BE BRAVE! BE STRONG!
The Persecution Of Yahweh's Saints Is Nothing New!

My Dear Friends,

Religious persecution has not stopped, even in America it continues to this very day. The religions use the news media, which are owned by them. They vote their people into political offices. In this way, the judges, all the way to the Supreme Court, can use their power to fight against Yahweh's Work in these Last Days; fulfilling the Prophecy of Revelation 12:17.
Revelation 12:17—
And the dragon was enraged with the woman, and went to make war with those who forsook her seed; her seed being those who keep the Laws of Yahweh, and have the Testimony of Yahshua Messiah.

If anyone lives Righteously, as Yahshua lived Righteously, he will suffer persecution. Notice what the Apostle Shaul said in:
II Timothy 3:12—
Yes, and all who will live Righteously, as Yahshua Messiah, will suffer persecution.

First notice that the Apostles of Yahshua knew that anyone who would live Righteously like Yahshua would suffer persecution. They knew this because, first off, it was prophesied; secondly, they were being persecuted themselves.

Please remember what the Savior said.
Yahchanan 15:18-23—
18 If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you.
19 If you were of the world, the world would have loved its own. But because you are not part of the world, for I have chosen you out of the world, for this reason the world hates you.
20 Remember the word that I said to you: A servant is not greater than his ruler. If they have persecuted Me, they will also persecute you. If they have kept My Word, they will keep yours also.
21 But all these things they will do to you because of My Name—for they do not know Him Who sent Me.
22 If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have had their sins revealed; but now they have no cloak, covering for their sins.
23 He who hates Me, also hates My Father.

Please notice, the Savior taught Yahweh's Laws, revealing their sins.

The House of Yahweh

Yahweh said, in the Last Days I will establish My House and it will bring forth the Laws and Prophecies to all the world. The same Laws that Yahshua taught, that caused Yahshua to be persecuted and killed, the established House of Yahweh teaches today.

Isayah 2:1-4—
1 The word that Isayah son of Amoz saw concerning Yahdah and Yerusalem.
2 It will come to pass in the Last Days, that the mountain; promotion, of The House of Yahweh will be established in the chief of the nations, and will be raised above all congregations; and all nations will eventually flow to it.
3 And many people will go and say; Come, and let us go up to Abel; to the mountain; to promote/praise Yahweh, to the House of the Father of Yaaqob, and He will teach us of His Ways, and we will walk in His Paths. For the Laws and the Word of Yahweh will be restored to Abel by those who keep all His Laws and who are taught by the Priest who teaches peace.
4 He will judge among the nations, and will rebuke many people; they will beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning-hooks; nation will not lift up sword against nation, neither will they learn war anymore.

These are the same Laws that Yahshua taught that cause us to be persecuted today. People come to The House of Yahweh from all nations because they hear of this Great Work that Yahweh is doing. They come from all religions. They are not converted when they come to Yahweh's House for Judgment but their desire is to convert to Yahweh's Laws.

If a Catholic of forty years came to The House of Yahweh and was accused of some crime, the news media would declare to all the world that he is a "House of Yahweh member" who was arrested for whatever and insinuate that he is guilty. Yes, this story would not only be broadcast by the local news media but all the major news media including CNN.

They would never tell what church any other accused person is from. Church members are accused, arrested and convicted weekly, but their religion is never revealed. But if a person has darkened the door of The House of Yahweh, he is carried by the news media in ways to make the whole House of Yahweh look evil in the eyes of the viewers. The Savior received the same treatment by the same religions. Why? Because their full intention is to bring hatred against The House of Yahweh.

"They are not going to brag on you. They are not going to tell what a wonderful person you are,how you are and how sincere you are in keeping the Laws. They are going to accuse you of every rotten stinking thing that they can, and make out like its fact, just like the people did with Yahshua. It should be no surprise to any of us that these things are taking place in our lives. They are here to test us to see if we are going to run from persecution. I can promise you one thing, if this will make you feel better: it will get worse. Does that make you feel better? You will be tested more severely than you are right now."
Overseer Yisrayl Hawkins, 7/30/94

Why? Why? Why?

Neither the news media, nor the religions know why they persecute us today. They are blind to the Plan of Yahweh. They hate anyone who uses the Name of Yahweh. They hate anyone who keeps the Seventh Day Sabbath according to the Ten Commandments.

When the world shows hatred to you, they also show hatred to Yahweh Who gives us His Laws and the Savior Who taught these Laws, and says all Authority in heaven and in earth is given to Him.
Yahchanan 5:24-29—
24 Truly, truly, I say to you: He who hears My Words; My Teachings pertaining to the Laws and the Prophets, believing Yahweh Who sent Me, has Everlasting Life, and will not come under condemnation; but has passed from death to Life.
25 Truly, truly, I say to you: The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of Yahweh; and those who hear will live.
26 For just as the Father has life in Himself, so He has given to the Son to have life in Himself;
27 And has given Him Authority to execute Judgment also, because He is the Son of Man.
28 Do not be astonished at this—for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His Voice,
29 And will come forth. Those who have practiced Righteousness will be resurrected in order to live; and those who have practiced wickedness will be resurrected in order to be damned.

