The Prophetic Faith of Our Fathers, vol. 2

III. Whitby Projects His New Postmillennial Scheme

The eighteenth century in England was distinguished by the rise of a new millennial theory—that of Whitbyanism. It was an elaborate effort to set aside the chiliastic view, and was asserted to be a new hypothesis, or new discovery—the world’s conversion under an increased potency of grace. It was a spiritual millennium, consisting of the universal triumph of the gospel and the conversion of all nations in the thousand years before the coming of Christ. PFF2 649.3

Picture 3: DANIEL WHITBY LAUNCHES HIS POST-MILLENNIAL THEORY
Whitby’s Commentary (Left) Containing His Revolutionary Treatise on the Millennium; Portrait of Whitby (Center); and Initial Page of Whitby’s Post-Millennial Treatise (Right) Attacking the Premillennial Position of the Protestants and the Augustin Theory of the Millennium Held by the Catholics
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DANIEL WHITBY (1638-1726), originator of the postmillennial theory, was born in Northamptonshire. Educated at Trinity College, Oxford, from which he received the B.A., M.A., B.D., and D.D. degrees, he was made chaplain to the bishop of Salisbury in 1668; and prebend of Yatesbury in the Cathedral church. Finally he became rector of St. Edmund’s in Salisbury. Fairly popular as a preacher, he is better known for his voluminous writings, about thirty-nine works in all. A persistent student, of unquestioned erudition and ability, he was primarily a controversialist. His Protestant Reconcilor (1683) encountered violent opposition and was ordered publicly burned at Oxford. PFF2 651.1

Whitby’s most noted work was his two-volume Paraphrase and Commentary on the New Testament (1703), which had reached its seventh printing by 1760. In the latter part of this work he set forth an elaborate 26—page “new hypothesis” on the thousand years. The postmillennial scheme, of which he was the avowed originator, appeared in chart form as a substitute for a commentary section on the Apocalypse, which he declined to attempt. ²² Whitby passed through a number of opinions before coming to his ultimate positions; and his theory, based on unproved assumptions and without support of Scripture, clearly contravened the faith of the church for sixteen centuries. PFF2 651.2

This theory asserted that the conversion of the world, under large outpourings of the Holy Spirit, would be at the time of the national establishment of the Jews, ²³ along with the over throw of the pope and the Turk. This he denominated the “first resurrection.” A universal reign of paradisiacal righteousness, peace, and victory was scheduled to come next, before the second advent. Postmillennial ism thus places the advent at the end, instead of the beginning, of the thousand years. ²⁴ The theory was built upon the interpolated text of Justin, misapplied passages of Irenaeus, misrepresentations of Christian chiliasm by Origen, Dionysius, and Eusebius, and by twisted quotations from the fathers, apocryphal writings, and Sibylline oracles. ²⁵ PFF2 651.3

Picture 4: WHITBY PLACES MILLENNIUM PRIOR TO SECOND ADVENT
Whitby’s Post-Millennial Theory, as Its Name Implies, Shifts the Second Advent to the Close of the Thousand Years, Instead of Introducing the Period, as in the Premillennial View of the Early Church, Which View Had Been Restored by Joseph Mede and Most Expositors for a Century After His Time
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Whitbyanism asserted that the thousand years were still future, and that under the preaching of the gospel all opposing forces would give way, and there would be restraint of Satan’s power. Thus the kingdom of Christ would come upon the earth under the seventh trumpet—with Islam gone, the Papacy gone, Brahmanism, Buddhism, and all heathenism gone, atheism, infidelity, secularism, false science, and philosophy gone, and Satan shut up for one thousand years, the heathen nations all converted, the whole world reformed, the times of restitution completed, and those of refreshing present—and all before Christ personally and visibly appears. ²⁶ PFF2 652.1

Eminent divines began to embrace it, and wrote upon it—Vitringa (d. 1722), then Edwards and Hopkins in North America, and Bellamy, Scott, Faber, Brown, and Fairbairn in Britain. But the very century that gave the Whitbyan theory to the world provided a vigorous protest against it. Astronomers, philosophers, nobles, and poets, as well as divines, stood forth in strong protest. Bengel helped turn the tide in Germany. Then came a host of stalwarts—Zinzendorf, Roos, Jung—Stilling, and others in Continental Europe. Sacred poetry in the hands of Watts, Wesley, Cowper, Montgomery, and Heber re-emphasized the premillennial story in impressive phrases. ²⁷ PFF2 652.2

