Siyini Isimo Sabafileyo?

UKWESABA abafileyo kusekelwe kulomqondo osunesikhathi eside ukhona—ukuthi abangasekho banomphefumulo noma umoya oqhubeka uphila ngemva kokufa. Uma iBhayibheli lifundisa ngokucacile ukuthi lomqondo ungamanga, khona-ke indaba yokuthi abafileyo bangakulimaza yini noma cha ayikho. Ngakho-ke, lithini iBhayibheli?

Ngokuphathelene nesimo sabafileyo, iZwi likaNkulunkulu lithi: “Ngokuba abaphilayo bayazi ukuthi bayakufa, kepha abafileyo abazi-lutho, futhi abasenawo umvuzo, ngokuba ukukhunjulwa kwabo sekukhohlakele. Uthando lwabo, nokuzonda kwabo, nomhawu wabo sekuphelile; futhi abasenaso isabelo nanini kukho konke okwenziwa phansi kwelanga.”—UmShumayeli 9:5, 6.

Ngenxa yalokho, ingabe abafileyo bangakusiza noma bakulimaze? Cha, kusho imiBhalo. Abafileyo abezwa futhi bathule. Abakwazi ukukhulumisana nabaphilayo noma ukubonakalisa noma imuphi umzwelo—uthando noma inzondo—noma ukuthatha noma isiphi isinyathelo. Akudingekile ukuba ubesabe.

‘Nokho, lokho kungaba yiqiniso uma ubhekisela ekufeni komzimba ongokoqobo,’ abanye bangase basho. ‘Kodwa ukufa komzimba akukhona ukuphela kokuphila; kumane kukhulula umoya emzimbeni. Lowomoya ungabasiza noma ubalimaze abaphilayo.’ Izigidi zabantu emhlabeni wonke zinalowomuzwa.

Ngokwesibonelo, eMadagascar ukuphila kubhekwa njengendlela yokuguqulelwa kolunye uhlobo lokuphila, ngakho umngcwabo nokumbiwa kwesidumbu somuntu kubhekwa njengokubaluleke kakhulu kunomshado. Kucatshangwa ukuthi umuntu wavela kokhokho bakhe futhi uphindela kubo lapho efa. Ngakho, izindlu zabaphilayo zenziwe ngokhuni nezitini zodaka ezomiswe ngelanga, izinto zokwakha eziphelayo ngokuhamba kwesikhathi, kuyilapho amathuna, “amakhaya” abafileyo, ngokuvamile eqine kakhudlwana futhi ehlala isikhathi eside. Lapho kumbiwa isidumbu, umkhaya nabangane banomuzwa wokuthi bayobusiswa, futhi abesifazane bakholelwa ukuthi uma bethinta amathambo esihlobo esifile, bayothola inzalo. Kodwa, nalapha, lithini iZwi likaNkulunkulu?

Isintu Sasingahloselwe Ukufa

Kuyathakazelisa ukuphawula ukuthi uJehova uNkulunkulu wadala umuntu ukuba aphile, futhi wakhuluma ngokufa kuphela njengomphumela wokungalaleli. (Genesise 2:17) Ngokudabukisayo, indoda nowesifazane bokuqala bona, futhi ngenxa yalokho, isono sasakazekela kuso sonke isintu njengefa elibulalayo. (Roma 5:12) Ngakho ungase uthi ukufa bekuyiqiniso okumelwe sibhekane nalo ekuphileni kusukela ekungalalelini kombhangqwana wokuqala wabantu, yebo, iqiniso elibuhlungu okumelwe sibhekane nalo ekuphileni. Sasidalelwe ukuba siphile, ngokwengxenye okuyisizathu sokuba kube nzima kangaka ngezigidi ezingenakubalwa ukuba zibhekane nokufa njengesiphetho.

Ngokuvumelana nokulandisa kweBhayibheli, uSathane wazama ukukhohlisa umbhangqwana wokuqala wabantu ngokuphathelene nokufa ngokuphikisa isixwayiso sikaNkulunkulu sokuthi ukungalaleli kwakuyoletha ukufa. (Genesise 3:4) Nokho, ngokuhamba kwesikhathi kwakhanya ngempela ukuthi abantu bafa njengoba nje uNkulunkulu ayethe babezokufa. Ngakho, phakathi namakhulu eminyaka uSathane uye wasabela ngamanye futhi amanga—ukuthi umoya othile oyingxenye yomuntu uyasinda ekufeni komzimba. Ukukhohlisa okunjalo kuyamfanela uSathane uDeveli, lowo uJesu amchaza ‘njengoyise wamanga.’ (Johane 8:44) Ngokuphambene, impendulo kaNkulunkulu ngokufa isithembiso esikhuthazayo.

