“UKufa Kuginywe Ngonaphakade”

KHAWUCINGE nje ufunda iphephandaba elinalo mxholo ungasentla endaweni yomxholo wokufa kwentombazana eselula eye yazibulala. Kakade ke, alikho iphephandaba elakha lanomxholo onjalo. Kodwa la mazwi angasentla afumaneka kwenye incwadi enamawaka eminyaka ubudala—iBhayibhile.

IZibhalo zikuchaza kakuhle ukufa. Ibe azaneli nje ukuchaza isizathu sokuba abantu besifa, kodwa zisichazela nemeko yabo xa befile zize zisinike ithemba ngokuphathelele bona. Zide zithethe nangexesha elibalulekileyo xa kuya kubakho iindaba ezithi: “UKufa kuginywe ngonaphakade.”—1 Korinte 15:54.

Xa ichaza ukufa iBhayibhile isebenzisa amagama aziwayo kunamagama antsonkothileyo. Ngokomzekelo, isoloko ifanisa ukufa ‘nokulala,’ ize ichaze abantu abafileyo ngokuthi “balele ekufeni.” (INdumiso 13:3; 1 Tesalonika 4:13; Yohane 11:11-14) Iphinda ichaze ukufa ‘njengotshaba.’ (1 Korinte 15:26) Okona kubalulekileyo kukuba, isenza siqonde isizathu sokuba ukufa kufana nokulala, esokuba kubenza buhlungu abantu nendlela oluya kupheliswa ngayo olu tshaba.

Kutheni Sisifa Nje?

Incwadi yokuqala yeBhayibhile ichaza indlela uThixo awamenza ngayo umntu wokuqala, uAdam waza wambeka kwikhaya eliyiparadesi. (Genesis 2:7, 15) Emva kokudalwa kwakhe, uAdam wanikwa umsebenzi amele awenze nomqathango othile awayemele awuthobele. Ngokuphathelele umthi othile okumyezo wase-Eden, uThixo wathi kuye: “Uze ungadli kuwo, kuba mhla uthe wadla kuwo uya kufa ngokuqinisekileyo.”a (Genesis 2:17) UAdam wayesazi ukuba ukufa kunokuphetshwa. Kwakuza kubangelwa kukophula umthetho kaThixo.

Okubuhlungu kukuba, uAdam nomfazi wakhe uEva abazange bawuthobele loo mthetho. Bakhetha ukuyiphosa kwelokulibala intando yoMdali wabo, baza bavuna imiphumo yoko. Xa wayebachazela ngemiphumo yesono sabo uThixo wathi kubo: “Ngokuba uluthuli, uya kubuyela kwaseluthulini.” (Genesis 3:19) Baqala ukuba nesiphene—baba ngabantu abangafezekanga. Ukungafezeki kwabo, okanye ukuba nesono kwabo kwakuza kubakhokelela ekufeni.

Esi siphene—isono—basidlulisela nakwinzala yabo, bonke abantu abaphilayo. Ngandlel’ ithile, safana nesifo umntu azalwa naso. UAdam akazange aphulukane nethuba lokuphila angafi nje kuphela kodwa oku kungafezeki kwakhe wakudlulisela kwinzala yakhe. Abantu bathinjwa sisono. IBhayibhile ithi: “Ngenxa yoko, kanye njengokuba isono sangena ngamntu mnye ehlabathini nokufa ngaso isono, ngaloo ndlela ukufa kwasasazeka kubo bonke abantu ngenxa yokuba bonke bonayo.”—Roma 5:12.

‘Isono Sangena Ehlabathini’

Esi siphene okanye isono esasizuz’ ilifa, asinakubonwa nangemikroskopu. Xa kuthethwa ‘ngesono’ kubhekiselwa kwimeko yokusilela ukuziphatha nokusilela ngokomoya eyadluliselwa kuthi ngabazali bethu bokuqala, yaza yaba nemiphumo kumzimba wethu. Noko ke, iBhayibhile ibonisa ukuba uThixo uye wenza ilungiselelo lokuyiphelisa le meko. Umpostile uPawulos uthi: “Kuba umvuzo isono esiwuhlawulayo kukufa, kodwa isipho uThixo asinikayo bubomi obungunaphakade ngoKristu Yesu iNkosi yethu.” (Roma 6:23) Kwincwadi yakhe yokuqala kwabaseKorinte, uPawulos wenza isiqinisekiso esasinentsingiselo gqitha kuye wathi: “Kuba kanye njengoko kuAdam bonke besifa, ngokunjalo nakuKristu bonke baya kwenziwa baphile.”—1 Korinte 15:22.

