Uvuko—Olobani Futhi Nini?

LWENZEKA ngonyaka ka-32 C.E. eBethaniya, lapho kwakuhlala khona uLazaru nawodadewabo ababili, uMarta noMariya. Labodadewabo babethumele isigijimi kuJesu sokuthi uLazaru uyagula. UJesu wayemthanda uLazaru nodadewabo, ngakho walibangisa eBethaniya. Endleleni, uJesu watshela abafundi bakhe: “ULazaru umhlobo wethu ulele, kepha ngiyahamba ukuba ngimvuse ebuthongweni.” Abafundi bacabanga ukuthi uJesu wayesho ukulala okungokoqobo. Ngakho uJesu washo ngokucacile: “ULazaru ufile.”—Johane 11:1-15.

Lezivakashi zafika ezinsukwini ezine ngemva kokufa kukaLazaru. Lapho uJesu ebona uMariya nabanye bekhala, “wakhala izinyembezi,” ebonisa uthando lwakhe olujulile nozwela. (Johane 11:17, 35) Isidumbu sikaLazaru sasithunwe emhumeni. UJesu wayala ukuba kususwe itshe elalivale umnyango wethuna. Wathandaza kuYise wayesememeza ngezwi elikhulu: “Lazaru, phuma.” ULazaru waphuma. Yeka ukuthi lokhu kumelwe ukuba kwabajabulisa kanjani odadewabo!—Johane 11:38-45.

Lesenzakalo sinikeza ithemba langempela lovuko. Nokho, ngokuvamile, ukufa kuyisitha esibi esithatha abathandekayo bethu ngaphandle kwethemba lokuvuswa ngokushesha uJesu. Njengoba sazi kahle, abaningi balabantu bahle futhi banomusa. Ngakho-ke, kuphakama umbuzo osobala . . .

Kungani Abantu Befa?

Uma sifuna impendulo eqondile, enokwethenjelwa, kumelwe sihlehlele emuva ekuqaleni kwesintu ensimini yase-Edene. Evivinya ukulalela kuka-Adamu, uNkulunkulu lapho wamyala ukuba angazidli izithelo zomuthi othile. Uma yena noEva bedla lezozithelo, uNkulunkulu wathi, ‘babeyokufa nokufa.’ (Genesise 2:17) Lapho belingwa uSathane, abamlalelanga uNkulunkulu futhi bahluleka kulolovivinyo olubucayi. Kwalandela ukufa.

Kungani bathola isijeziso esinjalo ngecala elibonakala lilincane? Isenzo sabo sasisincane, kodwa icala lalingelingathi sína kakhulu—ukuhlubuka kwabantu abaphelele, uAdamu noEva, kuMdali wabo. Babengasaphelele, futhi uNkulunkulu wakhipha isigwebo sokufa. Nokho, uNkulunkulu uye wahlela ukuba lesosigwebo esilungile sihoxiswe enzalweni ka-Adamu. Kanjani? UPawulu wabhala ukuthi “uKristu Jesu . . . wazinikela abe-yinhlawulo yabo bonke.”—1 Thimothewu 2:5, 6; Roma 5:17.

Siyini Isimo Sabafileyo?

ULazaru wayefé izinsuku ezine. Uma wawufile kodwa uphila ngempela endaweni yomoya izinsuku ezine wawusuvuswa, wawungeke yini ufune ukutshela abanye ngakho? Kodwa uLazaru akashongo lutho ngokuthi wayephila kwenye indawo ethile. IBhayibheli lithi: “Kepha abafileyo abazi-lutho.”—UmShumayeli 9:5; IHubo 146:3, 4.

Cabanga ukuthi lokho kusho ukuthini. Izigidi zabantu zikholelwa esihlanzweni, nakuba lelogama lingaveli eBhayibhelini. Abaningi abanye bakholelwa ukuthi kunesihogo somlilo. Nokho, ngisho nesitha sakho awunakusishisa emlilweni phakade. Uma wena ubungakwenqaba ukwenza into enjalo yonya, ingabe uMdali wethu onothando ubengenza kanjalo ngokwenza abantu bahlupheke esihogweni somlilo? Kodwa, siyakucela, cabangela isiqinisekiso esingokweBhayibheli esiduduzayo okukhulunywe ngaso ngenhla—abafileyo “abazi-lutho.”

NgokwemiBhalo, inani labayobusa noKristu ezulwini lincane uma kuqhathaniswa. UJesu wabachaza ‘njengomhlambi omncane.’ (Luka 12:32) Umphostoli uJohane wabona “iWundlu [uJesu Kristu] limi entabeni [yasezulwini] yaseSiyoni, kumi kanye nalo abayizinkulungwane eziyikhulu namashumi amane nane . . . abathengiweyo emhlabeni.” (IsAmbulo 14:1-3) Khona-ke, lokhu kusho ukuthi abantu abanjalo babengabantu, bafa, futhi kamuva bavuselwa ukuba baphile ezulwini noKristu.

