No More Sea... By James Henderson at sea, not rescued, is a living Russian authorities had thought. terror. Survivors have written Twenty-three of them spent days in about experiencing these kinds of a small, dark compartment near the rowing up not far from the fears. Owen Chase, the First Mate stern of the submarine, where they coast, I loved to hear stories of the whale-ship Essex, which suffered from hypothermia as the Gabout the sea. sank in 1820 when it was rammed oxygen ran out. Using the luminosity twice by a massive sperm whale, of the hands of their watches, some Occasionally you’d hear of a recalled how “every countenance” scribbled notes to their friends and shipwreck’s masthead being of those few who managed to get families. Midshipman Andrei Borisov uncovered in the sand, or of a relic on the lifeboats “was marked by the wrote: “If you are reading this note, it being washed ashore. Such things paleness of despair”,2 and, as time means I am dead”.4 fired my childish mind with wild went on, some of them resorted to imaginings. In particular, I liked the cannibalism in order to survive the Shipwrecks and dangerous seas idea of coming across a barnacled 1,000-mile stretch to the nearest have been in the news several times chest full of pirate treasure, some of land. this year. It was with great relief that Shakespeare’s “wedges of gold… the cargo ship Modern Express was heaps of pearl, inestimable stones, Other examples come to mind. A towed to safety in February. Its unvalu’d jewels” from “a thousand chilling account of the 1912 Titanic cargo appeared to have shifted in 1 fearful wrecks”. disaster, describes the fate of those heavy seas off France, and caused stuck in the freezing Atlantic Ocean: the vessel to list to one side, setting A new movie, The Finest Hours, “…the volume of the cries had it adrift for over a week. based on the book of the same dramatically reduced, indicating that name by Michael Tougias, was the cold had killed or incapacitated Do you remember the March 2014 released this February and it depicts most in the water”.3 disappearance of Malaysian airliner the story of a hazardous rescue MH370 while en route from Kuala attempt by the US Coast Guard in When the Soviet nuclear cruise- Lumpur to Beijing? Over two years February 1952, when two separate missile submarine Kursk sank later there has been no sign of its oil tankers broke in half off Cape 58 fathoms (350 feet or 108 metres) 239 passengers and crew. The Cod during a severe winter storm. to the bottom of the Barents Sea current plan is that, unless any clear Other films have shown the ferocity in August 2000, governmental new leads come to light, the search of the sea. Perhaps you know some delays and inaction meant that no may be called off by the end of 2016. of them, such as The Cruel Sea, The one helped quickly enough, and as a Our thoughts and prayers go out still Perfect Storm, and The Poseidon result, all 118 of her crew died. When to the relatives and friends of those Adventure. the rescuers made it eventually to the who vanished without a trace. While ship, the full agony of what happened searching the depths of the Southern The reality of being trapped on to some of the sailors came to light. Indian Ocean for any clue to the a sinking ship, or of being adrift Not all had died quickly, as the fate of MH370, investigation teams

10 Inside Life have come across two previously one thing remains certain: biblically distress or hurt at sea—the cruel unreported shipwrecks. The latest is speaking, the end of our physical seas are over. of a 19th-century vessel, which was life is not the end of our individual discovered using sonar equipment stories. Somehow we continue. The same John who recorded the in January this year. What happened story of Christ’s life and who penned to the sailors and passengers Personally, I don’t like the idea of the amazing book of Revelation also involved? Were they rescued, or did being judged according to what I wrote letters to some churches he they go down with the ship into the knew. In one of them he explained have done. Do you like it? What murky pages of history? that this rescue of us on the cross humanity has done collectively of Jesus was not just for people and what many of us have done By extension we could ask about who believe it to be so, but for the individually is not good news. all those lost at sea since sailing whole world.9 There is, however, hope because It means that, in the began. What about those migrants John linked the idea of judgment tumultuous seas of humanity, no one and refugees who drowned last year 6 is missing in Christ. You and I, in fact to the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. and this when trying to flee across everyone, is accounted for. Judgment is intrinsically bound up, the Mediterranean Sea from Syria or not so much in what we have done, North Africa to Europe? Or, indeed, In fact, not only is there hope for us but in what Jesus has done for us. the multiple millions who have died all in what Jesus has done for us, On the cross of Jesus forgiveness before them, largely forgotten now. but also you could say that our being is found for our sins, which are our forgiven is the beginning of our finest bad works, the wrong actions we all Is there any hope for the dead? hours… have done to one degree or another. Are they somewhere now in an alternative reality, or have they Notes Therefore, in Jesus there is hope for 1 just sunk deep into obscurity, gone William Shakespeare, Richard III, Act 1: forever? the dead and the living. That is why Scene IV.. 2 Christians celebrate the crucifixion Owen Chase, Beneath the Heart of the Different religions suggest various and resurrection of Jesus—they are Sea: the Sinking of the Whaleship options (or none) about the long- our hope. Essex, Hesperus Press UK, 2015, p. 24. term prospects of the dead. One 3 Ingar Sheil, Titanic Valour (the life of the religion, Christianity, specifically John also explained that one day fifth officer: Harold Lowe), History Press mentions the sea in a scenario of there will be no longer any sea.7 UK, 2012, p.77. 4 hope. It’s noted in the biblical book I wonder what he meant by that. Sam Willis, Shipwreck: A History of of Revelation, which was written by Does he mean the end of the Disasters at Sea, Quercus Editions Ltd., 2008 p.331. Jesus’ disciple, John. In envisioning beauty of a glorious sunset over the 5 the end of time as we know it, John Revelation 20:13. coasts, or the enjoyment of sailing? 6 writes that “the sea gave up the For my part I don’t see it that way. John 12:31–32. 7 dead that were in it”. Not only that John, I think, clarifies it as he writes: Revelation 21:1. 8 but also death and the grave “gave “He will wipe every tear from their Revelation 21:4. 9 up the dead that were in them, and eyes. There will be no more death 1 John 2:2. each person was judged according or mourning or crying or pain, for 5 This article was first published in the March to what they had done”. Scholars the old order of things has passed 2016 issue of Because magazine (www. debate what this means exactly, but away”.8 No more drowning, no more because.uk.com). Reprinted with permission.

Issue 25 11