WERE THE ANCIENT TRIBES OF ISRAEL BLACK?

WAS JESUS BLACK?

biblestudymanuals.net/black_jews.htm

Printed on July 29, 2019 by CCOG
Continuing Church of God

Jewish mosaic of the 5th century (Jim Haberman)

Ever wonder about what the ancient Hebrews looked like?
Have you seen pictures that purport that Jesus was black?

Can you prove or disprove that?

Well, through scripture and ancient records you can.

Black Hebrew Israelites (also called African Hebrew Israelites, Black Jews, Black Hebrews, Black Israelites, or Hebrew Israelites) strongly–and often vehemently–assert that the ancient Israelites were black.

This view came to be popularized after a man named Frank Cherry claimed to receive a vision that God told him to declare a message that African Americans were the true descendants of the biblical Hebrews. Later this resulted in the establishment of something called the Church of the Living God, the Pillar Ground of Truth for All Nations in Chattanooga, Tennessee, around 1886 (Parfitt T. Black Jews in Africa and the Americas. Harvard University Press, 2013, p. 88).

Furthermore, William Crowdy claimed to receive a revelation that African Americans were the descendants of the ancient Israelites and that Jesus was black. He founded the Church of God and Saints of Christ church in 1896 in Kansas, with the claim that the Ten Lost Tribes of Israel were the ancestors of black people (Dorman JS. Chosen People: The Rise of American Black Israelite Religions. Oxford University Press, 2016, p. 41).

Neither of those groups were truly ‘Church of God.’ Most Black Israelite groups are unitarian as they wrongly deny the deity of Jesus. Here is one quote (emphasis in the original):

"We believe that there is a distinction between God and Jesus of Nazereth. In particular, we believe that God is THE Supreme Being in the universe and that Jesus was merely a human being; a noteworthy prophet (see St. Matthew 21:11), but a human being nonetheless." (FAQ/Feed. Church of God and Saints of Christ, http://cogasoc.org/wordpress/faqfeed/, accessed 02/2020)

As far as ‘proof’ of the Black Israelite doctrine goes, one Black Israelite stated that since
1) People thought when Moses fled Egypt he was an Egyptian (Exodus 2:19-21),
2) Roman soldiers thought the Apostle Paul, who they arrested as a rabble-rouser was a particular rabble-rousing Egyptian (Acts 21:38-39), and
3) Egyptians were supposedly black, therefore
4) the Israelites would have been black.

Well, the bulk of the Egyptians were not black (though some were). And one can see that by looking at many ancient hieroglyphics.

We received emails from another who asserted:

EPHRAIM & MANASSEH ARE NOT THE U.S. & BRITAIN!
THE BIBLE’S EXPLAINATION OF EPHRAIM & MANASSEH’S GENETIC LINE DOES NOT SUPPORT YOUR BELIEF BUT INVALIDATES IT!!

The Bible tells us that the mother of Ephraim & Manasseh (ASENATH), was an Egyptian (Because Her father was the Egyptian Priest “POTIPHERAH”: Genesis 41:45,50 & 46:20), and that The Egyptians were descended from Noah’s son Ham; HAM FATHERED THE FOLLOWING NATIONS (AFTER THE FLOOD), “ACCORDING TO THE BIBLE”:(Genesis 10:6): CUSH(Ethiopians),MIZRAIM(Egyptians), PUTH(Libyans), and CANAAN(Canaanites)! See also PSALMS:(78:51),(106:22),(105:23),(105:27), which tells us that the Egyptians were the children of HAM!

Genesis 10:6 Is telling us that the (BLACK Ethiopians), Egyptians, Libyans & Canaanites were “BROTHERS” and ALL had the same (Black Father),“HAM”! … Which means ASENATH(the Egyptian mother of Ephraim & Manasseh), Was BLACK, In case you haven’t figured it out yet Asenath’s BLACK Genetic traits would make it IMPOSSIBLE FOR HER TO GIVE BIRTH TO TWO WHITE SONS EPHRAIM & MANASSEH (U.S. & BRITAIN), NO MATTER WHAT COLOR HER HUSBAND (JOSEPH) WAS!

That view is not a fact, but an assertion based on some inaccurate assumptions.
Now, yes, the Cushites were black.

