Kwenzeka Ntoni Kumphefumlo Xa Sisifa?
“Imfundiso yokuba umphefumlo womntu awufi yaye uya kuqhubeka uphila emva kokufa komntu neyokuba uyawushiya umzimba isesinye seziseko zentanda-bulumko neemfundiso zobuKristu.”—“NEW CATHOLIC ENCYCLOPEDIA.”
NOKO ke, le ncwadi icatshulwe ngasentla iyavuma ukuba “imbono yokuba umphefumlo awufi akusokuze uyibone eBhayibhileni.” Ngoko, iBhayibhile ifundisa ntoni kanye kanye ngokwenzekayo kumphefumlo xa sisifa?
Abafi Abazi Nto
2 Imeko yabafi idandalaziswe kwiNtshumayeli 9:5, 10, efundeka ngolu hlobo: “Abafileyo abazi nto . . . Akukho nto banosukelo lwayo, abacebi, abanalwazi okanye ubukrelekrele, engcwabeni.” (Moffatt) Ngoko ke, ukufa kukungaphili. Umdumisi wabhala wathi xa umntu esifa, ‘ubuyela emhlabeni; ngaloo mini ayatshitsha amabhongo akhe.’—INdumiso 146:4.
3 Ngoko abafi akukho nto bayaziyo, akukho nto bayenzayo. Xa wayewisa isigwebo kuAdam, uThixo wathi: “Uluthuli, uya kubuyela kwaseluthulini.” (Genesis 3:19) Ngaphambi kokuba uThixo ambumbe ngothuli lomhlaba aze amnike ubomi, uAdam wayengekho. Xa wafayo, uAdam waphinda akabikho. Isohlwayo sakhe saba kukufa—akazange afuduselwe kwenye indawo.
Umphefumlo Unako Ukufa
4 Akuba uAdam efile, kwenzeka ntoni kumphefumlo wakhe? Kaloku khumbula ukuba eBhayibhileni igama elithi “umphefumlo” lisoloko libhekisela kumntu ephela. Ngoko xa sisithi uAdam wafa, sithi umphefumlo ogama linguAdam wafa. Oku kusenokuba ngumnqa kumntu okholelwa ukuba umphefumlo awufi. Noko ke, iBhayibhile ithi: “Umphefumlo owonayo, kuya kufa wona.” (Hezekile 18:4) ILevitikus 21:1 (NW) ithetha “ngomphefumlo ofileyo” (‘umfi,’ ngokweBhayibhile YesiXhosa). Yaye amaNaziri axelelwa ukuba angasondeli kuwo “nawuphi na umphefumlo ofileyo” (“kofileyo,” ngokweBhayibhile YesiXhosa).—Numeri 6:6, NW.
5 Kweyoku-1 yooKumkani 19:4 kuthethwa ngokufanayo ngomphefumlo. UEliya owayekhathazeke gqitha ‘wacela ukuba umphefumlo wakhe ufe.’ Ngokufanayo, uYona “wawucelela ukufa umphefumlo wakhe, wathi, Kulungile ukufa kum, kunokuba ndidle ubomi.” (Yona 4:8) Yaye uYesu wasebenzisa ibinzana elithi “ukubulala umphefumlo,” kwiBhayibhile YesiXhosa eliguqulelwe ngokuthi “ukubulala.” (Marko 3:4) Ngoko ukufa komphefumlo kuthetha ukufa komntu.
‘Ukuphuma Kwawo’ ‘Nokubuya Kwawo’
6 Sithini ke ngokufa okubuhlungu kukaRakeli, owafa xa wayezala unyana wakhe wesibini? KwiGenesis 35:18, sifunda oku: “Kwathi ekuphumeni komphefumlo wakhe, kuba wafayo, wathi nguBhenoni igama lakhe; ke yena uyise wathi nguBhenjamin.” Ngaba oku kubonisa ukuba uRakeli wayenento ekuye ngaphakathi eyaphumayo akufa? Nakanye. Kaloku khumbula, igama elithi “umphefumlo” linako nokubhekisela kubomi umntu abuphilayo. Ngoko kule meko “umphefumlo” kaRakeli wawuthetha “ubomi.” Yiloo nto iBhayibhile iliguqulela eli binzana ngokuthi “ekuphumeni komphefumlo wakhe” njengokuba “ubomi bakhe babusiya buphela” (ngokweKnox), “wayetsal’ umoya wokugqibela” (ngokweJerusalem Bible), nangokuthi njengoko “babuphuma ubomi bakhe kuye” (ngokweBible in Basic English). Akukho nto ibonisa ukuba kwakukho nto ithile engaziwayo engazange ife ekufeni kukaRakeli.
