Yisrayl Hawkins
Encyclopedia
Yisrayl Hawkins is the founder of the House of Yahweh
(Abilene)
, known for predicting that nuclear war
would start on September 12, 2006.
The House of Yahweh (HoY), a non-profit religious organization, believes it follows the one true faith as revealed by the Creator from the beginning and was re-established again in what they believe are the prophesied end times. Hawkins claims to be descended from Jewish immigrants who fled persecution in Europe.
claiming he had "found proof of Yahweh's name". Shortly after, he formed the "first House of Yahweh" in Odessa, Texas
. He preached distinct doctrines that his brother agreed with, such as the necessity of referring to the Creator as Yahweh and the Messiah
as Yahshua
, as well as following the Torah
and the Jewish festivals.
In 1980, Bill legally changed his first name to Yisrayl, and began The House of Yahweh
Abilene at his home. Hawkins says he and his brother were prophesied in both the Old
and New Testament
s as the Two Witnesses
, sent by Yahweh to prepare the world for the Second Coming
of Yahshua
the Messiah
.
The Mark of the Beast Vol. 1 & 2, The Lost Faith of the Apostles and Prophets, Deception, Devil Worship: The Shocking Facts!, Unveiling Satan!, The End, In Search of a Savior, There Is Someone Out There, The Two Witnesses, and The Peaceful Solution. Hawkins was the primary editor of The Book of Yahweh: The Holy Scriptures, now in its 10th edition, which is the House of Yahweh's translation of the Bible
. With its use of the name Yahweh
throughout the New Testament, it fits into the category of Sacred name Bibles
.
Among other things, Hawkins has promoted the building of the third Jewish Temple
in Jerusalem, but in a location that would not damage or intrude upon the Dome of the Rock
, one of Islam
's holiest sites. Hawkins explained his view of Ezekiel's Temple Prophecies in the thirteen page brochure A Peaceful Solution To Building The Next Temple In Yerusalem, published in 1989. Detailing the Temple's construction from measurements found in the Bible. In the brochure, Hawkins also briefly discusses a prophesied division of Jerusalem.
web show thisisaknife
about his apocalyptic predictions. Among other things, he claimed that Abilene, Texas
would be saved from the impending destruction and invited the show's presenter to join him there so he would be safe.
Whether the entire nuclear event was to take place on that date, or in the months leading up to was never made clear. He also stated that by four months after June 12, October 13, 2007, four-fifths or 80% of the human race would be dead from nuclear war.
. It was alleged that he has 30 wives.
In October 2009, all 4 counts of bigamy charges were dropped.
House of Yahweh
The House of Yahweh is a religious movement based in Abilene, Texas. Its Pastor and Overseer is Yisrayl Hawkins . The group has had membership of people from around the globe, and welcomes all "who will repent of sin and follow Yahweh's Law." The group has been controversial, and is referred to...
(Abilene)
Abilene, Texas
Abilene is a city in Taylor and Jones counties in west central Texas. The population was 117,063 at the 2010 census. It is the principal city of the Abilene Metropolitan Statistical Area, which had a 2006 estimated population of 158,063. It is the county seat of Taylor County...
, known for predicting that nuclear war
Nuclear warfare
Nuclear warfare, or atomic warfare, is a military conflict or political strategy in which nuclear weaponry is detonated on an opponent. Compared to conventional warfare, nuclear warfare can be vastly more destructive in range and extent of damage...
would start on September 12, 2006.
The House of Yahweh (HoY), a non-profit religious organization, believes it follows the one true faith as revealed by the Creator from the beginning and was re-established again in what they believe are the prophesied end times. Hawkins claims to be descended from Jewish immigrants who fled persecution in Europe.
Biography
In 1974, his brother, J. G. (Yaaqob) Hawkins, returned from a seven year visit to IsraelIsrael
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
claiming he had "found proof of Yahweh's name". Shortly after, he formed the "first House of Yahweh" in Odessa, Texas
Odessa, Texas
Odessa is a city in and the county seat of Ector County, Texas, United States. It is located primarily in Ector County, although a small portion of the city extends into Midland County. Odessa's population was 99,940 at the 2010 census. It is the principal city of the Odessa, Texas Metropolitan...
. He preached distinct doctrines that his brother agreed with, such as the necessity of referring to the Creator as Yahweh and the Messiah
Messiah
A messiah is a redeemer figure expected or foretold in one form or another by a religion. Slightly more widely, a messiah is any redeemer figure. Messianic beliefs or theories generally relate to eschatological improvement of the state of humanity or the world, in other words the World to...
as Yahshua
Yahshua
Yahshua is an argued transliteration of the original Hebrew or Aramaic name of Jesus commonly used by individuals in the Sacred Name Movement....
, as well as following the Torah
Torah
Torah- A scroll containing the first five books of the BibleThe Torah , is name given by Jews to the first five books of the bible—Genesis , Exodus , Leviticus , Numbers and Deuteronomy Torah- A scroll containing the first five books of the BibleThe Torah , is name given by Jews to the first five...
and the Jewish festivals.
In 1980, Bill legally changed his first name to Yisrayl, and began The House of Yahweh
House of Yahweh
The House of Yahweh is a religious movement based in Abilene, Texas. Its Pastor and Overseer is Yisrayl Hawkins . The group has had membership of people from around the globe, and welcomes all "who will repent of sin and follow Yahweh's Law." The group has been controversial, and is referred to...
