IBhabhiloni—Isazulu Sonqulo Lobuxoki

“IWILE, iwile iBhabheli; yonke imifanekiso eqingqiweyo yoothixo bayo uyaphulele emhlabeni.” Yayiluhlobo luni lwesixeko iBhabhiloni leyo awaprofeta ngayo uIsaya? Obo bubungqina obubalulekileyo ekuqondeni kwethu intsingiselo yeBhabhiloni Enkulu yanamhla.—Isaya 21:9.

IBhabhiloni yamandulo yayibalasele ngokunqula kwayo oothixo noothixokazi bobuhedeni. Kwincwadi yakhe ethi Babylonian and Assyrian Religion, uNjingalwazi S. H. Hooke uyachaza: “IBhabhiloni yayisisixeko apho uMarduk wayeyinkosi khona phakathi kwabanye oothixo ababenqulwa apho. . . . Ngethuba likaNebhukadenetsare II eBhabhiloni kwakukho iitempile ezingekho ngaphantsi kwamashumi amahlanu anesibhozo ezazakhelwe izithixo ezinamagama azo, kungasathethwa ke ngezinye iitempile ezininzi ezazingabelwanga ngolo hlobo. Ngoko inokubonwa indlela eyayinkulu ngayo indima olwalunayo udidi lwabefundisi besi sixeko sikhulu.” Kuthiwa itempile kaMarduk eyayiseBhabhiloni yayinamagumbi okuthandazela asemacaleni angama-55. Hayi indlela oku okusikhumbuza ngayo ngoninzi lweetempile, iicawa neekhathedrali zanamhlanje ezinamagumbi emithandazo asemacaleni enzelwe oothixo abanganeno, iingcwele nooMariya abaNgcwele!

IBhabhiloni yayisisazulu sokunqulwa kwezithixo esisekelwe kwinzondelelo yempambano yonqulo loothixo. Enye ingxelo ichaza ukuba ababingeleli nabo bangabalandeli abathembekileyo “babekuqhelile ukuchith’ ixesha bebuka ngebhongo imifanekiso yabo eqingqiweyo engcwele, beyigqala le mifanekiso iqingqiweyo njengoonozakuzaku bokubangxengxezela koothixo. Le mifanekiso iqingqiweyo yayambathiswe ngezambatho ezibiza imali enkulu, ihonjiswe ngeentsimbi zomqala, izacholo nemisesane; yayingqengqiswa kwiimandlalo ezitofotofo ize ithatyathwe ithwalwe kungcelele lokuhamba ngeenyawo emhlabeni owomileyo nasemanzini, ngeenqwelo zamahashe nangamaphenyane asetyenziswa ngabantu.”a Hayi indlela okufana ngayo oku nonqulo olunikelwa koothixo, kwiingcwele nakooMariya abaNgcwele ngamaHindu, amaBhuda namaKatolika anamhla, apho athi ngokufanayo enze ungcelele ethwele imifanekiso yawo eqingqiweyo ezitratweni, emilanjeni naselwandle!

Njengomzekelo ongakumbi wokufana kweBhabhiloni yamandulo nonqulo lwanamhlanje, qwalasela ingcaciso elandelayo ethatyathwe kwintyilalwazi ekwanye: “Amakholwa akhe athembekileyo ambiza ngawona magama amnandi: Akangothixokazi nenenekazi nje kuphela kodwa ukwangumama onenceba, lowo uphulaphula imithandazo, lowo ucamagushayo . . . lowo uye wanikela ubomi kwindalo iphela nakuluntu.” Thelekisa oko nalo mthandazo uvela kwiEl Santo Rosario (IRosari Engcwele): “Siyabulela kuwe, Tshawekazi elinguMongami, ngezinto ezintle esizifumana mihla le kwisandla sakho esinesisa; yiba nobubele kuthi, Nkosazana, ukuze ube nathi ngoku nangonaphakade phantsi kwenkuselo nekhusi lakho.”

Ngubani lo kuthethwa ngaye nekuchazwa yena kulo mthandazo? Ngokukhawuleza abaninzi baya kugqiba ngelithi, “NguMariya oyiNtombi Enyulu.” Loo mpendulo ayichananga ncam. Lo mthandazo ubhekiswa kuMariya. Noko ke, njengoko iLas Grandes Religiones Ilustradas isichazela, isicatshulwa sokuqala sichaza uIshtar, “Inkosazana Yothando,” uthixokazi waseBhabhiloni wokuchuma ngenzala, wothando kwanemfazwe. Maxa wambi uboniswa emifanekisweni “njengomama oncancisa usana lwakhe oluyinkwenkwe.”b Lo isengomnye umzekelo wendlela oluye unqulo lwanamhla alwahluka kuyaphi ngayo kwiBhabhiloni yamandulo!

Kwakhona sinokuthi sithelekise phakathi kweBhabhiloni yamandulo neengcamango zayo ngomphefumlo womntu nangoothixo bayo abahamba ngabathathu nonqulo lwanamhlanje, olunengqiqo efanayo yokungafi komphefumlo neyoothixo abathathu. Obu bungqina buyakomeleza ukuqonda kwethu kokuba ‘iBhabhiloni Enkulu’ ingumfuziselo ofanelekileyo wobukhosi behlabathi bukaSathana bonqulo lobuxoki.