The Bible shows that Noah had three sons which were named Ham, Japtheth, and Shem. Their descendants became the three primary races, known as Negroid, Mongoloid, and Caucasoid respectively). Based on dominant and recessive genes from his parents, Ham himself likely was not black (Negroid), as it is much more likely his wife was. Similarly, it would be most likely that Japheth’s wife was Mongoloid and Shem’s wife likely Caucasoid.

Furthermore, it should be pointed out that the bulk of the ancient Canaanite records we have shows most of them were not what we would consider black.
Notice also the following:

Ephraim and Manasseh – were they part black Egyptian?
“And Pharaoh said to Joseph, I am Pharaoh, and
without a word from you, no man shall lift up his
hand or foot in all the land of Egypt.

And Pharaoh called Joseph’s name Zaphnathpaaneah.
And he gave him Asenath, the daughter of
Potipherah, priest of On, for his wife. And Joseph
went out over the land of Egypt.” (Gen 41:44-45. Cf
also 46:20, 34)

The Bible does not state that she was an Egyptian at all. Given that On was in the Goshen area where the Hyksos or similar White tribes settled and their aristocracy settled, it is reasonable to assume that he married into that stock for the Egyptians proper were driven southwards.
Although her name is Egyptian, … a name itself is not proof for her being a Black Egyptian. and this sort of thing happens all over the world. (White C. Chart: Was Israel mixed? V. 2.2. Received via email 07/25/19)

Most Egyptians were not black, thus it is not logical to state that Joseph’s wife Asenath must have been black. As far as Joseph, himself, goes, there is a statue that some feel was made of him thousands of years ago, and the sketch I saw of that shows he was not black (see https://www.simchajtv.com/statue-of-biblical-joseph-found-story-covered-up/). And even if the statue was not Joseph, it also helps prove that most of the Egyptians were not black.

As far as having one parent black and one white notice the following:

This chart shows how that works with two parents with three white-skin alleles (gene traits), and three black-skin alleles. The use of six gene traits is just an example to show how the mixing can produce many different combinations.



Source: https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/ampp3d/how-white-baby-can-born-4145688 accessed 07/27/19

So, with Ham’s sons, presuming he was actually 100% white and his wife 100% black, there was only a 1 of 8 chance for any of the sons to be 100% black, and basically a 50% chance that one would be–and his son Cush probably was. Yet the odds are that none of Cush’s brothers were black. So the assertion that all of Cush’s brothers would have to be black is not correct.

Notice also the following from the old Ambassador College and Radio Church of God:

The black race is composed of some of the descendants of Noah’s son Ham. Part of the black race stems from Cush (Gen. 10:6). Cush means black in Hebrew (Young’s Concordance). The word “Cush” is often translated into English by the word “Ethiopia,” but not all Cushites live in Ethiopia (an independent nation in East Africa). The Greeks called the children of Cush “Ethiopians.” That’s why we use the word in English. …

Ham had another son, Phut or Put-it is spelled both ways in the Bible. Here is what Josephus writes about the people of Phut.

Phut also was the founder of Libya (by which he means Africa), and called the inhabitants Phutites, from himself: there is also a river in the country of the Moors which bears that name; whence it is that… the Grecian historiographers mention [Africa] by the “appellation of Phut” (See Antiquities, VI, 2).

Put, or Phut, then, is the father of the central Africans. The Egyptians called the region of the Sudan (which was south of Egypt) by the name of Pet. The Babylonians and Persians called a similar region “Putu” (from Smith’s Bible Dictionary and Inter. Stand. Bible Ency.).

Numerous sons of Put settled early into the western region of Mesopotamia, a few hundred miles from ancient Babylon. This is the original center of Hindi, the language of northern and central India (Ency. of World History, by Langer, p. 28).

The people who were settled in this region were uprooted by the Assyrians and driven east into India. …

Of the four sons of Ham, only Cush bears a name which means “black.” Just as some of the sons of Cush are brown so some of the children of Phut are black. (The Development of The Races. Ambassador College, 1968)

Through Ham many of the light people of North Africa arose. The black peoples throughout Africa and south east Asia also descended from Ham. (Hoeh H. The Race Question. Plain Truth, April 1957).

While some of the mixed multitude of Israel were black, and there were some blacks in Egypt, the bulk of the Egyptians were not black.

