Statement Of Faith: ARMAGEDDON - Truth over Falsehood - The Battle of that Great Day of God Almighty

Among the many signs supporting the reappearance of Jesus is the fulfillment of the prophecy of false prophets. In fulfillment of this prophecy, the world had never witnessed false prophets before, like it did in the last decades of the 19th and early 20th century. During which time there appeared several men and women from around the world claiming to be prophet and forerunners of Jesus (peace be upon him). Among the many, there was not another like Dr. John Alexander Dowie of Zion, Illinois, a prominent American Christian evangelist spiritual healer who enjoyed good health and wealth. Dr. Dowie was an uncrowned King in his founded city named Zion. In 1901 he claimed to be Prophet Elijah the Third who came to prepare the way for the expected descent of Christ.

Looking back into history and the following Biblical prophecy concerning false prophets, one will come to the early conclusion that Dr. John Alexander Dowie of Zion, Illinois captured the international sport light and the World Champion Crown:

“And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet. For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty … And he (false prophet) gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon.” (Revelation 16: 13-16)

Ahmadiyya Muslims view this prophecy of the battle of Armageddon as a spiritual battle or struggle in the present age between the forces of good, i.e. righteousness, purity and virtue, and the forces of evil. Regarding this prophecy, history proved its fulfillment from the victory of the battle of prayer fought between the Founder of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community (Promised Messiah, Mirza Ghulam Ahmad of Qadian, India) and Dr. John Alexander Dowie of America, who was a bitter enemy of Islam and the Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessing of God be upon him). Through speeches and writings in his international publication Leaves of Healing, Dr. Dowie made repeated expressions of his hostility towards Islam. In News of Healing, August 15, 1903, he delivered himself with the most despicably written attacks reviling his eagerness to destroy Islam and the Muslims........

Provoked by Dr. Dowie, (who lived in America), the Promised Messiah, Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, (who lived in India), confronted him through a series of international newspaper articles and challenged him to a prayer duel. The challenge was that, if Dr. Dowie accepted, he would be destroyed during the lifetime of the Promised Messiah (peace be upon him) who was 70 years of age at the time while Dowie was about 50. The Promised Messiah (peace be upon him) took no notice of the disparity in ages, declaring that, to God these considerations were of little consequence and even if Dr. Dowie refused to come forward, he and his mission were doomed to fail.

The challenge was widely published in Europe and was given great publicity in the American Press, in some of which its substance was published almost verbatim. Among them, the Argonaut of San Francisco in its issue of 1 Dec. 1902, gave an account of the challenge under the caption, ‘English versus Arabic Prayer Contest’, and concluded:

“In brief the Mirza has written to Dowie: You are the leader of a community. I too have several followers. The decision as to who is from God can be easily sought. Each of us should pray that whoever is false, God should take him in the lifetime of the other. The one whose prayer is heard shall be considered from the true God”.

The paper commented: “This indeed is a most reasonable and just position.”
In response to the challenge, on 26th September 1903, the ill-fated Dowie published in his issue of his international publication, Leaves of Healing:

“There is a Muhammadan Messiah in India who keeps on writing to me that Jesus lies buried in Kashmir. People ask me why do I not reply to him. Do you think that I shall reply to these gnats and flies? If I were to put my foot on them, I would trample them to death.”

Dr. Dowie’s reply was in such a derisory manner, but within years of this, during the lifetime of the Promised Messiah (peace be upon him), Dr. Dowie was stripped of his glory and eventually died of paralysis in a pitiable condition. The death of Dr. John Alexander Dowie of Zion, Illinois received international newspaper acknowledgement. The Tribune of Chicago wrote on March 10, 1907 that “this self-appointed prophet died in ignominy in utter desolation so that none of his near relatives were present at his death bed”.

The Independent of March 14, 1907 commented editorially that Dr. John Alexander Dowie reached his ascendancy materially as well as religiously but soon licked the dust utterly deserted by his son, wife and the church.

The Boston Herald of 23rd June 1907 published a large photograph of the Promised Messiah (peace be upon him) and captioned it: “Great is Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, The Messiah. Foretold pathetic end of Dowie” and continued:

“Dowie died with friends fallen away from him and his fortune dwindled. He suffered from paralysis and insanity. He died a miserable death, with Zion city torn and frayed by internal dissensions. Mirza comes forward frankly and states that he has won his challenge … America came to know of Mirza in 1903 when he challenged Dowie, but now his fame has reached far and wide, for not only had he successfully prophesied Dowie’s death but also that it would take place in his lifetime … The Mirza had declared that whosoever was an imposter shall die during the lifetime of the other. Dowie is there no more, his assets sequestrated, he suffered paralysis and lunacy and he died with Zion city in ruins…”

The Dunville Gazette in its issue of 7th June 1907 wrote:

“Ahmad and his adherents may be pardoned for taking some credit for the accuracy with which the prophecy was fulfilled a few months ago.”

