In traditional Jewish eschatology, the restoration of the Sanhedrin—the supreme Jewish legal and legislative body—is seen as a key component of the messianic era. This belief is based on prophetic passages such as Isaiah 1:26–27, which promise the restoration of judges and counselors, and the renewal of righteous governance in Israel:

“I will bring back judges as you had long ago. Your counselors will be like the ones you had in the beginning. Then you will be called the City That Is Right with God. You will be called the Loyal City.

Because the Lord does what is fair, he will rescue Jerusalem. Because the Lord does what is right, he will save her people who come back to him.”

Isaiah 1:26-27

Currently, there are no such human global God-aligned moral judges or counselors and Jerusalem is far away from being called the Loyal City. 

Also the Sanhedrin was the highest Jewish religious, political, and legal court at the times of Jesus. Thus, there was not much to restore during his lifetime even if Jesus was the Messiah, was there? Therefore, what did Isaiah mean and how can Christians claim that Jesus is the Messiah?

(Talking about Judgment, I felt the need to go by books with this article and you find quite a lot of quotes. I hope this collection is still value adding, otherwise, please let me know)

Sanhedrin and the Jewish Law during the times of Jesus

The Sanhedrin was indeed the highest Jewish religious, political, and legal court at the times of Jesus. Still, Jesus found a lot to be restored. In fact, the New Testament portrays Jesus as being in direct conflict with the Sanhedrin of His day, which He often criticized for its legalism and hypocrisy for example in this passage:

“Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples:  “The teachers of the law and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat. So you must be careful to do everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach. They tie up heavy, cumbersome loads and put them on other people’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them.”

(…)

“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of the bones of the dead and everything unclean. In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness.”

Matthew 23:1-4 and Matthew 23:27-28

Moreover, in the Bible we read that Jesus’s critique was not taken lightly. After multiple disputes they imprisoned Jesus and were orchestrating his death bringing him in front of Roman leaders and pressuring them to kill him, despite the law of Moses clearly state that one should not kill:

“The leading priests and the Jewish council tried to find something false against Jesus so that they could kill him. Many people came and told lies about him. But the council could find no real reason to kill Jesus. Then two people came and said, “This man said, ‘I can destroy the Temple of God and build it again in three days.’”

Then the high priest stood up and said to Jesus, “Aren’t you going to answer? Don’t you have something to say about their charges against you?” But Jesus said nothing.

Again the high priest said to Jesus, “You must swear to this. I command you by the power of the living God to tell us the truth. Tell us, are you the Christ, the Son of God?”

Jesus answered, “Yes, I am. But I tell you, in the future you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of God, the Powerful One. And you will see him coming in clouds in the sky.”

When the high priest heard this, he was very angry. He tore his clothes and said, “This man has said things that are against God! We don’t need any more witnesses. You all heard him say these things against God. What do you think?”

The people answered, “He is guilty, and he must die.”

Then the people there spit in Jesus’ face and beat him with their fists. Others slapped Jesus. They said, “Prove to us that you are a prophet, you Christ! Tell us who hit you!”

Matthew 26:59-68

With this we see that the Sanhedrin was spiritually corrupt, hypocritic and neglecting justice and mercy. The very institution that one would think should have been the fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy was, in fact, part of the problem that potentially Isaiah was seeing the Messiah to address.

Who will then exercise fair and right judgment and counseling if not the Sanhedrin?

In the Bible we read the following:

So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father[e] does, that the Son does likewise. For the Father loves the Son and shows him all that he himself is doing. And greater works than these will he show him, so that you may marvel. For as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so also the Son gives life to whom he will. For the Father judges no one, but has given all judgment to the Son, that all may honor the Son, just as they honor the Father. Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him. Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.