One can see that by looking at many ancient hieroglyphs. Notice some:

Depiction above of white Egyptian man (Pixabay)

While it is true that many Egyptians were not pale, but tanned/brown as many hieroglyphs show, like the one below:

Depiction of an Egyptian man working (Pixabay)

Yet, when you look at them, you see someone with Caucasian, not Negroid nor Mongoloid facial features. Now some ‘Black Egyptian’ advocates have objected to the use of ancient pictures as they claim that people had their skin ‘lightened’ for pictures, etc. anciently to reflect a ‘higher’ social status (which one told me). However, if that is true, it would tend to confirm that the bulk of the pharaohs would not have been black (as presumably the pharaoh would have the highest social status). But even when intentional picture ‘lightening’ may have occurred, that would not change the overall appearance from being Negroid to Caucasoid.

Furthermore, when Negroid black men (or black women) are shown, they are shown as essentially the color black on hieroglyphs I have seen. Notice the following 1820 sketch of something on the wall of the tomb of the ancient Pharaoh Seti 1 (13th century BC):

Book of gates fresco (Wikipedia)

The man to the far left was considered to be Libyan and the far right was considered to be an Egyptian.

Most ancient Egyptians were NOT black. Some were white and some were brownish, but with Caucasian facial features.

Despite all this proof, someone challenged me on this and challenged me to “debunk” an article that asserted that the Israelites were black because supposedly the Egyptians were black. The “proof” was that the article quoted opinions of some 19th century researchers who mistakenly claimed the ancient Egyptians were black. So, to further debunk that nonsense, I looked for more evidence. Notice the following photograph:

Mummy of 19th dynasty King Ramesses II (Wikipedia)

That Egyptian leader obviously was NOT black. When I showed the above picture to one who pushes the black Israelite lie, he claimed that the photograph was faked. But, let me add that there are also numerous statues of Ramesses II and none of those show a black man either. Yet, various proponents of ‘Black Egyptianism’ still want to insist that he was Negroid, which he was not.

Notice the following statue of Prince Ra-hotep (son of Pharaoh Sneferu) and his wife Nofret:

Ra-hotep and Nofret (photo by Djehouty)

Pharaoh Sneferu would have been expected to have arranged his son’s marriage. The Prince was certainly not black (he has straight hair) and his wife was fairly white (and she is depicted in the statue with a black wig according to scholars). And though the Prince was fairly tan, he also had what would be considered as Caucasian features.

It would seem that Joseph (progenitor of Ephraim and Manasseh) likely married someone fairly white as the Bible shows that Pharaoh gave him a wife (Genesis 41:45).
Now notice the following ancient depiction of an apparent member of the Egyptian nobility hunting:

Here is a sculpture from the first century B.C. known as the ‘Berlin Cleopatra’ since it is now in Germany:


Cleopatra was clearly white.

Here are portraits that appear on the outside of mummy coffins (mummies tended to be wealthy people and/or relatives of the pharaohs) c. 1st century B.C. to 3rd century A.D.:

Titus on left, Jewish man on bottom right (CNG coins)

Vespasian on left, captured Jewish soldiers on right, 71 A.D. (CNG coins)

Notice that the Jews were not African. The two captured men have traditionally Caucasoid, not Negroid, hair. The inscription on the second coin is in Latin as Iudea Capta which translated into English as “Judaea Taken.” These coins are clear evidence that the Jews of the first century–like Jesus–were not black Africans. The Jews were Caucasians.

If most Jews of Jesus’ time were black, the coins would have been expected to portray that–but they do not. These are absolute historical proof, no matter what color people may think the ancient Egyptians were or what their DNA was. The issue is whether the ancient Jews of Jesus’ [time] were predominantly black–the Roman coins prove that they were not.

Scythians?

Various ones have claimed that the ‘lost tribes’ of Israel went from Israel to the land of the Medes, then through Scythia and then into Europe.

Several centuries after the departure of the ten tribes under Jeroboam (1 Kings 11:1), the kingdom of Israel was overtaken by the Assyrian Empire.

The Assyrians removed most of the people of the ten tribes northeast and replaced them with peoples from various lands.

This is recorded in the Bible (2 Kings 17:5-6) and occurred in the 8th century BCE. The people were placed in cities in the “land of the Medes” (2 Kings 17:6, 18:11; cf. 1 Chronicles 5:26). That land ended up being fairly close to land that the nomadic Scythians later occupied.

