- By Chuck Cohen

Part Two

Contents

The New Testament's use of the Tanach

For those of believe that Yeshua is not only the Redeemer and Savior, but also God the Son, King of Kings, Lord of Lords, the First and the Last, Lord of all, and so much more, then it should be obvious that His view of the Old Testament, the Tanach – as well as His interpretation of Tanach prophecy – is the standard against which all other views and interpretations must be measured. And if our view, or our church, our pastor or our believing friend's view is not in line with Yeshua's, clearly we are the ones who are wrong.

Challenging the Sadducees

The Sadducees had a very liberal understanding of the Tanach – as they did not believe in either angels, or the resurrection of the dead (Matt. 22:23; Acts 23:8) – which is similar to modern liberal "Christianity". You can call yourself a Christian/Messianic Jew all you want, yet if you do not believe that Yeshua was actually raised from the dead you are still dead in your sins and in need of having His grace turn you from yourself to the truth of His Word. A belief in Messiah Yeshua's resurrection is central to saving faith (Rom. 10:8-10), despite the fact that most the modern evangelical churches have reduced this truth to a once-a-year sermon on Easter.1 Is it possible that because today's Church is too embarrassed to take a stand against humanistic reason and modern science to declare that it serves "a Risen Savior who is in the world today," that it lacks His resurrection power which is desperately needed to be His faithful witness?

1 Yeshua rose from the dead on the Feast of the Lord called First Fruits (Lev. 23:9-14). It is observed on the day after the Shabbat of the Passover/Unleavened Bread week, and so is always on the first day of the week. It is because of this feast day that Paul calls Messiah the "first fruits" of the resurrection (1 Cor. 15:20). Yeshua rose from the dead on a Tanach feast, not on a pagan holiday known as Ishtar, or Easter. 

Resurrection, repentance and salvation

Let's look at what the New Testament says about these three doctrines: But what does Moses say? The word is near you, even in your mouth, and in your heart; that is the word of faith which we preach, that if you shall confess with your mouth that Yeshua is Lord, and shall believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved. For with the heart man believes unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the scripture says, 'whoever believes on Him shall not be ashamed'. (Rom. 10:8-11)

We see the Holy Spirit through Paul saying that the essence of salvation is confessing Yeshua as Lord. This is what Peter did the first time he shared the good news with gentiles and immediately the Spirit of God fell on Cornelius and his house (Acts 10:36b). But there is another essential element of salvation, and it is not what happened on the cross (for which even a partial biblical understanding of Calvary necessitates at least a partial understanding of the book of Leviticus). The other essential element is that God raised Him from the dead.

Please note that in this most basic of formulas for salvation there is no mention of "repentance." Biblical repentance, which entails a turning from your way to God's way, is a fruit of genuine salvation, but it is not the root. Those who see repentance as a pre-condition for salvation means that they see a work which someone does – repenting – then obligates God to save that person.2 We hear this in the testimony of many believers: "I heard the sermon and then went down to the altar and repented and then Jesus saved me." Yet no one would even humble themselves to walk to that altar, let alone be in that meeting to hear the good news of Yeshua in the first place, unless the Spirit of Messiah was already working on them, drawing them to the Lord (Jer. 31:3). True repentance is a genuine fruit of salvation – but it is never the root!

2 The phrase, "Repent and be saved," is not even found in the Bible!

The Tanach and the power of God

Look at Yeshua's confrontation with the Sadducees who did not believe in the resurrection. Messiah replied to their trick question of one bride for seven brothers with this stinging remark: "You're in error, because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God'" (Matt. 22:29b). Once again, I want to emphasize that the only "Scriptures" Yeshua could have been referring to was the Tanach. By saying that they did not know the Tanach – He meant that their interpretation of it was colored by their preconceived theological mindset. Because they believed there was no resurrection, they interpreted any verses that might prove that there is a resurrection in a manner that lined up with their pre-conceived mindset.