I. THE RESURRECTION APPLIED TO THE CHURCH

Whitby’s position is stated simply in the title of his treatise, which is both comprehensive and explicit. The resurrection is the glorious renewal of the church. It reads: PFF2 653.1

“A Treatise of the True Millennium: shewing that it is not a reign of persons raised from the dead, but of the church flourishing gloriously for a thousand years after the conversion of the Jews, and the flowing in of all nations to them thus converted to the Christian Faith. ²⁸ PFF2 653.2

2. FIRST AND SECOND RESURRECTIONS DENIED

This is expressly stated in a chapter summary. PFF2 653.3

“Arguments against the literal Resurrection, and the Reign of Martyrs upon Earth a thousand years. First, From the Inconsistency of it with the happy State of Souls departed, 1[I. Secondly, From the accurate Description of the Resurrection in the Holy Scripture, without any mention of a first and second Resurrection, and with such Descriptions of the Qualities of the Bodies raised, the efficient Cause, of the Time, Circumstances, and Consequents of it, which suit not with the Doctrine of the Millennium. ²⁹ PFF2 653.4

3. ANTICHRIST’S FALL MUST PRECEDE MILLENNIUM WHITBY DECLARES:

“The true Millennium will not begin till the fall of Antichrist; nor will the Jews be converted till that Time, the Idolatry of the Roman Church being one great Obstacle of their Conversion. ³⁰ PFF2 653.5

“These instruments of Satan being thus slain and overcome by Christ, Satan is bound a thousand Years. ³¹ PFF2 653.6

4. SECOND ADVENT A SPIRITUAL EFFUSION

Whitby’s definition of the second advent is explicit. PFF2 653.7

“There shall be then a full Effusion of the Holy Ghost ... some what resembling that which was vouchsafed to the first Ages of Christianity, ³² PFF2 653.8

This indicates a spiritual second advent in the form of a Pentecostal outpouring of the Spirit. PFF2 653.9

5. SAINTS SEPARATED FROM CHRIST DURING MILLENNIUM

Christ is in heaven, and the saints are on earth during Whitby’s millennium. Then He comes to earth. PFF2 654.1

“Since Christ is to continue in Heaven till the Completion, or Con summation of all Things, spoken by the Holy Prophets, if the Millennium were any of them, Christ must continue in Heaven till the Consummation of that also, and therefore is not to come down from Heaven to reign on Earth till the Millennium be ended. ³³ PFF2 654.2

“I believe then, That after the Fall of Antichrist, there shall be such a glorious State of the Church, by the Conversion of the Jews to the Christian Faith, as shall be to it Life from the Dead; that it shall then flourish in Peace and Plenty, in Righteousness and Holiness, and in a pious Off-spring; that then shall begin a glorious and undisturbed Reign of Christ over both Jew and Gentile, to continue a thousand Years, during the Time of Satan’s binding; and that, as John the Baptist was Elias, because he came in the Spirit and Power of Elias; so shall this be the Church of Martyrs, and of those who had not received the Mark of the Beast because of their entire Freedom from all the Doctrines and Practices of the Antichristian Church, and because the Spirit and Purity of the Times of the Primitive Martyrs shall return. ³⁴ PFF2 654.3

6. EFFECT UPON PROTESTANT CHURCHES WAS PROFOUND

So Whitby begins his millennium with the living saints on earth, and Christ and the dead of ages past in heaven. He ends the period with the Lord’s personal literal descent, accompanied by the spirits of just men made perfect. This postmillennial ad vent brings the day of judgment and the destruction of sinners, and the day of eternal salvation for the saints. PFF2 654.4

The effect upon the Protestant church was profound. As men came to contemplate an intervening millennium of peace and safety, they ceased to be eager and alert for the second ad vent. The principle of accommodation became ascendant. Men came to substitute the expectancy of death for Christ’s coming. With such, Whitbyanism muffled the warning note, “Behold, I come quickly.” Gill was impelled to cry in alarm: The churches have a name to live but are dead; both ministers and churches are asleep. And Bengel declared, in distress: This slumbering age needs an awakener. The day star of the advent hope was lost sight of by thousands, as they dreamed of a golden age without Christ. Further note of Whitbyanism will be taken later. The repercussions increase with the passage of time. PFF2 654.5