Izwe Elisha Ngempela Elisazotholakala

“IGAMA liyinto engaqiniseki, awunakwethembela kulo!” Lombono olinganiselayo uye wabonakala uyiqiniso endabeni kaColumbus.

Ngokuvumelana nencazelo yegama lakhe, elithi Christopher, uColumbus wawenza umzamo wokuba “uChristbearer” (uMthwali kaKristu) wohlobo oluthile. Kakade, ababusi baseSpain babemthumele “ukuba enze inkonzo kaNkulunkulu nokuba andise inkolo yobuKatolika.” Kodwa ngemva kokufundisa abantu bendawo abathile abangenakuqonda kangangoba babengakwazi ukwenza uphawu lwesiphambano nokucula uAve Maria, wagxila emiklomelweni ephatheka ngokwengeziwe: ukuthola igolide nendlela ecashile yokuya eNdiya.

Amanye amaKatolika aye aphikisa ngokuthi, noma kunjalo, uColumbus kumelwe enziwe “usanta” ngenxa yendima yakhe ebalulekile ekunwebeni imingcele yeLobukholwa. Kodwa “ukuphendulelwa enkolweni” koquqaba okwenzeka ngemva kokuthola kwakhe amazwe akwenzanga lutho ekwenzeni abantu beZwe Elisha bazi ngoJesu Kristu wangempela. UbuKristu beqiniso ngaso sonke isikhathi buye bandiswa ngezindlela zokuthula, hhayi ngenkemba. Ukusetshenziswa kwamandla ukuze kusakazwe ivangeli kuphikisana kakhulu nalokho okwafundiswa uJesu. (Qhathanisa noMathewu 10:14; 26:52.)

UColumbus (uColón ngesiPanishi) wayephumelele ngezinga elithile ekulingiseni isibongo sakhe, esisho “umenzi wamakoloni.” Uyena owasungula amakoloni okuqala amabili aseYurophu eZweni Elisha. Nakuba lawa aphela, kwabuye kwenziwa amanye ngokushesha. Ukwenziwa kweMelika eseningizimu nesenyakatho ibe amakoloni kwaqhubekela phambili, kodwa kwakungekhona neze okujabulisayo, ikakhulukazi kulabo indawo yabo eyayenziwa amakoloni.

Ufata wesigaba sikaDominic uBartolomé de las Casas, owaba ufakazi wokuzibonela lapho iNtshonalanga Indies yenziwa ikoloni okokuqala, wenza isikhalo kuPhilip II, inkosi yaseSpain, ‘ngokuhlanekezelwa kobulungisa okwenziwa kulabantu abangenacala, bebhujiswa futhi bechotshozwa ngaphandle kwesizathu esifanele ngaphandle kokuhaha nesifiso sokufeza okuthile esishukumisa labo abenza imisebenzi emibi ngalendlela.’

Nakuba ukuphathwa kabi okukhulu kwalungiswa kamuva, izisusa zobugovu nezindlela zonya zaqhubeka ziyisimiso. Akumangalisi ukuthi, ukubusa okunjalo akuzange kuthandwe. Ngekhulu lama-20 leminyaka, amazwe amaningi aseMelika eseningizimu nesenyakatho ayeselidalakace laphaya ijoka lamakoloni.

Ukuphendulela amazwekazi kweLobukholwa nokubusa ngendlela enobulungisa phezu kwezinhlanga nezilimi eziningi kuyavunywa ukuthi kungumsebenzi onzima. Futhi bekungaba okungafanelekile ukusola uColumbus ngakho konke ukwehluleka komsebenzi omkhulu awuqalisa ngokungazi lapho enqamula ulwandlekazi futhi eqalisa lokho abanye abakubiza ngokuthi “Ukuhlangana Kwamazwe Amabili.”

Njengoba uKirkpatrick Sale ebonisa encwadini yakhe iConquest of Paradise, “kukhona isikhathi lapho abantu baseYurophu bake baba nethuba lokuthola izingxabo ezintsha ezweni elisha, kulokho ababekuqaphela kalufifi ukuthi kuyizwe lasePharadesi.” Kodwa ukuthola izwe elisha kungenye into; ukulidala kungenye. Kwakungekhona okokuqala ukuzama ukwakha izwe elisha kungaphumeleli.

Olunye Uhambo Olungavamile

Eminyakeni eyizinkulungwane ezimbili ngaphambi kokuba uColumbus aqalise uhambo lomkhumbi, cishe abantu abayizinkulungwane ezingamakhulu amabili baqalisa olunye uhambo olungavamile. Kunokuba bawele ulwandlekazi, cishe bahamba banqamula ugwadule. Nabo babephokophele entshonalanga, ngasezweni labo lendabuko, kwaIsrayeli, abaningi babo ababengakaze balibone. Inhloso yabo yayiwukwakha izwe elisha, labo nabantwana babo.

Ukufuduka kwabo besuka ekuthunjweni eBabiloni kwagcwalisa isiprofetho. Eminyakeni engamakhulu amabili ngaphambidlana, umprofethi uIsaya wayebikezele ukubuyela kwabo ezweni lakubo: “Ngokuba bheka, mina [Nkosi uJehova-Sebawoti] ngiyadala ‘izulu elisha nomhlaba omusha’; izinto zakuqala aziyikukhunjulwa, zingene enhliziyweni.”—Isaya 65:13, 17.

Amazwi athi “izulu elisha nomhlaba omusha” ayengamagama achazayo angokomfanekiso ayebhekisela kuhulumeni omusha nomphakathi omusha wabantu. Okunjalo kwakudingeka ngoba izwe elisha ngempela lidinga okungaphezu nje kwendawo yokwenziwa ikoloni; kudinga umoya omusha, ongenabugovu kulabo ababusayo nalabo ababuswayo.

