asinikete yona eminyakeni letinkhulungwane. Ngako-ke, bantfu bayokwehlulelwa ngaloko labakwente emkhatsini weLilanga Lekwehlulela.

Lilanga Lekwehlulela litawuniketa tinkhulungwane tetigidzi tebantfu litfuba lekucala lekufundza ngentsandvo yaNkulunkulu futsi baphile ngekuvumelana nayo. Loku kusho kutsi kuyoba nemsebenti lomkhulu wekufundzisa. Ecinisweni, ‘tive temhlaba tiyofundza kulunga.’ (Isaya 26:9) Nobe kunjalo, akusibo bonkhe bantfu labayofuna kuphila ngentsandvo yaNkulunkulu. Isaya 26:10 utsi: “Naloku umusa sewuphiwe lababi, bona solo abakufundzi kulunga; ngisho naseveni lebucotfo bachubeka benta lokubi, bangabunaki bukhosi baSimakadze [Jehova].” Labo lababi bayobulawa phakadze ekhatsi neLilanga Lekwehlulela.​—Isaya 65:20.

Ekupheleni kweLilanga Lekwehlulela, bantfu labasindzile ‘bayovuka ekufeni’ njengebantfu labaphelele. (Sembulo 20:5) NgeliLanga Lekwehlulela bantfu bayobuyiselwa esimeni sabo sakucala ngalesikhatsi basephelele. (1 Khorinte 15:24-28) Ngemuva kwaloko kuyocalisa luvivinyo lekugcina. Sathane uyokhululwa esigodzini lesingenamkhawulo aniketwe litfuba lekudukisa bantfu kwekugcina. (Sembulo 20:3, 7-10) Labo labamelana naye bayojabulela kugcwaliseka lokuphelele kwesetsembiso seliBhayibheli lesitsi: “Labalungile bayawudla lifa lemhlaba, bahlale kulo kuze kube phakadze.” (Tihlabelelo 37:29) Nembala, Lilanga Lekwehlulela liyoba sibusiso kubo bonkhe bantfu labatsembekile.

KUSASELE emashumi eminyaka, bafundzi beliBhayibheli batsi bekuyoba khona tintfo letinkhulu letatiyokwenteka nga-1914. Ngutiphi leto tintfo, futsi yini lekhombisa kutsi 1914 abengumnyaka lobalulekile?

Njengobe kubhaliwe kuLukha 21:24, Jesu watsi: ‘Betive bayakuyigcobagcoba iJerusalema, kuze kugcwaliseke sikhatsi sabo.’ LiJerusalema kwakuyinhloko dolobha yesive semaJuda​—kulapho kwakunesihlalo sekubusa semakhosi eluhla leNkhosi Davide. (Tihlabelelo 48:1, 2) Nobe kunjalo, lamakhosi abevelele kubaholi betive. Abehleti “esihlalweni sebukhosi saSimakadze [Jehova]” amelela Nkulunkulu. (1 Tikhronike 29:23) Ngaleso sizatfu, liJerusalema lalimelela kubusa kwaJehova.

Noko-ke, kubusa kwaNkulunkulu ‘kwagcotjwagcotjwa’ njani futsi nini ‘betive’? Loku kwenteka nga-607 B.C.E. lapho iJerusalema incotjwa baseBhabhulona. ‘Sihlalo sebukhosi saJehova’ sasite muntfu futsi luhla lwemakhosi lwaDavide lwaphatamiseka. (2 Emakhosi 25:1-26) LiJerusalema ‘laliyogcotjwagcotjwa’ siphelwane yini? Cha, ngobe siphrofetho saHezekeli sasitsite ngembusi wekugcina waseJerusalema, Sedekiya: “Khumula lomshuculo wenhloko, ususe lomchele. . . . Kodvwa kungeke kwenteke, aze yena efike lowo lokunguyena kungelakhe sibili; ngiyakulinika yena.” (Hezekeli 21:26, 27) Loyo umchele ‘lokungewakhe sibili’ weluhla laDavide, nguKhristu Jesu. (Lukha 1:32, 33) Ngako-ke, ‘kugcotjwagcotjwa’ kwakuyawuphela ngalesikhatsi aba yiNkhosi.

Yayiyokwenteka nini lentfo lebaluleke kangaka? Jesu wakhombisa kutsi beTive bebayobusa sikhatsi lesitsite. Umlandvo waDanyela sehluko 4 usisita sicondze kutsi leso sikhatsi sasitawuba sidze kangakanani. Ikhuluma ngeliphupho lalesiphrofetho seNkhosi Nebukhadnezari waseBhabhulona. Wabona sihlahla lesikhulu sigawulwa. Sicu saso sasingeke sikhule ngobe sasiboshwe ngensimbi nangelitfusi. Lengilosi yamemeta yatsi: ‘Tikhatsi letisikhombisa tendlule kuye.’​—Danyela 4:10-16.

