Elijah the Restorer by L. A. S.

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Washington, D.C. · Nov 5, 1903

Elijah the Restorer

By L. A. S.

The spectacular crusade now being conducted in New York City by John Alexander Dowie, who assumes the title of Elijah II, affords striking testimony to the credulity and ignorance of the Scriptures which are characteristic of these times. Although the Bible was never so extensively circulated, and churches were never so numerous in the land, the prophetic statement is true that darkness covers the earth, and gross darkness the people. The human has been everywhere put in the place of the divine. Man’s word, man’s authority, has been substituted for the word and authority of God. Human interpreters

of God’s Word have put themselves in the place of the divine Interpreter, the Holy Spirit. Thus the Word of God, while printed and circulated everywhere, is almost as effectually shut away from the people as it was during the Dark Ages.

Mr. Dowie claims to be the Elijah of the prophecy of Malachi. He comes to New York, assuming to be Elijah the restorer. But any one acquainted with this prophecy, and with the scriptures relating to its fulfilment, can not but note that these are in wide contrast with what is presented by Dowie and his crusade.

What a contrast between the personality of him whose work was in fulfilment of the prophecy in question, and that of him who now claims such honor for himself. John the Baptist was a man about whom there was no pomp and show whatever. As regards worldly possessions he had nothing. Dowie rolls in wealth. John the Baptist dwelt in the wilderness. Dowie finds a large city essential to the success of his enterprise. When the Pharisees came to John, and inquired, “Art thou Elias?” John answered, “I am not;” yet his work was a fulfilment of the prophecy of the coming of Elias to restore all things. Matt. 11:14; 17:10, 11. Dowie, unasked, points to himself and says, I am the Elias of the prophecy. There was nothing about John the Baptist to call attention to himself. He was not a great man from the world’s standpoint, nor a wealthy man, nor a politician, nor a financier, nor a promoter of business enterprises. Every circumstance about him testified that in his work his human personality counted for nothing. There was nothing to give him any glory or appearance of outward greatness. Remove the personality of Dowie from his work, on the other hand, take away from the movement which he heads the personal magnetism which brings people under its spell, take away the able leadership, the talent for organizing and financiering, the general executive ability displayed by “Zion’s” head, the picturesque figure which occupies the stage before his audiences, and his movement would at once shrink to insignificant proportions.

John the Baptist said of himself, “I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord, as said the prophet Esaias.” John the man was nothing; he took no title, accepted no honor, but simply set himself forth as being a voice crying in the wilderness. And in this he testified that the coming of Elijah to prepare the way of the Lord was not to be through any person who could point to himself and say, I am he, or who would even accept the title if men should be willing to grant it, but simply through the proclamation of the word of the Lord. The voice crying in the wilderness in John’s day was the word of the Lord which had been spoken through the prophet Esaias. The power of John’s preaching was not in John, but in the word, and there was all the more power in his preaching because he put into it nothing of himself, and did nothing to attract attention to himself. His message was the word of the Lord, and that alone. The human element was put wholly out of sight. Only the word of God alone, which is the mightiest thing in the world, could do the work necessary in John’s day to prepare the way of the Lord, and only that word alone can do such a work as will prepare the way of the Lord in this solemn hour when the end of all things is at hand. This is not a time for the exaltation of man; it is not a time when the work of God is to be carried forward in the wisdom and power of man. The voice crying in the wilderness, in fulfilment of the prophecy of the coming of Elijah to restore all things, said: “All flesh is grass, and all the goodliness thereof is as the flower of the field: the grass withereth, the flower fadeth; . . . but the word of our God shall stand forever. . . . O Jerusalem, that bringest good tidings, lift up thy voice with strength; lift it up, be not afraid; say unto the cities of Judah, Behold your God!” Isa. 40:3-9.

The prophecy of the coming of Elijah the restorer will not be fulfilled in the person of any man; it will be fulfilled in the sounding forth of a message, the beginning of which was given by John the Baptist. It will be a message calling attention to no man, but saying to the people, “Behold your God.” The tendency of the times is to exalt man into the place of God; but God’s message for the times is, “Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come.” The Word of God to this generation calls upon men to return to the worship of God, and contains a solemn warning against the worship of the beast and his image. This is the work necessary to prepare the way of the Lord in this day. This is the message which is to restore all things in the church, and make ready a people prepared to meet their Lord. This is the message which is to fulfil the prophecy of the sending of Elijah the prophet before the coming of the day of the Lord. L. A. S.