Kungani Singekho Kangaka Isikhathi?

ISIKHATHI. Singase sikuthole kunzima ukulichaza ngokunembile leli gama, kodwa esikwazi kahle ukuthi sihlale singenaso isikhathi esanele. Siyazi nokuthi sidlula ngokushesha. Empeleni, sivamile ukusho ngokukhathazeka ukuthi, “Isikhathi siyandiza.”

Nokho, kusobala ukuthi imbongi yaseNgilandi u-Austin Dobson yayinembe kakhudlwana lapho ithi ngo-1877: “Uthi isikhathi siyahamba? Hhiya, akunjalo! Isikhathi simile, yithi esihambayo.” Kusukela afa ngo-1921, sekuphele iminyaka ecela ku-80 uDobson ahamba; isikhathi siye saqhubeka sikhona.

Insada Yesikhathi

Mayelana noMdali wesintu, iBhayibheli liyasitshela: “Kungakaveli izintaba, ungakawenzi umhlaba nezwe, kuthi kusukela phakade kuze kube phakade wena Nkulunkulu ukhona.” (IHubo 90:2) Noma njengoba kusho i-New Jerusalem Bible, “kusukela phakade kuze kube phakade wena unguNkulunkulu.” Ngakho isikhathi siyolokhu sikhona njengoNkulunkulu uqobo—phakade!

Ngokuhluke kakhulu kuNkulunkulu, yena onesikhathi esingunaphakade, sifunda lokhu mayelana nabantu: “Ngokuba izinsuku zethu ziyadlula ngentukuthelo yakho; siyafeza iminyaka yethu njengephefu. Izinsuku zeminyaka yethu zineminyaka engamashumi ayisikhombisa; kuthi uma ziziningi, zineminyaka engamashumi ayisishiyagalombili; nokho ukuvama kwazo kungukuhlupheka nelize, ngokuba zidlula masinyane, thina siyandiza, simuke.”—IHubo 90:9, 10.

Kungani ukuphila kukufushane kangaka namuhla, kanti iBhayibheli lifundisa ngokucacile ukuthi injongo kaNkulunkulu iwukuba abantu baphile phakade? (Genesise 1:27, 28; IHubo 37:29) Kungani abantu bephila izinsuku ezingaphansi kuka-30 000 ngokwesilinganiso lapho izimo zingcono kakhulu, esikhundleni sokuphila ukuphila okungenamkhawulo njengoba uNkulunkulu ayehlosile? Kungani abantu bengenaso kangaka isikhathi? Ubani noma yini eyabangela lesi simo esidabukisayo? IBhayibheli linikeza izimpendulo ezicacile nezanelisayo.a

Isikhathi Siya Ngomutsha Wendoda

Asebekhulile bangakufakazela ukuthi eminyakeni yamuva ukuphila sekushesha kakhudlwana. Enye intatheli, uDkt. Sybille Fritsch, yaveza ukuthi phakathi neminyaka engu-200 edlule, isikhathi esisetshenzwayo ngeviki siye sancipha sisuka emahoreni angu-80 saya kwangu-38, “nokho lokhu akuzange kwenze ukuba siyeke ukukhalaza.” Yacacisa: “Asikho isikhathi; isikhathi siyabiza; sidingeka kakhulu; ukuphila kuyaphuthuma.”

Izinto ezakhiwe muva ziye zavula amathuba ayengakaze aphushwe ezizukulwaneni zangaphambili. Kodwa ukwanda kwamathuba okwenza inqwaba yezinto kusho ukwanda kokukhungatheka ngenxa yokuswela isikhathi sokwenza lezo zinto. Kulezi zinsuku, ezingxenyeni eziningi zomhlaba, abantu baphila ngewashi, bahlale bephuthuma izinto ezibekelwe isikhathi. Ubaba kumelwe aphume aye emsebenzini ngo-7:00 ekuseni, umama kumelwe ayise izingane esikoleni engakashayi u-8:30 ekuseni, umkhulu kumelwe abonane nodokotela ngo-9:40 ekuseni, futhi sonke kumelwe silungele umhlangano obalulekile ngo-7:30 kusihlwa. Njengoba kujahwa izinto ezihlukahlukene okumelwe zenziwe ngezikhathi ezithile, akusali sikhathi esitheni sokuphumula. Futhi sikhala ngokuba yisicefe kwezinto nangokuhlale sigijima njalo.

