Umfanekiso Omkhulu Womntu Wesiprofeto—Kuya Kuthetha Ntoni Ukuwa Kwawo?

UNEBHUKADENETSARE, umlawuli onamandla waseBhabhiloni, wabona ntoni xa wayelele kwiminyaka engaphezu kwama-2 500 eyadlulayo? Ukuba wayenokukhumbula emva kokuvuswa kwakhe, ngaba wayenokwazi ukuba kumfanekiso omnye wayebone ushwankathelo lwekamva lehlabathi?

Xa wavukayo, uKumkani uNebbukadenetsare woBukhosi beBhabhiloni wabizela kuye abavumisi ngeenkwenkwezi bakhe namadoda azizilumko. Wafuna ukuba bamkhumbuze ngephupha lakhe baze balicacise.

Kodwa ngubani onokucacisa into angayaziyo? La madoda azizilumko asuka ema nematha. Noko ke, uYehova wabangela uDaniyeli ongumYuda owayesekuthinjweni ukuba alikhumbule nokuba alicacise eli phupha aze ngaloo ndlela axelele ukumkani ngeziganeko zexesha elizayo. Makhe silandele ingcaciso kaDaniyeli yeli phupha, ekubeni lichaphazela ixesha lethu.

Umfanekiso Oyimfihlelo

UDaniyeli uqala ngokuchaza umfanekiso omkhulu onentloko yegolide, isifuba neengalo zesilivere, isisu namathanga obhedu, imilenze yesinyithi neenyawo zesinyithi nodongwe. Ilitye lihlekeza iinyawo zalo mfanekiso lize liwutshabalalise ngokupheleleyo. Okulandelayo, eli litye liyakhula de libe yintaba ezalise umhlaba wonke. (Daniyeli 2:31-35) Eli yayiliphupha likakumkani awayelilibele! Lalithetha ntoni xa lilonke?

UDaniyeli uxelela ukumkani ukuba iinxalenye zomfanekiso zimela amagunya ehlabathi aya kulandelelana. Abaphengululi abaninzi bonqulo bavumelana nengongoma enye eyathethwa kwintyilalwazi yeBhayibhile ethi: “Eyona nyanisoDaniyeli 2) yeyokuba ngamin’ ithile ubukumkani bukaThixo buya kubuthabathel’ indawo bonke ubukhosi babantu.” Iya kufika nini ke loo mini? Isiprofeto sikaDaniyeli sinikela inkcazelo ebalulekileyo enokuthanani nalo mbuzo.

Intloko Nomzimba

“Wena kumkani, kumkani wookumkani, uThixo wamazulu ukunike ubukumkani, namandla, nokomelela, nozuko; . . . intloko yegolide le nguwe.” Ngaloo ndlela, intloko yayimela uKumkani uNebhukadenetsare nolawulo lookumkani abaqala ngaye.—Daniyeli 2:37, 38.

“Emveni kwakho, kuya kuvela obunye ubukumkani obuphantsi kunawe, nobunye ubukumkani besithathu bobhedu, obuya kuba negunya ehlabathini lonke.” (Daniyeli 2:39) Lilandela iBhabhiloni, iGunya lamaMedi namaPersi lathabatha umjikelo walo njengegunya elilawulayo lehlabathi lengxelo yeBhayibhile. Lalandelwa liGunya leGrisi, elathi, phantsi koAlexander Omkhulu, lanabisela ulawulo lwalo phezu kommandla ongaphezulu lee kulo naliphi na igunya leblabatbi langaphambili.

“Obesine Ubukumkani”—Isikhokelo Kwimfihlelo

Izikumkani zokuqala ezithathu zavela zaza zathi shwaka ehlabathini njengamagunya ehlabathi amakhulu kanye njengoko uDaniyeli waprofetayo phantsi kwempefumlelo kaThixo. Kodwa, kubaluleke kakhulu kuthi ukuba sifanise ‘ubukumkani besine.’ Kutheni? Kungenxa yokuba umfanekiso wephupha umele uwe ebudeni bexesha lobu bukumkani, yaye kufuneka sazi oko kubandakanywa kukuwa kwawo. Bek’ indlebe njengoko uDaniyeli enikela inkcazelo engakumbi.

