Kungani Izwe Elisha Lilangazelelwa Kangaka?

Ukuphela Kwezwe—Kuseduze Kangakanani?

KUSHO ukuthini ukuphela kwalelizwe? Ukubhujiswa komhlaba ngomlilo, njengoba ezinye izinkolo zifundisa kanjalo? Cha; kungenzeka kanjani lokho, lapho iHubo 104:5 lithi: ‘Ngeke uzanyazanyiswe kuze kube phakade naphakade’?

Impendulo iyatholakala lapho sibheka emuva emakhulwini amaningi adlule ezweni elandulela leli. Lalonakele futhi limelene noNkulunkulu, ngakho “izwe elalikhona labhubha ngokukhukhula kwamanzi.” Kodwa lapho lelozwe, elalinakho kokubili amazulu nomhlaba, libhujiswa ngoZamcolo wosuku lukaNowa, amazulu nomhlaba okungokoqobo akuzange kudlule. Nokuphela kwalelizwe ngeke kusho ukubhujiswa ngomlilo kwamazulu anezinkanyezi neplanethi enguMhlaba.—2 Petru 3:5, 6; Genesise 6:1-8.

Ngezinye izikhathi iBhayibheli lisebenzisa igama elithi “amazulu” nelithi “umhlaba” ngezindlela ezingokomfanekiso. Elithi “amazulu” lingase lisetshenziselwe ukubhekisela kuSathane, unkulunkulu walelizwe; ababusi bezwe abangaphansi kokulawula kwakhe; namandla emimoya emibi asezindaweni zasezulwini—wonke asebenzisa ithonya lobudemoni phezu kwesintu. (2 Korinte 4:4; Efesu 6:12) Elithi “umhlaba” lisetshenziswa kaningi ukubhekisela kubantu abasemhlabeni. (Genesise 11:1; 1 AmaKhosi 2:1, 2; 1 IziKronike 16:31; IHubo 96:1) Yilamazulu nomhlaba okungokomfuziselo kwalelizwe lamanje elibi lokho eyesi-2 Petru 3:7 ethi kuyobhujiswa ‘ngomlilo.’—Galathiya 1:4.

Khona-ke uPetru unikeza izindaba ezithokozisayo zokuthi izwe elisha lizongena esikhundleni selidala: “Siyalindela ngesithembiso sakhe amazulu amasha nomhlaba omusha okukhona kuwo ukulunga.”—2 Petru 3:13.

Izwe Elisha Elingenazinyembezi Noma Ukufa

Ukusho kukaPetru ukuthi ukulunga kuyohlala kulelozwe elisha kuyizindaba ezijabulisayo, kodwa lokho uJohane akwenezelayo ngalo kwenza umuntu athokoze ngempela! KusAmbulo 21:3, 4 uthi ngalo: “Ngase ngizwa izwi elikhulu livela esihlalweni sobukhosi, lithi: Bheka, itabernakele likaNkulunkulu likubantu; uyakuhlala nabo, babe-ngabantu bakhe, yena uNkulunkulu abe-nabo, azesule izinyembezi zonke emehlweni abo; ukufa akusayikuba-khona; nokudabuka, nokukhala, nobuhlungu akusayikuba-khona; ngokuba okokuqala kudlulile.”

Kunokuba abhubhise umhlaba ngomlilo, uJehova uhlela ukuba wakhiwe phakade: “Usho kanje uJehova, owalidala izulu, onguNkulunkulu, owawubumba umhlaba, wawenza, wawumisa, engawudalelanga ize, wawubumba ukuba kuhlalwe kuwo.”—Isaya 45:18.

Ukulunga ngeke kuphele lapho ngoba abekho abantu ababi abayoba khona: “Ngokuba abaqotho bayakuhlala ezweni, abapheleleyo basale kulo. Kepha ababi bayakunqunywa ezweni, nabambuluzayo bayakusishulwa kulo.”—IzAga 2:21, 22.

Ephefumlelwe umhubi uDavide naye uyakufakazela lokhu: “Kusengumzuzwana, omubi angabe esabakho; kuyakuthi lapho uhlola indawo yakhe, uyakube engasekho. Kepha abathobekileyo bazakulidla ifa lomhlaba, bathokoze ngokuthula okukhulu.”—IHubo 37:10, 11.

UJesu ngokwakhe uyakuqinisekisa lokhu, ethi eNtshumayelweni yakhe yaseNtabeni: “Babusisiwe abamnene, ngokuba bayakudla ifa lomhlaba.” Njengohulumeni wabo, laba abamnene bayobusiswa ngamazulu amasha anokulunga abawathandazelayo: “Mawufike umbuso wakho; mayenziwe intando yakho emhlabeni njengasezulwini.”—Mathewu 5:5; 6:10.

Ukuthula okukhulu okuyojatshulelwa izakhamuzi zalelozwe elisha kudlulela ngisho nasendaweni yezilwane: “Impisi iyakuhlala newundlu, ingwe ibuthise ndawonye nezinyane lembuzi, ithole nebhongo lengonyama kukhuluphaliswe kanyekanye, nomntwana omncane uyakukuqhuba. . . . Abayikwenza okubi, bangachithi entabeni yonke yami engcwele, ngokuba umhlaba uyakugcwala ukumazi uJehova njengamanzi asibekela ulwandle.”—Isaya 11:6-9.

Liseduze Kangakanani?

