‘Emhlabeni Njengasezulwini’

“Unqulo lwamaKatolika luthetha ngokungqalileyo Ngezinto Ezine Zokugqibela: Ukufa, Umgwebo, Isihogo, Izulu.”—Incwadi ethi Catholicism, ehlalutywe nguGeorge Brantl.

UKUBA ukhangela kakuhle, ufumanisa ukuba phakathi kwezi zinto, umhlaba awukho. Phofu ke, nako oko akothusi ekubeni amaKatolika, njengazo naziphi na ezinye iicawa, ebambelele kwingcamango yokuba umhlaba uya kutshatyalaliswa ngenye imini. IDictionnaire de Théologie Catholique ikwenza kucace okwekati emhlophe ehlungwini oku phantsi kwebinzana elithi “End of the World” (Ukuphela KweHlabathi) ngokuthi: “ICawa yamaKatolika ikholelwa yaye ifundisa ukuba ihlabathi esiphila kulo ngoku, njengokuba liyindalo kaThixo yaye njengokuba lizinzile, alisayi kubakho ngonaphakade.” Incwadi efundisa ngonqulo lwamaKatolika yamvanje ithi xa igwadla le nyewe: “Ihlabathi lethu . . . liza kuthi shwaka.” Ukuba ke esi sijikelezi-langa sethu siza kutshabalala, iBhayibhile ithetha ukuthini xa ithembisa iparadesi esemhlabeni?

IBhayibhile ilikhupha litsole ithemba leparadesi esemhlabeni. Ngokomzekelo, umprofeti uIsaya wachaza ihlabathi nabantu abahlala kulo ngale ndlela: “Ngokuqinisekileyo baya kwakha izindlu baze bahlale; batyale izidiliya baze badle isiqhamo sazo. Abayi kwakha kuhlale abanye; abayi kutyala kudle abanye. Kuba njengemihla yomthi iya kuba njalo imihla yabantu bam; nomsebenzi wezandla zabanyuliweyo bam baya kuwusebenzisa ngokupheleleyo.” (Isaya 65:21, 22) AmaYuda awayethenjiswe ezi zinto nguThixo, ayeqinisekile ukuba ilizwe lawo—eneneni, umhlaba uphela—ngenye imini uya kuba yiparadesi abantu abaya kuhlala kuyo ngonaphakade.

INdumiso 37 iyasiqinisekisa esi sithembiso. Ithi: “Kodwa abalulamileyo baya kuwudla ilifa umhlaba.” (INdumiso 37:11) Le ndinyana ayithethi nje ngokubuyiselwa kohlanga lwamaSirayeli okwexeshana kwiLizwe Lesithembiso. Le ndumiso icacisa isithi: “Amalungisa aya kuwudla ilifa umhlaba, ahlale kuwo ngonaphakade.” (INdumiso 37:29)a Phawula ukuba umdumisi uthi ubomi obungunaphakade buya kuba ngumvuzo wabo “balulamileyo.” KwiBhayibhile yesiFrentshi, kuthiwa igama elithi “abalulamileyo” “linentsingiselo ebanzi kunendlela eliguqulelwe ngayo; liquka abo baxhwalekileyo okanye abatshutshiswayo ngenxa [kaYehova], kunye nabo bathobela uThixo ngokusuk’ entliziyweni.”

Emhlabeni Okanye Ezulwini?

KwiNtshumayelo yakhe yaseNtabeni, uYesu wenza isithembiso esisikhumbuza ngesibhalo esicatshulwe ngasentla xa wathi: “Banoyolo abo banomoya wobulali, kuba baya kuwudla ilifa umhlaba.” (Mateyu 5:5) Kwakhona, kubhekiselwa kumhlaba njengomvuzo ongapheliyo wabo banyanisekileyo. Noko ke, uYesu wakwenza kwacaca kubapostile bakhe ukuba wayelungiselela indawo “endlwini [kaYise] yaye babeya kuba kunye naye ezulwini.” (Yohane 14: 1, 2; Luka 12:32; 1 Petros 1:3, 4) Noko ke, sifanele siziqonde njani izithembiso zeentsikelelo eziya kufumaneka emhlabeni? Ngaba ezo zithembiso zinento yokwenza nathi namhlanje, yaye ziya kufunyanwa ngoobani?

