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The doctrine of the pre-tribulation rapture has been widely disparaged with a false accusation concerning its origin. This doctrine was popularized by John Nelson Darby in the 1800's. (This is the man who popularized the term “the rapture” for Christ’s coming to take his own out of the world, although he was not the first to use this word in this way.) An opponent of Darby’s claimed that he got this idea from a vision allegedly seen in 1830 by a young Scottish woman named Margaret MacDonald. But if Darby had paid any attention to information coming from such a source he would have been violating his most basic principles. He insisted that “There can be no new truth, which would not be found in the word.” Also saying “The Scriptures are the only rule or standard of faith and practice.” (From “The Collected Writings of J. N. Darby” second ed., William Kelly, ed., London, G. Morrish, not dated. The first quotation is from Vol 1, pg 350. The second is from Vol 3, pg 98.) These are not just exceptional statements of this very prolific writer, but basic principles that he consistently applied.
An example of this is the following note he wrote to a woman about some dreams she and some of her friends had reported.
“Very dear sister, – I hear that some of the sisters have had dreams about the coming of Jesus. This has given me uneasiness, for although absent in body, I am with you in spirit, desiring and seeking the good of all of you, the dear redeemed ones of our precious Saviour. It is by the word of God, our rule and our light in these last days, that we must abide. I do not pretend to say that God may not give warning by a dream, for the word of God says that He can do so; but we must be much upon our guard. We have no need of a dream with respect to matters revealed by God... You will generally find that sisters are the ones who have seen these things, and I have not, moreover, noticed that it has brought them, or others, nearer to God... So I beg these sisters to weigh these things well, and not to allow themselves readily to put faith in these dreams, as if they came from God. Let them not allow themselves to be carried away by their imagination, lest they should fall into the snare of the enemy, and lest he should take advantage of this to shake the faith of some.” (From “The Letters of J. N. D.”, Vol. 1, pp. 93-94, second ed., William Kelly, ed., London, G Morrish, 1914)
This letter clearly shows that Darby denounced the idea that these dreams had come from God because we should rely only on the word. (by this he plainly meant the Bible) Notice also the scornful nature of his comment that “You will generally find that sisters are the ones who have seen these things.” Lest anyone imagine that this letter refers to Margaret MacDonald, please note that the subject was dreams, not a vision. The dreams, and those who had them, were plural, not singular. And the letter, which infers that Darby had only recently heard about the dreams, was dated March 5th, 1845, fifteen years after Margaret MacDonald’s alleged vision.
In addition to rejecting all supposed truth from extra-Biblical sources, Darby also rejected all teaching or preaching by women. He wrote that “I do not accept a woman’s going out to evangelize. I never saw a woman meddle in teaching and church matters, but she brought mischief upon herself and everyone else. If she sits down with a company before her to teach them, she has got out of her place altogether.” (From “The Collected Writings of J. N. Darby” second ed., Vol 26, pg 383, William Kelly, ed., London, G. Morrish, not dated.) Again, he wrote, “A woman cannot be a principle agent in the work. It is contrary to the ways of God. She may help, GREATLY help, but not be the principle agent.” (From “The Collected Writings of J. N. Darby” second ed., Vol 32, pg 341, William Kelly, ed., London, G. Morrish, not dated.)
It is remotely possible that reading about or hearing of Margaret MacDonald’s alleged vision of a pre-tribulation rapture started him thinking on the subject. But there is no evidence that he even knew about this particular alleged vision. Some years ago Dave MacPherson capitalized on this lack of evidence with a book titled “The Incredible Cover-up.” In this book MacPherson added to the falsehood of the original accusation by claiming that Darby had covered up his contact with Margaret MacDonald. He devoted the entire book to a newspaper-like exposé to prove Darby had in fact visited Margaret MacDonald’s church, which was called the Catholic Apostolic Church. This was completely false. Darby not only did not cover up his visits there, but he openly wrote about them. He called this group the “Irvingites” because their main teacher was a man named Edward Irving. In the following account he referred to himself as the “Irish Clergyman” because he had been called that in the article he was answering, which had been written by a Mr. Newton. Notice that this account specifically mentions “Two brothers (respectable shipbuilders at port Glasgow, of the name of M’D – ), and their sister” as chief speakers at the meetings he attended. So he not only wrote about his visit to Margaret MacDonald’s church, but specifically mentioned her as a speaker at these meetings.
“But I must here (without any reproach to Mr. N., as it is a matter of memory) recall some facts, and rectify some statements. At Pentecost the languages were universally understood by those who spoke them; the Irvingite tongues never by any one: a notable difference. And this is so true, that after first trying their hand of making Chinese of it. It was suggested among them that it might be the tongue of angels, as it was said, “If I speak with the tongues of men and angels” – delightful idea!