Uma uthambekele ekubhekeni konke lokhu njengephupho, ukuthi kuhle kakhulu ukuba kube yiqiniso, yima kancane futhi ucabange. Ngaphandle kwezici zesibonakaliso esiyinhlanganisela sokuba-khona kukaKristu Jesu, kunokubalwa kwezikhathi kweBhayibheli okwabhekisela ku-1914 njengokuqala kokuba-khona kwakhe. OFakazi BakaJehova bamemezela u-1914 njengonyaka ophawulekayo ekumisweni kokubusa koMbuso kaJehova umhlaba, benza kanjalo kumagazini INqabayokulinda yesiNgisi ka-July 1879. Izazi-mlando nezingqapheli eziningi zezindaba eziphathelene nezwe ziye zaqaphela ukuthi unyaka ka-1914 wangenisa inkathi ehlukile nephawuleka ngokuphelele emlandweni wesintu, njengoba kubonisa ibhokisi elihambisana nalesihloko.

Esinye isenzakalo uJesu asinikeza sitholakala kuMathewu 24:21, 22: “Ngokuba lapho kuyakuba-khona usizi olukhulu olungazange lube-khona kwasekuqaleni kwezwe kuze kube-manje nolungasayikuba-khona. Uma lezozinsuku zingafinyezwanga, bekungesindiswe-muntu; kepha ngenxa yabakhethiweyo lezozinsuku ziyakufinyezwa.”

UJesu futhi wabonisa ukuthi lesibonakaliso esiyinhlanganisela sasiyogcwaliseka phakathi nokuphila kwesizukulwane esasibona siqala ngo-1914. KuMathewu 24:32-34, wathi: “Fundani umfanekiso emkhiwaneni; nxa igatsha lawo selithamba, lihlume amaqabunga, niyazi ukuthi ihlobo seliseduze. Kanjalo nani, nxa nibona konke lokhu, yazini ukuthi iseduze ngasemnyango. Ngiqinisile ngithi kini: Lesisizukulwane asiyikudlula kungakenzeki konke lokhu.”

Ukubona lelizwe elidala—kanye nazo zonke izimpi zalo, indlala, izifo, nokufa—lilethwa ekupheleni kuyoba isizathu sokuthokoza. Ukubona izwe elisha likaJehova uNkulunkulu lokulunga lilithathela indawo—liqeda ukudabuka, ukukhala, ukugula, nokufa—kuyonikeza imbangela yokujabula nokuthokoza okungapheli nokudumisa uJehova uNkulunkulu, uMdali Omuhle neNkosi yendawo yonke phakade.

Bebheke phambili kulelithemba, akumangalisi ukuthi abaningi balilangazelela kangaka izwe elisha likaJehova elinokulunga ukuba lisheshe lifike futhi lithathe isikhundla saleli elidala eligcwele usizi, ubugebengu, ukugula, nokufa! Akumangalisi ukuthi ukulangazelela kwabo kukhulu kangangokuthi bathambekele ekumiseni izinsuku zokufika kwalo ngaphambi kwesikhathi! Nokho, manje asinazo nje izingxenyana zesibonakaliso sokusondela kwalo ezisiyengela ekumemezeleni izixwayiso zamanga. Manje sibona isibonakaliso esiphelele esiyinhlanganisela sembuleka ukuze sinikeze isisekelo esiqinile sokulangazelela kwethu ukuphela kwalelizwe elibi nezwe elisha likaJehova ukuba lithathe indawo yalo.

[Ibhokisi ekhasini 11]

U-1914—Inkathi Yenguquko Emlandweni

NGISHO nangemva kwempi yezwe yesibili, abaningi babhekisela ku-1914 njengenkathi yenguquko enkulu emlandweni wamanje:

“Ngempela unyaka ka-1914 kunokuba kube yilowo weHiroshima ophawula inkathi yenguquko esikhathini sethu.”—URené Albrecht-Carrié, The Scientific Monthly, July 1951.

“Kusukela ngo-1914, wonke umuntu okuqaphelayo ukuthambekela okusezweni uye wakhathazwa ngokujulile yilokho okuye kwabonakala njengokuqhubeka okumiselwe nokunqunywe kusengaphambili okuya enhlekeleleni enkulu nangokwengeziwe. Abantu abaningi abazimisele baye baba nomuzwa wokuthi akukho lutho olungenziwa ukuze kuvinjelwe ukuwohlokela embubhisweni.”—UBertrand Russell, The New York Times Magazine, September 27, 1953.

“Inkathi yamanje . . . yaqala ngo-1914, futhi akekho owaziyo ukuthi iyophela nini noma kanjani. . . . Ingase iphele ngokubhujiswa kwabantu abaningi.”—The Seattle Times, January 1, 1959.

“Izwe lonke lahlakazeka ngempela cishe ngeMpi Yezwe I futhi asikazi namanje ukuthi kungani. . . . Izwe elinokuthula laliseduze. Kwakunokuthula nokuchuma. Ngokungazelele konke kwahlakazeka. Kusukela lapho siye saba sesimweni sokungenzi lutho.”—UDkt. Walker Percy, American Medical News, November 21, 1977.

“Ngo-1914 izwe lalahlekelwa ukubumbana elingakwazanga ukukuzuza futhi kusukela ngalesosikhathi. . . . Lesi kuye kwaba yisikhathi sokungahleleki nobudlova okungavamile, kokubili ngaphandle nangaphakathi kwemingcele yobuzwe.”—The Economist, London, August 4, 1979.

“Konke kwakuzoqhubeka kuba ngcono. Leli kwakuyizwe engazalelwa kulo. . . . Ngokuphazima kweso, ngokungalindelekile, ngolunye usuku ekuseni ngo-1914 konke lokho kwaphela.”—Isikhulu sikahulumeni saseBrithani uHarold Macmillan, The New York Times, November 23, 1980.

[Isithombe ekhasini 10]

Ukuthula okukhulu kubo bonke ezweni elisha elithenjisiwe