Elias

In the four gospels we find references again and again to Elias (the Greek form of Elijah) probably on account of the prophecy in the last chapter of the Old Testament, where Malachi understands God to say, "Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord: and he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse." In the New Testament, the disciples asked Jesus, "Why then say the scribes that Elias must first come?" With the prophecy and the interpretation of the scribes before us it is easy to appreciate Jesus' advanced spiritual understanding of the Scriptures in his answer, "Elias truly shall first come, and restore all things."

Now from history we know that the Jews looked in vain for a reappearing of the material Elias; so what can Elias be that he must come and "restore all things"? In the Glossary of "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures," on page 585, Mary Baker Eddy defines Elias as "Prophecy; spiritual evidence opposed to material sense; Christian Science, with which can be discerned the spiritual fact of whatever the material senses behold; the basis of immortality." The kernel of this marvelous definition seems to be, "Christian Science, with which can be discerned the spiritual fact of whatever the material senses behold." After pondering the depth of this definition we can say with Jesus, "Elias truly shall first come, and restore all things."

The definition of Elias makes us understand some of Jesus' hard sayings. We see how he discerned the spiritual fact of whatever the material senses beheld. Take for instance his words, "The kingdom of God is within you." Now we know he did not mean that a sinning, sick mortal was in the kingdom of heaven, but he looked beyond what his material senses beheld and discerned the man of God's creating—and he knew there was no other—right where the material senses beheld an imperfect mortal, and then with what positiveness he could say, "The kingdom of God is within you." And what did that do for the so-called mortal? The blind saw, the deaf heard, the lame walked. It seemed strange when he was so persecuted that he could say, "My yoke is easy, and my burden is light." If Satan told him he was having a thankless, weary task, he a true metaphysician reversed the lie, knew that as the manifestation of infinite good he reflected all good, which contained all joyousness and happiness.

Jesus is our example, and are we, like Jesus, letting Elias reappear in us? Are we letting Elias restore all things for us? Are we consecrated enough to attempt to prove that we are now in the kingdom of heaven by discerning "the spiritual fact of whatever the material senses behold"? It is certainly the work of the devil that tempts us into believing that the kingdom of heaven is either in a future world or next week. One belief is as fatal as the other.

It has been aptly said that discouragement is laziness or mental weakness. Now we do not need to give in to such a suggestion, for we know that where the material senses behold a discouraged mortal, right there is the expression of divine Mind manifesting courage, strength, and true ambition. Are we afraid to give up the material sense of man? Remember the foolish virgins who slept with no oil in their lamps—who returned to a material sense with nothing to illumine its darkness. Of course, they could not behold the bridegroom.

We are going to lose nothing by this turning, but we shall gain a great deal. Mrs. Eddy says in "Miscellaneous Writings" (p. 60 ), "Every material belief hints the existence of spiritual reality; and if mortals are instructed in spiritual things, it will be seen that material belief, in all its manifestations, reversed, will be found the type and representative of verities priceless, eternal, and just at hand." Now the material creation is the counterfeit of the spiritual creation, and, as in our workaday world, we know that no counterfeit equals the original. Who would take counterfeit money in preference to national currency? Even so the counterfeit earth is not to be compared with the original, the earth of God's creating, "priceless, eternal, and just at hand." His creation knows no age or blight but is complete, pure, beautiful, and forever so.

After studying the definition, it is interesting to read the life of Elijah. One is impressed with the way he overcame seemingly insurmountable obstacles. The result of his persisting in the discernment of the spiritual fact in spite of sense testimony is illustrated in the way he ended the drought which had tormented Israel for a long season. Casting himself down on Mount Carmel he sent his servant to look toward the sea, but the servant returned with the report, "There is nothing." Did Elijah become discouraged with sense testimony? No. He knew he reflected all God's strength, and he said to his servant, "Go again seven times." And the quaint Scriptural words continue, "And it came to pass at the seventh time, that he said, Behold, there ariseth a little cloud out of the sea, like a man's hand. And he said, Go up, say unto Ahab, Prepare thy chariot, and get thee down, that the rain stop thee not. And it came to pass in the mean while, that the heaven was black with clouds and wind, and there was a great rain."

Christian Science does fulfill the Scriptures, for whatever the "great and dreadful day of the Lord" may be, Elijah has come before. No matter what the direful experience, we know it is but the counterfeit of God's ever present goodness. Thus as we persist in seeing the spiritual fact of harmony, discord will melt away and "he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers," and the earth cannot be smitten with a curse to those who let Elias "restore all things," for peace is the fruit of spiritual perception.