At 11:40 p.m. on April 14, 1912, the RMS Titanic—the biggest, grandest ship of its time—collided with an iceberg on its maiden voyage from Southampton, England to New York City. Less than three hours later the seemingly unsinkable ship did the unthinkable—it sank to the bottom of the North Atlantic Ocean. Of the more than 2200 passengers and crew aboard, over 1500 people lost their lives. The shipwreck was one of the first global news events, and the worldwide shock was equivalent to that of the 9/11 World Trade Center disaster nearly a century later. Over the ensuing years, hundreds of books have been written about this infamous “Ship of Dreams,” its lessons, and how “perfect storm” circumstances seemed to conspire to make sure that anything that could possibly go wrong, did go wrong.
One of those testifying at the United States Senate Inquiry regarding the disaster, described the events surrounding Titanic’s end as “a very deceiving night.”1 Nineteen hundred years previous, Jesus Christ described the period before the world’s end as a very deceiving “night.” He said, “the night” is coming “when no man can work” (John 9:4). He stated that spiritual deception—not spiritual revival—would be the chief sign preceding His return (Matthew 24:3-4). He warned that “false Christs” and “false prophets” would “arise,” and their deceptive “signs and wonders” would be so “great” that, “if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect” (Matthew 24:5, 11, 24).
In reading about and reflecting upon the Titanic and the deadly iceberg that took it down, one is reminded of the Bible’s prophetic warnings about Antichrist and his Antichrist system—the coming “beast” that will “rise up out of the sea” to deceive and destroy:
And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy. (Revelation 13:1)
It has been well-documented how design flaws, tragic oversights, false confidence, complacency, pride, greed, denial, disregarded warnings, missed messages, and unpreparedness all played a part in the Titanic shipwreck: How those in charge had underestimated the physical danger that was in their midst. Sadly, undiscerning church leaders today share many of these same characteristics as they similarly underestimate the spiritual danger in their midst.
While Titanic lookout Frederick Fleet shouted out his “Iceberg right ahead!” warning a moment too late, today’s church leaders are issuing almost no warnings at all regarding spiritual deception (1 Corinthians 14:8). Yet God, through His infinite grace and prophetic Word, has already issued His “iceberg warnings” for just “such a time as this”—“Spiritual deception right ahead!” (Matthew 24:3-5), “False prophets, false teachers, false teachings right ahead!” (2 Peter 2:1), “Strong delusion with all power and signs and lying wonders right ahead!” (2 Thessalonians 2:9-11), “Deceptive peace and safety right ahead!” (1 Thessalonians 5:3), “A beast rising up out of the sea right ahead!” (Revelation 13:1).
The six wireless warnings sent to the Titanic on the day of its tragic collision were not warning about a possible ice field that might lie before them. They were warning about a specific ice field that did lie before them. In a similar manner, Scripture doesn’t warn about a possible Antichrist figure that might “rise up” in the world, but about a specific Antichrist and Antichrist system that will “rise up” in the world. This Antichrist will be a most deceptive false Christ figure. He will not only come in his own name pretending to be Christ (John 5:43), but he will actually oppose the true Christ—Jesus Christ—and all that He stands for (Daniel 8:25).
The Titanic—despite all those “last day” warnings—did not escape its deadly encounter with the iceberg. In similar fashion, the world and a deceived professing church—despite all the Bible’s “last days” warnings—will not escape its deadly encounter with Antichrist and his Antichrist system (Revelation 13).
