Ngaba Umhlaba Uza Kutshatyalaliswa?

NGABA wakha wazibuza umbuzo othi, ‘Uza kuphelela phi lo mhlaba?’ Ngenxa yoko bakubona kusenzeka kwesi sijikelezi-langa sihle, abantu abaninzi bacinga ukuba umhlaba usenokungasindi.

Namhlanje umhlaba wonakaliswa ngokusetyenziswa kakubi kobuncwane bemvelo njengamanzi, amahlathi nomoya. Kwakhona ezinye izazinzulu zilumkisa ngelithi umhlaba nazo zonke izinto eziphilayo kuwo unokutshayelwa zizinto ezifana neemeteorite ezinkulu, iinkwenkwezi ezidubulayo okanye ukuphela kwehydrogen yelanga.

Izazinzulu zikholelwa ekubeni umhlaba uza kuthi ngokuthe ngcembe—mhlawumbi emva kweminyaka emininzi—ungakwazi ukuxhasa ubomi babantu. IEncyclopædia Britannica ikuchaza ngale ndlela oku “yimeko engenakuguqulwa neyingxaki.”

Okuvuyisayo kukuba iBhayibhile iyasiqinisekisa isithi uYehova uThixo akazukuyivumela into yokuba umhlaba utshatyalaliswe okanye ungahlali mntu. NjengoMdali, ‘unamandla amakhulu’ ngenxa yoko umhlaba unokuhlala ukho ngonaphakade. (Isaya 40:26) Ngoko ke, unokuwakholelwa la mazwi athi: “[UThixo] useke umhlaba phezu kweendawo omiswe kuzo; awuyi kushukunyiswa ukusa kwixesha elingenammiselo, okanye nangonaphakade.” “Mdumiseni, nina langa nenyanga. Mdumiseni, nonke nina zinkwenkwezi ezikhanyayo. Kuba yena wayalela, zona zadalwa. Yaye uzigcina zimile ngonaphakade.”—INdumiso 104:5; 148:3-6.

Injongo KaThixo Ngomhlaba

Yayingeyonjongo kaThixo ukuba umhlaba ungcoliswe njengokuba kunjalo namhlanje. Kunoko, uThixo wadala indoda nebhinqa lokuqala, uAdam noEva waza wababeka kumyezo omhle. Kakade ke, ikhaya labo eliyiParadesi lalingazukuhlala lilihle ngokuzenzekelayo. UThixo wabayalela ‘ukuba balilime baze balinyamekele.’ (Genesis 2:8, 9, 15) UThixo wabanika umsebenzi omnandi nowanelisayo abazali bethu bokuqala ababekhe bafezeka.

Kodwa injongo kaThixo ngomhlaba yayingekokunyanyekelwa nje komyezo. Wayefuna wonke umhlaba ube yiparadesi. Kungenxa yeso sizathu le nto wayalela uAdam noEva esithi: “Qhamani, nande, niwuzalise umhlaba nize niwoyise, nibe nobukhosi kwiintlanzi zolwandle nakwizidalwa eziphaphazelayo emazulwini nakuzo zonke izidalwa eziphilayo ezinambuzelayo emhlabeni.”—Genesis 1:28.

Ngelishwa, ingelosi enekratshi eyaba nguSathana yayinxamnye nenjongo kaThixo. Yayikufun’ emanzini ukunqulwa nguAdam noEva. Esebenzisa inyoka njengesithethi sakhe, uSathana wabenza bakuvukela ukulawulwa nguThixo. (Genesis 3:1-6; ISityhilelo 12:9) Ngenxa yokungabi nambulelo kwabo wakhathazeka uMdali wabo. Kodwa ukuvukela kwabo akuzange kuyitshintshe injongo kaYehova uThixo ngomhlaba. Uthi: “Ilizwi lam eliphuma emlonyeni wam. . . . Aliyi kubuyela kum ngaphandle kwemiphumo, kodwa ngokuqinisekileyo liya kukwenza oko ndiyoliswa kuko, likuphumelelise ngokuqinisekileyo oko ndilithumele kona.”—Isaya 55:11.

