Postmillennialism: Christ’s Unstoppable Kingdom

If you’re like most believers, you’ve probably looked at the world and thought, “How can things possibly get worse?” The darkness seems overwhelming—moral decay, hostility to the Gospel, nations raging against God. It’s easy to think we’re in the last days of decline.

But what if we’re actually in the early church?

What if, instead of expecting things to get worse, we are called to expect victory—not just in eternity, but in history?

That’s the heart of postmillennialism. Not naïve optimism. Not an escape from reality. But a bold, biblical conviction that Jesus Christ is reigning now, and His kingdom is growing in such a way that the world will one day be filled with the knowledge of the Lord (Habakkuk 2:14).

This view has been championed by some of the greatest theologians in history:

• Augustine saw Christ’s reign growing through the Church.

• Jonathan Edwards believed the Great Awakening was a foretaste of God’s global conquest.

• Charles Hodge, A.A. Hodge, and B.B. Warfield argued from Scripture that Christ’s dominion would extend over all the earth.

• The Puritans saw the Gospel not only as personal salvation but as the means by which society itself would be transformed over time.

If we’re going to consider postmillennialism fairly, let’s steelman the position. Let’s not set up strawmen. Let’s examine:

1. The Biblical Foundation: Christ’s Present Reign

2. The Binding of Satan: The Gospel’s Unstoppable Advance

3. The Great Commission: A Certain Victory

4. The Historic Testimony: Postmillennialism’s Legacy

5. The Reality of Suffering: Does This View Ignore Persecution?

Let’s take this seriously—not because we need a hopeful eschatology, but because the Bible calls us to expect the triumph of Christ.

expect the triumph of Christ.

1. The Biblical Foundation: Christ’s Present Reign

Postmillennialism begins with a simple but profound claim: Jesus is reigning now and is actively subduing His enemies. This isn’t wishful thinking—it’s the clear teaching of Scripture.

A. “He Must Reign Until…”

Paul, writing in 1 Corinthians 15, states that Christ is currently reigning and that His reign is marked by the progressive defeat of His enemies:

“For He must reign until He has put all His enemies under His feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death.” – 1 Corinthians 15:25-26

Notice: Christ is already reigning. And this reign doesn’t end when He returns—it continues until every enemy is subdued.

What does that mean? It means His reign is working itself out in history, not just in eternity.

Many Christians assume that the world will grow darker until Christ returns to set things right. But Paul paints a different picture: history is the stage where Christ’s rule unfolds, where His enemies are progressively defeated, and where the Gospel extends His dominion.

B. The Kingdom is a Growing Reality

Jesus describes His kingdom not as something sudden, but as something that grows:

• Like a mustard seed—starting small but becoming the largest of all (Matthew 13:31-32).

• Like leaven—slowly permeating the whole (Matthew 13:33).

This doesn’t describe a Church that is barely holding on until the rapture. It describes a kingdom that starts small but spreads until it fills the earth.

And what about Daniel’s vision?

“The stone that struck the image became a great mountain and filled the whole earth.” – Daniel 2:35

What is that stone? Christ’s kingdom, which grows until it fills the whole world.

This is the consistent witness of Scripture: Christ is reigning, His kingdom is growing, and His enemies are being subdued.

2. The Binding of Satan: The Gospel’s Unstoppable Advance

A common objection to postmillennialism is, “If Christ is reigning now, why is the world still so full of evil?” That’s a fair question. The answer lies in a right understanding of Satan’s binding—a concept Jesus Himself taught.

A. Revelation 20: Satan Bound So the Nations May Believe

Revelation 20:1-3 describes an angel binding Satan, preventing him from deceiving the nations:

“Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding in his hand the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain. And he seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years, and threw him into the pit, and shut it and sealed it over him, so that he might not deceive the nations any longer, until the thousand years were ended.”

Postmillennialists understand this passage not as a future event, but as something that happened at Christ’s first coming. Satan is not utterly inactive, but he has been bound from deceiving the nations as he once did. Before Christ, the nations were in deep darkness, ignorant of the true God. But with Christ’s victory, the Gospel is now going forth to all peoples, and Satan cannot stop it.

B. Jesus Declared He Had Already Bound Satan

This isn’t just a claim from Revelation. Jesus Himself taught that He had bound Satan during His earthly ministry. When accused of casting out demons by Satan’s power, Jesus responded:

“How can someone enter a strong man’s house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man? Then indeed he may plunder his house.” – Matthew 12:29

Jesus’ point was clear: He had already bound Satan and was actively plundering his kingdom.

Think about it—what happened after Christ’s victory on the cross? The Gospel spread like wildfire. Nations that had been dominated by false gods for thousands of years began turning to Christ. The very fact that Christianity expanded from a small sect in Jerusalem to a global faith is evidence that Satan has been bound from stopping the advance of the Gospel.

C. What This Means for History

The binding of Satan means that the Great Commission cannot fail. The Gospel will advance, and nations will continue to be discipled because Satan cannot stop it. He may still rage, but his power is restrained. His influence has been fatally wounded.

This is the foundation for postmillennialism—not wishful thinking, but the clear teaching of Scripture that Christ’s work has crippled the devil’s ability to prevent the Gospel’s triumph.

3. The Great Commission: A Certain Victory

Many Christians today assume that the Great Commission is simply a last-ditch rescue effort before the world collapses into chaos. But what if Jesus gave the Great Commission expecting it to succeed?