“Mr. N. is quite exact in his account of the report of the “Irish Clergyman,” or at least of what the “Irish Clergyman” saw and heard. There was a pretended interpretation. Two brothers (respectable shipbuilders at port Glasgow, of the name of M’D – ), and their sister, were the chief persons who spoke, with a Gaelic maid-servant, in the tongues, and a Mrs. J. – , in English. J. M’D – spoke, on the occasion alluded to, for about a quarter of an hour, with great energy and fluency, in a semi-latin sounding speech – then sung a hymn in the same. Having finished, he knelt down and prayed there might be an interpretation; as God had given one gift, that He would add the other. His sister got up at the opposite side of the room, and professed to give the interpretation; but it was a string of texts on overcoming, and no hymn, and one, if not more, of the texts was quoted wrongly. Just afterwards there was a bustle; and apparently some one was unwell and went into the next room; and the gifted English-speaking person, with utterances from the highest pitch of voice to the lowest murmur, with all strange prolongation of tones, spoke through (if one may so express oneself, as if passing through) the agony of Christ. Once the Gaelic servant spoke briefly in “a tongue;” not, if the “Irish Clergyman” remembers right, the same evening. The sense he had of the want of the power of the Holy Ghost in the church made him willing to hear and see. Yet he went rather as deputed for others than for himself.
“The excitement was great, so that, though not particularly an excitable person, he felt its effects very strongly. It did not certainly approve itself to his judgement; other things contributed to form it. It was too much of a scene. Previous to the time of exercising the gifts, they read, sung psalms, and prayed, under certain persons’ providence (one of them a very estimable person, who has since seen free from all this, and a minister of an independent or some dissenting church in Edinburgh, then a church-elder). This being finished, the “Irish Clergyman” was going away, when another said to him, “Don’t go: the best part is probably to come yet.” So he stayed, and heard what has just been related. He was courteously admitted, as one not believing, who came to see what was the real truth of the case. The parties are mostly dead, or dispersed, and many freed from the delusion, and the thing itself public; so that he does not feel that he is guilty of any indiscretion in giving a correct account of what passed.
“It may be added, without of course saying anything that could point out the persons, that female vanity, and very distinct worldliness, did not confirm, to his mind, the thought that it could be the Spirit’s power. The M’D – s were in ordinary life quiet, sober men, and, he believes, most blameless. Their names were so public that there is no indelicacy in alluding to them.” (From “The Collected Writings of J. N. Darby” second ed., Vol 6, pp 448-450, William Kelly, ed., London, G. Morrish, not dated.)
In view of the amount of research Dave MacPherson obviously put into his book, I find it incredible that he did not know about this published letter. This leads me to the conclusion that this was not just an incorrect accusation, but one that was a deliberate falsehood. That is, a blatant lie.
An example of this is the following note he wrote to a woman about some dreams she and some of her friends had reported.
“Very dear sister, – I hear that some of the sisters have had dreams about the coming of Jesus. This has given me uneasiness, for although absent in body, I am with you in spirit, desiring and seeking the good of all of you, the dear redeemed ones of our precious Saviour. It is by the word of God, our rule and our light in these last days, that we must abide. I do not pretend to say that God may not give warning by a dream, for the word of God says that He can do so; but we must be much upon our guard. We have no need of a dream with respect to matters revealed by God... You will generally find that sisters are the ones who have seen these things, and I have not, moreover, noticed that it has brought them, or others, nearer to God... So I beg these sisters to weigh these things well, and not to allow themselves readily to put faith in these dreams, as if they came from God. Let them not allow themselves to be carried away by their imagination, lest they should fall into the snare of the enemy, and lest he should take advantage of this to shake the faith of some.” (From “The Letters of J. N. D.”, Vol. 1, pp. 93-94, second ed., William Kelly, ed., London, G Morrish, 1914)
This letter clearly shows that Darby denounced the idea that these dreams had come from God because we should rely only on the word. (by this he plainly meant the Bible) Notice also the scornful nature of his comment that “You will generally find that sisters are the ones who have seen these things.” Lest anyone imagine that this letter refers to Margaret MacDonald, please note that the subject was dreams, not a vision. The dreams, and those who had them, were plural, not singular. And the letter, which infers that Darby had only recently heard about the dreams, was dated March 5th, 1845, fifteen years after Margaret MacDonald’s alleged vision.
