WITH ALL THE INCREASED AWARENESS…
and media attention regarding incidents of police brutality and their subsequent protests (both nationally and internationally), “Matt, what can I do to help?” is a question I have been asked by a number of my “White” friends a lot lately. I am not alone in fielding that question either, because several of my “Black” friends have shared similar stories of being asked the same question (and by the way, I utterly despise human color classifications, which is why I’ve used quotes with them for some time now). Anyway, I’m afraid that we’re beyond the point of mutual understanding being good for anything useful with regards to repairing the economic and psychological damage done to an oppressed people—damage which actually began long before the infamous Transatlantic Slave Trade.
As institutions, countries like America, Great Britain, France, Spain, Portugal and the Netherlands, have had centuries to do the right thing regarding “The Seed of Jacob,” but have apparently either not seen the importance of doing so, or at the least, have not made it a priority (and to play devil’s advocate for a moment, why would they when economically speaking, how they’ve been treating us has benefited them for centuries?). Yet the forenamed nations (and others) have chosen to continue with their institutionalized oppression; but why? By some accounts, the answer is hidden in the 83rd chapter of Psalms (I chose not to include it here, but feel free to read it at your own leisure).
In the minds of some, a nation is the sum of its citizens; but when it comes to institutionalized racism, the parts cannot always be counted as the whole. It is a fact that there have always been righteous souls found within all nations and lands on Planet Earth. Even the ill-fated cities of Sodom and Gomorrah had Lot and his family as inhabitants, right? (Genesis 18:23–32)
Heavens (actually I really wanted to say “hell,” but anyway), were it not for righteous people within this nation—those who saw the evil in the treatment of their darker-skinned fellow human beings, how could the Underground Railroad have been successful in helping so many kidnapping victims escape from the South to the North?
Anyhow… enough with the history lesson. Where are we today, in the year 2020?
I believe that according to ancient scriptural prophecy, we are beyond the point of the seed of the oppressors asking the seed of the oppressed, “What can I do to help you?” (And let us remember truthfully—white privilege notwithstanding, the greater majority of so-called “White” people did not even own slaves.) When one considers the fact that a great deal of Bible prophecy has already become history, one also might wonder how much time before prophecies such as those found in the books of Obadiah and Joel come to pass. If we truly are seeing the beginning of the prophesied End of Days, so-called “White” people asking “How can I help my Black brothers and sisters” is now moot, and the question should be, “How can I help myself and my own family?”
WHY DO YOU SAY THAT MATT?
I am comparing the time in which we now live (spiritually-speaking), to the 1986 Chernobyl disaster. According to historians, in April of 1986, there was a problem with one of the reactors at the Chernobyl Nuclear station near the town of Pripyat in the Ukrainian province of the former USSR, resulting in the reactor becoming dangerously unstable. By the time scientists and engineers working there realized just how bad the problem was, they also realized that neither the reactor nor the nearby township could be spared, and that meltdown was not a matter of if but rather how soon? In a relatively short amount of time, the understanding of the situation had changed from “stabilize and repair” to “survival and self-preservation.”
That is where I believe we are at this point in time: both in America and in the world at large. If you are a believer in Him Who Created the Heavens and the Earth, and both study and understand ancient Biblical prophecy, you probably know why I feel the way that I do; but back to the question… How can one save himself? What I believe to be the answer is almost too simple to even be believable.
Simply put, if you are living righteously, just keep doing what you’re doing. You my friend (according to scripture) have little if anything to be worried about. On the other hand, if you have been unrighteous toward your fellow man (and especially towards “The Seed of Jacob”), you should know that there is no place on Earth where you can go to hide yourself from the face of “The Ancient of Days“…
(10) And he saith unto me, Seal not the sayings of the prophecy of this book: for the time is at hand. (11) He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still. (12) And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.—Revelation 22:10–12
What does the above passage of scripture mean in layman’s terms? It simply means that if the nations which have collectively persecuted the Seed of Jacob for the past 2000 years truly are representative of a spiritual Chernobyl, undoing and reversing two millennia worth of harsh treatment is no longer an option. If you’re a righteous person and have done no harm toward the “Seed of the Exiles” (ref to the 70 A.D. destruction of Jerusalem and the flight of her inhabitants), you really don’t have anything to worry about. The Most High has provisioned for the friends of the Seed of Abraham, pursuant to his promise as written in Genesis 12:3—a virtual coupon that has been redeemable through the present.
As for those who have not been righteous, my advice to those righteous souls who cannot understand why their counterparts behave the way they do, is to not waste any brain cells trying to figure them out. The truth is that the unrighteous simply do not have it within themselves to behave righteously (I could be wrong but I haven’t seen anything to suggest otherwise). I think it safe to say that truly unrighteous people see no harm in their deeds and behavior, but fret not. They too are provisioned for in the same passage of scripture (Gen 12:3).
Final Thought
As of the date of this article’s publication, we are now some eight months into 2020, and it has been an interesting year to say the least. One can only imagine how the last four months of this year will play out, but if I were a betting man, I would not gamble any amount of money on things “returning to normal” (as some are hoping for).
(What is normal these days anyway?)
All the Best!
—MT
Matt D. Talford is a writer, narrator, and author of three books: “Stuck In An Elevator” – a fictitious tale of passion and self-discovery; “Captain’s Mate: A Practical Guide for Tennis Captains, League Players and High School Coaches”; and his award-winning debut title: ”From Fear to Faith: A Survivor’s Story” – a memoir about overcoming a rare form of what he calls “the C-word.” All three books are currently available in paperback at www.talfordarts.com or at Amazon.com; and in eBook format on Amazon Kindle and Apple iBooks. “From Fear to Faith: A Survivor’s Story” is also available in audiobook (narrated by Talford himself) at iTunes, audible.com, and at many other sites where audiobooks are sold. For information on these and other products, click the “shop” link in the menu.