All religions—Catholic, Christian, Islamic, Hindu, Buddhist, Jewish, etc.—have rejected the instructions of the Savior which alone can bring Eternal Life.

The Catholic Church now says it is turning it's hope to Mary. But such statements are totally without Scriptural foundation. If they speak not according to the Laws and Prophecies there is no foundation for what they say and those who follow suffer with them.
Isayah 8:20-22—
20 To the Laws and to the Prophecy: if they speak not according to these Words, it is because there is no Light in them.
21 And they will pass through it hard pressed and hungry; and it will come to pass when they are hungry, that they will be enraged and curse their king and their gods (elohim), and look upward for help.
22 Then they will look to the earth, and behold trouble and darkness, gloom of anguish; and they will be thrust into thick darkness.
I Yahchanan 2:4—
He who says: I know Him, but does not keep His Laws, is a liar, and the Truth is not in him.

So Why Do They Persecute Those Who Keep Yahweh's Laws?

This is the strange thing about the persecution of the Righteous. Notice again the Savior's Words.
Yahchanan 15:20—
Remember the Word that I said to you: A servant is not greater than his ruler. If they have persecuted Me, they will also persecute you. If they have kept My Word, they will keep yours also.
Acts 7:52—
Which of the Prophets have not your fathers persecuted? And they have slain those who foretold the coming of the Just One; of Whom you now have become the betrayers andmurderers.
II Timothy 3:12—
Yes, and all who will live Righteously, as Yahshua Messiah, will suffer persecution.

A History Of Persecution

Anytime one starts living by the Laws of Yahweh, the persecution begins. It will come from all those around you and sometimes it comes from within your own family. Yahshua warned us about this.
Mattithyah 10:32-38—
32 Whoever, therefore, will acknowledge Me before men, him will I also acknowledge before My Father Who is in heaven.
33 But whoever denies Me before men, him will I also deny before My Father Who is in heaven.
34 Do not think that I have come to send peace on earth! I did not come to send peace, but a sword.
35 For I have come to set a man against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law;
36 And a man's enemies will be those of his own house.
37 He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me.
38 And he who does not take up his yoke; denies himself, and follows after Me, is not worthy of Me.

Millions of persecutions have come upon Yahweh's People from those who hate His Laws. Just as the people of old suffered for their Belief or Faith in the Heavenly Father, The House of Yahweh in these Last Days has also suffered persecution and hatred because we will not break Yahweh's Laws. The fact is, living Righteously brings tribulation from those who are not living Righteously, just as Yahshua taught in:
Yahchanan 15:20—
Remember the word that I said to you: A servant is not greater than his ruler. If they have persecuted Me, they will also persecute you. If they have kept My Word, they will keep yours also.

Persecution, Arrest And Death Of The Messiah

Yahshua was persecuted from the time He started His Ministry. When He started preaching Yahweh's Truth, the persecutors rose up against that Truth and also against Him.
Luke 4:28-30—
28 When all those in the synagogue heard these things, they were filled with wrath,
29 And rose up, and drove Him out of the city, pushing Him to the edge of the cliff on which the city was built, that they might throw Him down headlong.
30 But He slipped through the midst of them, and went His Way.

Yahshua was persecuted all the days of His Ministry by religious leaders who continually tried to stir up the people against Him.
Yahchanan 5:8-18—
8 Yahshua said to him: Rise, take up your bed, and walk.
9 Then instantly the man was healed, and took up his bed, and walked. Now that same day was the Sabbath.
10 Because of this, the Yahdaim said to him who was cured; This is the Sabbath! It is not lawful for you to carry your bed!
11 He answered them; He Who healed me, also said to me: Take up your bed and walk.
12 Then they asked him; Who is the Man Who said to you: Take up your bed and walk?
13 But he who was healed did not know Who He was; for Yahshua had slipped away, a multitude being in that place.
14 Afterward, Yahshua found him in the sacred precincts of The House of Yahweh, and said to him: Behold, you are healed. Sin no more, or a worse thing will come upon you.
15 Then the man went off and told the Yahdaim that it was Yahshua Who had healed him.
16 And, because of this, the Yahdaim persecuted Yahshua and sought to kill Him, because He had done these things on the Sabbath Day.
17 But Yahshua answered them: My Father works until now, and I work.
18 And because of that, the Yahdaim sought even harder to kill Him, because, to them He not only had broken the Sabbath, but also said that Yahweh was His Father, in their opinion making Himself equal with Yahweh.
Yahchanan 7:1—
After these things Yahshua walked in Galilee. He did not want to move about in Yahdah, because the Yahdaim sought to kill Him.
Yahchanan 7:28-32
28 Then Yahshua cried out in the sacred precincts of The House of Yahweh as He taught saying: So you know Me, and you know where I am from? But I have not come on My Own, but He Who sent Me is True, Whom you do not know.
29 But I know Him; for I am out of Him, and He has sent Me.
30 Then they sought to arrest Him; but no man laid hands on Him, because His Hour had not yet come.
31 Then many of the people believed in Him, and said; When Messiah comes, could He do more acts of power than this Man has done?
32 The Pharisees heard that the people murmured such things concerning Him, so the Pharisees and the chief priests sent officers to arrest Him.

