ELIJAH and ELISHA

THE AUTHOR'S FOREWORD

THIS book is largely a study in types; and several of the following series will have, in part or whole, the same character. This raises the question, When may we know what is typical? We answer: According to our Pastor there are at least seven  ways by which this can be recognized. The first of these is a direct Biblical declaration that a thing is typical, like the statements on Sarah, Hagar, Isaac and Ishmael (Gal. 4:21-31); on the various transactions alluded to in 1 Cor. 10:1-11 according to vs. 6, 11; on the giving of the Law Covenant (Heb. 9:14-23 according to v. 23); on Adam and Eve as to Jesus and the Church (Eph. 5:31, 32); on the heroes of faith in Heb. 11 as the cloud of witnesses (witnessing shadow) of 12:1, etc., etc. The second is, whenever the Bible refers to a set of its books as being typical we are to understand that everything recorded in those books is typical. Thus a comparison of Heb. 10:1 and Gal. 4:21 shows that the first five books of the Bible, the Pentateuch, are typical. God gave in Hebrew the name, the Law (Torah), to the Pentateuch as the first division of the Old Testament. Hence everything in the Law, Pentateuch, is typical. The name God gives the books of Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1, 2 Samuel and 1, 2 Kings—the Former Prophets—in the Hebrew Old Testament, also Peter's statement (Acts 3:24) where he refers to the second division of the Hebrew Bible as the Prophets, the Former Prophets being the seven books just mentioned and the Later Prophets being the major and minor Prophets, prove that those seven historical books are prophecies; they can be such only if typical. The third way is a direct comparison and often whenever a direct contrast between things belonging to two different dispensations are made, e.g., between Isaac and us and Ishmael and fleshly Israel (Gal. 4:28-31), between Perizim and Gibeon  on the one hand and the Harvests' Truth battles on the other. An example of a contrast as type and antitype is found between Heb. 12:18-21 and vs. 25-29. A fourth way is whenever prophetic allusions are made to past events, persons and places (Ps. 83:6- 11; note also the comparisons in vs. 9-11; Rev. 2:20-23; 17:5; 21:2). A fifth way is whenever doctrinal and ethical allusions to institutions, etc., are made, apart from a direct statement: circumcision (Col. 2:11, 12); the paschal lamb (1 Cor. 5:7, 8), city of refuge (Heb. 6:18), the prophets, especially Job (Jas. 5:10, 11), etc. A sixth way is whenever persons, places and events are associated with persons who are in one or more of the above ways referred to as types, e.g., Elisha and the sons of the prophets, the widow

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of Zarephath, Ahab, Obadiah, etc., all directly acting with Elijah, an expressly mentioned type (Mal. 4:4-6; Matt. 11:14; Luke 1:17). Finally, a seventh way is whenever a Biblical story has an exact counterpart in things of, or related to the Christian Church, even if none of the above 6 methods are used to indicates a type, even as our Pastor taught that every experience and accomplishment of the Christian Church were prefigured by the Jewish Church (B 204, F 391, 1; Amos 3:7). This means what God's people as such of the Gospel Age did, accomplished or was done them is typed in the Bible.

This raises another question: Why does the Author do so much typing, inasmuch as our Pastor warned (B 173, 2) against people, as mistaken, though well meaning, who make a type of everything in the Bible? To this we answer: We, too, warn against people's seeking to make a type out of every person and event of the Bible, as mistaken, though well meaning, and in this we join our Pastor in sounding forth the antitype of the warning against such a course of speculation, even as is indicated in Ex. 19:21, 22, which warning applies not only to the Parousia and Epiphany antitypical people, but also to all their antitypical priests except the two typed by Aaron, the Parousia and the Epiphany Messengers, Moses here typing our Lord in the Parousia and Epiphany times, even as the events of this chapter as explained by St. Paul in Heb. 12:18-21, 25-29 prove. As our Pastor, who participated in giving this warning went right on in typing in great abundance as was due, so we who participate in giving this warning go right on in typing in great abundance as is due. Here applies the proverb, if two do the same, it is not always the same. God for the end of the Age has wanted the two above-mentioned messengers alone to do the studying necessary for proper typing. Such studying is forbidden others (Ex. 19:21, 22). And whenever God gives any others first the understanding of some types, etc. (Num. 12:6), as he has done in fulfillment of Matt. 13:52, He has done it by directly and quickly illuminating their minds, so that they, as it were, stumbled upon the interpretation, without violating the Lord's Word by speculative study. In our typing we follow the seven principles explained in the preceding paragraph. And we believe that all sober and competent judges will acknowledge that, like our Pastor's typical interpretations, ours are sober, factual, reasonable and scriptural; and, like his, wholly lack the erraticism, fancifulness, visionariness, vagariousness, unfactualness and unreasonableness of speculators' interpretations. With these words this book is, with prayer for God's blessing upon its mission, introduced to the reader by the Author,

