Amanga Okuqala—Ukususa Imiphumela Yawo

AKUBONA bonke abalandela uSathane noma abamukela imikhuba yakhe eqanjwe busha yenkolo. UAbrahama, ngokwesibonelo, waqhubeka nokukhonza uNkulunkulu weqiniso. Wakholelwa ukuthi ekugcineni ukuphila kwakuxhomeke ekulaleleni uNkulunkulu. Ngakho-ke, uJehova wambusisa, ngokuthi: “Nangenzalo yakho ziyakubusiswa izizwe zonke zomhlaba.” (Genesise 22:18) Kwakusho ukuthini lokhu? Ngokusobala, leyo“nzalo” eyathenjiswa esikhathini eside ngaphambili yayizovela phakathi kwabantwana baka-Abrahama.—Galathiya 3:16.

Kamuva, eminye imininingwane ngokuqondene ne“nzalo” yembulwa kwabathembekileyo. Yayizozalwa esizweni sakwaJuda, ibe umzukulu weNkosi uDavide. Yayizozalwa incasakazi, emzini waseBetlehema. (Genesise 49:10; 2 Samuweli 7:16; Isaya 7:14; Mika 5:2) Lapho isikhathi esifanele sifika, “inzalo” ethenjisiwe yazalwa endaweni efanele ngempela emkhayeni ofanele ngempela. YayinguJesu, kamuva owabizwa ngokuthi uKristu.—Luka 2:8-11.

Izwe likaSathane ngesikhathi sokuzalwa kukaJesu lalisebumnyameni obukhulu obungokwenkolo. Ngaphansi kokubusa kweRoma, umbuso omkhulu wangalesosikhathi, eziningi izinkolo ezahlukahlukene zaseBabiloni zachuma. Abaningi besizukulwane esithembekile sika-Abrahama, amaIsrayeli, babeduke kakhulu ekukhulekeleni kweqiniso. Abaholi babo benkolo babengabazenzisi futhi beziqhenya. Abanye basebethonywe izimfundiso zeBabiloni. Ngokwesazimlando esingumJuda uJosephus, abaFarisi (ihlelo lenkolo eliqhamile) bakholelwa ukuthi “imiphefumulo inamandla angafiyo kuyo” nokuthi “imiphefumulo yabantu ababi ithola isijeziso saphakade.”

UJesu wakwazi ukubuyisela abaningi ekukhulekeleni okumsulwa. Wafundisa abalandeli bakhe ukuba ‘bangabi ingxenye’ yalesimiso sezinto sikaSathane, ngokwenkolo noma ngokwezombangazwe. (Joh. 15:19) Waphilisa iziguli, wavusa abafileyo futhi wabonisa ububele obukhulu kwabathobekileyo. Laba bamthanda uJesu, kodwa abaningi babapristi bamzonda ngoba wadalula izindlela zabo ezicindizelayo nezimfundiso zamanga. Ngakho-ke, ekugcineni bambulala.

Ukufa kukaJesu kumelwe ukuba kwabonakala kunjengokunqoba kukaSathane, kodwa, uma kunjalo, kwakungokwesikhashana. UNkulunkulu ngokushesha wavusela uJesu ekuphileni komoya. Futhi ngokufa nokuvuka kukaJesu, uNkulunkulu wathatha isinyathelo esikhulu ngokuphathelene nokususa imiphumela emibi kakhulu yamanga kaSathane. Wenza kwaba nokwenzeka ngabafisa ukulandela indlela yeqiniso ukuba bathole futhi ukuphila uAdamu, ngokungalaleli kwakhe, akulahla. “Njengalokhu kuAdamu bonke bayafa,” kwasho umphostoli uPawulu, “ngokunjalo futhi kuKristu bonke bayakuphiliswa.”—1 Kor. 15:22-26.

UbuKristu Nokuhlubuka

Manje kwase kunokwenzeka ngomuntu ukuba azuze ukusinda esonweni nokufa. Ipharadesi liyobuyiselwa ngombuso kaNkulunkulu, umbusi walo kuyoba uJesu Kristu ovusiwe. Abanye abantu bayoba ngisho nelungelo lokuhlanganyela naye kulokho kubusa koMbuso. Lesigijimi esinamandla, esamenyezelwa ekhulwini lokuqala leSikhathi sethu Esivamile, sashukumisa izinhliziyo zabantu abaningi. Ibandla labalandeli bakaKristu—kamuva elathiwa amaKristu—lasungulwa eJerusalema, futhi ngokushesha landa laba nezinkulungwane.

USathane othukuthele, wahlasela. Ngokushesha, amaKristu ayefela ukholo lwawo eJerusalema. Ushushiso lwaxosha abaningi emzini, kodwa bahamba ne“zindaba ezinhle.” AmaSamariya, kulandele abeZizwe, babhapathizwa njengamaKristu. Emashumini ambalwa eminyaka isigijimi sasesisakazeke kulo lonke izwe elalaziwa kulesosikhathi. Lezo kwakuyizikhathi zezehlakalo!—IzEnzo 17:6; Kolose 1:23.

Ekugcineni, ezinsukwini zoMbusi uNero owayeyisidlova, amandla oMbuso wamaRoma adedelwa ngokumelene nobuKristu. Izidumbu zamaKristu ezazishiswa zazisebenza njengezibani emicimbini yamaRoma. Ayenikelwa ezilwaneni zasendle eshashalazini. Nokho, ubuKristu baqhubeka busakazeka. Kodwa uSathane wayenamanye amaqhinga.

