Liyini Ithemba Ngabathandekayo Abafile?
Esikhathini eside esidlule indoda enguJobe yabuza: “Uma umuntu efa, uyakubuye aphile na?” (Jobe 14:14) Mhlawumbe nawe, uye wazibuza ngalokhu. Ubungazizwa kanjani uma bewazi ukuthi ukuhlanganiswa futhi nabathandekayo bakho bekungenzeka khona lapha emhlabeni ngaphansi kwezimo ezingcono kakhulu?
Nokho, iBhayibheli liyathembisa: “Abafileyo bakho bayakubuye baphile, . . . [ba]vuke.” Futhi iBhayibheli lithi: “Abalungileyo bazakudla ifa lomhlaba, bahlale kuwo njalonjalo.”—Isaya 26:19; IHubo 37:29.
Ukuze sibe nethemba langempela ezithembisweni ezinjalo, sidinga ukuphendula eminye yemibuzo eyisisekelo: Kungani abantu befa? Bakuphi abafileyo? Futhi singaqiniseka kanjani ukuthi bangaphinde baphile?
Ukufa, Nalokho Okwenzekayo Lapho Sifa
IBhayibheli likwenza kukhanye ukuthi ekuqaleni uNkulunkulu wayengahlosanga ukuba abantu bafe. Wadala abantu ababili bokuqala uAdamu noEva, wababeka epharadesi lasemhlabeni elibizwa ngokuthi iEdene, futhi wabayala ukuba babe nabantwana futhi banwebele ikhaya labo eliyiPharadesi emhlabeni wonke. Babeyokufa kuphela uma bengayilaleli imiyalo yakhe.—Genesise 1:28; 2:15-17.
Ngenxa yokuntula ukwazisa ngomusa kaNkulunkulu, uAdamu noEva abazange balalele futhi bahlawuliswa inhlawulo eyayishiwo. UNkulunkulu watshela uAdamu: “[Uyakubuyela] emhlabathini, lokhu wathathwa kuwo; ngokuba ungumhlabathi, uyakuphenduka umhlabathi.” (Genesise 3:19) Ngaphambi kokuba adalwe, uAdamu wayengekho; wayewuthuli. Futhi ngenxa yokungalaleli kwakhe, noma ukona, uAdamu wagwetshelwa ukubuyela othulini, esimweni sokungabi bikho.
Ngakho ukufa kuwukungabi bikho kokuphila. IBhayibheli lenza umehluko: “Inkokhelo yesono ingukufa, kepha isipho somusa sikaNkulunkulu singukuphila okuphakade.” (Roma 6:23) Libonisa ukuthi ukufa kuyisimo sokungezwa lutho ngokuphelele, iBhayibheli lithi: “Ngokuba abaphilayo bayazi ukuthi bayakufa, kepha abafileyo abazi-lutho.” (UmShumayeli 9:5) Lapho umuntu efa, iBhayibheli liyachaza: “Umoya wakhe uyaphuma, yena abuyele emhlabathini wakhe; ngalona lolosuku amacebo akhe ayaphela.”—IHubo 146:3, 4.
Nokho, njengoba kunguAdamu noEva kuphela abangawulalelanga lowomyalo e-Edene, kungani sonke sifa? Kungenxa yokuthi sonke sazalwa ngemva kokungalaleli kuka-Adamu, ngakho sonke sazuza njengefa isono nokufa kuye. Njengoba iBhayibheli lichaza: “Isono sangena ezweni ngamuntu munye [uAdamu], nangesono kwangena ukufa, ngokunjalo ukufa kwafikela abantu bonke.”—Roma 5:12; Jobe 14:4.
Nokho omunye angase abuze: ‘Abantu abanawo yini umphefumulo ongafi osindayo ekufeni?’ Abaningi baye bafundisa lokhu, baze basho ngisho nokuthi ukufa kuwumnyango oya kokunye ukuphila. Kodwa lowomqondo awuveli eBhayibhelini. Kunalokho, iZwi likaNkulunkulu lifundisa ukuthi ungumphefumulo, ukuthi umphefumulo wakho unguwe ngempela, nazo zonke izimfanelo zakho ezingokomzimba nezingokwengqondo. (Genesise 2:7; Jeremiya 2:34; IzAga 2:10) Futhi, iBhayibheli lithi: “Umphefumulo owonayo uyakufa.” (Hezekeli 18:4) Akukho lapho iBhayibheli lifundisa khona ukuthi umuntu unomphefumulo ongafi osindayo ekufeni komzimba.
Indlela Abantu Abangaphinde Baphile Ngayo
Ngemva kokuba isono nokufa sekungenile ezweni, uNkulunkulu wembula ukuthi kwakuyinjongo yakhe ukuba abafileyo babuyiselwe ekuphileni ngovuko. Ngakho iBhayibheli liyachaza: “UAbrahama . . . [wa]thi uNkulunkulu unamandla okuvusa [indodana yakhe uIsaka] nakwabafileyo.” (Heberu 11:17-19) Ithemba lika-Abrahama lalingelona elisekelwe ezeni, ngoba iBhayibheli lithi ngoMninimandla onke: “UNkulunkulu kasiye owabafileyo kodwa owabaphilayo, ngokuba bonke baphila kuye.”—Luka 20:37, 38.