Some of the peoples move north in various waves. As far as more of them later moving, the late Dr. Herman Hoeh wrote:
Greek writers, in the time of Christ, recognized that the regions of northern Asia Minor were non-Greek (except for a few Greek trading colonies in the port cities). New peoples, the Greeks tell us, were living in northern Asia Minor in New Testament times.

Here is the surprising account of Diodorus of Sicily:

… Many conquered peoples were removed to other homes, and two of these became very great colonies: the one was composed of Assyrians and was removed to the land between Paphlagonia and Pontus, and the other was drawn from Media and planted along the Tanais [the River Don in ancient Scythia — the modern Ukraine, north of the Black Sea, in southern Russia]” (Book II, — 43).

Notice the areas from which these colonies came — Assyria and Media. The very areas to which the House of Israel was taken captive! …

Parthia was defeated by Persia in A.D. 226 {now believed to have been 224}. Expelled from Parthia, the Ten Tribes and the Medes moved north of the Black Sea, into Scythia. (See R. G. Latham’s The Native Races of the Russian Empire, page 216.) From there, around A.D. 256, the Ten Tribes migrated with their brethren from Asia Minor into Northwest Europe. (Hoeh H. Where Did the TWELVE APOSTLES Go? Plain Truth, May 1964)

Around the 2nd century CE, the Scythians tended to drop out of known history. There were different groups called Scythians and it looks to be that some then ended up in Europe and the British Isles.

Notice also:
The Scythian tribes … continued to flock into Europe … The Saxons were … a Scythian tribe; and of the various Scythian nations which have been recorded, the Sakai or Sacae, are the people from whom the descent of the Saxons can be inferred [implied]…  Sakal-Suna, or the sons of Sakal, abbreviated into Saksun is the same sound as Saxon, seems a reasonable etymology of the word Saxon. (Turner S. The History of the Anglo-Saxons from the Earliest Period to the Norman Conquest, Vol. 1. Cary and Hart, 1841, pp. 81,82).

It has been asserted:

Who were these Scythians, or Scyths, as they were often called? And how did the name “Scythian” originate?

This was one of the names that the Ten-Tribed House of Israel bore in their captivity. The most likely derivation of this word is as follows:

This word “SCYTHIAN” appears to be derived from the Hebrew word “SUCCOTH.” We shall later see that the language of the Scythians (Scythiac) was very similar to the Hebrew. Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance defines this word as follows. “Cukkouth, sook-kahthr’; or Cukkoth, sook-kohth’;… booths; Succoth, the name of a place in Egypt and of three in Palestine” (Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance, Hebrew and Chaldee Dictionary, p.82).

The Hebrew language was written only in consonants. The vowels had to be supplied by the reader. If one takes out the vowels from the Hebrew word “Succoth” the basic part of the word is “Scth.” In Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance it is spelled phonetically both with a “c” and also with an “s.” Remember the “c” and the “s” often have the same sound, as in our English words, “cell” and “sell.” Both English words are pronounced exactly alike. …
“Ye shall dwell in booths seven days; all that are Israelites born shall dwell in booths: That your generations may know that I made the children of Israel to dwell in booths, when I brought them out of the land of Egypt” (Lev. 23:42,43).

This was to be observed by Israel “forever” (v.41). The Hebrew word used in verses 42 and 43, translated as “booths” is from the Hebrew SCTH or SKTH. The Greek word for “Scythian” is “Scuthes,” and is pronounced much like the Hebrew word for “booth.” (McNair R. Key to Northwest European Origins. Ambassador College Thesis, May 1963)

The above is consistent with the generally accepted view that Scythians mean nomads, which is consistent with staying in temporary dwellings, booths.

It has also been claimed:

Among all the peoples known under the general name “Scythians,” the Sacae were the descendants of the children of Israel! Not only is it possible for us to notice a parallel by comparing the traditions of the two peoples, but history even recognizes that the majority of the peoples of the British Isles, particularly the “Scots” and the “Saxons,” are the descendants of the Scythians (New English Dictionary, Article: “Scots”), thus of the Israelites! (Apartian DK. The French-Speaking Peoples In Prophecy. Translated from the French by Carol Kalin in 1975. Ambassador Collage, 1961)

That being said, there is academic controversy associated with migrations of peoples. There are many unknowns about the Scythians and migrations of the tribes of Israel.

