[b]John Alexander Dowie - a Sign[/b]
By Andrew Strom

John Alexander Dowie was born in Scotland in 1847, but spent much of his early
life in Australia. He was a fighter in the true sense, boldly battling the sin
and compromise he found all around him - even as a young minister in Australia.
In later years, particularly after his move to Chicago in the United States, he
became probably the most renowned pioneer of Divine Healing world-wide, and by
the turn of the century had become known to millions around the world. In his
early years of outstanding success in Chicago, where the power of God was being
constantly demonstrated, and hundreds were being healed of every affliction, it
seemed as if the devil was summoning every demon from hell to attack and somehow
bring him down. He was arrested over 100 times on trumped-up charges,
ceaselessly attacked by the most prominent media men in the city, and he even
suffered street-riots and attempts upon his life.

(On one notable occasion, when he had been suddenly warned by a voice from God
to leave his office, he narrowly averted being blown to pieces by a powerful
bomb that had been planted there). Eventually, he won through, with credibility
intact (in fact, greatly enhanced despite all the controversy), and became God's
most effective champion of Divine Healing in America up to that point.

Tragically however, when the early years of constant battle were done, a time of
relative peace and prosperity settled in upon him. This daring fighter who had
brought healing to America, ended up being deluded by the devil into dressing in
High-Priestly robes and thinking that he was Elijah the prophet. After this, the
end could not be afar off, and John Alexander Dowie died in comparative ignominy
several years later, an ill and broken man - a shadow of his former self -
having lost his ministry and literally everything he owned. How one of God's
greatest fighters could come to such a tragic end, is something that should be
an object lesson to us all.

Gordon Lindsay did much to document the healing revival period. The following
extracts are taken from his book, 'John Alexander Dowie - A life story of
Trials, Tragedies and Triumphs'. As with many men of God who are being prepared
for a mighty ministry, God had used the early years of Dowie's Christian walk as
a "toughening-up" or training period. Dowie's many struggles and pitfalls, plus
the harsh spiritual 'wilderness' and obscurity of Australia, were used to mould
and break him, bringing a great hunger and seeking after God. As Gordon Lindsay
wrote in the Introduction to his book on Dowie, "when any man is chosen of God
to be used in an unusual manner, God permits him to go through a training
period, which sometimes includes trials and tribulations of the most severe
nature." When he first set foot on American soil at the age of 41, Dowie was
almost completely unknown. But that when the healing anointing that he had
received from God was recognised, and God's perfect timing came, John Alexander
Dowie rose to international prominence with astonishing abruptness. He became
one of God's great leaders of that period. Lindsay wrote of the decline of Dowie
that decline began, "at that moment when he began to engage in secular
activities, and departed from the simplicity of his earlier days."

John Alexander Dowie is described as, "a reformer who, fighting against the
greatest of odds, single-handily challenged the apostasy of his time, and
succeeded in bringing to the attention of the Church visible, if not to its
acceptance, the message of the Gospel of healing - a message of deliverance for
the whole man, body, soul and spirit... Against overwhelming opposition, a
hostile press, bitterly opposed clergymen, antagonistic city officials,
unscrupulous lawyers... he fought for and maintained the right to pray for the
sick. Despite the fiercest persecution, numerous illegal arrests - as many as
one hundred in a year - he outwitted and foiled his enemies, and succeeded in
bringing to the attention of the world, the great truth that Jesus Christ is the
same yesterday, and today, and forever." (Pg 3-4). And all through this period,
numerous documented, outstanding miracles of healing were taking place under his
ministry.

Please remember how NEW all this was at the time. Today, the things that Dowie
fought for are taken for granted throughout the Christian world, but in those
days there were basically NO SUCH THINGS as healing ministries or healing
evangelists. Dowie was a pioneer, an instrument of God who paved the way for
what was to follow, just like many Christian Reformers down through the ages.

However, the days of needing to constantly battle gradually drew to an end, and
because of his new found success and the relative prosperity of his ministry,
Dowie eventually made the tragic mistake of relaxing his guard. As Gordon
Lindsay noted, "Middle age is a dangerous period and not a few succumb to the
temptation at that time of life to spiritually relax (something quite different
to physical relaxation). The great difference between Dr. Dowie and others was
that he had become a world leader whose actions were watched by the eyes of
multitudes." (Pg 195).

