Christs personall reigne on earth, one thousand yeares with his saints the manner, beginning, and continuation of his reigne clearly proved by many plain texts of Scripture, and the chiefe objections against it fully answered, explaining the 20 Revelations and all other Scripture-prophecies that treat of it : containing a full reply to Mr. Alexander Petrie ... who wrote against ... Israels redemption / by Robert Maton.

Israel's Redemption.

Neither was the Temple then destroyed, [ 67] but afterwards: and therefore the things here spoken of, are all to be accomplished at his second comming: and that not in heaven but on earth. On earth I say, and in e 1.1 Jerusalem, where f 1.2 Davids Throne was. For his feete shall stand in that day, (towit, when he comes, (or if God himselfe be here by an [〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉] figuratively described, when he brings him) to receive his appointed Kingdome,) on

the Mount of Olives, which is before Ierusalem on the East, (from which Mount our Saviour ascended,) and the Mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the East and toward the West, and there shall be a very great valley, and halfe the mountaine shall remove toward the North, and halfe of it toward the South. And ye shall flee to the valley of the mountaines: for the valley of the mountaines shall reach unto Azal; yea ye shall flee like as ye fled from before the Earth∣quake, in the dayes of Uzziah King of Judah. And the Lord my God shall come, and all the g 1.3 Saints with the••: And it shall come to passe in that day, that the light shall not be cleare nor darke, but it shall be one day, which shall be knowne to the Lord, not day nor night: but it shall come to passe, that at evening time it shall be light. And it shall be in that day, that h 1.4 living waters shall goe out from Jerusalem: halfe of them toward the former sea, and halfe of them toward the hinder sea: In Summer and in Winter shall it be: and the Lord shall be King over all the earth. In that day shall there be one Lord, and his Name one. All the Land shall be turned as a plaine from Geb•• to Rimmon, South of Ierusalem; and it shall be lifted up, and inhabited in her place: from Benjamins gate unto the place of the first gate, unto the corner gate, and from the Tower of Hananiel unto the Kings wine-presses: And men shall dwell in it, and there shall be no more utter destructi∣on: but Ierusalem shall be safely inhabited, Zech. 14.4, &c.

Mr. Petrie's Answer.

Christ said, Destroy this Temple, and in three dayes I will raise it up againe. T••en said the Iewes, Forty and sixe yeares was this Temple in building, and wilt thou reare it up againe in three dayes? but he spake of the Temple of his body, saith the Evange∣list, Iohn 2.19. So the true Temple is Christs body, which the Iewes. destroyed, and be raised it up againe: and in this sense the Disciples did beleeve the Scriptures after the resurrection of Christ, ver. 22. And therefore the things spoken in these Scriptures are accomplished at his first comming, not onely in heaven, but on earth, according to the different portions thereof: In heaven, and on earth, I say, and in true Ierusalem, and on the true Throne of David: for his feete stood in that day, [to wit, when he went to receive the fuller accomplishment of his Kingdome,] on the Mount of Olives, which is by Ierusalem on the East, [from which also he ascended,] and the Mount of Oliver hath been eloven in the midst thereof toward the East, and toward the W••st