It is a Scriptural Truth that our Messiah was arrested and handed over to the officials of the land.
Yahchanan 18:2-8,12—
2 Now Yahdah, who betrayed Him, also knew the place; for Yahshua had often gone there with His Disciples.
3 Then Yahdah, guiding a band of soldiers and officers from the chief priests and Pharisees, came there with lanterns, torches, and weapons.
4 Yahshua, therefore, knowing everything that would come upon Him, went forward, and said to them: Who are you looking for?
5 They answered Him; Yahshua of Nazareth. Yahshua said to them: I am He. And Yahdah, who betrayed Him, also stood with them.
6 Now as soon as Yahshua said to them: I am He, they went backward and fell to the ground.
7 Then He asked them again: Who are you looking for? And they said; Yahshua of Nazareth.
8 Yahshua answered: I have told you that I am He. Therefore, since you are looking for Me, let these go their way;
12 Then the band and their captain, with the officers of the Yahdaim, arrested Yahshua, bound Him,
Yahchanan Mark 14:43-49—
43 And immediately, while He was still speaking, Yahdah came, one of the twelve, and with him a great multitude from the chief priests, scribes, and the elders, carrying swords and clubs.
44 And he who betrayed Him had given them a sign, saying: Whomever I kiss, the same is He—seize Him, and lead Him away securely.
45 And as soon as he came, he went straight to Him, and said; Great One! Great One!—and kissed Him.
46 Then they laid their hands on Him, and arrested Him.
47 But one of those who stood by drew his sword and struck a servant of the High Priest, and cut off his ear.
48 Then Yahshua answered, and said to them: Have you come out with swords and clubs to arrest Me, as though I were a robber?
49 Daily I was with you, teaching in the sacred precincts of The House of Yahweh, but you did not arrest Me; but the Scriptures must be fulfilled.

After Yahshua's arrest, He was brought before many officials of the land. Because of the extreme hatred against Him, false charges were brought and false witnesses called in.
Mattithyah 26:59-60—
59 Now the chief priests and elders, with all the Sanhedrin, sought false testimony against Yahshua to put Him to death,
60 But found none. Yes, though many false witnesses came forward, they found none. At last, two false witnesses came forward...

Even the judges of the land could see that Yahshua had not done anything wrong, but the religious leaders of the day were determined to convict Him of a crime and sentence Him to death.
Yahchanan 18:29-30,38—
29 So, Pilate went out to them, and said; What accusation are you bringing against this Man?
30 They answered, and said to him; If He were not a criminal, we would not have handed Him over to you.
38 Pilate said to Him; What is truth? And when he had said this, he again went out to the Yahdaim, and said to them; I find no case against Him.
Mattithyah 27:15-25
15 Now down toward the Feast the governor was accustomed to releasing to the people one prisoner, whomever they wanted.
16 And they held then a notorious prisoner called Barabbas.
17 So when they gathered together, Pilate said to them; Whom do you want me to release to you? Barabbas, or Yahshua Who is called Messiah?
18 For Pilate knew that it was because of envy that they had handed Yahshua over to him.
19 While he was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent a message to him, saying; Have nothing to do with that Just Man, for I have suffered many things this day in a dream because of Him.
20 But the chief priests and the elders persuaded the multitudes that they should ask for Barabbas, and destroy Yahshua.
21 The governor answered, and said to them; Which of the two do you want released to you? They said; Barabbas!
22 Pilate said to them; What then will I do with Yahshua Who is called Messiah? They all said to him; Let Him be nailed to a stake!
23 The governor said; Why? What evil has He done? But they cried out all the more, saying; Let Him be nailed to a stake!
24 When Pilate saw that he could not prevail at all, but instead an uprising was forming, he took water and washed his hands before the multitude, saying; I am innocent of the blood of this Just Person! You see to this!
25 Then all the people answered, and said; May His blood rest upon us, and on our children.

Notice, the hatred for Yahshua, our Messiah, a Man who lived a perfect life, was so great that the people were willing to release a murderer instead of releasing Him.Notice again:
Yahchanan Mark 15:6-15—
6 Now down toward that Feast, he released one prisoner to them, whomever they wanted.
7 And there was one named Barabbas, in prison with his fellow rebels, who had committed murder in the insurrection.
8 Then the multitude, crying aloud, began to ask Pilate to do for them as he had always done.
9 Then Pilate answered them, saying; Do you want me to release the King of the Yahdaim to you?
10 For he knew that the chief priests had handed Him over out of envy.
11 But the chief priests incited the people, that he should instead release Barabbas to them.
12 Then Pilate answered, and said again to them; Then what will I do with the One you call King of the Yahdaim?
13 And they cried out again; Nail Him to the stake!
14 Then Pilate said to them; Why? What harm has He done? But they cried out even more; Nail Him to the stake!
15 So Pilate, wanting to appease the people, released Barabbas to them, and handed Yahshua over, when he had scourged Him, to be hanged on the stake.