Yet, also consider:

Central Asia enters history around the seventh century BC with the Scythians, a people described as having European morphological traits by both ancient Chinese and Herodotus. (Calafell F, et al. Genetics and Population History of Central Asia. In: Archaeogenetics: DNA and the population prehistory of Europe. Cambridge, 2000, p. 260)

European morphological traits means that the Scythians looked like Caucasian Europeans.
In 2010 it was reported;

 “that when teams of geneticists led by Professor Bryan Sykes took DNA samples in the Celtic regions of Britain they discovered ancestries in the Caucasus, which lay within ancient Scythia, and Mediterranean Europe” (Hutchinson R. Book review: The Highland Clans, by Alistair Moffat. The Scotsman – April 26, 2010. 

http://news.scotsman.com/features/Book-review-The-Highland-Clans.6223804.jp viewed o4/26/10).

As far as the physical appearance of Scythians go, according to the ancient information I have seen on them, they were basically white/Caucasian.


Scythian archer c. 500 B.C. (Jastrow)

They apparently were, for a time, the bulk of the ‘ten lost tribes’ of Israel.

There Really are Jews in Israel

Various people who claim that the Jews in the tiny nation of Israel are not ethnically Jews claim that a group from an area north of Turkey, just above Georgia, called the Khazars converted to Judaism about 1300 years ago. And that the descendants of these 8th century A.D. Khazars dominate the nation of Israel. Black Israelite adherents point to that to explain why most Israelis are not black. But since there is much archeological evidence PRIOR to the 8th century A.D. that the Hebrews were not Negroes, that makes the Khazar claims (even if they were accurate) irrelevant.

The ‘Black Israelites’ are clearly wrong about Judah being Negroes as they claim:


Poster outlining the Black Hebrew Israelite identification of the Twelve Tribes of Israel with modern peoples of color
(Streetphotographernyctlv)

The Bible teaches Jesus was a Jew:

Hence, Jesus was the same race as the rest of the Jews or He would not have been able to easily identify and would not have blended in with the crowd

(plus Judas would not have had to be paid to point Him out; cf. Mark 14:10,43-44).

Since the bulk of the Jews were basically white by race, so was Jesus. Jesus would have been essentially a tanned/olive color of a Caucasian person. He likely had dark colored hair.
We have no original pictures of Jesus.

Ephraim and Manasseh

Is Ephraim now represented by Puerto Rico and Manasseh by Cuba as some Black Hebrews claim?

No.

Consider the following:

8 Then Israel saw Joseph’s sons, and said, “Who are these?”

9 Joseph said to his father, “They are my sons, whom God has given me in this place.”
And he said, “Please bring them to me, and I will bless them.”

10 Now the eyes of Israel were dim with age, so that he could not see. Then Joseph brought them near him, and he kissed them and embraced them.

11 And Israel said to Joseph, “I had not thought to see your face; but in fact, God has also shown me your offspring!”

12 So Joseph brought them from beside his knees, and he bowed down with his face to the earth.

13 And Joseph took them both, Ephraim with his right hand toward Israel’s left hand, and Manasseh with his left hand toward Israel’s right hand, and brought them near him.

14 Then Israel stretched out his right hand and laid it on Ephraim’s head, who was the younger, and his left hand on Manasseh’s head, guiding his hands knowingly, for Manasseh was the firstborn.

15 And he blessed Joseph, and said:
“God, before Whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked,
The God who has fed me all my life long to this day,

16 The Angel who has redeemed me from all evil,
Bless the lads;
Let my name be named upon them,
And the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac;
And let them grow into a multitude in the midst of the earth.”

17 Now when Joseph saw that his father laid his right hand on the head of Ephraim, it displeased him; so he took hold of his father’s hand to remove it from Ephraim’s head to Manasseh’s head.

18 And Joseph said to his father, “Not so, my father, for this one is the firstborn; put your right hand on his head.”

19 But his father refused and said, “I know, my son, I know. He also shall become a people, and he also shall be great; but truly his younger brother shall be greater than he, and his descendants shall become a multitude of nations.”

20 So he blessed them that day, saying, “By you Israel will bless, saying, ‘May God make you as Ephraim and as Manasseh!'” And thus he set Ephraim before Manasseh. (Genesis 48:8-20)

While the British Empire grew to become “a multitude of nations,” this is not really the case of Puerto Rico. And while many will consider that the USA became “great,” Cuba is not in the same league. Thus, Anglo-Saxon-Celtic-American-British-Israelism is much more consistent with the prophecies of Jacob (for more details, see Anglo – America in Prophecy & the Lost Tribes of Israel).