This is exactly what a part of today's Church does when it rejects Israel as having any current or end-time place in God's plans. They preach and teach that Israel is no longer the people of God because they did this and that and rejected the other, so therefore all verses in the Tanach stating that God made an everlasting covenant with them is now interpret allegorically, or spiritually, and applied only to the Church. They are in deep error, not knowing the Scriptures – Old Testament – and because they are deceived in this way, they also do not know the true "power of God". This often results in many modern believers and churches no longer discerning between God's Holy Spirit moving as opposed to an unclean spirit from the netherworld.3

Also, because of an erroneous preconceived theological outlook, some believers refuse to read the Tanach as if it is still valid for their faith or God's kingdom purposes. So the 39 pre-New Testament books are now labeled the Old Testament, with "old" being an indication that they are no longer really needed, as today there is a "new" testament. Yet as this teaching will show, the Tanach is still the root and foundation for all New Testament theology, and is absolutely essential to correctly understand what the New Testament is about.

3 Would God's Holy Spirit take complete control of a believer, when the New Testament states that the spirit of the prophet is subject, that is under control, of the prophet (1 Cor. 14:32)? Not only that, but would the Holy Spirit make a born again believer act like an animal – often an unclean animal? A major reason for this deception is that if one does not know and believe the Tanach scriptures and thus does not know the full revelation of God, we then struggle to discern God's power from demonic power and are open to be deceived by all sorts of "spiritual" experiences, which even the Tanach warns us against. 

Yeshua's use of the Tanach to teach His disciples

Luke 24 traces the story of the events following Messiah's resurrection. According to 24:10, Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary, Jacob's mother, and other women came to His tomb with spices, or perfumes, to tend to His body, but they found the stone rolled away and Yeshua's body missing. Two men in dazzling garments – most likely angels – appeared to them, asking, Why do you seek the Living among the dead? He is not here but has risen, (24:5-6). They reminded the women of what Yeshua had said to His followers in the Galilee. The Son of man must be delivered up to…sinful men to be crucified and on the third day rise again. (24:7)

Later that same day, two disciples who had heard about this incident were on their way to Emmaus. The Risen Messiah joins them, but they were prevented from recognizing Him (24:15-16). Even after His resurrection Yeshua, still being the perfect Jewish Teacher, tried to lead His disciples into acknowledgment of the truth by asking questions (24:17, 19).

Answering His inquiry of why they were so upset and confused, the disciples told Him what had happened recently in Jerusalem when the One they hoped would be Israel's Redeemer was crucified, and also what they had heard that very morning (24:20-24). Yet He was far from satisfied with these answers, and we see that His frustration, or maybe even anger, was over their lack of belief in what the Tanach said! O foolish and dull of heart [mind] to not believe all that the prophets have spoken! Was it not necessary for Messiah to have suffered these things, and after to enter into His glory? And beginning at Moses and in all the prophets, He expounded to them in all the Scriptures [the Tanach] those things concerning Himself … (24:25-27)

Let's recognize that Yeshua's main problem with His disciples was not over their doubts about the women's report of His resurrection – but over their lack of trust in the Tanach. Is He as frustrated now over the same issue with much of the Church, but with the focus today being on what must be fulfilled before His return? Could He be saying to many of today's believers, O foolish and arrogant of mind to refuse to believe all the Tanach verses that so clearly state that Israel must be restored as a nation, that the Jews must be gathered from the ends of the earth, and that all Israel must be saved before the Son of Man returns?

Back to Luke 24, Yeshua was revealed to these two disciples as He blessed God for bread before a meal, and then He vanished (24:30-31). Hear what the disciples said to each other: Did not our hearts burn within us, when He talked with us on the way, and while He opened to us the Scriptures? (24:32)

This is the great need of the Body of Messiah in this hour. How awesome it would be if Yeshua walked next to us and explained the Tanach. Yet He has not left us orphans, as He has given us the Holy Spirit who is always with us and opens His Word to us – as long as we humbly recognize our need of His help in the study of God's Word. However when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth, for He shall not speak of Himself; but whatever He shall hear, that shall He speak. And He will announce to you things to come. He shall glorify [+exalt, magnify, praise] Me, for He shall receive of mine, and shall announce it to you. (John 16:13-14)

Luke continues, relating how later that same evening, Yeshua appeared to all the disciples, some of whom still doubted He was alive and thought He was a spirit. After eating in front of them to prove that He was not a spirit, He reminded them, These are the words I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything must be fulfilled, which were written in the Law of Moses, in the Prophets, and in the Psalms, concerning Me. And He opened their minds so that they might understand the Scriptures. (Luke 24:44-45)4

So to prove who He was, Yeshua appealed to the Tanach, as there was no New Testament as yet. And this basic theological truth, if understood correctly, means that any New Testament doctrines which are not founded on – or in agreement with – the Tanach, are not biblically sound! Remember that the New Testament declares that all the Tanach is God-breathed and all of it is profitable for the Church for doctrine – the first item on Paul's list of the benefits of the Tanach to the believer (2 Tim. 3:16).