“Nobesine ubukumkani buya kuba njengesinyithi ukomelela, ngenxa enokuba isinyithi sizicola sizithi nkumenkume izinto zonke; boba njengesinyithi ukuzicola nokuzithi nkumenkume izinto zonke.” (Daniyeli 2:40) Ngaba obu bukumkani besine bumela kuphela uBukhosi beRoma, obathi balandela iGrisi njengegunya lehlabathi elilawulayo? Hayi, akunjalo ngenxa yezizathu ezahlukahlukeneyo.

Incwadi kaDaniyeli isinika umbono wexesha ngalo mfanekiso, kuba kwathiwa: ‘UThixo owamazisayo uKumkani uNebhukadenetsare okuya kubakho ekupheleni kwemihla (Daniyeli 2:28) La mazwi abonisa ukuba inzaliseko yokugqibela yalo mbono yayiza kuba kwixesha elizayo, emva kwexesha loBukhosi beGrisi neRoma.

Omnye umbhali weBhayibhile, umpostile uYohane, wakwakhankanya “ookumkani,” okanye amagunya ehlabathi. Ngokuphathelele bona wabhala: “Zona zingookumkani abasixhenxe. Abahlanu bawa, omnye ukho, omnye akakafiki.” Ngaphambi kokungenelela koBukumkani bukaThixo, elinye igunya lehlabathi elilandelayo laliseza (lilandela uBukhosi beRoma, ‘obabukho’ kumhla kaYohane). Elo gunya lehlabathi laliza kuqukwa ‘kubukumkani besine’ besiprofeto sikaDaniyeli. (ISityhilelo 17:10-14; Daniyeli 2:40) Ngokusuka kwimbali sifunda ntoni ngako oku?

Limiselwe ngokoyisa ngomkhosi, iGunya Lehlabathi lamaRoma alizange liphele ngokushenxiswa komlawuli walo wokugqibela eRoma yinkokeli yamaJamani uOdoacer, ngowama-476 C.E. Kangangeenkulungwane ezininzi, iRoma iye yaqhubeka iyelawulayo ngokobupolitika, yaye ngokukodwa ngokonqulo phezu kweYurophu ngenxa yenkqubo yokurhafisa eyathi yenza wonk’ ubani ukuba azithobe kuqala kwinkosi yakhe, andule ke azithobe kukumkani, aze ekugqibeleni azithobe kupopu. Enyanisweni, upopu wayegweba imicimbi ebalulekileyo njengenkundla yendawo yokugqibela yaye wayenokujika ookumkani benze akuthandayo ngokusika ecaweni nangokumisela isalelo.a Kunjengoko iThe Columbia History of the World ichaza: “Icawa yayingoyena rhulumente mkhulu waseYurophu.”

Ngowe-1534 uKumkani uHenry VIII waseNgilani wazenza intloko yeCawa yaseNgilani, engekho phantsi kolawulo lweRoma. Ngaloo ndlela wawutsiba lo mqathango. Kodwa kwakhona waqalisa ukuyila isixhobo somkhosi esiyintloko segunya leBritani, njengokuba uEric Delderfield echaza kwincwadi yakhe ethi Kings and Queens of England: “UHenry waqhubeka nomsebenzi kayise wokwenza uMkhosi Wamanzi onamandla. . . . Ekufeni kwakhe, uHenry wayesele ongezelele iinqanawa ezinokuba ngamashumi asibhozo kumandla oMkhosi Wamanzi yaye ngoko waqalisa ukucel’ umngeni ulawulo lolwandle lwaseSpeyin.”