[when not onely the members of the Church, but all the world was shaken at the powerfull preaching of the Gospell, (even more gloriously then at the giving of the Law, Heb. 12.26.) So that no∣thing could hinder the course thereof.]. And the Iewes have fled to that valley of the mountaines, [when they did imbrace the Gospell, which is low in worldly mens esteeme, and of high esteeme before God.] A••d the valley of the mountaines hath reached unto Azal. [For the preaching of the Gospell hath been an excellent stone marke shewing the righ way, (as it is exponed, 1 Sam. 20.19. on the m••rgine of the late translati∣on,) to the Kingdome of heaven.] Yea they have fled, like as they did flee from before the earth quake in the dayes of Vzzi••h King of I••dah, [to wit, they have been astonish••d at the wonderfulnesse of Gods workes,] And the Lord hath come: And so forth, as it followes in Zach. 14. where he showes the perpetuall light of the glorious Gospell, ver. 6, 7. and the continuall flowing of the wholesome waters in the Kingdome of Christ, ver. 9 8. and the removing of all impediments for the security of the e∣lects conversion and salvation. You see here that our Saviour c••me not onely to conquer death, (which is the last enemy that he shall destroy, and therefore not to be d••stroyed till the last resurrection,) but also to take the Kingdomes of the world unto himselfe, and hath made them all ac∣knowledge his authority, and hath put downe all contrary power and authority, (for all Nations have praised Christ, and given laud unto him, Rom. 14.9, 10.11.) That there is one shepheard and one sheep∣fold, that the Dominions, Kingdomes, and greatnesse of the Kingdomes under the whole Heaven, have been possessed by the People and Saints of the most High: that is, (as the Gospell hath expaned it,) by the faithfull Israel, Rom. 14.12) bowbeit all hath not been possessed at the same period of time.

Reply.

Was everscripture more apparently wrested, more imperti∣nently alledged? Behold, saith Zechariah theman whose name is the Branch, and he shall grow up out of his place, and he shall build the Temple of the Lord, even he shall build the Temple of the Lord, &c. chap. 6. ver. 12. This is the pr••p••ecy, and your inter∣pretation this, Christ said, Destroy this Temple, and in three dayes, I will raise it up againe, &c. John 2.19. An intergre∣••ation doubtlesse as wide from the sense of the Prophet, as the Iewes apprehension was from the meaning of our Saviours words. For shew us where [the Temple of the Lord,] is in all the

old Testament, (which was then all the scripture,) taken in any other sense, then for the house of Gods worship at Ierusalem. Or, [the building of the Temple of the Lord,] in any other sense, then for the building of that Temple. Yea, looke but into the 14 and 15 verses immediately following, and it is unquestionable, that the same words are there taken for the Temple of the Lord in Ierusalem. And besides, seeing the Prophets shew so plainely, that our Saviour shall reigne over the Iewes, in their owne land, and that Ierusalem shall againe be built; Why should we not be∣leeve, that both the building of the Temple of the Lord, and his reigning on the Throne of his Father David, shall be as properly fulfilled, in Christ (the antitype,) as they were in Solomon (the type?) Whereas then you say further, [That in this sense the Dis∣ciples did beleeve the Scriptures, after the resurrection of Christ.] I pray, what scriptures? this prophecy? Surely it is false, that they did any where cite this prophecy to prove our Saviours re∣surrection from the dead. And the words of the Evangelist are plaine, When therefore he was risen from the dead, (saith Iohn,) his Disciples remembred, that he bad said this unto them, (to wit, that he had said to the Iewes, Destroy this Temple, &c.) and they beleeved the Scripture, (that is, the scripture which foreshewes our Savi∣ours resurrection, as Psal. 16. alledged by Saint Peter, Acts 2.25. &c. and Psal. 2.7. alledged by Saint Paul, Acts 13.33. &c.) And the word which Iesus had said; (that is, and they beleeved also, that this saying of his to the Iewes, was meant of the resur∣rection of his body: and not (as you say they did,) that it was an interpretation of Zechariah's prophecy, which foreshewes in∣deed the building of the Temple of the Lord, but not the desiroy∣ing of it by the Iewes: nor the building of it in three dayes; no, nor the building of it untill the man whose name is the Branch should sit and rule on his Throne. Neither did our Saviour say plainely, Destroy the Temple of the Lord, (as the false witnesses accused him,) nor absolutely, destroy the Temple: but darkely, and in re∣lation to his owne body, destroy this Temple: as his words touch∣ing the raising of it in three dayes doe intimate, and the Evange∣list doth afterwards expound it. And he said also, I will raise it, and not, I will build it, which shewes the making of a Temple, where was none before; and therefore cannot be applyed to