4 At this point in history, the Old Testament was composed of the same three sections that we have today, although not all the books in our versions were canonized as of yet. Yeshua talked about the Law of Moses (the Torah), the Prophets (the Nevi'im), and the Psalms, which included the wisdom books as well (the Ketuvi'im) These three sections are where we get the word Tanach from: Torah = Ta; Nevi'im = na; Ketuvi'im = k or ch, which when combined = Ta+na+ch = Tanach. 

Yeshua's use of the Tanach to prove His divine claims

Often and without apology, Yeshua uses the Tanach to support His claims of being both the Messiah and God the Son. Here are just a few of them.

In John 5, Messiah Yeshua healed a crippled man by the pool of Bethesda, telling him to Pick up your pallet and walk (5:11). Since it was the Shabbat, the Jewish leadership saw an opportunity to prove that even though He had performed a miracle, He could not be approved by God. When they challenged Him, Yeshua said, My Father is working until now, and so am I (5:17). This only added to their indignation because by saying this Yeshua was making Himself to be equal with God.5

Yeshua then says He has been given authority over the dead and their resurrection (5:21) because His Father has committed all judgment to the Son (5:22) so that all will honor Him as they honor His Father (5:23). Paul affirms this when he wrote that Yeshua will be declared as Lord – to the glory of God the Father (Phil. 2:11). Yeshua continues to teach about eternal life, and that the dead will hear His voice and be resurrected – some to life and some to damnation (5:29; cp. Dan. 12:2).

He then mentions three witnesses which prove He is speaking the truth:6 John the Baptist is one (5:31-35); the works that Yeshua did are the second (5:36); and the Father Himself is the third (5:37). But the Jewish leaders refused to believe these witnesses because they did not have God's Word abiding in them (5:38).

So He challenges them, Search the Scriptures [the Tanach]; for in them you think you have eternal life: and they are they which testify of Me (5:39). This is exactly what Paul said to Timothy concerning the Tanach: And that from a child you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able of making you wise unto salvation through faith in Messiah Yeshua. (2 Tim. 3:15)

But Yeshua was not finished in confronting the religious leadership of His day with their lack of trust in the Tanach,7 as He then pinpoints the real issue of their lack of belief in Him – which when read in the context of this teaching, should put the fear of God into all who dismiss the Tanach as no longer relevant today. Do not think that I will accuse you to the Father, There is one who accuses you, Moses, in whom you trust. For had you believed Moses, you would have believed Me, for he wrote of Me. But if you do not believe his writings, how can you believe My words? (John 5:46-47)

So if a "believer" does not truly believe in – trust in – Moses writings, which are the first five books of the Bible, the Torah, then how can they really believe the words of Messiah Yeshua? Remember, this is Yeshua's question – not mine.

Of course, Moses' writings include much about Israel's forefathers and their descendants – their calling and God's eternal unconditional covenant with Abraham and his seed concerning the physical Promised Land (Gen. 12:7; 15:7-21); Abraham's nation and the blessings that are to come forth from that nation to the rest of the world (Gen. 12:3b); Israel's future rebellions and judgment, which led to Israel's two exiles from its land – in Babylon and then the worldwide scattering – as well as their future restoration and blessings (Deut. 28:1-30:20). So if you struggle with God's current relationship with Israel, it may be that His relationship with you is what you need to be struggling with.

In John 10, Yeshua declares Himself to be the Good Shepherd (10: 11, 14), which is the same as Him stating that He is Yahweh (Psa. 23:1). As He expands on His unique relationship with His Father (10:15-18), the Jewish leaders are confused; some say He is from God and others say, "No way!" They confront Him by asking how much longer He will keep them in suspense [what the Greek literally means]. Is He the Messiah or not (10:24)?

Yeshua replies that He has already shown them by His works, that is the signs and miracles He has done in His Father's name (10:25), but they do not believe because they are not part of His sheep (10:26), the proof being that all who are His sheep hear His voice – that is, listen with an intent to obey; and He knows them and they follow Him (10:27).

Yeshua then states that He is the One who gives His sheep eternal life (10:28), and no one can seize them out of His hands, because it is His Father who gave Him these sheep (10:29), and it should be obvious that no one can seize them out of God the Father's hands.

