In his quest to discredit Israel as God’s chosen nation, Tucker Carlson recently joked that the Old Testament should be updated and rewritten. This should come as no surprise. Carlson had already pitted the New Testament against the Old regarding the concept of chosenness, implying a complete replacement of Israel by claiming that “in the New Testament all people are God’s chosen, every single one.” Because of podcasters like Tucker, Israel—ethnically, theologically, and politically—has become part of a larger debate in the media on U.S. foreign policy. Therefore, the Old Testament is frequently targeted because of Israel’s central role in it. But what does God’s Word plainly say about the Old Testament?
Why Do Christians Call It the “Old Testament?”
First and foremost, the entire Bible is God’s written revelation of Himself and His character to the world. Indeed, Israel is the primary vehicle through which He chose to do this (Romans 3:2). When Christians differentiate the Old and New Testaments, what is really being distinguished are God’s old and new biblical covenants with Israel (cf. Jeremiah 31:31–34). The terms covenant and testament have been used synonymously for centuries, primarily due to the translation history of the Bible. However, covenant more clearly communicates the biblical agreement between God and His people.
It’s unfortunate that the label “Old Testament” does so well in suggesting that such a large portion of Scripture is outdated. That is not the case at all. Therefore, it is acceptable and common to use terms like the First Testament, the Hebrew Bible, or the Tanakh. Furthermore, consider how Jesus and His contemporaries referred to the First Testament within the New Testament itself—the most prominent title being simply “the Scriptures” (Matthew 21:42; John 5:39). The terms “Scripture” and “the Scriptures” are used more than 50 times in the New Testament with reference to the Hebrew Bible. My personal favorite is the lesser used phrase “the Law and the Prophets” (15 times), which in one instance adds “and the Psalms” (Luke 24:44).
Extremely significant for our purposes is this: When Jesus—the long-awaited Jewish Messiah—arrived on the scene to teach with authority, He said that we are not to “think that [He] came to destroy the Law or the Prophets” (Matthew 5:17). God’s words never need an update because “all Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness” (2 Timothy 3:16). Jesus Himself said, “Scripture cannot be broken” (John 10:35).
The First Testament at a Glance
Opening with creation and the fall, the Torah (Pentateuch) introduces the promised Redeemer in Genesis 3:15. This Messianic hope follows Seth’s lineage through global judgments like the flood and Babel before narrowing to Abraham. Through an unconditional covenant with Abraham, God established Israel as the channel of blessing to all nations (Genesis 12:1–3). The narrative then tracks Israel’s growth from a family into a sanctified nation, redeemed from Egypt and governed by God’s theocratic Law.
The remainder of the Tanakh provides a theological history and a collection of wisdom literature, poetry, and song. It documents Israel’s journey from the Canaan conquest and the Judges to the monarchy. This record spans the nation’s unification, division, and prophetic warnings, culminating in exilic judgment, the return to the land, and national rebuilding—essentially setting the stage for the New Testament.
The First Testament Establishes God’s Irrevocable Relationship With Israel
While God is the supreme purpose of Scripture, attempts to summarize the Hebrew Bible often involve a false dichotomy. Is it about the Messiah or Israel? In truth, the answer is both. Since the Tanakh is a testimony of God’s irrevocable relationship with His chosen nation, it is therefore equally an account of Jesus’ relationship to Israel since He is both the God of Israel incarnate and the promised Messiah. Zechariah 12:10 illustrates this truth perfectly, where the Lord declares the Jewish people will one day “look on Me whom they have pierced; and they will mourn for Him.”
Because the First Testament establishes the Messiah as Israel’s God, He did not change His mind regarding Israel after His First Advent. In John 8:58, Jesus declared: “Before Abraham was, I AM.” Consider what the I AM had already spoken concerning Israel:
• Leviticus 26:44: “When they are in the land of their enemies, I will not reject them . . . breaking My covenant with them; for I am the Lᴏʀᴅ their God.”
• Malachi 3:6: “For I the Lᴏʀᴅ do not change; therefore you, O children of Jacob, are not consumed.”
• Jeremiah 30:10–11: “I am going to save you from far away. . . . I will completely destroy all the nations where I have scattered you, only I will not destroy you completely.”