PAUL S. L. JOHNSON

Philadelphia, PA., U.S.A.,

January 3, 1938.

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CONTENTS

CHAPTER I.

ELIJAH—TYPE AND ANTITYPE.

1 Kings 17—2 Kings 1.

THE KEY TO THE ELIJAH TYPE. ITS CHRONOLOGY ALSO HELPFUL. THE ELIJAH ANTITYPE'S FIRST FIVE CENTURIES. THENCE TO 799. PROTESTERS AGAINST PAPAL ABSOLUTISM AND IDOLISM. AT ANTITYPICAL ZAREPHATH. THREE ATTEMPTS TO AROUSE A REFORM MOVEMENT. THE REFORMER MOUTHPIECE RESUMES PUBLIC ACTIVITY IN TIME OF CONTROVERSY. MEETS THE CIVIL POWERS. THE GREAT PAPAL SCHISM. TWO SETS OF REFORMERS AND THEIR REFORMATIONS. A FAMINE OF BIBLES. THE STORY OF MARY JONES' BIBLE. ITS EFFECTS. ANTITYPICAL ELIJAH'S COURSE FROM 1804 TO 1914. ANTITYPICAL ELIJAH'S ANOINTING OF ANTITYPICAL ELISHA. A SUMMARY OF THE ANTITYPES OF 1 KINGS 20-22. THE REFUTATION OF CERTAIN ERRORS ON ANTITYPICAL ELIJAH'S ADVENT. NATIONALISTIC EUROPE'S EXPERIENCES AND CONTACTS WITH ANTITYPICAL ELIJAH DURING THE WORLD WAR. THREE ATTEMPTS TO CAPTURE ANTITYPICAL ELIJAH AND THEIR RESULTS. BEREAN QUESTIONS     7

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CHAPTER II.

LAST RELATED ACTS OF ELIJAH AND ELISHA.

2 Kings 2:8-14.

SMITING JORDAN. DIVISION OF THE WATERS. SOME OBJECTIONS CONSIDERED. WALKING AND TALKING BEYOND JORDAN. ELIJAH'S SUGGESTION AND ELISHA'S REPLY. THE SEPARATION. THE CHARIOT. THE HORSES AND HORSEMEN. THE DIVIDING AGENT. CHRONOLOGICAL SUCCESSION OF THE EVENTS OF 2 KINGS 2:12-14 DIFFERENT FROM THAT OF THEIR ANTITYPES. ELISHA'S SEVENFOLD ACTIVITIES: FELLOWSHIP GIVEN; ELISHA'S THREEFOLD CRY; FELLOWSHIP WITHDRAWN; RENDING HIS MANTLE; SEIZING ELIJAH'S MANTLE; JORDAN'S SECOND SMITING; CROSSING THE RIVER. FIRST UNANSWERABLE PROOF THAT THE SOCIETY'S PARTISANS ARE ANTITYPICAL ELISHA. SECOND OF SUCH PROOFS. A CAUTION AGAINST AN EASY MISUNDERSTANDING. SEPARATION NOT YET COMPLETE. "JUDGING." PARENTHESIS DEMONSTRATED BY NINE ARGUMENTS. CONCLUDING THOUGHTS. BEREAN QUESTIONS     67

CHAPTER III.

THREE FALSE VIEWS ON ELIJAH AND ELISHA.

