Umkhukula Isilumkiso Samaxesha Adluleyo

KWIMBALI ende yoluntu, kuye kwakho iintlekele ezininzi ezingokwemvelo nezinkulu okanye ezinkulu kakhulu kunogqabhuko-dubulo lweNtaba iSt. Helens. Kodwa akukho nanye eye yalingana noMkhukula omkhulu womhla kaNowa. Loo Mkhukula wawumkhulu yaye utshabalalisa kangangokuba washiya iingcinga ezingapheliyo kuluntu ehlabathini lonke.

Kukho amabali ali-150 oMkhukula awahlukeneyo avela kwiindawo zomhlaba ezahlukeneyo, kuquka iBhabhiloni, iRoma, iIndiya, iOstreliya neMerika. Nangona la mabali esahlukana ngokweenkcukacha, abantu bavumelana ngokubanzi ngonobangela ongokokuziphatha woMkhukula, intshabalalo yazwenibanzi yoluntu, nokusindela kwentsapho kumkhombe okanye kwiphenyane. Yintlekele engokwemilinganiselo yehlabathi kuphela eyayinokushiya iingcinga ezisasazeke ngokubanzi nezazinokuhlala zihleli ngolo hlobo.

Omnye umphengululi weBhayibhile wabhala oku: “Imvisiswano ephakathi kwazo zonke ezi ngxelo isisiqinisekiso esingenakukhanyelwa sokuba esi sithethe asikokuqanjwa okungenamsebenzi kwento; intsomi ikumntu othile, kungekuko kwindalo iphela; ngoko ke, eso sithethe sinesiseko esingokwembali; singumphumo wesiganeko esenzeka ngokwenene kumaxesha okwanda koluntu.” Kodwa kutheni le nto loo ntlekele yexesha elidluleyo isisilumkiso kwisizukuIwana esiphilayo ngoku?

Kubaluleke ngakumbi ukuba siphawule iimeko ezakhokelela kuMkhukula. Ukufana kwazo neemeko zehlabathi namhlanje kwenza uMkhukula ube ngonentsingiselo kuthi. Nantsi indlela ingxelo engokwembali kwincwadi yeBhayibhile yeGenesis ezichaza ngayo ezo meko: “Wabona uThixo ukuba ububi babantu bandile ehlabathini, konke ukuyila kweengcinga zentliziyo yabo kubububi bodwa imihla yonke. UThixo walikhangela ihlabathi, nalo, lonakele! Ngokuba yonke inyama ibiyonakalisile indlela yayo ehlabathini.”—Genesis 6:5, 12.

Ihlabathi loluntu lawohlokelwa kukuziphatha okuhle ngokubanzi, lonke utyekelo lweengcinga zalo lwalulubi ngalo lonke ixesha. Ngokomphumo, “ihlabathi lalizele lugonyamelo.” (Genesis 6:11) Uluntu lwaluzinikele ngokupheleleyo kusukelo lwezinto eziphathekayo nakwiinkanuko zesini. UYesu Kristu watsalel’ ingqalelo koku xa wathi: “Njengokuba babesithi, ngemihla ebingaphambi konogumbe, badle, basele, bazeke, bendise, kwada kwayimini awangena ngayo emkhombeni uNowa, bengaqondanga, wada wafika unogumbe, wabakhukulisa bonke: koba njalo nokufika koNyana woMntu.” (Mateyu 24:38, 39) Ukwanelisa iinkanuko zenyama yayiyeyona nto iphambili kubo.

Isilumkiso sakwangaphambili sasinikeIwe nguNowa kangangeminyaka emininzi, kodwa eso sizukulwana sala ukusikholelwa. Ngokuqinisekileyo sasingazange siwubone ngokobuqu umkhukula onjalo. Ngoko njengoko izinto zaziqhubeka njengangaphambili, isilumkiso asizange siphulaphulwe. Eso sizukulwana ‘asizange siqonde.’ Akuzange kusichukumise ukuba isilumkiso sasivela kuMdali waso sisiza ngoNowa.

Kodwa uThixo wamxelela oku uNowa: “Isiphelo senyama yonke sifikile phambi kwam; ngokuba ihlabathi lizele lugonyamelo oluphuma kubo; yabona ke, ndiya kubonakalisa, bona ndawonye nehlabathi.” (Genesis 6:13) Xa uMkhukula wafikayo, uNowa nentsapho yakhe balondolozwa ngenxa yokuba basinikel’ ingqalelo isilumkiso baze balandela imiyalelo kaThixo. Kodwa kutheni konke oku kumele kube kokubangel’ umdla okhethekileyo kuthi?

