Baphi Abafi?

AMAYORUBA aseNtshona Afrika athi: “Umhlaba yindawo yentengiso; izulu likhaya lethu.” Le ngcamango iyashunyayelwa kwiinkonzo ezininzi. Ibonisa ingcamango yokuba umhlaba ufana nendawo yentengiso esityelela kuyo ixeshana sandule ke sinduluke. Ngokwale nkolelo, xa sisifa siya ezulwini, ikhaya lethu lenene.

IBhayibhile ifundisa ukuba abathile baya ezulwini. UYesu Kristu wabaxelela oku abapostile bakhe abathembekileyo: “Endlwini kaBawo zininzi iindawo zokuhlala; . . . Ndiyemka, ndiya kunilungisela indawo; ukuba ke ndimkile ndaya kunilungisela indawo, ndiya kubuya ndize, ndinamkelele kum ngokwam; ukuze apho ndikhona mna, nibe khona nani.”—Yohane 14:2, 3.

Amazwi kaYesu akathethi ukuba bonke abantu abalungileyo baya ezulwini okanye izulu likhaya loluntu. Bambi bathatyathelwa ezulwini ukuze balawule phezu komhlaba. UYehova uThixo wayesazi ukuba oorhulumente babantu babengasayi kuze baphumelele ekuhlangabezaneni neengxaki zasemhlabeni. Ngoko ke, walungiselela urhulumente, okanye uBukumkani basezulwini, obabuza kuthi ekugqibeleni bulawule umhlaba buze buwuguqulele kwiParadisi awayenenjongo yokuba ube yiyo kwasekuqaleni. (Mateyu 6:9, 10) UYesu wayeza kuba nguKumkani woBukumkani bukaThixo. (Daniyeli 7:13, 14) Abanye babeya kukhethwa phakathi koluntu ukuze balawule kunye naye. IBhayibhile yaxela kwangaphambili ukuba abo bathatyathelwa ezulwini babeya kuba ‘ngookumkani nababingeleli kuye uThixo wethu’ yaye babeya kuba “ngookumkani phezu komhlaba.”—ISityhilelo 5:10.

Ngoobani Abaya Ezulwini?

Xa kucingwa ngembopheleleko enkulu abaya kuba nayo aba balawuli basezulwini, akumangalisi ukuba bekuya kufuneka bafikelele iimfaneleko ezingqongqo. Abo baya ezulwini bamele babe nolwazi oluchanileyo ngoYehova yaye bamele bamthobele. (Yohane 17:3; Roma 6:17, 18) Bafanele babonakalise ukholo kwidini lentlawulelo likaYesu Kristu. (Yohane 3:16) Ukanti, kubandakanyeke okungakumbi. Bamele babizwe baze banyulwe nguThixo ngoNyana wakhe. (2 Timoti 1:9, 10; 1 Petros 2:9) Ngaphezu koko, bamele babe ngamaKristu abhaptiziweyo ‘azelwe ngokutsha,’ azelwe ngomoya oyingcwele kaThixo. (Yohane 1:12, 13; 3:3-6) Kwakhona kufuneka balondoloze ingqibelelo yabo kuThixo kude kuse ekufeni.—2 Timoti 2:11-13; ISityhilelo 2:10.

Izigidi ezingenakubalwa zabantu eziye zaphila zaza zafa azizifikelelanga ezi mfaneleko. Abaninzi baye banethuba elincinane lokufunda ngoThixo oyinyaniso. Abanye abazange bayifunde iBhayibhile yaye bazi okuncinane okanye abazi kwanto ngoYesu Kristu. Kwanaphakathi kwamaKristu okwenyaniso asemhlabeni namhlanje, ambalwa anyulwe nguThixo ukuze aphile ezulwini.

Ngenxa yoko, inani labo baya ezulwini liya kuba lincinane kakhulu. UYesu wabhekisela kwabanjalo ‘njengomhlambi omncinane.’ (Luka 12:32) Kamva, umpostile uYohane watyhilelwa ukuba abo ‘bathengwe emhlabeni’ ukuze balawule noKristu ezulwini babeya kuba li-144 000 kuphela. (ISityhilelo 14:1, 3; 20:6) Xa lithelekiswa namawaka ezigidi zabantu abaye baphila emhlabeni, elo linani elincinane ngenene.

Abo Bangayi Ezulwini

Yintoni eyenzekayo kwabo bangayi ezulwini? Ngaba babandezeleka kwindawo yentuthumbo kanaphakade, njengoko ezinye iinkonzo zifundisa? Ngokuqinisekileyo akunjalo, kuba uYehova nguThixo wothando. Abazali abanothando ababaphosi emlilweni abantwana babo, yaye uYehova akathuthumbisi bantu ngaloo ndlela.—1 Yohane 4:8.

