PRE-MILLENNIALISTS

Many pre-millennialists hold that Christ intended to establish the kingdom of His father David when He was on earth – a national kingdom.  Because the Jews refused to repent, this kingdom was postponed till His second coming, when it will be set up, and He will reign at Jerusalem. 

This view is open to very serious objection indeed.  It tends to challenge Job’s affirmation, ‘No purpose of Thine can be restrained.’  It supposes that Jesus made a national offer of an earthly kingdom to the Jews, whereas He made no such offer; indeed, when they would have made Him a king, he would not have it (John 6:15).  Moreover, it makes the kingdom an earthly and national institution, while the New Testament preaches entirely a spiritual and eternal kingdom from every nation and tribe and tongue. 

It also fails to explain how glorified saints and people still in the flesh can live and associate together during the thousand years.  Instead of ‘people still in the flesh,’ we might have said ‘sinners in the flesh,’ for though righteousness is supposed to prevail in the millennium, yet at its close Satan is to lead a host to battle from the four quarters of the earth whose number is as the sand of the sea (Rev. 20:8)! 

Lastly, as Louis Berkhof states, this pre-millennial view ‘erroneously seeks its main support in a passage (Rev. 20:1-6) which represents a scene in heaven and makes no mention whatever of the Jews, of an earthly and national kingdom, nor of the land of Palestine.’

(The Momentous Event by W. J. Grier)