Messiah summarizes His teaching, tying it all up in a linguistically simple, but theologically complex, climax: I and the Father are one. (10:30) Again, the Jewish leaders who heard Him clearly understood the implication of what He said and were ready to stone Him because He claimed to be God (v. 33).8

Yeshua responded by appealing to the Tanach: Is it not written in your law, 'I said you are gods [elohim]' [Psa. 82:6]? If He called them gods, to whom the Word of God came, and the Scripture cannot be broken; how can you say of Him, whom the Father has sanctified, and sent into the world, 'You blaspheme'; because I said, 'I am the Son of God'? (10:34-36) In referring to the Hebrew word elohim, which according to the context can mean "God", "gods", "mighty ones", or at times "judges", the Lord was challenging their willingness to use Psalm 82:6 as it related to the men of Israel – but were unwilling to have Yeshua apply it to Himself.

Yet the point in relation to this teaching is His declaration that the Scripture, the Tanach, cannot be broken. In the Greek, "broken" has various meanings such as dissolved, overthrown, destroyed, loosened, or set aside. Yeshua is once again basing a divine truth on one verse out of the Tanach and challenging His challengers with it, thus proving the total confidence that He, God the Son, has in the Tanach. Dare we have any less?

In Matthew's gospel, Messiah also does this when He challenges the Jewish leaders with a question whose answer depends on the truth that the Tanach as God's Word: 'What do you think of Messiah? Whose Son is he?' They said, 'The Son of David'. He answered, 'Why then does David by the Spirit call him Lord, saying, "YHWH said unto my Lord, Sit on My right hand, until I make Your enemies Your footstool?" If David called Him Lord, how is He his son?' (Matt. 22:42-45)

5 At least the Jewish leaders understood what Yeshua was implying, which is more than can be said for some believers today who are not willing to admit that Yeshua is God manifest in the flesh. Yet He is God the Son, as well as the Messiah, the One anointed with God's Spirit more than any other man – before or after Him (Isa. 11:1-5; John 1:32-33; 3:34; Acts 10:38).

6 He did this in line with both the Tanach and the New Testament, which say that truth is confirmed by two or three witnesses (Deut. 17:6; 19:15; Matt. 18:16; 2 Cor. 13:1).

7 I cannot even imagine what He would say to today's Christian religious leaders when so many of them diminish these same Holy Scriptures, declaring them no longer necessary for the walk or faith of the believer.

8 Before we judge them too harshly, most likely if we were there and were worshippers of the God of Israel at that time, we also would have also picked up stones. Remember, no one was born-again or had received the permanent infilling of the Spirit yet. 

Yeshua's use of the Tanach to defeat Satan

One of the most intriguing ways that Yeshua used the Tanach was to resist Satan and defeat his demonic strategy, showing that the devil himself understands the authority of the Tanach as God's Word! Could this be why he tries so hard to keep that first 75% of the Bible out of the minds and hearts of today's believers?

Here is the narrative of Yeshua being tested by the devil in the wilderness as found in Luke 4:1-12: Yeshua being full of the Holy Spirit returned from the Jordan River, and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, to be tested by the devil for forty days. In those days He ate nothing, and when they were over, He was hungry.

The devil then said unto him, 'If You are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.' But Yeshua answered him, saying, 'It is written that man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God' [Deut. 8:3]
Then the devil took Him up into a high mountain, and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time and said unto Him, 'All their authority and glory I will give to you, for that has been given to me, and to whomever I want, I can give it. Therefore, if You worship me, all this shall be Yours'.9 But Yeshua answered him, 'Get behind me, Satan, for it is written, "You shall worship the Lord your God, and only Him shall you serve"' [Deut. 6:13; 10:20].
Then the devil brought Yeshua to Jerusalem, and set Him on a pinnacle of the temple, saying to Him, 'If You are the Son of God, cast Yourself down from here, for it is written, "He shall give His angels charge over you, to keep you, and in their hands they shall bear you up, lest at any time you strike your foot against a stone [Psa. 91:11]." Yeshua answered him, saying, 'It is said, "You shall not tempt/test the Lord your God"' [Deut. 6:16].

Note that Yeshua quoted from Deuteronomy to defeat each test. Then Satan, seeing that Yeshua totally trusted in God's Word – the Tanach – had enough and left Him.

