top of page

BLACK HEBREW ISRAELITES

Brief History:

​

       Black Hebrew Israelites (also called Hebrew Israelites, Black Hebrews, Black Israelites, and African Hebrew Israelites) are groups of African Americans who believe that they are the descendants of the ancient Israelites. To varying degrees, Black Hebrew Israelites incorporate certain aspects of the religious beliefs and practices of both Christianity and Judaism, though they have created their own interpretation of the Bible. Many choose to identify as Hebrew Israelites or Black Hebrews rather than Jews in order to indicate their claimed historic connections.

Black Hebrew Israelites are not associated with the mainstream Jewish community, and they do not meet the standards that are used to identify people as Jewish by the Jewish community. They are also outside the fold of mainstream Christianity, which considers Black Hebrew Israelism to be heresy.

The Black Hebrew Israelite movement originated at the end of the 19th century, when Frank Cherry and William Saunders Crowdy both claimed to have received visions that African Americans are descendants of the Hebrews in the Bible; Cherry established the Church of the Living God, the Pillar Ground of Truth for All Nations, in 1886, and Crowdy founded the Church of God and Saints of Christ in 1896.

Consequently, Black Hebrew groups were founded in the United States during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, from Kansas to New York City, by both African Americans and West Indian immigrants. In the mid-1980s, the number of Black Hebrews in the United States was between 25,000 and 40,000. Black Hebrew Israelism is a non-homogenous movement with a number of groups that have varying beliefs and practices. Various sects of Black Hebrew Israelism have been criticized by academics for their promotion of historical revisionism.

According to the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), "Some, but not all [Black Hebrew Israelites], are outspoken anti-Semites and racists." As of December 2019, the Southern Poverty Law Center "lists 144 Black Hebrew Israelite organizations as black separatist hate groups because of their antisemitic and anti-white beliefs." Former KKK Grand Wizard Tom Metzger once remarked to the Southern Poverty Law Center, "They're the black counterparts of us."

      

You may have seen these guys on street corners and at events standing side the road yelling a screaming their beliefs. When they stop shouting and are able to get into an honest dialogue of the Bible they learn very quickly that there is so much they do not know about history and the Bible. Their rage and mean spirit keeps many of them from ever being able to hear the truth of the gospel.  The blessing is that we have been able to study the Bible with some of these guys and upon an open and honest study of both history and God's word they become Christians. 

The Black Hebrew Israelites are not necessarily a religion but a nationality of people. With a nationality comes a heritage, customs, and a religion. The religion of some of these groups is what I have a problem with and thus will address it here.

Black Hebrew Israelites have so many sects it’s hard to pin down what they believe (here’s a start). But what I’ve found consistent is either they believe the New Testament is the inspired word of God and that Jesus Christ is the Savior and the son of God, or they reject both Jesus and the New Testament.

​

​

                      

​

​

​

​

​

BLACK HEBREW ISRAELITE TRADITON vs WORD OF GOD

​

1. White people and Gentiles can’t be saved

​

Edom is the biblical name of today's so-called white man. This is the same white man that lead us into slavery/ captivity starting with Spain and then America (extension of ancient Rome!)  

 Read Revelation 13:10 and Genesis 27:38-40

​

Romans  9:13 "As it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated. 

​

Definition:  Edom, Edomites (red) , the nation and its people who were the descendants of Esau. He founded the country, so his name is equated with Edom (Gen. 25:30; 36:1,8) the county was also called Mt. Seir, which  was the name of the territory in which the Edomites lived. 

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

2. Jesus only came to save Israel

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

3. You can’t marry outside your race/nation

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

4.  They preach that we need to keep the law to be saved. Everyone that we have spoken with ADMIT they don't KEEP the whole LAW ...thus James 2:9-11. What was the penalty for those who really kept the LAW of Moses and offended (despised)  at even one point? Hebrews 10:26-28

​

​

​

​

​

​

5.    Paul is antichrist

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

6.    Mexicans and Native Americans are Israelites

         The baptismal candidate is asked to confess that he believes God has pardoned his sins, even before baptism (a common practice). 

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

7.  You must use God’s correct name out of respect

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

WRONG TIME:             1886  A. D. 

WRONG PLACE:     Chattanooga, Tennessee

WRONG FOUNDER:  Frank Cherry

​

​

 1.  They talk a lot about Edom and white people yet the Bible is very CLEAR that Jesus Christ died for ALL people! 

 

   "And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature." Mark 16:16

...this would include people other than Black, Hispanic and Native American people. 

​

    Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”  Matthew 28:18-20

....NOT just the Hebrew or Jewish NATION! 

 

   "For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek." Romans 1:16....to the JEW first but NOT just to the JEWS! 

 

1 My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: 2 and he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world. (1 John 2:1-2)

So not only is Christ the propitiation for our sins, meaning Hebrew Israelites, but for the rest of the world! And then there’s this:

Is he the God of the Jews only? Is he not also of the Gentiles? Yes, of the Gentiles also (Romans 3:29)

So the Most High is not just the God of the Hebrews, but also of the Gentiles too! Here’s another:

34 Then Peter opened his mouth, and said, Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons: 35 But in every nation he that feareth Him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted with Him (Acts 10:34-35).

God doesn’t favor Israelites. It doesn’t matter what nation someone is from. If they respect God and do what is righteous according to the Lord, the Most High will accept them.

And, of course, this famous verse:

God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whosoever believes in him should not perish but have everlasting life (John 3:16)

God wants to save everyone including the white man. In my Bible studies and conversations with some of  the Black Hebrew Israelites that attempt to explain away this scripture saying that the “world” referred to only Israelites – but that’s not what the scripture says. God’s desire is that no man perish but that all men come into repentance and thus be saved (2 Peter 3:9).

Even before God opened the door to gentiles to become a part of His kingdom, he allowed other people from other nations to join. Think about the Moabite woman, Ruth, and the Amorite harlot, Rahab. These were both wicked nations, some set to be destroyed by the Israelites, but these women were saved by faith. In other words, it doesn’t matter what nation you’re a part of, if you love, believe and be obedient to God you can be saved.

What many people (including some that have been taught that they are Isrealites) fail to understand is that Israel (that we read in scripture) was a nation created by God to be a light to the nations of the world (Isaiah 42:6). So it was never just about Israel, God always had intentions of extending salvation to the rest of the world.

What the Black Hebrew Israelites have done is erroneously eliminated the white man from redemption because of their hatred for his historic and continual sins against us.

 

 

2  Matthew 15:24 says that Christ only came to the children of Israel—that was his mission—to get us back on track. Most of Israel rejected Him and so He had his Apostles preach the Gospel to the rest of the world.

Romans 3:29 KJV says “Is he the God of the Jews only? Is he not also of the Gentiles? Yes, of the Gentiles also.” Anyone can be in God’s family (Acts 2:21).

God only started with Israel and was using Israel to show the world how great He is (Isaiah 42:6). God never intended salvation to be exclusive to the Israelites.

 

​

3. You’ve heard that Hebrews aren’t to marry anyone outside of their nation or a Hebrew man married to a white woman is displeasing to God.

Now that the Gentiles have joined the kingdom (church) of Christ along with the Hebrews through the Holy Spirit and under the New Covenant, any child of God is free to marry another who is eligible to be married. Some people may not be eligible to marry or remarry. (Matthew 19:2-11)

The Bible says, “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.” (Galatians 3:28).

Since the saints are united in Christ, no matter their ethnicity, they are free to marry any ethnicity just as long as that person is eligible to be married (1 Corinthians 7:39).

​

​

4.   The Law (of Moses) wasn’t designed to save men, but to show them their weakness and their need for the Holy Spirit. Faith in Jesus and the Holy Spirit’s power is what saves men, and it’s not in keeping the Law (of Moses).

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

 5. You’ll hear two opposing arguments about apostle Paul 1) he wasn’t a real apostle or 2) you can’t understand his teachings. Both are untrue and presented because they hate what God has said through him. 

​

​

​

​

 6.I have heard them say..."Because these groups don’t fit the curses of Deuteronomy, I’ve concluded most Mexicans and Native Americans are not Hebrews." others say they are!

However, during slavery, many Hebrews/blacks fled and intermingled with these groups. Therefore, some Afro-Mexicans/Latinos could be Hebrew and people who claim to be part Native American could be descendants of the biblical Israelites. Depending on who you talk to in this group they do not know who is really a Israelite among even these groups. The point is God saves all people so this argument is really a waste of time in light of God and the scripture. 

 

​

7.  . You may have heard one of them say that “Jesus” is really saying “Zeus” or the letter J didn’t exist until recently. Ultimately it’s about knowing Christ and obeying Him. He knows who you’re talking to if you call on Him with the right intentions. Many religious groups or those who claim to be of God talk about the need to "use God's correct name". The original people of the Bible who truly spoke Hebrew and would know the names (got that) names for God in Hebrew still were afraid to call Him (God) by any name out of respect and awe. Yet today these non Hebrew speaking non Hebrew knowing people claim to have the answer for God and His name...and they claim to be the ones to know it. Wow! They don't even know that they are supposed to be called Christians today under Christ who has ALL authority in heaven and earth. What child of God in the New Testament (the last and final Covenant (Will) of God) walked around calling themselves Black Israelites or Israelites at all for that matter? Just present the scripture. We will wait for it....

​

​

​

​

Hebrew Israelites and Transatlantic Slave Trade

Here is their  alleged proof  

Deuteronomy 28:68 is often used as proof text to infer that African Americans must be the true Israelites. Is this true or is it a case of mistaken identity?

 

The Lord will take you back in ships to Egypt by a route that I said you would never see again. There you will sell yourselves to your enemies as male and female slaves, but no one will buy you.” -- Deuteronomy 28:68

Reasons why it is wrong

  1. Evidence of this was fulfilled during the Jewish Roman wars.

  2. Incoherence when trying to tie this event to the Transatlantic Slave Trade

Prophecy already fulfilled

  • Evidence of this was fulfilled by Roman invasion when the second temple was destroyed.

 

Daniel's Dream (Human kingdoms come to an end)

Daniel Chapter 2

  • Head of Gold = Babylon

  • Breast of Silver = Medo-Persia

  • Thighs of Brass = Greece

  • Legs of Iron = Rome

  • Feet of Clay & Iron = Divided kingdoms

  • The last kingdom is not by human hands (Daniel 45) is setup by God Himself. It will bring an end to all human kingdoms.

Timeline

  1. Rules → Babylonian, Medo-Persian → Jews able to return to Jerusalem due to Cyrus(dispersion), Greeks conquer, then Romans.

  2. Roman Jewish Wars; Jerusalem toppled → temple destroyed

  3. THIS HAPPENED LONG BEFORE THE ATLANTIC SLAVE TRADE..(15th century).you have to not only NOT know the Bible but also NOT know History to be a BLACK HEBREW ISRAELITE (This is why they spend so much time yelling and screaming while teaching because the honest person who really studies can see through all of this SMOKE of FALSE DOCTRINE!)

​

The actual Promised Land

8 On that day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying, “I give this land to your offspring, from the Brook of Egypt to the great river, the Euphrates River: 19 the land of the Kenites, Kenizzites, Kadmonites, 20 Hethites, Perizzites, Rephaim, 21 Amorites, Canaanites, Girgashites, and Jebusites. -- Genesis 15:18-21

 

 

Chittim

  • Plural form of Kittim - descendants of Javan, the "son" of Japheth (See Genesis 10:4)

  • Oracle of Balaam

4 Ships will come from the coast of Kittim; they will carry out raids against Asshur and Eber, but they too will come to destruction. -- Numbers 24:24

  • Predicted in Daniel 11

30 Ships of Kittim will come against him, and being intimidated, he will withdraw. Then he will rage against the holy covenant and take action. On his return, he will favor those who abandon the holy covenant. 31 His forces will rise up and desecrate the temple fortress. They will abolish the regular sacrifice and set up the abomination of desolation. -- Daniel 11:30-31

  • Location of Chittim is Rome; originally Cyprus under the Greeks; conquered by Rome in 58BC

  • WHAT DOES THIS HAVE TO DO WITH THE ATLANTIC SLAVE TRADE BLACK MAN?...BLACK WOMAN? You are now being deceived by your own people in this group...run...run to Jesus Christ. 

 

Eating of Flesh Deuteronomy 28:53

53 “You will eat your offspring, the flesh of your sons and daughters the Lord your God has given you during the siege and hardship your enemy imposes on you. 54 The most sensitive and refined man among you will look grudgingly at his brother, the wife he embraces, and the rest of his children, 55 refusing to share with any of them his children’s flesh that he will eat because he has nothing left during the siege and hardship your enemy imposes on you in all your towns. 5 -- Deuteronomy 28:53-56  To use this text one would have to conclude that the BLACK HEBREW ISRAELITES will be teaching that Black People also ate their children. Did we eat our children? 

 

Atlantic Slave Trade Incoherence & twisting scripture

  • Egypt = mis-ra-yim = Egypt.... Not bondage at all.

  • Buy (qnh) = qo-ne(h)' ... Which means to acquire or possess. Not save or redeem.

Ships to Egypt (not into North America) 

Let's read it together....And the LORD shall bring thee(not the white slave masters)  into Egypt (Not North America) again with ships, by the way whereof I spake unto thee, Thou shalt see it no more again (These ships stop by the end of the 7th century, The transatlantic slave trade began during the 15th century ) : and there ye shall be sold unto your enemies for bondmen and bondwomen, and no man shall buy you (What? Nobody purchased them???) .

This is another misguided group that is playing on the emotions and ignorance of some Black People the same way that WHITE Supremacy groups play on the ignorance of some White People.  

I have taught and baptized several members of this group and it is my hope that all of them will come out before it is everlasting too late. 

​

bottom of page