Akuthina Sodwa Esingenasikhathi

ISitha sikaNkulunkulu, uSathane uDeveli, omacebo akhe aholela ekufushanisweni kobude bokuphila kwesintu, manje useyisisulu sobubi bakhe siqu. (Qhathanisa neyabaseGalathiya 6:7, 8.) Lapho sikhuluma ngokuzalwa koMbuso kaMesiya ezulwini, isAmbulo 12:12 sisinika isizathu sethemba lapho sithi: “Ngenxa yalokhu thokozani, nina mazulu nani enihlala kuwo! Mayé ngomhlaba nangolwandle, ngoba uDeveli wehlele kini, enentukuthelo enkulu, azi ukuthi unenkathi yesikhathi emfushane.”

Ngokwendlela yokubala yeBhayibheli ethembekile nokugcwaliseka kwesiprofetho seBhayibheli, manje siphila ngasekupheleni kwaleyo “nkathi yesikhathi emfushane.” Yeka injabulo okuyiyo ukwazi ukuthi isikhathi sokuchanasa kukaSathane sesizophela nyá! Lapho nje esegudluziwe, abantu abalalelayo bayobuyiselwa ekupheleleni, futhi bakwazi ukujabulela ukuphila okumi phakade uJehova ayebahlosele kona ekuqaleni. (IsAmbulo 21:1-4) Ukungabi bikho kwesikhathi ngeke kusaba yinkinga.

Ungacabanga yini ukuthi kuyosho ukuthini ukuba nokuphila okumi phakade—ukuphila phakade? Ngeke uphinde ukhathazwe yizinto okuye kwadingeka uzishiye ungaziqedile. Uma udinga isikhathi esengeziwe, luyobe lukhona olwangakusasa, noma iviki elilandelayo, noma unyaka ozayo—eqinisweni, uyobe unondendende wengunaphakade!

Ukusisebenzisa Ngokuhlakanipha Isikhathi Esinaso Manje

Eqaphela ukuthi isikhathi sakhe sokuthonya abantu silinganiselwe, uSathane uzama ukwenza abantu babe matasa kangangokuthi bangabi nasikhathi sokulalela izindaba ezinhle zoMbuso omisiwe kaNkulunkulu. Ngakho-ke, senza kahle ngokulalela lesi seluleko saphezulu: “Qaphelisisani ukuthi indlela enihamba ngayo ayinjengeyabantu abangahlakaniphile kodwa injengeyabahlakaniphileyo, nizithengisisela ithuba, ngoba izinsuku zimbi. Ngenxa yalokhu yekani ukuba abangenangqondo, kodwa qhubekani niqonda ukuthi iyini intando kaJehova.”—Efesu 5:15-17.

Yeka indlela okubaluleke ngayo ukuba isikhathi sethu sisisebenzise ngokuhlakanipha ezintweni ezibaluleke kakhulu kunokuba sisichithe ezintweni ezingenamsebenzi nezingalethi nzuzo ehlala njalo! Kufanele sihlakulele isimo sengqondo esifana naleso uMose ayenaso lapho enxusa uJehova ngala mazwi asuka enhliziyweni: “Sifundise, Nkosi, ukubala izinsuku zethu, sizuze inhliziyo enokuhlakanipha.”—IHubo 90:12.

Yiqiniso, ezweni lanamuhla wonke umuntu umatasa. Nokho, oFakazi BakaJehova bakunxusa ngamandla ukuba usebenzise esinye sesikhathi sakho esiyigugu ufunda ngezimfuneko zikaNkulunkulu zokuthola ukuphila okumi phakade ngaphansi kokubusa koMbuso wakhe. Ukusebenzisa ihora elilodwa ngeviki utadisha iBhayibheli ngendlela ehleliwe, ‘uqonda ukuthi iyini intando kaJehova,’ kungase kukubeke ethubeni lokubona la mazwi egcwaliseka kuwe uqobo: “Deda kokubi, wenze okuhle, uyakuhlala kuze kube phakade. Abalungileyo bazakudla ifa lomhlaba, bahlale kuwo njalonjalo.”—IHubo 37:27, 29.

[Umbhalo waphansi]