User:Houseoflearning

History of the Israelites

The Israelites (also known as the Twelve Tribes of Israel or the Children of Israel) are the descendants of the Biblical forefather Jacob, whose name was changed to Israel. The term Israelite is derived from Israel ("He is a prince of God"), the name given to Jacob after wrestling with an angel on the shores of the Jabbok. (Genesis 32:28-29). His descendants are called the House of Jacob, the Children of Israel, the People of Israel, or the Israelites. After the exodus from Egypt, the Prophet Moses warned the Israelites that if they broke God’s laws they would go into slavery again.

Deuteronomy 28:48 “Therefore shalt thou serve thine enemies which the LORD shall send against thee, in hunger, and in thirst, and in nakedness, and in want of all things: and he shall put a yoke of iron upon thy neck, until he have destroyed thee.”

Jesus the Christ prophesied regarding the Israelites in Luke 21:24

“And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled.”''

Within the past few decades, there has been an explosion of Blacks and more recently of late, Hispanics claiming ancestry from the Biblical Israelites. Among the vast movement of Israelites, you will find that most accept all nations and adhere strictly to either the Old Testament following the customs and practices of their Jewish Caucasian counterparts, whereas others adhere strictly to the New Testament following the adherence that the Law has been done away with, in agreement with their Christian Caucasian counterparts. The irony in the groups following their Caucasian counterparts is the hidden thread of racism, because of the two, neither Blacks nor Whites readily come together as one in fellowship.

Then you will find those Israelites that are separatists and/or extremists only allowing those of their people to congregate and fellowship. So what basically separates today’s Israelites is the acceptance of either the Old and New Testament and the acceptance of all nations as God's people. Many people often inquire about the history of the Blacks that claim ancestry from the Biblical Israelites. They are often misnamed The Black Israelites or The Hebrew Israelites.

1800 Gabriel Prosser, a literate blacksmith taught the slaves through inspiration of the Bible that the slaves, just as in Egypt, were God's people and should rebel against the tyranny of America.

1831 Nat Turner, a slave, was called The Prophet and raised a slave rebellion based on Bible teachings and had visions of war and blood. Many Blacks then and today demonize this man who attempted to save them from oppression.

1896 William Saunders Crowdy established The Church of God and Saints of Christ in Lawrence, Kansas, moved his headquarters to Philadelphia in 1899, and later relocated to Washington, D.C., in 1903. His congregation had a split and many members went to Virginia and continued teaching.

1915 F.S. Cherry founded the Church of the Living God, the Pillar Ground of Truth for All Nations, in Chattanooga, Tennessee, in 1886, and later moved to Philadelphia.

1919 Wentworth Arthur Matthews from British West Indies established The Commandment Keepers in Harlem N.Y. During the Civil Rights Movement, there were several prominent Israelite synagogues.

1923 Israel Ben Newman founded The Congregation of the Moorish Zionist Temple.

1927 Arnold Josiah Ford of The Moorish Zionist temple. He and a small group of Black Jews went to Ethiopia where they participated in the coronation of Emperor Haile Selassie, created a school, and acquired 800 acres of land for the purpose of uniting Black Jews of the Diaspora (slave trade) with the blacks in Ethiopia.

1960 Eber Ben Yamyan, also known as Abba Bivens, founded The Israeli School of Torah. He was initially taught that he was an Israelite by an ex-slave some decades earlier in the South. Bivens believed in the Black Christ of the New Testament. While on his way to New York, he had visited many Native American Indian reservations and came to the scriptural conclusion they were Israelites as well. He continued to N.Y. and joined the Commandment Keepers under Matthews, but left due to religious differences about the New Testament and founded the Israeli school.

1963 Benjamin Carter aka Ben Ammi led 300 Israelites from Chicago to Liberia and then to Dimona, Israel. He attempted to deliver his group during the turbulent times of the ebb of the Civil rights movement, but soon discovered that oppression and racism followed him to Dimona. Due to economic/racism they lacked the medical and dental capabilities to properly take care of themselves so agreed to support the Jewish Israeli state military allowing their young men to fight against the Palestinians in exchange for much needed supplies for their camp and much desired citizenship.

1968 William A. Lewis established the House of Judah in Chicago and then relocated to Grand Junction, Michigan.

1973 Moshe Ben Chareem aka Masha, and Peter Sherrod (Yaiqab died in 1996) took over the Israeli School, adding U.P.K.(Universal Practical Knowledge). Later in the 70's, they were helped by Ahrayah Ban Yahudah (Yaiqab's son), Lahab, Yashiyah, Shar and Chaazaq; they were called the 7 (seven). The school was renamed Israeli Church of Universal Practical Knowledge.