Kuyacaca ukuba, uYesu Kristu unendima ebalulekileyo ekuphelisweni kwesono nokufa. Wathi weza emhlabeni ukuze “anikele ngomphefumlo wakhe ube yintlawulelo ngenxa yabaninzi.” (Mateyu 20:28) Le meko inokufaniswa nokuthinjwa komntu, kuze kufuneke akhululwe ngokuhlawulwa kwaloo mali ifunwayo. Kule ke imeko, intlawulo enokusikhulula esonweni nasekufeni bubomi bomntu ofezekileyo uYesu.b—IZenzo 10:39-43.

Elungiselela intlawulelo, uThixo wathumela uYesu emhlabeni ukuze anikele ngobomi bakhe. “UThixo walithanda kakhulu ihlabathi kangangokuba wanikela ngoNyana wakhe okuphela kwamzeleyo, ukuze wonk’ ubani obonisa ukholo kuye . . . abe nobomi obungunaphakade.” (Yohane 3:16) Ngaphambi kokuba afe ukufa okulidini, uKristu ‘wayingqinela inyaniso.’ (Yohane 18:37) Ebudeni bobulungiseleli bakhe, wasebenzisa kakuhle iziganeko ezithile ukuze asichazele inyaniso ngokufa.

“Intwazana . . . Ilele”

UYesu wayeqhelene nokufa xa wayelapha emhlabeni. Wayeyazi intlungu yokufelwa ngabantu, ibe wayeyiqonda kakuhle into yokuba naye uza kufa esemncinane. (Mateyu 17:22, 23) Kubonakala ukuba kwiinyanga ezithile ngaphambi kokuba abulawe, wafelwa ngumhlobo wakhe osenyongweni uLazaro. Eso siganeko senza siqonde indlela uYesu awayekujonga ngayo ukufa.

Ngokukhawuleza akuba eve ngokufa kukaLazaro uYesu wathi: “ULazaro umhlobo wethu uye kuphumla, kodwa ndiyahamba ndiya apho ukuze ndimvuse ebuthongweni.” Abafundi baqiqa ngelithi ukuba uphumlile, umele ukuba uya kuphila. Ngoko uYesu walitsolisa wathi: “ULazaro ufile.” (Yohane 11:11-14) Kuyacaca ukuba, kuYesu ukufa kwakufana nokulala. Ngoxa kusenokuba nzima ukuba sikuqonde ukufa, kodwa siyakuqonda kona ukulala. Xa silele obentlombe, asazi nokuba kubethwa abaphi. Le yindlela kanye iBhayibhile echaza ngayo imeko yabafileyo. INtshumayeli 9:5 ithi: “Abafileyo, abazi nto konke konke.”

UYesu wafanisa ukufa nokulala kuba ngamandla kaThixo banokuvuswa abafileyo. Ngesinye isihlandlo, uYesu watyelela kwikhaya lenye intsapho eyayixhelekile ngenxa yentombazana yayo encinane eyayisandul’ ukufa. UYesu wathi: “Intwazana ayifanga, kodwa ilele.” Emva koko waya kuyo, wayibamba ngesandla, yaza “yavuka.”—Mateyu 9:24, 25.

Ngendlela efanayo uYesu wavusa umhlobo wakhe uLazaro. Kodwa ngaphambi kokuba enze loo mmangaliso, wathuthuzela uMarta, udade boLazaro wathi: “Umntakwenu uza kuvuka.” Eqinisekile waphendula wathi: “Ndiyazi ukuba uza kuvuka eluvukweni ngomhla wokugqibela.” (Yohane 11:23, 24) Kuyacaca ukuba uMarta wayelindele ixesha abaya kuvuswa ngalo bonke abakhonzi bakaThixo.

Luthetha ntoni kanye uvuko? Igama lesiGrike eliguqulelwe ngokuthi “uvuko” (a·naʹsta·sis) ngokoqobo lithetha “ukuma ngeenyawo.” Lichaza ukuvuka ekufeni. Oku kusenokubamangalisa abanye, ukanti emva kokuchaza ukuba abafileyo baya kuliva ilizwi lakhe, uYesu wathi: “Musani ukumangaliswa koku.” (Yohane 5:28) Ukuvusa kukaYesu abafileyo xa wayelapha emhlabeni kusenza siqiniseke ngesithembiso seBhayibhile sokuba abafileyo abakwinkumbulo kaThixo baza kuvuswa koko ‘kulala’ kwabo ixesha elide. ISityhilelo 20:13 siprofeta sithi: “Ulwandle lwabakhupha abafileyo abakulo, kwathi ukufa neHadesi [ingcwaba eliqhelekileyo loluntu] kwabakhupha abafileyo abalapho.”

