The Premillennial View
A Sermon on the Premillennial View of Revelation
Originally preached May 6, 1955
Scripture
Sermon Description
In this sermon on the premillennial view of Revelation, Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones identifies several errors with the premillennial interpretation of eschatology. First, no other passages in the New Testament reference an earthly kingdom with Jesus literally reigning on earth for 1,000 years. Second, this view makes the kingdom earthly, whereas Jesus’s emphasis is on a spiritual kingdom. Third, it postpones the idea of the kingdom to the future, but this is contrary to what Dr. Lloyd-Jones sees in the New Testament. Fourth, it reintroduces the distinction between Jews and Gentiles that Paul so clearly wrote had been abolished. Fifth, Lloyd-Jones says, it proposes that there are three comings of Jesus, whereas Scripture says that there are two. Sixth, this view says that glorified saints and the Lord Jesus in His glory are on earth together with those who haven’t been glorified yet, but this, too, seems contrary to what Scripture teaches. Finally, it is inconceivable that if Christ reigns for 1,000 years that Satan will be able to produce an army large enough to wage war against Christ, even though they will be defeated. Listen to this sermon as Dr. Lloyd-Jones expands on these points and helps the listener understand the flaws with a premillennial view of the end times.
Sermon Breakdown
- The sermon begins by recapping the previous discussion on the premillennial view of Revelation 20. Dr. Lloyd-Jones notes that there are minor differences among premillennialists but that he presented a general composite view.
- Dr. Lloyd-Jones then presents several objections to the premillennial view. The first is that it is found nowhere else in Scripture. The second is that it presents an earthly conception of the kingdom rather than a spiritual one. The third is that it postpones the kingdom to the future rather than seeing it as present. The fourth is that it reintroduces a distinction between Jews and Gentiles.
- The fifth objection is that the premillennial view teaches multiple comings of Christ rather than one second coming. The sixth is that it teaches two or three resurrections rather than a single resurrection of the just and unjust. This contradicts Jesus' teaching in John 5 and 6.
- The seventh objection is that according to the premillennial view, glorified saints and those still in the flesh would be on earth together, which seems implausible. The eighth is that there must still be sinners during the millennial reign, contradicting the supposed peace of that time. The ninth is that after 1,000 years of Christ's reign, it is implausible that Satan could deceive the nations.
- Dr. Lloyd-Jones then turns to 2 Peter 3, which presents objections to the premillennial view. Peter knows of only one coming of the Lord, one day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly, and the arrival of the new heavens and new earth. This "day of the Lord" will come as a thief in the night, unlike the premillennial sequence of events.
- Dr. Lloyd-Jones then presents several objections from within Revelation 20 itself. The first is that the scene seems to be set in heaven, not on earth. The second is that the binding of Satan is symbolic, so the rest of the passage should be read symbolically. The third is that John refers to seeing the "souls" of the martyrs, suggesting a disembodied state in heaven.
- The fourth objection from Revelation 20 is that the thousand year period precedes the final judgment. The premillennial view has to reverse this sequence. The fifth is that their interpretation of Satan's binding is pressed too far, as it is implausible that there would be no sin or evil during this time.
Great Biblical Doctrines
Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones
Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones (1899-1981) was a Welsh evangelical minister who preached and taught in the Reformed tradition. His principal ministry was at Westminster Chapel, in central London, from 1939-1968, where he delivered multi-year expositions on books of the bible such as Romans, Ephesians and the Gospel of John. In addition to the MLJ Trust’s collection of 1,600 of these sermons in audio format, most of these great sermon series are available in book form (including a 14 volume collection of the Romans sermons), as are other series such as "Spiritual Depression", "Studies in the Sermon on the Mount" and "Great Biblical Doctrines". He is considered by many evangelical leaders today to be an authority on biblical truth and the sufficiency of Scripture.