Isizukulwane Sika-1914—Kungani Sibalulekile?
“Abafundi balomagazini bayazi ukuthi sekuyiminyaka ethile silindele ukuba leNkathi iphele ngesikhathi esibi kakhulu sezinkathazo, futhi silindele ukuba lesosikhathi siqalise ngokuzumayo nangamandla esikhathini esingeside ngemva kukaOctober, 1914.”—Icashunwe kuyiWatch Tower and Herald of Christ’s Presence, kaMay 15, 1911.
KUSUKELA ngo-1879 umagazini ngalesosikhathi owawaziwa ngokuthi iWatch Tower and Herald of Christ’s Presence (manje osuwaziwa ngokuthi INqabayokulinda Ememezela UMbuso KaJehova) ngokuphindaphindiwe wakhomba ku-1914 njengonyaka ophawulwe esiprofethweni seBhayibheli. Njengoba lowonyaka wawusondela, abafundi bawo bakhunjuzwa ukuthi kwakungalindelwa ‘isikhathi esibi kakhulu sezinkathazo.’
Lokhu kwaziswa kwamenyezelwa kuyo yonke indawo ngamaKristu, ayekusekele ekuqondeni kwawo “izikhathi eziyisikhombisa” ‘nezikhathi zabeZizwe’ okukhulunywa ngazo eBhayibhelini.a Ayeqonda lenkathi njengeyiminyaka engu-2 520—eyaqala ngokuketulwa kombuso wasendulo wohlu lozalo lukaDavide eJerusalema futhi yaphela ngo-October 1914.b—Daniyeli 4:16, 17; Luka 21:24, King James Version.
Ngo-October 2, 1914, uCharles Taze Russell, owayengumongameli weWatch Tower Bible and Tract Society ngalesosikhathi, wamemezela ngesibindi: “IZikhathi ZabeZizwe ziphelile; amakhosi azo abusile.” Yeka indlela amazwi akhe aba yiqiniso ngayo! Ngokungabonakali emehlweni abantu, ezulwini kwenzeka isenzakalo esasinokubaluleka okwanyakazisa izwe ngo-October 1914. UJesu Kristu, iNdlalifa engenakuguquka ‘yesihlalo sobukhosi sikaDavide,’ waqala ukubusa kwakhe njengeNkosi phezu kwaso sonke isintu.—Luka 1:32, 33; IsAmbulo 11:15.
‘Kodwa,’ ungase ubuze, ‘uma uKristu aqala ukubusa ngo-1914, kungani izimo emhlabeni zaya ziba zimbi?’ Ngenxa yokuthi isitha sesintu esingabonakali uSathane sasisekhona. Kuze kube ngo-1914, uSathane wayekwazi ukungena ezulwini. Lesosimo sashintsha ngokumiswa koMbuso kaNkulunkulu ngo-1914. “Kwase kuba-khona ukulwa ezulwini.” (IsAmbulo 12:7) USathane namademoni akhe banqotshwa futhi baphonswa phansi emhlabeni, okwaba nemiphumela eyinhlekelele esintwini. IBhayibheli labikezela: “Maye kuwe-mhlaba nakuwe-lulwandle, ngokuba uSathane wehlele kini enolaka olukhulu, azi ukuthi unesikhathi esifushane.”—IsAmbulo 12:12.
Ekhulwini lokuqala leminyaka C.E., uJesu wathi ukuba khona kwakhe okungabonakali njengeNkosi entsha yomhlaba kwakuyophawuleka ngesibonakaliso esibonakalayo. Wabuzwa: “Isibonakaliso sokuza kwakho nesokuphela kwezwe siyakuba-yini na?” Yathini impendulo yakhe? “Isizwe siyakuvukela isizwe, nombuso uvukele umbuso, kube-khona indlala nokuzamazama komhlaba izindawo ngezindawo. Kepha konke lokho kungukuqala kwemihelo.”—Mathewu 24:3, 7, 8.
Ngokufanelekile, impi eyagqashuka ngo-1914 yayihambisana nokuntuleka kokudla okubi kakhulu, njengoba ukukhiqizwa okuvamile kokudla kwaphazamiseka iminyaka engaphezu kwemine. Kuthiwani ‘ngokuzamazama komhlaba izindawo ngezindawo?’ Eshumini leminyaka elalandela u-1914, ukuzamazama komhlaba okubhubhisayo okungengaphansi kweshumi kwabulala abantu abangaphezu kuka-350 000. (Bheka ibhokisi.) Ngempela, isizukulwane sika-1914 sabona ‘ukuqala kwemihelo.’ Futhi kusukela ngalesosikhathi, imihelo yosizi iye yagadla iphindelela isesimweni sezinhlekelele ezingokwemvelo, indlala, nezimpi eziningi kakhulu.