The Truth Seeker of 15th June 1907 wrote:

“The Qadian man predicted that if Dowie accepted the challenge, he would leave the world before his eyes with great sorrow and torment. If Dowie declined, the Mirza said, the end would only be deferred; death awaited him just the same and calamity would soon overtake Zion. That was the grand prophecy: Zion would fall and Dowie would die before Ahmad. It appeared to be a risky step for the Promised Messiah to defy the restored Elijah to an endurance test, for the challenger was by 15 years the older man of the two and probabilities in a land of plagues and famines were against him as a survivor, but he won out.”

Concerning the publicity of Dowie‘s death, Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, the Promised Messiah (peace be upon him) wrote:

“Thus, the sign of Dowie’s death (which has resulted in a great victory) can serve as a luminous sign for the people of Asia, America, Europe and India. The other signs which have appeared as a result of my prophecies have been limited to the Punjab and India, and nobody in America or Europe knew about them. But this sign, which emerged as a prophecy from the Punjab, reached all the way to America, and found fulfillment in a person known by everyone in Europe and America. And no sooner had he died, than the news of his death was conveyed to India through telegrams. The news was published by The Pioneer, on 11th March, 1907, and by The Civil and Military Gazette, on 12th March, 1907, and by The Indian Daily Telegraph, on 12th March, 1907. Hence the news was published round the world. Such was the worldly status of this man that he was honoured like lords and princes…But despite the prestige and fame he enjoyed in America and Europe, it so happened, by the grace of God, that my mubahala (pray duel) against him was published in the major daily newspapers of America and became well-known all over Europe and America. And after it became so widely publicized, the prophecy of his death and destruction was fulfilled with such clarity, that it is impossible to conceive anything more obvious and irrefutable…Can there be a greater miracle? … He himself wrote that nearly a hundred thousand wealthy people had joined him.” [7th April, 1907. The Essence of Islam Vol. 5, pp. 113-118]

Around the turn of the twentieth century, John Alexander Dowie was a household name to multiplied thousands throughout both the Christian and non-Christian world. He was a man with unusual intellect and drive. What made him outstanding was his healing and claim to be a prophet of God and forerunner of the Second Advent of Christ Jesus. Thus, Dr. John Alexander Dowie was a well-known advocate for the Christian religion. An Australian by birth, but lived in America; and just as the Bible prophesied, he was the false prophet working miracles. In 1892, Dr. Dowie started to claim power of healing; people gathered around him in large numbers. His international publication, Leaves of Healing, brought him an even greater increase of followers and international recognition. Just as was prophesied, the false prophet went forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world gathering them to wetness the battle of his own defeat. Fulfilling this prophecy, history reports that Dr. Dowie bought some land in the state of Illinois and founded a town called Zion declaring that Jesus would descend in that town. Many rich people, eager to have the first view of Jesus on his second coming, paid large sums of money for land in Zion on which they built houses. Dr. Dowie ruled in his city as an uncrowned king over his rich followers, who numbered in the hundreds of thousands.
In December 19, 1902 issue of his publication, Dowie wrote:

“My mission is to gather people from the east and the west, north and south, and populate this town and other towns with Christians, until the day arrives when the Muhammedan faith is effaced from the earth, O Lord! Show us that hour.”

It is important to remember that when Dr. John Alexander Dowie claimed to be forerunner of Christ, the Second Advent was then a much-discussed subject – the world over. Signs laid down in scriptures had appeared and people interested in religion were eagerly waiting Jesus’ imminent descent from heaven. Thus, the victory of the Promised Messiah of Qadian, India does not only declare defeat of a false prophet who himself had strong belief that Jesus (peace be upon him) would have descended literally from the sky; but even more important than that, the defeat pronounced to the whole world victory for Islam. Among the sayings of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessing of God be upon him) is that when ‘Jesus’ returns in his second coming, among his mission is to kill Dajjal (Anti-Christ), break the cross and kill the swine. Regarding the fulfillment of this prophecy, the Promised Messiah, Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (peace be upon him) wrote:

“My mission was to break the cross. With Dowie’s death, therefore, a major proportion of the aim has been accomplished. In the whole world he was the principal exponent of the Cross who had claimed to be a prophet through whose prayers all Muslims were to be destroyed, Islam was to be effaced, and the Ka’bah was to be demolished. God, therefore, destroyed him through me and I know for certain that the prophecy concerning the destruction of swine has been manifestly fulfilled. I swear by God that he was the swine whose destruction had been prophesied by the Holy Prophet [Muhammad (peace and blessing of God be upon him)], to take place at the hands of the Messiah. Had I not challenged him to Mubahala (pray duel), nor invoked prayers against him or fore-published his destruction, his death would have been of little significance for Islam. However, since I had already published it in newspapers that he should die in my lifetime, I am proved to be the Messiah and he an imposter. There can be no greater miracle than the fulfillment of this prophecy of the Holy Prophet of Islam (peace and blessing of God be upon him), which only an enemy of truth can deny.” [Addendum to Haqeeqatul, Wahiy, pp. 77-80]