Book Review

FROM THE BACK COVER:
INTO EGYPT AGAIN WITH SHIPS explains the spiritual implications regarding the more than 250 years of chattel slavery, 100 years of Jim Crow, semi-permanent underclass status, and loss of identity that “African Americans” have suffered in the United States. This book also reveals the biblical solution that will lead to the complete liberation of a people. All those who have descended from slaves, and consider themselves to be “Negro”, “Black”, or “African American” should have the audacity to read this book.

Into Egypt Again with Ships: A Message to the Forgotten Israelites (African Americans) by Elisha J. Israel is perhaps the most comprehensive and succinct exposition I’ve read on American blacks being indisputably Israelites. I read the book in its entirety over the course of a weekend.

Israel treats the so-called “African American” condition in the United States with sharp, spiritual precision. He argues that the dilemma of the so-called “African Americans” is spiritual and that they can identify this problem in the Holy Bible in the book of Deuteronomy at the 28th chapter.

Mr. Israel states in the Preface, “The greatest atrocity recorded in than annals of human history is without question the Transatlantic Slave Trade. It is estimated that anywhere from 20 to 100 million slaves died during the Middle Passage alone. The victims of slavery suffered the most wretched conditions imaginable…Furthermore, who are these people that were packed into the bowels of slave ships against their will? Will they ever be redeemed?”(p.5)

Israel confirms the conclusions of this reviewer that their redemption lies in the so-called “African American” entering back into covenant relationship with his God.

Mr. Israel offers a tremendous historical and geographical backdrop to substantiate his thesis. He affirms that Israel is in Africa and that it was the construction of the Suez Canal that “extracted ‘Middle Eastern’ countries from the African continent, among them the nation of Israel.” (p.7) Such a hijacking, Israel accurately claims has “altered the way most individuals view not only countries such as Egypt but Israel, as well.” (p. 8)

The author also demonstrates from the scripture the color of the original Biblical Hebrew-Israelites. For we in read in Lamentations 4:7, “Her Nazarites were purer than snow, they were whiter than milk, they were more ruddy in body than rubies, their polishing was of sapphire:” (p. 21) On page 22, he quotes Lamentations 4:8, “Their visage is blacker than a coal; they are not known in the streets: their skin cleaveth to their bones; it is withered, it is become like a stick.” Mr. Israel also shares on the same page from Lamentations 5:10, “Our skin was black like an oven because of the terrible famine.” He also shares a verses I grew up hearing describing the color of Jesus the Messiah in Revelation 1:14-15, “His head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes were as a flame of fire; And his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and his voice as the sound of many waters.” (pp. 22-23)

Mr. Israel tackles the taboo subject of who these Ashkenazim are. They are of the stock of Edom. He quotes Genesis 15:23 to introduce his position, “And the LORD said unto her, Two nations are in thy womb, and two manner of people shall be separated from thy bowels; and the one people shall be stronger than the other people; and the elder shall serve the younger.” (p.66) He chronicles Edom’s animosity towards Jacob’s seed by quoting Numbers 20:17-21, “Let us pass, I pray thee, through thy country: we will not pass through the fields, or through the vineyards, neither will we drink of the water of the wells: we will go by the king's high way, we will not turn to the right hand nor to the left, until we have passed thy borders. And Edom said unto him, Thou shalt not pass by me, lest I come out against thee with the sword. And the children of Israel said unto him, We will go by the high way: and if I and my cattle drink of thy water, then I will pay for it: I will only, without doing anything else, go through on my feet. And he said, Thou shalt not go through. And Edom came out against him with much people, and with a strong hand. Thus Edom refused to give Israel passage through his border: wherefore Israel turned away from him.” (p. 67)

Israel illustrates that the Zionist takeover and occupation of Palestine was prophesied in the Scripture. He quotes Ezekiel 36:5, “Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Surely in the fire of my jealousy have I spoken against the residue of the heathen, and against all Idumea, which have appointed my land into their possession with the joy of all their heart, with despiteful minds, to cast it out for a prey.” (p. 70) The Edomite-Zionist Jew’s prosperity is also prophesied in the Scripture. Mr. Israel shares from Genesis 27:38-40, “And Esau said unto his father, Hast thou but one blessing, my father? bless me, even me also, O my father. And Esau lifted up his voice, and wept. And Isaac his father answered and said unto him, Behold, thy dwelling shall be the fatness of the earth, and of the dew of heaven from above; And by thy sword shalt thou live, and shalt serve thy brother; and it shall come to pass when thou shalt have the dominion, that thou shalt break his yoke from off thy neck.”

After reading such passages as these in their proper historical context everything becomes crystal clear.

More than anything else, I lavishly applaud Mr. Israel’s emphasis on the centrality of Jesus Christ the Messiah. He forewarns those Israelites who reject Yehoshua as the Messiah sent from God (Hashem). He devotes an in depth chapter establishing how the Old Testament speaks of Christ in every detail. This chapter alone is worth the read. He does some excellent clarification on the use of “Jesus”, “Yeshua”, etc. Israel writes, “For many years there has been an ongoing controversy regarding the validity of using the name of Jesus instead of ‘Yeshua’, ‘Yahoshua’, ‘Yahsua’, or some other name…Regarding original Hebrew, what people must understand is that almost every name can be translated or transliterated from language to language, and the name of ‘Jesus’ is no different.” (p.104)

Regarding the “Zeus controversy” for example, Mr. Israel remarks it “is simply an issue of transliteration. The name ‘Jesus’ comes into English from the New Testament, which was written in Greek. In the Greek alphabet there was not a way to express the ‘sh’ sound to fully transliterate the name ‘Yeshua’ into Greek. This is how we came to get ‘Iesous’. Since the ending of the word ‘Iesous’ is ‘sous’ some have claimed that there existed an evil plot to replace the name of the Messiah with one that means ‘Zeus’ or ‘son of Zeus.’ (I read somewhere that ‘Iesous’ meant ‘like Zeus’) This is inaccurate for several reasons…” The reader is encouraged to consult page 105 for further details on the linguistic complexities and their subsequent clarifications.

Ultimately, the solution for the Black community is not found in the leadership of man. The majority of so-called “Black leaders” have proven to be careerist yes-men and women. Instead of partnering with a leader, Israel asserts that we should partner with God in our struggle. Mr. Israel eloquently states, “Although many solutions have been proposed, unless Israel again makes a similar covenant between themselves and God and are obedient to His laws, statutes, and commandments their condition will not improve. In these last days, there must be a spiritual covenant rather than an economic, social, or political one.” (p. 136) The regathering and restoration of Israel will occur at a future time. Elisha J. Israel quotes Jeremiah 23:5-8 and Ezekiel 34:11-12 among others to affirm his conclusions. (pp. 141-143)

He concludes by stating, “…Israel will not be gathered fully until the fast approaching Second Coming of Jesus Christ. Contrary to popular teaching of many Biblical scholars and pastors, a genuine gathering of the Israelites or the Jews is not presently occurring. There will be a spiritual awakening of the Children of Israel to their identity and purpose. This awakening will occur prior to Jesus’ Second Advent. Then the elect of God will be gathered from around the world. There is no doubt that salvation for this people is soon to come.” (p. 144)

Copyright © 2010 Emeth Book Review. All Rights Reserved.

"Specializing in the reading and review of rare and obscure books, particularly related to the study of the Hebrews of antiquity and their descendants throughout the Diaspora. We will specifically explore books that confirm the African genesis of the Hebrew way of life as it was expressed in the Yahvism found within their Scriptures."