Iimeko Ezifanayo

Njengemihla yangaphambi koMkhukula, ugonyamelo luye lwaba yindlela yobomi ingakumbi ukususela ngeMfazwe Yehlabathi I. Ugonyamelo lobupolitika oluphakathi kwamazwe luye lwaphumela kwezona mfazwe zitshabalalisayo nezoyikekayo kwimbali yabantu. Ugonyamelo luye lwasasazeka ezixekweni, ezitratweni nasemakhayeni; lude lusongele nabahambi. Ngaphezu koko, umabonwakude, imifanekiso eshukumayo neencwadi zeenoveli ngokuyintloko ziye zaba nemixholo ebalaseleyo yogonyamelo.

Enye imfano yezinto ikwindlela yobomi yanamhlanje. Ukwanelisa iminqweno yesini neyokufuna izinto eziphathekayo zezona zinto zitsala isizukulwana esikhoyo. Emhlabeni wonke, sibona ukuwohloka kokuziphatha okuye kwavelisa izifo ezidluliselwa ngeentlobano zesini ngokomlinganiselo ongubhubhani. Ukukrexeza, uhenyuzo nobufanasini zizinto eziqhelekileyo. Njengesizukulwana sangaphambi koMkhukula, isizukulwana esikhoyo sithanda iziyolo zenyama nezinto eziphathekayo ngaphezu kokuba sithanda uThixo.

Ekubeni uThixo waziva ‘ebuhlungu’ ngehambo embi gqitha yabantu bangaphambi koMkhukula, ngaba akukho ngqiqweni ukugqiba kwelokuba uza kuvakalelwa ngendlela efanayo namhlanje ngehambo embi neqhelekileyo zwenibanzi? Ngaba oko wakwenza kwelo hlabathi lomhla kaNowa akumele kube sisilumkiso kwisizukulwana esikhoyo? Ngaba akukho ngqiqweni ukucinga ukuba uya kwenza isigqibo esifanayo neso sisifumana kwiGenesis 6:5-7? Xa uThixo wabona ububi boluntu, “kwaba buhlungu kuye entliziyweni. Wathi uYehova, Ndiya kumcima umntu endimdalileyo, angabikho ehlabathini.” Ngababhali beBhayibhile abaphefumleIweyo, uThixo uye wavakalisa ukuba uza kuphumeza umgwebo ofanayo kwisizukulwana esizifica ngokugqith’ emgceni esiphilayo namhlanje. Sisondela kwelona shwangusha likhulu embalini yabantu.

Imihla Yokugqibela

Ekhangele kwixesha lethu, umbhali weBhayibhile ophefumlelweyo wencwadi yesibini eya kuTimoti uchaza imeko eyonakeleyo yemicimbi esiyibonayo ngoku zwenibanzi. Kwisahluko sesi-3, indinyana yoku-1 kuse kweye-4, uthi: “Ke, kwazi oku, ukuba ngemihla yokugqibela kuya kufika amaxesha anomngcipheko. Kuba abantu baya kuba ngabazithandayo, abathandi bemali, abaqhankqalazi, abakratshi, abanyelisi, abangeva bazali, abangabuleliyo, abangengcwele, abangenabubele, abangenatarhu, abatyholi, abangenakuzeyisa, izibhoja, abangenakuthanda kulunga, abancethezi, izityhuthutyhuthu, abathiwe lwale likratshi, abathandi beziyolo kunokuba bathande uThixo.”

UYesu Kristu wakwaprofeta ngemihla yokugqihela yale nkqubo yezinto. Kwisiprofeto sakhe wathetha ngogonyamelo olugqithiseleyo esithe salubona ukususela kwiMfazwe Yehlabathi I, esithi: “kuba uhlanga luya kuvukelana nohlanga, nobukumkani buvukelane nobukumkani.” (Mateyu 24:7) Wakwathetha ngokuchas’ umthetho okwesameleyo namhlanje nangoloyiko abantu abanalo ngekamva. UYesu wathi, “Nangenxa yokwanda kokuchasa umthetho, luya kuphola uthando lwabaninzi.” (Mateyu 24:12) Kwakhona wathi abantu babeya ‘kufa kukoyika nakukulindela izinto ezilizelayo elimiweyo.’—Luka 21:26.

Ibinzana elithi “imihla yokugqibela” lithetha okufanayo nakwesi sizukulwana njengoko lalinaloo ntsingiselo nakwisizukulwana sangaphambi koMkhukula—isiphelo senxalenye ebalaseleyo saloo nkqubo yezinto yabantu. Kweyesi-2 yabaseTesalonika 1:8, 9, umbhali weBhayibhile ophefumlelweyo uPawulos uthi, ngoYesu Kristu, uThixo uya kuzisela “[impindezelo, (NW)] abangamaziyo uThixo, nabangazilulameliyo iindaba ezilungileyo zeNkosi yethu uYesu Kristu; bona abo baya kuva ukubethwa, intshabalalo engunaphakade ke leyos, bemke ebusweni beNkosi, nasebuqaqawulini bokomelela kwayo.”

