Ukungenela KukaNkulunkulu—Yini Esingayilindela?

NGEKHULU lesi-8 B.C.E., uHezekiya, inkosi yakwaJuda eneminyaka engu-39 ubudala, wezwa ukuthi isifo esasimphethe sasizombulala. Ephelelwe amandla ngenxa yalezi zindaba, uHezekiya wathandaza kuNkulunkulu emncenga ukuba amphulukise. UNkulunkulu waphendula ngomprofethi wakhe, wathi: “Ngiwuzwile umthandazo wakho. Ngizibonile izinyembezi zakho. Bheka nginezela iminyaka eyishumi nanhlanu ezinsukwini zakho.”—Isaya 38:1-5.

Kungani uNkulunkulu angenela kuleyo ndaba? Emakhulwini eminyaka ngaphambili, uNkulunkulu wayethembise inkosi elungile uDavide, wathi: “Ngokuqinisekile, indlu yakho nombuso wakho kuyoma kugxile phambi kwakho kuze kube nini nanini; sona kanye isihlalo sakho sobukhosi siyoma siqine kuze kube nini nanini.” UNkulunkulu wembula nokuthi uMesiya wayezozalwa ohlwini lozalo lukaDavide. (2 Samuweli 7:16; IHubo 89:20, 26-29; Isaya 11:1) Ngesikhathi uHezekiya ehlatshwa ilokhu kugula, wayengakabi nayo indodana. Ngakho, uhlu lobukhosi lukaDavide lwalusengozini yokunqamuka. Ukungenela kukaNkulunkulu endabeni kaHezekiya kwafeza injongo ekhethekile yokulondoloza uhlu lozalo oluya kuMesiya.

Ukuze agcwalise izithembiso zakhe, uJehova washukumiseleka ukuba angenele kaningi ekuphileni kwabantu bakhe kuyo yonke inkathi engaphambi kobuKristu. Ekhuluma ngokukhululwa kuka-Israyeli ebugqileni baseGibhithe, uMose wathi: “Kwakungenxa yokunithanda kukaJehova, nangenxa yokugcina kwakhe isifungo ayesenze kokhokho benu, ukuze uJehova anikhiphe ngesandla esinamandla.”—Duteronomi 7:8.

Ngokufanayo nasekhulwini lokuqala, injongo yokungenela kukaNkulunkulu yayiwukuqhubekisela phambili izinjongo zakhe. Ngokwesibonelo, esendleleni eya eDamaseku, umJuda okwakuthiwa uSawulu wathola umbono ngokuyisimangaliso ukuze umnqande ekushushiseni abafundi bakaKristu. Ukuphenduka kwale ndoda, eyaba umphostoli uPawulu, kwaba nengxenye ebalulekile ekusakazekeni kwezindaba ezinhle phakathi kwabezizwe.—IzEnzo 9:1-16; Roma 11:13.

Ingabe Kwakuyinto Evamile?

Ingabe ukungenela kukaNkulunkulu kwakuyinto evamile noma kwakuqabukela kwenzekile? ImiBhalo ibonisa ngokucacile ukuthi kwakungeyona neze into evamile. Nakuba uNkulunkulu awakhulula amaHebheru amathathu ekubulaweni ngokuphonswa esithandweni somlilo futhi wakhulula umprofethi uDaniyeli emphandwini wezingonyama, akazange abasindise ekufeni abanye abaprofethi. (2 IziKronike 24:20, 21; Daniyeli 3:21-27; 6:16-22; Hebheru 11:37) UPetru wakhishwa ngokuyisimangaliso ejele ayemfake kulo uHerode Agripha I. Nokho, yona le nkosi yambulala umphostoli uJakobe, futhi uNkulunkulu akazange angenele avimbele lesi senzo esibi. (IzEnzo 12:1-11) Nakuba uNkulunkulu anika abaphostoli amandla okwelapha abagulayo ngisho nokuvusa abafileyo, nokho akazange avume ukususa “iva enyameni” elalihlupha umphostoli uPawulu, okungenzeka kwakungukugula okusemzimbeni.—2 Korinte 12:7-9; IzEnzo 9:32-41; 1 Korinte 12:28.

UNkulunkulu akazange angenele ukuze avimbele ukuqubuka kokushushiswa kwabafundi bakaKristu nguMbusi WaseRoma uNero. AmaKristu ahlukunyezwa, ashiswa ephila futhi aphonswa ezilwaneni zasendle. Nokho, lokhu kuphikiswa akuzange kuwamangaze amaKristu okuqala, futhi akuzange neze kukuxegise ukukholelwa kwawo ukuthi uNkulunkulu ukhona. Ingani uJesu wayebaxwayisile abafundi bakhe ukuthi babeyoyiswa phambi kwezinkantolo wathi futhi kwakufanele bakulungele ukuhlupheka ngisho nokufela ukholo lwabo.—Mathewu 10:17-22.

Njengoba nje enza esikhathini esidlule, ngokuqinisekile nanamuhla uNkulunkulu usakwazi ukusindisa izinceku zakhe ezimweni eziyingozi, futhi akufanele bagxekwe labo abakholelwa ukuthi uye wabavikela. Nokho, kunzima ukusho ngokuqiniseka ukuthi uNkulunkulu ungenele yini noma akangenelanga ezimweni ezinjalo. Kwalimala izinceku zikaJehova ezithembekile eziningana ekuqhumeni kwaseToulouse, futhi kwafa izinkulungwane zamaKristu athembekile emakamu amaNazi nawamaKhomanisi noma kwezinye izinhlekelele uNkulunkulu engangeneli ukuze azivimbele lezo zimo. Kungani kungeyona inkambiso kaNkulunkulu ukungenela avikele labo abamukelayo?—Daniyeli 3:17, 18.

