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A RECENT INTERPRETATION


Around 1800 there arose a strong interest in Bible prophecy and the end time; tracts and books were written dealing with the Second Coming, Tribulation, Antichrist, and the Millennium. Prophetic conferences began to spring up in England, first at Albury and later at Powerscourt; there were two results. One, there was a return to the teaching of the early Church Fathers concerning eschatology; and two, there appeared a new interpretation of the Lord’s return.

This innovative and novel view has come to be known as Dispensationalism, a view unknown for the first 1800 years of Church History. Yet many today associate it with true orthodoxy. In some quarters, to question Dispensationalism is to bring into question one’s commitment to the historic faith. To question Dispensationalism is to cause many conservative lay people to question the conservatism of the one who casts doubt upon this late arriving concept that has been interjected into the field of eschatology. Nevertheless, the view is of recent origins. And Dispensationalists should be willing, and even anxious, to consider the roots of their peculiar belief.

Three individuals appear in connection with the entrance of the pretribulation idea of the Rapture into the eschatological discussion. All three appeared around 1830, and they are Margaret Macdonald, Edward Irving, and J. N. Darby.

Margaret Macdonald

Margaret Macdonald’s story is told by Dave MacPherson in his books, The Unbelievable Pre-Trib Origin, The Incredible Cover-Up, and The Rapture Plot. Much of the following historical material is taken from his books. This website does not defend or reject his findings, just reports them. He reports on an obscure book written by Robert Norton, a British medical doctor who became a minister. In his book, The Restoration of Apostles and Prophets; In the Catholic Apostolic Church, Norton claimed a Margaret Macdonald had originated the two-stage idea in early 1830, possibly March. Norton described the event:


A partial-rapture position as a result characterized the early days of the movement. It was anchored in part in the Old Testament idea of “firstfruits.” When applied to the Church it meant that the more spiritual would be raised before the rest of the Church would be raised or harvested. Both were part of the Church, just raised at different times. This apparently is the core idea from which developed full-blown Dispensationalism over time. Macdonald’s revelation seems to be more along the lines of partial-rapture rather than pretribulation rapture (see: The Rapture Plot). From this perspective some believers would be delivered from the coming Tribulation while others would experience it.

It is believed that Margaret Macdonald received the gift of prophecy during a period of convalescence—she had been sick for 18 months—and her statements during that time eventually became the basis for the belief in a pretribulation rapture.  On some March evening during early 1830 the statements were made. It was also reported that she received the gift of tongues at age fifteen, shortly after the supposed vision that revealed the pretribulation rapture. So, the pretribulation rapture did not come from tongues, but the fact that so soon after, approximately four months, she spoke in tongues reveals her theological state at the time of the original utterance. And it also reveals the atmosphere out of which the earliest suggestions of some sort of pretribulation rapture arose.

During 1830, the influence of Margaret Macdonald in and around Port Glasgow, Scotland, and as far away as London, was significant. With reports of healing and of Spirit visitation, many went to investigate and to partake of the events. Among those who visited were Edward Irving and J. N. Darby. After her initial revelation, and when the crowds began to come, prayer and praise services were common at the Macdonald house. Below is the most important part of her utterance, as reported by Norton in his book:


Her statement implies that only a select group of believers would be caught up to meet the Lord while the rest would remain on earth to suffer “the fiery trial” under “THE WICKED.” In her statement, she states that one will be taken and the other left and that then the Antichrist will be revealed.

Dave MacPherson has a footnote in the Appendix of his book, The Unbelievable Pre-Trib Origin, which reads as follows: “Margaret was actually a Partial Rapturist; she saw a select group caught up before the man of sin of 2 Thessalonians 2 is revealed, with the rest of the believers passing through and being purified in the Great Tribulation” (118).

Edward Irving

Edward Irving was born in 1792 in Scotland. He earned a master’s degree from Edinburgh University at age sixteen and was licensed as a Presbyterian minister by 1815, becoming pastor of a Presbyterian church, Regent Square, in London in 1822. The church was frequented by important religious and political leaders in the city. An eloquent speaker, Irving became interested in Bible prophecy, attending and speaking at conferences at Albury Park from 1826-30; these conferences were made possible by the generosity of a wealthy banker, Henry Drummond. Initially he embraced the revived Premillennialism that was popular around 1800.

In late 1830 he wrote an article in The Morning Watch, his prophetic journal, discussing the first and second stage of Christ’s return, distinguishing between the epiphany (first stage) and the parousia (second stage). Note that this is exactly the opposite of later Dispensationalists who used parousia to refer to the Rapture at the beginning of the Great Tribulation. MacPherson stated that this is the earliest record in print of a pretribulational rapture idea (The Rapture Plot, 6), but no mention is made of Margaret Macdonald by The Morning Watch article. Irving’s views were based on symbolism rather than clear direct statements of Scripture. Important to him were the two witnesses of Revelation 11, the year-day principle in relationship to the 1260 days of Revelation, the Jewish concept of “firstfruits” in relationship to the “wise virgins,” and the 144,000 in Revelation.