A. The Command and the Promise

Before ascending, Jesus commanded His disciples:

“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” – Matthew 28:19-20

This isn’t just a command—it’s a prophecy. Jesus didn’t say, “Try your best, but don’t expect much.” He commanded the discipling of nations and guaranteed His presence until the task was complete.

B. The Kingdom Like Leaven: A Gradual Expansion

Jesus didn’t describe the kingdom as something that would suddenly appear in its fullness. Instead, He described it as something that would grow gradually:

“The kingdom of heaven is like leaven that a woman took and hid in three measures of flour, till it was all leavened.” – Matthew 13:33

The kingdom starts small, but it transforms everything. It doesn’t remain an invisible reality; it leavens the whole world.

4. The Historic Testimony: Postmillennialism’s Legacy

Far from being a modern idea, postmillennialism has been the dominant view in Christian history.

A. The Early Church Fathers

While some early Christians anticipated Christ’s return in their own lifetime, many also saw the Church as the growing Kingdom of God. Augustine (354–430 AD) in The City of God laid a foundation for postmillennial thought:

“The earthly city, which does not live by faith, desires earthly peace for the sake of enjoying earthly goods, and it makes war in order to attain them. The City of God, however, looks for the true peace that comes through the increasing reign of Christ.” (City of God, Book 19, Ch. 17)

Augustine saw Christ’s kingdom as a present and growing reality, not something entirely future. The City of God was expanding in history, conquering the City of Man.

B. The Reformers and Post-Reformation Thinkers

Though the Reformers were primarily concerned with theological purity, their writings contained strong elements of Christ’s growing kingdom:

• John Calvin (1509–1564) argued for the power of Christ’s reign, stating: “Our doctrine must tower unvanquished above the glory and strength of the world… The kingdom of Christ grows daily and advances to its completion.” (Institutes, 4.1.2)

• The Westminster Larger Catechism (1647), in explaining the Lord’s Prayer, affirms that believers are to pray for the progressive victory of Christ’s kingdom: “We pray that the kingdom of sin and Satan may be destroyed, the Gospel propagated throughout the world, the Jews called, and the fullness of the Gentiles brought in.”

This is an explicitly postmillennial expectation: the world is being converted over time.

C. The Puritans and the Golden Age of Postmillennialism

The Puritans, especially in England and America, were thoroughly postmillennial. They believed their work of reformation was part of Christ’s greater kingdom expansion.

• John Owen (1616–1683), one of the greatest Puritan theologians, declared: “The kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ shall be extended from one end of the earth unto the other. The nations which are now in darkness shall be enlightened, the people who are now dead in sin shall be raised unto a life of righteousness.”

• Jonathan Edwards (1703–1758), the great revivalist, was deeply postmillennial, believing that the Great Awakening was only the beginning of God’s worldwide conquest: “It is evident from Scripture that God’s work in this world will gradually be carried on until the whole world shall be converted into a glorious city of God.” (Works of Jonathan Edwards, Vol. 4)

For Edwards, history was not a slow descent into chaos but a gradual unfolding of Christ’s dominion.

D. The Princeton Theologians and the 19th Century

In the 19th century, Charles Hodge, A.A. Hodge, and B.B. Warfield at Princeton Theological Seminary continued defending postmillennialism:

• A.A. Hodge (1823–1886) wrote: “The gospel shall yet be victorious. The earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea. The whole world shall be converted to Christ.”

• B.B. Warfield (1851–1921) called postmillennialism the only view consistent with the full victory of Christ: “The fundamental characteristic of the postmillennialist is optimism… the Redeemer is to conquer the world, not by sudden catastrophic intervention, but by the gradual extension of His spiritual influence.”

These men saw history as the story of Christ’s victory.

5. The Reality of Suffering: Does This View Ignore Persecution?

One of the strongest objections to postmillennialism is that it seems to ignore the reality of suffering and persecution. Doesn’t history show that Christians have been opposed in every age? How can we believe in Gospel victory when believers are martyred around the world?

A. Tribulation Does Not Mean Defeat

Postmillennialists fully acknowledge suffering—but suffering does not mean Christ’s kingdom isn’t advancing. Jesus Himself told us that tribulation would come:

“In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” – John 16:33

Christ doesn’t say that tribulation will defeat His Church. He tells us to take heart because He has already overcome.

B. Persecution Often Fuels Growth

Look at history—whenever the Church is persecuted, it doesn’t die out. It spreads.

• The Roman Empire slaughtered Christians—until it became Christian.

• The Reformation faced fierce opposition—yet transformed Europe.

• China’s underground church has grown exponentially despite communist oppression.

Tertullian, a Church Father in the 2nd century, famously said:

“The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the Church.”

Persecution is real, but it does not halt the Gospel. In many ways, it accelerates it.

C. The End is Victory, Not Defeat

Revelation doesn’t end with Satan winning—it ends with Christ ruling over all nations.

• Psalm 22:27 – “All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the Lord.”

• Isaiah 9:7 – “Of the increase of His government and of peace there will be no end.”

• Revelation 11:15 – “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord.”

The world is not getting worse—the kingdom is advancing.

And nothing can stop it.

Conclusion: Christ Will Win in History

Postmillennialism isn’t about ignoring darkness—it’s about believing Christ’s kingdom is stronger.

• Christ reigns now.

• His kingdom is growing.

• Satan has been bound from deceiving the nations.

• The Great Commission will succeed.

• The Gospel will fill the earth.

The world is not getting worse—the kingdom is advancing.

And nothing can stop it.

Soli Deo Gloria.