Abanye abahlalutyi beBhayibhile bathi “umhlaba” abhekisela kuwo uYesu kwiNtshumayelo yakhe yaseNtabeni nekuthethwa ngawo kwiNdumiso 37, ngumhlaba wokomfuziselo. Kwincwadi yakhe ethi Bible de Glaire, uF. Vigouroux ucinga ukuba kule ndinyana kuthethwa “ngezulu nangeCawa yokomfuziselo.” Ngokutsho kukaM. Lagrange, umphengululi weBhayibhile ongumFrentshi, “esi sithembiso, ayisiso esabantu abalulamileyo abaya kuwudla ilifa umhlaba baze bahlale kuwo, nokuba kule nkqubo okanye kwenye efezekileyo, kunoko kuthethwa ngendawo ebubukumkani basezulwini kungakhathaliseki ukuba iphi.” Omnye umphengululi uthi “sisangotshe sabantu basemhlabeni xa bethetha ngezinto zasezulwini.” Abanye abaphengululi bathi “ilizwe lesithembiso, iKanana, ijongwa ngembono yokomoya yaye ifanekisela ikhaya elingasentla, ubukumkani bukaThixo, nto leyo eqinisekiswa abo balulamileyo. INdumiso 37 idlulisela ingcamango efanayo.” Phofu ke, ngaba sifanele sikhawuleze sigqibe ngelithi isithembiso sikaThixo asiwuquki umhlaba esiphila kuwo?

Injongo Kanaphakade Ngomhlaba

Ekuqaleni, injongo kaThixo yayikukuba abantu bahlale emhlabeni. Umdumisi wathi: “Wona ke amazulu, ngamazulu kaYehova, kodwa umhlaba uwunike oonyana babantu.” (INdumiso 115:16) Injongo kaThixo yantlandlolo ngabantu yayinxulumene nomhlaba, kungekhona izulu. UYehova, wayalela abantu bokuqala ukuba bawandise umyezo wase-Eden baze bazalise umhlaba wonke. (Genesis 1:28) Le yayingeyonjongo nje yokwexeshana. UYehova ukuqinisekisa ngokwakhe kwiLizwi lakhe ukuba umhlaba uza kuhlala ngonaphakade: “Kumka esinye isizukulwana, kufike esinye isizukulwana; kodwa umhlaba umi ixesha elingenammiselo.”—INtshumayeli 1:4; 1 Kronike 16:30; Isaya 45:18.

Izithembiso zikaThixo azizange ziphelel’ esithubeni, kuba ungOyena uPhakamileyo yaye uyasiqinisekisa ukuba ziya kuzaliseka. Isebenzisa umjikelo wamanzi njengomzekeliso, iBhayibhile ichaza ukuba izithembiso zikaThixo ngokuqinisekileyo ziya kuzaliseka, ithi: “Njengokuba kusihla imvula nekhephu emazulwini, yaye zingabuyeli kuwo zingawunyakamisanga umhlaba, ziwenze uvelise kwaye uhlume, . . . ngoko ilizwi lam [ilizwi likaThixo] eliphuma emlonyeni wam liya kuba njalo. Aliyi kubuyela kum ngaphandle kwemiphumo, kodwa ngokuqinisekileyo liya kukwenza oko ndiyoliswa kuko, likuphumelelise ngokuqinisekileyo oko ndilithumele kona.” (Isaya 55:10, 11) Ezi zizinto uThixo azithembise uluntu. Kusenokudlula ixesha ngaphambi kokuba ezo zithembiso zizaliseke, kodwa ziza kuzaliseka. ‘Zibuyela’ kuye kuphela xa zikuzalisekisile oko kwakuthethiwe.

Ngokuqinisekileyo, uYehova wakuvuyela ukudala umhlaba esenzela abantu. Emva kweentsuku ezintandathu zokudala, wathi zonke izinto “zilunge gqitha.” (Genesis 1:31) Ukuguqula umhlaba ukuba ube yiparadesi kuyinxalenye yenjongo kaThixo engekazaliseki. Phofu ke, izithembiso zikaThixo ‘azibuyeli kuye zingazalisekanga.’ Zonke izithembiso ezingokuphila ubomi obufezekileyo emhlabeni, apho abantu baya kuphila ngoxolo nangonqabiseko ziza kuzaliseka.—INdumiso 135:6; Isaya 46:10.

Injongo KaThixo Iyaphumelela

Ukona kwabazali bethu bokuqala, uAdam noEva, kwayiphazamisa nje kancinane injongo kaThixo yantlandlolo yokuba umhlaba ube yiparadesi. Emva kokungathobeli kwabo, bakhutshelwa ngaphandle emyezweni. Ngaloo ndlela baphulukana nelungelo lokuba nenxaxheba ekuzalisekiseni injongo kaThixo yokuba abantu abafezekileyo baphile kumhlaba oyiparadesi. UThixo wenze indlela yokuba kuzaliseke injongo yakhe. Uza kuyenza njani loo nto?—Genesis 3:17-19, 23.

Into eyenzeka e-Eden ifana nqwa nomntu oqalisa ukwakha indlu kwisiza esihle. Emva kokubeka isiseko, kufika umntu othile aze atshabalalise eso siseko. Umakhi akakuyeki ukuyakha loo ndlu, kodwa uthabath’ amanyathelo ukuze igqitywe. Nokuba ukuqhubeka nokwakha loo mzi kuya kuthetha iindleko ezongezelelekileyo, kodwa umsebenzi ufanele uhambele phambili ude ugqitywe.