In addition to his writings on prophecy, he wrote a tract in 1830 claiming that Jesus had a fallen nature. Christ’s nature, he claimed, was like man’s nature; that is, He could have sinned but, in the case of Christ, He did not sin. He also believed that all the spiritual gifts would be restored to the Church. Tongues broke out in his church in 1831. As a result of these events, he faced heresy proceedings and in 1832 was dismissed from the presbytery. He then began to meet with a group that came to be known as the Catholic Apostolic Church. In 1834, he died at age forty-two.

The precise source of his views is unknown, but it has been suggested that he was influenced by the writings of Emmanuel Lacunza, a Spanish Jesuit who wrote a book entitled, The Coming of the Messiah in Glory and Majesty. In this book Lacunza interpreted the Book of Revelation, with the exception of the first three chapters, as a description of apocalyptic events that would soon occur. Irving published Lacunza’s work in English in 1828. But the two-stage idea does seem to have originated with Lacunza.

Tregelles, the Greek scholar, stated:


And in The Puritan Hope, Iain Murray commented:


Gaebelein made the following observation:


Gundry in his book, The Church and the Tribulation, claimed that Irving “was likely the first to suggest the pretribulational rapture, or at least the seminal thought behind it” (185). He also cited a B. W. Newton, an early leader of the Plymouth Brethren, who said that Irving’s attendance at the Albury Conferences “ruined” them because of his suggestion of a “Secret Coming” (185).

J. N. Darby

J. N. Darby, who was born in 1800 and died in 1882, began to meet in 1827 in Dublin, Ireland, with the group that was to become the Plymouth Brethren. For the rest of his life he was a member of this group and played a major role in shaping the movement. He lived a simple and frugal life, often exhibiting a benevolent spirit. His writings were many, numbering over forty volumes of six hundred pages each, covering the full spectrum of topics related to the Christian faith. His lasting influence, however, was to be in the field of eschatology.

Before 1830 he believed Christ would return after the Tribulation; in fact, his first paper on prophecy emphasized Revelation 19 and the coming of Christ for His people after the Tribulation. During 1830 he slowly began to change to the pretribulational position, eventually embracing an Israel-Church distinction with the rapture before the Great Tribulation, though the change of position for him took a number of years. This new perspective eventually led to strife and division within the Brethren movement. His concept of the Church formed the center of his evolving eschatological views. According to Darby, the Church began at Pentecost and is to be distinguished from Israel. Bass stated that “Dispensationalism is rooted in Darby’s concept of the church” (Backgrounds to Dispensationalism, 127).

It is interesting to note that in the early 1830’s Darby visited Margaret Macdonald in Scotland. According to MacPherson: “Darby borrowed from her, modified her views, and then popularized them under his own name without giving her credit” (Pre-Trib Origin, 94). In the early 1830’s he began to promote and popularize the pretribulation view. He attended the Powerscourt conferences around 1833, exerting great influence, and surely had contact with Irving who also attended. The new “secret” rapture concept was gaining attention and attracting adherents. It was Darby who developed and expanded the concepts that are essential to and a vibrant part of present day Dispensationalism.

Of Darby, Walvoord stated:


Ladd would concur with this general time period:


Alexander Reese in his book, The Approaching Advent of Christ, stated:


Later, on page 240 of the same book, he added:


Finally, Clarence Bass, in the “Introduction” to his book stated that his book “argues that as a system of thought dispensationalism can be traced to the theology and practice of John Nelson Darby, which was formulated in an atmosphere of theological controversy” (Backgrounds, 7).

Darby visited the United States six times between 1859 and 1874, teaching his innovativel view at the prophetic conferences being held in the states. During the next twenty-five years conferences were held in Chicago, Niagara, and Seacliff, Long Island. C. I. Scofield attended the conference at Seacliff in 1901, and the idea of a reference Bible came to him. He eventually published the Scofield Reference Bible which presented the Dispensationall view as the proper interpretation of the consummation. The Scofield Reference Bible spread the view widely. Because its notes were considered to be conservative and accurate, many accepted the notes without careful study. As the years went by those who used the Bible equated Dispensationalism with the conservative position; and, in the minds of many, Premillennialism came to be equated with Dispensationalism.

The precise origin of Pretribulationism is not clear, but it definitely appeared around 1830. Before that date it was simply unknown and untaught. It apparently arose from the interrelationships and teachings of the above individuals. Darby and Irving never claimed to have originated the view, but both taught it. Without question, Pretribulationism is a recent view. It evidently came from subjective visions and revelations, or at least out of an environment that accepted and encouraged extra Biblical revelations. Scripture was then used to support the view rather than the view itself coming from Scripture. It stands in direct opposition to the Posttribulationism of the early Church.

Two quotes support this view of the early history of Dispensationalism, the first quote is from a Premillennialist and the second from a Dispensational Pretribulationist.


Dave MacPherson asks a pointed question at the conclusion of his book, The Rapture Plot: “Again I ask the same question: if pretrib dispensationalism can continue to cover up or distort the bizarre beginnings of its 165-year existence, why should anyone trust its interpretations of the Bible?” (273). Dispensationalism is a recent view and is suspicious as to it s origin.



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