Getting back to ancient artifacts, very little from the ancient world is in color.

But some materials beyond hieroglyphs and some paintings are.
For example, are you familiar with the mosaics from the Huqoq synagogue of the early 400s A.D.?

Here is some information related to it and some of the mosaics there :

Huqoq or Hukkok (Hebrew: חוקוק‎) was an ancient Jewish village, located 12.5 km north of Tiberias. The area had been settled since ancient times and is mentioned in the Book of Joshua. …
A 2011 dig led by archaeologist Jodi Magness excavated several sections at the site of the former village. …
Among the structures uncovered during the 2012 dig were the remains of an elaborate synagogue, dated to the 5th century. Findings include limestone carvings and an elaborate floor mosaic. …
The mosaic includes of the Biblical hero Samson …
According to archaeologist Jodi Magness, the discovery is significant because “only a small number of ancient (Late Roman) synagogue buildings are decorated with mosaics showing biblical scenes, and only two others have scenes with Samson (one is at another site just a couple of miles from Huqoq).”
The mosaic also shows two human faces, apparently female, flanking a Hebrew inscription promising a reward to those who perform good deeds. (Huqoq. Wikipedia, accessed 07/29/19)

Now see the following:

Discovery of Jewish Mosaics in Israel Bring Color to Biblical Accounts



Depiction of Numbers 13:23 grapes from promise land
(Jim Haberman, via UNC-Chapel Hill)



At the ancient site of Huqoq, near the Sea of Galilee in modern Israel, a number of stunning mosaics depicting biblical, astrological, and historical narratives have been uncovered in a Jewish village that flourished during the late Roman empire. The colorful and large number of mosaics found in a synagogue challenge traditional views about Jewish art of the period as symbolic rather than representational of biblical texts, bland, and in decline during the period.

07/20/18 https://hyperallergic.com/451212/discovery-of-jewish-mosaics-in-israel-bring-color-to-biblical-accounts/

Yes, we get color from the mosaics. And we see two white men carrying the grapes.
The following mosaic is the two human face portion of the Samson mosaic (parts have been decayed) at Huqoq. The faces are of primarily Caucasian people.
Jewish mosaic of the 5th century (Jim Haberman)

In 2018, photographs of newly discovered mosaics were published in conjunction with a 70-page interim report of the excavations from 2014–2017. The new publication shows that the floor mosaic also depicts Noah’s Ark, the twelve Israelite spies (Numbers 13:1-33), and Moses’ parting of the Red Sea, themes that are rarely, if ever, found in synagogues of the time. Other images show Jonah being swallowed by the fish and the building of the Tower of Babel. (Huqoq. Wikipedia, accessed 07/29/19)

Experts said the wealth of mosaics show that Jewish life in the surrounding village flourished during Christian rule in the fifth century. This challenges a widely held view that Jewish settlement in the area declined during that period.

“Our work sheds light on a period when our only written sources about Judaism are rabbinic literature from the Jewish sages of this period and references in early Christian literature,” said Magness, who noted it showed only the viewpoint of the men who wrote it. Additionally, early Christian literature generally was hostile to Jews and Judaism.



A mosaic depicting Jonah being swallowed by a fish.(Jim Haberman, Courtesy UNC-Chapel Hill)

The Huqoq Excavation Project has involved experts from a host of universities, including Baylor University, Brigham Young University and the University of Toronto, as well as the Israel Antiquities Authority and Tel Aviv University. Rogers J. 1,600-year-old biblical mosaic discovered in Israel, sheds light on ancient Judaism. Fox News, July 2, 2019 https://www.foxnews.com/science/1600-year-old-biblical-mosaic-discovered)

If you look at the legs of the man being swallowed by the great fish, they show a light-skinned person.

One of the reasons I reported about all of this is because of several people who have repeatedly tried to insist that the ancient Hebrews and Jews were black.
While there was a ‘mixed multitude’ that went with the Israelites out of the land of Egpyt (Exodus 12:38), it is like some were black. But to try to insist that most Israelites were black is not the case.

