‘Ukuxwilwa Siye Kukhawulela INkosi’—Njani?
SINGCACHELA kwisiphelo sale nkqubo ingendawo yezinto esingenakubuya mva. Ngokugqitha kweyure nganye, komzuzu ngamnye, komzuzwana ngamnye, sisondela kwiziganeko ezikhwankqisayo ekwaprofetwa ngazo mandulo. Ngaba ukuxwilwa sesinye sazo? Ukuba sesinye sazo, kuya kwenzeka nini yaye njani?
Kodwa abo bakholelwayo kuko bacaphula amazwi kampostile uPawulos akweyoku-1 kwabaseTesalonika 4:17 njengesiseko senkolelo yabo. Makhe sihlolisise esi sibhalo ngokomongo waso. UPawulos wabhala:
“Ke kaloku andithandi ukuba ningazi, bazalwana, mayela nabalele ukufa, ukuze ningabi buhlungu njengabanye abangenathemba bona. Kuba xa sikholwa ukuba uYesu wafa, wabuya wavuka, kwangokunjalo naye uThixo woza nabo abalele ukufa ngaye uYesu, kunye naye. Kuba oku siyakutsho kuni ngelizwi leNkosi ukuthi, thina babudlayo ubomi, baya kuba besekho ekufikeni kweNkosi, asisayi kubaphangela abalele ukufa. Ngokuba iNkosi ngokwayo iya kuhla emazulwini inendanduluko, inelizwi lesiphatha-zithunywa, inexilongo likaThixo, baze abafele kuKristu bavuke kuqala; sandule thina babudlayo ubomi, basaseleyo sixwilelwe emafini kwakunye nabo, siye [kuhlangana, TE] neNkosi esibhakabhakeni; size ngokunjalo sihlale sihleli, sindawonye neNkosi. Ngoko ke thuthuzelanani ngala mazwi.”—1 Tesalonika 4:13-18.
Ibandla laseTesalonika laliselitsha noko xa uPawulos wabhalela amaKristu alapho incwadi yakhe yokuqala malunga nowama-50 C.E. Amalungu elo bandla ayedandathekile kuba amanye awo ‘ayelele ukufa.’ Noko ke, oko uPawulos wakubhalayo kwawathuthuzela amaTesalonika ngethemba lovuko.
“Ubukho” BukaKristu
Ngoxa wayeqinisekisa ukuba loo maKristu athembekileyo awayefile ngoko ayeya kuvuswa uPawulos wakwathi: ‘Ababudlayo ubomi, abaya kuba besekho ngexesha lobukho beNkosi, abasayi kubaphangela abalele ukufa.’ (1Tes 4 Indinyana 15, NW) Eneneni, okubalulekileyo kukubhekisela kompostile “kubukho” beNkosi. Apha umbhalo wolwimi lwamandulo usebenzisa igama lesiGrike elithi pa·rou·siʹan, ngokoqobo elithetha “ukuba ndawonye.”
Xa umongameli weLizwe etyelela elinye ilizwe, ngokuqhelekileyo imihla aya kubakho ngayo apho iyachazwa. Oku kuye kwanjalo ngobukho beNkosi uYesu Kristu. IMboniselo ngokungaguquguqukiyo ibinikela ubungqina kubafundi besiprofeto seBhayibhile abantliziyo zinyanisekileyo bokuba ubukho bukaYesu ekumandla oBukumkani basezulwini baqalisa ngowe-1914. Ukususela kuloo nyaka iziganeko ziyabungqina ubukho bukaYesu ngokungabonakaliyo. (Mateyu 24:3-14) Ngoko ngokuthi amaKristu athile aphilayo ebudeni bobukho beNkosi ayeya ‘kuxwilelwa emafini ukuze [ahlangane, TE] neNkosi esibhakabhakeni,’ uPawulos wayethetha ukuba abo basindi babeya kuhlangana noKristu, kungekhona kummandla womhlaba, kodwa kummandla wasezulwini ongabonakaliyo apho uYesu ahleli ngasekunene kukaThixo. (Hebhere 1:1-3) Kodwa bangoobani?
