Welcome to Twelve Brothers.
Who are GOD's people?
The short answer to this question is the seed of Abraham. However, we must understand that there are two seeds of Abraham:
Remember, GOD promised Abraham that he would be the father of a multitude of nations (Genesis 17:1-10). GOD also promised to establish His everlasting covenant with Abraham's offspring. This the Abrahamic Covenant.
Among this multitude of nations were the Hebrews; these were a people whom GOD rescued out of Egypt and made covenants with; these covenants are the Mosaic covenant (the law) and the Davidic covenant (a King) (Exodus 19:1-9, Isaiah 11:1).
Thus, through Abraham, Moses, and David, GOD promised three things:
a people,
a law and
a King.
Though we still await the establishment of GOD's Kingdom, all of these promises have been fulfilled
First, YAHOASHUA (Christ) is King (Revelation 11:15).
Second, YAHOASHUA encapsulated the Law like this; "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.” (Matthew 22:36-40).
As we come to GOD's people, we wish to give a much longer explanation.
We can infer when reading Genesis 17 that GOD always intended for His people to be made up of "a multitude of nations." Surprisingly, it was through the Hebrews' failure, their unbelief, that the Gentiles were enabled to become children of GOD, and be grafted into GOD's coming Kingdom:
"So I ask, did they stumble in order that they might fall? By no means! Rather, through their trespass salvation has come to the Gentiles, so as to make Israel jealous. Now if their trespass means riches for the world, and if their failure means riches for the Gentiles, how much more will their full inclusion mean... a partial hardening has come upon Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. And in this way all Israel will be saved, as it is written,
“The Deliverer will come from Zion, he will banish ungodliness from Jacob”; “and this will be my covenant with them when I take away their sins.”
As regards the gospel, they are enemies for your sake. But as regards election, they are beloved for the sake of their forefathers. For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable. For just as you were at one time disobedient to God but now have received mercy because of their disobedience, so they too have now been disobedient in order that by the mercy shown to you they also may now receive mercy. For God has consigned all to disobedience, that he may have mercy on all." (Romans 11: 11-12, 25-32).
Note the verse, "all Israel will be saved." The Israelites (Hebrews) have not been forgotten or cast away by GOD (Romans 11:1-10). They remain just as much a part of GOD's family as the believer (Christian).
We will spend the remainder of this post defining both;
who are the Hebrews and who are the Christians?
One is Abraham’s seed by their blood and the other is Abraham's seed by their faith.
The Hebrews: Abraham's Seed by Blood
We will begin by identifying the Hebrews.
The Hebrews are the descendants of Shem, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Jacob's name was changed to Israel later on. Jacob had twelve sons, each of which fathered a tribe. The tribe of Dan was replaced with one of the two half tribes, Ephraim and Manasseh, Joseph's sons (Revelation 7). The twelve tribes of Israel are:
Reuben
Simeon
Levi
Judah
Issachar
Zebulun
Naphtali
Gad
Asher
Ephraim (Joseph)
Manasseh
Benjamin
In recent times, the Hebrews have been called by many names, most of which are incorrect, inadequate, or misleading: black and African-American are the most commonly used misnomers today.
The Hebrews (Negroes) are native to America but they are not of African, or Hamitic, descent. Rather they are Semitic, or descendants of Shem. In They Came Before Columbus, historian Ivan Van Sertima documents the longtime presence of three distinct groups on the American continent, two of which were black. He focuses his research on one group in particular: a people that we believe to be the Hebrews.
Sertima explains the ease with which these people (Hebrews) could have traveled between Africa and North America by boat if they so chose.
Interestingly, there was a settlement of Hebrews documented in West and Central Africa.
European maps of Africa dating primarily between the 1500-1700s identify a territory called Negroland, which is plainly labeled. Kingdoms of specific Hebrew tribes (Judah, Benjamin, and Issachar) are clearly marked within the territory.
During the transatlantic slave trade, Hebrews (Negroes) were taken from Negroland and sold into slavery on the American continents. Hebrews who were already living in the Americas were also enslaved. The words Heeboe (Hebrew) and Negro can be seen on old Slave advertisements.
