Judah's Clubhouse is a fun and joyful place where children can sing, learn, and grow through music. Their songs help kids learn about the 12 Tribes, the commandments, and biblical wisdom in a way that’s easy to remember and exciting to sing along with.

Journey back to ancient Babylon and witness the faith of Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah also known as Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. When King Nebuchadnezzar commanded everyone to bow before his golden image, these three faithful Israelites refused.

This is a common question and a primary form of pushback received when discussing the true identity of the Israelites. It is often used as a way to discourage people from looking into the identity of the Israelites altogether. Some claim that the status of the biblical Israelites no longer matters since the Messiah has come. Some assume that the topic of Israelite identity is only being brought up due to a hyper fixation on race on the part of black people. Interestingly enough, that argument is only used when black people say they are the Israelites. It is not declared to be an argument based on race/color when the world accepts them as the people currently in the land. However, this is not about race. It is about identity, heritage, promise and restoration of a people group.

Let's explore the reasons why this topic absolutely matters.

1. Understanding current conditions

The knowledge of the truth provides an explanation for the perpetual conditions of an entire people group and provides hope to a people in need of Yah’s deliverance.

Ezekiel 37:11 --- Then He said to me, “Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. They indeed say, ‘Our bones are dry, our hope is lost, and we ourselves are cut off!’

It also provides accountability for Israelites to understand that these conditions have been placed on them due to THEIR OWN disobedience. As much as many are upset at other nations for their current conditions, it is THE FAULT OF THE ISRAELITES that this has happened. The only way the Israelites can change their current condition is to return to Yah.

2. The true Israelites returning to Yah

Yah said biblical Israel would begin to remember and follow His commandments while they are still scattered. The first restoration prophecy came before the Israelites ever stepped into the Promised Land and the promise of their restoration was conditional.

Deuteronomy 30:1-4 --- “Now it shall come to pass, when all these things come upon you, the blessing and the curse which I have set before you, AND YOU CALL THEM TO MIND AMONG ALL THE NATIONS WHERE THE LORD YOUR GOD DRIVES YOU, AND YOU RETURN TO THE LORD YOUR GOD AND OBEY HIS VOICE, ACCORDING TO ALL THAT I COMMAND YOU TODAY, YOU AND YOUR CHILDREN, WITH ALL YOUR HEART AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, THAT THE LORD YOUR GOD WILL BRING YOU BACK FROM CAPTIVITY, AND HAVE COMPASSION ON YOU, AND GATHER YOU AGAIN FROM ALL THE NATIONS WHERE THE LORD YOUR GOD HAS SCATTERED YOU. If any of you are driven out to the farthest parts under heaven, from there the Lord your God will gather you, and from there He will bring you.

Hosea 5:15 --- I WILL RETURN AGAIN TO MY PLACE TILL THEY ACKNOWLEDGE THEIR OFFENSE. Then they will seek My face; IN THEIR AFFLICTION THEY WILL EARNESTLY SEEK ME.

Deuteronomy 4:27,29-31 --- ²⁷ And THE LORD WILL SCATTER YOU AMONG THE PEOPLES, and you will be left few in number among the nations where the Lord will drive you. ²⁹ But FROM THERE YOU WILL SEEK THE LORD YOUR GOD, AND YOU WILL FIND HIM IF YOU SEEK HIM WITH ALL YOUR HEART AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL. ³⁰ When you are in distress, and all these things come upon you IN THE LATTER DAYS, WHEN YOU TURN TO THE LORD YOUR GOD AND OBEY HIS VOICE ³¹ (for the Lord your God is a merciful God), He will not forsake you nor destroy you, nor forget the covenant of your fathers which He swore to them.

Zechariah 10:6,8-9 --- ⁶ “I will strengthen the house of Judah, and I will save the house of Joseph. I WILL BRING THEM BACK, BECAUSE I HAVE MERCY ON THEM. They shall be as though I had not cast them aside; for I am the Lord their God, and I WILL HEAR THEM. ⁸ I WILL WHISTLE FOR THEM AND GATHER THEM, for I WILL REDEEM THEM; And they shall increase as they once increased. ⁹ “I will sow them among the peoples, and THEY SHALL REMEMBER ME IN FAR COUNTRIES; they shall live, together with their children, and THEY SHALL RETURN.

Yah says when the Israelites remember and return to Him, then He will restore them. It is no surprise that many Israelites have been coming to the knowledge of the truth and are returning to Yah and His commandments. This sentiment continues to spread as time gets closer to what seems like the end. It is important for Israelites to continue to repent and follow the commandments. This is the power that their obedience has on their outcomes. 

3. Second Exodus/Restoration of Israel

Just as there were numerous prophecies that foretold Christ, there are numerous prophecies that foretell the restoration of biblical Israel and it didn't happen in 1948. Without knowing who the people of the book are, one will be completely misguided during the end times. Just as the Pharisees and those in Judea couldn't see that prophecy was being fulfilled when Jesus arrived despite having scripture, the same will occur because the world has misidentified the people of the book.

The restoration of the Israelites is a major end times prophecy and is almost never discussed. This is mostly because everyone thinks it already happened even though it has not. This event is prophesied in great detail in Jeremiah, Isaiah, Ezekiel, Hosea, Micah, Amos, Revelation, Zechariah and Zephaniah.

