History and Doctrine of the Millennium

DR. DANIEL WHITBY

The first of the millenist school is Daniel Whitby, D. D., who died A. D. 1726, aged 88. Having written a Commentary on the Epistles, he concludes it with a treatise on the millennium, in which he sets forth distinctly as follows: HDM 37.1

I differ only in three things from the ancient millenaries. HDM 37.2

1 In denying Christ’s personal reign upon earth during the thousand years. HDM 37.3

2 I confidently deny that the temple of Jerusalem shall be there built again. HDM 37.4

3 I differ from them in respect to the reign of the martyrs, making it only a reign of the converted Jews and of the Gentiles, then flowing and uniting into one church. HDM 37.5

That is, he rejects from the ancient millenary doctrine its redeeming spirit, the coming of Christ and the resurrection of the just; and leaves it a mere carcass of flesh, having a flattering show of spirituality, but destitute of the power and coming of the Lord Jesus: not that he, with the many good and eminent men that have followed him, intended to lower the standard of christian hope, and trail the banner of faith in the dust, by planting it in Jewry a thousand years, for Mount Zion in the eternal world to come; not that he or they have intended to reject the Lord, saying, with his citizens in the parable, “We will not have this man to reign over us: we are triumphantly subduing nature to art, and converting the heathen to Chris: we desire not to be interrupted in our good work:” but the import and bearing of the millenist doctrine rests on such carnal hope for support; and naturally leads the believing mind to be jealous, rather then fond, of the blessed Lord’s appearing; to distrust rather than to hope for the coming of the Lord; and to shrink and hide from the love, rather than to watch and wait and reach out in expectation, of catching a sound of his chariot-wheels, or the flash of his epiphany. HDM 37.6