We know that the arrest and beating of Yahshua Messiah led to His death of being sacrificed on the stake. All these things were done according to Prophecy.

Yahshua was persecuted all the days of His Ministry by the religious leaders and knew persecution would come on the Apostles and all other followers of Yahweh. He knew they would be put to death and suffer many things as they preached the Word of Yahweh.

Yahshua taught His Disciples very well and warned them, and us, of the persecution that would come upon all of those who practice and teach Yahweh's Laws.
Mattithyah 5:10-11—
10 Blessed are those who are persecuted for Righteousness' sake, for theirs is the Kingdom of Yahweh.
11 Blessed are you, when men will revile and persecute you, and say all manner of evil against you falsely, for My Sake.
Luke 21:12—
But before all these, they will arrest you, and persecute you, handing you over to the synagogues and prisons, and you will be brought before kings and rulers for My Name's sake;
Yahchanan 15:20—
Remember the word that I said to you: A servant is not greater than his ruler. If they have persecuted Me, they will also persecute you. If they have kept My Word, they will keep yours also.

Persecution, Arrests And Deaths Of The Apostles

The House of Yahweh under the Apostles exposed the false teachings in religion as the lies of Satan. The House of Yahweh under the Apostles always stood before these false religions as a shining light that could not be hidden, preaching the Word of Yahweh and living by the Laws of Yahweh.

It has always been in the hearts of men to persecute the Righteous. The Apostles were persecuted by evil men who came in as ministers of light. Evil men spoke evil of the Disciples.

II Kepha 2:12—
But these, like natural brute beasts made to be captured and destroyed, speak evil of the things which they do not understand, and will utterly perish in their own corruption;

The Apostles practiced the Works of Yahweh and suffered the persecutions Yahshua had promised they would receive. The Disiciples endured until their deaths and counted it all joy to be found worthy to suffer for the sake of the Truth.
I Corinthians 4:12-14—
12 We work hard with our own hands. When we are cursed, we bless; when we are persecuted, we endure it;
13 When we are slandered, we answer kindly. We have been treated as the filth of the world, the scum of the earth, until now.
14 I do not write these things to shame you, but as my beloved children, I warn you.

Almost all of Yahweh's Chosen Prophets were persecuted and reviled as they proclaimed Yahweh's Laws and Way of Life. What is truly sickening is the fact that many were murdered by the religious leaders of the day.

We see examples in the Scriptures some of the things that occurred to those who stood strong in the Faith.
Hebrews 11:36-40—
36 And others had trial of cruel mockings and scourgings, yes, and of chains and imprisonment;
37 They were stoned, they were sawed in two, were tested, were slain with the sword. They wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, tormented; cruelly treated—
38 Of whom the world was not worthy. They wandered in deserts and mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth.
39 And all these, having obtained a Righteous report through the Faith, have not received the promise;
40 Yahweh having provided some better thing for us, that they, without us, would not be made perfect.

Deacon Stephen

In the Book of Acts, we read the history of the Deacon Stephen.
Acts 6:1-5—
1 Now in those days, when the number of the Disciples was increasing, there arose a murmuring of the Hellenists against the Hebrews, because their widows were neglected in the daily distribution.
2 Then the twelve called the multitude of the Disciples to them, and said; It would not be right for us to neglect teaching and preaching the Word of Yahweh; the Laws and the Prophets, and serve tables.
3 Because of this, brothers, select out from among yourselves seven men of honest reputation, full of Spirit Holy and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business,
4 That we might give ourselves continuously to prayer, and to the ministry of preaching and teaching the Word; the Laws and the Prophets.
5 And this proposal pleased the whole multitude. And they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of Spirit Holy...

Stephen was a Righteous man, full of Faith and Spirit Holy. This was a man who practiced and taught Yahweh's Laws. Notice what occurred to this Righteous man.
Acts 6:8-12—
8 And Stephen, full of Faith and Power, did great wonders and signs among the people.
9 Now some of those who belonged to the synagogue called the Freedmen's Synagogue—that is, Cyrenians, and Alexandrians, and some of them from Cilicia and Asia—rose up and disputed with Stephen.
10 But they were not able to stand up against the Wisdom and Spirit Holy by which he spoke.
11 So they secretly instigated men to say; We have heard this man speak blasphemous words against Mosheh and the Mighty One.
12 In this way they stirred up the people, the elders, and the scribes; so they came upon him, arrested him, and took him before the council.

