- By Chuck Cohen

Part One

Contents

Introduction

Large sections of the traditional Western Church do not believe that the Jewish people and the modern nation of Israel have any part to play in the current plans of God. Some in this group believe that Jews are not saved unless they become born-again non-Jewish Christians who celebrate Jesus Christ's – Yeshua the Messiah's – birth and resurrection with a roasted pig meal!

On the other hand, born-again Christian Zionists and Messianic Jews might think about these traditional Christians something like, "If only they believed that the Old Testament (the Tanach)1 is still God's Word today! Then their blindness towards Israel and the Jews would be lifted as they understand the centrality of Israel's modern-day restoration and the ingathering of the Jewish people to God's land in His overall plan of worldwide redemption and in the return of His Son."

Yet there is a much more fundamental theological blindness which many of our brothers and sisters, Jewish or gentile, in Messiah are also afflicted with. That blindness is toward the New Testament's consistent and thorough witness that the Old Testament, the Tanach, is still God's Word today.

1 Tanach is the term Jews use for what the Church calls the Old Testament. Tanach is an acronym of the three divisions of the Old Testament that were in existence in Yeshua's day (Luke 24:44). Torah – the five books of Moses; Nevi'im – the prophets; Ketuviim – the writings. Torah = Ta; Nevi'im = na; Ketuvi'im = ch, or k. Together they make the word Ta-na-ch.

"New Testament theology" – a misnomer

No theologian or layperson can prove any New Testament theological truth without referring to its foundational revelation which God's Spirit gives in the Tanach, since the New Testament itself looks to the Tanach for its doctrinal foundations. For example, try to explain God the Father, the one true living God, without using any of the Tanach's revelations about Him. Here are a few examples:

God the Creator

This is how the Tanach starts, and often God uses His creatorship to affirm that He can do whatever He wants.

In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.Gen. 1:1
Woe unto him that strives with his Maker!Isa. 45:9a
O Lord YHWH 2, behold, You have made the heaven and the earth by Your great power and stretched out arm, and there is nothing too hard for You:Jer. 32:17

2 YHWH = yod-hay-vav-hay. It is pronounced something like Yahweh, although no one is really sure. This is God's personal name in the Tanach that is mentioned thousands and thousands of times. In good English translations, this word is often written in all capital letters, so LORD, or GOD, in the original Hebrew would be YHWH. ;

He is holy

The Tanach reveals holiness3 as God's foundational nature, and all His other characteristics are modified by this: His love is holy love; His judgment is holy judgment; His mercy, His anger, His forgiveness, etc.

…Holy, holy, holy, is YHWH of hosts: the whole earth is full of His glory.Isa. 6:3
For I am YHWH that brought you up out of the land of Egypt, to be your God: therefore you shall be holy, for I am holy.Lev. 11:45
But You are holy; You are enthroned on the praises of Israel.Psa. 22:3
YHWH has made bare His holy arm in the eyes of all the nations; and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God.Isa. 52:10

3 Holiness means purity and it also has the sense of God being absolutely His own reality aside from His creation, a Being who is over all and through all and in all (Eph. 4:6).

God the Redeemer

The Tanach reveals God as a Redeemer in Eden. After Adam and Eve sinned, He killed an animal instead of slaying them (Gen. 3:21), covering, which is atoning for them, with a substitute sacrifice, thus buying their lives back – which is what redemption means. Also, He redeemed, or ransomed, His people from Egyptian bondage through the blood of the Passover lamb (Ex. 12:22-23).

Wherefore say to the children of Israel, I am YHWH, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will rid you out of their bondage, and I will redeem you with a stretched out arm, and with great judgments:Ex. 6:6
And what one nation in the earth is like Your people, even like Israel, whom God went to redeem for a people to Himself, to make Him a name, and to do for You great things and terrible, for Your land, before Your people, which You redeemed from Egypt, from the nations and their gods?2 Sam. 7:23
I have blotted out as a thick cloud your transgressions, and…your sins. Return [or 'repent'] unto Me, for I have redeemed you. Sing, heavens; for YHWH has done it: shout…earth: break forth into singing, mountains, forest, and every tree in it, for YHWH has redeemed Jacob, and glorified Himself in Israel.Isa. 44:22-23
I will ransom them from the power of the grave; I will redeem them from death: O death, I will be your plagues; O grave, I will be your destruction…Hos. 13:14

God is love

Why did God choose Israel in the first place? Deuteronomy 7 declares it was because He loved them!