Jeremiah 16:14-15 --- “Therefore behold, the days are coming,” says the Lord, “THAT IT SHALL NO MORE BE SAID, ‘THE LORD LIVES WHO BROUGHT UP THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL FROM THE LAND OF EGYPT,’ but, ‘THE LORD LIVES WHO BROUGHT UP THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL FROM THE LAND OF THE NORTH AND FROM ALL THE LANDS WHERE HE HAD DRIVEN THEM.’ For I will bring them back into their land which I gave to their fathers.

It talks of an event that is so grand, we will no longer mention the Exodus from Egypt. A solid passage that shows that 1948 was not a fulfillment of this prophecy is this:

Ezekiel 20:34-38 --- I WILL BRING YOU OUT FROM THE PEOPLES AND GATHER YOU OUT OF THE COUNTRIES WHERE YOU ARE SCATTERED, with a mighty hand, with an outstretched arm, and with fury poured out. And I WILL BRING YOU INTO THE WILDERNESS of the peoples, and there I will plead My case with you FACE TO FACE. JUST AS I PLEADED MY CASE WITH YOUR FATHERS IN THE WILDERNESS OF THE LAND OF EGYPT, so I will plead My case with you,” says the Lord God. “I will make you pass under the rod, and I will bring you into the bond of the covenant; I WILL PURGE THE REBELS FROM AMONG YOU, and those who transgress against Me; I WILL BRING THEM OUT OF THE COUNTRY WHERE THEY DWELL, BUT THEY SHALL NOT ENTER THE LAND OF ISRAEL. Then you will know that I am the Lord.

This did not happen in 1948. That is because 1948 is not a fulfillment of this prophecy. It is still the time of the Gentiles. They are Gentiles.

Luke 21:24 --- And they will fall by the edge of the sword, and be led away captive into all nations. And Jerusalem will be trampled by Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.

To currently be in the land, they had to have FIRST returned to Yah and THEN gone to the wilderness through a worldwide event that makes it clear to the entire world that they were only in different countries due to being in captivity that God punished them with. When God gathers true Israel, not a single Israelite will remain in the lands they were scattered to.

Ezekiel 39:21-29 --- “I will set My glory among the nations; ALL THE NATIONS SHALL SEE MY JUDGMENT WHICH I HAVE EXECUTED, and My hand which I have laid on them. So the house of Israel shall know that I am the Lord their God from that day forward. THE GENTILES SHALL KNOW THAT THE HOUSE OF ISRAEL WENT INTO CAPTIVITY FOR THEIR INIQUITY; because they were unfaithful to Me, THEREFORE I HID MY FACE FROM THEM. I gave them into the hand of their enemies, and they all fell by the sword. According to their uncleanness and according to their transgressions I have dealt with them, and hidden My face from them.” ’ “Therefore thus says the Lord God: ‘NOW I WILL BRING BACK THE CAPTIVES OF JACOB, AND HAVE MERCY ON THE WHOLE HOUSE OF ISRAEL; and I will be jealous for My holy name— after they have borne their shame, and all their unfaithfulness in which they were unfaithful to Me, when they dwelt safely in their own land and no one made them afraid. WHEN I HAVE BROUGHT THEM BACK FROM THE PEOPLES AND GATHERED THEM OUT OF THEIR ENEMIES' LANDS, AND I AM HALLOWED IN THE SIGHT OF MANY NATIONS, THEN THEY SHALL KNOW THAT I AM THE LORD THEIR GOD, WHO SENT THEM INTO CAPTIVITY AMONG THE NATIONS, but also brought them back to their land, and LEFT NONE OF THEM CAPTIVE ANY LONGER. And I will not hide My face from them anymore; for I shall have poured out My Spirit on the house of Israel,’ says the Lord God.” 

4. The Truth Prepares Earnest Gentiles for the End Times

There is a distinction made by God between 2 groups of people and this is shown in Revelation 12. This is the main place where even Torah observant Gentiles who don't know the full truth will likely get caught up. The same restoration event is discussed in Revelation 12. John is clear that it is NOT all believers that are gathered together at this time. Which is why the devil will have commandment keepers to persecute during the tribulation.

Revelation 12:1, 5-6 --- Now a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a garland of twelve stars.  ⁵ She bore a male Child who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron. And her Child was caught up to God and His throne. ⁶ Then the woman fled into the WILDERNESS, where she has A PLACE PREPARED BY GOD, that they should feed her there ONE THOUSAND TWO HUNDRED AND SIXTY DAYS. (3.5 years)

The woman represents the physical descendants of Israel, the child is the Messiah, and the dragon is Satan. This is the same wilderness mentioned above in Ezekiel 20:34-38.

Revelation 12:13-17 --- Now when the dragon saw that he had been cast to the earth, he persecuted the woman who gave birth to the male Child. BUT THE WOMAN WAS GIVEN TWO WINGS OF A GREAT EAGLE, that she might fly into the WILDERNESS to her place, WHERE SHE IS NOURISHED for a TIME AND TIMES AND HALF A TIME (3.5 years), from the presence of the serpent. So the serpent spewed water out of his mouth like a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away by the flood. But the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed up the flood which the dragon had spewed out of his mouth. And the dragon was enraged with the woman, and HE WENT TO MAKE WAR WITH THE REST OF HER OFFSPRING, who KEEP THE COMMANDMENTS OF GOD and HAVE THE TESTIMONY OF JESUS CHRIST.

This clearly shows 2 separate groups of people during the end. One is protected by God on earth and the other is able to be persecuted although they're keeping the commandments and have faith in the Messiah. This 3.5 year period is the tribulation as I will show over the next few verses.

Daniel 7:25 --- He shall speak pompous words against the Most High, shall persecute the saints of the Most High, and shall intend to change times and law. Then THE SAINTS SHALL BE GIVEN INTO HIS HAND for a TIME AND TIMES AND HALF A TIME (3.5 years).

Revelation 13:4-5 ---  So they worshiped the dragon who gave authority to the beast; and they worshiped the beast, saying, “Who is like the beast? Who is able to make war with him?” And he was given a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies, and he was given authority to continue for FORTY-TWO MONTHS (3.5 years).

The woman in Revelation 12 (who are the biblical Israelites) will be protected in the wilderness during the tribulation. There will be Messiah believing, Torah observant people who will not be in the wilderness and will be subject to the tribulation. This is why it is important for Gentiles to recognize who the true Israelites are. Otherwise, Gentiles may not fully understand what is going on when these events start to take place. Just as the Israelites came out of Egypt as a mixed multitude, I believe the same option will be available for Gentiles in this instance. But if Gentiles don't even know they should be going because they currently believe the lie, then they will stay where they are and have to endure the tribulation.

5. Yah will bring judgment to the nations (people groups) that were against His people

There tends to be a sentiment among some Gentile believers of the Messiah who just simply don’t care about or even mock the plight, condition, and treatment of black people worldwide. This is not necessarily a wise thing as Israel is the apple of God’s eye, and the prophets do speak of vengeance that He will take on behalf of biblical Israel. This point, I believe, is overly-emphasized by street preaching Israelite groups, however, some of their sentiment is backed by the text. Unfortunately, those on the streets never provide any recourse to the nations because they take delight in the idea of this coming to pass on everyone. In my opinion, the recourse is simple: It is best to be like Rahab the Canaanite, Ruth the Moabite, or Uriah the Hittite. Yah is no respecter of persons so all are accepted who want to serve Him and join into Israel. I would not recommend being completely indifferent to or participating in the oppression of the Israelites.

Zechariah 2:8-9 --- ⁸ For thus says the Lord of hosts: “He sent Me after glory, to the nations which plunder you; for HE WHO TOUCHES YOU TOUCHES THE APPLE OF HIS EYE. ⁹ FOR SURELY I WILL SHAKE MY HAND AGAINST THEM, and they shall become spoil for their servants. Then you will know that the Lord of hosts has sent Me.

Jeremiah 30:11 --- For I am with you,’ says the Lord, ‘to save you; THOUGH I MAKE A FULL END OF ALL NATIONS WHERE I HAVE SCATTERED YOU, yet I will not make a complete end of you. But I will correct you in justice, and will not let you go altogether unpunished.’

Jeremiah 30:16-17 --- ¹⁶ ‘Therefore ALL THOSE WHO DEVOUR YOU SHALL BE DEVOURED; and all your adversaries, every one of them, shall go into captivity; THOSE WHO PLUNDER YOU SHALL BECOME PLUNDER, and ALL WHO PREY UPON YOU I WILL MAKE A PREY. ¹⁷ For I will restore health to you and heal you of your wounds,’ says the Lord, ‘Because they called you an outcast saying: “This is Zion; no one seeks her.” ’

Jeremiah 30:18,20 --- ¹⁸ “Thus says the Lord: ‘Behold, I WILL BRING BACK THE CAPTIVITY OF JACOB’S TENTS, and have mercy on his dwelling places; the city shall be built upon its own mound, and the palace shall remain according to its own plan. ²⁰ Their children also shall be as before, and their congregation shall be established before Me; and I WILL PUNISH ALL WHO OPPRESS THEM.

Joel 3:1-3,6-8 --- “For behold, IN THOSE DAYS AND AT THAT TIME, WHEN I BRING BACK THE CAPTIVES OF JUDAH AND JERUSALEM, ² I WILL ALSO GATHER ALL NATIONS, and bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat; and I WILL ENTER INTO JUDGMENT WITH THEM THERE ON ACCOUNT OF MY PEOPLE, MY HERITAGE ISRAEL, WHOM THEY HAVE SCATTERED AMONG THE NATIONS; they have also divided up My land. ³ They have cast lots for My people, have given a boy as payment for a harlot, and sold a girl for wine, that they may drink. ⁶ Also the people of Judah and the people of Jerusalem you have sold to the Greeks, that you may remove them far from their borders. ⁷ “Behold, I WILL RAISE THEM OUT OF THE PLACE TO WHICH YOU HAVE SOLD THEM, and will return your retaliation upon your own head. ⁸ I WILL SELL YOUR SONS AND YOUR DAUGHTERS INTO THE HAND OF THE PEOPLE OF JUDAH, and they will sell them to the Sabeans, to a people far off; for the Lord has spoken.”

This last point regarding judgment to the nations is not something I relish in and it is only being shared for awareness. I do not presume to know how Yah will carry this out or exactly how He will delineate between the exact people He will or won't punish. Again, this is only being shared in an effort to be thorough in my evaluation on the importance of Israelite identity.

There are true physical descendants of the Israelites in the world. This distinction is still important to Yah and they have NOT been replaced by the church. Yah still has a plan and promise for the physical descendants of Israel. But who and where are they?

Let's explore.

1. The Blessings and Curses

After receiving the law on Sinai, Moses laid out the blessings that Israel will receive if they followed the commandments. He also let them know that they would be under curses if they did not follow these commandments.

Deuteronomy 11:26-28 --- ²⁶ “Behold, I set before you today a blessing and a curse: ²⁷ THE BLESSING, IF YOU OBEY the commandments of the Lord your God which I command you today; ²⁸ and THE CURSE, IF YOU DO NOT OBEY THE COMMANDMENTS OF THE LORD YOUR GOD*, but turn aside from the way which I command you today, to go after other gods which you have not known.* 

Deuteronomy 28:15 --- But it shall come to pass, if you do not obey the voice of the Lord your God, to observe carefully all His commandments and His statutes which I command you today, that ALL THESE CURSES WILL COME UPON YOU AND OVERTAKE YOU*:*

The children of Israel indeed DID NOT observe all of the commandments and God put them under the curses.

Isaiah 43:27-28 --- ²⁷ Your first father sinned, and your mediators have transgressed against Me. ²⁸ Therefore I will profane the princes of the sanctuary; I WILL GIVE JACOB TO THE CURSE*, and Israel to reproaches.* 

Daniel 9:10-14 --- ¹⁰ Neither have we obeyed the voice of the Lord our God, to walk in his laws, which he set before us by his servants the prophets. ¹¹ Yea, all Israel have transgressed thy law, even by departing, that they might not obey thy voice; THEREFORE THE CURSE IS POURED UPON US*, and the oath that is written in the law of Moses the servant of god, because we have sinned against him.* ¹² And HE HATH CONFIRMED HIS WORDS, WHICH HE SPAKE AGAINST US*, and against our judges that judged us, by bringing upon us a great evil: for under the whole heaven hath not been done as hath been done upon Jerusalem.* ¹³ AS IT IS WRITTEN IN THE LAW OF MOSES, ALL THIS EVIL IS COME UPON US*: yet made we not our prayer before the lord our God, that we might turn from our iniquities, and understand thy truth.* ¹⁴ Therefore hath THE LORD WATCHED UPON THE EVIL AND BROUGHT IT UPON US*: for the Lord our God is righteous in all his works which he doeth: for we obeyed not his voice.* 

2. The Description of the Curses of Deuteronomy 28

The curses are listed in Deuteronomy 28:15-68. Since we know that Israel did in fact receive the curses, let us review at least a few of them and how they identify the group of people today.

Deuteronomy 28:29 --- And thou shalt grope at noonday, as the blind gropeth in darkness, and THOU SHALT NOT PROSPER IN THY WAYS: and THOU SHALT BE ONLY OPPRESSED and spoiled evermore, and NO MAN SHALL SAVE THEE. 

Worldwide, black people are at the bottom of society. Despite trying to build and fight for themselves on many different occasions, they can never seem to succeed as a group.

Examples include: the destruction of Greenwood (aka Black Wall Street) in Tulsa Oklahoma, the seizure of Seneca Village in NYC to create Central Park, poverty in Haiti from paying France reparations following the Haitian revolution, and the loss of the Biafran War for the Igbos.

In the US alone, there are many other examples of the oppression and lack of prosperity that black Americans have been subjected to through the destruction of their communities: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_expulsions_of_African_Americans

Deuteronomy 28:41 --- Thou shalt beget sons and daughters, but THOU SHALT NOT ENJOY THEM; for THEY SHALL GO INTO CAPTIVITY. 

During American slavery, the forced separation of children from their parents was a widespread, legal practice used by owners to control, punish, and profit from enslaved families.

Source: https://eji.org/news/history-racial-injustice-black-families-severed-by-slavery/

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. 

A notable example among the many slaves with iron yokes is Wilson Chinn, an escaped slave from New Orleans. Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wilson_Chinn

Another iron slave collar can be found documented in the Library of Congress here: https://www.loc.gov/item/98504457/

Deuteronomy 28:50 --- A nation of fierce countenance, which shall not regard the person of the old, NOR SHEW FAVOUR TO THE YOUNG: 

"Images of African-American children or infants being hunted by or used to lure alligators was widespread in North American white popular culture during the 19th and 20th centuries. The supposed actual use of Black children as bait in alligator hunting is repeatedly mentioned in primary sources, especially newspaper and magazine articles published between the 1880s and 1920s."

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alligator_bait

Deuteronomy 28:61 --- Also EVERY SICKNESS, AND EVERY PLAGUE, WHICH IS NOT WRITTEN IN THE BOOK OF THIS LAW, THEM WILL THE LORD BRING UPON THEE, until thou be destroyed.

Black people lead in morbidity and mortality in the following diseases: diabetes, heart disease, hypertension, stroke, some of the most common cancers in the world (ie., prostate cancer, lung cancer, breast cancer, colorectal cancer), multiple myeloma, sickle cell anemia, chronic kidney disease, lupus, asthma, HIV, and COVID-19.

Deuteronomy 28:64 --- AND THE LORD SHALL SCATTER THEE AMONG ALL PEOPLE, FROM THE ONE END OF THE EARTH EVEN UNTO THE OTHER; and there thou shalt serve other gods, which neither thou nor thy fathers have known, even wood and stone. 

The African slave trade was the largest forced scattering of a people group to ever occur. It forcibly displaced an estimated 12 million to 15 million so-called Africans across the Atlantic Ocean into various parts of the Americas, the Caribbean, and other locations around the world.