1979 Nicky Malcolm Porter, aka Master Teacher Shadrock, was a theater actor/calypso singer in Guyana who moved to Canada and established the Israelite Nation World Wide Ministries.

1990 Hulon Mitchell Jr. aka Yahweh Ben Yahweh, proclaimed himself god, the Son of god, established The Nation of Yahweh, set up its headquarters in Liberty City, Florida. He also set up The Temple of Love, and he and many of his followers were arrested for murder, racketeering, arson and many other crimes to establish themselves in various states. He was found guilty of many crimes in 1991 and died of colon cancer in prison.

1995 Moshe Ben Chareem leaves ICUPK and establishes the House of David; he died in 1999.

1996 Yachov Ben Yisrael establishes the N.C.C.I. (New Covenant Church of Israel) in Atlanta, Georgia.

2000 Jermaine Grant aka Tazadaqyah, assumed control of I.S.U.P.K. and renamed it The Israelite church of god and Jesus Christ. He claims he is the Holy Ghost/the Comforter, teaching new members that the archangel Gabriel taught him the scriptures on Mount Sinai. *they also teach the mother of Christ was impregnated by the Holy Ghost.

All Israelite churches, often called camps, base their nationality on Deuteronomy 28:15-68. According to some Israelite camps, the twelve tribes of Israel are Blacks only and the understanding of the tribes is unknown. These teach that according to Amos 9:7 “Are ye not as children of the Ethiopians unto me, O children of Israel? saith the LORD. Have not I brought up Israel out of the land of Egypt? and the Philistines from Caphtor, and the Syrians from Kir?” Means that all 12 tribes look like the Ethiopians which include children of the slave trade including all Africans. Which leads one to question who were the Hamites, Egyptians Canaanites, Jebusites, Hittites, Girgashites, Amorites, Perizzites, and the Hivites who were originally in Africa in the days of Moses.

Some Camps teach the twelve tribes of Israel are made up of Latin Americans & native American Indians conquered and enslaved from 1492; they are the northern kingdom of Israel that migrated to the Americas during the reign of Cyrus the Persian King according to 2 Esdras 13:40-45 and Deuteronomy 33:17. Some have mixed themselves among their captors which explains the lighter complexion and hair texture difference according to Hosea 7:8 “Ephraim, he hath mixed himself among the people; Ephraim is a cake not turned.” The Blacks who were enslaved in 1619 are the southern kingdom of Judah according to Joel 3:1-7. The list below is based upon their understanding of Genesis 49 & Deuteronomy 33.

12 TRIBES OF ISRAEL
JUDAH- American Blacks
BENJAMIN- West Indian Blacks
LEVI- Haitians
SIMEON- Dominicans
ZEBULON- Black Indians Guatemala to Panama(Mayans)
EPHRAIM- Puerto Ricans
MANASSEH- Cubans
GAD- Native-American Indians
REUBEN- Seminole Indians
ASHER- Columbia to Uruguay (Incas)
NAPTHALI- Argentina/Chile
ISSACHAR- Mexicans(Aztecs)'

This is a small random listing of several Israelite groups that developed, some more so than others that are currently in existence:
African Hebrew Israelites of Jerusalem http://africanhebrewisraelitesofjerusalem.com/
The Israelite Nation World Wide Ministries http://www.israelitenation.com/
Israeli School of Universal Practical Knowledge http://isupk.org/
The House of David http://www.thehouseofdavid.info/
Israel United in Christ http://www.israelunite.org
The Church of Israel http://www.thecoi.com/
Great Millstone http://www.greatmillstone.info/barakelders.html
Hebrew Israelite Heritage http://www.hebrewisraelites.org/
Church of God and Saints of Christ http://www.cogasoc.org/
The Shield of Wisdom http://www.shieldofwisdom.com/
The True Branches of Christ http://www.truebocc.com/index.htm
Cultural Center of NCCI http://www.thencci.com/
Israelite Church of God and Jesus Christ http://www.thecomforter.info/main/
The Nation of Yahweh http://www.yahwehbenyahweh.com/
The Lawkeepers http://www.thelawkeepers.org/
Har-Tzion http://www.har-tziyon.org/
Israelite Board of Rabbis, Inc. http://www.blackjews.org/
Listing of Israelite temples http://www.inetmgrs.com/hebrew/Temple_Listings/temple_listings.html
Houseoflearning (talk) 12:06, 22 April 2010 (UTC)