Abambalwa kumaJuda abuya eBabiloni babenomoya onjalo. Naphezu kokuphumelela kokuqala, cishe eminyakeni eyikhulu ngemva kokubuya kwawo, umprofethi ongumHeberu uMalaki ngokudabukisayo wachaza indlela ubugovu nokuhaha okwakube amandla avelele ngayo ezweni. (Malaki 2:14, 17; 3:5) Ithuba elingavamile lokwakhela amaJuda izwe elisha lalilahlekile.

Izwe Elisha Sisalilindele

Nokho, ukwehluleka ukwakha izwe elisha esikhathini esidlule akusho ukuthi ukufuna akuniki-themba. Encwadini yesAmbulo, umphostoli uJohane, enanela amazwi kaIsaya, uchaza umbono olandelayo ovusa amadlingozi: “Ngase ngibona izulu elisha nomhlaba omusha; ngokuba izulu lokuqala nomhlaba wokuqala kudlulile . . . Azesule izinyembezi zonke emehlweni abo; ukufa akusayikuba-khona; nokudabuka, nokukhala, nobuhlungu akusayikuba-khona; ngokuba okokuqala kudlulile.”—IsAmbulo 21:1, 4.

Lamazwi asiqinisekisa ngokuthi uNkulunkulu ngokwakhe uzimisele ukuba nohulumeni omusha phezu kwawo wonke umhlaba nomphakathi omusha wabantu oyosabela ekubuseni kwakhe. Izinzuzo ziyoba ziningi kakhulu. Kuyoba izwe elisha langempela.

Izwe elisha elizokwenziwa uNkulunkulu lingase libonakale liyinto engenakwenzeka. Kodwa ukuqiniseka kukaColumbus ngokuthi kwakunamazwekazi eNtshonalanga ngokufanayo kwabonakala kungakholeki kwabaningi ababephila ngesikhathi sakhe. Incazelo yezwe elisha elithenjiswé uNkulunkulu nayo ingase izwakale njengento engenakwenzeka neze, nokho zingaki izazi zekhulu le-15 leminyaka ezazingacabanga ngokuthi abezesayensi babengayazi ingxenye yesithathu yendawo esemhlabeni?

Ukungabi nalwazi ngesayensi kwangosuku lukaColumbus kwenza ukutholakala kweZwe Elisha kwabonakala kungenakwenzeka neze. Ukungazi ngezinjongo zikaNkulunkulu nangamandla akhe ngokufanayo kungakuqeda ukwethembeka esithembisweni sakhe sezulu elisha nomhlaba omusha. Kodwa uNkulunkulu uMninimandla onke uyaqhubeka nencazelo yakhe ngalo ngokuthi: “Bheka, ngenza konke kube-kusha. . . . Loba, ngokuba lawamazwi athembekile, aqinisile.”—IsAmbulo 21:5.

Ngokungangabazeki, sonke isintu silangazelela izwe elisha lohlobo oluthile. Umlobi waseMexico uCarlos Fuentes wake wathi: “Izwe elihle eliphelele lingokuthile kwesikhathi esidlule nesizayo. Ngakolunye uhlangothi, liyinkumbulo yezwe elingcono elake laba khona nelingasekho. Ngakolunye, liyithemba lokuthi lelizwe elingcono, elilunge nelinokuthula ngokwengeziwe, liyofika ngolunye usuku.” Abafundi beBhayibheli banethemba lokuthi izwe elingcono—hhayi izwe elihle elinobukhazikhazi—ngempela liyofika ngempela ngoba uNkulunkulu uthembise ukuthi uzoliletha nangenxa yokuthi uNkulunkulu angakwenza.—Mathewu 19:26.

Izwe Elisha Emkhathizwe

Lapho uColumbus ezama ukuqinisekisa amatilosi akhe ngokuthi babesondela ezweni, kwakudingeka okungaphezu kokholo. Wayedinga ubufakazi obuthile obuphathekayo. Uhlaza oluntanta olwandle, amanani andayo ezinyoni zasezweni, futhi ekugcineni igatsha elinezimbali elalintanta emanzini kwavuselela ukuthembela kwamatilosi kumqondisi wawo.

Nanamuhla bukhona ubufakazi obubonakalayo bokuthi sisondela ezweni elisha. Iqiniso lokuthi ngokokuqala ngqá emlandweni ukusinda kwesintu kusengozini lisikhumbuza ukuthi ukubekezelela kukaNkulunkulu ukubusa kwabantu kumelwe ukuba ngokushesha kusondela ekupheleni kwakho. Kudala wathembisa ‘ukubhubhisa labo ababhubhisa umhlaba.’ (IsAmbulo 11:18) Ukuhaha nobugovu kuye kwaletha izinkinga zomhlaba eziningi ezingaxazululeki, izinkinga iBhayibheli elazichaza ngokucacile kusengaphambili njengezenzakalo ezibonisa ukungenela kukaNkulunkulu ngokushesha.a

Lapho uColumbus eqala ukunyathela esiqhingini saseCuba eminyakeni engamakhulu amahlanu edlule, kuthiwa wamemeza wathi: “Ngingathanda ukuhlala lapha phakade!” Labo abayongena ezweni elisha likaNkulunkulu bayozizwa ngendlela efana nsé. Futhi ngalesosikhathi isifiso esinjalo siyogcwaliseka.

[Umbhalo waphansi]

[Isithombe ekhasini 13]

Ukuthola izwe elisha kungenye into; kodwa ukulidala kungenye