by David Dann
Synopsis: Postmillennialism creates unscriptural and unrealistic expectations concerning mankind’s reception of the gospel of Christ.
The apostle Paul instructed Timothy, saying, “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth” (2 Tim. 2:15, NKJV). The doctrinal system of “Postmillennialism” is an example of men failing to rightly divide the word of truth.
According to this view, “Increasing gospel success will gradually produce a time in history prior to Christ’s return in which faith, righteousness, peace, and prosperity will prevail in the affairs of people and of nations. After an extensive era of such conditions the Lord will return visibly, bodily, and in great glory, ending history with the general resurrection and the great judgment of all humankind” (Gentry, 13-14). Postmillennialists anticipate “the world-as-a-system returning to God” in “a massive, systemic conversion of the vast majority of humankind” (Gentry, 42). Thus, postmillennialism is the term applied to the belief that Christ will come again only after this golden millennial age has run its course in history. Some proponents believe that the golden age will last for one thousand literal years.
In contrast, many others view the golden age as merely a long and full period, rather than a literal one thousand years. While various millennial theories have circulated for centuries, Thomas Brightman (1562-1607), the English Presbyterian, is considered the modern formulator of the postmillennial view (Gentry, 16-17). According to one writer, “It comes as a surprise to many that for most of the nineteenth century, postmillennialism was ‘the commonly received doctrine’ among American Protestants, as one minister put it in 1859. Postmillennialism dominated the religious press, the leading seminaries, and most of the Protestant clergy, and it was ingrained in the popular mind” (Pointer). In fact, many preachers who sought a restoration of the New Testament order in the nineteenth century, including Alexander Campbell, promoted a postmillennial view in which they anticipated conversion to Christ taking place on a scale so grand that it would inevitably usher in the second coming of Christ (Wolfgang, 54). Some argue that this unrealistic and mistaken view of a future conversion of the majority of mankind is what led Campbell to adopt unscriptural innovations, such as the missionary society, as his frustration mounted in trying to accomplish this perceived goal. While many religious people continue to hold to the classical postmillennial view, others have more recently taken it a step further. Postmillennialists who subscribe to the form of the doctrine known as “Christian Reconstructionism,” “Dominion Theology,” or “Theonomic Postmillennialism” look for the rise of a theocratic form of government in which the civil laws and punishments of the Law of Moses will be implemented and carried out in society (Riddlebarger, 30-31; Strimple, 58-59).
In unfolding His plan to redeem man from sin through Jesus Christ, God made three significant promises to Abraham (Gen. 12:1-3). Postmillennialists go beyond what the New Testament offers as the fulfillment of God’s promises and claim that, for the third promise to be fulfilled, the vast majority of all nations must be converted to Christ (Kik, 22). Passages such as Habakkuk 2:14, which states, “For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea,” are misused to teach that the majority of mankind will become Christians. The problem with postmillennialism is that it claims that Old Testament prophecies must be fulfilled in a manner that is beyond the scope of what the Scriptures teach.
Jesus Christ has been reigning as King in heaven ever since His ascension to the Father following His resurrection from the dead (cf. Acts 2:32-33). Interpreting the millennium as non-literal, many postmillennialists believe that this period extends from Jesus’ first coming all the way to His second coming. However, since there is no widespread evidence of the world-as-a-system turning to Christ, postmillennial expectations can lead to a dismal view of His reign. As one writer puts it, “Postmillennialism was a widely accepted eschatological position among American evangelicals in the period of unprecedented technological growth between 1870 and 1915. But with the coming of the ‘war to end all wars’ (World War I), the Great Depression, and the horrors of Auschwitz and Hiroshima, optimism gave way to pessimism” (Riddlebarger, 30). The problem with postmillennialism is that it demands things of Christ’s reign that the Bible does not teach and cannot be harmonized with what is witnessed in the world.
Jesus warned His apostles, saying, “If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you” (John 15:18; cf. 1 John 3:13). Rather than promising the saints a golden age of worldwide acceptance of the gospel, Christ and His apostles continually warned that the Christian’s journey through this world involves suffering that ultimately will be relieved beyond this earthly life (cf. Rom. 8:18). The problem with postmillennialism is that it ignores these warnings in favor of constructing a view of earthly life that does not harmonize with what the Bible teaches.
