Lisingise Phi Eli Hlabathi?

IBHAYIBHILE yaxela kwangaphambili ukuba imilinganiselo yokuziphatha yayiya kuwohloka yaye ithi: “Ngemihla yokugqibela kuya kufika amaxesha amanqam ekunzima ukujamelana nawo. Kuba abantu baya kuba ngabazithandayo, abathandi bemali, . . . abangathobeli bazali, abangenambulelo, abanganyanisekanga, abangenawo umsa wemvelo, . . . iindlobongela, abangathandi kulunga, abangcatshi, abaneentloko ezilukhuni, abakhukhumele likratshi, abathandi beziyolo kunokuba bathande uThixo, benembonakalo yozinikelo lobuthixo kodwa bengaphili ngokuvisisana nalo.”—2 Timoti 3:1-5.

Usenokuba uyavuma ukuba esi siprofeto seBhayibhile siyichaza kakuhle indlela eliyiyo ihlabathi namhlanje. Phofu ke, esi siprofeto sabhalwa phantse iminyaka engama-2 000 eyadlulayo! Siqala ngamazwi athi: “ngemihla yokugqibela.” Lithetha ntoni ibinzana elithi ‘imihla yokugqibela?’

‘Yimihla Yokugqibela’ Yantoni?

Amazwi athi “imihla yokugqibela,” aqhelekile. KwisiNgesi nje kuphela la mazwi angumxholo weencwadi ezininzi. Ngokomzekelo, kukho incwadi yakutshanje ethi The Last Days of Innocence—America at War, 1917-1918. Intshayelelo yale ncwadi ikwenza kucace ukuba xa isebenzisa amazwi athi “imihla yokugqibela” ibhekisela kwixesha elithile, xa imilinganiselo yokuziphatha iya kuwohloka.

Le ntshayelelo ithi: “Ngowe-1914, ilizwe latshintsha kunalo naliphi na elinye ixesha embalini. Enyanisweni, unyaka we-1914 ngunyaka weyona imfazwe inkulu ehlabathini yaye akuzange kukhe kubekho imfazwe injalo ngaphambili. Le ncwadi ithi: “Le mfazwe yayingeyomfazwe nje ephakathi kwemikhosi, kodwa yayiphakathi kweentlanga.” Njengokuba siza kubona, le mfazwe yaqalisa ngexesha iBhayibhile ethi ‘yimihla yokugqibela.’

IBhayibhile ifundisa ngoko kuza kwenzeka ngaphambi kokuba “imihla yokugqibela” iphele. IBhayibhile ithi kwakukhe kwakho ihlabathi yaye ladlula, okanye laphela, ithi: “ihlabathi langoko latshatyalaliswa xa lakhukuliswa ngamanzi kanogumbe.” Kwakunini ngoko yaye liliphi ihlabathi elatshatyalaliswayo? ‘Yayilihlabathi lamandulo labantu abangenabuthixo’ elalikho ngexesha likaNowa. Ngokufanayo, ihlabathi langoku liza kutshabalala. Kodwa, abo bakhonza uThixo baya kusinda ekugqibeleni, njengoNowa nentsapho yakhe.—2 Petros 2:5; 3:6; Genesis 7:21-24; 1 Yohane 2:17.

Okwathethwa nguYesu Ngesiphelo

UYesu Kristu wathetha ‘ngemihla kaNowa’ xa ‘kwafika umkhukula waza wabatshayela bonke.’ Wathelekisa iimeko ezazikho ngaphambi koMkhukula—ngaphambi kokuba elo hlabathi liphele—nezo zenzeka ngexesha elingumqondiso “wokupheliswa kwenkqubo yezinto.” (Mateyu 24:3, 37-39) Abanye abaguquleli beBhayibhile basebenzisa ibinzana elithi “ukupheliswa kwehlabathi” okanye “ukuphela kwesizukulwana.”—IThe Jerusalem Bible, The New English Bible, neNew International Version.

UYesu waxela kwangaphambili ukuba ihlabathi liya kuba njani ngaphambi kokuba lipheliswe. Ngokuphathelele iimfazwe wathi: “Uhlanga luya kuvukelana nohlanga nobukumkani buvukelane nobukumkani.” Ababhali-mbali baye bafumanisa ukuba oko kwaqalisa ngowe-1914. Kungeso sizathu lento intshayelelo yencwadi ekhankanywe ngasentla isithi, ngonyaka we-1914 kwaqalisa “imfazwe, . . . kungekhona eyemikhosi kodwa eyeentlanga.”

UYesu wongezelela athi: “Kuya kubakho ukunqongophala kokutya neenyikima zomhlaba kwiindawo ngeendawo. Zonke ezi zinto zikukuqala kwenimba.” Wathi, eny’ into eza kwenzeka ‘kukwanda kokuchas’ umthetho.’ (Mateyu 24:7-14) Ngokuqinisekileyo sikubonile oku kusenzeka kwixesha esiphila kulo. Ukuwohloka kwemilinganiselo yokuziphatha kwandile kangangokuba kuzalisekisa isiprofeto seBhayibhile.

Sifanele siphile ubomi obunjani kweli hlabathi linemilinganiselo ewohlokileyo. Phawula oko umpostile uPawulos wakubhalela amaKristu aseRoma ngokuphathelele ukuwohloka kwemilinganiselo yokuziphatha. Wathi: “Wabanikela kwinkanuko yesini elihlazo, kuba amabhinqa abo akutshintsha ukusebenza kwawo kwemvelo kwaba kokwahlukileyo kwimvelo; namadoda akushiya ukusebenza kwemvelo kwamabhinqa aza atshisekelana ngamandla, amadoda ekhanuka amadoda, esebenza oko kungamanyala, ezamkelela imbuyekezo ezeleyo, eyayiwafanele ngenxa yesiphoso sawo.”—Roma 1:26, 27.