Ngesizathu esivakalayo, uYehova uye wavumela imvukelo kaSathana ukuba iqhubeke de kube ngoku. Ebudeni beli xesha, abantu baye bazama iindlela ngendlela zolawulo yaye abantu baye bazibonela ukuba ukuzimela geqe kuThixo, njengokuba kwakhuthazwa nguSathana kuye kwasilela.a—Yeremiya 10:23.

Eyona nto intle kukuba, ebudeni beenkulungwane ezidluleyo uThixo uye wabasikelela abantu bakhe abalungileyo. Kwakhona iBhayibhile inengxelo yemiphumo eye yazuzwa ngabantu abathobela uThixo okanye abanxamnye nolawulo lwakhe. Ukongezelela, uYehova wenze izinto ezintle ukuze sizuze. Ngothando ulungiselele abantu uMsindisi ngokuthumela uNyana wakhe oyintanda, uYesu Kristu ukuze asifundise indlela yokuphila aze asifele. (Yohane 3:16) Ngenxa yokuba uYesu wayengakufanelanga ukufa, ngokufa kwakhe uye wabuyisela oko uAdam noEva baphulukana nako, ukuphila ngonaphakade kumhlaba oyiparadesi. b UYehova uThixo uye wamisela urhulumente wasezulwini ukuba alawule abantu bonke yaye ubeke uNyana wakhe ovusiweyo uYesu Kristu ukuba abe nguKumkani woBukumkani. Eli lungiselelo lihle liya kuqinisekisa ukuba injongo kaThixo ngomhlaba iza kuzaliseka.—Mateyu 6:9, 10.

Sinentembelo kwezi zithembiso ziseBhayibhileni: “Kuba abenzi bobubi baya kunqunyulwa, kodwa abathembela kuYehova baya kuwudla ilifa umhlaba. Amalungisa aya kuwudla ilifa umhlaba, ahlale kuwo ngonaphakade.” “‘Khangela! Intente kaThixo iphakathi koluntu, yaye uya kuhlala nalo, lube ngabantu bakhe. Naye abe nguThixo walo. Uya kuzisula zonke iinyembezi emehlweni abo, kungabi sabakho kufa, kungabi sabakho kuzila nakukhala nantlungu kwakhona. Izinto zangaphambili zidlule.’ Waza Lowo uhleli etroneni wathi: “Khangela! Zonke izinto ndizenza ntsha.’”—INdumiso 37:9, 29; ISityhilelo 21:3-5.

IBhayibhile Ayiziphikisi

Abanye basenokuzibuza ukuba, ‘Zivumelana njani ezi zibhalo zeBhayibhile zingasentla nezinye iindinyana ezithetha ngokuba umhlaba uza kupheliswa?’ Makhe siqwalasele eminye imzekelo. Emva kokuba sihlole le mibhalo siza kubona ukuba iBhayibhile ayiziphikisi.

Kude kudala ngaphambi kokuba izazinzulu zikufumanise oku, kuzo zonke izinto umdumisi ekuthethwa ngaye eBhayibhileni wathi: “Wazibeka [okuthetha ukuthi, uThixo] kwakudala iziseko zomhlaba, namazulu angumsebenzi wezandla zakho. Ezo zinto ziya kutshabalala, kodwa wena uya kuqhubeka umile; zonke ziya kuguga kanye njengesambatho. Uya kuzithabathel’ indawo kanye njengesinxibo, yaye ziya kuligqiba ithuba lazo. Kodwa wena ukwanguwe, neminyaka yakho ayiyi kuphela.”—INdumiso 102:25-27.

Ngokubhala la mazwi, umdumisi wayengaphikisani nenjongo kaThixo yobomi obungunaphakade emhlabeni oyiparadesi. Kunoko, le ndinyana ithetha ukuba uThixo ukho ngonaphakade kuquka nezinto azidalileyo. Ngaphandle kwamandla kaThixo angapheliyo umhlaba—kuquka isijikelezi-langa, ukukhanya namandla—azinakusebenza yaye zinokutshabalala ngonaphakade. Ukuba umhlaba ubunokuyekwa ‘ubuza kuguga’ okanye ungabikho ngonaphakade.

