Impikiswano Enkulu—Iyini?

IYINI impikiswano enkulu ebhekene nomuntu ngamunye kithi? Ingabe izinga lokuphakama kolwandle nesimo sezulu esingavamile esibangelwa ukufudumala komhlaba? Ingabe ukuncipha kwendawo emkhathini evimbela imisebe eyingozi, okuholela ekuchayekeni okuyingozi emisebeni yelanga enamandla elimazayo? Ingabe ukwanda kwenani labantu, okwenezela ezinye izinkinga zomhlaba, njengobumpofu nobugebengu? Noma ingabe ukulindela ukubhujiswa kwezigidi ezingenakubalwa empini yenuzi, lapho noma yibaphi abasinda kulokho kuqothulwa ekugcineni beyofa bebulawa izinhlungu zamakhaza, zendlala noma zemisebe?

Ngemva kokuxoxa ngalezi nangezinye izimpikiswano, ngo-1989 umagazini iScientific American waphetha: “Ithuba lokuba kube nempi yenuzi ngokungangabazeki libonisa ingozi embi kakhulu engaba khona . . . ekusindeni.” Khona-ke, ingabe impi yenuzi iyimpikiswano enkulu ebhekene nathi?

Impikiswano Enkulu

Njengoba kunoshintsho esimweni esingokombangazwe kusukela ngo-1989, impi yenuzi ingase ibonakale ingenakwenzeka. Ngisho kunjalo, uma nje izikhali zenuzi zisekhona, ziyoba usongo olungathi sína esintwini. Nokho, ukwaziswa okukuyiBritannica Book of the Year ka-1990 kuveza enye into ebucayi. Ngokwalencwadi okubhekiselwa kuyo, izakhamuzi zomhlaba ezingaphezu kwezigidi ezingu-230 azikholelwa ebukhoneni bukaNkulunkulu. Eminye imithombo ibonisa ukuthi izigidi ezengeziwe zithonywe amafilosofi aseMpumalanga avumela umbono wokuthi akekho uMdali. Ngaphezu kwalokho, nakuba amakhulu ezigidi ekholelwa kuMdali, imibono yawo ngaye yehluka kakhulu. Futhi ezimweni eziningi, izenzo zawo ziletha isihlamba kuLowo ezithi ziyamkhulekela.—2 Petru 2:1, 2.

Uma uNkulunkulu ekhona—futhi ekhona ngokuqiniseke kakhulu—khona-ke ngokuqinisekile impikiswano enkulu namuhla kumelwe imhilele. Kungani adala isintu? Uyini umthwalo wethu wemfanelo kuye? Uyosabela kanjani endleleni umuntu onakalisa ngayo umhlaba? Futhi uyosabela kanjani enseleleni esikiselwa ukwenqaba kwabaningi kangaka ukukholelwa kuye noma ukuzithoba entandweni yakhe? Eqinisweni, impikiswano enkulu ebhekene nomuntu ngamunye kithi iwukuthi ingabe siyobamukela noma siyobenqaba yini ubukhosi bukaNkulunkulu, ‘ogama lakhe yedwa linguJEHOVA.’—IHubo 83:18, King James Version.

Imvelaphi Yendawo Yonke

Yebo, kulabo abangakholelwa kuNkulunkulu, umthwalo wethu wemfanelo kuye awuyona impikiswano. Kodwa noma ubani owubheka ngobuqotho umklamo nobuhle bekhaya lethu lasemhlabeni uyaphoqeleka ukuba avume ukuthi kumelwe ukuba kube noMklami omkhulu. Kuyiqiniso ukuthi lapho bezama ukuchaza izimangaliso zemvelo ezisizungezile, ososayensi abaningi abamfaki uNkulunkulu. Ngokwesibonelo, abaningi bathi indawo yonke yakhula yaze yaba ngaka namuhla isuka echashazini elincane kunekhanda likakhanjana, ukuthi konke kwenzeka “ngokwemvelo,” ngenhlanhla, ngaphandle kwesidingo soMdali. Nokho, ngemva kokuchaza umbono omusha othandwayo wokuthi indawo yonke yaqala kanjani, isazi sesayensi yemvelo uHanbury Brown, encwadini yakhe ethi The Wisdom of Science, siyavuma: “Ngicabanga ukuthi kubantu abaningi, lokho bekuyobonakala kufana kakhulu necebo elicatshangiwe kunokuba kube incazelo.” Uprofesa Brown uphetha ngokuthi “imvelaphi nenjongo yomhlaba” “kuyizimfihlakalo ezinkulu” isayensi ebonakala ingakwazi ukuzixazulula.

Ososayensi baye babonisa ukuthi into ebonakalayo (matter) kanye namandla kuhlobene kakhulu nokuthi into ebonakalayo ingaguqulwa ibe ngamandla futhi amandla abe into ebonakalayo. Njengoba kubonakala ekuqhumeni kwenuzi, isilinganiso esincane sento ebonakalayo simelela isilinganiso esikhulu samandla. Khona-ke, avelaphi wonke amandla amelelwa izinkanyezi eziyizigidi ezingu-100 000 ezisemthaleni wethu, kanye nemithala engaphezu kwezigidi ezingu-1 000 eyakha indawo yonke ebonakalayo?

IBhayibheli lithi: “Phakamiselani amehlo enu phezulu, nibone. Ngubani odalile lezozinto na? Nguye okhipha ibandla lazo ngezibalo, abize zonke ngamagama; ngobuningi bamandla akhe nangobukhulu bezikhwepha zakhe ayisilali neyodwa.” Ubani Lowo? IBhayibheli linikeza lempendulo: “NginguJehova; yilo igama lami; angiyikunika omunye inkazimulo yami.”—Isaya 40:26; 42:5, 8.