When the enemy attacks us is our first line of defense God's Word, or do we think that we actually have more authority than Yeshua and rebuke Satan directly – which even the archangel Michael dared not do (Jude 1:9; cp. Zech. 3:2)? Of course rebuking Satan is much easier than studying the Scriptures sufficiently so that His Word, God's Sword (Eph. 6:17; Heb. 4:12), is implanted in our hearts and minds in such a way that in any situation when we find ourselves under attack, we open our mouth and can trust God to fill it (Psa. 81:10).

9 I hope you realize that this statement by Satan was a lie. He does not have that kind of authority for the Bible repeatedly states that God reigns and that He is the One who promotes leaders and brings down leaders and nations (Psa. 75:6-7; Dan. 2:21; 4:17b, 25b). Not only that but Yeshua described Satan as a liar and the Father of lies and that everything the devil says is a lie (John 8:44). So why should we believe Satan rather than Yeshua? If all that the devil says is a lie – and we know this from personal experience because Satan tempts us with great things which He is unable to fulfill, then why believe that he controls nations and their wealth (Psa. 33:10-11; 50:10; Hag. 2:8). Yet many believers do believe Satan rather than the Lord in this area! Now if you still have any doubts, please read Revelation 17:17 and understand that even at the height of the Anti-Christ's rule – our God reigns!

Prophecy

At times, the topic of biblical prophecy is misunderstood by believers, yet it is specifically prophecy that sets both the Bible and God Himself apart from all other religious books, faiths and false gods. Of all the religious books in history, only the Bible dares to prophesy and to state that God's knowledge of the future is the ultimate proof that He is God. Below are a few verses in which God uses His knowledge of what will come to pass to show that He is truly God, and then He challenges all false gods with their inability to know the future.

Present your case, says YHWH; bring forth your best reasons, says the King of Jacob. Let them bring them near, and show us what shall happen. Let them…declare to us things to come. Tell us the things that will come next, that we may know you are gods.Isa. 41:21-23a
Behold, the former things are come to pass, and new things do I declare: before they occur I tell you of them.Isa. 42:9
Thus says YHWH, the King of Israel, and his redeemer, YHWH of hosts; I am the first, and I am the last; and beside me there is no God. And who, as I, shall proclaim and declare it, and arrange it for Me, since I appointed the everlasting people? And [who as I shall declare] the things that are coming…Fear not, nor be afraid. Have not I told you from that time, and have not I declared it? You are even My witnesses. Is there a God beside Me? There is no Rock; I do not know of any.Isa. 44:6-8
Who has declared this from of old? Who has told it from that time? Have not I YHWH? There is no other God beside Me – a just God and a Savior; there is none beside Me.Isa. 45:21b
Remember the former things of old, for I, even I, am God, and there is none else. I am God, and there is none like Me, declaring the end from the beginning, and from eternity the things that are not yet done. Saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all My pleasure… Yes, I have spoken it, I will also bring it to pass; I have purposed it, I will also do it.Isa. 46:9-10, 11b
I have even from the beginning declared it to you. Before it came to pass I told you so that you would not say, 'My idol has done them, and my graven image, and my molten image, has commanded them'.Isa. 48:5
For the Lord YHWH will do nothing, unless He reveals His secret unto His servants the prophets.Amos 3:710

This brings up that erroneous theological argument which states that if God's really knows the future then man does not really have free-will. But this argument is a product of a Greek thinking, Man-centered way of looking at biblical revelation. If we recognize the Scriptures as God's revelation of truth, and look at His Word with a Hebraic mindset, the conclusion is that God is sovereign and man does has free will – whether that computes with our humanistic, "it-must-make-logical-sense-to-me" thinking or not (Prov. 3:5).11

10 See also Mark 13:23; John 13:19; 14:29

11 We should live life knowing the liberating truth that our God is in total control and yet recognizing that in His sight, we are still accountable for our free-will decisions. Or as Paul says in Philippians 2:12-13: Wherefore, my beloved…work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you both to will and to do of His good pleasure. Or as Oswald Chambers once said, and I am paraphrasing, "We work out what He is working in."

Prophecy in the New Testament

Peter's statement on the day of Shavuot/Pentecost, demonstrates how God uses His prophetic word to impact the life of believers and unbelievers. For believers, prophecy is not given so that we know the future in detail and make up all sorts of in-depth charts that usually prove to be wrong. Instead, it is given so that we will be His witnesses when we see His prophetic word come to pass in a very clear and literal way. We can then declare with Peter, This is that which was spoken through the prophet… (Acts. 2:16).