Ukonakala Ngaphakathi

Umphostoli uPawulu wayewaxwayisile amaKristu aseKolose: “Xwayani funa kube-khona onithumbayo ngokuhlakanipha nangenkohliso eyize.” (Kol. 2:8) Wayetshele abadala base-Efesu: “Ngiyazi ukuthi emva kokumuka kwami kuzakungena kini izimpisi ezihahayo zingawuhawukeli umhlambi, naphakathi kwenu kuzakuvuka amadoda akhuluma okudukisayo, ahunge abafundi ukubalandela.” (IzEnzo 20:29, 30) Isixwayiso sakhe manje saqala ukugcwaliseka. Abakhohlisi bangena ngokunyelela emabandleni futhi, ngezimpikiswano zokuhlakanipha, ezibonakala sengathi zinhle zibe zingezinhle, bedambisa kancane kancane intshiseko yamalungu amaningi.

Ngemva kwamakhulu ambalwa eminyaka inguqulo yobuKristu eyenziwa yathandeka kubantu yayisikhulise okwakonakele ngokuphelele ngezimfundiso ezingekho ngokombhalo. Imfundiso yaseBabiloni yokungafi komphefumulo yagxiliswa. Uziquzintathu wakhulekelwa, ofanayo nonkulunkulu abamthathu emunye abake bakhulekelwa eBabiloni. Izimfundiso zesihogo somlilo, futhi, kamuva isihlanzo zafundiswa. Imithandazo yenziwa ku“Mama kaNkulunkulu.” Ezinsukwini zoMbusi wamaRoma uConstantine, loluhlobo lobuKristu lokuhlubuka, kunokuba luhluke ezweni, lwaba inkolo kahulumeni wombuso.

UJesu wayeprofethile ukuthi ngemva kokufa kwabaphostoli imbewu yobuKristu bamanga yayizovela ezweni nokuthi amaKristu amanga naweqiniso ayeyobakhona ngokulinganisene kuze kube “ukuvuna.” (Mathewu 13:24-30, 36-43) Lokhu kwase kwenzeka manje. Njengoba ubuKristu bamanga baqina, baphendukela ngolaka ababengalandeli indlela yabo. Abanye ababethi bangamaKristu bashiswa bephila ngenxa yokholo lwabo, kodwa kulesikhathi imizimba yabo eyayisha yakhanyisa ubuso bezindela nabapristi ababebukele.

Emakhulwini eminyaka, ukukhanya kweBhayibheli kwakhanya kalufifi nje. IZwi likaNkulunkulu langcweliswa ngesiLatini, ulimi oluphelayo, futhi ababehumushela ezilimini ezivamile bashushiswa ngonya. Kodwa iBhayibheli lasinda. Kwaba ngokufanayo nangobuKristu beqiniso, njengoba uJesu ayeshilo. Kokubili kusekhona nanamuhla.

Ipharadesi Elibuyiselwe

Lawomanga aqanjwa eminyakeni eyizinkulungwane edlule ensimini yase-Edeni ngempela ayeyingozi emkhayeni wesintu. Aholela ekuhluphekeni okungachazeki. Ngokujabulisayo, isintu asinakubekezelela lemiphumela yawo emibi isikhathi eside.

“Inzalo” eyayizoqeda uSathane namacebo akhe yabonakala inguJesu. Ngemva kokufa kukaJesu wavuselwa ekuphileni komoya futhi wenyuselwa ezulwini, “esalindele izitha zakhe zize zenziwe isenabelo sezinyawo zakhe.” (Heberu 10:13) Ubufakazi buwukuthi isikhathi sokulindela manje sesidlule. Iziprofetho nehlelo lezikhathi emlandweni weBhayibheli kukhomba unyaka ka-1914 njengesikhathi lapho uJesu ‘efika ngenkazimulo’ ukuba abuse njengenkosi yasezulwini.—Bheka uMathewu 24, 25; Marku 13; Luka 21.

Lokho kusho ukuthi uSathane, umqambimanga unesikhathi esifushane nje esisele. (IsAmbulo 12:12) Ukuzamazama emhlabeni wonke isintu esiye sakubona kusukela ngo-1914 kuwubufakazi bolaka lwakhe olukhulu ngenxa yaleliqiniso. Ngokushesha yena, nazo zonke izimiso ezicindezelayo zezombangazwe nezenkolo ezavela emangeni akhe, zizobhujiswa phakade.—Daniyeli 2:44; IsAmbulo 18:4-8.

Yeka ukukhululeka okuyoba khona esintwini! Ukuthula, ubuhle nenjabulo kwensimu yokuqala kaNkulunkulu ekugcineni kuyobuyiselwa, futhi ipharadesi liyokwandiswa emhlabeni wonke. (IsAmbulo 21:3, 4) Ubungathanda ukukubona lokho? Intando kaNkulunkulu iwukuba “abantu bonke basindiswe, bafinyelele ekulazini iqiniso.” (1 Thimothewu 2:4) Kungani ungasebenzisi lenzuzo yomusa kaJehova uNkulunkulu owelulelwe kuwe? Balekela amanga kaSathane ubone iqiniso leZwi likaNkulunkulu, iBhayibheli. Khona-ke, uyobona okukugcina nokuphelele ukuphendukezelwa kwemiphumela eyingozi enkulu yalawomanga okuqala obudemoni.