More and more people these days are starting to buy into a theology that claims that Israel was black (and that therefore all black people are Israelites) and that Jesus was black. One website, not associated with The Black Hebrew Israelites cult, references two verses of Scripture as his proof text for Jesus being a black man.
Daniel 10:6
"His body also was like the beryl, and his face as the appearance of lightning, and his eyes as lamps of fire, and his arms and his feet like in colour to polished brass, and the voice of his words like the voice of a multitude." (KJV)
"His body also was like beryl, his face had the appearance of lightning, his eyes were like flaming torches, his arms and feet like the gleam of polished bronze, and the sound of his words like the sound of a tumult." (NASB)
Revelation 1:15
"And his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and his voice as the sound of many waters." (KJV)
"His feet were like burnished bronze, when it has been made to glow in a furnace, and His voice was like the sound of many waters." (NASB)
The first verse, it is debated as to whether this is Jesus or another angel. If it were Jesus, do we really believe that the Devil could "withstand" Him, and that Michael the archangel would have to come to His rescue? We are talking about God Almighty here. After all, Ezekiel describes the four creatures as sparkling like polished bronze (1:7). Even if it were Jesus, does this man with his website (and those who believe like him) not understand poetic language? The descriptions in these two verses are poetic, symbolic—not literal! Hence the usage of the word "like."
Let us address his reference to Daniel 10:6. The text says this man's body was like (poetic language—not literal description) beryl (or yellow serpentine). The text says his arms and feet were like (poetic language—not literal description) the gleam of polished brass (KJV) or polished bronze (NASB) or burnished bronze (ESV). That is not the colour of a black man! Quite obviously this man with his website (and those who believe like him) is colour blind.
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The above image on the left is of beryl. The above image in the center if of polished brass. The above image on the right is of polished bronze. Notice the yellowish-brown colour of the brass and bronze? By no stretch of the imagination is this the colour of a black man! No amount of reaching or eisegetical gymnastics will get a black man out of this description!
Let us address his reference to Revelation 1:15. The text says his feet were like (poetic language—not literal description) fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace (KJV) or burnished bronze, when it has been made to glow in a furnace (NASB) or burnished bronze, refined in a furnace (ESV). It does not say that his feet were "burned bronze," where this man with his website falsely assumes and draws his false conclusion based on an assumption that Jesus' feet were "black." The Greek word here (chalkolibanon, χαλκολίβανον) is "a certain kind of (yellow) frankincense." From chalkos (χαλκός), “what is made of brass,” and libanos (λίβανος), “frankincense.” No doubt John's thoughts were on Daniel 10:6. The word implies a "whiteness of brilliancy," "having a brilliant lustre." The other Greek word here (puroo, πυρόω) means "to set on fire." The verb form used (πεπυρωμένης) means "having been refined," as the ESV renders it. If you take a piece of iron and heat it up in a furnace, what happens to it? It glows red. Hence the term "red hot." If it gets hot enough, it glows white. Hence the term "white hot." The image presented here is one of purity, as in gold refined by fire, removing any dross.
The above image is what burnished bronze would look like. It has a glow like a brilliant lustre, having been refined in the fire. It is a yellowish-brown colour. The polished brass or polished bronze colours above look similar to this colour below.
This colour is olive. The yellowish-brown or olive colour is the same pigment we tend to see in middle-eastern Asian people today. Beware of false teachers who show you photos of dark brown bronzed feet, arguing that it is proof that Jesus was a black man. Just do an image search for “polished bronze” and you will quickly discover what cons and great liars these in-dividuals are. Polished bronze can have a yellow (like gold), beige, or light brown (hazelnut) colour. It does not become darker in colour until you have applied certain coatings and a wax to protect it. At that point, it is no longer “polished” bronze.
Also beware of false teachers who use the argument that black people come in a variety of pigments, including white. While this is true (a black person can be born with albinism), it is also true of Asians. Look at the Asian nations of Turkey, Iraq, Iran, Pakistan, India, China, Korea, Japan, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam, etc., and people groups such as Native Americans, Mayans, and Incans. They all have different skin pigments. Some are darker than others. It does not mean they are "black" or that their lineage was affected by blacks.
Copper is darker than brass and bronze and would be a much better descriptor of a black man. Jesus was not a white man, to the contrary ignorance of those who think He was white! Jesus was not a black man, to the contrary ignorance of those who think He was black! He was a Jew, and His skin colour would have been the same yellowish-brown olive colour as the middle-eastern Asians we see today.
For the individual white man who thinks/believes that Jesus was a white man—if it turned out that Jesus was indeed a black man, what would that do to your faith? If you have a problem with that, if your faith is based on the colour of His skin, then your faith quite obviously is not the genuine thing. For the individual black man who thinks/believes that Jesus was a black man—if it turned out that Jesus was indeed a white man, what would that do to your faith? If you have a problem with that, if your faith is based on the colour of His skin, then your faith quite obviously is not the genuine thing.
The language of these two verses is poetic or symbolic. It is not literal. Those who try to take it as literal are making a category error and quite obviously have no actual training in how to read and/or study God's Word. Do these individuals read passages where Jesus is described as a lamb and think that He was an actual four-footed bleating animal? I would hope not!
Also beware of false teachers who use the argument that black people come in a variety of pigments, including white. While this is true (a black person can be born with albinism), it is also true of Asians. Look at the Asian nations of Turkey, Iraq, Iran, Pakistan, India, China, Korea, Japan, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam, etc., and people groups such as Native Americans, Mayans, and Incans. They all have different skin pigments. Some are darker than others. It does not mean they are "black" or that their lineage was affected by blacks.
For the individual white man who thinks/believes that Jesus was a white man—if it turned out that Jesus was indeed a black man, what would that do to your faith? If you have a problem with that, if your faith is based on the colour of His skin, then your faith quite obviously is not the genuine thing. For the individual black man who thinks/believes that Jesus was a black man—if it turned out that Jesus was indeed a white man, what would that do to your faith? If you have a problem with that, if your faith is based on the colour of His skin, then your faith quite obviously is not the genuine thing.
The language of these two verses is poetic or symbolic. It is not literal. Those who try to take it as literal are making a category error and quite obviously have no actual training in how to read and/or study God's Word. Do these individuals read passages where Jesus is described as a lamb and think that He was an actual four-footed bleating animal? I would hope not!
The Israelites were not black. Black people today are not Israelites. People who believe this today are just as gullible, ignorant, and arrogant as those who believe that the Israelites were white. The typical painting you see of the Last Supper is in error. None of the disciples, not even Jesus, were white! Sites like the one I am refuting in this article, including cult groups like The Black Hebrew Israelites, are also wrong because none of the disciples, not even Jesus, were black!
These individuals can make all the false claims they want, twisting Scripture as much as they desire, but those of us correctly dividing the word of truth will always stand in their way, exposing their eisegesis.
These individuals can make all the false claims they want, twisting Scripture as much as they desire, but those of us correctly dividing the word of truth will always stand in their way, exposing their eisegesis.