**John Alexander Dowie **
John Alexander Dowie had an amazing healing and evangelistic ministry decades before the healing revival of the 1940’s and 50’s. His meetings in Chicago at the turn of the century were so powerful that the front wall of the meeting room was decorated with the crutches, braces and other medical devices of those who had been healed in his meetings. People traveled from all over the world to hear him speak and to be healed of their diseases and infirmities. His journal, “Leaves of Healing,” went out to thousands of people. He launched the powerful ministries of John G. Lake and many others, and baptized Polly Wigglesworth, Smith Wigglesworth’s wife.
Dowie’s meetings made the headlines in Chicago, and his ministry had a powerful impact on that city. In addition to his extraordinary meetings, his ministry fed the poor and actively evangelized the city of Chicago.
Then the seeds of his downfall were sown. Two men came to his office one day and declared to Dowie that they believed him to be “Elijah the Restorer” prophesied in Malachi 4:5-6. Dowie threw them out of his office, but the idea found root in him and grew. His sense of his own importance became inflated and distorted beyond reality.
He began to oppose anyone and anything that did not support him and his ministry. He was constantly at odds with local government officials, and he leveled attacks against the medical community.
Some of his harshest criticisms were directed at fellow believers. He rejected the Pentacostal message being preached by Charles Parham, verbally attacked denominational churches, and carried out ongoing personal attacks against D.L. Moody and R.A. Torrey. He became very contentious against these and other ministers who criticized him. The Bible is very clear that this is a sign of pride.
“Only by pride cometh contention”—Proverbs 13:10 (KJV)
Eventually, in 1901, Dowie actually declared himself to be “Elijah the Restorer” and also called himself “The Messenger” and even took to wearing what looked like the garments of an Old Testament high priest. He declared himself to be the leader of his own Christian Catholic Apostolic Church in Zion, and founded the city of Zion, Illinois, which he envisioned as a Christian community. Dowie insisted on controlling all of the assets and finances of the church and the city, essentially owning them all.
But his pride brought about the downfall of this anointed minister of God.
Things began to crumble and fall apart. Dowie was sued for breach of contract and lost the court case. During the case, his manipulation of the finances for personal gain was exposed. Because of this court case and other concerns, Dowie began to have great difficulty sleeping. His health suffered. Then Dowie’s 23-year-old daughter, Esther, was severely burned in an accident at home and died from her injuries.
Continuing to exalt himself, in 1904, Dowie declared himself to be the “First Apostle.” Some time later, as he got up to speak at a meeting, he suffered a debilitating stroke. He began to take extended leaves to try to recover his health. Dowie was finally removed as the leader of Zion, Illinois. Dowie’s wife left him, accusing him of polygamy, and his son, Gladstone, also came out strongly against his father, accusing Dowie of having an affair and of being involved with pornography. By this time, Dowie was a wheelchair-bound invalid. Having lost his family, his property, his health, many of followers, and being deposed from the positions of leadership he had held in the church and the city that he founded, Dowie died at home in March, 1907. No family members were with him when he died.
No matter if you are a great minister of God, or the lowest sinner, God’s word is true:
“Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.”— Galatians 6:7 (NKJV)
“For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”— Luke 14:11 (NKJV)
One of the ministers who was attacked by Dowie was the great evangelist, Maria Woodworth Etter. who responded by prophesying that Dowie “would go down in disgrace, and that she would be living when he was dead.” (Fraser)
He did, and she was.
William Branham
William Branham was born just a couple of years after the death of John Alexander Dowie. As powerful as Dowie’s ministry was, Branham’s ministry was even greater in many ways. His ministry was marked by healings, miracles, and astounding words of knowledge in which he told people accurate details about their lives and what their problems were. The video, “The Deep Calleth To The Deep” contains just a few of these encounters. And of course there are the photos that have been tested and proven to be genuine with no retouching, of a supernatural light that accompanied Branham. Branham explained that this was the Angel of the Lord that always stood on his right side as he ministered.
Beyond all of the miracles and supernatural events in his life, William Branham may have been the most Christ-like person alive in his time, just as Moses was the meekest man on earth in his lifetime (Numbers 12:3). As one man said, “Most preachers preach Jesus Christ but William Branham lived Jesus Christ.” (Green, p.139)
In 1960, Branham began to be greatly troubled by rumors he started to hear about people who actually believed that he might be Jesus Christ. The first time he was aware of this was on a fishing trip with a few other Christian men. They shocked him by asking him if he was Christ, the anointed Messiah. Of course, he corrected them and firmly denied this. Then he sternly warned them that a lie like this could ruin his ministry if it was allowed to spread.
Then a few months later, a man came up to Branham after a church service and wanted to confess his sins. Branham was confused by this request. Then the man took a card out of his wallet that read, “William Branham is my Lord.” Branham thought it must be a joke, but was shocked to realize that the man was serious. This incident shook him up so much that he trembled for days at the thought of it. After working for the honor and glory of God his entire adult life, he couldn’t deal with the thought that he might be remembered as an antichrist.
Then he learned that two men in his own congregation in Jeffersonville, Indiana, were repeating the same delusion! Branham was determined to stop these ungodly rumors even if it meant leaving the ministry forever.
