THE HOUSE OF YAHWEH BEKA BUTLER 6 TH

THE HOUSE OF YAHWEH BEKA BUTLER 6 TH HOUR

BASIC INFO The House of Yahweh (HOY) is a religious movement based in Clyde, Texas. Its founder and pastor is Yisrayl Hawkins (formerly "Buffalo" Bill Hawkins), a former member of the Worldwide Church of God. The group has membership around the globe. The assembly has been controversial, and is referred to as a cult by at least one former member and by the cult-monitoring website Religioustolerance. org, which finds that the House of Yahweh meets ten of its ten signs of a dangerous and "high risk group. ” House of Yahweh means “House of God” in the Hebrew bible.

YISRAYL (BUFFALO BILL) HAWKINS • He’s the founder • In 1974, his brother, J. G. (Yaaqob) Hawkins, returned from a seven-year visit to Israel 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 Testaments as the Two Witnesses, sent by Yahweh to prepare the world for the Second Coming of Yahshua the Messiah.

HOW IT DIFFERS FROM OTHER CULTS • Members appear to be physically free to leave the group at any time • At least two individuals in this group have died due to lack of professional medical attention. However, this group has not resulted in a major loss of life comparable to the dozens or hundreds who have died in other cults

HISTORY • 1967; Opened their fist church in Oddessa, Texas (Opened by Jacob Hawkins) • 1980; Opened their second church in Abilene, Texas (Opened by Yisrayl Hawkins) • Once member entered they gave 10% of their earnings to the group, and were led by 12 disciples and 70 elders • They held religious services on Saturday and celebrated the main Jewish holidays, including Passover, Pentecost, and the Feast of Tabernacles. They rejected Christmas, Easter, and Halloween as Pagan inventions • After Jacob Hawkins' death, the Odessa House of Yahweh became defunct. • Jacob's brother, Yisrayl, was originally part of the Odessa House of Yahweh, but left in 1980, after the brothers disagreed on the proper name for God • Yisrayl is the High Priest of the House of Yahweh, and is assisted by several elders and deacons. The group celebrates the feasts which are mentioned in Leviticus 23. • Yisrayl has written several books about biblical prophecy and upcoming destructive events. The doctrine of the Abilene House of Yahweh focuses on the upcoming destruction of mankind and the evil which exists in the modern world.

BELIEFS Satan is a female who is the former wife of Yahweh. She rebelled and was expelled from Heaven. She has indirectly controlled of all of the world's governments and religions by appointing all political and religious leaders. The terms "God" and "Lord" actually refer to the minority of disobedient angels who were expelled from Heaven with Satan. Catholicism and Protestantism are evil faith groups, symbolized by the two horns of the beast mentioned in Revelation 13: 11. Yahshua Messiah (Jesus Christ) and Yahweh (God) are two separate beings. The Trinity does not exist. Yahshua Messiah did not exist from the creation of the world; he was conceived late in the 1 st century BCE, and did not exist before that time. Yisrayl Hawkins and his late brother Jacob are the two witnesses mentioned in Revelation 11: 3. Holding religious services on Sunday and observing the traditional Christian holidays harms believers. They are given the "mark of the Beast" as mentioned in Revelation 13: 15 -18 and other verses in that biblical book.

PRACTICES • The women are covered in long skirts and long-sleeve shirts and veils for modesty. Many of the children have different mothers and share the same father. • 73 -year-old leader performs polygamous weddings and forces about 40 children - some as young as 11 - to work jobs at his 44 -acre compound • Although members deny they practice polygamy, former members say Yisrayl Hawkins has at least two dozen wives - and state records show he fathered two babies in the same year with women ages 19 and 22 • Former members describe Hawkins as a zealot whose teachings are a blend of Old Testament directives on diet and cleanliness, New Testament beliefs in Jesus, and Hawkins' own prophecies rooted in the Book of Revelation • Hundreds of his followers have legally changed their last names to Hawkins - including Yedidiyah and Tanah. Many have taken biblical first names that - like their leader's - include the letter "y. “ • Worshippers must first remove their shoes, and feet and hands are then sprayed with disinfectant before they come in. Men and women are seated on separate sides of an 8 -foot wall dividing the sanctuary. Everyone wears gloves for cleanliness

FACTS • A 7 -year-old died in 2003 after her mother and another member performed home surgery on her infected leg. Both women were convicted of injury to a child. • In 2006, a woman bled to death after giving birth because she was prevented from going to the hospital • The House of Yahweh compound has wind generators, a cafeteria, a food-processing plant and dozens of tractortrailer rigs holding canned goods. It also has a few stores carrying homemade toiletries and clothing. • House of Yahweh followers live in mobile homes surrounding the sect's compound, which is occupied only by a few caretakers. Other members own homes nearby or live in trailer parks owned by Hawkins in Abilene • Yisrayl Hawkins owns at least $2. 1 million in land, housing and mobile homes.

WORKS CITED Religioustolerance. org Houseofyahweh. com Culteducation. org FACTnet. org Cracked. com