7 Kuyafana nangengxelo yokuvuswa konyana womhlolokazi othile, ekweyoku-1 yooKumkani isahluko 17. Kwindinyana 22, sifunda ukuba uEliya wathandazela loo mfana ufileyo, “waliva uYehova ilizwi likaEliya; wabuyela phakathi kwakhe umphefumlo waloo mntwana, waphila.” Nalapha, igama elithi “umphefumlo” lithetha “ubomi.” Ngaloo ndlela, iNew American Standard Bible ifundeka ngolu hlobo: “Ubomi baloo mntwana babuyela kuye waphila kwakhona.” Ewe, bubomi, kungekhona nto ithile eziphilelayo, eyabuyela kuloo nkwenkwe. Oku kuvisisana noko uEliya wakuthethayo ngomama waloo nkwenkwe: “Uyabona, uphilile unyana wakho [ongumntu opheleleyo].”—1 Kumkani 17:23.
Intsinda-badala ‘Yexesha Langaphambi Kovuko’
8 Abaninzi abathi bangamaKristu bakholelwa kwelokuba kuza kubakho uvuko apho imizimba iya kudityaniswa nemiphefumlo yayo engakhange ife. Ngelo xesha, abavusiweyo baza kugaqela umvuzo wabo—abo benza okulungileyo bafumane umvuzo okanye abangendawo bohlwaywe.
9 Le ngcamango ivakala ilula. Kodwa abo bakholelwa ukuba umphefumlo awufi bashwantshwatha kube nzima xa becacisa into eyenzeka kumphefumlo emva kokufa nangaphambi kovuko. Eneneni, eli “xesha langaphambi kovuko,” njengokuba belibiza njalo, lenze abantu babhula besela kangangeenkulungwane. Abanye bathi ebudeni beli xesha umphefumlo uya kwindawo yentlambululo yemiphefumlo, apho ukhuculwa izono ezincinane ukuze ungene ubaleka ezulwini.a
10 Noko ke, njengokuba sele sibonile, umphefumlo ngumntu ephela. Xa umntu esifa, umphefumlo uyafa. Ngenxa yoko, akukho nto uyaziyo xa ufile. Eneneni, xa uLazaro wafayo, uYesu Kristu akazange athi wayekwindawo yentlambululo yemiphefumlo, eLimbo, okanye kwindawo oba kuyo ‘ngexesha langaphambi kovuko.’ Kunoko uYesu wathi: “ULazaro . . . ulele.” (Yohane 11:11, ngokweBhayibhile YesiXhosa) Kucacile ke ukuba, uYesu, owayeyazi ngqo inyaniso ngokwenzekayo kumphefumlo xa umntu esifa, wayekholelwa ukuba uLazaro wayengazi nto, engaphili.
Uyintoni Umoya?
11 IBhayibhile ithi xa umntu esifa, “uyaphuma umoya wakhe, abuyele yena emhlabeni wakhe.” (INdumiso 146:4) Ngaba oku kuthetha ukuba umoya ogoqoza wodwa ungekho mzimbeni uyanduluka uze uqhubeke uphila akuba umntu efile? Inganzima loo nto, kuba umdumisi waleka ngelithi: “Ngaloo mini ayatshitsha amabhongo akhe” (“uyayeka ukucinga,” New English Bible). Ngoko uyintoni wona umoya, yaye ‘uphuma’ njani emntwini xa esifa?
12 Amagama eBhayibhileni aguqulelwe ngokuthi “umoya” (ngesiHebhere, ruʹach; ngesiGrike, pneuʹma) wona athetha “impefumlo.” Ngaloo ndlela, kunokuthi “uyaphuma umoya wakhe,” inguqulelo kaR. A. Knox isebenzisa ibinzana elithi “impefumlo yakhe iyawushiya umzimba.” (INdumiso 145:4, Knox) Kodwa igama elithi “umoya” alibhekiseli kwimpefumlo kuphela. Ngokomzekelo, xa ichaza ukutshatyalaliswa kobomi babantu nobezilwanyana ngoNogumbe, iGenesis 7:22 ithi: “Yonk’ into ekwakusebenza impefumlo yamandla [okanye, umoya; ngesiHebhere, ruʹach] obomi emathatheni ayo, oko kukuthi, konke okwakusemhlabeni owomileyo, kwafa.” Ngoko igama elithi “umoya” linokubhekisela kumandla obomi asebenzayo kwizidalwa eziphilayo, abantu nezilwanyana, agcinwa kukuphefumla.
13 Ngokomzekelo: Amandla ombane afaka umbane kwisixhobo esithile. Ukuba loo mandla ayayeka ukusebenza, eso sixhobo naso siyayeka. La mandla akenzi nto ewodwa. Ngokufanayo, xa umntu esifa, umoya wakhe uyayeka ukugcina iiseli ziphila. Awuwushiyi umzimba uze ugoqoze wodwa uye kweny’ indawo.—INdumiso 104:29.
