Ingabe Amaphupho Angalibikezela Ikusasa?
KUSUKELA endulo, isintu besinesithakazelo esikhulu emaphusheni. Abantu baseGibithe babebhala izincwadi ezinemicikilisho zokuchaza amaphupho, futhi abaseBabiloni babenabachazi bamaphupho. KumaGreki kwakunomkhuba wokulalisa abantu abagulayo ezindaweni zokukhulekela u-Asclepius ukuze bathole iziyalezo zempilo emaphusheni abo. Ngekhulu lesibili leSikhathi sethu Esivamile, u-Artemidorus washicilela incwadi ayenikeza kuyo izincazelo zezimpawu zamaphupho. Izincwadi eziningi ezinjalo eziye zakhiqizwa kusukela ngaleso sikhathi ziye zasekelwa encwadini yakhe. Kuze kube namuhla, kwenziwa imizamo yokuchaza amaphupho, kodwa ingabe ngempela anikeza ukuqonda ngezenzakalo zesikhathi esizayo?
Ukuze asho okuthile ngekusasa, kungadingeka abe nethonya lamandla aphakeme. EBhayibhelini sithola izibonelo eziningi uNkulunkulu anikeza kuzo wona kanye lawo mandla. Wayenikeza izinceku zakhe kanye nabathile ababengamkhulekeli amaphupho angokwesiprofetho. Eqinisweni, uJobe 33:14-16 uthi: “UNkulunkulu ukhuluma . . . ephusheni nasembonweni wasebusuku, lapho abantu behlelwe ngubuthongo obunzima, bozela emacansini, khona uyavula izindlebe zabantu.”
UNkulunkulu wakwenza lokhu endabeni kaFaro waseGibithe ezinsukwini zikaJosefa, owayephila eminyakeni engaphezu kuka-1 700 ngaphambi kweSikhathi Esivamile. Iphupho likaFaro litholakala kuGenesise 41:1-7, kuthi emavesini 25 kuya ku-32, uJosefa alichaze njengelibikezela iminyaka eyisikhombisa “yenala enkulu ezweni lonke laseGibithe,” elandelwa iminyaka eyisikhombisa yendlala. UJosefa wachazela uFaro: “Lokho uNkulunkulu asezakukwenza ukubonakalisile kuFaro.” (Genesise 41:28) Leli phupho laliprofetha ngalokho okwenzeka ngempela.
Inkosi edumile yabantu baseBabiloni yabhekana nokufanayo. UNebukadinesari wayenephupho elalimkhathaza kakhulu, kodwa wayengalikhumbuli. Ngakho wabiza abalumbi bakhe ukuze bamtshele leli phupho nencazelo yalo. Kwakungenakwenzeka ngabo ukuba bagcwalise lesi sicelo.—Daniyeli 2:1-11.
Njengoba kunguNkulunkulu owayenikeze inkosi leli phupho, wenza umprofethi uDaniyeli ukuba akwazi ukumbula iphupho nencazelo yalo. UDaniyeli 2:19 uthi: “Khona yabonakaliswa imfihlakalo kuDaniyeli ngombono ebusuku.” UDaniyeli wanikeza uNkulunkulu udumo ngaleli phupho: “Imfihlakalo eyibuzayo inkosi, abahlakaniphileyo, nabathwebulayo, nezanusi, nabahlola imihlola, bangebonise yona inkosi. Kepha kukhona uNkulunkulu ezulwini owambula izimfihlakalo; wazisile inkosi uNebukadinesari okuyakuba-khona ngezinsuku ezizayo.”—Daniyeli 2:27, 28.
Ngezinye izikhathi uNkulunkulu wayenikeza abantu bakhe iziyalezo ngamaphupho, futhi ngezinye wayebaqinisekisa ngokuvunyelwa kwaphezulu noma abasize baqonde indlela ayebalekelela ngayo. Endabeni kaJakobe, uNkulunkulu wembula ukumamukela kwakhe ngephupho.—Genesise 48:3, 4.