“USirayeli KaThixo”
IZibhalo zithetha kakhulu ngoSirayeli wokwenyama kodwa zikwathetha ‘nangoSirayeli kaThixo’ wokomoya. Amakholwa angamaYuda naweeNtlanga ayeza kuzalisa inani leli qela lithanjiswe ngomoya oyingcwele kaThixo, okanye amandla asebenzayo. (Galati 6:16; Roma 11:25, 26; 1 Yohane 2:20, 27) Incwadi yeSityhilelo ibonisa ukuba inani elipheleleyo loSirayeli wokomoya li-144 000, elibonwa likunye neMvana, uYesu Kristu, kwintaba yeZiyon yasemazulwini. Bekunye noKristu, baya kuba ngookumkani nababingeleli emazulwini. (ISityhilelo 7:1-8; 4:1-4; 20:6) Phakathi kwabo kuya kubakho abantu ababenxulumene namabandla aseTesalonika nakwezinye iindawo, ingakhathaliseki imvelaphi yabo yobuzwe okanye yobuhlanga.—IZenzo 10:34, 35.
Ngaphambi kokuba nawaphi na amalungu athembekileyo oSirayeli wokomoya afumane umvuzo wawo wasezulwini afanele atyhubele amava athile. Kwanjengokuba uYesu emva kokufela kwakhe kumthi wentuthumbo wavuselwa ebomini basemazulwini, ngoko namaKristu anethemba lasemazulwini amele afe ngaphambi kokufumana umvuzo wawo. (1 Korinte 15:35, 36) Oko kuya kuba njalo ngamalungu oSirayeli wokomoya awayephila kwinkulungwane yokuqala yeXesha Eliqhelekileyo nangabo baphila namhlanje.
Emva kokukhankanya ‘ubukho beNkosi,’ uPawulos wathetha ngexesha laxa amaSirayeli okomoya athembekileyo awayefile ayeya kufumana umvuzo wawo wasemazulwini. Wabhala: “INkosi ngokwayo iya kuhla emazulwini inendanduluko, inelizwi lesiphatha-zithunywa, inexilongo likaThixo, baze abafele kuKristu bavuke kuqala.” (1Tes 4 Indinyana 16) Ngoko ke, busakuqalisa ubukho bukaYesu njengoKumkani, siya kulindela ukuba uvuko lwasemazulwini luqalise, luqale ngabo boSirayeli wokomoya abasele befile njengabagcini bengqibelelo. (1 Korinte 15:23) Ngoku bakhonza kunye noYesu emazulwini. Kodwa kuthekani ngaloo maKristu athanjisiweyo ambalwa ngentelekiso asaphila emhlabeni? Ngaba alindele ukuxwilwa?
“Ukuxwilwa”—Njani?
Emva kokuthetha ngamaKristu athanjisiweyo afileyo, uPawulos wongezelela oku: “Sandule thina babudlayo ubomi, basaseleyo, sixwilelwe emafini kwakunye nabo, siye [kuhlangana, TE] neNkosi esibhakabhakeni; size ngokunjalo sihlale sihleli, sindawonye neNkosi.” (1Tes 4 Indinyana 17) ‘Ababudlayo ubomi’ iya kuba ngabo baphilayo ebudeni bokufika kukaKristu. Baya ‘kuxwilwa’ ukuze bahlangane neNkosi uYesu. Njengakwimeko yamaKristu athembekileyo amandulo, ukufa njengomntu kuyimfuneko ukuze bamanyane kunye noKristu emazulwini.—Roma 8:17, 35-39.
Xa wayebhalela amaKristu aseKorinte, uPawulos wathi: “Ke, bazalwana, nditsho ukuthi, inyama negazi azinako ukubudla ilifa uBukumkani bukaThixo; nokonakala akunakukudla ilifa ukungonakali. Yabonani, ndinixelela imfihlelo: okunene asiyi kulala ukufa sonke; kodwa siya kwenziwa ngakumbi sonke, ngesiquphe, ngephanyazo, ngexilongo lokugqibela. Kuba liya kulila ixilongo, bavuke abafileyo bengenakonakala, senziwe ngakumbi ke thina.” (1 Korinte 15:50-52) Emva kokufa bethembekile ebudeni bobukho bukaKristu, ngamnye wentsalela yoSirayeli wokomoya ngephanyazo ufumana umvuzo wakhe wasemazulwini. “Ngephanyazo,” uvuswa njengesidalwa sokomoya aze ‘axwilwe’ ahlangane noYesu ukuze akhonze kunye naye njengomlawuli kuBukumkani basemazulwini. Kodwa kuthekani ngabanye abakhonza uYehova? Njengoko isiphelo sale nkqubo ingendawo sisondela, ngaba nabo baya kuxwilelwa emazulwini?