"In the days of adversity, John Alexander Dowie learned to lean heavily upon
God. When every other resource failed him, he abandoned his life to the mercy
and graciousness of God. But AFTER SUCCESS HAD COME, when thousands of people
ALMOST IDOLIZED HIM, he apparently did not feel so strongly that same need. He
allowed himself to become so very busy... A fateful mistake! How many sorrows
would John Alexander Dowie have saved himself had he taken the time to get the
mind of God on decisions that were so all important? How many fatal mistakes men
of God have made because THEY DID NOT PAUSE TO TAKE COUNSEL WITH THE LORD WHEN
THEY HAD SOME VITAL DECISION TO MAKE?" (Pg 194).

As Paul Billheimer wrote, "The sands of time are strewn with the wrecks of the
broken lives of many, who were once mightily used of God, but who suffered
shipwreck upon the rocks of SPIRITUAL PRIDE." In his early days in Chicago,
certain people had approached Dowie with what they claimed as a "direct
revelation from God" that Dowie was, in fact, 'Elijah the Restorer', the great
end-times prophet. For their trouble, Dowie immediately rebuked them soundly and
dismissed them from his presence, warning them never to mention such things to
him again. However, the suggestion that had been planted that day kept ringing
in his ears. "According to his own testimony, he tried to rid himself of it, but
could not. A voice seemed to say, 'Elijah must come, and who but you is doing
the work of Elijah?' Time passed. Then one day there came flooding into his
consciousness a strange and intense conviction that he was indeed Elijah - the
one spoken of by the prophets who was to come and restore all things. The
impression came with such overwhelming power, that his entire personality became
absorbed with it." (Pg 188). In June 1901, Dowie took the fateful step of
publicly announcing that he was indeed Elijah the Restorer. (This claim was
immediately challenged and denounced by religious leaders all over the world).

By this time, Dowie was also heavily involved with land development. Having
purchased over 6000 acres of land near Chicago, construction was already
underway on what would become 'Zion City', an entire large town to be occupied
by Dowie's followers, and to be run according to "Christian principles". Sadly,
no one seemed to remember that the New Testament never advocates separating
ourselves from the world in this way, but rather of living IN the world, but not
being OF it. Initially, Zion City was a resounding success, both financially and
in every other respect. But eventually it was to lead Dowie to financial ruin,
and there can be no doubt that it contributed greatly to his overall decline.
One of his great dreams was to build 'Zion Cities' all over the world - no doubt
part of his supposed mission of the "Restoration of all things" - from which he
and his followers would begin to exercise rulership in the earth. What fateful
days these were.

For many years John's wife had been content, along with John, to live almost in
poverty, trusting God. However, it has been reported that "when prosperity came
to the Dowie family, she lost her simplicity of life: she bought gowns in Paris
and indulged in extravagances..." (Pg 200). All of this would have been
unthinkable to them only a few years earlier. "But with the prosperity that
came to him in America, eventually the simplicity of his life was altered. He
came to the conclusion, and apparently Mrs. Dowie abetted his proposals, that it
would be to his advantage to build a costly executive mansion in which he could
entertain important personages. This large edifice when finished was elaborately
appointed with expensive furnishings." (Pg 201-202).

In the end, it seemed almost as though the very things that Dowie and his wife
had stood against all their lives, were the very strategies that Satan now used
against them, to destroy them. And to help the tragedy along, "at the crucial
time of Dr. Dowie's life when he needed help so desperately, it does not appear
that his wife was a spiritual reservoir of strength that he could fall back on."
(Pg 201). At times, especially during this latter period, there were those who
tried to warn him of the dangers of what he was doing. But he refused to listen.
Even when his daughter died tragically as a result of a fire in 1902, he hardly
paused to reflect on his headlong forward momentum.

The last days of John Dowie were not particularly good. He had fought a great
fight for many years in his early period, but he was defeated in the latter part
of his life. As is so often the case with great Revivals or great men of God who
fall from the path, the harm that they can do and the ridicule that they can
bring upon the Gospel in the end, can almost undo much of the good that
originally came from them. How delighted the devil must have been, not only to
deceive and sideline this great man of God, but also to use him to bring
ridicule upon the very truths that he had originally proclaimed so effectively.
God could not afford to have John Alexander Dowie continuing in this state for
much longer. He had to take him home. Dowie died still believing he was Elijah,
an ill and broken man, crippled in a wheel chair. His ministry was gone, Zion
City was almost bankrupt, and he had lost everything that he once thought of as
his own. "How have the mighty fallen!" He died on March 9, 1907.

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SI Moderator - Greg Gordon