Why We Study Revelation

It was April 14, 1912, in the middle of the North Atlantic ocean. Aboard the RMS Titanic, Jack Phillips, radio operator, was busy relaying messages via wireless telegraph. As the ship traveled full steam toward New York, wealthy passengers were drafting countless messages to be relayed. The wireless had broken down earlier in the day, and there was a large backlog of passenger mail that had to be sent out. It was now around 10:50 p.m., and the radio operator, very annoyed at the delay, was now sending them as fast as they would go.

Less than an hour’s sailing ahead sat the SS Californian. It had been sending out reports of icebergs since early that evening, had finally run in among a dangerous ice floe, and was forced to stop for the night. Now, it began to send out its last report to the Titanic. This would be the last warning, before the Californian’s radio operator went off duty. As he began to relay his message, he was suddenly interrupted by Titanic. "Shut up, Shut Up," said the other operator, "You’re jamming me."

The busy radioman on Titanic had no time to listen to any danger messages. He was too busy transmitting greetings and stock market inquiries. So the operator on the Californian laid down his headset, and retired for the night.

An hour later, the Titanic struck an iceberg, ripping a gash in its side. A few hours after that, the great ship, which many said was "unsinkable," sank to the sea floor. That night, more than 1,500 people perished in the cold North Atlantic waters—two thirds of the passengers on board.

This tragic event has gone down in history as one of the greatest of maritime disasters. The most unfortunate fact about it was that it could have easily been avoided. But the passengers and crew on that fateful voyage rested in confidence that their ship would never meet with calamity. Warning messages were ignored. Carelessness was indulged. And the impossible happened anyway.

Today, the Lord is sending a warning to us. He does not want us to be taken unawares by the tide of future events. The dramatic unfolding of these events was known by Omniscience since eternity. God has seen fit to grant us mortals a view of the future, so that we may be able to avoid the impending disaster that is coming upon the earth.