INgxenye 7—UMbuso Wokugcina Wemibuso Yezwe Emikhulu

Ngesikhathi incwadi yeBhayibheli yesAmbulo ibhalwa, cishe eminyakeni eyi-1 900 edlule, yathi “amakhosi” ayisihlanu, noma imibuso yezwe, ayesefikile futhi ahamba. Lawa ayeyiGibithe, iAsiriya, iBabiloni, owamaMede namaPheresiya, neGrisi. Owesithupha, iRoma, ‘wawusekhona,’ kodwa owesikhombisa wawungakafiki. (IsAmbulo 17:10) Kwakuyimuphi lombuso wezwe wesikhombisa? Waba khona kanjani? Futhi yini eyowulandela? Izimpendulo kulemibuzo ebalulekile kuxoxwa ngazo kulesihloko.

UHLELO olukhulu lomlando wezwe eminyakeni eyizi-2 500 edlule lwanikezwa kusengaphambili encwadini esakazwe kabanzi izwe elake layazi. Nokho, uma kuqhathaniswa bambalwa abantu abanaleyoncwadi, iBhayibheli, abanomqondo wokwaziswa okumangalisayo ekuqukethe.

Ngokwesibonelo, eminyakeni engaphezu kwama-500 ngaphambi kokuzalwa kukaJesu Kristu, umprofethi uDaniyeli wabhala umbono ophefumlelwe ngokwaphezulu lapho imibuso yezwe emikhulu kusukela esikhathini sakhe yayimelelwe izilo ezinamandla. Isilo ngasinye sasinezici zombuso wezwe esasiwumelela. UMbuso wamaRoma onamandla wachazwa njengesilo esikhulu ‘esesabekayo, esinamandla, esiqinile kakhulu.’ UDaniyeli wathi ‘sasihlukile kuzo zonke izilo ezazingaphambi kwaso; sasinezimpondo eziyishumi.’—Daniyeli 7:2-7.

‘Uphondo Oluncane’

Ngesikhathi esifanele, uMbuso wamaRoma wakhula wahlanganisa iziQhingi ezincane zaseBrithani kwehle kunqamule engxenyeni enkulu yeYurophu, kuzungeze iMedithera futhi kudlulele ngalé kweBabiloni kufinyelele endaweni egudla uLwandle yamaPheresiya. Lombuso onamandla ekugcineni wahlukana waba izizwe eziningi—waba “izimpondo eziyishumi” uDaniyeli azibona.a Khona-ke uDaniyeli wabona ‘kuvela phakathi kwazo olunye uphondo, oluncane, okungaphambi kwalo ezintathu zezimpondo zokuqala zasimbulwa.’ (Daniyeli 7:8) Lokhu kwakusho ukuthini?

UDaniyeli watshelwa: “Izimpondo eziyishumi-ke, kulowombuso [wamaRoma] kuyakuvela amakhosi ayishumi, kuvele enye [‘uphondo oluncane’] emva kwawo; iyakwahluka kwawokuqala, ithobise amakhosi amathathu.” (Daniyeli 7:24) Lwalungubani ‘uphondo oluncane,’ futhi ayengobani amakhosi amathathu elawathobisa?

Isiqhingi esisenhla echosheni elisenyakatho-ntshonalanga yoMbuso wamaRoma sasihlale isikhathi eside singahilelekile ezindabeni zezwe. Njengoba esinye isazi-mlando sachaza: “Ekhulwini leshumi nesithupha leminyaka, iNgilandi yayingumbuso osezingeni eliphansi. Umcebo wayo wawumncane uma uqhathaniswa nowaseNetherlands. Inani labantu bayo lalilincane kakhulu kunelaseFrance. Amabutho ayo ahlomile (kuhlanganise nemikhumbi yezempi) ayesezingeni eliphansi kunawaseSpain.” Nokho, iNgilandi yathuthukisa imikhumbi yezempi enokubaluleka okuthile, futhi izigcwelegcwele zayo nemikhumbi ehlomile kwaqala ukuhlasela abantu abangaphansi kweSpain nemikhumbi ethwele umcebo.

Izimpondo Ezintathu

Ngo-1588 uPhillip II waseSpain wathumela iMikhumbi Yezempi yaseSpain ukuyolwa nabacindezeli abangamaNgisi. Lemikhumbi yempi eyi-130 eyayithwele amadoda angaphezu kwezi-24 000 yantanta kancane iya kuyiEnglish Channel, yaba yizisulu zezivunguvungu neziphepho zaseAtlantic ezesabekayo. KuyiModern Europe to 1870, isazi-mlando uCarlton Hayes ubhala ukuthi lesisenzakalo “saphawula ukudluliselwa okuwumnqamula-juqu kwamandla emikhumbi yezempi kusuka eSpain kuya eNgilandi.”