Also as believers see God's prophetic word coming to pass, it is a huge encouragement and a comfort that He really is still in control. For this reason, on His final night with them, Yeshua said to His disciples. But I have told you these things, that when the time comes and these things are fulfilled, you may recall that I told you of them (John 16:4a).

Therefore most of the time it is impossible to figure out in detail how God will fulfill His prophetic promises before they come to pass, although we can often see the overall general picture. For example, who would have connected the virgin birth of God's Son in Bethlehem with His Son coming out of Egypt, yet also being from Nazareth? After the fact we see how all of these are literally true, but in a way that no one could have figured out beforehand. This applies to almost all Tanach and New Testament prophecies – that while God makes His overall plan clear, we must wait until after the event to understand exactly how He will fulfill it. 

Tanach prophecies in Matthew, Luke and Acts

How can anyone read and believe the New Testament without noticing that the proof of Yeshua being God's promised Messiah is His constant fulfillment of Tanach prophecies? The Gospel of Matthew, which the Holy Spirit placed as the opening book of the New Testament, says over and over, "this or that has happened to fulfill that which was written in the Tanach". I have listed just a few here below:

Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet [Isaiah], saying, 'Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel,' which being interpreted is, God with us.Matt. 1:22-23; cp. Isa. 7:14
And they said unto him, In Bethlehem of Judaea: for thus it is written by the prophet [Micah], 'And you Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are not the least among the princes of Judah, for out of you shall come a Governor, that shall rule My people Israel'.Matt. 2:5-6; cp. Mic. 5:2 [5:1 in the Hebrew]
For this [John the Baptist] is he that was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah, saying, 'The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare the way of the Lord; make His paths straight'.Matt. 3:3; cp. Isa. 40:3
When the evening was come, they brought to [Yeshua] many that were possessed with devils: and He drove out the demons with His word, and healed all that were sick, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying, 'He Himself took our infirmities, and bare our sicknesses'.Matt. 8:16-17; cp. Isa. 53:4
All these things spoke Yeshua to the multitude in parables; and without a parable He spoke not to them, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet [Asaph?], saying, 'I will open My mouth in parables; I will utter things which have been kept secret from the foundation of the world'.Matt. 13:34-35; cp. Psa. 49:4; 78:2
All this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet [Zechariah], saying, 'Tell the daughter of Zion, "Behold, your King comes to you, humble, and sitting on an ass, and a colt the foal of an ass"'.Matt. 21:4-5; Zech. 9:9
Then Yeshua said to them, 'All of you shall be offended because of Me this night: for it is written [Zechariah], "I will smite the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock shall be scattered abroad"'.Matt. 26:31; Zech. 13:7

There are many other verses in Matthew where Yeshua uses the Tanach to confront the Jewish leadership and to comfort the people. And then there are about thirty-three prophecies which many bible scholars claim were fulfilled within the period from the Garden of Gethsemane, through the cross and on up out of the grave!

The gospel of Luke and Luke's account in Acts is also full of Tanach references used by the author to prove that what he was reporting, after the fact, was what should have been expected based on a literal interpretation of the prophetic promises of God in the Hebrew Scriptures. Again, below are listed just a few of the more impressive verses proving that New Testament theology is based on the still-valid theological foundation of the Tanach.