Ababhali-mbali bathi xa imilinganiselo yabantu yokuziphatha yayiwohloka, “ibutho elincinane lamaKristu ngokuhlonela kwalo uThixo nokuziphatha ngesidima lalibakhathaza abantu behlabathi ababengabahedeni nababethe phithi thwanga kukuthand’ iziyolo.” Oku kubangela ukuba unqumame uze ubuze: ‘Kuthekani ngam nangabo ndikhetha ukuba babe ngabahlobo bam. Ngaba saziwa ngokuba nemilinganiselo efanelekileyo yokuziphatha ngokungafaniyo nabo banemilinganiselo ewohlokileyo?’—1 Petros 4:3, 4.

Sisemlweni

IBhayibhile isifundisa ukuba nakuba singqongwe ngabantu abanemilinganiselo ewohlokileyo, sifanele ‘singabi nakusoleka sibe msulwa, njengabantwana bakaThixo abangenasiphako phakathi kwesizukulwana esigwenxa nesijijekileyo.’ Ukuze sikwenze oko, sifanele ‘sibambelele ngokuqinileyo kwilizwi lobomi.’ (Filipi 2:15, 16) La mazwi eBhayibhile asibonisa into amaKristu afanele eyenze ukuze ingawohloki imilinganiselo yawo—afanele abambelele nkqi kwiimfundiso zeLizwi likaThixo aze aqonde ukuba imilinganiselo eseBhayibhileni yeyona ndlela ifanelekileyo yokuphila.

USathana uMtyholi “uthixo wale nkqubo yezinto” uzama ukutsalela abantu ngakwicala lakhe. (2 Korinte 4:4) IBhayibhile isixelela ukuba “uzimilisa okwengelosi yokukhanya.” Abo bamkhonzayo benza izinto njengaye. (2 Korinte 11:14, 15) Bathembisa inkululeko nolonwabo, kodwa njengokuba iBhayibhile isitsho, “bona ngokwabo bangamakhoboka okonakala.”—2 Petros 2:19.

Ungazikhohlisi. Abo batyeshela imilinganiselo kaThixo yokuziphatha baya kuvuna oko bakuhlwayelayo. Umdumisi wabhala: “Usindiso lukude kwabo bangendawo, kuba abayifunanga imimiselo yakho [Thixo].” (INdumiso 119:155; IMizekeliso 5:22, 23) Ngaba seyisekile koko? Ukuba seyisekile, masikhusele iingqondo neentliziyo zethu kwiingcamango ezenzakalisayo.

Noko ke, abantu abaninzi bengalumkanga bathi, ‘Ukuba into endiyenzayo ayaphuli mthetho, ifanelekile.’ Kodwa, akunjalo. UBawo wethu osemazulwini, ngothando usinika imilinganiselo yokusikhokela. Le milinganiselo ayenzi ubomi bube yindinisa yaye ayikho ngqongqo, kodwa iyasikhusela. UThixo “ukufundisa okuyingenelo kuwe.” Ufuna uphephe intlekele uze unandiphe ubomi obonwabisayo. Enyanisweni njengokuba iBhayibhile ifundisa, ukukhonza uThixo ‘kusinika ithemba kobu bomi nakobo buzayo.’ Obo ‘bubomi benene,’ ubomi obungunaphakade kwihlabathi elitsha alithembisileyo!—Isaya 48:17, 18; 1 Timoti 4:8; 6:19.

Ngoko ke, thelekisa iinzuzo ezifumaneka ngokuphila ngokuvumelana noko kufundiswa yiBhayibhile nentlungu efunyanwa ngabo basilelayo ukwenjenjalo. Ukuzuza inkoliseko kaThixo ngenxa yokuba siphulaphule, enyanisweni yeyona ndlela ifanelekileyo yokuphila! UThixo uthembisa esithi: “Yena ke ondiphulaphulayo, uya kuhlala ngonqabiseko aze angaphazamiseki ekunkwantyiseni kwentlekele.”—IMizekeliso 1:33.

Ibutho Labantu Elinemilinganiselo Efanelekileyo

IBhayibhile ithi, xa eli hlabathi litshatyalaliswa, ‘ongendawo uya kube engekho.’ Kwakhona ithi: “Kodwa abalulamileyo baya kuwudla ilifa umhlaba, baziyolise ngokugqibeleleyo ngobuninzi boxolo.” (INdumiso 37:10, 11; IMizekeliso 2:20-22) Ngoko ke, iya kusitshulwa neengcambu imilinganiselo engafanelekanga, kuquka bonke abo baye bala ukuphila ngokuvumelana nemilinganiselo yoMdali wethu. Abo bathanda uThixo baya kuyibuyisela ngokuthe ngcembe iparadesi.—Genesis 2:7-9.

Khawube nomfanekiso-ngqondweni sikulo paradesi icocekileyo nentle. Abanye abaza kube benelungelo lokuyibona ngamawaka ezigidi eziza kube zivuswe ekufeni. Zivuyele izithembiso zikaThixo, kuba: “Amalungisa aya kuwudla ilifa umhlaba, ahlale kuwo ngonaphakade.” “[UThixo] uya kuzisula zonke iinyembezi emehlweni abo, kungabi sabakho kufa, kungabi sabakho kuzila nakukhala nantlungu kwakhona. Izinto zangaphambili zidlule.”—INdumiso 37:29; ISityhilelo 21:3, 4.

[Amagama acatshulweyo akwiphepha 9]

Xa ihlabathi litshatyalaliswa, abantu abahlonela uThixo baya kusinda

[Umfanekiso okwiphepha 10]

Emva kokuba eli hlabathi litshatyalalisiwe, umhlaba uya kuba yiparadesi