After Stephen was arrested, and taken before the judiciary council, he continued to point out to the people their sins. As a result of the great hatred the people had for him, they stoned him to death.
Acts 7:51-60—
51 You stiffnecked; stubborn, and uncircumcised in heart and ears! You do always resist Spirit Holy! Just as your fathers did, so you do also!
52 Which of the Prophets have not your fathers persecuted? And they have slain those who foretold the coming of the Just One; of Whom you now have become the betrayers and murderers—
53 You, who have received the Laws as it was ordained and delivered by Malakim, have not kept them!
54 When they heard these things, they were cut to the heart, and they gritted their teeth with rage.
55 But he, being full of Spirit Holy, looked up steadfastly into heaven, and saw the Glory of Yahweh, with Yahshua standing at the Right Hand of Yahweh,
56 And said; Behold! I see the heavens opened, and the Son of Man standing at the Right Hand of Yahweh!
57 Then they cried out with a loud voice, and put their hands over their ears, and ran upon him with one accord;
58 And they drove him out of the city, and stoned him. Now the witnesses laid down their clothes at the feet of a young man, whose name was Shaul.
59 And they stoned Stephen, who was calling upon Yahweh, and saying; Savior Yahweh, receive my spirit!
60 Then he kneeled down, and cried with a loud voice; Yahweh, do not hold them responsible for this sin! And when he had said this, he fell asleep.

The Apostle Shaul

When Yahweh opened Shaul's mind to the Truth, he turned to be an Apostle of Yahweh and Yahshua. This amazed all those who heard him. Even though Shaul was once among them, brutally persecuting Yahweh's Saints, when Shaul turned from that evil, the people turned from him. Because he began telling them their sins, they sought to arrest him and have him killed.
Acts 9:21-24—
21 And all who heard him were amazed, and said; Is not this the very man who destroyed those who were called by this Name in Yerusalem, and came here for the purpose of arresting them and taking them bound in chains to the chief priests?
22 But Shaul increased all the more in power, and confounded the Yahdaim in Damascus by proving that Yahshua was truly the Messiah.
23 Now after many days had passed, the Yahdaim devised to kill him;
24 But their plot became known to Shaul, that they watched the gates day and night to kill him.

The Apostle Shaul was arrested and beaten many times for teaching the Word of Yahweh. He was hated among the people because he pointed out to them their sins.

Notice the following excerpt from Foxe's Book of Martyrs explaining some of the persecution Shaul went through and which ultimately led to his death.
    St. Paul.—This apostle and martyr was a Jew of the tribe of Benjamin, born at Tarsus in Cilicia. At Iconium, St. Paul and St. Barnabas were near being stoned to death by the enraged Jews; on which they fled to Lycaonia. At Lystra, St. Paul was stoned, dragged out of the city and left for dead. He, however, revived, and escaped to Derbe. At Philippi, Paul and Silas were imprisoned and whipped; and both were again persecuted at Thessalonica. Being afterwards taken at Jerusalem, he was sent to Caesarea, but appealed to Caesar at Rome. Hence he continued a prisoner at large for two years; and at length, being released, he visited the churches of Greece and Rome, and preached in France and Spain. Returning to Rome, he was again apprehended, and, by the order of Nero, martyred, by beheading.

These are only a few of the examples of the Saints of Yahweh who suffered persecution down through the years. Details of their persecution and murders are available in the Holy Scriptures and an accounting is also recorded in Foxe's Book of Martyrs.

Study the lives of the Apostles to see that they were never loved by the world. Just as the Messiah, they were hated because they told the world to repent of their sins.

Persecution Of The First Era Of The House of Yahweh

The First Era of The House of Yahweh under the Authority of the Apostles began with little impact on the world of Rome. The House of Yahweh was looked on as merely just another Jewish sect which the powerful state of Rome would hardly bother with.

The official religion of Rome was an affair of state rather than individual participation. Most Roman towns had several temples dedicated to the different gods and goddesses that were worshiped, There was no difficulty fitting in new gods representing new concepts of worship as the need arose.

Rome, from the years 1 c.e. to 100 c.e. was a vast Empire with a vast capacity for assimilating new gods into the regular structured scheme of the Roman Empire. Roman Legions patrolled the borders of this vast Empire and had brought back to Rome the Persian cult of Mithras—the sun god, to be incorporated into the accepted religious worship of the State.

By the year 100 c.e. many foreign religions were being practiced, imported from the various regions of the empire by traders and soldiers. Most of these religions appealed to the common masses of the people because they contained an element of secret initiation and intense group identity, which the official state religion lacked. Farther off in the more remote provinces of the Empire weird local gods and their rites continued to flourish.

The Roman Empire tolerated all gods and all manner of worship as long as every person in the Roman Empire paid the proper worship on the appointed festival days to the worship of the Emperor of Rome.

By paying this proper respect to the official religion of Rome, one could prove one's loyalty to the Empire and not be accused of treason to the state. All the people in the Roman Empire did this, except The House of Yahweh.

Alarm has usually been the reaction of the defenders of the old order whenever a new religion had appeared with a message directed primarily at the individual.

The old order felt their protective god would be offended if any of his people deserted him for a new cult. Natural disasters and calamity were sure to fall in one form or another. The Roman rulers also sensed that men who were concerned about their own salvation would no longer be docile servants of the state. They deplored the breaking of national solidarity and the creation of divided loyalties the new religion was sure to foster. As a result, drastic measures were taken very frequently to prevent the propagation of such a new religion and history is full of the records of restriction, persecutions, and punishments inflicted by the state.