Nokho, izindaba zokumiswa koMbuso kaNkulunkulu ngo-1914 ziyizindaba ezinhle ngoba lowoMbuso uyosindisa lomhlaba ekubhujisweni. Kanjani? Uyosusa zonke izinkolo zamanga nobuzenzisi, ohulumeni abonakele, nethonya elibi likaSathane. (Daniyeli 2:44; Roma 16:20; IsAmbulo 11:18; 18:4-8, 24) Ngaphezu kwalokho, uyongenisa izwe elisha ‘okukhona kulo ukulunga.’—2 Petru 3:13.
Ngokushesha ngemva kweMpi Yezwe I, abaFundi BeBhayibheli abaqotho, njengoba oFakazi BakaJehova babaziwa kanjalo ngalesosikhathi, baqala ukuqonda ilungelo labo ngokuphathelene nesinye isici sesibonakaliso sokuba khona kukaJesu njengeNkosi. UJesu Kristu wabikezela: “Lezindaba ezinhle zoMbuso ziyoshunyayelwa kuwo wonke umhlaba owakhiwe ngenjongo yobufakazi kuzo zonke izizwe; khona-ke ukuphela kuyofika.”—Mathewu 24:14, NW.
Kusukela esiqalweni esincane ngo-1919, oFakazi BakaJehova baye baqhubeka ngokungayeki besakaza “lezindaba ezinhle.” Ngenxa yalokho, izigidi ezivela emazweni angaphezu kuka-200 manje ziyaqoqwa njengezikhonzi zoMbuso kaNkulunkulu. Futhi yeka izibusiso ezilindele lezikhonzi! UMbuso uyoqeda impi, indlala, ubugebengu, nokucindezelwa. Uyonqoba ngisho nokugula nokufa!—IHubo 46:9; 72:7, 12-14, 16; IzAga 2:21, 22; IsAmbulo 21:3, 4.
Ngaphambi kokuba isizukulwane sika-1914 sidlule, umsebenzi wokushumayela ngoMbuso uyobe usuyifezile injongo yawo. UJesu wabikezela, “kuyakuba-khona usizi olukhulu olungazange lube-khona kwasekuqaleni kwezwe kuze kube-manje nolungasayikuba-khona. Uma lezozinsuku zingafinyezwanga, bekungesindiswe-muntu; kepha ngenxa yabakhethiweyo lezozinsuku ziyakufinyezwa.”—Mathewu 24:21, 22.
Ungalenzi iphutha elenziwa isizukulwane sangaphambi kuka-1914. Izinto ngeke ziqhubeke zinjengoba zinjalo manje. Izinguquko ezimangalisayo ziseza. Kodwa ngalabo abenza ngokuhlakanipha, kunamathemba amangalisayo.
Khona-ke, lalela amazwi omprofethi wasendulo: “Funani uJehova nina nonke-bathobekileyo bomhlaba . . . funani ukulunga; funani ukuthobeka; mhlawumbe niyakusitshekelwa ngosuku lolaka lukaJehova.” (Zefaniya 2:3) Singasisebenzisa kanjani leseluleko? Izihloko ezilandelayo zizosiza ekuphenduleni lowombuzo.
[Imibhalo yaphansi]
a Ikhasi labanyathelisi leScenario of the Photo-Drama of Creation, ka-1914.
b Ukuze uthole imininingwane eyengeziwe, bheka isahluko 16 sencwadi ethi Ungaphila Phakade EPharadesi Emhlabeni, ekhishwa yiWatchtower Bible and Tract Society of New York, Inc.
[Ishadi ekhasini 7]
Ukuzamazama Komhlaba Eshumini Leminyaka Elalandela U-1914
Usuku: Indawo: Abafa:
January 13, 1915 EAvezzano, eItaly 32 600
January 21, 1917 EBali, eIndonesia 15 000
February 13, 1918 Esifundazweni saseKwangtung, eChina 10 000
October 11, 1918 EPuerto Rico (entshonalanga) 116
January 3, 1920 EVeracruz, eMexico 648
September 7, 1920 EReggio di Calabria, eItaly 1 400
December 16, 1920 Esifundazweni saseNingsia, eChina 200 000
March 24, 1923 Esifundazweni saseSzechwan, eChina 5 000
May 26, 1923 EIran (enyakatho-mpumalanga) 2 200
September 1, 1923 ETokyo-Yokohama, eJapane 99 300
Kucashunwe eshadini elithi “Ukuzamazama Komhlaba Okuvelele” encwadini ethi Terra Non Firma, kaJames M. Gere noHaresh C. Shah.