Kwakutheni Ukuze Ihlabathi Lamandulo Litshatyalaliswe?

UNOGUMBE womhlaba wonke wawungeyiyo intlekele yokwemvelo. Wawungumgwebo ovela kuThixo. Kwanikelwa isilumkiso, kodwa abaninzi basityeshela. Ngoba? UYesu wathi: ‘Ngaloo mihla yangaphambi komkhukula, abantu babesidla, besela, amadoda etshata namabhinqa etshatiswa, de kwaba yimini awangena ngayo uNowa emkhombeni; kwaye abazange banikele ngqalelo de wafika umkhukula waza wabatshayela bonke.’—Mateyu 24:38, 39.

Ibutho Labantu Elalihambele Phambili

Kwiimeko ezithile, ngaphambi koMkhukula ibutho labantu lalinandipha izinto ezininzi ezingekhoyo namhlanje. Ngokomzekelo, bonke abantu babethetha ulwimi olunye. (Genesis 11:1) Oku ngekwakuhambisele phambili ubugcisa nenzululwazi nto leyo efuna umgudu wabantu abaninzi abanobugcisa obahlukahlukeneyo. Kwakhona, ixesha elide ababeliphila abantu belo xesha lalithetha ukuba babenokungenelwa koko babeza kukufunda kwiinkulungwane.

Bambi bathi ixesha ababeliphila abantu belo xesha lalingelide kangako yaye iminyaka echazwe eBhayibhileni ngokwenene yayiziinyanga nje. Ngaba oko kuyinyaniso? Kaloku, cinga ngoMahalaleli. IBhayibhile ithi: “UMahalaleli waphila iminyaka engamashumi amathandathu anesihlanu. Wazala uYaredi. . . . Iyonke imihla kaMahalaleli yaba ngamakhulu asibhozo anamashumi asithoba anesihlanu eminyaka waza wafa.” (Genesis 5:15-17) Ukuba unyaka uthetha inyanga, uMahalaleli waba nonyana ngoxa wayeneminyaka emihlanu kuphela ubudala! Kaloku, abantu ngelo xesha babenamandla awayesondele kwawomntu wokuqala owayefezekile, uAdam. Ngokwenene babephila iinkulungwane. Yintoni abayenzayo?

Kwiinkulungwane ezininzi ngaphambi koMkhukula, abantu emhlabeni babebaninzi kangangokuba unyana ka-Adam uKayin wakwazi ukwakha isixeko, awasibiza ngokuba yiEnoki. (Genesis 4:17) Ebudeni bexesha langaphambi koMkhukula, kwabakho imizi-mveliso eyahlukahlukeneyo. Kwakukho abakhandi ‘balo lonke uhlobo lwesixhobo sobhedu nentsimbi.’ (Genesis 4:22) Alithandabuzeki elokuba ezi zixhobo zazisetyenziselwa ukwakha, ukuchwela, ukuthunga impahla nakwezolimo. Bonke obu bugcisa buchazwa kwiingxelo zokuma kokuqala kwabantu emhlabeni.

Ulwazi olwahlanganiswayo lwalunokwenza izizukulwana ezilandelayo zibe nobuchule njengabanyibilikisi besinyithi, abalimi, abafuyi bezimvu neenkomo, ababhali nabazobi. Ngokomzekelo, uYubhali waba “ngunozala wabo bonke abaphatha uhadi nempempe.” (Genesis 4:21) Impucuko yahambela phambili ngokubanzi. Sekunjalo, yonke into yaphela ngesiquphe. Kwenzeka ntoni?

Konakala Phi?

Lineengenelo ezingako, ibutho eliphambi koMkhukula laba nesiqalo esibi. Unozala walo, uAdam, wavukela uThixo. UKayin, umakhi wesixeko sokuqala ekubhaliweyo ngaso, wabulala umninawa wakhe. Akumangalisi ke ngoko ukuba ububi banda ngokukhawuleza! Yaba mininzi imiphumo yelifa lesono uAdam awalishiyayo kwinzala yakhe.—Roma 5:12.

Kuyabonakala ukuba izinto zafikelela kwincopho ngoxa uYehova wayezimisele kwelokuba avumele le meko iqhubeke iminyaka eli-120 kuphela. (Genesis 6:3) IBhayibhile ithi: “Ububi bomntu bandile emhlabeni yaye zonke iingcamango zentliziyo yakhe zityekele ebubini ngalo lonke ixesha. . . . Umhlaba wawuzaliswe lugonyamelo.”—Genesis 6:5, 11.

Ekugqibeleni, uNowa waxelelwa ngokungqalileyo ukuba uThixo wayeza kutshabalalisa yonke inyama ngonogumbe. (Genesis 6:13, 17) Nangona uNowa waba ‘ngumshumayeli wobulungisa,’ kuyabonakala ukuba kwakunzima ukuba abantu bakholelwe ekubeni yonke into ebangqongileyo yayiza kuphela. (2 Petros 2:5) Ngabantu abasibhozo kuphela abathobela esi silumkiso baza basinda. (1 Petros 3:20) Kutheni oku kubalulekile kuthi namhlanje?

Kuthetha Ukuthini Oku Kuthi?