Njengoba ungacabanga, abantu baye basizakala ngokuqonda lamaqiniso eBhayibheli—ukuthi asikho isihlanzo noma isihogo esishisayo nokuthi kunethemba lokuthi abantu abafileyo bangavuselwa ezulwini. Nokho, uma labo abavuselwa ezulwini bembalwa kangaka, yiliphi ithemba elikhona ngabanye?

Uvuko Lwasemhlabeni

UJesu Kristu wacaba, noma waqalisa, indlela yokuvuselwa ekuphileni ezulwini. (Heberu 9:24; 10:19, 20) Ngenxa yalokho, uJohane uMbhapathizi ngeke ahlanganyele ovukweni lwasezulwini ngoba wabulawa ngaphambi kokuba uJesu afe futhi acabe indlela eya ekuphileni kwasezulwini. UJesu wathi: “Akuvelanga omkhulu kunoJohane uMbhapathizi; kepha omncane embusweni wezulu mkhulu kunaye.” (Mathewu 11:11) Yimuphi umvuzo uNkulunkulu awugcinele lendoda ethembekile nabanye abanjengayo abaye bafa?

Vula iBhayibheli lakho kuLuka 23 bese ufunda amavesi 39 kuya ku-43. Esinye sezelelesi ezazibethelwe eceleni kukaJesu sathi: “Jesu, ngikhumbule, nxa usufiké embusweni wakho.” UJesu wasiqinisekisa ukuthi sasiyoba sePharadesi. Lelo akulona izulu, kodwa yipharadesi lasemhlabeni, njengoba kwakunjalo ngePharadesi lokuqala.

Uvuko—Umthombo Wenduduzo

Lelothemba eliqinisekile elingokweBhayibheli kufanele libe eliduduza kakhulu, njengoba sinesizathu sokukulindela. Ngani? Ngoba uJehova uluthando. (1 Johane 4:8) Lapho evumela iNdodana yakhe ukuba ife kabuhlungu, eqinisweni uNkulunkulu wayebonisa imfanelo yakhe emangalisayo yothando. Esikhathini esithile ngaphambili, uJesu wayethé: “UNkulunkulu walithanda izwe [isintu] kangaka, waze wanikela ngeNdodana yakhe ezelwe yodwa ukuba yilowo nalowo okholwa yiyo angabhubhi, kodwa abe-nokuphila okuphakade.”—Johane 3:16.

NoJesu wabonisa uthando oluyingqayizivele ngokunikela ngokuphila kwakhe njengesihlengo sesintu esikholwayo. Yena ngokwakhe wathi: ‘INdodana yomuntu ayizelanga ukukhonzwa kepha ukukhonza, nokunikela ukuphila kwayo, kube-yisihlengo sabaningi.’—Mathewu 20:28.

UCarolann, okukhulunywe ngaye esihlokweni sokuqala njengowalahlekelwa abathandekayo bakhe abaningana engozini embi, wazizwa endikindiki ngemva kwalokho. Kodwa waduduzwa ukwazi ukuthi labo abathandekayo abafileyo babengahlushwa. Yini enye eyamsiza ukuba abhekane nakho? Uthando nozwela lwangempela olwaboniswa abafowabo abangokomoya, oFakazi BakaJehova, lwabonakala luwusizo olukhulu.—IHubo 34:18.

Umthandazo oya kuJehova nawo wasiza kakhulu. Izinsuku eziningi ebusuku wayevuka futhi acabange ukuthi konke kwakuyiphupho elibi, kodwa isimo esingokoqobo sasimhlasela. Ukunxusa kuJehova kwakumduduza, futhi wakuqonda ngokujule ngokwengeziwe lokho okwabhalwa uPawulu: “Ningakhathazeki ngalutho, kepha kukho konke izicelo zenu mazaziwe nguNkulunkulu ngokukhuleka nokunxusa kanye nokubonga. Ukuthula kukaNkulunkulu okudlula ukuqonda konke kuyakulondoloza izinhliziyo zenu nemicabango yenu kuKristu Jesu.”—Filipi 4:6, 7.