14 Ngoku ke kutheni INtshumayeli 12:7 isithi xa umntu esifa, “umoya ubuyele kuThixo owawunikayo”? Ngaba oku kuthetha ukuba umoya uyahamba ngokoqobo utyhutyh’ isibhakabhaka uye kufika kuThixo? Yintsomi leyo. Khumbula ukuba, umoya ngamandla obomi. Xa ephumile loo mandla, nguThixo kuphela onamandla okuwabuyisela. Ngoko ‘umoya ubuyela kuThixo’ ngengqiqo yokuba ukuze loo mntu aphinde aphile yonk’ into ixhomekeke kuThixo.
15 NguThixo kuphela onokubuyisela umoya, okanye amandla obomi, ebangela ukuba umntu abuyele ebomini. (INdumiso 104:30) Kodwa ngaba uThixo uzimisele ukwenjenjalo?
[Umbhalo osemazantsi]
a NgokweNew Catholic Encyclopedia, “abaSeki [beCawa] xa bebonke babetha ngenqindi phantsi xa bethetha ngendawo yentlambululo yemiphefumlo.” Ukanti, kwale ncwadi inye iyavuma isithi “imfundiso yamaKatolika yendawo yentlambululo yemiphefumlo isekelwe kwisithethe, ayikho kwiZibhalo Ezingcwele.”
[Imibuzo YeSifundo]
1. Yintoni iNew Catholic Encyclopedia eyivumayo ngento yokuba umphefumlo awufi xa umntu esifa?
2, 3. Bakweyiphi imeko abantu abafileyo, yaye ziziphi izibhalo ezityhila oko?
4, 5. Nikela imizekelo eseBhayibhileni ebonisa ukuba umphefumlo unako ukufa.
6. IBhayibhile ithetha ukuthini xa isithi umphefumlo kaRakeli ‘waphuma’?
7. Umphefumlo wonyana womhlolokazi owavuswayo ‘wabuyela njani kuye’?
8. Abaninzi abathi bangamaKristu bakholelwa ukuba kuza kwenzeka ntoni ebudeni bovuko?
9. Ibinzana elithi “ixesha langaphambi kovuko” lithetha ntoni, yaye abanye bathi yintoni eyenzekayo kumphefumlo ebudeni beli xesha?
10. Kutheni kungasekelwanga zibhalweni nje ukukholelwa ukuba umphefumlo uchith’ ixesha kwindawo yentlambululo miphefumlo emva kokufa, yaye amava kaLazaro akuqinisekisa njani oku?
11. Kutheni igama elithi “umoya” lingabhekiseli ekubeni uyahlukana nomntu ungafi xa esifa?
12. Igama lesiHebhere nelesiGrike aguqulelwe ngokuthi “umoya” eBhayibhileni abhekisela entwenini?
13. Umoya unokufaniswa njani namandla ombane?
14, 15. Umoya ubuyela njani kuThixo xa umntu esifa?
[Ibhokisi ekwiphepha 23]
UKUKHUMBULA IZINTO ZOBOMI BANGAPHAMBILI
UKUBA akukho nto ingafiyo xa umzimba usifa, ngabantu abatheni aba bathi bakhumbula izinto ezenzeka kubomi babo bangaphambili?
Umphengululi ongumHindu uNikhilananda uthi ‘amava asemva kokufa komzimba akanakucaciswa.’ Kwintetho yakhe ethi “Imizekelo Yokuba Iinkonzo Ziyakholelwa Kubomi Obungunaphakade,” umfundisi uHans Küng uthi: “La mahumhum—inkoliso yawo evela ebantwaneni okanye kumazwe anabantu abakholelwa ekuveleni ngokutsha—ezinto ezikhunjulwayo zobomi bangaphambili akanabungqina.” Wongezelela ngelithi: “Inkoliso [yabaphandi abenza uphando olunyanisekileyo nolungokwenzululwazi] iyavuma ukuba la mathsuphelele iza nawo akabobungqina bokuba ubani wakha waphila emhlabeni.”
Kuthekani ke ukuba unezinto ozikhumbulayo zobomi bangaphambili? Ezo mvakalelo zisenokuba zibangelwa zizinto ezahlukeneyo. Inkoliso yenkcazelo esiyifumanayo ihamba iye kuthi khotsho kwicala eligcina inkcazelo engasetyenziswayo engqondweni yethu kuba kungekho nto esiza kuyisebenzisa kuyo ngokuthe ngqo okanye okwelo xesha. Xa ezo zinto besisele sizilibele, zisithi qatha bambi abantu bathi zizinto ezazenzeke kubomi bangaphambili. Sekunjalo, ingongoma yeyokuba abukho obunye ubomi esakha sabuphila ngaphandle kobu sinabo ngoku. Inkoliso yabantu esemhlabeni ayinanto iyaziyo ngobomi eyayibuphila ngaphambili; yaye ayicingi ukuba yakha yaphila ngaphambili.