The House of Yahweh, established by Yahshua as the pillar and ground of Yahweh's Truth, under the direct care of the Apostles, was first merely looked upon as one more sect of the many sects of normative Judaism, by the Roman Empire.
Acts 28:22—
But we are eager to hear from you what you think; for as concerning this sect, we know that everywhere it is spoken against.

The Sect of The House of Yahweh was greatly spoken against by Jewish groups and while Rome considered The House of Yahweh just another sect of the Jews, The House of Yahweh was safe from organized persecution by the Romans, but this changed rapidly.

The Jews honored the official religion of Rome by offering sacrifices in the holy temple for the Emperor. Rome accepted this as an acceptable sign of loyalty from the people of Yahdah, including The House of Yahweh since they were considered a sect of the Jews.

The First Persecution

The Jewish groups hated The House of Yahweh and slandered The House of Yahweh to the Roman Emperor. Because of the political upheaval caused by the Jews against the First Era of The House of Yahweh, it was recognized as a separate religion from Judaism when Nero became the fourth Emperor of the Roman Empire from 54-68 c.e.

Because The House of Yahweh was a separate religion, it was then the duty of The House of Yahweh to pay the proper worship to the Emperor and show their loyalty to the Roman Empire. It was their refusal to pay this homage to the Emperor that made the True Faith of The House of Yahweh the religion that Rome would not tolerate for the historical period of three centuries.

In the year 64 c.e. the First Persecution began and ended with Nero's death in 68 c.e. It was during this First Persecution that the Apostles Kepha and Shaul died.

Nero instigated this persecution to escape suspicion for burning Rome, and made the smallest, most hated group in the Roman Empire the scapegoat for persecution.

The Second Persecution

Domitian, the Tenth Emperor of Rome from 81-96 c.e. instituted intense persecution on any religion that was not the Official Religion of Rome. He initiated moral reforms, revived the old worship of the state and stopped the spread of missionaries by the oriental mystery religions and Judaism, as well as those of The House of Yahweh.

During his reign of terror, Domitian's political rivals were crushed and religions foreign to the state were abolished. The Apostle Yahchanan, the last living Apostle, was banished to the Island of Patmos in the year 95 c.e. during the reign of Domitian.

The Third Persecution

Tragan, the Twelfth Emperor from 98-117 c.e. was Emperor during a time when the territory of Rome reached its greatest extent. This was also the time the persecuted ones of The House of Yahweh also reached the greatest extent, as they fled from the persecution instituted by Tragan.

The Fourth Persecution

Marcus Aurelius Antonius, the fifteenth Emperor of Rome from 161-180 c.e. was constantly campaigning on the frontier of the empire. His first war, waged against the Parthians from 161-165 c.e. was a military success, but one of the things his soldiers brought back from the east with them was a great deadly plague, which swept through the empire and killed thousands of Romans.

Closely following this plague were many other disasters; famines, floods and earthquakes. From the year 167 c.e. to the end of his career there was constant fighting on the Danubian Frontier. These disasters resulted in a great depopulation of the Roman Empire.

What was Marcus' reaction to the new religion during these crises? He was consistently hostile to those whom he thought had offended his gods and brought these curses upon the Roman Empire. Systematic persecution was ordered under his direction. Marcus Aurelius Antonius was a philosopher and stoic. He supported stoicism, the old religion as an essential part of the imperial Roman system and therefore considered the believers and their teachings as a threat to the established order. The believers became the scapegoats, the blame and the cause that the gods were not smiling upon the Roman Empire.

The Fifth Persecution

Septimius Severus, the twentieth Emperor from 193-211 c.e. instigated the Fifth Persecution. Severus obtained Emperorship through civil war, then spent the early years of his reign eliminating his political rivals (until 202 c.e.). Thereafter he turned his attention to administrative affairs and the problem of The House of Yahweh that was still alive in his kingdom.

The Sixth Persecution

Maximinus Thrax was the twenty-sixth Emperor of the Roman Empire from 235-238 c.e. He was the first barbarian to obtain the office and became the perpetrator of the Sixth Persecution prophesied to come upon The House of Yahweh.

The Seventh Persecution

Decius was the thirty-third Emperor from 249-251 c.e. His reign was in a period of military anarchy. Ruinous taxes and other exactions to pay the Roman Armies their wages oppressed town and country alike. Barbarian invaders broke through all frontiers of the empire at the same time. The Roman Empire seemed to be falling apart.

Decius called for an empire-wide act of devotion to placate the gods of the Roman government that had brought all these curses upon the state. Needless to say, those who would not bow their knees to these pagan gods were persecuted for acts of treason against the state. The believers of The House of Yahweh that were living during this time were persecuted for not following the normative religion of the empire of Rome.

The Eighth Persecution

Very shortly after the Seventh Persecution, Valerian, the thirty-seventh Emperor from 253-260 c.e. instigated the Eighth Persecution. During Valerian's reign there again was a great plague which decimated the population, while the military setbacks common during that period of history continued.

Like Decius, Valerian rallied all the resources at his command to stamp out anyone who would not bow down and worship the aggravated official god of the state. Those who would not bow down, were of The House of Yahweh.