UShirley ungesinye isibonelo sendlela ithemba lovuko eliduduza ngayo. Umfanyana wakhe uRiccardo wafa ujuqu lapho ucezu olukhulu lukakhonkolo luwela esifubeni sakhe, ludabula inhliziywana yakhe. Ngemva kwalenhlekelele, ngoJanuary 1986, uShirley watshela abangane bakhe: “Kwakungeve kushaqisa.” ESontweni lamaKatolika wezwa lamazwi: “UNkulunkulu uyokwahlulela abaphilayo nabafileyo.” UShirley waqala ukucabanga, ‘Uma uNkulunkulu eyokwahlulela abaphilayo nabafileyo, khona-ke umuntu angazi kanjani ukuthi abantu bayaphi ngemva kokufa? Futhi uma besezulwini, uyobavuselani kamuva ukuba bahlulelwe? Ngaphezu kwalokho, bangavuswa kanjani uma bephila ezulwini?’ Akukho lapho iBhayibheli likhuluma khona ngokuvuka kwabaphilayo kodwa likhuluma ngokuvuka kwabafileyo kuphela.

UShirley wabuza umyeni wakhe ngalenkinga, njengoba ayejwayelene neBhayibheli. Kwathi nje lapho eseqonda okunye kwalokho okushiwo imiBhalo ngalendaba, uShirley akazange abuyele esontweni. Isihlobo sakhe esingomunye woFakazi BakaJehova saqala ukuqhubela uShirley nomyeni wakhe isifundo seBhayibheli ngoMarch 1986, futhi kungakadluli isikhathi eside babhapathizwa. Manje uyaphetha: “Kuhle kakhulu ukwazi iqiniso, ukwazi ngovuko, nokwazi ukuthi uJehova ungumuntu omuhle kanjani.”

Uvuko—Nini?

Embonweni, umphostoli uJohane wabona “isixuku esikhulu ebesingenakubalwa-muntu, sivela kuzo zonke izizwe, nemindeni, nabantu, nezilimi, simi phambi kwesihlalo sobukhosi naphambi kweWundlu.” (IsAmbulo 7:9) Ukuthi isixuku esikhulu ‘simi phambi kwesihlalo sobukhosi sikaNkulunkulu’ kuyavumelana neqiniso lokuthi sizophila emhlabeni. (Isaya 66:1) Uma abanye baso befa manje, bayovuswa nini? IBhayibheli alilunikezi usuku, kodwa kuyoba ngemva kwempi esondelayo uNkulunkulu ayoqeda ngayo emhlabeni bonke labo abangazimisele ukuphila ngezindinganiso zakhe ezilungileyo. (2 Thesalonika 1:6-9) Lokho kuyolandelwa uSuku Lokwahlulela nokuvuswa kwabo bonke ababhekwa uNkulunkulu njengabasohlwini lovuko lwasemhlabeni. (Johane 5:28, 29; IzEnzo 24:15) Ukugcwaliseka kwesiprofetho seBhayibheli kubonisa ukuthi lezinyathelo ezijabulisayo nezinhle kakhulu zizokwenzeka ngokushesha!—IsAmbulo 16:14-16.

Abafundi bakaJesu bake bambuza: “Siyoba yini isibonakaliso sokuba khona kwakho nesokuphela kwesimiso sezinto?” Ephendula uJesu wabala izimpi, ukuntuleka kokudla, ukuzamazama komhlaba, imiqedazwe, nokushunyayelwa emhlabeni wonke kwezindaba ezinhle zoMbuso.—Mathewu 24:3-14, qhathanisa neNW; Luka 21:7-11.

Lesiprofetho esiphawulekayo besigcwaliseka kusukela ngo-1914, lapho kuqala iMpi Yezwe I. Yabulala izigidi futhi yabangela indlala nokuntuleka kokudla emazweni amaningi. Isimo sezwe phakathi nangemva kweMpi Yezwe II sasisibi kakhulu.

Ngokuqondene nemiqedazwe, abaningi banomuzwa wokuthi isibonelo esibi kunazo zonke siyingculaza (AIDS). “Lesibhadalala sisakazeke kakhulu futhi sibhubhisa kakhulu kangangokuthi abacwaningi basifanisa neSifo Samachashaza esabulala ingxenye yesine yabantu baseYurophu ekhulwini leshumi nane leminyaka.”—Reader’s Digest, June 1987.

Ngenxa yezinto ezinjalo zanamuhla ezithusayo, yeka ukuthi uvuko luyoba isenzakalo esihle kanjani! Kuyoba isikhathi sentokozo engalawuleki lapho imikhaya eyayihlukaniswe ukufa, njengaleyo kaCarolann noShirley, ihlangana futhi! Ngokucacile, inkambo enengqondo ngathi ngabanye iwukuba manje sihlele ukuphila kwethu ngokuvumelana nentando kaNkulunkulu futhi ngaleyondlela sikufanelekele ukuba sibe khona lapho uvuko lwenzeka.

[Isithombe ekhasini 7]

IBhayibheli lithi njengoba umuthi unganqunywa futhi ubuye uhlume, uNkulunkulu angabavusa abafileyo abasenkumbulweni yakhe.—Jobe 14:7-9, 14, 15