IBhabhiloni—Utshaba Olunekratshi Lonqulo Lokwenyaniso

IBhabhiloni yayikwalutshaba olunekratshi lwabantu bakaYehova bamandulo, uSirayeli, nomcekisi wonqulo lwabo lokwenyaniso. IBhabhiloni yatshabalalisa itempile eyayiseYerusalem ngowama-607 B.C.E., yemka nazo zonke iimpahla ezixabisekileyo zonqulo lukaYehova, yaza yazingcolisa ezi zitya ngethuba lesidlo sikaBheleshatsare.—Daniyeli 5:3, 4.

Ngokukwanjalo, kumaxesha anamhla iBhabhiloni Enkulu iye yaba ngumchasi ongayekeleliyo wonqulo lokwenyaniso. Kwiimeko ezininzi apho amaNgqina kaYehova aye atshutshiswa khona, abefundisi bebengunobangela woko, ngokufuthi ngenxa yokumanyana kwabo nabalawuli bezobupolitika.

Omnye umzekelo ocacileyo wenkcaso eyaphenjelelwa ngabefundisi ngulowo wenzeka emva phayaa ngowe-1917, ibe lo mzekelo uye waphindwa izihlandlo ezininzi. Ngaloo nyaka aBafundi BeBhayibhile Bezizwe Ngezizwe, njengoko amaNgqina ayesaziwa njalo ngoko, bapapasha incwadi ethi The Finished Mystery. Amaphepha ambalwa ale ncwadi agqalwa njengakhuthaza ubhukuqo-mbuso ngabefundisi baseKhanada nabaseUnited States, mazwe lawo ayebandakanyeke shushu kwiMfazwe Yehlabathi I. Bakhawuleza ukuya kuxelela amakrexe abo ezobupolitika ngale mpapasho. Waba yintoni umphumo? Ngokutsho kukaNjingalwazi Martin Marty, kwincwadi yakhe ethi Modern American Religion—The Irony of It All: “Abefundisi balwa nxamnye nabalandeli bakaRussell [amaNgqina] baza bavuyiswa kukuva ukuba isigwebo seminyaka engamashumi amabini [ngenxa yoko kurhanelwa kukhuthaza ubhukuqo lombuso] sasiza kuwiswa phezu kweenkokeli zamaNgqina kaYehova ezazifunyaniswe zinetyala.”

Kodwa yaba yintoni intsabelo yabo befundisi kwiinyanga ezimbalwa kamva xa zahlanjwayo izityholo ezazibekwe kwezo nkokeli? “Kwakungekho mikhwazo yovuyo kumalungu eecawa esithethe.” AmaNgqina ayimela odwa imigaqo yeBhayibhile “ukusa kwinqanaba lokuba amchase urhulumente womanyano ngenxa yonqulo lwawo.” AmaNgqina ayengakulungelanga yaye engazange akulungele ukuba zizinxulumani ezizikhonzisa ngokumfamekileyo kubalawuli bobupolitika, kwanaphantsi kolawulo lwamaNazi eJamani okanye kolawulo lobuFasi eItali, eSpeyin nasePortugal.

Ukuchaswa Nokuhlaziswa KweBhabhiloni

Ngoko, hayi indlela ekufaneleke ngayo, xa iSityhilelo sichaza ukuba iBhabhiloni Enkulu ‘inxile ligazi labangcwele, naligazi lamangqina kaYesu’ nokuba ‘kuyo kwafunyanwa igazi labaprofeti, nelabangcwele, nelabo bonke abasikiweyo emhlabeni.’ Ityala legazi lonqulo lwehlabathi ngenxa yokuba nenxaxheba ngendlela ekhutheleyo okanye ukuzibetha ngoyaba iimfazwe nentshushiso yamaKristu okwenyaniso linokubonwa ukuhla ukutyhubela iinkulungwane.—ISityhilelo 17:6; 18:24.

IBhabhiloni Enkulu, ubukhosi behlabathi bonqulo lobuxoki, iye yanandipha ubuncwane namandla ukutyhubela imbali. Kodwa isithunywa sezulu salumkisa uYohane ngokuba umhla wehenyukazi elikhulu wawuza kufika. Ingxelo iyasixelela: “Sadanduluka ngamandla, ngezwi elikhulu, sisithi: Iwile, iwile iBhabheli enkulu, yaba likhaya leedemon, nentolongo yoomoya bonke abangcolileyo, nentolongo yeentaka zonke ezingcolileyo, ezithiyekileyo.”—ISityhilelo 18:2.

Iya kuwa nini iBhabhiloni? Okanye ngaba sele iwile? Iwa ngayiphi indlela? Ibe kukuchaphazela njani oko? Le neminye imibuzo ehlobeneyo iya kuphendulwa kwinkupho yethu elandelayo yeMboniselo.

[Imibhalo esemazantsi]

[Umfanekiso okwiphepha 8, 9]

IBhabhiloni Enkulu inemvelaphi yayo kunqulo lwamandulo lobuBhabhiloni