Ngaba abafileyo baya kuvuswa baze emva koko baluphale baze bafe kwakhona, njengokuba kwenzekayo kuLazaro? Asiyonjongo kaThixo leyo. IBhayibhile isiqinisekisa ngokufika kwexesha ekuya kube ‘kungasekho kufa’ ngalo, ngoko akuyi kubakho mntu waluphalayo aze afe.—ISityhilelo 21:4.

Ukufa kulutshaba. Zikho neziny’ iintshaba zoluntu, ezinjengokugula nokwaluphala, nazo ezibangela ukubandezeleka okungathethekiyo. Nazo uThixo uthembisa ukuzitshayela, nto leyo eya kulusiphula neengcambu olona tshaba lwabantu. “Olokugqibela utshaba oluya kutshitshiswa kukufa.”—1 Korinte 15:26.

Xa sizalisekile eso sithembiso, abantu baya kufezeka, bangabi sakhathazwa sisono nokufa. Okwangoku, simele sithuthuzelwe kukwazi ukuba izihlobo zethu ezifileyo ziphumle, nokuba xa zikwinkumbulo kaThixo, ziya kuvuswa ngexesha elifanelekileyo.

Ukuqonda Into Okuyiyo Ukufa Kwenza Ubomi Bube Nenjongo

Xa sikuqonda kakuhle ukufa yaye sinethemba lokuvuswa kwabafileyo inokutshintsha indlela esibujonga ngayo ubomi. UIan, okhankanywe kwinqaku elingaphambili, wayekwiminyaka yama-20 ubudala xa wafunda oko kuthethwa yiBhayibhile ngokufa. Uthi: “Ndandisoloko ndinethemba elingaqinisekanga lokuba utata umele ukuba uyaphila ndaweni ithile. Ngoko ndaziva ndidakumbile ukuva kwam ukuba ulele ekufeni.” Noko ke, wathi akufunda ngesithembiso sikaThixo sokuvusa abafileyo, wavuya gqitha kukwazi ukuba unokuphinda ambone uyise. Uthi: “Ndandiqala ukuziva ndinoxolo lwengqondo ebomini.” Ukuyiqonda kakuhle kwakhe imeko yokufa kwamtsho wanoxolo lwengqondo olwamshiya ezolile.

UClive noBrenda bafelwa nguSteven, unyana wabo oneminyaka engama-21 ubudala, kwingozi yemoto ekuthethwe ngayo kwinqaku elandulela eli. Nakuba babekwazi oko kuthethwa yiBhayibhile ngokufa, badandathekiswa koko kufa kwequbuliso. Ngapha koko, ukufa lutshaba yaye kunolwamvila olubuhlungu. Ukwazi kwabo oko kutshiwo ziZibhalo ngemeko yabafi kwabanceda kwayidambisa intlungu yabo. UBrenda uthi: “Ukwazi kwethu imeko yabafi kuye kwasinceda saqhubeka nobomi. Kakade ke, alukho usuku oludlulayo singakhange sicinge ngokuvuka kukaSteven kobo buthongo bunzulu.”

“Kufa, Luphi Na Ulwamvila Lwakho?”

Kucacile ukuba, ukuyazi imeko yabafi kunokusinceda sibe nembono efanelekileyo ngobomi. Ukufa akumele kube yintsumantsumane. Sinako ukonwaba ebomini ngaphandle kokoyika olu tshaba luneengcwangu. Ukuqonda ukuba ukufa akuthethi siphelo sobomi bethu ngonaphakade kunokusinceda siphephe naluphi na utyekelo lokufuna ukuphilela iziyolo, ngenxa yokukholelwa ukuba “ubomi bufutshane gqitha.” Ukwazi ukuba abantu bethu abafileyo abakwinkumbulo kaThixo balele ekufeni yaye balindele uvuko kunokusithuthuzela komeleze nomnqweno wethu wokufuna ukuqhubeka nobomi.

Ewe, sinokukhangela phambili siqinisekile ngekamva xa uYehova uThixo, uMniki-bomi, eya kukuphelisa ngonaphakade ukufa. Khawucinge nje intsikelelo okuya kuba yiyo xa sele sibuza oku: “Kufa, luphi na uloyiso lwakho? Kufa, luphi na ulwamvila lwakho?”—1 Korinte 15:55.

[Imibhalo esemazantsi]

[Umfanekiso okwiphepha 5]

Ukungathobeli kuka-Adam noEva kwabangela ukufa

[Umfanekiso okwiphepha 6]

UYesu wayibamba ngesandla intombazana efileyo yaza yavuka

[Umfanekiso okwiphepha 7]

Abaninzi balindele ixesha xa kuvuswa izihlobo zabo ezifileyo ebuthongweni, njengokuba kwenzekayo kuLazaro