This week in our review of Isaiah Decoded we’ll wrap up the topic of religious truth that we see in the Introduction. Previously in our last post, we saw that the Law was and is the foundation of the Gospel. This week we’ll examine the cycle of apostasy and restoration when religious truth was corrupted and then restored. We’ll also look at messianic servants who restore religious truth, who bring salvation to humanity. Then we’ll take what we have learned and put it into an Endtime context. The Cycle of Apostasy and Restoration Many of us are aware of the cycle of apostasy and restoration. The cycle begins when God reveals religious truth but then man corrupts it. We see this occur over and over again in human history. We see this first when Adam and Eve receive a knowledge of good and evil in the Garden, which ends with God flooding the earth and destroying Humanity. Then God makes His covenant with Abraham, which ends with Israel in slavery to Pharaoh. Then God sends Israel Moses who restores religious truth and then Israel corrupts itself. We see this cycle of apostasy and restoration occur seven times in the Book of Judges. You begin to wonder if there is any hope for man. The cycle of apostasy and restoration looks like this – Image Credit: One For Israel Messianic Servants and Salvation Messianic Servants are those who initiate a restoration of religious truth. This religious truth results in man being saved from physical and spiritual death, bondage, and misery - Salvation.
A Pattern of Restoration Now let’s consider the examples in history where this sequence of restoration occurs to validate our pattern of restoration. Moses Our first example of restoration in our review is with Israel’s bondage to Pharoah. We start here because it is with Abraham and his descendants that the nations of the earth will be blessed - through which the Law/Gospel and Messiah will come. Moses delivers Israel from bondage and then restores religious truth and through a covenant of life Israel receives the blessings of physical and spiritual salvation. Israel’s covenant of life is summarized at Deu. 30:15,16 15 ¶ See, I have set before thee this day life and good, and death and evil; 16 In that I command thee this day to love the Lord thy God, to walk in his ways, and to keep his commandments and his statutes and his judgments, that thou mayest live and multiply: and the Lord thy God shall bless thee in the land whither thou goest to possess it.
David Our next messianic example is with King David. Under David’s rule, he unites Israel and establishes the Law, which then initiates a golden age for Israel that lasts through his son Solomon. We see David affirming the Law in Psalms. 7 The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple. 8 The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart: the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes. 9 The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever: the judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether. 10 More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold: sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb. 11 Moreover by them is thy servant warned: and in keeping of them there is great reward. Psalms 19 142 Thy righteousness is an everlasting righteousness, and thy law is the truth. Psalms 119
Yeshua Our next messianic example is with Yeshua Himself, who affirms the Law and states he would fulfill or make the Law full. In making the Law full, Yeshua saved humanity from eternal death that came through the fall of Adam and Eve. 17 ¶ Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil [make full] - Matt 5.
Latter-day Servants After Yeshua’s ascension and the death of the Apostles, the world fell into an apostasy that lasted until there was a restoration of religious truth, which expressed itself in the creation of America and her founding documents. Citing the importance of Biblical Law in the founding of America, Cleon Skousen wrote in his book The Majesty of God’s Law – Of the thousands of citations quoted to support [the Founding Fathers] ideas, 34% came from one source – the Bible. Most of these were from the book of Deuteronomy, which is the Book of God’s Law – p1. So, in terms of the restoration of religious truth, we see the Law restored in part through the founding of America. Moreover, we can see how the Law integrated into the creation of America has resulted in the blessings of life, liberty and happiness. This partial restoration of God’s Law, as we will see, is a stepping stone towards a more full and complete restoration of the religious truth based on God’s Law.
America’s Covenant of Salvation Expressed in the Declaration of Independence We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. The Law is Central to Restore Religious Truth We saw in our previous post that the Gospel is built on the Law. What we see in these four messianic examples in history is that the Law is foundational for the restoration of religious truth. "The Christian world excitedly awaits an end-time religious revival, but they have barely a clue as to the nature and extent of the revival that is actually coming. Why don't they understand? Because they have rejected, almost in its entirety, the source from whence this revival will originate - the law! The law defines God righteousness, and any revival, or restoration of righteousness, must be centered around the law." – James McCune, God's Law: The Neglected Element in Religious and Civil Life Though we don’t see a full restoration of the Law in America, that restoration is prophesied. Endtime Restoration of Religious Truth We can see here that the one most important aspect of restoring religious truth is restoring the Law. Restoring the Law is a consistent pattern that we see in religious history and will occur again at the Endtime restoration of all things. For some unknown reason, Christianity believes that they will be saviors to the House of Israel without the Law. Christians don’t seem to realize that the House of Israel will be looking for a restoration of Law that is prophesied in the 30th chapter of Deuteronomy – 1 And it shall come to pass, when all these things are come upon thee, the blessing and the curse, which I have set before thee, and thou shalt call them to mind among all the nations, whither the Lord thy God hath driven thee, 2 And shalt return unto the Lord thy God, and shalt obey his voice according to all that I command thee this day, thou and thy children, with all thine heart, and with all thy soul; 3 That then the Lord thy God will turn thy captivity, and have compassion upon thee, and will return and gather thee from all the nations, whither the Lord thy God hath scattered thee. 4 If any of thine be driven out unto the outmost parts of heaven, from thence will the Lord thy God gather thee, and from thence will he fetch thee: 5 And the Lord thy God will bring thee into the land which thy fathers possessed, and thou shalt possess it; and he will do thee good, and multiply thee above thy fathers. Is it any wonder that Christianity has failed to bring the Jews to Christ when Christianity has rejected the Law! America’s Restoration of Religious Truth We can also see this restoration of the Law prophesied in America in the 19th chapter of Isaiah, where Egypt is the codename for America - 18 In that day five Hebrew-speaking cities in the land of Egypt will swear loyalty to Jehovah of Hosts. One shall be known as the City of Righteousness. Here we see that there will be five cities in America speaking Hebrew. But this reference also means that Americans will be living the Law. Speaking to this occurrence Cleon Skousen wrote in The Majesty of God’s Law – "I discovered that the Founders [of America] were in-depth students of the Bible, and equally familiar with secular history both ancient and modern. I was surprised that they knew we Americans would one day practice the revealed code of righteous law given to the Israelites by God." – Author’s Preface Endtime Messianic Saviors As we have shown, the Law is a key component of the restoration of religious truth and for receiving salvation, which will be essential in our passing through the Endtime judgements that are coming. So for those who are to be saviors to the House of Israel and believing Gentiles, God will need men and women prepared to teach and administer the Law.
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