Kwiinkulungwane ezidluleyo igunya leBritani laguqulelwa ekubeni lulawulo olukhulu awathi uDaniel Webster, umpolitiki odumileyo wenkulungwane ye-19 waseMerika, waluchaza ‘njengegunya elithi, ngenxa yokuthimba amanye amazwe okuwalawula, iRoma kuzuko lwayo olukhulu ibe yengaphantsi,—igunya elithe lazibonakalisa phezu komhlaba wonke ngezinto elinazo nangamaziko omkhosi.’ Kungekudala uBukhosi beBritani bathi banxibelelana ngokusondeleyo nemicimbi yezobupolitika neyezomkhosi namathanga ebesakuba ngawayo aseMntla Merika. Ngaloo ndlela ukumkani wesixhenxe weSityhilelo 17:10 wavela, iGunya Lehlabathi lamaNgesi namaMerika Elintlumbini.

Ngokubhekisele koko kwakuthethiwe ngomfanekiso wephupha, ‘imbewu yento engumntu,’ okanye abantu nje, babeza kuba nendima enkulu kuburhulumente kwixesha lalo “kumkani” wokugqibela. (Daniyeli 2:42, 43) Imbali yanamhla iqinisekisa ukuba oku eneneni kwenzekile, ngeenkqubo zolawulomelo okanye ‘oorhulumente babantu’ abathabathel’ indawo ookumkani abaninzi, ookumkanikazi, okanye amanye amagunya obuzwilakhe. Phakathi koorhulumente banamhla, abamelwa ziinzwane ezilishumi zomfanekiso, bambi banjengesinyithi, oko kukuthi, balawula ngenkohlakalo okanye ngobuzwilakhe. Kodwa abanye, ekubeni bengabolawulo lobusoshiyali okanye bolawulo-melo, babhetyebhetye ngakumbi, njengodongwe.

Ukuwa

Njengokuba kuboniswe kwisiprofeto sikaDaniyeli, xa oorhulumente abamelwa ziinyawo babelawula—yaye oko kuthetha kwixesha lethu—isiphelo somfanekiso omkhulu sasiza kube sisondele. Uya kuwa, kungengenxa yokuba buthathaka kweenyawo ezenziwe ngesinyithi esixutywe nodongwe, kodwa ngenxa yokubethwa nokucolwa lilitye lokomfuziselo. Elo “litye” limela ntoni? Limela uBukumkani obulawulwa nguMesiya obabuza “kuzicola buzigqibe zonke ezo zikumkani” buze bube ‘yintaba enkulu ezalise ihlabathi lonke.’—Daniyeli 2:34, 35, 44.b

UDaniyeli wathi, “iphupha liqinisekile, ukutyhilwa kwalo kuyinyaniso.” (Daniyeli 2:45) Inzaliseko yasekuqaleni yezi ziprofeto zibini—esinye esingokutshatyalaliswa kweBhabhiloni neso siphathelele nolandelelwano lwamagunya ehlabathi—isiqinisekisa ukuba okuseza kuzaliseka kuya kwenzeka ngexesha. Oku kuya kuquka intshabalalo yomfanekiso wephupha elingokwesiprofeto ngokungenelela koBukumkani bukaThixo.

Ezinye iincwadi zeBhayibhile ziqulethe iziprofeto ezibalulekileyo ezingeenjongo zikaThixo. IMboniselo, inkupho nganye, ixubusha ezininzi zezi ziprofeto ize icacise intsingiselo yazo kwixesha lethu. Ngoko ukuba awukabi ngumfundi othe rhoqo walo lindixesha, kutheni ungabi nguye nje? Ngaloo ndlela unokufunda okungaphezulu ngoYehova uThixo, “ozityhilayo iimfihlakalo,” nangeentsikelelo ezininzi obuya kuthi uBukumkani bakhe kungekudala buzizise emhlabeni.—Daniyeli 2:28.

[Imibhalo esemazantsi]

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