AS FILED WITH THE SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION ON JANUARY 12, 1998
    
   
                                             1933 ACT REGISTRATION NO. 333-43107
    
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
                       SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
 
                             WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549
 
   
                        PRE-EFFECTIVE AMENDMENT NO. 1 TO
    
 
                             REGISTRATION STATEMENT
                                       ON
                                    FORM S-6
 
               FOR REGISTRATION UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933
                    OF SECURITIES OF UNIT INVESTMENT TRUSTS
                           REGISTERED ON FORM N-8B-2
 
                  LINCOLN LIFE FLEXIBLE PREMIUM VARIABLE LIFE
                               SEPARATE ACCOUNT R
 
                           (EXACT NAME OF REGISTRANT)
 
                  THE LINCOLN NATIONAL LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY
 
                              (NAME OF DEPOSITOR)
 
              1300 South Clinton Street, Fort Wayne, Indiana 46802
 
              (ADDRESS OF DEPOSITOR'S PRINCIPAL EXECUTIVE OFFICES)
 
               Depositor's Telephone Number, including Area Code
 
                                 (219) 455-2000
 

                                   
      Jack D. Hunter, Esquire                  COPY TO:
The Lincoln National Life Insurance   George N. Gingold, Esquire
              Company                  900 Cottage Grove Road,
       200 East Berry Street                    S-321
           P.O. Box 1110               Hartford, CT 06152-2321
     Fort Wayne, Indiana 46802
   (NAME AND ADDRESS OF AGENT FOR
              SERVICE)

 
  INDEFINITE NUMBER OF UNITS OF INTEREST IN VARIABLE LIFE INSURANCE CONTRACTS
                     (TITLE OF SECURITIES BEING REGISTERED)
 
                       DECLARATION PURSUANT TO RULE 24F-2
 
    An indefinite amount of securities is being registered under the Securities
Act of 1933 pursuant to Rule 24f-2 under the Investment Company Act of 1940.
 
    The Registrant hereby amends this Registration Statement on such date or
dates as may be necessary to delay its effective date until the Registrant shall
file a further amendment which specifically states that this Registration
Statement shall thereafter become effective in accordance with Section 8(a) of
the Securities Act of 1933 or until the Registration Statement shall become
effective on such date as the Commission, acting pursuant to said Section 8(a),
shall determine.

                        FEES AND CHARGES REPRESENTATION
 
    Lincoln Life represents that the fees and charges deducted under the
Contracts, in the aggregate, are reasonable in relation to the services
rendered, the expenses expected to be incurred, and the risks assumed by Lincoln
Life.
 
                          UNDERTAKING TO FILE REPORTS
 
    Subject to the terms and conditions of Section 15(d) of the Securities
Exchange Act of 1934, the undersigned registrant hereby undertakes to file with
the Securities and Exchange Commission such supplementary and periodic
information, documents, and reports as may be prescribed by any rule or
regulation of the Commission heretofore or hereafter duly adopted pursuant to
authority conferred in that section.
 
                                INDEMNIFICATION
 
        (a) Brief description of indemnification provisions.
 
           In general, Article VII of the By-Laws of The Lincoln National Life
           Insurance Company (LNL) provides that LNL will indemnify certain
           persons against expenses, judgments and certain other specified costs
           incurred by any such person if he/she is made a party or is
           threatened to be made a party to a suit or proceeding because he/she
           was a director, officer, or employee of LNL, as long as he/she acted
           in good faith and in a manner he/she reasonably believed to be in the
           best interests of, or not opposed to the best interests of, LNL.
           Certain additional conditions apply to indemnification in criminal
           proceedings.
 
           In particular, separate conditions govern indemnification of
           directors, officers, and employees of LNL in connection with suits
           by, or in the right of, LNL.
 
           Please refer to Article VII of the By-Laws of LNL (Exhibit No. 6(b)
           hereto) for the full text of the indemnification provisions.
           Indemnification is permitted by, and is subject to the requirements
           of, Indiana law.
 