The Ninth Persecution

Aurelian the thirty-ninth Emperor from 270-275 c.e. had the main part in turning back the barbarians the previous Emperors had contended with and in reuniting the Empire.

It was during this time that the persecuted ones were required to bow down to the state religion of the worship of the unconquered sun. The Roman Legions had brought back the old Mystery Religion from Persia about 200 c.e., which was already popular in the Roman Legions of that period.

The state Gods might have changed, but the way the state Emperors measured the loyalty of their subjects had not. Those who were living of The House of Yahweh during the Ninth Persecution were also persecuted in Aurelian's campaign to establish the Mithraic mystery worship of the unconquerable sun.

The Tenth Persecution

Within fifty years the last four persecutions were instituted. The tenth—last, and most severe persecution was during the reign of Diocletian, the Forty-sixth Emperor who ruled the Roman Empire from 284-305 c.e. Diocletian instituted the ruling system of the Dominate during his tenure. Rome also ceased to be the Capital of the Empire. The Emperor became an autocrat and for all purposes was considered as a god and was addressed as, Dominus—Lord!

The principal cause for this final, violent Persecution starting in 303 c.e. was the refusal of those who called themselves the Believers who were of The House of Yahweh to show their loyalty to the Emperor by worshiping him as a god as the formal ceremonies of the Imperial Cult, the Mithraic Worship of the Unconquered Sun demanded. The grounds for the persecution were political, although it is also true Diocletian was primarily interested in reviving the ancient pagan cults.

The Tenth Persecution was the most severe. Diocletian, by successive decrees one after another, to break the heretical Believers who would dare oppose the official worship, ordered:
#1: All places of assembly for worship to be destroyed,
#2: All Bibles burned,
#3: All believers to be deprived of civil rights in the empire,
#4: All believers in the palace to be sold as slaves,
#5: All Elders and Deacons to be arrested and compelled to sacrifice to the Roman gods, and
#6: All believers, whether of the clergy or not, to be compelled to sacrifice to Roman gods.

The only alternative to sacrificing to the gods of Rome was death.

By the time the Tenth Persecution was accomplished, within fifty years of the Seventh Persecution instituted by Decius in 251 c.e., what Yahshua had established as the group of believers under the authority of the Apostles called The House of Yahweh, was dead as an established religious organization, completely fading from the pages of history.

For further information on these persecution, please refer to our Book, The Lost Faith Of The Apostles and Prophets.

"He wants you to contend for the Faith in the same way. He wants you to do it together as a Body. We are all in this boat together, and we are all going to sink or swim together. Yahweh says this boat is going to survive; He gives us that promise. That promise has never been given to any of the other remnants. It is because we don't deny His Name, and because we go through the persecutions that Yahweh will prove us worth to endure. It is not that He has given us especial honor, by any means. He hasn't. Every one of us is suffering one way or another. Every one of us should be suffering because of the persecution that is brought against His House at this time."
Overseer Yisrayl Hawkins, 11/19/94

Persecution Against Yahweh's Last Days' House

As we have seen, persecution against Yahweh's Saints is nothing new. It has always been the plan of the adversary to stir up hatred to try to stop the Work of Yahweh. But The House of Yahweh in these Last Days will not run and flee! We have been persecuted since the dedication in 1982. Yet for the last 26 years, we have continued to remain steadfast and firm in teaching the Laws of Yahweh and revealing the sins of the world.

There is no Salvation outside of The House of Yahweh, promised by Yahweh, in the Inspired Scriptures. You must seek the place Yahweh chooses to place His Name and there you must go.
Deuteronomy 12:5—
But you are to seek the habitation of your Father; The House of Yahweh—the place which Yahweh your Father shall choose out of all your tribes to establish His Name—and there you must go.

His Work has never been known by any other name. The Savior is High Priest over The House of Yahweh.
Hebrews 10:21—
And having a High Priest over The House of Yahweh:

Yahweh's House teaches His Laws and Prophecies.
Isayah 8:16, 20—
16 Bind up the Prophecy; seal the Laws among My Disciples.
20 To the Laws and to the Prophecies: if they speak not according to these Words, it is because there is no Light in them.

