Day of Reckoning‏

"Al Nakba"--The Palestinian Catastrophe of 1948

And in reply the king will say to them, 'Truly I say to YOU, To the extent that YOU did it to one of the least of these my brothers, YOU did it to me.' -- Matthew 25:40

For those who may either be unaware or else in need of a refresher, the context of this chapter is one of judgment of all the nations whereby "he will separate people one from another, just as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats" as the Son of man then makes his return.

Imagine this scenario, if you will. The land where you live is invaded by people laying claim to it. Your entire family as well as millions of your countrymen are driven forcibly from your lands using terror tactics whereby whole villages are massacred while others are warned that they will fare no better unless they flee - all the while the whole world looks on though no one comes to your defense. Instead the occupying power is allowed by world powers to set up a new state and simply confiscates your ancestral property without compensation while declaring that you will be denied the right to return to your homeland. World powers do however, establish clear boundary lines demarcating the extent of surrounding territory allocated to you and your forcibly-displaced countrymen. Not satisfied with these boundaries, the aggressor later launches a war with its neighbors with the goal of further expanding its territory. Still not satisfied with the lands now under its control, the occupying power embarks on a massive building program to construct settlements for hundreds of thousands of its citizens in the greatly reduced area to which those of you who survived the massacre have been assigned, going even further to again drive out hundreds of thousands of your countrymen through illegal maneuvers.

By now you may have recognized that this is a very real scenario - one that has been allowed to fester for over six decades now. Make no mistake though - peace will be forthcoming in the not-too-distant future. But it will prove in the final analysis to be neither just nor lasting - how could it be when the leader of the occupying state promises 'to be generous' in a speech to the lawmakers of its main benefactor, receiving rapturous applause. 'Look at how reasonable he is' they say, blissfully oblivious at how easy it is to be generous with how much stolen land he is willing to return. Meanwhile the victims of the larceny, seeing that no one dares stand up to the awesome military might of the occupier or its powerful 'uncle', must decide between continuing to live under the tyranny of occupation without even the ability to freely choose their leaders, or else accept whatever remains of their rapidly dwindling real estate - Hobson's choice indeed! Somehow the mainstream media continues to overlook the underlying context, leaving readers to look elsewhere for informed comment.

Though it may come as a surprise to many who claim to be members of his flock whilst at the same time giving support to the actions of those former chosen ones who today deny that he is the Anointed One, the term 'brothers' in the opening quote refers not to the followers of any particular faith but rather includes all of humankind. Indeed those who would continue in the ways of the oppressor need fear no earthly power, for none will prevail against them for the time being. Instead both the oppressors as well as those who provide mindless support for their unjust deeds must prepare to account for their actions (or lack thereof) when as foretold the Day of Reckoning arrives.