Lapho uJosefa, usingayise kaJesu, ethola ukuthi uMariya wayekhulelwe, wanquma ukuhlukanisa naye. Khona-ke wathola iziyalezo ephusheni zokuba angenzi kanjalo. UMathewu 1:20 uthi: “Ngemva kokuba esecabangile ngalezizinto, bheka! ingelosi kaJehova yabonakala kuye ephusheni, ithi: ‘Josefa, ndodana kaDavide, ungesabi ukuthatha uMariya umkakho umyise ekhaya, ngoba lokho akukhulelwe kungomoya ongcwele.’” Kamuva wathola isixwayiso ephusheni: “Ingelosi kaJehova yabonakala kuJosefa ephusheni, ithi: ‘Vuka, thatha umntwana omncane nonina ubalekele eGibithe.’”—Mathewu 2:13.
Amaphupho Angaveli KuNkulunkulu
Iqiniso lokuthi ukuchazwa kwamaphupho kwakuvame kulabo ababengebona abantu bakaNkulunkulu libonisa ukuthi amaphupho ngokuvamile awanakubhekwa njenganokwethenjelwa ekwambuleni ikusasa. Ezinsukwini zomprofethi kaNkulunkulu uJeremiya, abaprofethi bamanga babethi: “Ngiphuphile, ngiphuphile.” (Jeremiya 23:25) Babehlose ukudukisa abantu bacabange ukuthi uNkulunkulu wayekhuluma ngabo. Ngokuqondene nalaba baphuphi, uJeremiya waphefumulelwa ukuba athi: “Usho kanje uJehova-Sebawoti, uNkulunkulu kaIsrayeli, uthi: Maningakhohliswa ngabaprofethi abaphakathi kwenu nababhuli benu, ningawalaleli amaphupho [abo abawaphuphayo, NW]. Ngokuba baprofetha amanga egameni lami . . . usho uJehova.”—Jeremiya 29:8, 9.
Njengoba laba baprofethi bamanga ‘babengababhuli,’ kungenzeka indikimba yomoya ababi yayithonya amaphupho abo ngenjongo yokukhohlisa abantu. Kuboniswe okufanayo kulokho okushiwo kuZakariya 10:2: “Amatherafi akhulumile okuyize, nababhuli baboné okungamanga; bakhuluma amaphupho angelutho.”
UDeveli ungumkhohlisi omkhulu osekuyizinkulungwane zeminyaka esebenzisa abaholi benkolo ukuze bazisholo ngamanga ukuthi uNkulunkulu ukhulume nabo ngemibono namaphupho, njengoba nje abaprofethi bamanga benza ezinsukwini zikaJeremiya noZakariya. Ngokuphathelene nabanjalo, umlobi weBhayibheli ophefumulelwe, uJude, wabhalela amaKristu ekhulu lokuqala: “Sebengene ngokunyenya abantu abathile imiBhalo eyabamisela kudala lesisahlulelo, abantu abangamhloniphi uNkulunkulu, abaphendula umusa ongafanelwe kaNkulunkulu wethu bawenze izaba zokuziphatha okuxekethile futhi abazibonakalisa bengathembekile kuMnikazi neNkosi yethu okuwukuphela kwayo, uJesu Kristu.” Wathi laba bantu ‘babezitika ngamaphupho,’ ngomqondo ongokomfanekiso.—Jude 4, 8.
Vivinya Lokho Kuzisholo
Umuntu angase athi uNkulunkulu ukhulume naye ngephupho noma ukuthi amaphupho akhe ezenzakalo zesikhathi esizayo enzeke ngempela, kodwa lokho akusona isizathu esanele sokumkholelwa bese umlandela ngokuphuphutheka. Phawula iziyalezo ezazibhalelwe ama-Israyeli, ezitholakala kuDuteronomi 13:1-3, 5: “Uma kuvuka phakathi kwakho umprofethi, noma umphuphi wamaphupho, akunike isibonakaliso nesimangaliso, isibonakaliso noma isimangaliso akhulumé ngaso kuwe besesenzeka, athi: Masilandele abanye onkulunkulu ongabaziyo, sibakhonze, awuyikulalela amazwi alowomprofethi, noma lowomphuphi wamaphupho . . . Lowomprofethi noma lowomphuphi wamaphupho wobulawa.” UNkulunkulu wayevumela abanjalo ukuba bakhulume amanga ukuze avivinye ukwethembeka kwabantu bakhe.
Kunokuba sikholelwe ngokuphuphutheka ukuzisholo kwabaphuphi abenza izimangaliso, inkambo ewukuhlakanipha ngathi iwukuba sivivinye ukuzisholo kwabo ukuze sigweme ukudukiswa umkhohlisi omkhulu ongabonakali, “odukisa umhlaba wonke owakhiwe.” (IsAmbulo 12:9) Kodwa kungavivinywa kanjani ngendlela enokwethenjelwa?