Ukusinda—Kungekhona Ngokuxwilwa
Njengokuba ubukho bukaYesu esebukumkanini baqalisa ngowe-1914, ngoku sisenzulwini ‘yexesha lokuphela’ kweli hlabathi. (Daniyeli 12:4) UPawulos walumkisa: “Ke kaloku ngawo amaxesha namathuba, bazalwana, akufuneki nganto ukuba ndinibhalele; kuba nani ngokwenu niyazi ngokucacileyo, ukuba imini yeNkosi, njengesela ebusuku, yenjenjalo ukuza kwayo. Kuba xenikweni baya kuthi, Luxolo nokunqaba, oko baya kufikelwa yintshabalaliso ngebhaqo, kwanjengenimba komithiyo; baye bengayi kukha basinde.” (1 Tesalonika 5:1-3) Kodwa amaKristu aphaphileyo aya kusinda. Njani?
Isibhengezo esithi “Luxolo nokunqaba” sandulela ithuba uYesu awalibiza ngokuba ‘yimbandezelo enkulu.’ Ichaza “isihlwele esikhulu” sabathembekileyo abanethemba lokuphila ngonaphakade kwiparadisi esemhlabeni, incwadi yeSityhilelo ithi: “Aba ngabaphumayo embandezelweni enkulu, bazihlamba iingubo zabo ezinde bazenza mhlophe egazini leMvana.” (ISityhilelo 7:9, 14; Luka 23:43) Elabo ithemba asikokuxwilwa. Kunoko, banethemba lokusindela apha kanye kulo mhlaba. Ukuze bakulungele oko, bamele bahlale bephaphile ngokomoya. Unokukwenza njani oku uze usinde kwisiphelo sale nkqubo?
Kufuneka ‘uphaphe; unxibe isigcina sifuba sokholo nothando, nesigcina-ntloko esilithemba losindiso.’ (1 Tesalonika 5:6-8) Ngoku lithuba lokunikela ingqalelo kwiLizwi likaThixo elisisiprofeto, iBhayibhile. Njengoko ixesha lihamba kude kube sesiphelweni sale nkqubo, nikela ingqalelo kwisiluleko sikaPawulos: “Iziprofeto musani ukuzenza into engento. Izinto zonke zicikideni, nibambe leyo intle.” (1 Tesalonika 5:20, 21) Ngaloo ndlela amaNgqina kaYehova aya kukwamkela kwiiHolo zawo zoBukumkani, apho unokwabelana nawo kufundisiso lwawo lweziprofeto zeBhayibhile nezinye iimbalasane zeLizwi likaThixo eliphefumlelweyo.
Njengoko ukhula elwazini oluchanileyo naselukholweni, uya kuyiqonda ngokupheleleyo injongo kaYehova uThixo yokususa iintshaba zakhe kumhlaba wonke nokubuyisela umhlaba ekubeni yiparadisi. Ngokuba nokholo, usenokuba phakathi kwabo baya kusinda kwimbandezelo enkulu, ube nelungelo lokwamkela izigidi zabo baya kuba bevuselwe ebomini emhlabeni. Yaye olunjani lona uvuyo ekuya kuba lulo ukuphila phantsi koBukumkani bukaThixo obusezandleni zikaYesu Kristu nabo aya kulawula nabo, abaya kube ‘bexwiliwe ukuze bakhawulele iNkosi’ ngokuvuselwa ebomini kummandla wasezulwini!
Ngoko, iZibhalo zithi liyintoni ithemba loluntu oluthobelayo ngokubanzi? Asikokuxwilwa. Kunoko, bubomi obungunaphakade emhlabeni phantsi koBukumkani bukaThixo.
[Umfanekiso okwiphepha 7]
Abo baya kusinda kwimbandezelo enkulu baya kwamkela abavuselwe ebomini kwiparadisi yasemhlabeni phantsi kolawulo lukaYesu nabo ‘baxwilelwe’ emazulwini