        (b) Undertaking pursuant to Rule 484 of Regulation C under the
           Securities Act of 1933.
 
           Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the
           Securities Act of 1933 may be permitted to directors, officers and
           controlling persons of the Registrant pursuant to the provisions
           described in Item 28(a) above or otherwise, the Registrant has been
           advised that in the opinion of the Securities and Exchange Commission
           such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Act
           and is, therefore, unenforceable. In the event that a claim for
           indemnification against such liabilities (other than the payment by
           the Registrant of expenses incurred or paid by a director, officer,
           or controlling person of the Registrant in the successful defense of
           any such action, suit or proceeding) is asserted by such director,
           officer or controlling person in connection with the securities being
           registered, the Registrant will, unless in the opinion of its counsel
           the matter has been settled by controlling precedent, submit to a
           court of appropriate jurisdiction the question whether such
           indemnification by it is against public policy as expressed in the
           Act and will be governed by the final adjudication of such issue.
 
                       CONTENTS OF REGISTRATION STATEMENT
 
    This registration statement comprises the following papers and document:
 
       The facing sheet;
       A cross-reference sheet (reconciliation and tie);
       The prospectus, consisting of __ pages;
       The undertaking to file reports;
       The fees and charges representation;
       Statements regarding indemnification;
       The signatures.


                           INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE
 
    Registrant hereby incorporates by reference the entire filing of this
Registration Statement made on December 23, 1997 except for the facing (cover)
page which precedes this page and the signature page which follows it.

   
                                   SIGNATURES
    
 
   
    As required by the Securities Act of 1933, the registrant has duly caused
this Registration Statement on Form S-6 to be signed on its behalf by the
undersigned thereunto duly authorized, in the City of Fort Wayne and State of
Indiana on the 12th day of January 1998.
    
 
   
                                          LINCOLN LIFE FLEXIBLE PREMIUM VARIABLE
                                          LIFE ACCOUNT R (Name of Registrant)
    
 
   
                                          By:          /s/ JON A. BOSCIA
    
                                             -----------------------------------
   
                                                        Jon A. Boscia
    
   
                                                          PRESIDENT
    
   
                                             THE LINCOLN NATIONAL LIFE INSURANCE
    
   
                                                           COMPANY
    
 
   
                                          By:      THE LINCOLN NATIONAL LIFE
    
   
                                                      INSURANCE COMPANY
                                                     (NAME OF DEPOSITOR)
    
 
   
                                          By:          /s/ JON A. BOSCIA
    
                                             -----------------------------------
   
                                                        Jon A. Boscia
                                                          PRESIDENT
    
 
   
    Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, this Amendment
to the Registration Statement has been signed below on January 12, 1998, by the
following persons, as officers and directors of the Depositor, in the capacities
indicated:
    
 
   


                   SIGNATURE                                                   TITLE
- ------------------------------------------------  ---------------------------------------------------------------
 
                                               
               /s/ JON A. BOSCIA
     --------------------------------------       President, Chief Executive Officer & Director (Principal
                 Jon A. Boscia                     Executive Officer)
 
               /s/ JACK D. HUNTER
     --------------------------------------       Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Director
                 Jack D. Hunter
 
            /s/ LAWRENCE T. ROWLAND
     --------------------------------------       Executive Vice President and Director
              Lawrence T. Rowland
 
               /s/ KEITH J. RYAN
     --------------------------------------       Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Assistant Treasurer
                 Keith J. Ryan                     (Principal Accounting Officer and Principal Financial Officer)
 
     --------------------------------------       Director
                 Ian M. Rolland
 
             /s/ H. THOMAS MCMEEKIN
     --------------------------------------       Director
               H. Thomas McMeekin
 
             /s/ RICHARD C. VAUGHAN
     --------------------------------------       Director
               Richard C. Vaughan