This article is an extract from Warren B. Smith’s new book, The Titanic and Today’s Church—A Tale of Two Shipwrecks. You may learn more about Warren at www.newagetoamazinggrace.com. All his materials (books, booklets, and DVDS) are available through Lighthouse Trails. The painting above (“Sinking of the RMS Titanic”) by Willy Stöwer is in the public domain. Endnote #1: Captain Stanley Lord, United States Senate Inquiry, Day 8; US Senate Hearings: STL285 (Titanic Inquiry Project, http://www.titanicinquiry.org/USInq/AmInq08Lord03.php).
ditc82-7 - ACT
[…] Click here to get this book! […]
perhaps the old saying, On the essentials unity on the nonessential liberty in all things love, is dangerously naive. In fact it may be the biggest most dangerous lie ever told. Leaven, infection or virus all always in the end, corrupts the host. In Galatians Paul publicly thrashed Peter over Kosher food for that very reason. The fall of man wasn’t incremental. Eves one tiny bite and Adams non judgmental appeasing tolerance was their undoing.
America seems to have “hit the iceberg right ahead “. This Presidential election crisis is now a monster. It seems two different New World Orders are trying to make our choice for President. The mainstream media is saying “no voter fraud at all and President Trump is saying voter fraud is staggering. This is very disturbing. If fraud is true The Trump-Pence ticket will win because “Fraud Vitiates Everything “ .It means the Biden-Harris team must forfeit their candidacy to stand as a result of committing a staggering amount of voter fraud and election theft with intention and/or knowledge of to commit wrong doing. What a mess this is! Either way this will cause chaos that our country has never seen. Politics has become so corrupt it is pulling our nation into Civil War and destruction. What is Truth? Pray for our country. I am sure Satan wants America distroyed.
“Iceberg right ahead” sadly, many assemblies gatherings are Apostate churches that have hit the iceberg and are going down. Spiritual Deception is leading them to the “Perfect Storm” of Destruction. A Pastor of a Church is telling his congregation that he and his wife are speaking to their dead son. How? Who is their mediator? The problem is that too many people do not read Gods Holy Word. Yesterday was Veterans Day. God Bless every man and woman who helped keep Americans safe. Has America also hit the iceberg right ahead? The 1st World War has been called The first Christian Holocaust. In 1916, 1.2 million British, French and German soldiers died or maimed in the Battle of the Somme alone. Former Secretary of State for some past Presidents Henry Kissinger said “military men are dumb, stupid animals to be used as pawns for foreign policy”. Sadly, how many Americans died in wars? This is sick! Who controls our Government? The New World Order is about replacing the Rule of God with the Rule of Satan. President Trump is trying right now to bring back American Military troops from foreign countries. Why? To help protect our country from a Communist take over? Pray for our President that the Lord will give him wisdom in these dark days. Christians pray. Even so, Come Lord Jesus.
Just as the Titanic raced toward the iceberg,so too is today’s church racing toward disaster.The sad part? Just as the Titanic didn’t know it was going to hit an iceberg{until it was too late},the modern-day church won’t know when disaster strikes it.
I have heard also that the engineer of the Titanic boasted that not even God Himself could sink the Titanic. We cannot shake our fist at God and defy Him. There are dire consequences.
The “beast” is already here waiting to rise out of the chaos that is before us. While the professing church with its “prophets” proclaim another Jesus, another gospel and another spirit they are preparing the way for the Antichrist and his kingdom. This world and this nation are headed for a terrible “iceberg”, it’s called the tribulation. All born again believers in the Lord Jesus Christ need to stand steadfast in the faith, proclaim the truth and not look back! The word of God says to look up because our redemption is on the way. Jesus is our redemption! Even so come Lord Jesus.
Today’s churches, by and large, seem to be their own worst deceivers. Pastors, and other church leaders unwilling to confront sinful behaviors, especially those that are on-going, within their congregations, more concerned, it seems, about the rolls and collection plates, than spiritual welfare of their flocks. Jesus was our Role Model; He never brought those behaving in unrepentant sin into the place where He was living and meeting with His disciples; rather He met and ministered to those outside the body, only bringing them in when repentance and redemption had begun, at least. “A little leaven leaveneth the whole (batch)”. So too, a little sin infects the whole body; it’s highly contagious, and masks and social distancing are as useless as for a virus.