Kutheni Ihlabathi Elitsha Lilindelwe Ngolangazelelo Olungaka Nje?
Isiphelo Sehlabathi—Sikufuphi Kangakanani?
KUTHETHA ukuthini ukupheliswa kweli hlabathi? Ngaba kuthetha ukutshatyalaliswa komhlaba ngomlilo, njengoko iinkonzo ezithile zifundisa ngolo hlobo? Akunjalo; ibingenzeka njani loo nto, ekubeni INdumiso 104:5 isithi: “Lingashukunyiswa naphakade kanaphakade”?
Impendulo ifumaneka xa sikhangela kwiinkulungwane ezininzi ezidluleyo kwihlabathi elandulela eli. Elo hlabathi lalonakele yaye lalimvukela uThixo, ngoko “ihlabathi langoko lantywiliselwa ngamanzi, latshabalala.” Kodwa xa elo hlabathi, eliquka amazulu nomhlaba, latshatyalaliswa nguMkhukula womhla kaNowa, amazulu nomhlaba wokoqobo azizange zidlule. Isiphelo seli hlabathi asinakuthetha ukutshatyalaliswa ngomlilo kwamazulu anobukhazikhazi nesijikelezi-langa esinguMhlaba.—2 Petros 3:5, 6; Genesis 6:1-8.
Maxa wambi iBhayibhile isebenzisa amabinzana athi “amazulu” nelithi “umhlaba” ngeendlela ezifuziselayo. “Amazulu” asenokusetyenziswa xa kubhekiselwa kuSathana, uthixo weli hlabathi; kubalawuli behlabathi abaphantsi kolawulo lwakhe; nakwimimoya ekhohlakeleyo kwezasezulwini iindawo—bonke aba abanempembelelo yobudemon phezu koluntu. (2 Korinte 4:4; Efese 6:12) Ngokufuthi igama elithi “umhlaba” lisetyenziswa ngokufthi ukubhekisela kubantu abaphezu komhlaba. (Genesis 11:1; 1 Kumkani 2:1, 2; 1 Kronike 16:31; INdumiso 96:1) Ngala mazulu nomhlaba wokomfuziselo weli hlabathi likhoyo eyesi-2 kaPetros 3:7 ethi uza kutshatyalaliswa “ngomlilo.”—Galati 1:4.
Ngoko uPetros unikela iindaba ezivuyisayo zokuba eli hlabathi lidala liza kuthatyathelw’ indawo lelitsha: “Thina ke ngokwedinga lakhe silinde elitsha izulu, nomtsha umhlaba, apho kumi ubulungisa.”—2 Petros 3:13.
Ihlabathi Elitsha Ekungekho Kukhala Nakufa Kulo
Ingxelo kaPetros yokuba kwelo hlabathi litsha kuya kuma ubulungisa ziindaba ezimnandi, kodwa oko uYohane akongezelelayo ngokunxulumene nalo kwenza umntu achwayite ngokwenene! Uthetha oku ngalo kwiSityhilelo 21:3, 4: “Ndeva izwi elikhulu liphuma emazulwini lisithi: Yabona, umnquba lo kaThixo unabantu; uya kuhlala nabo emnqubeni, bona babe ngabantu bakhe, yena uThixo abe nabo, enguThixo wabo; azisule uThixo zonke iinyembezi emehlweni abo, kungabi sabakho kufa, kungabi sabakho nasijwili, nakukhala, nantlungu; ngokuba izinto zokuqala zigqithile.”
Kunokutshabalalisa umhlaba ngomlilo, injongo kaYehova ikukuba umiwe ngonaphakade: “Ngokuba utsho uYehova, uMdali wezulu (nguye uThixo), uMenzi wehlabathi, uMseki walo, yena walizinzisayo (akalidalelanga ukuba kube senyanyeni, walibumba ukuba limiwe).”—Isaya 45:18.
Kuya kubakho ubulungisa apho kuba abangemalungisa baya kuba bengekho: “Ngokuba abathe tye baya kulima ilizwe, basale kulo abagqibeleleyo, banqunyulwe ezweni abangendawo, abanginizayo bancothulwe kulo.”—IMizekeliso 2:21, 22.