• Isaiah 41:8–10: “Israel, My servant… I have chosen you and not rejected you. . . . I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.”
These passages alone refute the claim that the church has replaced Israel, emphasizing Israel’s chosenness despite the Diaspora. Unlike Israel, the church was never scattered as divine punishment. Furthermore, if the church was a yet-to-be-built entity in Matthew 16:18, wedging it into the Hebrew Scriptures as a synonym for Israel is a theological anachronism. Jesus even foretold a greater Diaspora for Israel, along with Jerusalem’s trampling, “until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled” (Luke 21:24)—an era coinciding with God’s program for the church over the last two millennia.
Ultimately, the New Testament continues the First rather than revising it. Does the New Testament still call a disobedient Israel “chosen”? Yes. In Romans 11:28–29, Paul insists: “From the standpoint of the gospel they are enemies for your sake, but from the standpoint of God’s choice they are beloved for the sake of the fathers; for the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.”
The First Testament and Messianic Fulfillment
If the First Testament were truly outdated, we would be left with a significant dilemma regarding the abundance of prophecies yet to be fulfilled by the Messiah. Attempting to “spiritualize” these promises is insufficient, especially since the New Testament diligently maintains that these events remain in the future.
The reliability of the First Testament is anchored in the fact that previously fulfilled prophecies—concerning both Israel and the Messiah—serve as a “down payment.” They provide the empirical proof needed to trust that God will complete the remaining elements of His plan. For example, it is a verifiable fact that a text written 700 years before Jesus’ Advent predicted the Messiah would atone for sin through His death (Isaiah 52—53). This historical accuracy gives us the assurance that unfulfilled prophecies, such as Isaiah’s peaceful Kingdom (11:1–12) following Israel’s second regathering (v. 11), will likewise come to pass.
The New Testament remains vocal regarding these unfulfilled promises. When the disciples questioned Jesus about the end of the age and the Messianic Kingdom, He responded with the Olivet Discourse (Matthew 24—25), detailing events that remain future even from our current vantage point. Most significantly, in Acts 1:6–7, when the disciples asked about the timing of the Kingdom’s restoration to Israel, Jesus did not rebuke the premise of their question. By stating that the timing was not for them to know, He affirmed the promise rather than reversing Israel’s unique role in the Messianic Kingdom.
The First Testament’s Prophetic Authority in the New Testament
Given the Hebrew Bible’s role as the indispensable foundation for the New Testament, we must recognize that every primary figure in the New Testament treated these Scriptures as absolutely authoritative. Jesus and His followers indisputably utilized the Tanakh to interpret both current events and the prophetic fulfillments that remained future from their 1st-century vantage point.
The New Testament authors were constantly looking back to move forward. Consider the following:
• Jesus directed His followers to the prophet Daniel to understand the future “abomination of desolation” (Matthew 24:15–16).
• John’s Revelation is inextricably rooted in the oracles of Daniel, Ezekiel, and Isaiah.
• James, the Lord’s brother, verified the Gentiles’ inclusion in the early church through Amos 9 (Acts 15:15–18).
• In Romans 11, Paul echoed Ezekiel 37 when describing Israel’s restoration as “life from the dead” (v. 15), and he looked to Isaiah 59 to confirm that the Deliverer would come from Zion to banish ungodliness from Jacob (v. 26) at the Second Coming.
• Peter, in dealing with the specific promises of the First Testament, said that we “should remember the words spoken beforehand by the holy prophets and the commandment of the Lord and Savior spoken by your apostles” (2 Peter 3:2).
Ultimately, the First Testament remains indispensable because of its irrevocable covenants, its verified Messianic prophecies, and its absolute authority for the apostles. While the New Testament is equally authoritative, the example set by the Messiah and His apostles forces a vital question: If the Hebrew Scriptures were their final authority on prophecies that remain unfulfilled even in our own day, on whose authority can anyone suggest they are outdated and needed revision? The Messiah settled the matter in Matthew 5:17–18. After stating that He did not come to abolish the Law and the Prophets, He added: “For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished.” As heaven and earth remain, so, too, do the authority and future necessity of the First Testament.
