ISLE OF THE DEAD

PORT ARTHUR is the predominant symbol of Australia's 19th-century convict system. The ruins of this former penal colony stand in a row peaceful landscaped park, an eerie and somewhat ironic reminder of the hardship, suffering and misery that once took place here. One cannot miss the dank cells and dormitories where the prisoners were kept or the shipyard, the mill and the mines where they slaved, often in chains.

Even the 'model' chapel gave the prisoners no respite. They stood for services in vertical wooden boxes, unable to see or talk to one another. Their lives were seemingly without hope. Even the location of the colony, a remote and rocky peninsula on the southeast coast of Tasmania, prevented the prisoners from escaping their harsh existence.

The threat of extended sentences, hard labour in irons, multiple lashes and solitary confinement deterred most from even trying to escape. The strenuous work loads of the prisoners, their poor and often dangerous conditions and their meagre rations meant that disease and death were common.

Island Burial Ground

It soon became imperative that a suitable burial ground be found for them. Allen Manton, officiating clergyman at Port Arthur in the 1830s, wrote about the place he had chosen for such a purpose. 'In the spacious bay... stands a lovely little Island, about half a mile in circumference... This, it appeared to me, would be a secure and undisturbed resting-place, where the departed prisoners might lie together until the morning of the resurrection. It was accordingly fixed upon, and called, "The Isle of the Dead."'

The prisoners, however, could not expect a dignified burial there. No tombstone or other mark could be placed on their graves and even their coffins were recycled. The only indications of their often mass graves were mounds of earth. Even by 1868, only seven convict graves had been given headstones.

In addition, the island was divided, with the lower half reserved for convict graves and the high ground on the norther side for civil and military burials, where headstones were permitted. By the time Port Arthur was closed in 1877, 1769 convicts and 180 'free persons' had been buried on the nearby island.

Despite the loneliness, bleakness and severity of life at the penal colony, the inscriptions on many of the headstones reflect a sense of hope, faith and encouragement as people looked forward to a better world. The officers, staff and settlers, who enjoyed a much better life by comparison, still battled with sickness, primitive conditions and distance from loved ones. Death touched their lives, too, and often those of their children, causing them hope for their resurrection and the coming of a world where families could be reunited.

Headstones Reveal Hope

One such family was the Toozes, who lost a little girl to severe burns. On the headstone of Frances Elizabeth Tooze, who died 24th November 1844, aged 1 year 11 months, is inscribed in part: 'When the Archangels trump shall sound and souls and bodies join, What crowds will wish their lives below, had been as short as thine.' The reference here to the sound of the trumpet is taken from 1 Corinthians 15:51-52:

'we will not all sleep, but we will all be changed ---- in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable.' This section of Scripture is also quoted on the headstone of Robert Flowers, a private who died in 1845 at age 36. At Port Arthur, the life of the common soldier was, in many ways, not far removed from that of the convicts.

'I left my nation and my home my country to defend, I here shall lay till the last day, till time shall have an end. When Jesus calls my dust shall rise, when the last trumpet sound, with millions more ascend the skies, by angels guarded round.'

These weather-beaten headstones on the Isle of the Dead give testimony to a belief in future life. Much of the colony's population, prisoners and free alike, knew their resurrection would take place and they hoped for a new and better life, an eternal life. It would seem from the headstones that this gave them strength to endure the present and a confident vision of the future.

The trumpet blast to which the headstones refer will announce the second coming of Christ and the events immediately to follow, including a resurrection (Revelation 11:15-19). Those who accept and truly believe in Jesus Christ will be given imperishable spiritual bodies and so receive immortality and eternal life.

Christ's return to earth will also continue the fulfillment of the kingdom of God. This process has already begun in the lives of those who have been reconciled to God through Jesus Christ. The resurrection of the dead is linked with belief in the resurrection of Christ himself.

'But if it is preached that Christ has been raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not ben raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith....

'Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost. If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men. But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.... For as in Adam all die, in Christ all we be made alive' (1 Corinthians 15:12-14, 18-20,22).

Life Beyond Death

Today, we all have our own distressing circumstances to endure, whether it be sickness, disability, loneliness, heartache, unemployment, financial worries or physical danger we must contend with in this troubled world.

But there is hope for everyone. Those prisoners of long ago lived through severe punishments, physical deprivation and psychological abuse, yet many could focus with joy and relief on the certainty of the resurrection. Circumstances may have changed today, but the hope has not. It does not matter how difficult and desperate out lives are or become, that hope, that comfort, that certainty, will never change.

This can give us, as it gave many at Port Arthur, the vision to endure, with meaning, purpose and confidence. 'I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God... And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away"' (Revelation 21:1-4, excerpts).

The Bible gives hope for the resurrection to eternal life not only for those who have been faithful to God, but also for those who have not yet learned God's way. To understand more about God's plan for all humanity, receive our free e-Book, Life After Death?