The “one hope” of the child of God is not that of living in a perfectly righteous and just environment on earth, but is, instead, based on anticipation of the coming of Christ at the end of time (cf. Eph. 4:4; Titus 2:11-13; Col. 1:3-5). Encouraging suffering saints to remain faithful despite the prospect of losing their earthly lives in the face of persecution, John writes, “And I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was committed to them. Then I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their witness to Jesus and for the word of God, who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received his mark on their foreheads or on their hands. And they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years” (Rev. 20:4). This passage, which supposedly discusses the millennial golden age, makes no mention of peace and justice on earth or the mass conversion of the world to Christ but looks beyond this earthly life for the fulfillment of the Christian’s longing. The problem with postmillennialism is that it offers an earthly hope to the people of God in addition to the one heavenly hope that is revealed in His word.
Notice that in the Parable of the Sower, only one out of the four types of soil is considered “good ground” (Matt. 13:23). Rather than promising that the majority would eventually travel the narrow way, Jesus states plainly: “there are few who find it” (Matt. 7:13-14). In contrast with the teachings of postmillennialists, there will never come a time when the vast majority of humanity chooses to travel the narrow way that leads to eternal life.
Rather than heralding the arrival of a golden age of righteousness on earth, Paul writes, “Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution. But evil men and impostors will grow worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived” (2 Tim. 3:12-13; cf. 2 Pet. 3:3). Even the very passage which supposedly predicts the millennial golden age places the coming of Christ at a time of opposition rather than a time of great peace and righteousness (cf. Rev. 20:7-8). Contrary to what postmillennialists teach, opposition to the gospel will continue right up until Christ returns in judgment.
In his second letter to the church in Thessalonica, the apostle Paul indicates that the second coming of Christ is the point at which wickedness and justice will be eradicated (cf. 2 Thess. 1:6-10). Contrary to the picture painted by postmillennialists, the world will still be populated with “those who do not know God” and those “who do not obey the gospel” when Jesus comes again in judgment.
The faithful will find peace and rest from wickedness and unrighteousness in the dwelling place of God in eternity, rather than in this world (cf. John 14:1-3; 2 Pet. 3:13-14). This present world is destined to be burned up without ever arriving at a worldwide golden age of righteousness. Contrary to what postmillennialists teach, the faithful will not find perfect peace and righteousness here on earth but will find it beyond the resurrection and judgment.
The postmillennial view of this world and its future is vastly different from the perspective presented in Scripture. The problem, of course, is that postmillennialism adds to what is stated in God’s word while seeking to diminish clear pronouncements of Scripture (cf. Rev. 22:18-19). Why not simply trust the word of the Lord, instead of the speculative theories of men, when it comes to what lies ahead?
“Amillennialism.” Wikipedia.com https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amillennialism.
Gentry, Jr., Kenneth L. “Postmillennialism.” Three Views on the Millennium and Beyond. Darrell L. Bock, ed. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1999.
Kik, J. Marcellus. An Eschatology of Victory. Phillipsburg, NJ: Presbyterian and Reformed, 1971.
Pointer, Steven R. “American Postmillennialism: Seeing the Glory.” Christianity Today. No. 61, 1999. www.christianitytoday.com/history/issues/issue-61/american-postmillennialism-seeing-glory.html.
Riddlebarger, Kim. A Case for Amillennialism. Grand Rapids: Baker, 2003.
Strimple, Robert B. “An Amillennial Response to Kenneth L. Gentry, Jr.” Three Views on the Millennium and Beyond. Darrell L. Bock, ed. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1999.
Wolfgang, Steve. “Millennialism and The American Political Dream.” Guardian of Truth. Vol. 26, No. 4. January 28, 1982. www.truthmagazine.com/archives/volume26/GOT026016.html.
Author Bio: David has been working with the Hebron Lane church of Christ in Shepherdsville, KY since 2016. He and his wife, Cynthia, have been blessed with six children. The church website is hebronlane.com. The church website is hebronlane.com. He can be reached at ddann1@hotmail.com.
