I-Apocalypse—Ingabe Kumelwe Yesatshwe Noma Ilangazelelwe?

“Namuhla i-Apocalypse ayisekona ukulandisa nje kwe-Bhayibheli kodwa iye yaba into engase yenzeke ngempela.”—UJavier Pérez de Cuéllar, owayengunobhala-jikelele weZizwe Ezihlangene.

UKUSETSHENZISWA ngaleyo ndlela kwegama elithi “apocalypse” ngumuntu ovelele emhlabeni kubonisa indlela abantu abaningi abaliqonda ngayo nababona lisetshenziswa ngayo ezihlokweni zamabhayisikobho nezezincwadi, ezihlokweni zomagazini nasemibikweni yamaphephandaba. Liletha imibono yenhlekelele yendawo yonke. Kodwa lisho ukuthini ngempela igama elithi “apocalypse”? Kanti okubaluleke nakakhulu, siyini isigijimi esisencwadini yeBhayibheli okuthiwa i-Apocalypse, noma isAmbulo?

Igama elithi “apocalypse” livela egameni lesiGreki elisho “ukwambula.” Yini eyambulwa encwadini yeBhayibheli isAmbulo? Ingabe yisigijimi sembubhiso kuphela, isibikezelo sembubhiso lapho kungasindi noyedwa? Lapho sibuzwa ukuthi sicabangani nge-Apocalypse, isazi-mlando uJean Delumeau, ilungu le-Institut de France, sathi: “Iyincwadi yenduduzo nethemba. Abantu baye bakha imibono yalokho ekuqukethe ngokugxila ezenzakalweni zayo eziyinhlekelele.”

ISonto Lokuqala Ne-Apocalypse

“AmaKristu” okuqala ayeyibheka kanjani i-Apocalypse nethemba elinikezayo lokuBusa KukaKristu Kweminyaka Eyinkulungwane (Millennium) emhlabeni? Isazi-mlando esifanayo sathi: “Ngokuvamile, amaKristu ayephila emakhulwini ambalwa okuqala eminyaka kimina abonakala sengathi ayeyamukela inkolelo yeminyaka eyinkulungwane. . . . Phakathi kwamaKristu ayephila emakhulwini okuqala eminyaka lawo ayekholelwa eMinyakeni Eyinkulungwane kwakunoPapias ophawulekayo, umbhishobhi waseHiyerapholi e-Asia Minor, . . . uSanta Justin, owazalelwa ePalestine, wafela ukholo eRoma cishe ngo-165, uSanta Irenæus, umbhishobhi waseLyons, owashona ngo-202, uTertullian, owashona ngo-222 kanye . . . nomlobi omkhulu uLactantius.”

Ngokuphathelene noPapias, okubikwa ukuthi wafela ukholo ePhergamu ngo-161 noma ngo-165 C.E., i-Catholic Encyclopedia ithi: “UMbhishobhi uPapias waseHiyerapholi, ongumfundi kaSt. John, wayebonakala engumsekeli wenkolelo yeminyaka eyinkulungwane. Uthi wathola imfundiso yakhe kubantu ababephila ngesikhathi sabaPhostoli, futhi u-Irenæus uthi abanye be-‘Presbyteri’, ababona futhi bezwa umfundi uJohane, bayifunda kuye inkolelo yeminyaka eyinkulungwane njengengxenye yemfundiso yeNkosi. Ngokuka-Eusebius . . . uPapias encwadini yakhe waqinisekisa ukuthi uvuko lwabafileyo luyolandelwa iminyaka eyinkulungwane yombuso kaKristu wasemhlabeni obonakalayo nokhazimulayo.”

Lokhu kusitshelani ngethonya incwadi ye-Apocalypse, noma yesAmbulo, eyaba nalo kumakholwa okuqala? Ingabe yabangela ukwesaba noma ithemba? Ngokuthakazelisayo, izazi-mlando zibiza amaKristu okuqala ngokuthi ama-chiliast, okuyigama elivela egameni lesiGreki elithi khiʹli·a eʹte (iminyaka eyinkulungwane). Yebo, iningi lawo lalaziwa ngokukholelwa ekuBuseni KukaKristu Kweminyaka Eyinkulungwane, okuyoletha izimo zepharadesi emhlabeni. Ukuphela kwendawo eBhayibhelini lapho kukhulunywa khona ngokukhethekile ngethemba leminyaka eyinkulungwane kukuyi-Apocalypse, noma isAmbulo. (20:1-7) Ngakho, kunokuba yethuse amakholwa, i-Apocalypse yawanika ithemba elimangalisayo. Encwadini yakhe ethi The Early Church and the World, uprofesa womlando wesonto wase-Oxford uCecil Cadoux uyabhala: “Imibono yobu-chiliast, nakuba yagcina ilahliwe, kwakukholelwa kuyo kabanzi eSontweni isikhathi eside ngokuphawulekayo, ifundiswa ngabanye bababhali abahlonishwa kakhulu.”