Kwakhona umdumisi uDavide ephefumlelwe uyakungqinela oku xa esithi: “Kusaya kuba mzuzwana, angabikho ongendawo; uthi wakuyikhangela indawo yakhe, angabikho. Ke bona abalulamileyo baya kulidla ilifa ilizwe, baziyolise ngobuninzi boxolo.”—INdumiso 37:10, 11.
UYesu naye wakuqinisekisa oku, esithi kwiNtshumayelo yakhe yaseNtabeni: “Banoyolo abanobulali; ngokuba umhlaba baya kuwudla ilifa bona.” Njengorhulumente wabo, aba balulamileyo baya kusikelelwa ngamazulu amatsha anobulungisa abawathandazelayo: “Mabufike ubukumkani bakho. Makwenziwe ukuthanda kwakho nasemhlabeni njengokuba kusenziwa emazulwini.”—Mateyu 5:5; 6:10.
Uxolo olungenakuthelekiswa nanto oluya kunanditshwa ngabemi belo hlabathi litsha luya kunabela kwanakummandla wezilwanyana: “Ingcuka iya kuhlala nemvana, ingwe ibuthe netakane lebhokhwe; kubuthe ndawonye ithole lenkomo, nengonyama entsha, nenkomo etyetyisiweyo; nomntwana aziqhube ezo zinto. . . . Ezo zinto aziyi kwenza bubi, aziyi konakalisa ezintabeni zam zonke ezingcwele; ngokuba ilizwe liya kuzala kukwazi uYehova njengamanzi egubungele ulwandle.”—Isaya 11:6-9.
Sikufuphi Kangakanani?
Ukuba utyekele ekukugatyeni konke oku njengento eziinkwenkwezi, usithi libali likaNongqawuse, khawunqumame kwakhona uze ucinge. Ukongezelela kwizinto ezibonakalisa umqondiso oyintlanganisela wobukho bukaKristu Yesu, kukho ubalo-maxesha lweBhayibhile olwalatha owe-1914 njengonyaka wokuqalisa kobukho bakhe. AmaNgqina kaYehova avakalisa umhla we-1914 njengonyaka obalulekileyo kwinkqubela yokulawulwa komhlaba buBukumkani bukaYehova, ekwenza oko kwiphephancwadi IMboniselo (yesiNgesi) kaJulayi 1879. Uninzi lwababhali-mbali nabondeli bemicimbi yehlabathi baye baphawula ukuba unyaka we-1914 ube kukuqalisa kwesihlandlo esahluke ngokupheleleyo nesiphawulekayo kwimbali yoluntu, njengoko ibhokisi ekwalapha ibonisa.
Esinye isiganeko esanikelwa nguYesu sifumaneka kuMateyu 24:21, 22: “Kuba ngelo xesha kuya kubakho imbandezelo enkulu, ekungazanga kubekho injalo kwasekuqalekeni kwehlabathi, kwada kwaba kalokunje, ekungasayi kubuye kubekho injalo. Kanjalo ukuba ibingayi kuthi loo mihla inqanyulelwe, bekungayi kubakho nyama isindayo; ngenxa ke yabanyuliweyo, loo mihla iya kunqanyulelwa.”
Kwakhona uYesu wabonisa ukuba lo mqondiso uyintlanganisela wawuya kupheleliswa ebudeni bokuphila kwesizukulwana esabona ukuqalisa kwawo ngowe-1914. Wathi kuMateyu 24:32-34: “Wufundeni ke umzekeliso kuwo umkhiwane: xa selithe lathamba isebe lawo, lahluma amagqabi, niyazi ukuba likufuphi ihlobo. Ngokukwanjalo nani, xa nithe nazibona zonke ezi zinto, yazini ukuba kukufuphi, sekusemnyango. Inene ndithi kuni, Asisayi kudlula esi sizukulwana, zingadanga zonke ezo zinto zibekho.”