He closed his ministry office, put his house up for sale, and canceled his preaching engagements. He shut himself in with the Lord, and didn’t want to see anyone outside of his family.
The next Sunday, Branham stood before his congregation for what he thought might be the last time. He said, “I have always wanted to be a true servant to Jesus Christ, my Lord and Savior. Even though I’ve made mistakes, yet in my heart I love Him. I have always wanted my ministry to be clean. But now a heresy has risen among you that is forcing me to leave the ministry. Some of you have taken me from my place as a brother or a minister, and are calling me Jesus Christ. Don’t you realize that would brand me as antichrist? And I’ll meet God as a quitter before I would meet him as an antichrist! I have received letters and phone calls from different places, asking me if I believed that I was Christ. Brethren, that is a horrible, disgraceful, ungodly lie of the Devil! I am your brother!
*“Today I hope that error receives a deadly wound and will die out quickly so I can return to my ministry. Until then, I’m asking all of you to pray for me. If you’ve ever believed me to be a servant of Christ, remember: Thus saith the Lord, ‘That thing is false.’ It’s wrong. Have nothing to do with it. I am your brother.” (Jorgensen, p.61-62) *
The next day, the two men from Branham’s congregation came to his home and apologized for their error. It relieved him enough to take his house off the market, but it would be a while longer before he felt comfortable enough to reschedule preaching engagements.
Satan wasn’t through with his attacks against William Branham. Rumors that he was exalting himself and preaching gross error have persisted even long after his death.
Many years later, Rick Joyner had a very intense experience in which he was caught up into the heavenly realm. He wrote about this experience in his book, The Final Quest. Near the end of his experience, God allowed him to visit with some of the overcomers spoken of in Revelation 3:21 who are granted the ultimate privilege of sitting with Christ in His throne.
In this experience, Rick was allowed to have a conversation with the Apostle Paul, who occupied one of the exalted thrones of the overcomers. After his encounter with Paul, he felt compelled to look up toward another throne. He immediately recognized William Branham seated on this high throne.
Rick wrote, *“He had been a great evangelist when I was a child, and many felt that he had walked in more power than anyone since the early church. I had read about him and had listend to some of his recorded messages. It was hard not to be touched by his genuine humility and the obvious love he had for the Lord and people. Even so, I also felt that some of his teachings had gone seriously awry. I was surprised, but also relieved, to see him sitting on a great throne. I was captured by the humility and love that still exuded from him. *
*“As I turned to ask the Lord if I could talk with this man, I could see how much the Lord loved him. However, the Lord motioned for me to continue walking and would not permit me to speak with the evangelist. *
“I just wanted you to see him there,” the Lord explained, “and to understand the position that he has with Me. There is much for you to understand about him. He was a messenger to My last-day church, but the church could not hear him for reasons that you will understand in due time. He did fall into discouragement and delusion for a time, and his message was distorted. It must be recovered, as well as the parts that I have given to others which were also distorted.” (Joyner, p.179-180)
Both John Alexander Dowie and William Branham were truly anointed men of God with amazing, world-changing ministries. One of these men became proud and suffered a great downfall. The other remained humble throughout his life, and is now highly exalted by the Lord Himself. The same choice is available for you.
“And whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.*.”—*Matthew 23:12 (NKJV)
References:
Branham, W. M. (1954). The Deep Calleth To The Deep. Voice of God Recordings. https://branham.org/en/videos/DeepCallethToTheDeep
Feick, A. (1925). Life and Testimony of Mrs. M.B. Woodworth-Etter, Evangelist. August Feick.
Fraser, M. (2019, July 31). Maria Beulah Woodworth Etter, the Trance Evangelist. CBE International. https://www.cbeinternational.org/resource/article/priscilla-papers-academic-journal/maria-beulah-woodworth-etter-trance-evangelist
Green, P., & Giberti, R. S. (2011). William Branham, the Acts of the Prophet. Createspace Independent Pub.
Harlan, R. (1906). John Alexander Dowie and the Christian Catholic Apostolic Church in Zion. Saintuary . http://www.saintuary.org/harlandowie/introcuction.html
Healing and Revival Press. (2004). Biography of John Alexander Dowie. Healing and Revival. https://healingandrevival.com/BioJADowie.htm
John Alexander Dowie | American religious leader. (2020, May 21). Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/biography/John-Alexander-Dowie
Jorgensen, O. (2011). Supernatural: The Life of William Branham (Vol. 3). Supernatural Christian Books.
Joyner, R. (1996). The Final Quest (Kindle Edition). MorningStar Publications. https://www.amazon.com/Final-Quest-Book-ebook/dp/B003X4M6IE/
Los Angeles Herald 16 May 1902 — California Digital Newspaper Collection. (1902, May 16). California Digital Newspaper Collection. https://cdnc.ucr.edu/?a=d&d=LAH19020516.2.44&e=-------en—20—1—txt-txIN--------1
Robert Pears. (2020, May 26). John Alexander Dowie The Zion Years 1899 1907 His rise and Decline. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=taxl2_2ovJs
Sacramento Union 10 March 1907 — California Digital Newspaper Collection. (1907, March 10). California Digital Newspaper Collection. https://cdnc.ucr.edu/?a=d&d=SU19070310.2.22&e=-------en—20—1—txt-txIN--------1