Ukucabangela kokuthi umhlaba kanye nayo yonke indawo kwavela ngenhlanhla kususa inkazimulo efanele uMdali, uJehova uNkulunkulu. (IsAmbulo 4:11) Kususa futhi isisusa esiqinile sokuphatha umhlaba njengabanomthwalo wemfanelo ngawo. Uma abantu bebeqaphela ukuthi bazolandisa kuNkulunkulu ngalokho abakwenza endalweni yakhe, ngokunokwenzeka bebeyocophelela kakhulu ezintweni ezinjengokungcola, ukubhubhisa indawo emkhathini evimbela imisebe eyingozi, nokufudumala komhlaba.

Imvelaphi Yokuphila

Cabangela nalombuzo: Ukuphila kwaqala kanjani? Abantu baye bafundiswa ukuthi ukuphila kwavela ngaphandle kwanoma yikuphi ukungenela kukaNkulunkulu. Kodwa lokhu kuyasiphikisa isimiso esingokwesayensi esesimisiwe kakade. Ngesinye isikhathi kwakunenkolelo yokuthi izinkubabulongwe zazivela ebulongweni bezinkomo, izibungu zivela enyameni ebolile futhi amagundane evela odakeni. Ngisho naphakathi nekhulu elidlule leminyaka, ososayensi bafundisa ukuthi izinto eziphilayo ezingabonakali ngamehlo (microorganisms) zivela entweni engaphili. Kodwa imiqondo enjengalena yaphikiswa nguRedi, uPasteur nabanye ososayensi. IWorld Book Encyclopedia (uhlelo luka-1990) ithi: “Ngemva kokuhlola kukaPasteur, izazi eziningi zesayensi yezinto eziphilayo zawemukela umqondo wokuthi konke ukuphila kuvela ekuphileni osekukhona.”

Nokho, ososayensi baqamba umbono wokuthi izinto zazihlukile esikhathini eside esidlule. Bathi izinto zokuqala eziphilayo ezinengqamuzana eyodwa zavela ngenhlanhla kuyingxubevange engaphili abayibiza ngokuthi inhlanganisela yasendulo, eyayinamakhemikhali adingekayo ekuphileni. “Inhlanhla, futhi yona yodwa, yakwenza konke, kusukela enhlanganiseleni yasendulo kwaze kwaba umuntu,” kusho uChristian de Duve kwethi A Guided Tour of the Living Cell.

Likhuluma ngoNkulunkulu, iBhayibheli lithi: “Ukuwe umthombo wokuphila.” (IHubo 36:9) Lenkulumo ivumelana ngempela nalokho okuye kwaphawulwa—ukuthi ukuphila kungavela kuphela ekuphileni obekukhona ngaphambili. Nokho, njengoba isayensi enethonya kakhulu ikhetha ukubheka esinye sezipho zikaNkulunkulu eziyigugu kakhulu, ukuphila, njengokuthile okwamane nje kwazenzekela, abantu abaningi abazizwa benomthwalo wemfanelo kuNkulunkulu ngendlela abasebenzisa ngayo ukuphila kwabo. Ngakho, baphula imithetho kaNkulunkulu, becindezelana, bentshontshelana, bebulalana, futhi bechitha imali eningi, isikhathi nekhono ekuklameni izikhali ezibulala futhi zibhubhise ngamandla asabekayo.

Ukuxazulula Impikiswano

Ngaphandle kwabangakholelwa ebukhoneni bukaNkulunkulu nabantu besimanje, abanye abangenakubalwa bayabuphika ubukhosi bukaNkulunkulu. Inani elikhulu namuhla lithi liyakholelwa kuNkulunkulu, futhi abangaphezu kwezigidi ezingu-1 700 bazibiza ngokuthi bangamaKristu. Emakhulwini amaningi eminyaka amasonto eLobukholwa aye adumisa uNkulunkulu obala ezinkonzweni zawo. Kodwa iningi lalabobantu abayizigidi ezingu-1 700 limiphi ngempela endabeni yobukhosi bukaNkulunkulu?

Kokubili abantu ngabanye kanye nezizwe baye babonisa ukungabunaki ngokwenza ngokuphambene nemiyalo ethile kaNkulunkulu. Izizwe ezithi zingezobuKristu ziye zenza izenzo zobudlova zokungamesabi uNkulunkulu, kuhlanganise nezimpi ezimbi kunazo zonke emlandweni wesintu—futhi abefundisi “bobuKristu” nhlangothi zombili babusisa lezozimpi! Ngokuzenzisa okunjalo, baye bammelela kabi kakhulu uNkulunkulu. Njengoba iBhayibheli lisho: “Bavuma ukuthi bayamazi uNkulunkulu, kepha bayamphika ngemisebenzi yabo.”—Thithu 1:16.

Nokho, uNkulunkulu “akanakuziphika.” (2 Thimothewu 2:13) Kumelwe sifike isikhathi lapho eyoxazulula khona zonke izici zalempikiswano yobukhosi ngokuvumelana nenjongo yakhe siqu emenyezelwe: “Zazi ukuthi nginguJehova.” (Hezekeli 38:23) Kodwa kungani eye wathatha isikhathi eside kangaka? Lempikiswano iyoxazululwa kanjani ekugcineni? Futhi wena ungazenza kanjani izinqumo ezifanele kulendaba ebaluleke kakhulu?

[Umthombo Wesithombe ekhasini 2]

Cover background: U.S. Naval Observatory photo

[Umthombo Wesithombe ekhasini 3]

Background: U.S. Naval Observatory photo