It is important to note that the Hebrews (Negroes) had a claim, or at least partial claim, over the North American land before foreign peoples began to invade.
As stated by Gordon, a scholar, and former Harvard Professor, the Hebrews are thought to have lived in America for at least 1300 years before Columbus discovered it. One piece of evidence that Gordon cites is a stone found in what was believed to be an Indian burial mound; the inscriptions on the stone were written in ancient Hebrew characters.
Fascinatingly, the inscription reads, "for the land of Canaan."
For those familiar with the Old Testament, and GOD's promise to give Abraham and his descendants the land of Canaan, this inscription carries significance.
Know that this stone is not the only archaeological evidence that has been found on the North American continent.
Others include the Bat Creek Stone, found in Tennessee in 1889 and the Los Lunas Decalogue Stone found in New Mexico, which bears a Hebrew inscription thought to be anywhere from 500 to 2000 years old. Notice the varying locations of these artifacts; we can infer, as some scholars already have, that the Hebrews dwelt all over the North American continent.
Gordon's research is corroborated by that of others, including but not limited to historian Ivan Van Sertima, Professor Barry Fell of Harvard University (author of Saga America and America B.C.) and Charles Boreland (author of They All Discovered America).
When one compares the research of these historians and professors with archaeological findings, centuries-old maps and slave advertisements, an ancient and widespread Hebrew (Negro) presence in the Americas becomes undeniable.
There is one other matter that needs to be addressed: the distinction between Hebrews, black people, and Ashkenazi Jews.
To reiterate and avoid potential confusion, we will state plainly that the Hebrews are black.
Just to be clear: think dark, richly colored skin- afros, kinks, coils, waves, and braids- full lips and eyes in shades of brown.
Here is a scripture to consider in addition to the historical evidence presented in this post:
"I am black, but comely, O ye daughters of Jerusalem, as the tents of Kedar, as the curtains of Solomon" (Song of Solomon 1:5-6, KJV).
Consequently, the first distinction that needs to be made is between Hebrews and the other black people of the world:
All Hebrews are black, but not all blacks are Hebrew.
We must remember that the Hebrews are descended from a very specific line: Shem (Semitic), Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Not all black people come from this family line.
Unfortunately, because of the tragedy and evil that has befallen black native Americans, it is difficult to say for certain who is Hebrew and who is not. As most of us know, slavery robbed the Hebrews of more than just their freedom. Their land was stolen. They were forbidden from speaking in their native tongue (Hebrew) in order to lower the possibility of their escape. Education was also denied them- or worse, replaced with Mis-education. Furthermore, children were frequently separated from their parents.
The Hebrews were cut off from being a nation:
"O God, do not keep silence; do not hold your peace or be still, O God!
For behold, your enemies make an uproar; those who hate you have raised their heads.
They lay crafty plans against your people; they consult together against your treasured ones.
They say, “Come, let us wipe them out as a nation; let the name of Israel be remembered no more!”
For they conspire with one accord; against you they make a covenant" (Psalm 83: 1-5).
At this point, you may be thinking to yourself, "But what about the Jews? The white, or light-skinned, people living in what is called Israel today?"
Where do they fit into this picture?
This is the second distinction that must be made.
The true Jews are black; they are the descendants of Judah:
Adam -> Seth -> Noah -> Shem -> Abraham -> Isaac -> Jacob -> Judah.
The white Jews that most of us think of are actually the descendants of Khazarian converts. Here, I will refer you to the research of historian Schlomo Sand as well as that of Arthur Koestler, a Hungarian Jew and scholar who lived in the early 1900s. As Koestler outlines in his book The Thirteenth Tribe, the white (Eastern European) Jews are descended from a people who converted to Judaism sometime between 740 and 920 AD (CE). This was done primarily for economic reasons, the facilitation of trade being a major one. The Khazars became a trading empire between Christian and Islamic nations. The people were converted to Judaism by their ruler in order to give them distinction among Christian and Muslim peoples, as well as to minimize religious hostility with said groups.
The Khazarian Empire was located in eastern Europe and spanned what is now Ukraine, Crimea, western Kazakhstan, northwestern Uzbekistan and southern parts of Russia.