For you are a holy people unto YHWH your God. YHWH your God has chosen you to be a special people to Himself above all people that are on…the earth. YHWH did not set His love on you, or choose you, because you were more in number than any people; for you were the fewest of all people; but because YHWH loved you, and because He would keep the oath which He had sworn to your fathers, has YHWH brought you out with a mighty hand, and redeemed you out of the house of bondage…Know therefore that YHWH your God, He is God, the faithful God, who keeps covenant and mercy with them that love Him and keep His commandments to a thousand generations;Deut. 7:6-9; cp. 10:15
In all their affliction He was afflicted, and the angel of His presence saved them. In His love and in His pity He redeemed them; and he bore them, and carried them all the days of old.Isa. 63:9
YHWH has appeared of old to me, saying, 'Yes, I have loved you with an everlasting love, therefore with lovingkindness [chesed = His covenant-love and faithfulness] have I drawn you.Jer. 31:3
I will heal their backsliding, I will love them freely: for My anger is turned away from him.Hos. 14:4
YHWH your God in the midst of you is mighty; He will save, He will rejoice over you with joy. He will rest in His love, He will joy over you with singing.Zeph. 3:17

God desires a personal relationship with humanity

Read any of the prayers in the Tanach to see the reality of this truth. The book of Psalms is full of prayers, praise, thanksgivings, complaints, and worship to a God that the authors relate to in a very personal manner. And think about why God created mankind in the first place.

They heard the voice of YHWH God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and Adam and his wife hid from YHWH's presence…And YHWH God called unto Adam, and said unto him, 'Where are you?'Gen. 3:8-9
Hearken unto the voice of my cry, my King, and my God: for to You will I pray.Psa. 5:2
In my distress I called on YHWH, and cried unto my God. He heard my voice out of His temple…Psa. 18:6a
Lead me in Your truth, and teach me: for You are the God of my salvation; on You I wait all the day.Psa. 25:5
O God, You are my God; early will I seek You. My soul thirsts for You, my flesh longs for You in a dry and thirsty land, where there is no water;Psa. 63:1

God is a Father to His people

One gets the impression from some Christians that God's role as a Father is purely a New Testament revelation. Or at least the understanding of God being a Father to individuals is something that was revealed to mankind first by Yeshua. But neither of these ideas is correct. Not only did God say to Pharaoh, Let My Son go! (Ex. 4:23), referring to corporate Israel, He also said to David that His (God's) relationship with Solomon would be as a Father to a son (2 Sam. 7:14-15).

A father of the fatherless, and a judge of the widows, is God in His holy habitation.Psa. 68:5
O God, You have taught me from my youth: and until now I have declared Your wondrous works.Psa. 71:17
Without doubt, You are our Father, although Abraham is ignorant of us, and Israel does not acknowledge us. You O YHWH, are our Father, our Redeemer; Your name is from everlasting.Isa. 63:16
But now, O YHWH, You are our father; we are the clay; You are our potter; and we are all the work of Your hand.Isa. 64:8

A mediator is needed to approach a Holy God

This is why Israel was instructed to have priests, and especially the High Priest.

And the priest, whom he shall anoint, and…consecrate to minister in the priest's office in his father's stead, shall make the atonement…for the holy sanctuary, and…for the tabernacle of the congregation, and for the altar, and he shall make an atonement for the priests, and for all the people of the congregation.Lev. 16:32-33
Aaron took what Moses commanded, and ran into the middle of the congregation; and, behold, the plague had begun among the people. He burned incense, and made atonement for the people. And he stood between the dead and the living; and the plague was stopped.Num. 16:47-48
For He is not a man, as I am, that I should answer Him, and we should come together in judgment. Neither is there any mediator between us that might lay His hand upon us both.Job 9:32-33

He is the God of the Gentiles as well as the Jews

This is a truth – revealed in the Tanach in many places – which most Christians tend to see as strictly a New Testament revelation. Yet all who walked with God before Abraham were not Jews: Seth, Enoch, and Noah to name a few. In fact, when Abraham was called, he was not a Jew, as there were no Jewish people yet. He was the first "Hebrew", from the Hebraic root "to cross over", most likely referring to crossing over the river Euphrates and crossing into the land of promise, Cana 'an. Even after the Jewish people and the nation of Israel were created, there were still many non-Jews who came under the wings of Israel's God: Jethro, Rahab, Ruth, the Syrian general Na'aman, Uriah the Hittite and others of David's mighty men, plus many more.

