A Prophecy by 15-year-old Margaret MacDonald in Port
Glasgow, Scotland, about 1830.
Margaret MacDonald has been cited for "inventing"
the teaching known as the "pre-tribulation Rapture of the church." Not true! Margaret's views were POST-tribulational. There is nothing in her message that suggests that the church will be Raptured before The Great Tribulation. She did not preach the pre-trib
Rapture, so John Darby did not get it from her.
Her Prophecy:
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, "Oh, 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 [sign] needed to be revealed, as there was great
darkness and error concerning 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 [we] 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 seen them before. 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.’
Don’t be unwise, but understand what the Lord’s will is; and 'don’t be drunk with wine which is excessive, 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 does not come 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 those who say,
"...see here, or see there...," for his day shall be as the lightning
to those in whom is the living Christ. ‘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 raised up, and the fullness of Christ be poured
into his body, and then we will be caught up to meet him. Oh none will be
counted worthy of this calling except his body, which is the church, and
which must be a candlestick all of gold.
I often said, "Oh, the glorious in-breaking 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 be, 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 yet 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 greater than 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 [him] walking in the midst of them, while those who did not
have 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, (the Antichrist- 2 Thess 2:3) with all power and signs
and lying wonders, so that if it were possible, the
very elect will be deceived. This is the fiery trial which is
to try us. (She is showing the Church present during the Tribulation.) 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 be shaken to the
very centre. The enemy will try to shake everything we have believed in, but
the trial of real faith will be found to result in honor and praise and glory.
Nothing but what is of God will stand. The stony-ground hearers will be made
manifest. And the love of many will grow cold.
That night [and often since] I have frequently
said,"....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
that he will work. He will have a counterfeit 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 in just the same proportion as the
Spirit of God works, so will he [the false christ]—when our Lord anoints men
with power, so will he [the false christ] do the same. This is precisely the
nature of the trial through which all those who will be counted worthy to stand
before the Son of man will have to pass through. (Again, she is showing the Church being tried in the Tribulation.) There will be an outward trial
too, but ‘primarily it will be temptation.’ It is brought on by the outpouring
of the Spirit, and will increase in proportion just as the Spirit is poured
out. The trial of the Church comes through the anti-christ, but it is by being
filled with the Spirit that we shall be kept. Pre-trib doctrine says the church will NOT be on earth when Antichrist is revealed. Here miss MacDonald is showing her post-trib view.
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 that it was the will of God that all should be filled.
But what hindered the real life of God from being received by his people? It
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 has 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 [away] 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.
That night [and often since] I saw 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. The servants of God sealed in their foreheads are the 144,000 Jewish evangelists preaching during the Tribulation. (Revelation 7:3-8)
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.
— End of Margaret MacDonald’s message —