The Apostle Paul wrote:

3 Let no one deceive you by any means (2 Thessalonians 2:3)

11 And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers,

12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ,

13 till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ;

14 that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting,

15 but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head — Christ —

16 from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love. (Ephesians 4:11-16)

Some make emotional appeals. Some misinterpret scripture. Some twist doctrines to suit their own agendas and desires.

Yet, part of the purpose of having the faithful ministry is to prevent deception.
Notice something Jesus foretold:

9 Indeed I will make those of the synagogue of Satan, who say they are Jews and are not, but lie — indeed I will make them come and worship before your feet, and to know that I have loved you. (Revelation 3:9)

Basically, the ‘Black Israelites’ are neither physical Jews, spiritual Jews, or true Church of God Christians. Some claim that Revelation 3:9 is a reference to non-blacks who claim to be Jews, when in reality that is a prophecy about people claiming to be spiritual Jews–Christians (cf. Romans 2:29)–who are not.

Before going further, notice the following:

Black Hebrew Israelism has roots in Black Judaism … Its basic belief is that American blacks are the real descendants of the Hebrews of the Old Testament, and that those who today call themselves Jews are lying about being the Bible’s chosen people. Many followers believe that whites and Jews will soon be either killed or enslaved as payback from God for their role in enslaving Africans in the Americas. …

Perhaps the most bizarre thing about Black Hebrew Israelism is the way it mirrors, with only a change in color, the ideas of Christian Identity. Identity is an important white supremacist theology practiced in many Klan groups, along with other entities like the once-important Aryan Nations. (Potok M. The Strange History of the Black Hebrew Israelites, as Group is Tied to Jersey City Murders. Daily Beast, December 12, 2019)

While it is true that many of the end time descendants of Israel who are white are subject to slavery according to the Bible (see Will the Anglo-Saxon-Celtic Nations be Divided and Have People Taken as Slaves?), it is not because their ancestors were involved with the slave trade (plus that would include blacks as well as black leaders were an instrumental in providing the slaves that came to the Americas). It should also be pointed out that in the CCOG we DO NOT BELIEVE THAT THE SO-CALLED ‘CHRISTIAN IDENTITY’ MOVEMENT IS CORRECT OR CHRISTIAN.

For clues to the end time physical identities of the children of Israel, notice what the Bible records:

1 And Jacob called his sons and said, “Gather together, that I may tell you what shall befall you in the last days:

2 “Gather together and hear, you sons of Jacob, And listen to Israel your father.

3 “Reuben, you are my firstborn, My might and the beginning of my strength, The excellency of dignity and the excellency of power.

4 Unstable as water, you shall not excel, Because you went up to your father’s bed; Then you defiled it–He went up to my couch.

5 “Simeon and Levi are brothers; Instruments of cruelty are in their dwelling place.

6 Let not my soul enter their council; Let not my honor be united to their assembly; For in their anger they slew a man, And in their self-will they hamstrung an ox.

7 Cursed be their anger, for it is fierce; And their wrath, for it is cruel! I will divide them in Jacob And scatter them in Israel.

8 “Judah, you are he whom your brothers shall praise; Your hand shall be on the neck of your enemies; Your father’s children shall bow down before you.

9 Judah is a lion’s whelp; From the prey, my son, you have gone up. He bows down, he lies down as a lion; And as a lion, who shall rouse him?

10 The scepter shall not depart from Judah, Nor a lawgiver from between his feet, Until Shiloh comes; And to Him shall be the obedience of the people.

11 Binding his donkey to the vine, And his donkey’s colt to the choice vine, He washed his garments in wine, And his clothes in the blood of grapes.

12 His eyes are darker than wine, And his teeth whiter than milk.

13 “Zebulun shall dwell by the haven of the sea; He shall become a haven for ships, And his border shall adjoin Sidon.

14 “Issachar is a strong donkey, Lying down between two burdens;

15 He saw that rest was good, And that the land was pleasant; He bowed his shoulder to bear a burden, And became a band of slaves.

16 “Dan shall judge his people As one of the tribes of Israel.

17 Dan shall be a serpent by the way, A viper by the path, That bites the horse’s heels So that its rider shall fall backward.

18 I have waited for your salvation, O LORD!

19 “Gad, a troop shall tramp upon him, But he shall triumph at last.

20 “Bread from Asher shall be rich, And he shall yield royal dainties.

21 “Naphtali is a deer let loose; He uses beautiful words.