Siphi Isithembiso?

Isithembiso sokuvuswa kwabaningi. Igama lesiGreki elihunyushwe ngokuthi “uvuko” lithi a·naʹsta·sis. Ngokwezi nezwi lisho ukuthi “ukuphinde ume,” futhi libhekisela ekuvusweni ekufeni. Yebo, umuntu uyalala ekufeni, kodwa uNkulunkulu ngamandla akhe angaphinde amvuse. Umuntu ulahlekelwa ukuphila, kodwa uNkulunkulu angaphinde amnike ukuphila. INdodana kaNkulunkulu, uJesu Kristu, yathi ‘isikhathi siyeza lapho bonke abasemathuneni beyakulizwa izwi layo, baphume.’ (Johane 5:28, 29) Umphostoli uPawulu wazwakalisa ‘ithemba lakhe kuNkulunkulu lokuthi kuyakuba khona ukuvuka kwabafileyo, okwabalungile nokwabangalungile.’ (IzEnzo 24:15) UJobe, inceku kaNkulunkulu ethembekile ezikhathini zangaphambi kobuKristu, naye wakhuluma ngethemba lakhe lovuko: “Uma umuntu efa, uyakubuye aphile na? Bengiyakulinda zonke izinsuku zomshikashika wami, kuze kufike ukumuka kwami. Ubuyakubiza [Nkulunkulu], mina ngiphendule.”—Jobe 14:14, 15.

Ingabe isithembiso esicacile sovuko asiwubonisi ungamanga umqondo wokuthi abafileyo bayaphila besesimweni somoya? Uma abafileyo bebephila futhi bejabulela ukuphila ezulwini noma kwelinye izwe lemimoya, ibiyoba yini injongo yovuko? Ingabe bebeyobe bengawutholanga yini kakade umvuzo wabo noma lokho abakumiselwe? Ukutadisha iZwi likaNkulunkulu kwembula ukuthi abafileyo bafile ngempela, abezwa, balele kuze kube isikhathi sokuvuswa okukhulu ngovuko ezweni elisha—ipharadesi—elithenjiswe uBaba wethu onothando, uJehova. Kodwa uma ukufa kungasho ukuhlukaniswa komzimba nomoya futhi uma umoya ungaqhubeki uphila, kuthiwani ngezimo lapho kubonakala kunokukhulumisana okuvela ezweni lemimoya?

Ukukhulumisana Okuvela Endaweni Yemimoya

Kuye kwabikwa izenzakalo ezingenakubalwa zokukhulumisana okucatshangwa ukuthi kuvela endaweni yemimoya. Kuvelaphi ngempela? IBhayibheli lisixwayisa ngokuthi “uSathane uzishaya ingelosi yokukhanya. Ngakho-ke, kuyinto elula ukuba izikhonzi zakhe zizishaye izikhonzi zokuhle.” (2 Korinte 11:14, 15, The New English Bible) Yebo, ukuze akhohlise futhi adukise abantu kalula ngokwengeziwe, amademoni (izingelosi ezihlubukayo) aye akhulumisana nabaphilayo, ngezinye izikhathi ezenza abonakale ewusizo.

Umphostoli uPawulu unikeza esinye isixwayiso ngalomkhankaso wokudukisa: “Abanye bayakuhlubuka ekukholweni, benaka omoya abadukisayo nezifundiso zamademoni.” (1 Thimothewu 4:1) Ngakho noma ikuphi ukusabela okuthiwa kuvela kwabafileyo cishe kuvela kumademoni azishaya sengathi ‘ayizikhonzi zokuhle’ kanti athuthukisa amanga enkolo, egqilaza abantu ngezinkolelo-ze ezibaphambukisa eqinisweni leZwi likaNkulunkulu.

Liqinisekisa ukuthi abafileyo akukho abangakusho, bakwenze, noma bakuzwe, iHubo 146:3, 4 lithi: “Ningethembi ezikhulwini nasendodaneni yomuntu okungekho kuyo ukusiza. Umoya wakhe uyaphuma, yena abuyele emhlabathini wakhe; ngalona lolosuku amacebo akhe ayaphela.” Yimuphi lomoya ‘ophumayo’? Amandla okuphila alomuntu agcinwa esebenza ngokuphefumula. Ngakho-ke, lapho lomuntu oshonile eyeka ukuphefumula, izinzwa zakhe azibe zisasebenza. Uba sesimweni sokungezwa lutho ngokuphelele. Ngakho akunakwenzeka ukuba aqondise abaphilayo.