IZwi likaNkulunkulu elilotshiwe liyisiqondiso sethu esisinikwe ngokwaphezulu esiyisa eqinisweni. Ngokuqondene nalo, uJesu Kristu wathi: “Izwi lakho liyiqiniso.” (Johane 17:17) Ngakho kweyoku-1 Johane 4:1 siyanxuswa: “Bathandekayo, ningakholwa yizo zonke izinkulumo eziphefumulelwe, kodwa vivinyani izinkulumo eziphefumulelwe ukuze nibone ukuthi zisuka kuNkulunkulu yini, ngoba abaprofethi bamanga abaningi baphumele ezweni.” Lapho kuqhathaniswa neBhayibheli ngokucophelela, ukuzisholo kwabo, amafilosofi, nezenzo kuyongqubuzana nalo. IZwi likaNkulunkulu liyigunya ekutheni yini eyiqiniso.
Ingabe umphuphi othi unolwazi olukhethekile, empeleni usebenzisa ukubhula noma okunye ukusebenzisa imimoya? Uma kunjalo, iZwi likaNkulunkulu liyamlahla. “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.
Uma ezisholo ukuthi unomphefumulo ongafi ngaphakathi kuye, uphikisa iZwi likaNkulunkulu elisho ngokucacile ukuthi: “Umphefumulo owonayo uyakufa.” (Hezekeli 18:4) Ingabe uyaziphakamisa futhi uzizuzela abalandeli? UMathewu 23:12 uyaxwayisa: “Noma ubani oziphakamisayo uyothotshiswa.” Futhi izEnzo 20:30 zixwayisa amaKristu: “Phakathi kwenu ngokwenu kuzovela amadoda futhi akhulume izinto ezisontekile ukuze amonyule abafundi ukuba bawalandele.”
Ingabe ukhuthaza izenzo ezinobudlova? UJakobe 3:17, 18 uyamlahla: “Ukuhlakanipha okuvela phezulu okokuqala kumsulwa, bese kuba okunokuthula, okunengqondo, okusheshayo ukulalela, okugcwele isihe nezithelo ezinhle, okungahlukanisi abantu ngokukhetha, okungazenzisi. Ngaphezu kwalokho, isithelo sokulunga imbewu yaso ihlwanyelwa ngaphansi kwezimo zokuthula kulabo abenza ukuthula.” Ingabe ufuna ukuba negunya noma ithonya lezombangazwe ezweni? IZwi likaNkulunkulu limlahla ngokungananazi, lithi: “Noma ubani ofuna ukuba umngane wezwe uzenza isitha sikaNkulunkulu.” Ngakho iBhayibheli lidalula okungamanga.—Jakobe 4:4.
Uma umuntu ephupha ngokushona kwelungu lomkhaya noma umngane, kungenzeka kungenxa yokuthi ubekhathazekile ngalomuntu. Ukuthi lomuntu washona ngabo kanye ubusuku okwaphushwa ngabo khona ngokwakho akufakazeli ukuthi iphupho laliyisiprofetho. Ephusheni ngalinye lalolu hlobo elibonakala sengathi lenzeke ngempela, kunamakhulu angenjalo.
Nakuba uNkulunkulu awasebenzisa amaphupho esikhathini esidlule ukuze embule izenzakalo ezingokwesiprofetho futhi anikeze iziyalezo ngenkathi iZwi lakhe elilotshiwe lisabhalwa, akudingeki ukuba enze kanjalo namuhla. LeloZwi elilotshiwe liqukethe zonke iziyalezo ezivela kuNkulunkulu isintu esizidingayo kulesi sikhathi, futhi iziprofetho zalo ziphathelene nezenzakalo okusasele iminyaka engaphezu kweyinkulungwane zenzeke. (2 Thimothewu 3:16, 17) Ngakho singaqiniseka ukuthi amaphupho ethu awazona izibonakaliso ezivela kuNkulunkulu zezenzakalo zesikhathi esizayo kodwa ayimisebenzi yobuchopho edingekile ukuze kulondolozwe inhlalakahle yethu engokwengqondo.
[Isithombe ekhasini 7]
Njengoba iphupho likaFaro lalibonisa okwakusazokwenzeka, neZwi likaNkulunkulu lisikhanyisela ngekusasa lethu