There is no protection outside of The House of Yahweh from the plagues that are coming and are now here, that you will see spread death throughout the earth. The nuclear wars that are coming, starting in and around the great River Euphrates will bring even more death and destruction. After they kill a third of man over that fourth part of the earth they will spread plagues and nuclear wars will continue throughout the earth and few men will be left alive, all because they will not repent of their sins.
Revelation 9:20-21——
20 And the rest of the men who were not killed by these plagues, still did not repent of the works of their hands, that they should not worship demons, and gods (elohim, teraphim) of gold, and silver, and brass, and stone, and of wood: which can neither see, nor hear, nor walk;
21 Neither did they repent of their murders, nor of their sorceries, nor of their fornication, nor of their thefts.
Isayah 24:1-6—
1 Before Yahweh's very Eyes, the earth is made empty and it is made waste; the face of it is perverted and its inhabitants scattered abroad;
2 And it will be: as with the people, so with the priests; as with the servant, so with his owner; as with the maid, so with her mistress; as with the buyer, so with the seller; as with the lender, so with the borrower; as with him who takes usury, so with him who gives usury to him:
3 The land will be utterly emptied and utterly plundered, for it has come to pass that this Judgment has been pronounced.
4 The earth mourns and fades away, the world mourns and fades away, and the haughty people of the earth languish.
5 The earth also is defiled because of the inhabitants of it, because they have transgressed the Laws, changed the Ordinance, and broken the Everlasting Covenant.
6 Because of this, the curse has devoured the earth, and they who dwell therein are desolate; therefore, the inhabitants of the earth are burned, and few men left.
II Thessalonians 2:1-3—
1 Now we plead with you, brothers, concerning the coming of our King, Yahshua Messiah, and our gathering together to Him,
2 That you not be soon shaken in mind, nor be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as if from us, as that the Day of Yahweh is at hand.
3 Let no man deceive you by any means; for that day will not come, unless there comes a falling away first, and that servant of sin is revealed: the son of perdition,

The whole world has fallen away from Yahweh's Laws at this time. There is no religion teaching and keeping Yahweh's Laws except The House of Yahweh in Abilene, Texas.

There are no religions calling with the Name Yahweh and departing from sin except Yahweh's House.
II Timothy 2:19—
Nevertheless, the Foundation of Yahweh stands sure, having this Seal: Yahweh knows those who are His, because: everyone who reverences the Name of Yahweh departs from iniquity.

Now back to II Thessalonians 2:4-7.
II Thessalonians 2:4-7—
4 Who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called gods (elohim), or that is worshiped; so that he, as the Almighty, sits in the temple of Yahweh, showing himself that he is the Mighty One (El, God).
5 Do you not remember that when I was still with you, I told you these things?
6 And now you know what is restraining him, so that he may be revealed in his time.
7 For the mystery of iniquity is already working, but the One restraining him will continue to restrain him, until he is made to appear in the midst.

The mystery of sin.
II Thessalonians 2:6, 8, 10, 12—
6 And now you know what is restraining him, so that he may be revealed in his time.
8 And then that lawless one will be revealed, whom Yahshua will remove with the breath of His Mouth, and make powerless with the appearance of His Coming—
10 And with all deceivableness of sin in those who are perishing, because they did not receive the love of the Truth that they might be saved.
12 In order that all those may be judged as not having believed the Truth, but as having delighted in sin.
Revelation 17:1-5, 9, 18—
1 And there came one of the seven Malakim who had the seven bowls, and talked with me, saying to me: Come, I will show you the sentence of the great whore that sits upon many waters,
2 With whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication; practiced idolatry: god worship (the worship of elohim), and the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication.
3 So he carried me away in the Spirit into the midst of god worshipers (worshipers of elohim); and I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet colored beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns.
4 And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet color, and decked with gold, and precious stones, and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication.
5 And upon her head was a name written: Mystery Babylon the great, the mother of the harlots and of the abominations of the earth.
9 And here is the mind which has wisdom: The seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman sits.
18 And the woman whom you saw, is that great city which reigns over the kings of the earth.

Any honest person should be able to see these Prophecies are speaking of this present generation of war-raging religions, which Yahweh is warning you now to come out from them and stop partaking with them in sin.
Revelation 18:1-5—
1 And after these things I saw another Malak come down from heaven, having great authority; and the earth was enlightened with His Glory.
2 And He cried mightily with a strong voice, saying: Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of demons, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird.
3 For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth have grown rich through the abundance of her delicacies.
4 And I heard another voice from heaven, saying: Come out of her, My People, so that you do not partake in her sins, and so that you do not receive of her plagues,
5 For her sins have reached unto heaven, and Yahweh has remembered her iniquities!

I remind you again. Sin is the breaking of Yahweh's Laws.
I Yahchanan 3:4—
Whoever commits sin, transgresses also the Laws; for sin is the transgression of the Laws.

Many false preachers say they have the right to change Yahweh's Laws, but read for yourself.
Revelation 22:18-19—
18 For I testify to everyone who hears the Words of the Prophecy of this Book: If any man will add to these things, it will come to pass that he will add to himself the plagues that are written in this Book:
19 And if any man will take away from the Words of the Book of this Prophecy, it will come to pass that he will take away his part out of The Book of Life, and out of Yahweh Shammah, and from the things which are written in this Book.

Receive a blessing; pray with The House of Yahweh. Don't allow persecution to keep you from seeking Yahweh's only place of Truth.
Romans 8:35-36, 38-39—
35 Who will separate us from the love of the Messiah? Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword?
36 (As it is written: For Your Sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.)
38 For I am convinced, that neither death, nor life, nor Malakim, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,
39 Nor height nor depth, nor any other thing in all creation, will be able to separate us from the Love of Yahweh, which is in Yahshua Messiah our King.
I Corinthians 4:12—
We work hard with our own hands. When we are cursed, we bless; when we are persecuted, we endure it;

May Yahweh bless your understanding.