EBhayibhelini, ngaletinye tikhatsi tihlahla timelela imibuso. (Hezekeli 17:22-24; 31:2-5) Ngako-ke, kugawulwa kwesihlahla lesingumfanekiso wembuso waNkulunkulu, njengobe wawumelelwa ngemakhosi aseJerusalema, kwakusho kutsi uyophatamiseka. Nobe kunjalo, lowo mbono wakhombisa kutsi loko ‘kugcotjwagcotjwa kweliJerusalema’ kwakuyoba kwesikhashana​—“tikhatsi letisikhombisa.” Leso sikhatsi lesidze kangakanani?

Sembulo 12:6, 14 sibonisa kutsi tikhatsi letintsatfu nencenye tilingana ‘nemalanga langu-1 260.’ Ngako-ke, ‘tikhatsi letisikhombisa’ tiyoba tikhatsi letiphindvwe kabili, nobe emalanga langu-2 520. Kodvwa beTive abazange bayekele ‘kugcobagcoba’ kubusa kwaNkulunkulu ngemuva nje kwemalanga langu-2 520 liwile liJerusalema. Ngako-ke, bufakazi bubonisa kutsi lesiphrofetho sihlanganisa sikhatsi lesidze. Ngesizatfu saloko lokushiwo nguNumeri 14:34 naHezekeli 4:6, “umnyaka umele lilanga linye,” “tikhatsi letisikhombisa” betiyawuba yiminyaka lengu-2 520.

Leminyaka lengu-2 520 yacala nga-October 607 B.C.E., ngalesikhatsi liJerusalema lincotjwa baseBhabhilona futsi umbuso weluhla lwaDavide wasuswa esihlalweni sekubusa. Leso sikhatsi saphela nga-October 1914. Ngaleso sikhatsi, ‘sagcwaliseka sikhatsi sebetive’ futsi Jesu Khristu wabekwa waba yiNkhosi yaNkulunkulu ezulwini.a​—Tihlabelelo 2:1-6; Danyela 7:13, 14.

Njengobe Jesu asho, ‘kubuya kwakhe’ ayiNkhosi yasezulwini kwabonakala ngetentakalo letinkhulu emhlabeni wonkhe​—timphi, indlala, kutamatama kwemhlaba kanye netifo letibulalako. (Matewu 24:3-8; Lukha 21:11) Letintfo letenteka tiniketa bufakazi lobuphelele bekutsi 1914 ecinisweni, kwakungumnyaka wekutalwa kweMbuso waNkulunkulu wasezulwini nekucala ‘kwemalanga ekugcina’ alesi simiso lesibi.​—2 Thimothi 3:1-5.

SIDALWA semoya lesibitwa ngekutsi nguMikhayeli akukhulunywa ngaso kakhulu eBhayibhelini. Noko-ke, lapho kukhulunywa ngaso khona, senta lokutsite. Encwadzini yaDanyela, Mikhayeli ulwa netingilosi letimbi; encwadzini yaJuda kutsiwa ubangisana naSathane; kuSembulo, usemphini naDeveli nemadimoni akhe. Ngekulwela bukhosi baJehova nekulwa netitsa taNkulunkulu, Mikhayeli uphila ngekuvumelana nelibito lakhe lelitsi​—“Ngubani LonjengaNkulunkulu?” Ecinisweni, ungubani Mikhayeli?

Ngaletinye tikhatsi labanye bantfu banemabito lamanyenti. Sibonelo saloku kutsi Jakobe abebitwa nangekutsi ngu-Israyeli, umphostoli Phetro kutsiwa nguSimoni. (Genesisi 49:1, 2; Matewu 10:2) Ngendlela lefananako, liBhayibheli libonisa kutsi Mikhayeli ngulelinye libito laJesu Khristu, ngembi nangemuva kwekuba aphile lapha emhlabeni. Ase sibone-ke kutsi imiBhalo ikufazela njani loko.

Ingilosi lenkhulu. LiVi laNkulunkulu litsi Mikhayeli “ingilosi lenkhulu.” (Juda 9) Loku kubonisa kutsi kute ingilosi lefanana naye. Liciniso likutsi, ligama lelitsi “ingilosi lenkhulu” eBhayibhelini lisetjentiswa kuJesu Khristu kuphela, hhayi kuletinye tingilosi. Ngetulu kwaloko, nguJesu losesikhundleni sengilosi lenkhulu. Lapho ikhuluma ngeNkhosi Jesu Khristu, incwadzi ya-1 Thesalonika 4:16 itsi: “INkhosi lucobo lwayo iyakwehla