God shall bless us [Israel]; and all the ends of the earth shall fear Him.Psa. 67:7
He has remembered His mercy and His truth toward the house of Israel: all the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.Psa. 98:3
Look unto Me, and be saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else.Isa. 45:22
YHWH has bared His holy arm in the eyes of all the gentiles, and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God.Isa. 52:10

Jews and Gentiles as one in Him

This is exactly what the Tanach foreshadows. In the Passover feast, the Yom Kippur ritual, and in obeying Torah, the Law, there are verses saying that these feasts and commandments are for both the native born Israelites and for the stranger – the non-Israelite – who would choose to sojourn with them, and worship their God.

Moses told his father-in-law all that YHWH had done to Pharaoh and the Egyptians for Israel's sake, and all the travail which had met them by the way, and how YHWH delivered them. And Jethro rejoiced for all the goodness which YHWH had done to Israel… [and said] 'Blessed be YHWH, who has delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians, and out of the hand of Pharaoh…Now I know that YHWH is greater than all gods: for in the thing in which they dealt proudly He was above them.' [His confession of faith] And Jethro…took a burnt offering and sacrifices for God [a blood atonement], and Aaron came, and all the elders of Israel, to eat bread with Moses' father in law before God [communion].Ex. 18:8-12
When a stranger sojourns with you, and will keep the Passover to YHWH, let all his males be circumcised, and then let him come near and keep it. He shall be as one that is born in the land, for no uncircumcised person shall eat of it. One law shall be to him that is home-born, and to the stranger who sojourns among you.Ex. 12:48-49
This shall be a statute forever to you, that in the seventh month, on the tenth day, you shall afflict your souls, and do no work at all, whether it be one of your own country, or a stranger who sojourns among you:Lev. 16:29

Blood atonement is needed for the forgiveness of sin

How would we even know what sin is without the Tanach revelation of the Law of God? The New Testament tells us that sin was not really known until the law was revealed (Rom. 7:7), and that sin is the breaking of God's law (1 John 3:4). Or how would we know that blood is required to atone for – to cover – sin, iniquity and transgression? The book of Leviticus' teaching on the sacrificial system and priesthood, explains this. In fact, without a basic understanding of Leviticus, one's theological foundations for Yeshua's atoning death on the cross might be guess-work, or just plain wrong.

For the life [lit: soul] of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you on the altar to make an atonement for your souls [i.e., life]: for it is the blood that makes atonement for your soul. Therefore I said to the children of Israel, 'No one of you shall eat blood, neither shall any stranger that sojourns among you eat blood'.Lev. 17:11-12
The priest that is anointed shall bring of the bull's blood into the tabernacle of the congregation, and dip his finger in some of the blood, sprinkling it seven times before YHWH, even before the veil. And he shall put some of the blood on the horns of the altar which is before YHWH in the tabernacle of the congregation, and pour out all the blood at the bottom of the altar of the burnt offering, which is at the door of the tabernacle…He shall take all the fat and burn it on the altar, and do with the bull as he did with the bull for a sin offering…and the priest shall make an atonement for them, and it shall be forgiven them.Lev. 4:16-20

I could go on, but…

I think you see what I am aiming at, that there is no biblical "doctrine" – the Greek word basically means "teaching" – which can be theologically explained by using only what is in the New Testament. Instead, it must be founded on, and not in conflict with, Old Testament teaching.4

After all, why was Yeshua called "the Prophet"5 or "the Son of David"?6 In fact, why was He born as a Jew7 in Bethlehem, the city of David?8 Tell someone why He bore our sins without referring to the scapegoat in the Yom Kippur ritual9 or the prophecy of Isaiah 53:4-6. And when we consider Yeshua's return, how do we know God the Son will return to Jerusalem?10 Even when trying to explain speaking in tongues, Paul quotes a scripture from the Tanach – which seems out of context – yet shows that this manifestation had been prophesied by God.11

4 "Informing theology" is a concept that teaches that everything in the Bible is founded on what went before it, which is what informs the "new" revelation. Therefore Genesis 1:1 is the most essential, foundational verse in all of Scripture, for if God is not the Creator, then why believe the rest of His Word. Yet because He is, nothing is impossible for Him (Jer. 32:17, 27) and so whatever He wants to do is possible and makes the rest of His Word trustworthy.