Ngokufanayo, uThixo wenza amalungiselelo aqinisekileyo ukuze kuzaliseke injongo yakhe. Emva nje kokona kwabazali bethu bokuqala, wavakalisa ithemba kwinzala yabo—“imbewu” eyayiza kulungisa lo monakalo. Ukuze kuzaliseke esi siprofeto, inxalenye ephambili yembewu eyayilungiselelwe yaba nguNyana kaThixo, uYesu, oweza emhlabeni waza wanikele ngobomi bakhe njengedini lentlawulelo ukuze ahlawulele uluntu. (Galati 3:16; Mateyu 20:28) Emva kokuba evuselwe emazulwini, uYesu waba nguKumkani woBukumkani. Ngokuyintloko, nguye olulamileyo oya kufumana umhlaba njengelifa kunye nabathile abathembekileyo abaya kuvuselwa ezulwini ukuze balawule kunye naye kobu Bukumkani. (INdumiso 2:6-9) Ekuhambeni kwexesha, lo rhulumente uza kulawula zonke izinto ezinokuthanani nomhlaba ukuze kuzaliseke injongo kaThixo yantlandlolo ngomhlaba aze aguqule umhlaba ukuba ube yiparadesi. Izigidi zabantu abalulamileyo ziya “kuwudla ilifa umhlaba” ngokwengqiqo yokuba ziya kuzuza kulawulo loBukumkani ngoYesu Kristu nabo aza kulawula kunye nabo.—Genesis 3:15; Daniyeli 2:44; IZenzo 2:32, 33; ISityhilelo 20:5, 6.

‘Emhlabeni Njengasezulwini’

Olu sindiso luntlu-mbini, kukho olwasemhlabeni nolwasezulwini, luchazwe kumbono owabonwa ngumpostile uYohane. Wabona ookumkani bekwiitrone ezisezulwini abakhethwe phakathi kwabafundi bakaKristu abathembekileyo. IBhayibhile ibachaza ngokucacileyo aba bazizinxulumani zikaKristu ngokuthi “baza kulawula njengookumkani phezu komhlaba.” (ISityhilelo 5:9, 10) Phawula indima entlu-mbini abayizalisekisa ngayo injongo kaThixo—ihlabathi elibuyiselwe phantsi koBukumkani basezulwini obulawulwa nguYesu Kristu kunye neendlalifa ezikunye naye. Wonke la malungiselelo kaThixo enza kube lula ukubuyisela iParadesi yasemhlabeni ngokuvumelana nenjongo kaThixo yantlandlolo.

Kumthandazo wakhe ongumzekelo, uYesu wakhuthaza abafundi bakhe ukuba bathandazele ukuthanda kukaThixo ukuba kwenzeke “emhlabeni njengasezulwini.” (Mateyu 6:9, 10) Ngaba la mazwi ebeya kuba sengqiqweni ukuba umhlaba ubuya kutshatyalaliswa okanye ukuba umhlaba ubusisangotshe nje sokuthetha ngezulu? Kwakhona, ngaba bekuya kuba sengqiqweni ngamalungisa ukuba onke aye ezulwini? Ukuthanda kukaThixo kucace ngca eBhayibhileni, ukususela kwingxelo engendalo ukusa kwimibono yencwadi yeSityhilelo. Umhlaba uza kuba yile nto uThixo wayefuna ukuba ube yiyo—iparadesi. Le yintando kaThixo athembisa ukuyizalisekisa. Abo bathembekileyo abasemhlabeni ngoku, bathandazela ukuba le ntando kaThixo izaliseke.

Ubomi obungunaphakade emhlabeni yinjongo kaThixo yantlandlolo ‘engatshintshanga.’ (Malaki 3:6; Yohane 17:3; Yakobi 1:17) Ngaphezu kweminyaka elikhulu, eli phephancwadi IMboniselo, liye lakucacisa kakuhle ukuzaliseka kwenjongo kaThixo entlu-mbini. Oku kusenza siziqonde izithembiso zokulungiswa komhlaba ezifumaneka kwiZibhalo. Siyakubongoza ukuba uwuqwalasele ngenyameko lo mbandela, mhlawumbi ngokuthetha namaNgqina kaYehova okanye ngokuqhagamshelana nabapapashi beli phephancwadi.

[Umbhalo osemazantsi]

[Umfanekiso okwiphepha 4]

IBhayibhile ithetha ngokucacileyo ngokwenziwa komhlaba ube yiParadesi

[Umfanekiso okwiphepha 7]

Ngaba umthandazo kaYesu ubuya kuba sengqiqweni ukuba umhlaba ubunokutshatyalaliswa?