Ekhulwini le-17 leminyaka, iDashi yathuthukisa ngezinga elikhulu kakhulu imikhumbi yayo yezohwebo ezweni. Imikhumbi yayo yabusa izilwandle, futhi yabolekisa ngenzuzo yayo kohulumeni abakude. Kodwa ngenxa yokukhula kwamazwe abuswa yiyo phesheya kwezilwandle, iNgilandi yayisenamandla futhi nalapha.

Khona-ke, ngekhulu le-18 leminyaka, abaseBrithani nabaseFulentshi balwela ezindaweni eziqhelelene kakhulu njengaseNyakatho-Melika naseNdiya, okwaholela eSivumelwaneni SaseParis ngo-1763. Ngokuqondene naso, uWilliam B. Willcox wabhala encwadini yakhe iStar of Empire—A Study of Britain as a World Power ukuthi nakuba isivumelwano sabonakala njengokuvumelana kwezinhlangothi ezimbili, “empeleni saphawula isikhundla esisha seBrithani njengombuso waseYurophu onamandla amakhulu ezweni elingale kweYurophu.”

Ezinye izazi-mlando ziyavuma, zithi: “Kusukela emakhulwini amabili eminyaka okulwa nabaseSpain, amaDashi, namaFulentshi, iGreat Britain yavela ngo-1763 njengombuso ongungqá phambili kwezentengiselwano nangokuba namazwe angaphansi kwayo ezweni.” (Modern Europe to 1870) “Ngo-1763 uMbuso waseBrithani wabusa izwe njengeRoma enwetshiwe nevuselelwe.” “Wavelela ezimpini zaphakathi nekhulu leminyaka njengombuso omkhulu kakhulu nonamandla kakhulu—nombuso ozondwa kakhulu—ezweni.” (Navy and Empire, ebhalwe nguJames L. Stokesbury) Yebo, ‘loluphondo oluncane’ lwalukhule lwaba umbuso wezwe wesikhombisa womlando weBhayibheli.

AmaNgisi akhuphuka neNayile futhi awela uMfula iZambezi. Adlulela eBurma Esenhla, eNyakatho Borneo, naseziqhingini zePacific. Ngaphezu kwalokho, athatha iCanada, iAustralia, iNew Zealand, nendawo esogwini olusempumalanga yeNyakatho-Melika. “Umbuso wamaRoma wawuzimele,” kubhala uJames Morris kuyiPax Britannica. “Umbuso wamaNgisi wawusakazeke nomhlaba wonke.” Waba umbuso omkhulukazi emlandweni wesintu, owathatha cishe ingxenye yesine yendawo yomhlaba kanye nabantu bawo abangaphezu kwengxenye yesine. Kwakuthiwa ilanga alishoni endaweni yawo.

Umbuso Ombaxa-mbili

Encwadini yesAmbulo, lombuso wezwe wesikhombisa futhi wawuchazwe ‘njengonezimpondo ezimbili ezifana nezewundlu.’ (IsAmbulo 13:11) Kungani unezimpondo ezimbili? Kungenxa yokuthi uMbuso WamaNgisi nesizwe esisha samaMelika, kuhlanganiswe ulimi olufanayo, izimiso, nezinkambiso, ngokushesha kwase kusebenza ndawonye. Ngezindlela eziningi, kwaba umbuso wezwe ombaxa-mbili osebenzisa ulimi lwesiNgisi.

UWilliam B. Willcox kuStar of Empire uveza ukuthi ngekhulu le-19 leminyaka iUnited States ‘yavikelwa kuyiYurophu amabutho aseBrithani.’ Uyanezela: “Iminyaka eyikhulu iUnited States yayikhululekile ukuba ikhule ibe umbuso omkhulu, nakuba yayinempi yayo yangaphakathi, yayingenalo ibutho lezempi noma imikhumbi yezempi leyo yonke imibuso emikhulu eyayaziwa ngayo.” IMelika “yakwazi ukuzahlukanisa ngoba iMikhumbi Yezempi YaseBukhosini yayiyisivikelo sayo emibusweni yaseYurophu.” Kamuva, futhi iUnited States yaba umbuso omkhulu kwezempi.

Isibonelo esiphawulekayo sokusebenzelana okuhlangene kweBrithani neMelika senzeka ngoJune 6, 1944, lapho igagasi leMpi Yezwe II lishintsha enyakatho Yurophu. Ngalolosuku, amabutho ayizi-156 000, amaNgisi, amaMelika namanye Asizanayo ahlasela izwekazi laseYurophu. Lempi ehlangene yayingaphansi kokuqondisa okuphakeme kukajenene waseU.S. kanye nokuqondisa okusebenzayo kwenduna yempi yamaNgisi—uEisenhower noMontgomery ngokukhethekile. Ngaphezu kwalokho, amabhomu eathomu aphelisa impi yokulwa neJapane ayewumphumela womzamo ohlangene wososayensi bamaNgisi namaMelika.