Okwenza Ithemba Le-Apocalypse Lilahlwe

Njengoba kuyiqiniso elingokomlando elingenakuphikwa ukuthi amaKristu okuqala amaningi, uma kungekhona ukuthi wonke, ayekholelwa ekuBuseni KukaKristu Kweminyaka Eyinkulungwane epharadesi lasemhlabeni, kwenzeka kanjani ukuba ‘imibono enjalo yobu-chiliast igcine isilahliwe’? Kwaba nokugxeka okuthile okunezizathu ezizwakalayo ngoba, njengoba isazi uRobert Mounce sasho, “ngeshwa, ama-chiliast amaningi avumela imicabango yawo ukuba isabalale kakhulu futhi achaza inkathi yeminyaka eyinkulungwane ngazo zonke izindlela ezigxile ezintweni ezibonakalayo nangemizwa eyeqisayo.” Kodwa le mibono yalabo abeqisayo yayingalungiswa ngaphandle kokulahla ithemba langempela leMinyaka Eyinkulungwane.

Ziyamangaza ngempela izindlela ezasetshenziswa izitha zenkolelo yeminyaka eyinkulungwane ukuze ziyicindezele. I-Dictionnaire de Théologie Catholique ithi ngomfundisi waseRoma uCaius (wasekupheleni kwekhulu lesibili, nasekuqaleni kwelesithathu) “ukuze aqede inkolelo yeminyaka eyinkulungwane, wakwenqaba ngokunganqikazi ukuba yiqiniso kwe-Apocalypse [isAmbulo] neVangeli lika-St. John.” Le Dictionnaire iyaqhubeka ithi uDionysius, umbhishobhi wangekhulu lesithathu wase-Alexandria, waloba indaba emelene nenkolelo yeminyaka eyinkulungwane ethi, “akazange anqikaze ukwenqaba ukuba yiqiniso kwe-Apocalypse kaSanta John ukuze avimbele labo ababebambelele kulo mbono ukuba bangasekeli inkolelo yabo kuyo.” Ukuphikiswa ngokunamandla kangako kwethemba lezibusiso zeminyaka eyinkulungwane emhlabeni kubonisa ithonya elicashile elalikhona phakathi kwezazi zemfundiso yenkolo ngaleso sikhathi.

Encwadini yakhe ethi The Pursuit of the Millennium, uProfesa uNorman Cohn uyabhala: “Ngekhulu lesithathu kwaba nomzamo wokuqala wokukhuluma kabi ngenkolelo yeminyaka eyinkulungwane, lapho u-Origen, mhlawumbe owayenethonya elikhulu kunazo zonke izazi zemfundiso yenkolo yeSonto lasendulo, aqala khona ukuveza uMbuso njengesenzakalo esingeke senzeke ngokoqobo kodwa esizokwenzeka emiphefumulweni yamakholwa.” Encika kuyifilosofi yamaGreki kunaseBhayibhelini, u-Origen waxuba ithemba elimangalisayo lezibusiso zasemhlabeni ngaphansi koMbuso kaMesiya ‘nesenzakalo [esingaqondakali] esenzeka emiphefumulweni yamakholwa.’ Umlobi ongumKatolika uLéon Gry wabhala: “Ithonya elinamandla lefilosofi yamaGreki . . . layiqeda kancane kancane imibono yobu-Chiliast.”

“Isonto Liye Lalahlekelwa Isigijimi Salo Sethemba”

Ngokungangabazeki u-Augustine wayenguFata WeSonto owaba nengxenye enkulu ekuxubaniseni ifilosofi yamaGreki nalokho ngesikhathi sakhe okwakumane kuwumfuziselo wobuKristu. Nakuba ekuqaleni ayengumshisekeli wenkolelo yeminyaka eyinkulungwane, ekugcineni walahla noma yimuphi ophathelene nokuBusa KukaKristu Kweminyaka Eyinkulungwane emhlabeni kwangesikhathi esizayo. Wasonta isAmbulo isahluko 20, wasenza saba ngokomfanekiso.

I-Catholic Encyclopedia ithi: “U-Augustine wagcina ekholelwa ukuthi ngeke ibe khona iminyaka eyinkulungwane. . . . Uvuko lokuqala, lesi sahluko esikhuluma ngalo, uthi lubhekisela ekuzalweni kabusha okungokomoya kwangobhapathizo; isabatha leminyaka eyinkulungwane ngemva kweminyaka eyizinkulungwane eziyisithupha zomlando, liyikho konke ukuphila okumi phakade.” I-New Encyclopædia Britannica ithi: “Inkolelo ka-Augustine yeminyaka eyinkulungwane engokomfanekiso yaba imfundiso engokomthetho yesonto . . . AmaProthestani Alwela Izinguquko angamaLuthela, angabalandeli bakaCalvin nawaseSheshi . . . aqhubeka enamathele ngokuqinile emibonweni ka-Augustine.” Ngaleyo ndlela, amalungu amasonto eLobukholwa ancishwa ithemba leminyaka eyinkulungwane.