THE THIRD FALSE VIEW. UNSTEWARDLY. UNBIBLICAL. UNREASONABLE. UNHISTORICAL. CONTRARY TO FULFILLED FACTS. A FOURTH FALSE VIEW. MISAPPLICATIONS AS TO ELIJAH. GREAT COMPANY CHARACTERISTICS TYPED BY ELISHA. SOME ALLEGED PROOFS EXAMINED. TWO CLASSES MEANT BY THE "DOUBLE PORTION." OTHER ALLEGED PROOFS EXAMINED. A BIT OF HISTORY OF THE CONTROVERSY. THE FIFTH FALSE VIEW     155

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CHAPTER IV. ELIJAH AND JEHORAM.

2 Chro. 21:1-20.

AMERICA AND EUROPE AS TYPED IN KINGS AND CHRONICLES. JEHOSHAPHAT AND JEHORAM IN 2 CHRO. 21. JEHOSHAPHAT'S SIX SONS. JEHORAM'S WICKED COURSE TOWARD THESE. JEH0RAM'S FURTHER WICKED COURSE. THE RESPONSIBLE CAUSE. EDOM'S RELATIONS TO JEHORAM. LIBNAH'S RELATIONS TO JEHORAM. JEHORAM'S WORST SIN. ELIJAH'S LETTER. ITS FORECASTS. THE FULFILLMENT FORECAST AND REALIZED. ELIJAH'S LETTER REPRODUCED. BEREAN QUESTIONS     195

CHAPTER V.

ELISHA'S EARLIER INDEPENDENT ACTS.

2 Kings 3; 4.

THE SETTING OF 2 KINGS 3. ALLIANCED EUROPE. THE CENTRAL POWERS. THE FORMER AND AMERICA MUSTERED. EDOM SOUGHT. THREE KINGS' FEARS ALLAYED BY ELISHA'S ASSURANCE OF VICTORY. A VICTORY DRIVE ENDING IN DEFEAT. A CRUSHING PEACE. A FRUITLESS ATTEMPT AND SACRIFICE. PRELIMINARY REMARKS ON 2 KINGS 4. THE WIDOW AND HER TWO SONS. THE SHUNAMMITE AND HER SON. THE POISONED POTTAGE. GIFTS FOR ELISHA. BEREAN QUESTIONS     257

CHAPTER VI.

ELISHA'S LATER INDEPENDENT ACTS.

2 Kings 5:1—9:21.

GENERAL SETTING OF PERTINENT TYPES. NAAMAN. BEN-HADAD II AND JEHORAM. ELISHA AND NAAMAN. GEHAZI. THE SUNKEN AXE FLOATED. ELISHA AND BEN-HADAD II. WAR BETWEEN JEHORAM AND BEN-HADAD II, WITH ELISHA'S PART THEREIN. THE FOUR LEPERS. SAMARIA'S DELIVERANCE. JEHORAM RESTORES THE SHUNAMMITE'S RIGHTS. ELISHA AND HAZAEL. THE PERSONALITIES OF 2 KINGS 8:25-29. JEHU'S ANOINTING. JEHU'S CONSPIRACY. RELATED ACTS OF JEHU, JEHORAM AND AHAZIAH. ARMAGEDDON. BEREAN QUESTIONS     329

CHAPTER VII.

THE PYRAMID'S WITNESS ON ELIJAH AND ELISHA.

MEASUREMENTS CONNECTED WITH THE GRAND GALLERY'S SOUTH STEP. PASSOVER, 1918 THE GREAT COMPANY'S COUNTERFEIT DATE FOR END OF SPIRIT-BEGETTAL. ELIJAH ANOINTING ELISHA. SEVEN THINGS SYMBOLIZED AT THE STEP. SOME GENERAL FACTS SYMBOLIZED IN THE PYRAMID. SOME DETAILED FACTS SYMBOLIZED IN THE PYRAMID. THE BOARD'S COMPROMISING MINUTE. FOUR REASONS FOR ANTITYPICAL ELIJAH'S REAPPEARANCE. ITS EFFECT ON J.F.F.'S FOUR NEW VIEWS. FOUR PROOFS THAT THE REAPPEARANCE HAS SET IN. THE PERTINENT PYRAMID SYMBOLS. MEASURING TWO JOURNEYS OF THE CHURCH. CONCLUDING REMARKS. BEREAN QUESTIONS     95

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