Njengoba iLos Angeles Times kaMay 5, 1986, yakuveza, ngisho nasesikhathini sokuthula, iBrithani neMelika kuye kwasebenzelana “ezindaweni ezibucayi njengasebuchwephesheni bolwazi nesayensi yenuzi.” Kamuva esizwa yiCanada, iAustralia, neNew Zealand, aye “ahlukanisa umhlaba awenza izindawo ezinomsebenzi wokuqoqa ulwazi futhi avuma ukuhlanganyela ngisho nokwaziswa okuyimfihlo kakhulu.” Leliphephandaba lathi nakuba ubuhlobo “bebungebuhle ngaso sonke isikhathi,” bebulokhu “buqapheleka kakhulu ngokuba seduze kwabo kunangezinkathazo zabo.”

Amazwe amaningi angaphansi kweBrithani aye azuza inkululeko futhi azihlanganisa neNhlanganisela Yamazwe Aziphethe Ezizwe. Nakuba umbuso onombusi oyedwa ungase uphele, uMbuso Wezwe WamaNgisi namaMelika uyaqhubeka ukhona. Kodwa uyohlala “isikhashana” kuphela, uma uqhathaniswa namakhulu amaningi eminyaka uMbuso wamaRoma owandulelayo owaphatha ubukhosi ngayo.—IsAmbulo 17:10.

Ubukhosi Obusha Bomhlaba Wonke

Isiprofetho sikaDaniyeli ngokuqondene nemibuso yezwe emikhulu siye sabonakala siyiqiniso iminyaka eyizi-2 500 kahulumeni wezwe—kusukela ngaphambi kuka-500 B.C.E. kwehle kuzofika embusweni wezwe wesikhombisa osukwini lwethu. Ngakho, singaba nokholo engxenyeni esele yalesosiprofetho. Iqiniso elimangalisayo liwukuthi asisachazi imibuso yezwe yabantu! IsAmbulo futhi sabonisa ukuthi kwakuyoba neyisikhombisa kuphela.b Ngakho, yini eyokwenzeka ngokulandelayo?

Isahluko 7 sikaDaniyeli, esikhuluma ngalemibuso yezwe, siqhubeka sichaza okuthile okumangalisa ngisho nangokwengeziwe—ushintsho olukhulu endleleni umhlaba obuswa ngayo! Ukubusa kwabantu okuhlulekayo kuyophela futhi kuthathelwe indawo ukubusa okulungileyo kwasezulwini.

Umbono kaDaniyeli wamvumela ukuba abone isihlalo sobukhosi sasezulwini esikhazimulayo ‘somdala wezinsuku,’ uJehova uNkulunkulu. Kwalethwa phambi kwaLona “onjengeNdodana yomuntu”—uJesu Kristu ovusiwe.c UDaniyeli uyachaza: “Yanikwa ukubusa, nobukhosi, nombuso, ukuze bonke abantu, nezizwe, nezilimi bayikhonze; ukubusa kwayo kungukubusa okuphakade okungayikudlula, nombuso wayo [ngokungafani nemibuso yabantu ehlulekayo] yiwo ongayikuchithwa.”—Daniyeli 7:9, 10, 13, 14.

Isiprofetho sokuqala esanikezwa uDaniyeli ngokuqondene nemibuso yezwe efanayo sasithé: “Ezinsukwini zalawomakhosi uNkulunkulu wasezulwini uyakumisa umbuso ongasoze wachithwa . . . Kepha uyakuchoboza, uqede yonke lemibuso [yabantu] wona uqobo ume phakade . . . Iphupho liqinisile, nencazo yalo iyiqiniso.”—Daniyeli 2:44, 45.

Lohulumeni woMbuso ngoNkulunkulu uyafana nalowo uJesu asifundisa ukuba siwuthandazele. Wathi: “Ngakho-ke anokhuleka kanje, nithi: Baba wethu osezulwini, malingcweliswe igama lakho; mawufike umbuso wakho; mayenziwe intando yakho emhlabeni njengasezulwini.”—Mathewu 6:9, 10.

Yeka indlela izakhamuzi zomhlaba eziyojabula ngayo ngaphansi kwalowohulumeni! Kuyoba ushintsho kusuka ekuxhashazweni abantu kuya ekwahluleleni ngokulunga kwaphezulu, kusuka endleleni yomuntu engaphelele yokwenza izinto kuya ezindinganisweni zikaNkulunkulu eziphakeme. Lokho iBhayibheli elikushoyo ngokusebenza koMbuso kuyoba yindaba yesihloko esilandelayo kuloluchungechunge.

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Ukuhlaselwa kweYurophu amaZwe Asizanayo ngoJune 6, 1944, kwakuyisibonelo esiphawulekayo sokubambisana kwamaNgisi namaMelika

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U.S. Coast Guard photo