THE HISTORY OF ISRAEL UNITED IN CHRIST
In 2003, Bishop Nathanyel founded Israel United in Christ while living in Coney Island, New York. He then moved upstate where he set up his basement to record biblically based educational videos as well continue to teach those who sought out to learn what he knows about the Word of God. As more members sought out his teachings and attended his classes, his basement became overcrowded. There was no longer enough space to accommodate the growing number of congregants, so he then moved his classroom from his basement to a small building in Brooklyn, New York. It was there where Israel United and Christ opened the doors to their very first “official” school.
Bishop’s revolutionary mindset inspired by the True Word of God has contributed to bringing forth to fruition his vision; God’s vision, which is the resurrection of the Children of Israel, the waking up of the 12 Tribes. To bring their heritage and identity back to remembrance, back to the laws of God and rebuild the nation of Israel according to Bible prophecy. IUIC has experienced exponential growth throughout the years since the organization was established in 2003 with schools open and operating all over the country and internationally as well.
“We are a Revolution of God, a Spiritual and Biblical Revolution.” Bishop Nathanyel
Gabriel Prosser
1800 A literate blacksmith named Gabriel Prosser taught the slaves thru inspiration of the Bible that we were God’s people and should rebel against the tyranny of America.
Nat Turner
A slave named Nat Turner was called The Prophet and raised a small slave rebellion based on Bible teachings and visions of war and blood he had. Many blacks today demonize this man who attempted to save them from oppression.
William Saunders Crowdy
William Saunders Crowdy in Lawrence, Kansas. Established “The Church of God and Saints of Christ” although he taught blacks were God’s people he mixed a lot of christianity in his teachings.
Prophet Enoch Mgijima
Enoch Mgijima (1868 – 5 March 1928) was a Xhosa prophet and evangelist. He formed his own church, known as the Israelites, a breakaway from the Church of God and Saints of Christ, established by William Saunders Crowdy in 1896 and led them through a clash with the white Union of South Africa government, which left 163 Israelites dead, 129 wounded and 95 taken prisoner, in what became known as the Bulhoek Massacre.
F.S. Cherry
Frank S. Cherry claimed to have a vision that African Americans are the descendants of the ancient Israelites during his time abroad.He then established and led a congregation in Chattanooga Tennessee in 1886, where he preached that white people were inherently evil and hated by God . He would attempt to spread this belief in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where he established the Church of God in 1915.
Rabbi Wentworth Matthews
Wentworth A. Matthews worked with the Caucasian Hasidic Jewish people. He was eager to join their organization to become a member of the New York Board of Rabbis and was consistently denied. Matthew believed that African Americans were the original Jews, descended from the Lost Tribes. Black Hebrews talked of regaining or returning to Judaism. Caucasian Jews did not agree with his theory and believed that people either had to be descended directly from Caucasian Jewish mothers, or undergo recognized conversion under Jewish authorities to be considered Jews. Matthews eventually concluded Black Jews, /Black Hebrews as in his congregations, would not be accepted by the Caucasian Jewish community. Matthews and his congregation became strongly influenced by the pan-African philosophy of Marcus Garvey from Jamaica, and his black nationalist organization, the Universal Negro Improvement Association, and Rabbi Josiah Ford. Matthews set up The Commandment Keepers Ethiopian Hebrew Congregation and taught from the Old Testament and the Kabbalah.
Israel ben Newman and Mordecai Herman
Israel Ben Newman and Modecai Herman founded the Moorish Zionist temple in Harlem in 1921. One of the earliest Hebrew Israelite congregations in New York City. The Congregation of the Moorish Zionist Temple of the Moorish Jews in Harlem blended the belief that Black people were the descendants of the Biblical Israelites with aspects of traditional Judaism, elements from Christianity, and aspects of pan-Africanism. Herman was a member of Marcus Garvey's Universal Negro Improvement Association (UNIA)
Rabbi Arnold Josiah Ford
Born in Barbados, he became a member of Marcus Garvey’s U.N.I.A. (Universal Negro Improvement Association) However following Marcus Garvey’s arrest and conviction, Josiah Ford founded the Beth B’Nai Israel Synagogue in a Harlem storefront, and declared himself to be a Rabbi. Rabbi Arnold Josiah Ford was the spiritual advisor to Wentworth A. Matthews of the commandment keepers. He was never recognized as such by the Edomite Jewish community. In 1930 he and a small group of Black Jews went to Ethiopia, where they participated in the coronation of Emperor Haile Selassie. They created a school, and acquired 800 acres of land for the purpose of uniting Black Jews of the Diaspora with their brothers already in Ethiopia. He died there in 1935.
Civil Rights Movement
The civil rights movement came to national prominence in the United States during the mid-1950s and continued to challenge racial segregation and discrimination through 1969.
The Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex or national origin. Provisions of this civil rights act forbade discrimination on the basis of sex, as well as, race in hiring, promoting, and firing.
Examples of civil rights include the right to vote, the right to a fair trial, the right to government services, the right to an integrated public education, the right to gainful employment, the right to housing, the right to use non segregated(apartheid) public facilities, freedom of religion.
Some memorable persons and groups during this era were
- Dr. Vernon John’s
- Martin Luther king jr
- Fred Hampton and the Black Panther party
- Stokley Carmichaely
- Malcolm X
- The young lords
- The brown berets
- American Indian Movement (A.I.M. )
Jan. 21, 1969: New York Representative Shirley Chisholm is sworn in as the first Black woman elected to Congress.
Abba Bivens
Eber Ben Yamyan also known as Abba Bivens was initially taught he was an Israelite by an ex-slave some many many years earlier in the South. Bivens believed in the Black Christ and on his way to NY had visited many Indian reservations and came to the scriptural conclusion that the so called Indians were Israelites as well. He then came to N.Y. and joined the commandment keepers under wentworth Matthews but rejected Matthews teachings of old testament only and Kabbalah . Bivens founded the Torah school of knowledge. He was the first to teach both the blacks, Latinos and Indians of the Americas are Israelites. In New Jersey he was assaulted by the Nation of Islam Muslims because he publicly and Biblically denounced Islam as the false religion of the Arabs. As a result he contracted a bad case of Pneumonia. Before he died he declared Masha, and Yaiqab as the school leaders. Jealousy caused many members to reject the new school leaders.
Ben Ammi
Ben Carter also known as Ben Ammi led 300 Israelites from Chicago to Liberia and then to Dimona, Israel. Established “the African Hebrew Israelites ” He attempted to deliver his group from the curses of Deuteronomy 28:15-68 under the oppressive hand of America but soon discovered that oppression followed him to Dimona. Due to lack of citizenship they lacked the medical and dental capabilities to properly take care of one another so he agreed to support the Jew-ISH Israeli military allowing their young men to fight against the Palestinians in exchange for much needed supplies for their camp.
Yahweh ben Yahweh
Hulon Mitchell Jr. aka Yahweh ben Yahweh established the “nation of Yahweh” proclaimed himself god, the Son of god. He and many of his followers were arrested for murder, racketeering, Arson and many other crimes to establish themselves in various states. He was found guilty of these crimes in 1991 and died of colon cancer in prison.
Masha and Yaiqab
Moshe ben Chareem aka Masha, who founded the "Israelite School of Universal Practical Knowledge", was chosen to carry on the teachings in Abba Bivens place with Peter Sherrod aka Yaiqab. Later in the 70’s they were helped by five other men and they were called the 7.
Ahraya (Yaiqabs son), Lahab, Yashiyah, Shar, Chaazaq taught from the KJV 1611 version Old and New Testament, including the apocrypha as well as the ancient Hebrew called Lashawan Qadash.
They taught that Blacks, Latinos, and Native Americans are part of the 12 tribes of Israel. Ahrayah identified where and who the 12 Tribes are today.
They also proved Caucasians descend from Esau/ Edom based on Genesis 25:21-30, Malachi 1:1-4, and the book of Obadiah. They also proved who the Table of Nations is today: God's high holy days were kept according to Leviticus 23. A biblical dress code was introduced.
The Rosicrucians offered them several million dollars to teach a more Christian-Jewish message of unity for all humanity and the identities of the 12 tribes and accepted the Apostolic Succession.
Masha & Yaiqab refused. A Christian/Jewish message means the negro will remain at the bottom of society, and the whole truth will never be taught.
In 1994 Lahab was excommunicated for accusations and heretical teachings. Many years later, the Rosicrucians returned and offered millions of dollars to alter and change their teachings. Masha and Yaiqab rejected it again. However, some higher-ranking men did accept.A split occurred in 1995. Confusion, hatred, and debate about the Rosicrucian monies caused Masha to leave and establish another school, HODC, in early 1996.
The remaining leaders established The Israelite Church of God in Jesus Christ (ICGJC) at 1941 Madison Avenue in Harlem, New York.
Ahraya, Yashiyah, Shar, and Chaazaq began a Twelve Kings doctrine, later called The Apostolic Succession, which included several “generals” of the current UPK. The “Apostolic Succession” is the idea that the leaders of the Catholic Church today have had their authority passed to them from the original twelve apostles; they are second to Christ and sit in the Apostles’ seats.
The Immaculate Conception was also taught. A young man named Jermaine Grant, aka Tazadaqyah was also set up as The God-sent Comforter/ The Holy Spirit.
In 2018, Tazadaqyah and Tazapawan of the I.C.G.J.C. were arrested for evading taxes Of $5.3 million.
Jermaine Grant died in April of 2020.