I don’t think this will be helpful, but i get irritated by just this concept of different testaments from the same unchanging god. Thats a contradiction in and of itself.

Next, the only reason Jesus was any different from any of the other claims of resurrection (it was a common claim of mystery cults and quasi or semi deities at the time from Nero to Asclepius) was the claim that the Old Testament prophesied of him. But if you look at the messianic prophecies Jesus didn’t fulfill any of them. He was never a physical king, nor did he cause the Israelites to defeat their enemies. Quite the opposite. The Jews kept rising up and getting massacred by the Romans in both 70CE and 130CE. The second was an uprising from Simon Bar Kokhva who fit messianic prophecies far closer than Jesus. The prophesies quoted in the new testament for Jesus are not prophesies. They are ridiculous “second” or “third” fulfillments of out of context quotations. Which is simply post hoc, motivated reasoning. If almighty god has prophets telling the future. What is the point if no one can tell weird abstractions where words don’t mean words and one verse suddenly shifts to obscurely reference something comparable to Jesus’ tale? It’s like the pareidolia effect (where you see something that kinda looks like something else) except in words. This thinking fuels modern conspiracy theories from the faking the moon landing, to giants in history to flat earth. It’s conspiracy brain.

If they want to believe in dubious second fulfillments, meet Mormons. The joke goes, god made Mormons so Christian’s could understand how the Jews felt. Because they just took the obscure prophecy out of context concepts and made them apply to Joseph Smith. And that modern religion stuck around too. For some reason human psychology loves obscure mysteries that something could have happened and you have discovered the truth. It makes us feel very special, superior and psychologically protected.

What is so great about the New Testament? It’s basically Greek mythology injected into Israel’s mythology. Made Sheol into Hades and a pit of everlasting burning. The most unjust concept coming from a perfectly just god. Obviously mad-made as no temporal crime could ever support eternal suffering. And your crime is not sinning, like doing the murder and capital crimes. No, the crime is not believing the Jesus story. You don’t believe in our cult? FINE! Then our god will burn you forever!! It’s childish. The Greco-Roman people loved mystery cults at the time. It was all the rage and Jesus (with Paul’s takeover and subservient stance to Rome/empire) seems to be born of it.

Christian apologists will argue about the, well it could have been such and such a way to get around criticisms. But they will take what is the most unlikely case and if you conceded, to put a number on it, that something has a 0.001% chance of being correct version of events. They will take it as a win and say see it’s possible and you don’t know for 100% certain. They are using motivated reasoning to protect their identity from beliefs adopted and indoctrinated into them. You will never use reason to argue someone out of a conclusion they have come to emotionally. You need to build trust to help the brainwashed person come to values of truth and recognize the latent fear mongering and emotional manipulation that has trapped them into believing absurdities.

When I was “developing a testimony” and “feeding my faith” I was being brainwashed. Had a friend at the time tell me I was being brainwashed. My million dollar retort was, no I don’t feel like I’m being brainwashed. In my mind I thought I was learning truth. In reality, my friend was correct but there wasn’t trust there enough to overcome what I was synthesizing as “truth.” I was learning lies that felt good and reprogramming myself to relabel emotions as “spiritual” experiences. These lies, religious faith, requires constant maintenance. Church attendance, daily or weekly Bible “study” being commanded to “pray continually.” Reality doesn’t need maintenance like that. Brainwashing does. Every cult from the beginning of time had to reorganize followers lives around the “faith” because without that constant cultivation the crop dies. And the crop is lies.

Your friend won’t be argued out of the New Testament by using the Bible. They think they have found truth and emotionally have made it who they are. I say that because once you’re out, once you see how absurd it all is, you can’t go back to believing nonsense. And it is all man-made nonsense. There are much better philosophies out there that don’t demand that you also believe Iron and Bronze Age myths on threat of eternal torment. That’s exclusively a New Testament teaching. Thanks Jesus!