Ukubona eli hlabathi lidala—nazo zonke iimfazwe zalo, iindlala, izifo, nokufa—lipheliswa kuya kubangela uvuyo. Ukulibona lithatyathelw’ indawo lihlabathi elitsha lobulungisa likaYehova uThixo—kupheliswe izijwili, iinyembezi, ukugula nokufa—kuya kubangela imigcobo novuyo olungapheliyo kunye neendumiso ezingunaphakade eziya kuYehova uThixo, uMdali Ozukileyo noMongami Wendalo Iphela.
Ngenxa yeli themba lingaphambili, akumangalisi ukuba abaninzi bakulangazelele kangaka ukufika ngokukhawuleza kwehlabathi elitsha lobulungisa likaYehova lize lithabathel’ indawo eli lidala elizaliswe lusizi, ulwaphulo-mthetho, ukugula nokufa! Akumangalisi ukuba ulangazelelo lwabo lube lukhulu kangangokuba batyekele ekumiseni imihla engaphambi kwexesha yokufika kwalo! Noko ke, ngoku, akukho ngqokelela nje yemiqondiso yokuza kwalo enokusilukuhlela ekuhlokomiseni izilumkiso zobuxoki. Ngoku sinokubona umqondiso oyintlanganisela otyhilwe ngokupheleleyo ukusinika isiseko esiluqilima sokulindela kwethu ngolangazelelo ukupheliswa kweli hlabathi lingendawo nokuthatyathelwa kwalo indawo lihlabathi elitsha likaYehova.
[Ibhokisi ekwiphepha 26]
Owe-1914—Unyaka Wenguqulelo Embalini
KWANASEMVA kwemfazwe yehlabathi yesibini, abaninzi bebebhekisela kowe-1914 njengonyaka wenguqulelo enkulu kwimbali yanamhlanje:
“Ngenene ngunyaka we-1914, kunokuba ibe ngulowo wesiganeko saseHiroshima ophawula inguqulelo kwixesha lethu.”—NguRené Albrecht-Carrié, iThe Scientific Monthly, kaJulayi 1951.
“Kususela kunyaka we-1914, wonke umntu, oziphapheleyo izinto ezenzeka ehlabathini uye wakhathazwa koko kuye kwabonakala kuyinkqubela phambili emiselwe kwangaphambili ekhokelela kweyona ntlekele yakha yankulu. Abantu abaninzi abangqondo izinzileyo baye bavakalelwa lelokuba akukho nto inokwenziwa ukuthintela uqulukubhode osa entshabalalweni.”—nguBertrand Russell, iThe New York Times Magazine, kaSeptemba 27, 1953.
“Ixesha langoku . . . laqalisa ngowe-1914, yaye akukho bani ulaziyo ixesha eliya kuphela ngalo okanye indlela eliya kuphela ngayo. . . . Linokuphela ngentshabalaliso enkulu.”—IThe Seattle Times, kaJanuwari 1, 1959.
“Ngenene ihlabathi liphela lafikelela kuvuthondaba ngenxa yoko kwenzeka kwiMfazwe Yehlabathi I yaye nangoku asikasazi isizathu. . . . Ilizwe laseUtopia lalibalasele. Kwakukho uxolo nokuchuma. Ngoko yonke into yafikelela kuvuthondaba. Besisoloko sikwimeko yokungenzi nto okwexeshana ukususela ngoko.”—UGqr. Walker Percy, iAmerican Medical News, kaNovemba 21, 1977.
“Ngowe-1914 ihlabathi lalahlekana nemvisiswano elingakhange liphinde likwazi ukuyibuyisela ukususela ngoko. . . . Eli ibisoloko ilixesha lesiphithiphithi nogonyamelo olungathethekiyo, ngaphaya kwemida nangaphakathi kwayo.”—IThe Economist, yaseLondon, ka-Agasti 4, 1979.
“Yonke into yayisiza kakuhle. Eli lihlabathi endazalelwa kulo. . . . Ngequbuliso, ngokungalindelekanga, ngenye intsasa yowe-1914 yonke into yafikelela esiphelweni.”—Igosa laseburhulumenteni laseBritani uHarold Macmillan, iThe New York Times, kaNovemba 23, 1980.
[Umfanekiso okwiphepha 25]
Uxolo olungenakuthelekiswa nanto lwabo bonke kwihlabathi elitsha elithenjisiweyo