It should come as no surprise then that the majority of white (Ashkenazi) Jews were living in eastern Europe during World War II.
Why does any of this matter?
In a sense, race and color do not matter. These apparent differences should never prevent us from respecting, edifying, and loving one another. Christians especially should remember that we are all members of the same Body (1 Corinthians 12).
However, we must also remember that the GOD we serve is one of truth, righteousness, and justice (John 14:6, Psalm 7:11, Romans 12:19).
To Him, it does matter that His true people have been robbed and persecuted. It does matter that their identity has been taken from them and applied to someone else:
"I know thy works, and tribulation, and poverty, (but thou art rich) and I know the blasphemy of them which say they are Jews, and are not, but are the synagogue of Satan." (Revelation 2: 9).
If it matters to GOD, then it should matter to all of His people, Hebrew or not.
This brings us to our second group.
The Christians: Abraham's Seed by Faith
Christians are Abraham's seed by faith. But faith in what exactly?
C.S. Lewis once said that if "we allow people to start spiritualizing and refining, or as they might say 'deepening', the sense of the word Christian, it too will speedily become a useless word... Christians themselves will never be able to apply it to anyone"
(1952, Mere Christianity).
Unfortunately, Lewis's concerns have been realized. In today's world, the word Christian has lost much of its meaning. When one describes themselves as such, you cannot always be sure about who (or what) they mean when they use the word 'God,' nor can you be certain about their views or interpretation of scripture.
We are Christians;
and in order to dispel any confusion, we would like to take the opportunity to detail what we believe it means to be a Christian.
1. We serve the triune GOD of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob:
YAHWEH, GOD the Father,
YAHOASHUA, Christ, and
RUAK HA' KODESH, The Holy Spirit.
2. Perhaps most importantly, we believe that YAHOASHUA, Jesus Christ, is GOD, and that salvation comes by believing that he died for our sins (John 3:16, Romans 5). We would argue that this is the defining belief that makes a Christian a Christian.
3. Finally, we believe that the Bible in its entirety is the living word of GOD and that it is the true depiction of our fallen world, its history, and its hopeful future.
This is a brief summary of what we believe it means to be a Christian. For more information, and a more beautifully written explanation, consider listening to this free audiobook: Mere Christianity, by C. S. Lewis.
The Triune GOD of the Bible: Father, Son, and Spirit
YAHOASHUA (THE CHRIST)
"[YAHOASHUA] said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me" (John 14:6).
YAHOASHUA is the King of the coming Kingdom. He is also the Son of GOD and one of the three Persons of the Godhead. We believe that He is just as much GOD as YAHWEH and RUAK HA'KODESH (The Holy Spirit). We wrote an entire post defending and explaining the deity of Christ (YAHOASHUA). You can read it here.
YAHOASHUA is revealed to us as the Word in John 1:
"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made... And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth " (John 1:1-3, 14).
It is made clear in these scriptures that YAHOASHUA, the Word, is GOD and that the world was created through the Word and by the Word.
We can infer from Genesis 1 that YAHOASHUA is eternal and that He is the Creator, GOD. Consider the first four lines of the Bible:
"In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.
And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light."
Humans are made in the image of GOD (Genesis 1:26-27) and when humans speak, two things come out of their mouths: word and breath.
When GOD said, "Let there be light,"
Word and Breath came out of His mouth.
John 1:14 says that Christ is the Word made Flesh.
So
YAHOASHUA (The Christ) is the Word,
RUACH HA'KODESH (The Holy Spirit) is the Breath, as we will discuss later, and
YAHWEH (The Father) is the Speaker in Genesis.
YAHWEH (THE FATHER)
"Whoever does not love me does not keep my words. And the word that you hear is not mine but the Father's who sent me, " (Christ, John 14:24).
YAHOASHUA repeatedly stated that He had been sent by the Father (YAHWEH). Jesus also said that everything had been "given into His hand" by the Father (John 3:35):
that is the power to give life, the power to judge, and the world itself (John 5:21-22).
Additionally, Christ instructed His disciples to be like YAHWEH:
merciful, perfect, and abiding in love (Luke 6:36, Matthew 5:46-48 and John 15;9).
