Margaret McDonald
Margaret McDonald was born in 1815 and lived
in Port Glasgow, Scotland during the beginning years of the Dispensationalism
movement under John Darby. McDonald was fifteen years old in 1830 when she
claimed to be a "prophetess." She would often go into trances and record visions
of the end of the world. Not much is known about Margaret McDonald the
individual, but history indicates that she perhaps had a larger influence on the
early development of Dispensationalism than first suspected, and the controversy
over her influence on the movement continues.
Influence on Dispensationalism
Margaret was a member of Edward Irving's congregation and shared with him her
visions of a secret rapture of the church. She also shared these same views with
John Darby during a Darby visit of Port Glasgow. Irving proposed the new
doctrine of a secret rapture of the church at a prophecy conference in Dublin
Ireland in 1830 at Powerscourt Castle and soon after, Darby developed the
full-fledged doctrine of Dispensationalism as it is known today. Among her
prophecies, McDonald claimed that Robert Owen, the founder of New Harmony,
Indiana was the Antichrist.
Critics of Dispensationalism have pointed out the fact that John Darby has based
his own development of Dispensational theology on the prophetic visions of
Margaret McDonald and her views of the pre-tribulation rapture.
McDonald's prophecies
In 1861, the Catholic Apostolic Church published one of McDonald's prophetic
visions in the publication titled The Restoration of Apostles and Prophets. The
text of the prophecy is in the public domain and is included below in italics:
"It was first the awful state of the land that was pressed upon me. I saw the
blindness and infatuation of the people to be very great. I felt the cry of
Liberty just to be the hiss of the serpent, to drown them in perdition. It was
just 'no God.' I repeated the words, Now there is distress of nations, with
perplexity, the seas and the waves roaring, men's hearts failing them for fear.
Now look out for the sign of the Son of Man. Here I was made to stop and cry
out, O it is not known what the sign of the Son of Man is; the people of God
think they are waiting, but they know not what it is. I felt this needed to be
revealed, and that there was great darkness and error about it; but suddenly
what it was burst upon me with a glorious light. I saw it was just the Lord
himself descending from Heaven with a shout, just the glorified man, even Jesus;
but that all must, as Stephen was, be filled with the Holy Ghost, that they
might look up, and see the brightness of the Father's glory. I saw the error to
be, that men think that it will be something seen by the natural eye; but 'tis
spiritual discernment that is needed, the eye of God in his people. Many
passages were revealed, in a light in which I had not before seen them. I
repeated, 'Now is the kingdom of Heaven like unto ten virgins, who went forth to
meet the Bridegroom, five wise and five foolish; they that were foolish took
their lamps, but took no oil with them; but they that were wise took oil in
their vessels with their lamps.' 'But be ye not unwise, but understanding what
the will of the Lord is; and be not drunk with wine wherein is excess, but be
filled with the Spirit.' This was the oil the wise virgins took in their vessels
- this is the light to be kept burning - the light of God - that we may discern
that which cometh not with observation to the natural eye. Only those who have
the light of God within them will see the sign of his appearance. No need to
follow them who say, see here, or see there, for his day shall be as the
lightning to those in whom the living Christ is. 'Tis Christ in us that will
lift us up - he is the light - 'tis only those that are alive in him that will
be caught up to meet him in the air. I saw that we must be in the Spirit, that
we might see spiritual things. John was in the Spirit, when he saw a throne set
in Heaven. But I saw that the glory of the ministration of the Spirit had not
been known. I repeated frequently, but the spiritual temple must and shall be
reared, and the fullness of Christ be poured into his body, and then shall we be
caught up to meet him. Oh none will be counted worthy of this calling but his
body, which is the church, and which must be a candlestick all of gold. I often
said, Oh the glorious inbreaking of God which is now about to burst on this
earth; Oh the glorious temple which is now about to be reared, the bride adorned
for her husband; and Oh what a holy, holy bride she must he, to be prepared for
such a glorious bridegroom. I said, Now shall the people of God have to do with
realities - now shall the glorious mystery of God in our nature be known - now
shall it be known what it is for man to be glorified. I felt that the revelation
of Jesus Christ had yet to be opened up - it is not knowledge about God that it
contains, but it is an entering into God - I saw that there was a glorious
breaking in of God to be. I felt as Elijah, surrounded with chariots of fire. I
saw as it were, the spiritual temple reared, and the Head Stone brought forth
with shoutings of grace, grace, unto it. It was a glorious light above the
brightness of the sun that shone round about me. I felt that those who were
filled with the Spirit could see spiritual things, and feel walking in the midst
of them, while those who had not the Spirit could see nothing - so that two
shall be in one bed, the one taken and the other left, because the one has the
light of God within while the other cannot see the Kingdom of Heaven. I saw the
people of God in an awfully dangerous situation, surrounded by nets and
entanglements, about to be tried, and many about to be deceived and fall. Now
will THE WICKED be revealed, with all power and signs and lying wonders, so that
it it were possible the very elect will be deceived - This is the fiery trial
which is to try us. - It will be for the purging and purifying of the real
members of the body of Jesus; but Oh it will be a fiery trial. Every soul will
he shaken to the very centre. The enemy will try to shake in every thing we have
believed - but the trial of real faith will be found to honour and praise and
glory. Nothing but what is of God will stand. The stony-ground hearers will be
made manifest - the love of many will wax cold.
I frequently said that night, and often since, now shall the awful sight of a
false Christ be seen on this earth, and nothing but the living Christ in us can
detect this awful attempt of the enemy to deceive - for it is with all
deceivableness of unrighteousness he will work - he will have a counterpart for
every part of God's truth, and an imitation for every work of the Spirit. The
Spirit must and will be poured out on the church, that she may be purified and
filled with God - and just in proportion as the Spirit of God works, so will he
- when our Lord anoints men with power, so will he. This is particularly the
nature of the trial, through which those are to pass who will be counted worthy
to stand before the Son of man. There will he outward trial too, but 'tis
principally temptation. It is brought on by the outpouring of the Spirit, and
will just increase in proportion as the Spirit is poured out. The trial of the
Church is from Antichrist. It is by being filled with the Spirit that we shall
be kept. I frequently said, Oh be filled with the Spirit - have the light of God
in you, that you may detect Satan - be full of eyes within -be clay in the hands
of the potter -submit to be filled, filled with God. This will build the temple.
It is not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit, saith the Lord. This will fit
us to enter into the marriage supper of the Lamb. I saw it to be the will of God
that all should be filled. But what hindered the real life of God from being
received by his people, was their turning from Jesus, who is the way to the
Father. They were not entering in by the door. For he is faithful who hath said,
by me if any man enters in he shall find pasture. They were bypassing the cross,
through which every drop of the Spirit of God flows to us. All power that comes
not through the blood of Christ is not of God.
When I say, they are looking from the cross, I feel that there is much in it -
they turn from the blood of the Lamb, by which we overcome, and in which our
robes are washed and made white. There are low views of God's holiness, and a
ceasing to condemn sin in the flesh, and a looking from him who humbled himself,
and made himself of no reputation. Oh! it is needed, much needed at present, a
leading back to the cross. I saw that night, and often since, that there will be
an outpouring of the Spirit on the body, such as has not been, a baptism of
fire, that all the dross may be put away. Oh there must and will be such an
indwelling of the living God as has not been - the servants of God sealed in
their foreheads - great conformity to Jesus - his holy holy image seen in his
people - just the bride made comely by his comeliness put upon her. This is what
we are at present made to pray much for, that speedily we may all be made ready
to meet our Lord in the air - and it will be. Jesus wants his bride. His desire
is toward us. He that shall come, will come, and will not tarry. Amen and Amen
Even so come Lord Jesus."
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