Bold Assertion #1

None of the Apostles preached a “New Testament” gospel. They preached THE GOSPEL, which has its roots in the Torah.

Unlike the “Gospel” preached nowadays, the Apostles didn’t have a "New Testament" set of Scriptures from which they preached. They always appealed to the Torah to substantiate everything they preached. The concept of studying a body of Scriptures called the “New Testament” and then using them as the “primary source” of doctrine was (and should be) unheard of. How do I know this to be true? Because what we call the “New Testament” Scriptures didn’t exist as a canon of Scriptures during this time period. Furthermore, Paul clearly pointed to the Torah as his source for the gospel:

¹ Paul, a servant of Yeshua the Messiah, a called [one] and an emissary, who was set apart for the good news of Eloah ² That he had promised beforehand by way of His prophets in the Set-apart Scriptures… (Romans 1:1-2, HRV edition- emphasis added)

Here Paul tells us that the Gospel was promised in the Torah. Furthermore, Hebrews 4 tells us that the gospel was preached to the children of Israel in the wilderness! The context shows us that the gospel preached in the wilderness was the same Gospel the readers of Hebrews had heard.

¹ Therefore, since a promise remains of entering His rest, let us fear lest any of you seem to have come short of it. ²For indeed the gospel was preached to us as well as to them; but the word which they heard did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in those who heard it. (Hebrews 4:1-2, emphasis added)

In the book of Acts, James states that the non-Jewish believers were suppose to learn the Torah as they attended synagogue on the Shabbat.

¹⁹Therefore I judge that we should not trouble those from among the Gentiles( lost 10 tribes) who are turning to God, ²⁰but that we write to them to abstain from things polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from things strangled, and from blood. ²¹For Moses has had throughout many generations those who preach him in every city, being read in the synagogues every Sabbath." (Acts 15:19-21, emphasis added)

At this point I’m sure some of my readers will disagree with my last statement. Before coming to a conclusion, please consider the following. Although Paul is called the apostle to the Gentiles (really the lost sheep of the house of Israel-the ten tribes would be the correct term), we must be careful not to think that he established Gentile Churches that met separately (on Sunday) from the Messianic Jewish believers of the synagogue. Throughout the book of Acts we see that Paul’s custom was to evangelize within the synagogue. At that time there were many Gentiles (lost tribes), known as God-fearers or proselytes at the gate, who met regularly within traditional Judaism throughout the world. They were the primary source of Gentile converts for Paul during his missionary journeys. Evangelization apart from the synagogue was the exception, not the rule (Acts 17:18-34). Thus, Paul, uniquely equipped to evangelize Gentiles (lost 10 tribes), ministered mainly to those who would be most open to the gospel—Gentiles already meeting in the synagogue. Paul did not have the Gentile believers leave the synagogue and form “Churches.” They continued to meet in synagogues (except when persecution prevented them) as one body in Messiah. This view is in total harmony with the Pauline epistles where Paul sometimes appealed to the Jewish believers (Romans 2:17-29; 7:1) while at other times he appealed to the non-Jewish believers (Romans 11:13). In the book of Acts, we learn that Paul established congregations from Jewish and non-Jewish people who were already actively participating in the traditional synagogue. Furthermore, they were believers who related to each other in Torah-based communities as one body in Messiah (Acts 15:13-21; Ephesians 2:1 – 3:21). Now we can truly understand that James indeed intended for the non-Jewish believers to study Torah as they attended synagogue on the Sabbath. That’s the only pattern that can be gleaned from Scripture.

Bold Assertion #2

Paul never used “New Testament” Scriptures to persuade anyone about Yeshua’s identity as the Messiah. He only used the Scriptures available to him, the Tanakh.

The pattern established in the book of Acts teaches us that those who preached the gospel and those to whom the gospel was preached, looked to the Torah as the final authority concerning the veracity of the message of the gospel.

So when they had appointed him a day, many came to him at his lodging, to whom he explained and solemnly testified of the kingdom of God, persuading them concerning Yeshua from both the Law of Moses and the Prophets, from morning till evening. (Acts 28:23, emphasis added)

This fact is also confirmed when we examine what happened in Berea:

¹⁰ Then the brethren immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea. When they arrived, they went into the synagogue of the Jews. ¹¹These were more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so. ¹²Therefore many of them believed, and also not a few of the Greeks, prominent women as well as men. (Acts 17:10-12, emphasis added)

Why did the Berean Jews (and the Gentiles who met with them in the synagogue, Acts 17:10-12) believe? Because, Paul's message was substantiated by the Torah! Could you imagine Paul going into a traditional synagogue preaching from a “New Testament?” The Jews wouldn’t have let him enter the synagogue. Could you imagine significant numbers of conversions in orthodox synagogues today as a result of Christians preaching the gospel from the New Covenant Scriptures? It won’t happen!

Bold Assertion #3

Paul established and maintained congregations using the Torah as his source for the proper foundation.

Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, ²⁰having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Yeshua Himself being the chief cornerstone . . . (Ephesians 2:19-20, emphasis added)

Paul knew how to properly build a house with the appropriate foundation. Eph 2:19-20 states that the foundation consisted of instruction from three sources—the apostles, prophets and Yeshua. By prophets, he means the testimony of all the prophets of the past, preserved in the Tanakh. By apostles, he meant the testimony of the apostles who were eyewitnesses of Yeshua’s life—preserved for us in the gospel accounts. When he states that Yeshua is the chief cornerstone, he means that Yeshua’s life is the starting point. Where do we first learn about the Messiah? From the Torah of course. To supplement the Torah foundation we also have the testimony of the prophets and apostles.

Bold Assertion #4

The apostles counted the testimony of the Torah as stronger evidence for the Messiahship of Yeshua than their own eyewitness testimony!

The apostle Peter gives us a dramatic example of how strongly they looked to the Torah.

We did not follow cleverly invented stories when we told you about the power and coming of Yeshua the Messiah, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. ¹⁷For he received honor and glory from God the Father when the voice came to him from the Majestic Glory, saying, "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased ¹⁸We ourselves heard this voice that came from heaven when we were with him on the sacred mountain. ¹⁹And we have the word of the prophets made more certain, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts. ²⁰Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet's own interpretation. ²¹For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit. (II Peter 1:16-21, emphasis added)

   Peter stated that he was an eyewitness to the Messiah's majesty. He goes on to say that because he witnessed the Messiah's glory, he could give testimony that the words of the prophets were true. He says the words of the prophets are "made more certain" because he had witnessed their fulfillment. But then note what he says. Does he state that we should look to and trust in his eyewitness account? Does he say to believe what he is writing as if it is the final authority? No! He said we need to "pay attention" to the words of the prophets. Do you see the importance of what I've just stated? Although Peter is an eyewitness to the power of the coming of the Messiah, he is stated that we should pay attention to the words of the prophets! Why didn't he state that we should just believe his experience as an eyewitness? It's because he was faithful to point us to the true foundation of our faith—the words of the prophets preserved in the Tanakh.

Bold Assertion #5

    Peter preached that Yeshua would be in heaven "until the times of restoration of all things, which God has spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets since the world began," Since Yeshua is still in heaven we know that we are in that period of restoration. Furthermore, Peter says that all those things that need to be restored have already been prophesied by the prophets, beginning with Moses!

Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, ²⁰and that He may send Yeshua the Messiah, who was preached to you before, ²¹whom heaven must receive until the times of restoration of all things, which God has spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets since the world began. ²²For Moses truly said to the fathers, "The LORD your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from your brethren. Him you shall hear in all things, whatever He says to you. ²³And it shall be that every soul who will not hear that Prophet shall be utterly destroyed from among the people.' ²⁴Yes, and all the prophets, from Samuel and those who follow, as many as have spoken, have also foretold these days. (Acts 3:19-24, emphasis added)

Yeshua, as well as every apostle, appealed to the Torah as the basis of their preaching and teaching concerning the last days.

The Assertion of All Assertions-Hold On

     As a believer in the one and only true God of Israel and in the work of His Messiah Yeshua, you should reject any doctrine that cannot clearly be supported by the Tanakh. You should only believe doctrines that can be fully substantiated by the Tanakh. Lastly, the Torah alone should be the foundation you build upon.

      If you thoroughly examine the Scripture references used to support my bold assertions, you will notice one common theme. THE WRITERS OF THE NEW COVENANT SCRIPTURES ALWAYS POINT THEIR LISTENERS TO THE TORAH AS THE SOURCE OF THEIR TEACHING. Yeshua also pointed to the Torah as the source of everything He said or did. They NEVER thought of the Torah as something that had been replaced by a new set of Scriptures. They never taught that Yeshua started something new or in any manner different from what the writers of the Tanakh had already taught. They simply taught Torah in the age of the Messiah. I can boldly state that those who disagree with the last premise simply have misunderstood certain aspects of the New Covenant because they did not have a Torah-based foundation.

    Hopefully, you can see that the New Covenant writers (and Yeshua) ALWAYS pointed to the Torah as their source and foundation. Let me demonstrate how practical this understanding is. Could you prove from the Tanakh alone that we should no longer celebrate the Sabbath? Could you prove from the Tanakh alone that we should no longer obey its dietary commands? Could you prove from the Tanakh alone that it's okay to disregard the Scriptural Holy Days (Leviticus 23) and substitute the utterly pagan practices found in Easter and Christmas? Finally, could you prove from the Tanakh alone that there would be a pre-tribulation rapture for Christians while the Jews are left on the earth to be slaughtered by the anti-Messiah? If you can't use the Tanakh alone and fully substantiate the doctrines I've posed to you, then you shouldn't believe them. Why not? Because, by their own testimony, the writers of the New Covenant Scriptures unanimously and unwaveringly POINTED TO THE TORAH AS THE SOURCE OF THEIR DOCTRINE and these doctrines are not in the Torah!

Therefore, if the Torah doesn't teach a doctrine either explicitly or implicitly then it couldn't have been taught in the New Covenant Scriptures.

    As a final example, let us look at Paul's advice to Timothy:

    and that from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Yeshua the Messiah. 16All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, 17that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work. (II Timothy 3:15-16, emphasis added)

    Here, Paul clearly states that the "Old Testament" Scriptures can make a New Covenant believer "wise for salvation," and that the same "Old Testament" Scriptures were to be the basis for doctrine, reproof, correction and instruction in righteousness (i.e., how to live a holy life ) With this understanding let’s go over Paul’s basic teachings:

1. All of the Tanakh is inspired by God!

2. The source of your doctrines intended for New Covenant believers is supposed to be the Tanakh!

3. The basis for reproof/correction of New Covenant believers is the Tanakh!

4. The basis for training in righteousness of New Covenant believers is the Tanakh!

5. The Tanakh is the basis for making the New Covenant believer complete!

6. The Tanakh is the basis for thoroughly equipping the New Covenant believer for every good work!

   In summary, I can state that the Tanakh presents all aspects of the person and ministry of the Messiah. His life, death, burial, resurrection, etc. are all taught in the Tanakh. These are not new doctrines established by the New Covenant Scriptures! It may seem as if the New Covenant Scriptures introduce these truths; however, their source is actually the Tanakh. The lack of a Torah-based foundation is the greatest reason why the New Covenant Scriptures have been largely misinterpreted by the Church.

    Hopefully, you have been stimulated to study the Torah for the right reason. I pray that YHVH will continue to open eyes to His restoration of truth in these last days. Part of the restoration involves restoring the Torah as the foundation for all disciples of the Messiah. Knowing that the New Covenant writers only taught the Torah, it behooves us to study it, learn it, know it and “walk in it.” Truly, we should not believe anything unless it has its foundation in the Torah of Life! So are these “bold assertions” or “bold truths”, you be the judge!