Yebo, uNkulunkulu uMninimandla onke akanawo nje amandla kuphela kodwa futhi unesifiso sokuvusa abantu abakhethayo. UJesu Kristu ngokwakhe wathi: “Ningamangali ngalokho, ngokuba isikhathi siyeza, lapho bonke abasemathuneni beyakulizwa izwi layo [baphume].”—Johane 5:28, 29; IzEnzo 24:15.
Ngokushesha ngemva kokusho lokhu, uJesu wahlangana nomngcwabo owawuphuma emzini wamaIsrayeli waseNayini. Insizwa eyayifile yayiwukuphela kwengane yomfelokazi. Lapho ebona ukudabuka kwakhe okukhulu, uJesu waba nesihe. Ngakho-ke, ekhuluma nesidumbu, wayala: “Nsizwa, ngithi kuwe: Vuka!” Futhi lendoda yavuka, uJesu wayinikeza unina.—Luka 7:11-17.
Njengasendabeni yalowomfelokazi, kwaba nenjabulo enkulu futhi lapho uJesu evakashela emzini kaJayiru, induna eyengamele isinagoge lamaJuda. Indodakazi yakhe eneminyaka eyi-12 yayifile. Kodwa lapho uJesu efika emzini kaJayiru, waya kumntwana ofileyo futhi wathi: “Ntombazana, vuka!” Futhi yavuka!—Luka 8:40-56.
Kamuva, umngane kaJesu uLazaru wafa. Lapho uJesu efika kubo, uLazaru wayesenezinsuku ezine efile. Nakuba ayedabuke kakhulu, udadewabo uMarta wabonisa ithemba, ethi: “Ngiyazi ukuthi uyakuvuka ekuvukeni ngosuku lokugcina.” Kodwa uJesu waya ethuneni, wayala ukuba kususwe itshe, futhi wamemeza: “Lazaru, phuma.” Futhi waphuma!—Johane 11:11-44.
Manje ake ucabange ngalokhu: Sasiyini isimo sikaLazaru phakathi nalezozinsuku ezine efile? ULazaru akazange asho lutho ngokuba kwakhe sezulwini lentokozo noma esihogweni sokuhlushwa, okuyinto ngokuqinisekile ayeyoyisho ukuba wayelapho. Cha, uLazaru wayengazi lutho ngokuphelele ekufeni futhi wayeyoba kulesosimo kuze kube ‘sekuvukeni ngosuku lokugcina’ ukuba ngalesosikhathi uJesu akazange ambuyisele ekuphileni.
Kuyiqiniso ukuthi lezimangaliso zikaJesu zazimane ziyinzuzo yesikhashana, njengoba labo abavusa babuye bafa. Nokho, wanikeza ubufakazi eminyakeni eyi-1 900 edlule, bokuthi, ngamandla kaNkulunkulu, ngempela abafileyo bangaphila futhi! Ngakho ngezimangaliso zakhe uJesu wabonisa ngesilinganiso esincane lokho okuyokwenzeka emhlabeni ngaphansi koMbuso kaNkulunkulu.
Lapho Othandekayo Efa
Lapho isitha esingukufa sihlasela, usizi lwakho lungaba lukhulu, ngisho nakuba ungase uthembele ovukweni. UAbrahama wayenokholo lokuthi umkakhe wayeyophila futhi, nokho sifunda ukuthi “uAbrahama wafika ukumlilela uSara nokumkhalela.” (Genesise 23:2) Futhi kuthiwani ngoJesu? Lapho uLazaru efa, “wabubula emoyeni, wakhathazeka,” futhi ngokushesha kamuva “wakhala izinyembezi.” (Johane 11:33, 35) Ngakho, lapho othile omthandayo efa, akubonisi ubuthakathaka ukukhala.
Lapho umntwana efa, kunzima ngokukhethekile ngonina. Ngakho iBhayibheli liyaluvuma usizi umama angase aluzwe. (2 AmaKhosi 4:27) Yebo, kunzima nangobaba oshonelwe. Lapho indodana yayo uAbisalomu ifa iNkosi uDavide yakhala: “Sengathi nga ngifile esikhundleni sakho.”—2 Samuweli 18:33.
Nokho, ngenxa yokuthi unethemba ovukweni, ukudabuka kwakho ngeke kube okungapheli. Njengoba iBhayibheli lisho, ngeke ‘udabuke njengabanye abangenalo ithemba.’ (1 Thesalonika 4:13) Kunalokho, uyosondela kuNkulunkulu ngomthandazo, futhi iBhayibheli lithembisa ukuthi “uzakukuphasa.”—IHubo 55:22.
Ngaphandle kokuba kuboniswe ngenye indlela, zonke izingcaphuno zeBhayibheli zithathwe eBhayibhelini lesiZulu elivamile.