5 Matt. 21:11; John 6:14, 7:40 cp. Deut. 18:18-19

6 Matt. 1:1; 9:27; 12:23; 21:9; Luke 1:32; Rom. 1:3 cp. 2 Sam. 7:12-16; Psa. 132:11

7 See Gen. 49:10

8 Matt. 2:1-6 cp. Mic. 5:2

9 Lev. 16:21:22

10 Zech. 14:3-4

11 1 Cor. 14:21 cp. Isa. 28:11

What about progressive revelation?

Of course there is progressive revelation in the New Testament – especially a fuller unveiling of God and His nature as seen in Messiah Yeshua – as well as a deeper insight of many biblical teachings. Yet even using the phrase "progressive revelation" assumes that there was previous revelation upon which the "progressive" is built.

One of the best examples of progressive revelation has to do with the world of demonology and Satan,12 "the Devil". Note that the first time our Adversary appears in the New Testament (Matt. 4:1), the terms "Satan" and "the devil" are used with no explanation whatsoever of who is being referred to because there is an underlying expectation that all the readers of the New Testament would know who this one is who is tempting the Messiah. Yet for the reader to know who Matthew is referring to, that person would need to have a foundation in the Tanach.

The Devil's character is introduced very early in Genesis through the serpent in the Garden of Eden (Gen. 3:1). He is identified with fallen angels, and his proper name, Lucifer, is only revealed in the Tanach (Isa. 14:12). He apparently has principalities and powers under him, one of them being identified as "the prince of the kingdom of Persia" (Dan. 10:13). The devil always tries to resist, accuse and deceive God's people – as with Eve (Gen. 3:1-5); Job (chapters one and two), David (1 Chr. 21:1), Zerubbabel (Zech. 3:1-2), and you and I.

12 Satan in Hebrew is haSatan, which translates as "the Adversary," or "the Accuser". In Greek, the devil is the translation of diabolos, which also means an accuser or slanderer.  

So what's new in the New Testament?

Is God new? Absolutely not. He clearly states that He never changes (Mal. 3:6), that He is the same yesterday, today and forever (Heb. 13:8). Is God's Word new? No, that is settled forever in heaven (Psa. 119:89). The only thing seen as "new" according to the New Testament is born-again believers. We are new creations in Messiah Yeshua (2 Cor. 5:17), and because He has poured out His Holy Spirit in us, we can now read and understand the Tanach by God-sent wisdom and spiritual insight. This does not mean "spiritualizing" it – but it does mean seeing what was there all the time yet was not discernable without the Holy Spirit's help to open our eyes (Psa. 119:18; 2 Cor. 3:14-18).

God prophesied about the "New Covenant" by name in the Tanach (Jer. 31:31-34). I wonder if Christians who mainly read the New Testament understand this. The New Testament/New Covenant that we have entered into through the blood of Messiah has its theological foundations in an Old Testament prophecy. Do believers infected with an anti-Semitic spirit13 refuse to acknowledge this because the New Covenant was specifically made [lit: "cut"] with the Jewish people – the house of Israel and the house of Judah? Messiah Yeshua affirms this when He tells the Samaritan woman that salvation is of [or, 'from'] the Jews (John 4:22b).

Paul also confirms this "kosher" foundation of our faith when he reminds gentile believers in Rome that salvation means they are now grafted into Israel's cultivated olive tree (Rom. 11:16-24)14 and when he tells gentile believers in Ephesus that they have now become part of the commonwealth (Eph. 2:11-19) – or citizenry – of Israel, not of the political nation, but are now a part of God's covenant people.15

13 Sadly, there are born-again believers deceived by anti-Semitic spirits which they may have received from families, or even specific churches or denominations.