John 5:19-24

and further down it says:

“I can do nothing on my own. As I hear, I judge, and my judgment is just, because I seek not my own will but the will of him who sent me. If I alone bear witness about myself, my testimony is not true. There is another who bears witness about me, and I know that the testimony that he bears about me is true. You sent to John, and he has borne witness to the truth. Not that the testimony that I receive is from man, but I say these things so that you may be saved. He was a burning and shining lamp, and you were willing to rejoice for a while in his light. But the testimony that I have is greater than that of John. For the works that the Father has given me to accomplish, the very works that I am doing, bear witness about me that the Father has sent me. And the Father who sent me has himself borne witness about me. His voice you have never heard, his form you have never seen, and you do not have his word abiding in you, for you do not believe the one whom he has sent. You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me, yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life. I do not receive glory from people. But I know that you do not have the love of God within you. I have come in my Father’s name, and you do not receive me. If another comes in his own name, you will receive him. How can you believe, when you receive glory from one another and do not seek the glory that comes from the only God? Do not think that I will accuse you to the Father. There is one who accuses you: Moses, on whom you have set your hope. For if you believed Moses, you would believe me; for he wrote of me. But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe my words?”

John 5:30-47

This indicates that Jesus was appointed as the righteous Judge by God himself. But not enough with that, Peter confirms that Jesus himself is the Judge for all living and the death:

“And he commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one appointed by God to be judge of the living and the dead. To him all the prophets bear witness that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.”

Acts 10:42-43

The same is confirmed in further on:

“So we are always of good courage. We know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord, for we walk by faith, not by sight. Yes, we are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord. So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please him. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil.”

2 Corinthians 5:6-10

In order for humans not to wait for this final judgement, but give us our own counsellor, our own compass, Jesus sent the holy spirit, which is part of God overall and helps us navigate and be aligned to God every day – if we want. Jesus explains it to his disciples as follows:

“I did not say these things to you from the beginning, because I was with you. But now I am going to him who sent me, and none of you asks me, ‘Where are you going?’ But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart. Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you. And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment: concerning sin, because they do not believe in me; concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father, and you will see me no longer; concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged.

I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you. All that the Father has is mine; therefore I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you.”

John 16:4-15

In summary, the prophecy of a restored fair judgment is not fulfilled by a human court, but by Jesus Himself, whom God appointed as the ultimate righteous Judge. Jesus exposed the corruption of the earthly Sanhedrin during his time on earth and let’s face it humans will always be and stay faulty. Furthermore, Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to act as a counselor and guide for believers, convicting the world of truth. Therefore, the ultimate judgment and counsel are divine, not human.

What does Maria Valtorta see in relation to this prophecy?

In the visions of the Italian mystic Maria Valtorta, Jesus talks many times about justice and how he addresses Isaiah’s prophecy:

“Go! Tell those who sent you to spy on Me, that I disdain merchants who do not feel contaminated if they sell goods or their fatherland or the Temple to those from whom they receive money. Tell them that I feel disgusted at the brutes, who worship only their own flesh and blood, for the recovery of which they do not consider the contact with a foreign doctor to be contaminating. Tell them that the measure is the same for everybody and that there are not two measures. Tell them that I, the Messiah, the Just Admirable Counsellor, upon Whom the Spirit of the Lord shall rest with His seven gifts, Who will not judge by what appears to the eyes, but by the secrets of hearts, Who will not condemn according to what His ears hear, but by the spiritual voices He will hear in every man, Who will side with the humble and judge the poor with righteousness, the One Who I am, because that is Who I am, is already judging and smiting those who on the earth are nothing but earth. And the breath of My lip will slay the wicked and destroy their dens, but will be Life and Light, Freedom and Peace for those who desirous of justice and faith will come to My Holy Mountain to be sated with the Science of the Lord.”

Maria Valtorta, The Poem of the ManGod, chapter 156. Annaleah Devotes Herself to God as a Virgin

Here another one where Jesus is talking with a Sinner who asks you who he is and Jesus talks about his judgement:

“I told you: Mercy and Peace. I am the Saviour, I am Jesus. Stand up. I can do what I want. In the name of God I absolve you from your unintentional contamination. The other evil does not exist. I am the Lamb of God Who takes away the sins of the world. All judgement has been given to Me by the Eternal Father. Who believes in My word will have eternal life. Come, poor child of Israel. Refresh your tired body and fortify your depressed spirit. I will forgive much graver sins. No. The desperation of hearts will not come from Me! I am the spotless Lamb, but I do not run away from wounded sheep, lest I should get contaminated. On the contrary I look for them and take them with Me. Too many people have been completely ruined through an excessive and also unfair sternness of judgement. Woe to those who lead a spirit to desperation because of their intolerant strictures! They do not act in the interests of God, but for Satan’s. Now I have seen a prostitute, who was anxious to redeem herself, driven away from the Redeemer, I have seen the head of a synagogue persecuted because he was a just man. I now see a man struck for an unintentional fault. I see too many things being accomplished where vice and falsehood are thriving. And like a wall that is raised by placing one brick on top of another and thus forms a barrier, so the things I have seen, and I have already seen too many in one year, are building up a wall of hardness between Me and them. Woe to them when it will be completely built with the materials supplied by them! Take this, eat and drink. You are exhausted. Then, tomorrow you will come to Me. Do not be decide on your future. You are not able now and it would be dangerous to let you do it. »

Jesus has taken the man back into the dining room and has forced him to sit in His place. He then serves him and addressing Hermas and Simon He says: « That is My Doctrine. That and nothing else. And I do not only preach it. I practise it. Let those who thirst for Truth and Love come to Me.”

Maria Valtorta, The Poem of the ManGod, chapter 140. In the House of Cleopas, the Head of the Synagogue

In this passage, Jesus himself has a vision of the future and also mentioned Isaiah as part of it:

“And I hear the untiring voice of Isaiah in the breath of this wind among the ruins, in the wailing of the pigeons among the rubble: “With uncouth words, in a foreign language the Lord will speak to this people to whom He said: ‘Here is my rest. Let the weary rest; this is my relief’”. But they would not listen. No, they would not listen, and the Lord cannot find rest among His people. The tired One, Who became tired travelling all over its countryside to teach, cure, convert and comfort, does not find rest but persecution, He does not find relief, but snares and treason. The Son is one with the Father. And if the Truth taught you that also a cup of water given to a man will be rewarded, because each act of mercy done to a brother is done to God Himself, what will the punishment be for those who refuse the Son of man even a stone of the road upon which He may rest His head, and the mountain spring which gushes through the bounty of the Creator, and the fruit forgotten on a branch because it was diseased or unripe, and the ear contended with pigeons, and have already prepared the noose to throttle the air in His throat and thus take His life?

Oh! miserable Israel, who have lost justice and the mercy of God!

Here, here is once again the voice of Isaiah in the evening breeze, more dreadful than the cry of the bird of death, almost as dreadful as the voice that resounded in the Earthly Garden to condemn the two culprits, and − oh! what a terrible thing! − the voice of the Prophet is not joined to the promise of forgiveness as it was then! No, there is no forgiveness for the mockers of God, for those who say: “We have formed an alliance with Death, we have made an agreement with Hell. When the destructive whip goes by, it will not catch us, for we have set our hopes on Falsehood, and we are protected by it, for it is powerful”. And here is Isaiah, who repeats what he heard from the Lord: “I will lay a precious select cornerstone as the foundation of Zion… And I will make justice the measure and integrity the plumb-line, and hail will sweep away the hope in Falsehood, and floods will overwhelm the shelter, your covenant with Death will be broken and your pact with Hell will be annulled. When the destructive whip goes by it will crush you, each time it goes by it will seize you, and punishments only will make you understand the lesson”.

Miserable Israel! Israel will be like these fields, where only arid vetch and bitter darnel persist and where there is no more corn, and the Land that did not want the Lord will have no bread for her children, and the children who refused to receive the tired One, will wander about, beaten, wild, like galley slaves, the slaves of those whom they considered inferior beings. God will really thrash the proud people under the weight of His justice, and will strangle it with the scutch of His judgement…

That is what I see in these ruins. Ruins! Ruins! To the north, to the south, to the east, to the west, and above all in the centre, in the heart, where the guilty town will be changed into a putrid pit…»

And tears run slowly down the pale face of Jesus, Who raises His mantle to veil it, leaving uncovered only His eyes, dilated by the painful vision.

And He sets out again, while those who are with Him hardly whisper, terrified as they are.”

Maria Valtorta, The Poem of the ManGod, chapter 510. Among the Ruins of a Destroyed Village