Ithemba lenginginya yabo baye bafa lelovuko kwiparadisi esemhlabeni. IBhayibhile ithi uYehova walidala ihlabathi “ukuba limiwe.” (Isaya 45:18) Umdumisi wavakalisa: “Amazulu ngamazulu kaYehova, ihlabathi ulinike oonyana babantu.” (INdumiso 115:16) Ngumhlaba, kungekhona izulu, oya kuba likhaya elisisigxina loluntu.

UYesu waxela kwangaphambili: “Kuza ilixa abaya kuthi ngalo bonke abasemangcwabeni balive ilizwi lakhe [elikaYesu, ‘uNyana woMntu’]; baphume ke.” (Yohane 5:27-29) Umpostile uPawulos ongumKristu waqinisekisa: “Ndinethemba kuThixo . . . ukuba kuza kubakho uvuko lwabafileyo, lwamalungisa kwanolwabangemalungisa.” (IZenzo 24:15) Ekumthi wentuthumbo, uYesu wamthembisa ubomi umenzi-bubi oguqukileyo ngokumvusela kwiparadisi esemhlabeni.—Luka 23:43.

Noko ke, abafi abaya kuvuselwa ebomini emhlabeni bakuyiphi imeko ngoku? Isiganeko esenzeka kubulungiseleli bukaYesu siyanceda ekuphenduleni lo mbuzo. Umhlobo wakhe uLazaro wayefile. Ngaphambi kokuba uYesu aye kumvusa, wabaxelela oku abafundi Bakhe: “ULazaro, umhlobo wethu, ulele; ndiyaya ukuba ndimvuse.” (Yohane 11:11) Ngaloo ndlela uYesu wafanisa ukufa nokulala, ubuthongo obunzulu obungenamaphupha.

Ukulala Ukufa

Ezinye izibhalo ziyavisisana nale ngcamango yokulala ukufa. Azifundisi ukuba abantu banomphefumlo ongafiyo odlulela kummandla welemimoya xa besifa. Kunoko, iBhayibhile ithi: “Abafileyo abazi lutho . . . Seluphelile kade uthando lwabo, nentiyo yabo, nekhwele labo . . . Akukho kwenza, nakucinga, nakwazi, nakulumka kwelabafileyo [engcwabeni], apho uya khona wena.” (INtshumayeli 9:5, 6, 10) Ukongezelela, umdumisi wavakalisa ukuba umntu ‘ubuyela yena emhlabeni wakhe; ngaloo mini ayatshitsha amabhongo akhe.’—INdumiso 146:4.

Ezi zibhalo zilenza licace elokuba abo balele ukufa abanako ukusibona okanye basive. Abakwazi ukuzisa intsikelelo okanye intlekele. Abakho zulwini, bengahlali nakummandla wookhokho. Abanabomi, abaphili.

Ngexesha likaThixo elifanelekileyo, abo balele ukufa ngoku nabakwinkumbulo yakhe baya kuvuselwa ebomini kumhlaba oyiparadisi. Iya kuba ngumhlaba ongenalungcoliso, iinkathazo, neengxaki olujamelana nazo uluntu ngoku. Esinjani isihlandlo sovuyo esiya kuba siso eso! Kuloo Paradisi baya kuba nethemba lokuphila ngonaphakade, kuba INdumiso 37:29 iyasiqinisekisa: “Amalungisa aya kulidla ilifa ilizwe, ahlale kulo ngonaphakade.”

[Ibhokisi ekwiphepha 6, 7]

NDAKUYEKA UKUNQULA ABAFI

“Xa ndandiseyinkwenkwe, ndandincedisa ubawo ebudeni bokunikela kwakhe amadini ngokuthe rhoqo kuyise owafayo. Ngesinye isihlandlo xa ubawo wachacha emva kokugula kakhulu, indoda engusiyazi yamxelela ukuba ufanele anikele idini ngebhokhwe, iibhatata ekuthiwa zii-yam, ii-kola nuts, notywala kuyise owafayo ebonakalisa uxabiso ngokuchacha kwakhe. Kwakhona utata wacetyiswa ukuba abongoze ookhokho bakhe abafayo ukuba bathintele ukugula nentlekele engakumbi.

“Umama wathenga oko kwakufuneka kwidini, elaliza kwenziwa engcwabeni likatatomkhulu. Ingcwaba lalisecaleni kanye kwendlu yasekhaya, ngokuvisisana nesithethe sasekuhlaleni.