Kwakhona kukho nezinye iZibhalo xa uzithe tshawu nje ezinokuba ngathi ziyaphikisana nenjongo kaThixo ngomhlaba. Ngokomzekelo, iBhayibhile ithetha ngamazulu nomhlaba ‘njengadlulayo.’ (ISityhilelo 21:1) Ngokuqinisekileyo la mazwi akaphikisani nesithembiso sikaYesu esithi: “Banoyolo abo banomoya wobulali, kuba baya kuwudla ilifa umhlaba.” (Mateyu 5:5) Ithetha ukuthini iBhayibhile xa isithi amazulu nomhlaba ‘ziyadlula?’

Amaxesha amaninzi iBhayibhile ifuzisela iyalisebenzisa ibinzana elithi “umhlaba” ibhekisela kwibutho labantu. Ngokomzekelo, qwalasela le ndinyana ilandelayo: “Ke kaloku wonke umhlaba wawululwimi-lunye kwaye untetho-nye.” (Genesis 11:1) Icace nakuthathatha into yokuba apha igama elithi “umhlaba” libhekisela kubantu abahlala emhlabeni. Omnye umzekelo yiNdumiso 96:1, efundeka ngolu hlobo kwiBhayibhile yesiXhosa yowe-1996: “Vumani KUYEHOVA nonke hlabathi.” Kule ndinya nakwezinye igama elithi “umhlaba” lisetyenziswa ngokufuziseleyo yaye libhekisela ebantwini.—INdumiso 96:13.

Maxa wambi iBhayibhile ifanisa amagunya alawulayo emhlabeni namazulu. Ngokomzekelo, abalawuli abacinezelayo baseBhabhiloni xa kubhekiselwa kubo bekusithiwa ziinkwenkwezi ngenxa yokuba baye baziphakamisa ebantwini. (Isaya 14:12-14) Njengokuba kwakuxeliwe kwangaphambili “amazulu” okomfuziselo okanye abalawuli kuquka “nomhlaba,” abaxhasi bolu lawulo batshatyalaliswa ngowama-539 B.C.E. (Isaya 51:6) Oku kwavulel’ ithuba lokuba amaYuda aguqukileyo abuyele eYerusalem, apho “amazulu amatsha,” umlawuli omtsha eza kulawula “umhlaba omtsha,” ibutho labantu elilungileyo.—Isaya 65:17.

Amazulu nomhlaba ‘odlulayo’ ekuthethwa ngawo eBhayibhileni afuzisela ukutshatyalaliswa koorhulumente babantu abakhoyo nabonakeleyo nabaxhasi babo abangenabuthixo. (2 Petros 3:7) Oku kuza kuvulela ithuba urhulumente kaThixo omtsha wasezulwini ukuba asikelele ibutho labantu elitsha elinamalungisa, kuba kukho amazulu amatsha nomhlaba omtsha, ngokwesithembiso [sikaThixo] sakhe, apho kumi ubulungisa.”—2 Petros 3:13.

Unokuba nokholo kwisithembiso sikaThixo sokuba umhlaba olikhaya lethu uya kuhlala ukho ngonaphakade. Ukongezelela, iBhayibhile iyakuchazela oko umele ukwenze ukuze unandiphe lo paradesi iza kube isemhlabeni wonke. UYesu uthi: “Oku kuthetha ubomi obungunaphakade, ukungenisa kwabo ulwazi ngawe, wena ukuphela koThixo oyinyaniso, nangalowo umthumileyo, uYesu Kristu.” (Yohane 17:3) Kutheni ungazibekeli usukelo lokuhlola oko iBhayibhile ikufundisayo ngekamva lomhlaba noluntu? AmaNgqina kaYehova asekuhlaleni angakuvuyela ukukunceda.

[Imibhalo esemazantsi]

[Amagama acatshulweyo akwiphepha 12]

IBhayibhile ithembisa ukuba umhlaba ikhaya lethu awuyi ndawo uya kuhlala ukho ngonaphakade

[Inkcazelo Ngemifanekiso ekwiphepha 10]

Background globe: NASA/The Visible Earth (http://visibleearth.nasa.gov/); polar bear: © Bryan and Cherry Alexander Photography