YAHWEH is the one Who spoke to Moses through the burning bush in Exodus.
His name (I AM) tells us a few things about Him.
First, He is an eternal being with no beginning or end. He exists outside of the Universe that He created, and therefore, outside of the bounds of time.
In other terms, GOD doesn't have a birthday. He also has no need of a creator. GOD is the only Creator and the source of Life.
The second implication of His name, I AM, is that He is unchanging.
He has always been, continues to be, and always will be. He is pure Being, pure Existence. Life itself.
Another way to put this is that he is not dependent on light or matter (food, water, etc) to sustain Himself. Rather, He is the Source of these things.
In a recent post, one of our writers explored some of the different ways in which science reveals GOD.
Finally, YAHWEH is the Person who most of us think of when we pray or use the title 'God.' He is the Speaker in Genesis 1, and He created the world by directing the Word (Christ) and the Breath (The Holy Spirit):
"In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.
And God said, Let there be light: and there was light." (Genesis 1:1-3)
RUAK HA'KODESH (THE HOLY SPIRIT)
"And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever," (Christ, John 14: 16).
The third Person of the Godhead is RUAK HA' KODESH, more commonly known as The Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the Helper who was sent to us by GOD after YAHOASHUA returned to His Father's right-hand side. The Spirit works from within us, guiding our steps and helping us to mature as believers.
The Holy Spirit's Hebrew name, RUAK HA' KODESH, translates to Breath of GOD; in Genesis 1, she is the Breath hovering over the face of the waters (Genesis 1:1).
When GOD formed man from the dust of the ground, He breathed the Breath of Life into him and he became a living soul:
"And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul." (Genesis 2:7).
Every living thing depends on GOD to sustain its life.
Humans are essentially living on borrowed RUAK, borrowed life, from GOD. Eventually, the life within us dwindles and returns to its Source, GOD.
"And the Lord said, My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years." (Genesis 6:3).
Consider that when we are separated from GOD, we are separated from Life itself. This is the true horror of hell; you are separated from GOD and all that belongs to GOD- Life, Joy, Peace, Goodness, Love.
Many of us (maybe most of us) waste our lives seeking love, seeking meaning, seeking to feel alive, and seeking joy without ever seeking GOD. GOD is the True answer to all that we seek.
We have written an entire post on The Holy Spirit and The Holy Triangle; in this post, we consider the GODhead as a family unit.
CHRIST: OUR GOD, OUR KING, AND OUR SAVIOR
"He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love."
(1 John 4:8)
To recap, the GOD of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob is not a single individual but three distinct persons who together comprise the Godhead. GOD is love because within this Holy Triangle, you have community: three Individuals Who love one another.
When we use the word GOD, we are referring to the Holy Trinity.
"Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away" (Christ, Matthew 24:35).
We believe that the Bible is the Word of GOD: written through and to His people. The Bible tells a unified story of GOD and His world, beginning with its creation and ending with its coming redemption. The Old Testament details the world's creation and its fall and illustrates humanity's need for a savior. The New Testament introduces the Savior (Christ) and outlines His redemption of humanity. As you can see, the entirety of the Bible points forward and backward to Christ.
“The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel” (Christ, Mark 1:15).
This true story isn't over yet; we are in the midst of it. We still await the return of our Savior, YAHOASHUA (Christ). He has yet to establish His Kingdom. We believe that heaven is coming to us and that at that time, GOD will finish the work He has begun by making all things new (Revelation 21:5).
Christianity is more than a belief system; it is a relationship with GOD and a lifelong journey characterized by change, growth, and love. In other words, a Christian is defined as such by their private relationship with GOD and not by externals. This relationship is eternal and will continue when we enter GOD's Kingdom. We label ourselves as Christians because of our respective relationships with GOD and our common belief that the Bible is His Word.
Thank you for reading and may GOD bless you.
Recommended Resources:
Audio Bible:
Study Scripture:
The Story of the Bible Animated and Explained:
Biblical Etymology:
I AM Who I AM- Sermon series on GOD by Pastor Tim Mackie:
Mere Christianity Free Audiobook by C.S. Lewis: