Imbono YeBhayibhile

Ngaba Umhlaba Uya Kuphelela Emlilweni?

UYA kutshiswa kwimbubhiso yenyukliya, uya kutshatyalaliswa yingqatsini yelanga, okanye uya kubaselwa nguthixo olugcwabevu ngumsindo—kusenokwenzeka ngeendlela ezahlukahlukeneyo, kodwa abantu abaninzi beyisekile kukuba isijikelezi-langa esinguMhlaba, ikhaya loluntu, siya kufikelela esiphelweni kudubul’ egeqa, wesiphelo esiyintlekele.

Bambi bacaphula iindinyana zeBhayibhile ezichaza ngomlilo otshabalalisayo owasetyenziswa nguThixo njengesohlwayo ngenxa yendlela abantu abawuphatha kakubi ngayo umhlaba. Abanye baphinda uluvo lukaPaul Davies, unjingalwazi kwiYunivesithi yaseAdelaide, eOstreliya, obhala ngento ayigqala njengokuwela komhlaba ngendlela engaphephekiyo kwintshabalalo yomlilo. Kwincwadi yakhe ethi The Last Three Minutes uthi: “Njengoko ilanga lisiya ligqatsa, liya kugubungela . . . uMhlaba kwisingxobo salo esitshisayo. Isijikelezi-langa sethu siya kutsha sibe lilahle.” Yiyiphi inyaniso ngesiphelo somhlaba? Sifanele siziqonde njani iindinyana zeBhayibhile ezibonakala zichaza kusengaphambili ukutshatyalaliswa kwawo ngomlilo?

Ngaba UThixo Uyakhathala?

KuYeremiya 10:10-12, sixelelwa oku: “UYehova nguThixo, inyaniso. . . . Ke yena ngulowenza ihlabathi ngamandla akhe; ulozinzisa elimiweyo ngobulumko bakhe; waneka izulu ngengqondo yakhe.” UThixo wawenza umhlaba waza wawuzinzisa. Ngoko ngobulumko, ngothando nangokuqonda, wawulungiselela ngenyameko umhlaba ukuba uhlale ngonaphakade njengekhaya elihle loluntu.

IBhayibhile inikela le ngxelo ngokudala kukaThixo abantu: “Wadala indoda nenkazana. Wabasikelela uThixo, wathi kubo uThixo, Qhamani nande niwuzalise umhlaba niweyise.” (Genesis 1:27, 28) Xa wawugqibayo umsebenzi wakhe wokudala, ngokuqinisekileyo wayenokuthi “kulungile kunene.” (Genesis 1:31) Wayefuna izinto zihlale zilolo hlobo. Kanye njengokuba abanye abazali besenza baze bafake impahla kwigumbi losana oluza kuzalwa abalulindeleyo, uThixo watyala umyezo omhle waza wabeka indoda enguAdam ukuze iwandise ize iwunyamekele.—Genesis 2:15.

UAdam wayityeshela imfezeko nomsebenzi wakhe wokunyamekela umhlaba. Kodwa ngaba uMdali wayityeshela injongo Yakhe? UIsaya 45:18 akatsho njalo, uthi: “Utsho uYehova, uMdali wezulu, . . . uMenzi wehlabathi . . . , yena walizinzisayo akalidalelanga ukuba kube senyanyeni walibumba ukuba limiwe.” (Kwakhona bona uIsaya 55:10, 11.) Nangona umntu wawutyeshelayo umsebenzi wakhe awayewunikiwe, uThixo waqhubeka efeza injongo yakhe ngomhlaba nangobomi obukuwo. UMthetho owanikwa uhlanga lwamandulo lwakwaSirayeli walungiselela ‘isabatha yesabatha [yokuphumla ngokupheleleyo, NW] kulo ilizwe’ emva kweminyaka esixhenxe. Wawuquka imithetho yenceba eyayinikela umlinganiselo othile wokukhuseleka kwezilwanyana. (Levitikus 25:4; Eksodus 23:4, 5; Duteronomi 22:1, 2, 6, 7, 10; 25:4; Luka 14:5) Le yimizekelo nje embalwa eseBhayibhileni ebonisa ngokucacileyo ukuba uThixo ulukhathalele gqitha uluntu, nazo zonke iimbopheleleko awalunika zona.

‘Umhlaba Wangaphambili’

Ngoko sizidibanisa njani iindinyana zeBhayibhile ezibonakala ziphikisana? Esinye esinjalo yeyesi-2 kaPetros 3:7, ethi: “Ke lona izulu langoku, nawo umhlaba lo, kwangelo lizwi ezo zinto ziqwetyelwe, zigcinelwe, umlilo, kuse kwimini yomgwebo nentshabalalo yabantu abangahloneli Thixo.” Esinye siSityhilelo 21:1, esithi: “Ndabona izulu elitsha nomhlaba omtsha; kuba izulu langaphambili nomhlaba wangaphambili wadlula.”

Ukuba amazwi kaPetros aza kuthatyathwa ngokoqobo yaye nesijikelezi-langa esinguMhlaba siza kutshatyalaliswa ngumlilo wokoqobo, ngoko amazulu okoqobo—iinkwenkwezi nezinye izinto ezisesibhakabhakeni—nazo ziza kutshatyalaliswa ngomlilo. Noko ke, le mbono iyaphikisana nesiqinisekiso esikwizibhalo ezinjengoMateyu 6:10: “Makwenzeke ukuthanda kwakho nasemhlabeni njengasezulwini,” neNdumiso 37:29: “Amalungisa aya kulidla ilifa ilizwe, ahlale kulo ngonaphakade.” Ngaphezu koko, yintoni umlilo obuya kuyenza kwiinkwenkwezi nelanga elisele ligqatsa kakade nelisoloko lisenza ugqabhuko-dubulo lwenyukliya?

Kwelinye icala, iBhayibhile ngokufuthi isebenzisa ibinzana elithi “umhlaba” ngendlela efuziselayo. Ngokomzekelo, iGenesis 11:1 ithi: “Ke kaloku lonke ihlabathi [umhlaba] libe lintetho-nye.” Apha, igama elithi “umhlaba” libhekisela kuluntu ngokubanzi, okanye kwibutho labantu. (Kwakhona bona eyoku-1 yooKumkani 2:1, 2; neyoku-1 yeziKronike 16:31.) Umongo weyesi-2 kaPetros 3:5, 6 uthetha ngokufuzisela ngendlela efanayo ‘ngomhlaba.’ Ubhekisela kumhla kaNowa xa ibutho labantu elingendawo latshatyalaliswa ngoMkhukula kodwa uNowa nendlu yakhe kwakunye nomhlaba basindiswa. (Genesis 9:11) Ngokufanayo, eyesi-2 kaPetros 3:7, ithi kuza kutshatyalaliswa ‘abantu abangahloneli Thixo.’ Le mbono ivumelana nayo yonke iBhayibhile. Ibutho labantu elingendawo eligcinelwe intshabalalo ‘likwangumhlaba wangaphambili’ ekubhekiselwa kuwo kwiSityhilelo 21:1, esicatshulwe ngaphambilana.

Eneneni, kanye njengokuba ubawo wasemhlabeni onenkathalo eya kuthabatha nawaphi na amanyathelo anokuwathabatha ukuqinisekisa ukuba ikhaya lakhe likhuselekile, uYehova uThixo uyixhalabele ngokwenene indalo yakhe. Wakha wakhupha abantu ababeziphethe kakubi nababengendawo kwiNtlambo yaseYordan echumileyo waza waqinisekisa abo babeza kunyamekela loo mhlaba, nababekumnqophiso kunye naye ukuba, ukuba babeyigcinile imimiselo yakhe, ‘ilizwe lalingayi kubahlanza ngokulenza kwabo inqambi, njengoko liluhlanzileyo uhlanga oluphambi kwabo.’—Levitikus 18:24-28.

‘Umhlaba Omtsha’

Namhlanje, ibutho labantu eliziphethe kakubi ngokwesini, elinogonyamelo nenkohlakalo nelinganyanisekanga kwezobupolitika liye lawungcolisa umhlaba. NguThixo kuphela onokuwuhlangula. Uya kwenza kanye oko. KwiSityhilelo 11:18 uthembisa ‘ukonakalisa abo bawonakalisayo umhlaba.’ Umhlaba obuyiselweyo nohlaziyiweyo uya kuzaliswa ngabantu aboyika uThixo nababathanda ngokunyanisekileyo abamelwane babo. (Hebhere 2:5; thelekisa uLuka 10:25-28.) Utshintsho olukhoyo phantsi koBukumkani bukaThixo basezulwini luya kuba lukhulu gqitha kangangokuba iBhayibhile ithetha ‘ngomhlaba omtsha’—ibutho elitsha labantu.

Xa sifunda izibhalo ezinjengeNdumiso 37:29 size sikuqonde okwathethwa nguKristu kuMateyu 6:10, seyisekile kukuba amandla emvelo okanye umntu nawo onke amandla akhe okutshabalalisa akayi kusitshabalalisa isijikelezi-langa sethu. Ezo zinto azisayi kuyithintela injongo kaThixo. (INdumiso 119:90; Isaya 40:15, 26) Uluntu oluthembekileyo luya kuphila emhlabeni kwiimeko ezintle ngokumangalisayo novuyo olungapheliyo. Leyo yinyaniso engesiphelo somhlaba, kuba le yinjongo yaye ibisoloko iyinjongo yoMdali onothando woluntu.—Genesis 2:7-9, 15; ISityhilelo 21:1-5.