Siphila kumaxesha afanayo nakaNowa. Rhoqo siva ngezenzo ezoyikekayo zabanqolobi, ukutshatyalaliswa kohlanga, ukubulawa kwabantu abaninzi ngamadoda anemipu angenasizathu sivakalayo sokwenjenjalo, nogonyamelo lwasekhaya olwaphula izikeyi. Kwakhona umhlaba uzaliswe lugonyamelo, yaye njengangaphambili, ihlabathi lilunyukisiwe ngomgwebo ozayo. UYesu wathi uya kuza njengoMgwebi omiselwe nguThixo aze ahlule abantu njengomalusi esahlula izimvu ezibhokhweni. UYesu wathi, abo bangafanelekanga, “baya kumka baye kwintshabalalo engunaphakade.” (Mateyu 25:31-33, 46) Noko ke, iBhayibhile ithi ngoku kuya kubakho izigidi zabaza kusinda—isihlwele esikhulu esikhonza kuphela uThixo oyinyaniso. Kwihlabathi elizayo, aba baza kunandipha uxolo nonqabiseko olungapheliyo kunanini na ngaphambili.—Mika 4:3, 4; ISityhilelo 7:9-17.

Abaninzi bayahlekisa ngoko kuthethwa yiBhayibhile noko ikulumkisayo ngomgwebo oza kubabonisa ukuba oko kunjalo. Kodwa umpostile uPetros wathi abantu abathandabuza ngolo hlobo batyeshela inyaniso. Wabhala esithi: “Ngemihla yokugqibela kuya kufika abagculeli . . . bathi: ‘Buphi obu bukho bakhe buthenjisiweyo?’ . . . Kaloku, ngenxa yeminqweno yabo, abasiqondi isibakala sokuba, amazulu awabakho kwakudala, kunye nomhlaba oyimbumba ophuma emanzini nomi phakathi kwamanzi, ezo zinto zibekho ngelizwi likaThixo; yaye kwangalo ihlabathi langoko latshatyalaliswa xa lakhukuliswa ngamanzi kanogumbe. Kodwa kwangelo lizwi linye amazulu nomhlaba wangoku, zombini ziqwetyelwe umlilo yaye zibekelwe imini yomgwebo neyentshabalalo yabantu abangenabuthixo.”—2 Petros 3:3-7.

Isilumkiso esivakaliswa ehlabathini lonke ngale mini izayo yomgwebo nesigidimi seendaba ezilungileyo ezingoxolo oluza kulandela zishunyayelwa ngenzondelelo namhlanje ngenxa yomyalelo wesiprofeto sikaYesu. (Mateyu 24:14) Esi silumkiso asifanele sithatyathwe lula. UThixo uSomandla uyakuphumeza oko akuthethileyo.

Ihlabathi Elizayo

Ikamva libafumbathele ntoni abantu, xa sicinga ngenguqu ezayo ebalulekileyo? Kwintshayelelo yakhe kwiNtshumayelo edumileyo yaseNtabeni, uYesu wathembisa: “Banoyolo abo banomoya wobulali, kuba baya kuwudla ilifa umhlaba.” Wandula waqhubeka efundisa abafundi bakhe ukuthandaza kuThixo bathi: “Mabufike ubukumkani bakho.” (Mateyu 5:5; 6:10) Ewe, uYesu wafundisa ukuba abantu abathembekileyo banekamva elihle apha emhlabeni. Wabhekisela kulo ‘njengokudalwa okutsha.’—Mateyu 19:28.

Ngoko njengoko ucinga ngekamva, musa ukuvumela abagculeli bakwenze uthandabuze isilumkiso sikaThixo. Kuyinyaniso ukuba, iimeko zethu zisenokubonakala zizinzile, yaye ihlabathi elikhoyo ngoku sele likho ixesha elide. Sekunjalo, asifanele sithembele kulo. Ihlabathi labantu sele ligwetyiwe. Ngoko ke, ngamana ungakhuthazwa ngamazwi aqukumbela ngawo umpostile uPetros kwincwadi yakhe athi:

“Ekubeni ke zonke ezi zinto ziza kuchithakala, luhlobo luni lwabantu enifanele nibe lulo ngokuphathelele ihambo engcwele nezenzo zozinikelo lobuthixo, nihlale nibulindile yaye nibukhumbula ubukho bemini kaYehova . . . Ekubeni nilindele ezi zinto, yenzani unako-nako ukuze ekugqibeleni anifumane ningenabala, ningenasiphako yaye niseluxolweni. . . . Qhubekani nikhula ebubeleni obungasifanelanga naselwazini lweNkosi noMsindisi wethu uYesu Kristu.” (2 Petros 3:11, 12, 14, 18) Ngoko ke, funda koko kwenzekayo emva phayaa ngomhla kaNowa. Sondela kuThixo. Khula elwazini lukaYesu Kristu. Hlakulela uzinikelo lobuthixo, uze ube phakathi kwezigidi ezikhetha ukusindela kwihlabathi elizayo elinoxolo ekuphelisweni kweli hlabathi.

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Ubuchule bokusebenzisa isinyithi babusaziwa ngaphambi koMkhukula

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Silindele ikamva eliqaqambileyo