Kungakho iBhayibheli liqhathanisa ukufa komuntu nokwesilwane, libonisa ukuthi kokubili kuba sesimweni sokungezwa ekufeni futhi kubuyela othulini okwenziwa ngalo. UmShumayeli 3:19, 20 uthi: “Ngokuba okwehlela amadodana abantu kwehlela nezilwane, into inye ikwehlela kokubili: njengalokhu kufa lokho, kuyafa nalokhu; kunomphefumulo munye, umuntu akazidluli ngalutho izilwane, ngokuba konke kuyize. Konke kuya endaweni inye; konke kuvela othulini, konke kubuyela othulini.”

Azi ukuthi amademoni azama ukukhohlisa abantu ukuba bacabange ukuthi bangakhulumisana nabafileyo futhi bathonywe yibo, uJehova uNkulunkulu waxwayisa abantu bakhe, ama-Israyeli asendulo: “Makungafunyanwa kuwe . . . umbhuli, noma ohlola imihlola, noma owenza imilingo, noma umlumbi, noma owenza iziphonso, noma obhula emadlozini, noma umthakathi, noma umlozikazana. Ngokuba yilowo nalowo ozenza lezizinto uyisinengiso kuJehova.”—Duteronomi 18:10-12.

Ngokucacile, umqondo wokuthi abafileyo bangasilimaza awuveli kuNkulunkulu. UnguNkulunkulu weqiniso. (IHubo 31:5; Johane 17:17) Futhi unekusasa elimangalisayo aligcinele abathandi beqiniso abamkhulekela “ngomoya nangeqiniso.”—Johane 4:23, 24.

UJehova, UNkulunkulu Weqiniso Nothando

UBaba wethu wasezulwini onothando, “ongaqambi amanga,” uthembisile: Izigidi ngezigidi ezifile futhi ezisemathuneni ziyovuswa zinethemba lokuphila okuphakade ezweni elisha lokulunga! (Thithu 1:1, 2; Johane 5:28) Lesisithembiso sothando sovuko sembula ukuthi uJehova unesithakazelo esijulile enhlalakahleni yendalo yakhe engabantu nesifiso esisuka enhliziyweni sokuqeda ukufa, usizi, nobuhlungu. Ngakho asikho isidingo sokwesaba abafileyo noma sokukhathazeka ngokungadingekile ngabo namathemba abo. (Isaya 25:8, 9; IsAmbulo 21:3, 4) UNkulunkulu wethu onothando nokulunga, uJehova, angabavusa futhi uyobavusa, eqeda ubuhlungu nokufa.

IZwi likaNkulunkulu, iBhayibheli, linikeza izincazelo eziningi zalokho izimo emhlabeni eziyoba yikho kulelozwe elisha lokulunga elithenjisiwe. (IHubo 37:29; 2 Petru 3:13) Kuyoba isikhathi sokuthula nenjabulo nothando ngabo bonke abantu. (IHubo 72:7; Isaya 9:7; 11:6-9; Mika 4:3, 4) Bonke bayoba namakhaya alondekile, amahle, kanye nomsebenzi ojabulisayo. (Isaya 65:21-23) Kuyoba nezinto eziningi ezinhle zokudliwa yibo bonke. (IHubo 67:6; 72:16) Bonke bayojabulela impilo ephelele. (Isaya 33:24; 35:5, 6) Nakuba abaphostoli nenani elilinganiselwe labanye beyobusa ezulwini kanye noJesu, iBhayibheli alikhulumi ngezimo ezibusisiwe ezulwini zemiphefumulo yabanye ngemva kokufa. (IsAmbulo 5:9, 10; 20:6) Lokhu bekuyoba yinqaba uma izinkulungwane zezigidi zabafileyo ziqhubeka ziphila ngemva kokufa.

Kodwa akuyona inqaba lapho siyazi ngokucacile imfundiso yeBhayibheli: Abafileyo ababe besaqhubeka bephila njengemiphefumulo ephilayo. Abanakukulimaza. Labo abasemathuneni okukhunjulwa bamane nje baphumule, abezwa kuze kube sekuvusweni kwabo ngesikhathi sikaNkulunkulu esifanele. (UmShumayeli 9:10; Johane 11:11-14, 38-44) Khona-ke, amathemba nezifiso zethu kuxhomeke kuNkulunkulu. “Siyakujabula, sithokoze ngensindiso yakhe.”—Isaya 25:9.

[Isithombe ekhasini 7]

Njengoba iZwi likaNkulunkulu libonisa ngokucacile, abafileyo abenzi lutho ngokuphelele kuze kube yilapho bevuka