Abilene at his home. Hawkins says he and his brother were prophesied in both the Old
Old Testament
The Old Testament, of which Christians hold different views, is a Christian term for the religious writings of ancient Israel held sacred and inspired by Christians which overlaps with the 24-book canon of the Masoretic Text of Judaism...
and New Testament
New Testament
The New Testament is the second major division of the Christian biblical canon, the first such division being the much longer Old Testament....
s as the Two Witnesses
Two Witnesses
The two witnesses are two of God's prophets who are seen in a vision by John of Patmos, who appear during the Second woe in the Book of Revelation 11:1-14....
, sent by Yahweh to prepare the world for the Second Coming
Second Coming
In Christian doctrine, the Second Coming of Christ, the Second Advent, or the Parousia, is the anticipated return of Jesus Christ from Heaven, where he sits at the Right Hand of God, to Earth. This prophecy is found in the canonical gospels and in most Christian and Islamic eschatologies...
of Yahshua
Yahshua
Yahshua is an argued transliteration of the original Hebrew or Aramaic name of Jesus commonly used by individuals in the Sacred Name Movement....
the Messiah
Messiah
A messiah is a redeemer figure expected or foretold in one form or another by a religion. Slightly more widely, a messiah is any redeemer figure. Messianic beliefs or theories generally relate to eschatological improvement of the state of humanity or the world, in other words the World to...
.
Writings & beliefs
Hawkins has written numerous books concerning Yahweh's Laws and Prophecies. Some areThe Mark of the Beast Vol. 1 & 2, The Lost Faith of the Apostles and Prophets, Deception, Devil Worship: The Shocking Facts!, Unveiling Satan!, The End, In Search of a Savior, There Is Someone Out There, The Two Witnesses, and The Peaceful Solution. Hawkins was the primary editor of The Book of Yahweh: The Holy Scriptures, now in its 10th edition, which is the House of Yahweh's translation of the Bible
Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
. With its use of the name Yahweh
Yahweh
Yahweh is the name of God in the Bible, the God of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Jews and Christians.The word Yahweh is a modern scholarly convention for the Hebrew , transcribed into Roman letters as YHWH and known as the Tetragrammaton, for which the original pronunciation is unknown...
throughout the New Testament, it fits into the category of Sacred name Bibles
Sacred name Bibles
The term Sacred Name Bibles and the term sacred-name versions are used in general sources to refer to editions of the Bible that are usually connected with the Sacred Name Movement...
.
Among other things, Hawkins has promoted the building of the third Jewish Temple
Jewish temple
Jewish temple:*Jewish temple or The Jewish Temple, may refer to the original two ancient Jewish Temples in Jerusalem.**The First Temple was destroyed by the ancient Babylonians in 586 BCE.**The Second Temple was destroyed by Rome in 70 CE....
in Jerusalem, but in a location that would not damage or intrude upon the Dome of the Rock
Dome of the Rock
The Dome of the Rock is a shrine located on the Temple Mount in the Old City of Jerusalem. The structure has been refurbished many times since its initial completion in 691 CE at the order of Umayyad Caliph Abd al-Malik...
, one of Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
's holiest sites. Hawkins explained his view of Ezekiel's Temple Prophecies in the thirteen page brochure A Peaceful Solution To Building The Next Temple In Yerusalem, published in 1989. Detailing the Temple's construction from measurements found in the Bible. In the brochure, Hawkins also briefly discusses a prophesied division of Jerusalem.
Starting September 12, 2006
Hawkins announced in the House of Yahweh's February 2006 newsletter that nuclear war would start September 12, 2006. He claimed it is a part of the HoY's commission to warn the nations and the people of the world. He was interviewed on the Channel 4Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
web show thisisaknife
Thisisaknife
thisisaknife was a web show produced for Channel 4 in the UK by World of Wonder that ran from December 2005 to September 2007.Originally daily, it ran from 5 January to 27 April 2006, and was presented by Donal Coonan, Rachna Suri, Alex Sutton and Susan Hickey.After a gap of two weeks, it...
about his apocalyptic predictions. Among other things, he claimed that Abilene, Texas
Abilene, Texas
Abilene is a city in Taylor and Jones counties in west central Texas. The population was 117,063 at the 2010 census. It is the principal city of the Abilene Metropolitan Statistical Area, which had a 2006 estimated population of 158,063. It is the county seat of Taylor County...
would be saved from the impending destruction and invited the show's presenter to join him there so he would be safe.
Starting June 12, 2007
Later, Hawkins amended his prediction to state that a nuclear war was only conceived on September 12, 2006, and that it would follow the natural birth cycle of a woman, finally being "born" nine months later on June 12, 2007. On May 7, 2007 a new counter was put up on his website, counting down to the June 12 date when supposedly, the "Nuclear Baby" (conceived September 12) would be born.Whether the entire nuclear event was to take place on that date, or in the months leading up to was never made clear. He also stated that by four months after June 12, October 13, 2007, four-fifths or 80% of the human race would be dead from nuclear war.
Starting June 12, 2008
Most recently, he has stated the nuclear war would begin on Thursday June 12, 2008. Since the passing of this date without incident, Hawkins has yet to predict another date for a nuclear war.Legal issues
In May 2008 Hawkins was charged with bigamyBigamy
In cultures that practice marital monogamy, bigamy is the act of entering into a marriage with one person while still legally married to another. Bigamy is a crime in most western countries, and when it occurs in this context often neither the first nor second spouse is aware of the other...
. It was alleged that he has 30 wives.
In October 2009, all 4 counts of bigamy charges were dropped.