14 Unfortunately a Christmas tree is often a better picture of much of today's Church. Believers often are looking only at the lights and excitement and the gifts under that tree – but are unaware, or just do not care, that that type of tree has been cut off from its roots and is dying.

15 This does not make a gentile believer a Jew. [We have enough problems of our own to deal with!]

In the beginning – of the New Testament

Have you ever really considered the opening verse of the New Testament? The book of the generation [+nature, origin, heritage] of Jesus Christ [i.e. Yeshua, Israel's promised Messiah (the Anointed-one)], the son of David, the son of Abraham. (Matt. 1:1) Immediately the New Testament starts by looking backwards, as Matthew links Messiah Yeshua's genealogy in reference to His "Son of Man" nature to two vital Jewish forefathers – Father Abraham and King David.

God made precious and prophetic promises to these two men divinely chosen by Him (Isa. 41:8; Acts 13:22). So if you are unaware of who David was or what God promised to him and his son Solomon, and so prophetically to the Greater Son of David, the Messiah (2 Sam. 7:10-16), then you really do not know the historic Yeshua. Again, if you do not know who Abraham was or about God's promises to Abraham and his son Isaac (Gen. 12:1-3; 26:1-5; et al), then how much do you know about this Jesus whom you say you worship?

This is a huge problem in many Churches today because regrettably false, distorted and unhistorical Messiahs are being proclaimed. There is the "Cosmic Christ" who has no link to the Jewish people and is no longer Jewish.16 There is the Catholic Christ, whose mother has now also become Catholic.17 Then there is also the well-known blond-haired, blue-eyed Scandinavian Savior who could easily be confused as a heroic Viking instead of God the Son, who left heaven and entered history as a simple Jew to redeem multitudes from their sins (Mark 10:45).

Now, if the Jesus you believe in was not – and in fact is still not – Jewish, then you are worshipping another Jesus, and believing in "another gospel" detached from God's promises to Abraham.18 This means there is a frightening possibility that you are impacted by, or even infected with, another spirit which is not God's Holy Spirit (2 Cor. 11:4).

16 Yeshua was crucified as the King of the Jews (Luke 23:39; John 19:19). His resurrection did not change His Jewishness as we see all heaven declaring Him to be the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David (Rev. 5:5). Also, in the last chapter of the Bible, He Himself states that He is the Root and Offspring of David (Rev. 22:16). He is still most definitely a Jew!

17 Oy, to do this to a Jewish mother is very sad!

18 Gal. 3:8, cp. Gen. 12:3b

The Holy Scriptures according to the New Testament

Second Timothy 3:15-17 sums up how the Holy Spirit through Paul describes the Tanach from a New Testament perspective. But continue in the things which you have learned and been assured of… and that from a child you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise unto salvation through faith which is in Messiah Yeshua. All Scripture is given by inspiration of God [lit: God-breathed], and [all Scripture] is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be mature, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.

Obviously, although not often realized by the 'New Testament believers' crowd, when Paul was writing to Timothy, what he referred to when he used the phrase the Holy Scriptures, had to have been the Tanach. After all, at the time this was written, there was no New Testament. To Rabbi Saul – the Apostle Paul – the only Holy Scriptures was the Old Testament!

Consider that Paul never quoted from the gospels. If he repeats something the Lord Yeshua said, it was because he heard it by revelation from Yeshua Himself (Gal. 1:12; Eph. 3:3), or one of the other apostles told him. But he never quotes from Matthew, Mark, Luke, or John, or any other New Testament writings, because even if some were in existence then, they were not widely disseminated as part of the Church's canon as they are today.

Yet Paul often talks about the Scriptures, and when he quotes them, he is quoting the Tanach. For him – as well as for every other New Testament writer and character – "the Holy Scriptures" included only what we have unfortunately labeled "the Old Testament".19

In the verses quoted above, Paul is telling Timothy that the Tanach contains everything needed in order to see that Yeshua is the promised Messiah of Israel, and that salvation is readily available through Him alone to all who trust in Him as Lord and that God raised Him from the dead (Rom. 10:9). So I have a question for you. Are you able to take the Hebrew Scriptures, the Old Testament, in a translation that you are most comfortable with, and quoting only from that part of your Bible, share the gospel with your unsaved Jewish friends?

If your friends are religious Jews, they are conditioned to reject anything from the New Testament. Quoting from the Tanach often leaps over that barrier. This is what every First Century Jewish evangelist did – even when they were sharing the gospel with the gentiles. If you claim to be a New Testament believer then you should be able to preach the saving truth of Messiah Yeshua from the same Holy Scriptures that the early believers trusted in and used.

I'm not saying that we should not use the New Testament to show the fulfillment of what the Tanach reveals about sin and salvation and righteousness, but without knowing that these and all other New Testament doctrines are grounded in the Tanach, we become vulnerable to human arguments and satanic attacks designed to confuse and depress us. After all, fulfilled prophecy is the seal of the truth that our God is the One and Only God, and that only the Bible is God's Word since only the Bible correctly foretells the future!20

19 Because of space, I will only list some of the verses from, or allusions to, the Tanach that are in Paul's letter to the Romans, which many consider Paul's magnificent treatise on systematic theology, plus some verses from Galatians where he uses the Tanach to fight legalism among believers: Rom. 1:1-3, 17; 3:4, 10-18; 4:3, 6-8; 8:16; 9:4-5, 9-17, 25-29, 33; 10:5-8, 11, 13, 15-21; 11:2-4, 8-10, 26; 12:19; 14:11; 15:3-4, 8-12; Gal. 3:6-13, 16-22; 4:21-31; 5:14. There are references to the Tanach in all of the New Testament writings. See the appendices at the end of this teaching for a deeper study on many New Testament verses which rely on the Tanach for their theological foundation.

20 In part two of this teaching there will be a section exploring the vital topic of biblical prophecy.

The Tanach foundations of the Gospel

Let's look at the foundational Tanach prophecies showing that Yeshua is the promised Messiah of Israel and is also God with us.

Micah 5:221 declares that God's Messiah, Israel's ruler, will come out of Bethlehem, and He will also be an entity who has existed from eternity. But you, Bethlehem Ephrata, though you be insignificant among the thousands of Judah, yet out of you shall He come forth to Me who is to be ruler in Israel, and whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting [lit: days of eternity]. (cp. Matt. 2:6; John 7:42)

Isaiah 7:14 states that this future Messiah will have a miraculous birth and that He will be both God and Man, as His name, which in Hebraic thinking often means His essential nature, will be Immanuel – God with us – thus affirming His deity. Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign [the Hebrew implies a miraculous sign]; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call His name Immanuel. (cp. Matt. 1:23)

Isaiah 9:6-7 points out Messiah's dual nature as God the Son and the Son of Man, the unique God-man. Again, this is seen by the names used to describe Him. Isaiah also declares His total overall authority. For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given [child = human; Son = a gift from God (John 3:16; 4:10)]: and the government [+dominion] shall be upon His shoulder [He shall bear the full weight of it (Matt. 28:18)]: and His name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The Mighty God, The Everlasting Father,22 The Prince of Peace. Of the increase of His government [+dominion] and peace there shall be no end, on the throne of David, and on his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even forever. The zeal of YHWH of hosts will perform this. (cp. Eph. 2:12)

Isaiah 49:6 proclaims that revealing God to Israel alone would not be the end of Messiah's ministry – but His name – also His reputation and fame – would go out from Israel to be a light unto the gentiles. …It is too light a thing [i.e., not enough] that You should be My servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved [or, to bring repentance unto the remnant] of Israel: I will also give You for a light to the Gentiles, that You may be My salvation unto the end of the earth. (cp. Isa. 42:6; 60:3; Luke 2:32; Acts 26:23.)

Isaiah 29:18, 35:5 and 61:1 contain prophecies which list some of the miraculous signs that Israel's Redeemer would do. Yeshua used these miracles/signs to encourage John the Baptist that He Himself was indeed the One who should come. When the men came to Him, they said, 'John sent us to You, asking, "Are You He who should come? Or should we look for another?"' In that same hour He cured many of their infirmities and plagues, and of evil spirits; and to others that were blind He gave sight. So Yeshua answered them, 'Go your way, and tell John what things you have seen and heard; how that the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have the good news proclaimed to them. And blessed is he, who shall not be offended in Me. (Luke 7:20-23)

Zechariah 9:9 describes how the King Messiah would enter Jerusalem – during His first coming. Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, your King comes unto you: He is just, and having salvation; humble, and riding on an ass, and on a colt the foal of an ass. (cp. Matt. 21:5; John 12:15)

David in Psalm 22:16-17 and the prophet in Zechariah 12:10 both describe His death by crucifixion. For dogs have compassed Me: the assembly of the wicked have enclosed Me: they pierced My hands and \My feet. I may tell all My bones: they look and stare upon Me. (Psalms 22:16-17; cp. John 20:25); And I will pour on the house of David, and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look unto Me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for Him, as one mourns for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for Him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn. (Zech. 12:10; cp. John 19:31)

Isaiah 53 reveals that the future Savior would be rejected by His people, but eventually would be seen as their Messiah. In that revelation, the Jews, as well as all believers, perceive exactly why He had to die – the exchange on the cross, our punishment placed on Him, His carrying our sins away, and that healing comes to us by His wounds. This chapter is foundational for all the New Testament's theological teaching on what the Cross means. While the New Testament furthers that revelation by being written after the event and with the aid of the Spirit's insight, this Tanach chapter is vital to all of that teaching.

The Rabbinic Jewish interpretation stating that this chapter talks about Israel, and not the Messiah, was actually introduced by influential rabbis only about 1,000 years ago. It was done to hinder Isaiah 53 from being used by Christians to show that Yeshua is the prophesied Messiah. The rabbinic view is a good example of eisegesis.23

Psalm 16:10, Psalm 22:22 and Isaiah 53:10-12 all contain foreshadows of the Resurrection. We should expect to find verses in the Tanach talking about His rising from the dead because Paul was clear as to what was contained in his declaration of the good news. Writing to the believers in Corinth, he states, For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Messiah died for our sins according to the Scriptures [the Tanach]; and that He was buried, and He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures [the Tanach]; (1 Cor. 15:3-4)

Psalm 16:10 is used by Peter on the day of Shavuot [Pentecost] when speaking to the Jewish worshippers from the nations (Acts 2:31) and also by Paul in the synagogue in Antioch (Acts 13:35). Both quoted this verse to show that Messiah, God's Holy One, would not be left in the grave to suffer bodily destruction.

Psalm 22 is pointed to by Messiah Yeshua while on the cross, as He quotes the first and most likely the last verses of this chapter, using a rabbinic teaching technique called remez – or giving hints.24 In quoting 22:1, Yeshua was not only literally fulfilling that verse but also hinting to His disciples that the whole Psalm was in the process of coming to pass. Note the change from verse 21 which finishes a long listing of His sufferings on the cross, to verse 22 which reveals that He will be saved out of that situation. Looking back we can see that this refers to His resurrection. Then He declares His Father's name to His disciples, His brothers. There are further prophetic words in the rest of this psalm pointing to the worldwide spread of the gospel (v. 27), the Lord's Supper (v. 29), and a remnant being saved (v. 30).

Isaiah 53:10-1225 follows the prophecies of the Lord's burial in a rich man's grave (53:9) with a continuation of His existence, a prolonging of His days. How could a person who is dead and buried continue His existence except through resurrection? Verses 11-12 declare that resurrected life and what Yeshua is doing today: He sees the fruit of His travail and is satisfied; His righteousness makes many others justified, and He intercedes for many sinners. His intercession happened on the cross (Luke 23:34) and now He is interceding for us in eternity (Rom. 8:34; Heb. 7:25; 9:24; 1 John 2:1).

I believe Daniel 7:13-14 was fulfilled when Yeshua first ascended to His Father. I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven to the Ancient of days, and they brought Him near before Him. And there was given to Him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and His kingdom that which shall not be destroyed. Because this happened after His resurrection and before His final ascension Yeshua could proclaim to His disciples, All power [i.e., authority] in heaven and on earth is given unto Me. (Matt. 28:18b)

Psalm 110:1 is the most frequently quoted verse from the Psalms found in the New Testament. David describes Messiah as sitting on God's right hand, the hand of favor and authority, which is where He has been since His ascension. And it is from there that Messiah – in eternity – intercedes for us, so that we can be saved totally and completely (Heb. 7:25). Because of His intercession, Jude [i.e., Judah] can write, Now unto Him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy; to the only wise God our Savior, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and forever. Amen. (Jude 1:24-25)

Zechariah 14:3-4 declares that "YHWH" will fight for Israel against all the nations whom He gathers against Jerusalem (14:2a) and that He will descend upon the Mount of Olives. Obviously, this refers to Messiah Yeshua, since His disciples while watching Him ascend from that same Mount of Olives into heaven, were told by two messengers, who were most likely angels that this same Yeshua, who is taken up from you into heaven, shall come again in like manner… (Acts 1:11) He will come in the clouds with power and great glory (Matt. 24:30) and will set His feet on the Mount of Olives which is to the east of the Temple Mount, which was the location of Jerusalem in Zechariah's day.

Zechariah 14:3-4a is another proof of Yeshua's deity proclaimed in the Tanach. Yeshua said to the Samaritan woman that God is spirit (John 4:24). Since spirits do not have feet, and Zechariah says that "YHWH" has feet – this has to be the incarnate YHWH the Son – the Lord Messiah Yeshua.

All of these Old Testament verses, and I could add many more, show us why Paul wrote to Timothy that the Tanach, or as our English Bibles call them, the Holy Scriptures… are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Messiah Yeshua. (2 Tim. 3:15)

Also, these examples make the New Testament's use of the phrase, This was that which was foretold by the prophets, one of the strongest arguments for trusting that the Man Yeshua is God the Son Incarnate, the King and Messiah of Israel and the Savior for all people.

21 In the Hebrew version of the Tanach, this verse is Micah 5:1. At times in the Hebrew Tanach there are slight differences in where chapters begin and end, and thus different verse numberings. Also the books of the Tanach are in a different order.

22 Calling "His name" Everlasting Father does not mean that Yeshua is/was the Father – but that His essential nature so exactly revealed the Father's nature that He could say to His disciples, He that has seen Me has seen the Father (John 14:9b; cp. 10:30; 2 Cor. 4:4b; Col. 1:15; Heb. 1:3a).

23 Eisegesis is the interpretation of a text in a way that applies one's own presuppositions, agendas or biases on what is written. 

24 See Chapter 11, The Cross in the Tanach, Part Two in our book Homecoming, Our Return to Biblical Roots, by Chuck and Karen Cohen. This chapter deals with Psalm 22 specifically, and the concept of remez is fleshed out in that book. It is available through Sovereign World Ltd., and sometimes on Amazon.

25 The 10th chapter of Homecoming is an in-depth study on Isaiah 53. 

New Testament doctrine – or biblical doctrine

Based on the historical facts of his day and the New Testament Greek text, let's put together what Paul might have been thinking as he continues in Second Timothy 3:16. All of the Tanach, the Old Testament, is God-breathed – that is, it is just as if God Himself gave the writing instrument and directed the authors what to write – and therefore it is profitable for teaching.

It is appalling to see that doctrine – which basically means "teaching" in the Greek – is shoved aside in many of today's modern churches. Yet Paul uses this word for teaching 17 times in his "pastoral" letters, First and Second Timothy, and Titus, which are specifically written to elders of New Testament congregations. Paul, as a highly educated Jewish scholar, who loved and worshipped Yeshua, knew that biblical teaching is essential for the spiritual health and maturity of believers. This is exactly what the Tanach emphasizes as well.

Therefore, if you, your church or your denomination, have any teachings which do not line up with, or are not founded on, Tanach teachings – then those teachings are not from God! Recognize the deception found in many churches simply because of this basic New Testament truth! The major example, and a huge foundational error in teaching, is of course, replacement theology, the false idea that God is finished with Israel and the Jews, that the Church as the New Israel has now taken their place and received the promises God made to the Jewish people. The real reason for this demon-inspired doctrine is because our adversary, the Devil, wants the total opposite of all God’s Tanach promises and prophecies concerning Israel and the Jewish people, with the goal being that Yeshua has no place on earth to which He can return!

Paul sums up his list of the benefits of knowing the Tanach by saying that the Tanach is vital for followers of Messiah Yeshua so that they could grow to maturity, and be fully ready and equipped to do all the works that God has ordained for them from the foundation of the world (Eph. 2:10).