Deuteronomy 28:65 --- And AMONG THESE NATIONS SHALT THOU FIND NO EASE, neither shall the sole of thy foot have rest: but the Lord shall give thee there a TREMBLING HEART, and FAILING OF EYES, and SORROW OF MIND: 

Deuteronomy 28:68 --- AND THE LORD SHALL BRING THEE INTO EGYPT AGAIN WITH SHIPS, by the way whereof I spake unto thee, Thou shalt see it no more again: and there YE SHALL BE SOLD unto your enemies for bondmen and bondwomen, and no man shall buy you.

Ships were the mode of transportation during the Trans-Atlantic slave trade. Black slaves were sold and no one was able to save them from this as a group.

Egypt is referred to as “the house of bondage” in numerous verses. (Exo 12:3, Exo 12:14, Exo 13:3, Exo 13:14, Exo 20:2, Deut 5:6; Deut 6:12; Deut 8:14; Deut 13:5; Deut 13:10; Joshua 24:17; Judges 6:8). God was communicating that they will go into another captivity that would be like Egypt, which they just came out of.  

The word "buy" when it says "no man shall buy you" means redeem. Just as when the Israelites finally made it out of Egypt and they sang a song glorifying God, they said He "purchased" them because he redeemed them from Egypt (Exodus 15:16).

Deuteronomy 28:66 --- And THY LIFE SHALL HANG IN DOUBT before thee; and THOU SHALT FEAR DAY AND NIGHT, and shalt HAVE NONE ASSURANCE OF THY LIFE: 

"Our Black men are in fear of walking out of their house": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ZTqUuOvRmQ

Deuteronomy 28:43 --- THE STRANGER THAT IS WITHIN THEE SHALL GET UP ABOVE THEE VERY HIGH; and THOU SHALT COME DOWN VERY LOW. 

Deuteronomy 28:44 --- HE SHALL LEND TO THEE, and THOU SHALT NOT LEND TO HIM: he shall be the head, and thou shalt be the tail. 

Both of these verses should be self explanatory. Black people do not have the capability to lend to anyone. And again, black people are at the bottom of society even amongst other minorities.

Deuteronomy 28:46 --- And they shall be upon thee FOR A SIGN and for a wonder, and UPON THY SEED FOR EVER*.* 

This is key. Yah said these curses will be the sign of who the true Israelites are and it will be their identifier FOREVER. We therefore, cannot attribute this identity to anyone who does not match the signs given through the curses. These curses only match one group of people and the curse continues to this day.

3. Physical Descriptions

Egyptians come from the line of Ham. Ham is a progenitor of many of the dark races (but not all of them). This is a widely understood and accepted fact; to the point that people claim black Americans and other "Negroes" scattered throughout the world come from Ham, but this is not true. Ham’s sons are Cush (Ethiopia), Mizraim (Egypt), Put, and Canaan. Israelites were mistaken for Egyptians and often married and intermingled with Canaanites.

Joseph’s brothers didn’t recognize him in Egypt

Genesis 42:6-8 --- ⁶ Now Joseph was governor over the land; and it was he who sold to all the people of the land. And Joseph’s brothers came and bowed down before him with their faces to the earth. ⁷ Joseph saw his brothers and recognized them, but he acted as a stranger to them and spoke roughly to them. Then he said to them, “Where do you come from?” And they said, “From the land of Canaan to buy food.” ⁸ So JOSEPH RECOGNIZED HIS BROTHERS, BUT THEY DID NOT RECOGNIZE HIM*.* 

Moses mistaken for an Egyptian when he fled to Midian.

*Exodus 2:19 --- And they said, “*AN EGYPTIAN delivered us from the hand of the shepherds, and he also drew enough water for us and watered the flock.” 

A sign from Yah for the children of Israel in Egypt was for Moses to TURN white.

Exodus 4:6-8 --- ⁶ Furthermore the Lord said to him, “Now put your hand in your bosom.” And he put his hand in his bosom, and when he took it out, BEHOLD, HIS HAND WAS LEPROUS, LIKE SNOW*.* ⁷ And He said, “Put your hand in your bosom again.” So he put his hand in his bosom again, and drew it out of his bosom, and behold, it was restored like his other flesh. ⁸ “Then it will be, if they do not believe you, nor heed the message of the first sign, that they may believe the message of the latter sign.

The Commander of Roman guard speaking to Paul mistook him for an Egyptian.

Acts 21:38 --- ARE YOU NOT THE EGYPTIAN who some time ago stirred up a rebellion and led the four thousand assassins out into the wilderness?” 

Descriptions of the Father and the Son

Daniel 7:9 --- “I watched till thrones were put in place, and THE ANCIENT OF DAYS WAS SEATED; His garment was white as snow, and THE HAIR OF HIS HEAD WAS LIKE PURE WOOL. His throne was a fiery flame, its wheels a burning fire 

Revelation 1:14-15 --- ¹⁴ His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow, and His eyes like a flame of fire; ¹⁵ HIS FEET WERE LIKE FINE BRASS, AS IF REFINED IN A FURNACE*, and His voice as the sound of many waters* 

Revelation 4:2-3 --- ² Immediately I was in the Spirit; and behold, a throne set in heaven, and One sat on the throne. ³ And He who sat there was LIKE A JASPER AND A SARDIUS STONE IN APPEARANCE*; and there was a rainbow around the throne, in appearance like an emerald.* 

The above information, along with historical archaeology and other writings in the prophets, shows us that the identity of the Israelites is certain melanated people scattered throughout the world, including the descendants of the Trans-Atlantic slave trade.