In addition to rejecting all supposed truth from extra-Biblical sources, Darby also rejected all teaching or preaching by women. He wrote that “I do not accept a woman’s going out to evangelize. I never saw a woman meddle in teaching and church matters, but she brought mischief upon herself and everyone else. If she sits down with a company before her to teach them, she has got out of her place altogether.” (From “The Collected Writings of J. N. Darby” second ed., Vol 26, pg 383, William Kelly, ed., London, G. Morrish, not dated.) Again, he wrote, “A woman cannot be a principle agent in the work. It is contrary to the ways of God. She may help, GREATLY help, but not be the principle agent.” (From “The Collected Writings of J. N. Darby” second ed., Vol 32, pg 341, William Kelly, ed., London, G. Morrish, not dated.)
It is remotely possible that reading about or hearing of Margaret MacDonald’s alleged vision of a pre-tribulation rapture started him thinking on the subject. But there is no evidence that he even knew about this particular alleged vision. Some years ago Dave MacPherson capitalized on this lack of evidence with a book titled “The Incredible Cover-up.” In this book MacPherson added to the falsehood of the original accusation by claiming that Darby had covered up his contact with Margaret MacDonald. He devoted the entire book to a newspaper-like exposé to prove Darby had in fact visited Margaret MacDonald’s church, which was called the Catholic Apostolic Church. This was completely false. Darby not only did not cover up his visits there, but he openly wrote about them. He called this group the “Irvingites” because their main teacher was a man named Edward Irving. In the following account he referred to himself as the “Irish Clergyman” because he had been called that in the article he was answering, which had been written by a Mr. Newton. Notice that this account specifically mentions “Two brothers (respectable shipbuilders at port Glasgow, of the name of M’D – ), and their sister” as chief speakers at the meetings he attended. So he not only wrote about his visit to Margaret MacDonald’s church, but specifically mentioned her as a speaker at these meetings.
“But I must here (without any reproach to Mr. N., as it is a matter of memory) recall some facts, and rectify some statements. At Pentecost the languages were universally understood by those who spoke them; the Irvingite tongues never by any one: a notable difference. And this is so true, that after first trying their hand of making Chinese of it. It was suggested among them that it might be the tongue of angels, as it was said, “If I speak with the tongues of men and angels” – delightful idea!
“Mr. N. is quite exact in his account of the report of the “Irish Clergyman,” or at least of what the “Irish Clergyman” saw and heard. There was a pretended interpretation. Two brothers (respectable shipbuilders at port Glasgow, of the name of M’D – ), and their sister, were the chief persons who spoke, with a Gaelic maid-servant, in the tongues, and a Mrs. J. – , in English. J. M’D – spoke, on the occasion alluded to, for about a quarter of an hour, with great energy and fluency, in a semi-latin sounding speech – then sung a hymn in the same. Having finished, he knelt down and prayed there might be an interpretation; as God had given one gift, that He would add the other. His sister got up at the opposite side of the room, and professed to give the interpretation; but it was a string of texts on overcoming, and no hymn, and one, if not more, of the texts was quoted wrongly. Just afterwards there was a bustle; and apparently some one was unwell and went into the next room; and the gifted English-speaking person, with utterances from the highest pitch of voice to the lowest murmur, with all strange prolongation of tones, spoke through (if one may so express oneself, as if passing through) the agony of Christ. Once the Gaelic servant spoke briefly in “a tongue;” not, if the “Irish Clergyman” remembers right, the same evening. The sense he had of the want of the power of the Holy Ghost in the church made him willing to hear and see. Yet he went rather as deputed for others than for himself.
“The excitement was great, so that, though not particularly an excitable person, he felt its effects very strongly. It did not certainly approve itself to his judgement; other things contributed to form it. It was too much of a scene. Previous to the time of exercising the gifts, they read, sung psalms, and prayed, under certain persons’ providence (one of them a very estimable person, who has since seen free from all this, and a minister of an independent or some dissenting church in Edinburgh, then a church-elder). This being finished, the “Irish Clergyman” was going away, when another said to him, “Don’t go: the best part is probably to come yet.” So he stayed, and heard what has just been related. He was courteously admitted, as one not believing, who came to see what was the real truth of the case. The parties are mostly dead, or dispersed, and many freed from the delusion, and the thing itself public; so that he does not feel that he is guilty of any indiscretion in giving a correct account of what passed.
“It may be added, without of course saying anything that could point out the persons, that female vanity, and very distinct worldliness, did not confirm, to his mind, the thought that it could be the Spirit’s power. The M’D – s were in ordinary life quiet, sober men, and, he believes, most blameless. Their names were so public that there is no indelicacy in alluding to them.” (From “The Collected Writings of J. N. Darby” second ed., Vol 6, pp 448-450, William Kelly, ed., London, G. Morrish, not dated.)
In view of the amount of research Dave MacPherson obviously put into his book, I find it incredible that he did not know about this published letter. This leads me to the conclusion that this was not just an incorrect accusation, but one that was a deliberate falsehood. That is, a blatant lie.