ABILENE, TX—The House of Yahweh mailed out a 33-page publication this week depicting Jesus and some of the apostles in the same orange jumpsuits worn by its leader, Yisrayl Hawkins.

Hawkins, a self-proclaimed prophet, is awaiting trial in Callahan County on charges of bigamy.  The trial is scheduled for Nov. 8.  A change of venue request is still pending.

The publication, called The Prophetic Word, also includes letters from Hawkins, newspaper clippings that refer to his arrest and impending trial, and prophecies about the end of the world.

Three different pictures of Jesus show him wearing the same orange jumpsuit and white undershirt that Hawkins has been photographed in numerous times.

Various paragraphs state that orange jumpsuits are used to de-individualize people and "carry associations of guilt and conviction," and that the color can be traced back to the occult.

"You have clothed the Only Prophesied Savior in orange," it states above a depiction of Jesus being brought to court. 

Hawkins has made national headlines over the past few years, predicting nuclear war that would end the world in 2006, then 2007, then 2008.  Former members, like Doug Hawkins, says the doomsday predictions are meant to keep members from leaving the sect out of fear.


Change of venue request
Hawkins' attorneys are trying to get the upcoming trial moved out of Callahan County, where the House of Yahweh compound is located.  They filed a change of venue request last month, based on results of a phone survey taken among potential jurors.  According to the results, obtained from the court, more than half the people surveyed in Callahan County think Hawkins is guilty of bigamy.

Hawkins' attorneys commissioned the 48-question survey of 150 residents, chosen at random.  

Thirteen of the questions focused on the House of Yahweh or Yisrayl Hawkins. 

Of the Callahan residents who responded, 59 percent said they believe Hawkins is guilty of the criminal charges pending against him, while 63 percent said they would be able to grant him a fair trial if picked to serve on the jury.  Another 25 percent say they would not.

In the survey conducted in the broader region, 52 percent believe Hawkins is guilty.  62 percent said they would be able to grant a fair trial while 24 percent would not.

The survey also asked generic community and current event questions, as well specific questions about religious groups, such as the Branch Dividian and Fundamentalist Church of Latter-Day Saints.

Other change of venue requests have been denied in the past.