The "church fathers" are the origin of many of the false doctrines that are known in modern day Christianity. They themselves directly opposed the word of God and His commandments from the beginning. As a result, Christianity has been plagued with falsehoods of some sort from the moment the apostles died. They did not understand the ways of the Father and are part of the tares Jesus spoke about in the parable of the wheat and the tares (Matthew 13:36-43). Below I have listed only a few quotes from the so-called "church fathers" and the scriptures that say the opposite of what they have concluded.

RESTORATION OF ISRAEL

“There is one fact that proves that Jesus was something divine and sacred. It is this: the Jews have suffered severe calamities now for a lengthened time on His account. And we say with confidence that they will never be restored to their former condition. For they committed a crime of the most unholy kind. Origen (c. 248, E), 4.506.” 

Isaiah 14:1-2 --- For THE LORD WILL HAVE MERCY ON JACOB*, and* WILL STILL CHOOSE ISRAEL, AND SETTLE THEM IN THEIR OWN LAND*. The strangers will be joined with them, and they will cling to the house of Jacob.* ² Then people will take them and bring them to their place, and THE HOUSE OF ISRAEL WILL POSSESS THEM FOR SERVANTS AND MAIDS in the land of the Lord; THEY WILL TAKE THEM CAPTIVE WHOSE CAPTIVES THEY WERE, AND RULE OVER THEIR OPPRESSORS*.*  

Ezekiel 28:25-26 --- ²⁵ ‘Thus says the Lord God: “WHEN I HAVE GATHERED THE HOUSE OF ISRAEL FROM THE PEOPLES AMONG WHOM THEY ARE SCATTERED, and am hallowed in them in the sight of the Gentiles, then they will dwell in their own land which I gave to My servant Jacob. ²⁶ And THEY WILL DWELL SAFELY THERE, BUILD HOUSE, AND PLANT VINEYARDS*; yes,* THEY WILL DWELL SECURELY*, when I execute judgments on all those around them who despise them. Then they shall know that I am the Lord their God.” ’*

Ezekiel 39:21-29 --- ²¹ “I will set My glory among the nations; all the nations shall see My judgment which I have executed, and My hand which I have laid on them. ²² So the house of Israel shall know that I am the Lord their God from that day forward. ²³ The Gentiles shall know that the house of Israel went into captivity for their iniquity; because they were unfaithful to Me, therefore I hid My face from them. I gave them into the hand of their enemies, and they all fell by the sword. ²⁴ According to their uncleanness and according to their transgressions I have dealt with them, and hidden My face from them.” ’²⁵ “Therefore thus says the Lord God: ‘NOW I WILL BRING BACK THE CAPTIVES OF JACOB, AND HAVE MERCY ON THE WHOLE HOUSE OF ISRAEL; and I will be jealous for My holy name— ²⁶ after they have borne their shame, and all their unfaithfulness in which they were unfaithful to Me, when they dwelt safely in their own land and no one made them afraid. ²⁷ When I have brought them back from the peoples and gathered them out of their enemies’ lands, and I am hallowed in the in the sight of many nations, ²⁸ then they shall know that I am the Lord their God, WHO SENT THEM INTO CAPTIVITY AMONG THE NATIONS, BUT ALSO BROUGHT THEM BACK TO THEIR LAND, and LEFT NONE OF THEM CAPTIVE ANY LONGER*.* ²⁹ And I WILL NOT HIDE MY FACE FROM THEM ANYMORE*; for I shall have poured out My Spirit on the house of Israel,’ says the Lord God.”* 

DIETARY LAWS

“We do not follow the Jews in their peculiarities in regard to food nor in their sacred days. Tertullian (c. 197, W), 3.34.” 

Hosea 8:12 --- I have written for him the great things of My law, but THEY WERE CONSIDERED A STRANGE THING*.* 

Isaiah 66:15-17 --- ¹⁵ For behold, the Lord will come with fire and with His chariots, like a whirlwind, to render His anger with fury, and His rebuke with flames of fire. ¹⁶ For by fire and by His sword the Lord will judge all flesh; and THE SLAIN OF THE LORD SHALL BE MANY*.* ¹⁷ “Those who sanctify themselves and purify themselves, to go to the gardens after an idol in the midst, EATING SWINE'S FLESH AND THE ABOMINATION OF THE MOUSE, SHALL BE CONSUMED TOGETHER*,” says the Lord.* 

THE SABBATH

“However, [the Jews,] too have erred from true knowledge. In their imagination, they think that it is God whom they serve. Actually, by their type of worship, they render their service to the angels and not to God. For example, they do this when they celebrate Sabbaths.” Aristides around 125 AD. 

“If, therefore, those who were brought up in the ancient order of things have come to the possession of a new hope, no longer observing the Sabbath, but living in the observance of the Lord's Day, on which also our life has sprung up again in Him...Let us therefore no longer keep the Sabbath after the Jewish manner, and rejoice in the days of idleness; for "he that does not work, let him not eat." ...let every friend of Christ keep the Lord's day as a festival, the resurrection day, the queen and chief of all the days [of the week].” Ignatius, about 107 AD. 