Ngaphezu kwalokho, ngokwesazi semfundiso yenkolo saseSwitzerland uFrédéric de Rougemont, “ngokulahla inkolelo yakhe yokuqala yokubusa kweminyaka eyinkulungwane, [u-Augustine] wabangela umonakalo ongenakubalwa eSontweni. Ngegunya elinamandla legama lakhe, wagunyaza iphutha elancisha [iSonto] umbono walo mayelana nomhlaba.” Isazi semfundiso yenkolo saseJalimane u-Adolf Harnack savuma ukuthi ukulahlwa kwenkolelo yeMinyaka Eyinkulungwane kwancisha abantu abavamile “inkolelo ababeyiqonda,” kwafakwa “inkolo abangayiqondi” esikhundleni ‘senkolo yakudala namathemba akudala.’ Amasonto anamuhla akhala ibhungane emazweni amaningi awubufakazi obucacile bokuthi abantu badinga inkolo nethemba abangakuqonda.

Encwadini yaso ethi Highlights of the Book of Revelation, isazi seBhayibheli uGeorge Beasley-Murray sabhala: “Ngokuyinhloko ngenxa yethonya elinamandla lika-Augustine ngakolunye uhlangothi kanye nokwamukela kwamahlelo inkolelo yeminyaka eyinkulungwane ngakolunye, amaKatolika namaProthestani aye ahlangana ekuyilahleni. Lapho bebuzwa ukuthi iliphi elinye ithemba abanalo ngabantu kulo mhlaba impendulo engokomthetho iwukuthi: Alikho nhlobo. Izwe lizobhujiswa ekubuyeni kukaKristu okuzokwenza kube namazulu nesihogo kwaphakade lapho umlando uyokhohlakala. . . . Isonto liye lalahlekelwa isigijimi salo sethemba.”

Ithemba Elimangalisayo Le-Apocalypse Lisekhona!

OFakazi BakaJehova bona bayaqiniseka ukuthi izithembiso ezimangalisayo eziphathelene neMinyaka Eyinkulungwane zizogcwaliseka. Kuxoxwa naye ohlelweni lwethelevishini lwesiFulentshi ngokuphathelene nesihloko esithi “Unyaka Ka-2000: Ukwesaba I-Apocalypse,” isazi-mlando esingumFulentshi uJean Delumeau sathi: “OFakazi BakaJehova bayilandela ngokuqondile inkolelo yeminyaka eyinkulungwane, ngoba bathi ngokushesha . . . sizongena enkathini yeminyaka engu-1 000 yenjabulo—futhi bayavuma ukuthi [sizongena] ngezinhlekelele.”

Yilokhu kanye umphostoli uJohane akubona embonweni nakuchaza encwadini yakhe i-Apocalypse, noma isAmbulo. Wabhala: “Ngabona izulu elisha nomhlaba omusha . . . Ngemva kwalokho ngezwa izwi elikhulu livela esihlalweni sobukhosi lithi: ‘Bheka! Itende likaNkulunkulu likanye nesintu, uyohlala naso, futhi siyoba abantu bakhe. Futhi uNkulunkulu ngokwakhe uyoba naso. Futhi uyosula zonke izinyembezi emehlweni aso, futhi ukufa ngeke kusaba khona, noma ukulila noma ukukhala noma ubuhlungu ngeke kusaba khona. Izinto zangaphambili zidlulile.’”—IsAmbulo 21:1, 3, 4.

OFakazi BakaJehova benza umsebenzi wokufundisa ngeBhayibheli emhlabeni wonke ukuze basize abantu abaningi ngangokunokwenzeka ukuba bamukele leli themba. Bangakujabulela ukukusiza ukuba ufunde okwengeziwe ngalo.

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UPapias wathi imfundiso yeMinyaka Eyinkulungwane wayithola ngokuqondile kubantu ababephila ngesikhathi sabaphostoli

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UTertullian wayekholelwa ekuBuseni KukaKristu Kweminyaka Eyinkulungwane

[Umthombo]

© Cliché Bibliothèque Nationale de France, Paris

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“Ngokulahla inkolelo yakhe yokuqala yokubusa kweminyaka eyinkulungwane, [u-Augustine] wabangela umonakalo ongena-kulinganiswa eSontweni”

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Umhlaba oyiPharadesi othenjiswa kuyi-Apocalypse ungokuthile okumelwe kulangazelelwe ngentshiseko