22 “Joseph is a fruitful bough, A fruitful bough by a well; His branches run over the wall.

23 The archers have bitterly grieved him, Shot at him and hated him.

24 But his bow remained in strength, And the arms of his hands were made strong By the hands of the Mighty God of Jacob (From there is the Shepherd, the Stone of Israel),

25 By the God of your father who will help you, And by the Almighty who will bless you With blessings of heaven above, Blessings of the deep that lies beneath, Blessings of the breasts and of the womb.

26 The blessings of your father Have excelled the blessings of my ancestors, Up to the utmost bound of the everlasting hills. They shall be on the head of Joseph, And on the crown of the head of him who was separate from his brothers.

27 “Benjamin is a ravenous wolf; In the morning he shall devour the prey, And at night he shall divide the spoil.”

28 All these are the twelve tribes of Israel, and this is what their father spoke to them. And he blessed them; he blessed each one according to his own blessing (Genesis 49:1-28).

We in the Continuing Church of God believe that the descendants of Israel traveled to many places. While the following list may need some adjustment, it basically reflects where many of us have been taught those descendants went (even though some of each are scattered throughout many lands)–plus there are more details in the links next to many of the tribes:

1.    Reuben – France (dignified but troubled, Genesis 49:3-4; see also The ‘Lost Tribe’ of Reuben: France in Prophecy?)

2.    Judah – The nation now called Israel as well as the Jews not in that land but who were from the area near Jerusalem (Ezra 4:12; see also Location of Judah: This tribe is not ‘lost’)

3.    Simeon – Scattered throughout the tribes (Genesis 49:5)

4.    Levi – Scattered throughout the tribes (Genesis 49:5)

5.    Issachar – Finland (sits between Europe and Russia, Genesis 49:14)

6.    Zebulun – Netherlands (haven by the sea, Genesis 49:13) and a few in South Africa (see also Ten clues tying Zebulun with the Dutch)

7.    Gad – Switzerland (will apparently have to temporarily accept EU domination, Genesis 49:19; see also Could the Swiss be descended from Israel’s son Gad? Is Switzerland prepared for the coming collapse? )

8.    Dan – Denmark, Ireland (on the outskirts–Genesis 49:17; the tribe that named places “Dan”, Judges 18:12,29) (those in Northern Ireland mainly are descended from the Ephraim)

9.    Asher – Belgium, Luxembourg (wealthy, Genesis 49:20; see also Ten clues tying Belgium and Luxembourg with the tribe of Asher)

10.    Naphtali – Sweden (attractively described, Genesis 49:21; see also Ten Prophetic Clues Concerning Naphtali – Sweden)

11.    Benjamin – Norway, Iceland (former vikings, cf. Genesis 49:27; see also Bert Otten on descendants of the tribe of Benjamin: Western Vikings)

12.    Ephraim – Britain, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and probably some in South Africa and Zimbabwe (company of nations, Genesis 48:19; watch British are the Covenant People; also see and Bert Otten gives his reasons why the UK and USA descended from the Tribe of Joseph)

13.    Manasseh – United States of America (blessed nation, Genesis 48:19; see also Bert Otten gives his reasons why the UK and USA descended from the Tribe of Joseph)

These are the countries that contain the physical cities of Israel that Jesus apparently was referring to in Matthew 10:22-23. Countries like Sweden, Belgium Luxembourg, Norway, Switzerland, Finland, France, Denmark, Ireland, and Iceland seem to fit some of the positive statements in Genesis 49–but they will ultimately face tests and trials from the coming European Beast power (cf. Ezekiel 5:4; 39:23,28), as Ezekiel 5:4 seems to show that after the USA is eliminated, fire will spread to “all the house of Israel.” Some of the Israelite nations will temporarily support the Beast power (for writings related to Reuben, check out the article The ‘Lost Tribe’ of Reuben: France in Prophecy?).

Perhaps it should to be pointed out that several of the ‘Israelite nations’ are ethnically mixed (per Davidiy Y. The Tribes, 4th edition. Russell-David Publishers, 2011 and other sources) and it may take them some time for the actual Israelites to separate out. (Information on the ‘ten lost tribes’ is also in the YouTube sermon titled Where are the Ten Lost Tribes? Why does it matter?)

The Continuing Church of God also has a sermon titled Where are the Ten Lost Tribes? Why does it matter?, which is at its ContinuingCOG channel.