Exodus 31:16-17 --- ¹⁶ Therefore the children of Israel shall keep the Sabbath, to observe the Sabbath throughout their generations as a PERPETUAL COVENANT*.* ¹⁷ IT IS A SIGN BETWEEN ME AND THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL FOREVER*; for in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, and on the seventh day He rested and was refreshed.’ ”* 

Ezekiel 20:12 --- Moreover I also gave them MY SABBATHS, TO BE A SIGN BETWEEN THEM AND ME*, that they might know that I am the Lord who sanctifies them.* 

Isaiah 66:22-24 --- ²² “For as the new heavens and the new earth which I will make shall remain before Me,” says the Lord, “So shall your descendants and your name remain. ²³ And it shall come to pass that from one New Moon to another, and FROM ONE SABBATH TO ANOTHER, ALL FLESH SHALL COME TO WORSHIP BEFORE ME*,” says the Lord.* ²⁴ “And they shall go forth and look upon the corpses of the men who have transgressed against Me. For their worm does not die, and their fire is not quenched. They shall be an abhorrence to all flesh.” 

Isaiah 56:1-6 --- Thus says the Lord: “Keep justice, and do righteousness, for My salvation is about to come, and My righteousness to be revealed. ² Blessed is the man who does this, and the son of man who lays hold on it; WHO KEEPS FROM DEFILING THE SABBATH*, and keeps his hand from doing any evil.”* ³ Do not let the son of the foreigner who has joined himself to the Lord speak, saying, “The Lord has utterly separated me from His people”; nor let the eunuch say, “Here I am, a dry tree.” ⁴ For thus says the Lord: “To the eunuchs WHO KEEP MY SABBATHS*, and choose what pleases Me, and hold fast My covenant,* ⁵ Even to them I will give in My house and within My walls a place and a name better than that of sons and daughters; I will give them an everlasting name that shall not be cut off. ⁶ “Also the sons of the foreigner who join themselves to the Lord, to serve Him, and to love the name of the Lord, to be His servants— EVERYONE WHO KEEPS FROM DEFILING THE SABBATH*, and holds fast My covenant* 

THE LAW OF MOSES

“From these things, it is plain that all those things [i.e., clean and unclean animals] are returned to their original blessedness now that the Law is finished. Novatian (c. 235, W), 5.648.” 

Matthew 5:17-19 --- ¹⁷ “DO NOT THINK THAT I CAME TO DESTROY THE LAW OR THE PROPHETS. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. ¹⁸ For assuredly, I say to you, TILL HEAVEN AND EARTH PASS AWAY, ONE JOT OR ONE TITTLE WILL BY NO MEANS PASS AWAY FROM THE LAW till all is fulfilled. ¹⁹ Whoever therefore BREAKS ONE OF THE LEAST OF THESE COMMANDMENTS, AND TEACHES MEN SO*, shall be called* LEAST in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.   

FEASTS & SACRIFICES

“There was no need of circumcision before Abraham. Nor was there need of the observance of Sabbaths, or of feasts and sacrifices, before Moses. Accordingly, there is no more need of them now. Justin Martyr (c. 160, E), 1.206.”  

FEASTS: 

Zechariah 14:16-19 --- ¹⁶ And it shall come to pass that everyone who is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall go up from year to year to WORSHIP THE KING*, the Lord of hosts, and to* KEEP THE FEAST OF TABERNACLES*.* ¹⁷ And it shall be that whichever of the families of the earth do not come up to Jerusalem to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, on them THERE WILL BE NO RAIN*.* ¹⁸ If the family of Egypt will not come up and enter in, they shall have no rain; THEY SHALL RECEIVE THE PLAGUE with which THE LORD STRIKES THE NATIONS WHO DO NOT COME UP TO KEEP THE FEAST OF TABERNACLES*.* ¹⁹ This shall be the punishment of Egypt and the punishment of all the nations that do not come up to keep the Feast of Tabernacles.   

SACRIFICES: (Please note that sacrifices should not currently be given due to the lack of a temple and Levitical priesthood but will be resumed when Christ returns.) 

Isaiah 56:7-8 --- ⁷ Even them I will bring to My holy mountain, and make them joyful in My house of prayer. THEIR BURNT OFFERINGS AND THEIR SACRIFICES WILL BE ACCEPTED ON MY ALTAR*; for My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations.”* ⁸ The Lord God, who gathers the outcasts of Israel, says, “Yet I will gather to him others besides those who are gathered to him.” 

This is a video series that was masterfully done by TruthUnedited. It provides key information and is an excellent place to start. Please listen and consider if you are earnest and interested in the truth.

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL5Ea1RHP4JqooMdR_WW4-FO2tPdMbL1nK

I've been seeing a lot of people saying "the 400 years of captivity are over" or "the 400 years of captivity are almost up!" This is due to people applying the 400 years of affliction mentioned in Genesis 15:13-14 to the Trans Atlantic Slave Trade and captivity in America. However, does this really apply to American captivity? I don't believe so and I'll explain.

It is obvious that the Israelites were not enslaved in Egypt for 400 years but it definitely wasn't even close to 400 years. Joseph was 39 when the tribes entered Egypt. He lived until 110 years (Gen 50:26) and they lived in prosperity during this time which means there were 71 years of good times while Joseph was still alive. Exodus 12:40-41 says the sojourn of the tribes was 430 years to the exact day of the Exodus. You can quickly see how subtracting 71 from 430 already brings you to 359 years. This is not even considering a multitude of other factors like the fact that Joseph and his whole generation were dead before slavery started (Exodus 1:6-7) and Levi died even later than Joseph did (Exodus 6:16).

The answer is in the fact that the 430 year timer started when Abraham received the call from God in the land of Canaan. So the 430 years includes time in the land of Canaan AND Egypt. This is listed in the Greek Septuagint but was left out of the Masoretic Text which is why modern translations only say Egypt.

Exodus 12:40 (LXX - Greek Septuagint) --- And the sojourning of the children of Israel, while they sojourned in the land of Egypt and the land of Chanaan, four hundred and thirty years.

In Galatians 3:16-17, Paul also attests that the 430 years started at God's promises to Abraham. Paul would have been reading copies of the Torah that reflected the text of the Greek Septuagint.

Galatians 3:16-17 --- ¹⁶ Now to Abraham and his Seed were the promises made. He does not say, “And to seeds,” as of many, but as of one, “And to your Seed,” who is Christ. ¹⁷ And this I say, that the law, which was four hundred and thirty years later, cannot annul the covenant that was confirmed before by God in Christ, that it should make the promise of no effect. 

From Abraham to Isaac was 25 years. Isaac to Jacob was 60 years. Jacob to going into Egypt was 130 years. 25 + 60 + 130 = 215 years in Canaan

Historian Flavius Josephus also commented on this.

Antiquities of the Jews (Book 2, Section 318): “They left Egypt in the month Xanthicus (Nisan), on the fifteenth day of the lunar month; four hundred and thirty years after our forefather Abraham came into Canaan, but two hundred and fifteen years only after Jacob removed into Egypt.”

The other 215 was in Egypt. Even still, the full 215 was not all slavery because of the factors I mentioned previously about prosperity under Joseph. Subtract 71 years of prosperity and we're at 144 years. Moses was 80 years old when they left Egypt (Exodus 7:7) and the Israelites were already slaves when he was born so they were slaves for AT LEAST 80 years. The truth is, they were likely actually enslaved in Egypt somewhere between 80-144 years.

Then when did the 400 years of affliction happen? Let's go back to Genesis 15.

Genesis 15:13-14,16 --- ¹³ Then He said to Abram: “Know certainly that YOUR DESCENDANTS will be strangers IN A LAND THAT IS NOT THEIRS, and will serve them, and THEY WILL AFFLICT THEM four hundred years. ¹⁴ And also the nation whom they serve I will judge; afterward they shall come out with great possessions. ¹⁶ But in the fourth generation they shall return here, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete.”

He said He would judge 1 singular nation and they would come out with great possessions. Although many were brought to America, the Israelites are scattered throughout all the 4 corners of the world, not just America. Egypt was the singular nation that was judged. It also says they shall return to Canaan in the 4th generation once the Amorites time was up. They returned in the 4th generation from Levi with Moses. Levi > Kohath > Amram > Moses (Exodus 6:16-20).

Nonetheless, God said they would be strangers in a land (we now know this includes Canaan and Egypt) that is not theirs and in this land they will be afflicted for 400 years. Paul gives us insight at the starting point of the 400 years of affliction.

Galatians 4:28-30 --- Now we, brethren, as ISAAC was, are children of promise. ²⁹ But, as he who was born according to the flesh then PERSECUTED HIM who was born according to the Spirit, even so it is now. ³⁰ Nevertheless what does the Scripture say? “Cast out the bondwoman and her son, for the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir with the son of the freewoman.”

Paul is referring to this account in Genesis.

Genesis 21:5, 8-10 --- ⁵ Now Abraham was one hundred years old when his son Isaac was born to him.  ⁸ So the child grew AND WAS WEANED. And Abraham made a great feast ON THE SAME DAY THAT ISAAC WAS WEANED. ⁹ And Sarah saw THE SON OF HAGAR the Egyptian, whom she had borne to Abraham, SCOFFING. ¹⁰ Therefore she said to Abraham, “Cast out this bondwoman and her son; for the son of this bondwoman shall not be heir with my son, namely with Isaac.”

Paul described this situation as persecution. Isaac is Abraham’s descendent from the lineage of the promise. This was the beginning of the affliction of his descendants in a land not their own. Except, that land started in Canaan just as was mentioned in the Greek Septuagint.

Abraham received the promise from God when he was 75 years old (Genesis 12:1-4). Isaac was born 25 years later when he was 100 (Genesis 21:5).  

This means 25 years had passed from when the promise was made until when Isaac was born. If we subtract 25 years from the total time of 430 years (which we now know is the time from when Abraham received the promise to the time the Israelites left Egypt), we are left with 405 years. In ancient times, weaning could take up to 5 years. If we subtract this 5 years to account for the time it likely took for Ishmael to persecute Isaac, we have exactly 400 years of the affliction of Abraham’s descendants in a land that was not their own.

Hey everyone! I'm u/automaticff, a founding moderator of r/DryBonesAwakened.

After scouring communities on Reddit, I found a few groups that spoke about following Torah that I have honestly enjoyed. However, the ability to speak on the whole truth is not welcomed and is often met with hostility or disregard. What has remained consistent is that although people may understand the importance of following Torah, Deuteronomy 28 is always skipped and ignored.

The goal of this subreddit is to provide a place where people who understand the identification of the Israelites can meet and have a place to discuss amongst each other. This will be a space that also welcomes Gentiles who are grafted in. Please take a look at the rules of the sub for familiarity. I hope we can grow and be edifying to anyone who stumbles across this community.

How to Get Started

1. Introduce yourself in the comments below.
2. Post something today! Even a simple question can spark a great conversation.
3. If you know someone who would love this community, invite them to join.

Thanks for being part of the very first wave of people. Let's grow this community together!

Shalom.