Then [Yeshua] took unto Him the twelve, and said to them, 'Behold, we go up to Jerusalem, and all things that are written by the prophets concerning the Son of man shall be accomplished'.Luke 18:31
For I say unto you, that this that is written must yet be accomplished in Me, 'And He was reckoned among the transgressors': for the things concerning Me are being fulfilled.Luke 22:37; cp. Isa. 53:2
Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He has shed forth this, which you now see and hear. For David is not ascended into the heavens: but he himself said, 'YHWH said unto my Lord, Sit at My right hand, until I make Your foes Your footstool'.Acts 2:33-35; cp. Psa. 110:1
The place of the Scripture which [the Ethiopian eunuch] read was this, 'He was led as a sheep to the slaughter; and like a lamb dumb before His shearer, so He opened not His mouth. In His humiliation His judgment was taken away: and who shall declare His generation, for His life is taken from the earth?' And the eunuch answered Philip, and said, 'Please tell me of whom the prophet {Isaiah] speaks. Is it of himself, or some other man? Then Philip… began at the same scripture, and preached Yeshua unto him.Acts 8:32-35; cp. Isa. 53:7-8
We declare unto you good news, how the promise which was made to the fathers, God has fulfilled to us their children, in that He has raised up Yeshua again, as it is also written in the second psalm, 'You are My Son, this day have I begotten You'. As concerning that He raised Him up out from the dead now no more to return to corruption, He said this, 'I will give you the sure mercies of David'. Wherefore He said also in another psalm, 'You shall not suffer Your Holy One to see corruption'.Acts 13:32-35; cp. Psa. 2:7; Isa. 55:3; Psa. 16:10
Paul, as he normally did, went into them [a synagogue in Thessalonica] , and reasoned with them on three Shabbats out of the Scriptures [the Tanach], opening and explaining that Messiah needed to have suffered, and to have risen again out from the dead – and that 'this Yeshua whom I proclaim to you, He is the Messiah'.Acts 17:2-3; cp. Psa. 22:6; Isa. 50:6; 53:3
But this I [Paul] confess to you, that after the way which they [the Jewish leadership] call heresy, so worship I the God of my fathers, believing all things which are written in the law and in the prophets, and I have hope toward God, which they themselves also allow, that there shall be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and unjust.Acts 24:14-15; Dan. 12:2
Having therefore obtained help of God, I [Paul] continue unto this day, witnessing both to small and great, saying none other things than those which the prophets and Moses did say should come, that Messiah should suffer, and that He should be the first that should rise out from the dead, and should show light to the people [the Jews], and to the Gentiles.Acts 26:22-23; cp. Psa. 22:1-21; Isa. 52:13-53:12; Zech. 12:10; Psa. 16:8-11
And when they [the Jewish leaders in Rome] had appointed him [Paul] a day, many came to him…to whom he expounded and witnessed to the kingdom of God, persuading them about Yeshua, both out of the law of Moses, and out of the prophets, from morning till evening.Acts 28:23

Tanach prophecies in John

The last gospel written was the Apostle John's, whose target audience was not the Jews, as with Matthew, nor the Greeks or Romans as with Mark and Luke, but the newly established and growing Body of Messiah. And while the other three gospels were already written, as were many of Paul's letters by this time, although I'm not sure how widely available they were, John used the Tanach extensively to build up the Body in affirming that Yeshua is the promised Messiah and that Yeshua's teachings are true and the truth. Also, all questions as to what Messiah Himself thought of the Tanach were settled as we heard Him pray for His disciples, and ask His Father, Sanctify them in Your truth. Your Word is truth! (John 17:17) He was praying just before His crucifixion, so again, at that time, the only "Word" He would have been referring to was the Tanach.

During Messiah's life, as the Son of Man living in Israel, there were times when Tanach prophecies came to pass without His direct involvement, and there were other times when He specifically said or did something because He knew that was the time for a certain prophetic word to be fulfilled. One example of the latter is as Yeshua was hanging on the cross John writes that He recognized He was fulfilling the Tanach: Yeshua knowing that all things were now accomplished, so that the scripture might be fulfilled, He said, 'I thirst'… (John 19:28; cp. Psa. 22:15; 69:21)

Later in the same chapter, John records a prophecy that was fulfilled without Yeshua's intentional involvement. Since His death was very quick compared to the two to three days it normally took to die when crucified, a Roman soldier, to make sure He was dead, pierced His side. Seeing that He was in fact dead, the soldiers did not need to break His legs. John writes, These things were done, so that the scripture would be fulfilled, 'A bone of Him shall not be broken'. (John 19:36; cp. Ex. 12:46; Num. 9:12; Psa. 34:20). And again another scripture that says, 'They shall look on Him whom they pierced'. (John 19:37; cp. Zech. 12:10; Psa. 22:16)

According to my personal count, John records more than 40 times when Yeshua said that His Father had sent Him. By understanding the Tanach's foundations of Yeshua's teachings, we see another way in which Messiah proclaimed that He is Yahweh – the Lord of hosts – and One with the Father. Let's read Zechariah 2:8-11 to understand why I say this: For thus says YHWH of hosts [Yeshua]; 'After the glory has He [God the Father] sent Me unto the nations [+gentiles] which spoiled you [Jerusalem/Israel]: for he that strikes you strikes the apple of His eye. For, behold, I will shake My hand on them, and they shall be a spoil to their servants: and you shall know that YHWH of hosts [the Father] has sent Me [Yeshua]. Sing and rejoice, daughter of Zion: for, behold, I come, and I will dwell in the midst of you, says YHWH [Yeshua]. And many gentiles shall be joined to YHWH in that day, and shall be My [Yeshua's] people, and I will dwell in the midst of you, and you shall know that YHWH of hosts [the Father] has sent Me [the Son] unto you'. (Zech. 2:8-11)12

12 It is clear that there is more than One "YHWH" in this verse. This is not that only time that in the Tanach there is a hint of the unity – not singularity – in the Godhead. See Genesis 19:24 for another of several other examples. 

Paul's faith in the Tanach for his theology

As mentioned in the introduction to part one of this teaching Paul firmly believed and trusted in the truth of the Tanach to undergird his "teaching" – which is what the word "doctrine" usually means in the Greek.

Not only does Paul look to the Tanach for his teachings about why Yeshua is Messiah, but he also states that the Tanach is of great importance to us born-again believers as we work out the life of faith. For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope. (Rom. 15:4) As we look at the Tanach heroes of the faith, we gain a sense of comfort and hope that while we all go through various trials and tests, God remains faithful to finish that which He has started in us (Psa. 138:8; Rom. 8:28-30; Phil. 1:6; 1 Thess. 5:24-25).

When it comes to the good news of Messiah Yeshua, Paul writes that all of it is based on the fulfillment of Tanach prophecies. For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that the Messiah died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and He rose again the third day13 according to the scriptures: (1 Cor. 15:3-4)

Paul looks back to God's initial promise to Father Abraham to show that the gospel to the gentiles was part and parcel of that promise to Abraham and his seed: And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles through faith, preached before the gospel to Abraham, saying, 'In you shall all nations be blessed'. (Gal. 3:8; cp. Gen. 12:3b)

Of course, Paul would have searched the Tanach to confirm that God's Son becoming Israel's Messiah had salvation implications for the gentiles as well. While Paul was sent by the risen Lord to gentiles, only the Word of God in the Tanach could show that what he had heard from Yeshua was truly in line with God's will. Romans 15:8b-12 is probably his clearest statement to this effect: …Yeshua the Messiah was a servant of the circumcision [the Jews] for the truth of God, to confirm the promises made to the fathers [the forefathers of the Jewish nation], so that Gentiles might glorify God for His mercy, as it is written [in the Tanach], 'For this cause I will confess to You among the Gentiles, and sing unto Your name' [Psa. 18:49]. And again He said [in the Tanach], 'Rejoice, O Gentiles, with his people' [Deut. 32:43]. Again [in the Tanach], 'Praise YHWH, all you Gentiles; laud him, all you people' [Psa. 117:1]. And again, Isaiah [obviously in the Tanach] said, 'There shall be a Root of Jesse, and He that shall rise to reign over the Gentiles – in Him shall the Gentiles trust' [Isa. 11:1, 10].

God's offer of salvation to the Gentiles through the Promised Messiah of Israel was not something new that He thought of after the Jewish leadership rejected Yeshua as their Messiah and Lord. Gentile salvation was always part of His divine plan so that in the One New Man, Jew and Gentile would worship and serve the One True God through His Son – by His Spirit. Hallelujah!

13 Some believers today think that Paul did not know how to count, because according to them, Yeshua rose out from the dead on the fourth day. They base this on Yeshua saying that the only sign given to His generation was the sign of Jonah (Matt. 12:39-40; 16:4; Luke 11:29-20. Note that only the first reference even mentions a length of time.). Yet the sign of Jonah to which Messiah was referring was not the three days and three nights when the runaway prophet was in the fish, but the fact that Jonah died in that fish and was crying out to God from hell (KJV Jon. 2:2, which is sheol in the Hebrew, the place of the dead!). God heard him and resurrected him to complete his task. Yeshua was also resurrected to complete His task. And when we read the book of Acts, the emphasis of the apostolic preachers was exactly that sign – that Messiah Yeshua had been resurrected and was now alive, sitting on the Father's right hand (Acts 2:24, 32; 3:15, 26; 4:2, 10; 10:40-41; 13:30, 34; 17:3, 31; 25:19; 26:23)!