Type/antitype 1919–1965

Elijah

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Also known as Elias · Elijah the Tishbite · Elias the prophet · Elijah the prophet · Antitypical Elijah · The Elijah class · Modern Elijah · Modern-day Elijah · The Elijah work · The greater Elijah

In 1877, Elijah was identified as a type of the Gospel Church, the body of Christ. From 1883 through 1916, Russell-era publications repeatedly identified the true Church of overcomers, or little flock, as the antitypical Elijah, with John the Baptist serving as a preliminary fulfillment. Elijah's persecution, wilderness experiences, and departure were applied to the Church's history and expected glorification. In the transfiguration vision, Elijah represented the Gospel-age Church, explicitly including Jesus and his followers by 1912. In 1916-1918, Elijah and Elisha were distinguished as two classes, but in 1919 this interpretation was reversed: both prophets were said to represent the same little flock in successive phases of its work, separated by the crisis of 1918. This interpretation continued through 1931. In 1934, a separate contextual interpretation identified Elijah in the transfiguration vision with Christ Jesus performing a preparatory work. Publications in 1942, 1943, and 1947 still placed the Elijah work before 1918 and the succeeding Elisha work after 1919. In 1952 and 1955, John the Baptist was again explained as a first-century counterpart of Elijah. A major chronological reinterpretation appeared in 1961: the Elijah work was said to have continued until 1942, when the Elisha work succeeded it. This was repeated in 1965, while the modern Elijah was identified with the anointed faithful and discreet slave class. In 1974, the transfiguration interpretation changed again: Elijah represented the Hebrew prophets rather than Christ Jesus as in the 1934 explanation. Publications from 1982 through 1991 distinguished John the Baptist's first-century fulfillment from the greater modern fulfillment associated with Jehovah's Witnesses. In 1995, the modern Elijah was explicitly identified with the faithful and discreet slave class of anointed Christians, an identification reinforced by the description of their preaching activity in 1997. Verified interpretations were found in all five periods: Russell, Rutherford, Knorr, Franz, and the Governing Body.

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Rutherford

Joseph F. Rutherford · 1917–1942

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  1. 1919–1931 Reversal

    Elijah and Elisha are reidentified as the same little flock or anointed class performing successive works. Elijah pictures the restoration and witness work before the 1918 interruption; Elisha pictures renewed, fearless witness activity afterward, especially from 1919. The two prophets no longer represent two separate classes.

    9 quotes
    Another evidence that Elijah and Elisha represented the same class is found in the fact that Elijah was commanded by the Lord to anoint Jehu king over Israel.
    The Watchtower, August 15, 1919
    In other words, the same people at different times, moved by a different degree of the spirit of love and confidence are pictured by these two prophets.
    The Watchtower, July 1, 1920
    As heretofore suggested in The Watch Tower (August, 1919), Elijah pictured the work of the church up to a time certain; and thereafter Elisha pictured the work of the church this side the vail.
    The Watchtower, November 1, 1921
    As we have heretofore observed, Elijah was a type of the church doing a work under its Head, Christ Jesus.
    The Watchtower, November 1, 1922
    Elijah pictured the work of the Church on this side the vail, done under the leadership of the Lord’s faithful and wise servant.
    The Watchtower, April 1, 1924
    It was in the year 1919 that the Lord permitted the church to see for the first time that Elijah pictured the work of the church prior to 1918 and that Elisha pictured the work of the church thereafter.
    The Watchtower, April 15, 1926
    It seems therefore clear that both Elijah and Elisha represent the work of the church, and not individuals in the church.
    The Watchtower, March 15, 1927
    It may well be said, then, that Elijah represented the anointed of God who earnestly and zealously engaged in the work of the church during the Elijah period.
    The Watchtower, March 1, 1930
    The two prophets must therefore represent identically the same class of anointed ones, while their separation represented the end of a specific work and the beginning later of another work in the name of the Lord.
    The Watchtower, October 15, 1931

Knorr

Nathan H. Knorr · 1942–1977

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  1. 1961–1965 Reversal

    The Elijah-to-Elisha changeover is reinterpreted chronologically. Instead of ending in 1918 and giving way to the Elisha work in 1919, the Elijah work is now said to have continued through the subsequent decades and ended in 1942, around Rutherford's death, when the anointed Elisha class continued the same commission.

    2 quotes
    In 1942, in the throes of World War II, the Elijah work passed. It passed away, fighting for the interests of the spiritual “Israel of God.” The Elijah class was not then in flight from the face of modern King Ahab’s house nor of Jezebelian religion and its clergy.
    Let Your Name Be Sanctified, 1961
    In between those two miracles another notable one occurred, when Elijah ascended to the heavens in a windstorm after being separated from Elisha by a fiery war chariot and horses. That prophetically pictured the end of the work by the Elijah class and the continuation of the same work, only intensified, by the Elisha class. The historical events occurring early in the war year of 1942 marked the fulfillment of this changeover.
    The Watchtower, August 15, 1965