“Isikhathi Nesenzakalo Esingalindelekile”

Lapho kwehla inhlekelele, noma ubani angathinteka, futhi akunandaba ngempela ukuthi umuntu uthembekile kuNkulunkulu. Ekuqhumeni kwaseToulouse, abasinda kukho o-Alain noLiliane, kwafa abantu abangu-30 kwalimala abaningi, nakuba babengenze lutho olubi. Emhlabeni wonke, izinkulungwane eziningi zabantu ziba yizisulu zobugebengu, ukushayela budedengu, noma zezimpi, futhi uNkulunkulu akanakubekwa icala ngamashwa abo. IBhayibheli lisikhumbuza ukuthi ‘isikhathi nesenzakalo esingalindelekile sehlela’ wonke umuntu.—UmShumayeli 9:11.

Ngaphezu kwalokho, abantu bayagula, bayaguga futhi bayafa. Ngisho nalabo abakholelwa ukuthi uNkulunkulu wakusindisa ngokuyisimangaliso ukuphila kwabo noma abaye bathi ubasindise ekuguleni kwabo kungalindelekile ekugcineni ukufa kuyabafica. Ukususwa kokugula nokufa kanye ‘nokwesulwa kwazo zonke izinyembezi’ emehlweni esintu kuseyinto yesikhathi esizayo.—IsAmbulo 21:1-4.

Ukuze lokho kwenzeke, kudingeka okukhulu kakhulu kunokungenela kukaNkulunkulu ngezikhathi ezithile. IBhayibheli likhuluma ngesenzakalo esibizwa ngokuthi “usuku olukhulu lukaJehova.” (Zefaniya 1:14) Kulokhu kungenela kwezinga elikhulu, uNkulunkulu uyobususa bonke ububi. Isintu siyonikwa ithuba lokuphila phakade ezimweni eziphelele. Kulezo zimo “izinto zangaphambili ngeke zikhunjulwe, futhi ngeke zifike enhliziyweni.” (Isaya 65:17) Ngisho nabafileyo bayovuswa, ngaleyo ndlela kulungiswe inhlekelele yesintu enkulu kunazo zonke. (Johane 5:28, 29) Ngothando lwakhe nangobuhle bakhe obungenamkhawulo uNkulunkulu uyobe ezixazulule unomphelo izinkinga zesintu.

Indlela UNkulunkulu Angenela Ngayo Namuhla

Nokho, lokhu akusho ukuthi njengamanje uNkulunkulu akanandaba, ubukele nje indalo izwa ubuhlungu. Namuhla, uNkulunkulu unikeza abantu bonke ithuba lokuba ngamunye amazi futhi akhe ubuhlobo naye, kungakhathaliseki ukuthi uluhlanga luni noma unasiphi isizinda. (1 Thimothewu 2:3, 4) UJesu wakuchaza kanje lokhu: “Akekho umuntu ongeza kimi ngaphandle kokuba uBaba ongithumileyo emdonsa.” (Johane 6:44) UNkulunkulu udonsela kuye abantu abanhliziyo ziqotho ngesigijimi soMbuso esimenyezelwa emhlabeni wonke yizinceku zakhe.

Ngaphezu kwalokho, uNkulunkulu ukuthonya ngokuqondile ukuphila kwalabo abavumayo ukuqondiswa nguye. Ngomoya wakhe ongcwele, uNkulunkulu ‘uvula izinhliziyo zabo’ ukuze baqonde intando yakhe futhi bakwenze lokho akufunayo. (IzEnzo 16:14) Yebo, ngokusinikeza ithuba lokuba simazi, sazi iZwi lakhe kanye nezinjongo zakhe, uNkulunkulu unikeza ubufakazi bokuthi uyasithanda ngamunye wethu.—Johane 17:3.

Okokugcina, uNkulunkulu usiza izinceku zakhe namuhla, hhayi ngokuzisindisa ngokuyisimangaliso, kodwa ngokuzinika umoya wakhe ongcwele ‘namandla angaphezu kwavamile’ ukuze zikwazi ukubhekana nanoma isiphi isimo. (2 Korinte 4:7) Umphostoli uPawulu wabhala wathi: “Nginamandla azo zonke izinto ngenxa yalowo [uJehova uNkulunkulu] ongipha amandla.”—Filipi 4:13.

Ngakho sinezizathu eziphelele zokubonga uNkulunkulu usuku ngalunye esiluphilayo ngethemba asinika lona lokuphila phakade emhlabeni ongenakho nhlobo ukuhlupheka. “Ngizombuyisela ngani uJehova ngazo zonke izinzuzo zakhe kimi?” kubuza umhubi. “Ngizothatha indebe yensindiso enkulu, futhi ngizobiza egameni likaJehova.” (IHubo 116:12, 13) Ukuwufunda njalo lo magazini kuyokusiza ukuba uqonde lokho uNkulunkulu akwenzile, akwenzayo manje, nalokho asazokwenza okungakulethela injabulo manje nethemba eliqinile lesikhathi esizayo.—1 Thimothewu 4:8.

[Amazwi acashunwe esihlokweni ekhasini 6]

“Izinto zangaphambili ngeke zikhunjulwe, futhi ngeke zifike enhliziyweni.”—Isaya 65:17

[Izithombe ekhasini 5]

Ezikhathini zeBhayibheli, uJehova akazange akuvimbele ukukhandwa ngamatshe kukaZakariya . . . 

noma ukubhuqwa kwabangenacala nguHerode

[Isithombe ekhasini 7]

Sesiseduze isikhathi lapho ukuhlupheka kuyobe kungasekho; ngisho nabafile bayophila futhi