dec 1, 2015
    By Jacqueline 12 Comments

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    Titanic True Story: Preacher John Harper's Last Hours Remembered. The ship doing down

    It’s been 108 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 to save souls.

    Titanic True Story: Preacher John Harper's Last Hours Remembered. John Harper and daughter Nana

    When pastor and widower John Harper, his neice and six year old daughter Nana boarded the Titanic, they were enroute to Moody Church in Chicago, named for its famous founder Dwight L. Moody. The church was waiting to welcome the Harpers to their new home, as he had accepted their invitation to be pastor of the renowned church. Harper had already successfully led two churches in Glasgow and London.

    His preaching style was perfect for an evangelist according to the words of another local pastor. “He was a great open-air preacher and could always command large and appreciative audiences… He could deal with all kinds of interrupters, his great and intelligent grasp of Bible truths enabling him to successfully combat all assailants.”

    BP News gives more details: “Being a widower he may have been allowed to join her but instead forsook his own rescue, choosing to provide the masses with one more chance to know Christ. Harper ran person to person, passionately telling others about Christ. As the water began to submerge the “unsinkable” ship, Harper was heard shouting, “women, children, and the unsaved into the lifeboats.” Rebuffed by a certain man at the offer of salvation Harper gave him his own life vest, saying, “you need this more than I do.” Up until the last moment on the ship Harper pleaded with people to give their lives to Jesus.

    “The ship disappeared beneath the deep frigid waters leaving hundreds floundering in its wake with no realistic chance for rescue. Harper struggled through hyperthermia to swim to as many people as he could, still sharing the Gospel. Harper eventually would lose his battle with hypothermia but not before giving many people one last glorious Gospel witness.

    “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.”” (Source)

    Titanic True Story: Preacher John Harper's Last Hours Remembered. Monthly Evangel newspaper

    Erwin Lutzer wrote, “Harper’s life was characterized by extraordinary prayer. “He was,” said a friend, “a man who craved for souls.” And for those souls he would sometimes spend all night in prayer.”

    “His brother George wrote, “My beloved brother was a man mighty in prayer. He was a master of this holy art. I have been with him in prayer again and again when his whole frame shook like an aspen leaf, so earnest was he in his pleadings with God for a perishing world. Little wonder hard hearts were broken and stubborn wills subdued under his ministry.”

    “A fellow evangelist, W.D. Dunn, gave this report, “I can say that no pastor, nor teacher, nor evangelist ever moved my inner being more than the pleading and preaching of John Harper. He was always on fire for God and souls. How often I heard him say, when lying on his face before God covered with perspiration, ‘O God give me souls or I die!’”

    Little did John Harper know God would give him a supreme opportunity to do just.

    For us, 107 years after the Titanic was lost, may we be as zealous as Harper was with every opportunity to share Christ with the perishing.

     Annie “Nana”, John Harper’s daughter, apparently was saved on a lifeboat. Here is a full accounting of her life in the Encylopedia Titanica.

    “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.“ ~John 3:16Titanic True Story: Preacher John Harper's Last Hours Remembered. The sinking of the ship.

    ©2023 Deep Roots at Home • All Rights Reserved

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    Hi! I’m Jacqueline!

    Thanks for being part of this journey with me.
    Welcome to my own little place on the internet! Home is where I love to be. I feel there is no greater place to incubate souls. These days you’ll find me using my experiences here to write about herbal remedies and natural health research — a big passion of mine. But being a wife and mother is not easy. It is challenging and potentially lonely. I get that. I wanted to create a place to connect with and support other moms for creating a natural, healthy, and fulfilling home life.
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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. JES

      April 19, 2012 at 4:53 pm

      Hi Jacqueline, That was a beautiful memorial. When we read a book about this as a read aloud, the tears were flowing… There is NO GREATER LOVE!

      I also wanted to make sure you got my email and that it didn’t land in the special little spam box 🙂

      Yours Truly ~ JES

      Reply
      • Jacqueline

        April 19, 2012 at 9:21 pm

        I am sorry, JES, I haven’t yet responded! It is there, and I have it about 1/2 way done, but have been helping new friends move and have a son with his wisdom teeth removed keeping me slower than usual. I will get to you tomorrow, if that is OK. God bless you, and YES, I am excited <3

        Reply
        • JES

          April 20, 2012 at 5:09 am

          Please, NO HURRY, as long as I know it went through… I just get nervous about some emails going into cyber space or the fretted spam box. Please do what you need to do! Family and friends come first 🙂

          Reply
    2. LindaG

      April 19, 2012 at 5:48 pm

      Wow.
      Have a blessed Friday. ♥

      Reply
    3. Clint Baker

      April 19, 2012 at 7:18 pm

      WOW! Such a great story, Thats is how we all should be!

      Reply
    4. Phy

      April 19, 2012 at 10:15 pm

      Thanks for sharing this amazing story. I hadn’t heard it before.

      Reply
    5. Joy

      April 20, 2012 at 3:46 am

      What an amazing story! They sure didn’t teach that part about the titanic in my public school. I’m so thankful you shared this with us, what a wonderful blessing and encouragement. I’m so thankful I can now teach it to my children at home, what a more wonderful way to remember the Titanic story.
      Joy
      P.s. Im new to your blog just found you but had to comment today on such a beautiful story thanks so muc for sharing.

      Reply
    6. Rhonda Devine

      April 20, 2012 at 10:50 am

      Wow–becoming the next pastor of Moody Church? I had never heard that part of the story–quite fascinating and sounds like he was a very godly man with great integrity.

      Have a great weekend!

      Reply
    7. Mauro

      July 28, 2012 at 7:54 pm

      Hey. I was looking for more about the history of the Harper family, especially Nana, I was very impressed by the story of the little ones in the midst of such horror. Encunetro this blog recently and am very excited.
      From Argentina sent him a friendly greeting and I apologize for my bad English.

      Reply
      • Jacqueline

        July 28, 2012 at 11:46 pm

        Hello, Mauro, from Argentina!!
        I am glad to see you here, and I look forward to hearing from you again 🙂 This is one thing I found on Nan Harper :http://www.encyclopedia-titanica.org/general-information-3.html
        I hope this helps you!
        Many blessings,
        Jacqueline

        Reply
    8. Mauro

      July 29, 2012 at 7:56 pm

      Thanks for your words. I am very interested in the history of Harper and his daughter. The site suggests that you and I have visited several times. I will keep looking for information.

      Reply
    9. Andrew Learmonth

      March 15, 2021 at 9:45 am

      When you posted this, it was actually 108 years since Titanic sunk.
      Very nice article though, I was actually at the memorial service for John Harper in 2012 and had my pic taken by the gravestone. I’ve lost the pic now and wish I could get it back.

      It was a very fitting memorial service for a very brave man.

      Reply

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