Abasindi boMkhukula bafumana ukuba eso sizukulwana sangaphambi koMkhulula sasitshayelwe emhlabeni. Abantu nako konke ababekuphilela kwakungekho. Kuya kwenzeka okufanayo xa impindezelo kaThixo isizisa isiphelo kwisizukulwana esikhoyo esinogonyamelo. “Kusaya kuba mzuzwana, angabikho ongendawo; uthi wakuyikhangela indawo yakhe, angabikho.”—INdumiso 37:10.

Ukusinda Yinto Enokwenzeka

Imfano yezinto phakathi kwesizukulwana sangaphambi koMkhukula nesizukulwana sethu ayipheleliswanga kububi babantu nentshabalalo yabo. Njengoko kwakukho abasindi boMkhukula, ngokunjalo kuya kubakho abasindi besiphelo sale nkqubo yezinto ikhoyo. Abasindi boMkhukula babengabantu abalulamileyo ababengaphili ngendlela abantu ababephila ngayo ngokubanzi. Babengabathandi bobulungisa ababethobela uThixo yaye bezithobela izilumkiso zakhe. Sixelelwa oku kwiGenesis 6:8, 9: “UNowa yena wababalwa nguYehova. . . . UNowa waye eyindoda elilungisa, egqibeleleyo, ezizukulwaneni zakhe.” Ngokuphathelele yena nabasindi ababekunye naye, umpostile uPetros wabhala esithi uThixo “naxa angaliconganga ihlabathi lakudala, wesuka walondoloza uNowa, umvakalisi wobulungisa, enabasixhenxe, akuba elihlisele unogumbe ihlabathi labangahloneli Thixo.”—2 Petros 2:5.

Abaprofeti bakaThixo basiqinisekisa ngelithi kuya kubakho umMbo nomXesibe wabasindi abaya kuphumela ngaphaya kwentshabalalo ezayo kaThixo yale nkqubo yezinto ekhoyo. Nabo, baya kuba ngabantu abalulamileyo abangabathandi bobulungisa yaye bethobela imiyalelo kaThixo njengoko uNowa wayenjalo. Emva kokuxela ngenx’ engaphambili ngentshabalalo yabangendawo, umdumisi uthi: “Ke bona abalulamileyo baya kulidla ilifa ilizwe, baziyolise ngobuninzi boxolo.”—INdumiso 37:11; ISityhilelo 7:9, 13, 14.

UYesu wakuxela kwangaphambili ukuba iindaba ezilungileyo zoBukumkani bukaThixo zaziya kuvakaliswa zwenibanzi kwimihla yokugqihela. Le yindlela abathi abantu bomhlaba abathanda ubulungisa bahlanganiswe ngayo ukuze basindiswe. UYesu wakucacisa oku kumzekeliso wakhe ongokwahlulwa kwezimvu kwiibhokhwe. Yaye wawuqukumbela lo mzekeliso ngokuthi abantu ababubhokhwe abangemalungisa baya ‘kuya elubethweni olungunaphakade; ke wona amalungisa [ababumvu] aya kuya ebomini obungunaphakade.’—Mateyu 25:31-46.

Nangona uMkhukula ukude kumhla wethu, ngokucacileyo usisilumkiso kuthi sokuba singabi ngabangathobeliyo. Ingxelo yawo yabhalwa, njengoko iBhayibhile isitsho, ukwenzela “okwethu ukufundiswa.” (Roma 15:4) Usisilumkiso nxamnye nokuphila ngendlela yehlabathi enogonyamelo, yokuthanda iinkanuko zenyama neyokuthand’ izinto eziphathekayo ngaphandle kokumthobela uMdali wethu. Akaguquguquki. UThixo wasitshayela isizukulwana sangaphambi koMkhukula ngenxa yobubi baso. Kwangeso sizathu sinye, uya kusitshayela esi sizukulwana sanamhlanje nayo yonke inkqubo yaso yoburhulumente bobupolitika, yorhwebo lokuthanda izinto eziphathekayo nonqulo lobuxoki.

Ukuze sisinde kwisiphelo sale nkqubo yezinto, simele sisinikel’ ingqalelo isilumkiso samaxesha adluleyo. Simele sizingqine singabathandi bobulungisa, njengoko benzayo abasindi boMkhukula abasibhozo. Yaye ukuze sisinde simele silandele isiluleko esikuZefaniya 2:3: “Funani ubulungisa, funani ululamo, mhlawumbi nositheliswa ngemini yomsindo kaYehova.”

[Umfanekiso okwiphepha 7]

Njengoko uNowa nentsapho yakhe basinda kuNogumbe, ngokunjalo unokuba phakathi kwabasindi abonwabileyo besiphelo sale nkgubo