the quickening of our Saviours body, a temple then in being, and not to be corrupted in death. And as for your confused ex∣position of the prophecy of Zech. 14.4. &c. it is not onely con∣trary to the truth, but to reason it selfe. For first, (which is flat against the truth,) you ascribe the accomplishment of this pro∣phecy to our Saviours ascending to the Saints in heaven, and to the time succeeding his ascension: whereas it is m••nifest by the words in the first verse, (which you have concealed) And the Lord my God shall come, and all the Saints with thee, that it is to be sulfilled at his descending with the Saints from heaven, and in the time succeeding his descension. And secondly, (which is not onely against the truth, but against reason also) you affirme [That by the cleaving of the Mount of Olives towards the East, and towards the West, is meant, the shaking of all the world at the preaching of the Gospell.] And [That by the Iewes flying ••o the valley of the mountaines, is meant, their imbracing of the Gospell.] Which is as if you had said, that the Iewes did then imbrace the Gospell, when they fled from it; or that the Iewes in flying from the Gospell, fled to the Gospell. For as you interpret the cleaving of the Mount of Olives, (from which the Iewes were to fly,) of the preaching of the Go∣spell; so you interpret the valley of the mountaines, (to which the Iewes were to flee,) of the same also. And who sees not by this, and by your expounding of the 6 and 7 verses [Of the perpe∣••••all light of the Gospell,] and the 8 verse, [Of the continuall flowing of the doctrine of the Gospell.] and all of the Gospell, and of nothing but of the Gospell: that by such a liberty of interpreting, any one may make the plain st••scripture that is, to say onely as he saith: and so to patronize and defend any dangerous opinion a∣gainst the truth clearely revealed in it. The truth therefore of this prophecy, is no other then that which the Prophet himselfe hath plainely told us: to wit, that the Mount of Olives shall be cleft in the midst by an earthquake at the comming of our Saviour with all the Saints: and that the Iewes which are gathered toge∣ther neereunto it, shall then flye for feare of this earthquake, as they fled for feare from before the earthquake in the dayes of Ʋzziah King of Judah. And the effect of this earthquake is de∣scribed, ver. 10. where it is said, And all the Land shall be turned as a plaine from Geba to Rimmon, South of Jerusalem, and it shall be

lifted up, and inhabited in her place: from Benjamins gate unto the place of the first gate, unto the corner gate, and from the tower of Ha∣naniel unto the Kings wine-presses. And menshall dwell in it, and there shall be no more utter destruction, but Ierusalem shall be safely inhabited. And as this part, so all the rest of the prophecy is to be under∣stood likewise according to its owne stile and language; which is so obvious, that it needes no interpretation: and the light thereof cannot be more obscured, then by such a glosse as you have put upon it. And thus it being undeniable, that this prophecy of Zech. doth foreshew our Saviours second comming, his comming with all the Saints, and the things then to be performed by him: it necessarily followes, That he shall come, not onely to conquer death, first in part, at the resurrection of the Saints, that shall rise to meete him, and to come with him; and then wholly at the resurrection of all others, when he shall passe the sentence of salvation on the elect, and of damnation on the reprobate: but in the interim, in the space betwixt this first and second resurre∣ction, to be King over all the earth, as this Prophet saith, ver. 9. to take the Kingdomes of this world unto himselfe, as Saint Iohn reveals Rev. 11.15. to put downe all rule and all authority, as Saint Paul affirmes, 1 Cor. 15.24. and to set up that dominion, glory, and Kingdome, at the manifestation whereof, all people, nations, and languages, shall serve him, as Daniel foreshewes, chap. 7. ver. 14. which he shall doe by an extraordinary destroying of the most and greatest of his enemies in batte••l: and by causing every one that is left of the Nations, to goe up from yeare to yeare to Ierusalem, to worship the King the Lord of Hosts, as Zech. here, and many o∣ther Prophets besides doe declare.

Notes

• e 1.1

  Isai. 33.20. chap. 50. ver. 1, 2, 3.9, 10.
• f 1.2

  Psal. 122 5.
• g 1.3

  Iu dc ver. 14, 15. Rev. 19.11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16.
• h 1.4

  Psal. 46.4. Eze. 47.1. &c. Incl 3.8.