“Abahlobo, izalamane, nabamelwane bamenywa ukuze babekho ekunikelweni kwedini. Ubawo, enxibe kakuhle ukuze afanelekele isihlandlo eso, wahlala kwisihlalo esijonge kwindlu yonqulo apho kwakudwele ookakayi abaliqela beebhokhwe ezazisetyenziselwe amadini angaphambili. Umsebenzi wam yayikukugalela iwayini eyayisebhotileni kwiglasi encinane, endandiye ndiyinike ubawo. Yena, wayeyichitha emhlabeni ebingelela. Ubawo wayebiza igama likayise izihlandlo ezithathu aze athandaze emcela ukuba amsindise kwintlekele yexesha elizayo.

“Ii-kola nuts zanikelwa, kwaxhelwa inkunzi yebhokhwe, yabiliswa nje, yaza yatyiwa ngabo bonke abakhoyo. Nam ndatya ndaza ndaxhentsa ngesingqi sengoma nokubethwa kwamagubu. Ubawo wayexhentsa kakuhle nangokuzimisela, nangona kwakubonakala ukuba seyihambile iminyaka. Xa kunqunyanyiwe wayethandaza kookhokho bakhe ukuba basikelele bonke abo bakhoyo, ngoxa abanye abantu, kuquka nam, babephendula bathi Ise, okuthetha ukuthi ‘Ngamana kunganjalo.’ Ndandimbukele ngomdla omkhulu ubawo ndinqwenela yaye ndiyilangazelela imini xa ndandiya kuba mdala ngokwaneleyo ukuba ndinikele amadini kookhokho abafayo.

“Phezu kwako nje ukunikelwa kwamadini amaninzi, uxolo lwalungekho entsatsheni. Ngoxa kwakukho oonyana bakamama abathathu abaphilayo, akukho nanye kumantombazana amathathu awawazalayo eyaphila ixesha elide; onke afa esengabantwana. Xa umama waphinda wakhulelwa, ubawo wenza amadini amakhulu ukuze umntwana azalwe kakuhle.

“Umama wazala enye intombazana. Kwiminyaka emibini kamva loo mntwana waqalisa ukugula waza wafa. Ubawo waya kusiyazi, owamxelela ukuba oko kufa kwakubangelwe lutshaba oluthile. Lo siyazi wathi ukuze ‘umphefumlo’ womntwana uziphindezelele, kwakufuneka isikhuni esivuthayo, ibhotile yotywala, nombundlwana njengedini. Isikhuni esivuthayo sasifanele sibekwe phezu kwengcwaba, utywala kwakufuneka butshizwe engcwabeni, yaye umbundlwana kwakufuneka ungcwatywe uphila kufutshane nengcwaba. Oku kwakumele kuvuse umphefumlo wentombazana efileyo ukuze iziphindezelele.

“Ndaya nebhotile yotywala nesikhuni esivuthayo engcwabeni, yaye ubawo weza nombundlwana, awawungcwaba ngokwemiyalelo kasiyazi. Sonke sasikholelwa ukuba kwisithuba seentsuku ezisixhenxe umphefumlo wentombazana efileyo wawuya kutshabalalisa umntu owayibulalayo ngaphambi kwexesha. Kwadlula iinyanga ezimbini, yaye akuzange kuvakale mphanga elumelwaneni. Ndaphelelwa lithemba.

“Ndandineminyaka eli-18 ubudala ngoko. Kungekudala emva koko ndadibana namaNgqina kaYehova, awandibonisa ngokusuka eZibhalweni ukuba abafi abanakubenzela okulungileyo okanye ububi abaphilayo. Njengoko ulwazi lweLizwi likaThixo lwalusendela entliziyweni yam, ndamxelela ubawo ukuba ndandingasayi kumpheleka ekunikeleni amadini kubafi. Ekuqaleni wacaphuka kuba ndandimlahlile, ngokutsho kwakhe. Kodwa xa wabonayo ukuba ndandingakulungelanga ukuyilahla inkolo yam entsha, akazange akuchase ukunqula kwam uYehova.

“NgoAprili 18, 1948, ndafuzisela uzahlulelo lwam ngokubhaptizwa emanzini. Ukususela ngoko, ndiye ndaqhubeka ndikhonza uYehova ndinovuyo nolwaneliseko olungakumbi, ndinceda abanye bakhululeke kunqulo lookhokho abafayo, abangenakusinceda okanye basenzakalise.”—Linikelwe nguJ. B. Omiegbe, kwisiXeko saseBenin, eNigeria.

[Umfanekiso okwiphepha 7]

Kuya kubakho uvuyo olukhulu xa abafi bevuselwa kumhlaba oyiparadisi