Abathandekayo Bakho Abafile—Bakuphi?
U-ALEC wayedumazekile. Phakathi nesonto elilodwa, walahlekelwa abangane bakhe ababili. Omunye wabo, uNevil, wafa ngokudutshulwa. Omunye, uTony, wafa engozini yemoto. Imibuzo eyayingakaze imhluphe ngaphambili manje yaqala ukukhathaza lomfana waseNingizimu Afrika oneminyaka engu-14 ubudala. ‘Kungani kumelwe abantu bafe? Futhi kwenzekani ngemva kokufa?’ ezibuza.
Njengoba ayesendleleni eya emngcwabeni kaNevil, u-Alec wayenethemba eliphelele lokuthi uzozithola izimpendulo zalemibuzo. “Kodwa,” uyakhumbula, “umfundisi wamane wafunda encwadini wayesethi uNevil uye ezulwini. Kamuva, sesisemathuneni, wathi silindele uvuko. Ngadideka. Uma uNevil ayesezulwini, wayengalulindela kanjani uvuko?”
Kamuva ngalolosuku, u-Alec waya emngcwabeni kaTony. Inkonzo engokwesiko yaqhutshwa ngolimi ayengaluqondi. Nakuba kunjalo, ukuhayiza kwabanye ababesemngcwabeni kwaqinisekisa u-Alec ukuthi akukho nduduzo eyayinikezwa. “Ngalobobusuku,” uyachaza, “ngangicasuke kabi. Ngazizwa ngingakwazi ukwenza lutho futhi ngikhungathekile. Akekho owayenganikeza izimpendulo ezanelisayo emibuzweni yami. Ngokokuqala ngqá ekuphileni kwami, ngazibuza ngempela ukuthi ukhona yini uNkulunkulu.”
Njengo-Alec, izigidi zilahlekelwa abathandekayo ngokufa unyaka ngamunye. I-Britannica Book of the Year ka-1992 iyachaza: “Ngo-1991 kwafa abantu abangu-50 418 000 emhlabeni wonke.” Futhi izigidi ezingaki eziye zafa kusukela ngalesosikhathi? Cabanga ngemifula yezinyembezi eziye zachithwa abasele abalilayo! Okunezela osizini lwabo ukudideka okubangelwa imibono eshayisanayo ngokufa.
Ngakho abaningi, njengo-Alec, abaqondi futhi bayangabaza ukuthi sikhona isisekelo sethemba lokuphila kwesikhathi esizayo ngemva kokufa. Ngokwe-Encyclopedia of Religions, “kuyo yonke iminyaka, abantu abacabangayo baye behluka kwabaningi, . . . bengabaza ukuthi umphefumulo noma ukuphila kungaba khona ngaphandle kwengqondo nomzimba.”
Ngokuthakazelisayo, le-encyclopedia engenhla iyavuma ukuthi lemfundiso engokwenkolo yomphefumulo ongafi ophila ngaphandle komzimba ayisekelwa eBhayibhelini. Yiqiniso, ezindaweni ezimbalwa, iBhayibheli liyabhekisela ‘emphefumulweni’ womuntu njengophumayo ngisho nobuyela esidunjini, kodwa kulezizindawo elithi “umphefumulo” lisetshenziswa ngomqondo obhekisela ‘ekuphileni,’ okulahlekile noma okuzuziwe. (Genesise 35:16-19; 1 AmaKhosi 17:17-23) Izikhathi eziningi, igama elithi “umphefumulo” lisetshenziswa eBhayibhelini ukuze lichaze izidalwa ezibonakalayo zenyama negazi, yebo, izidalwa eziphilayo. (Genesise 1:20; 2:7) Ngakho, iBhayibheli lisho ngokuphindaphindiwe ukuthi imiphefumulo iyafa. (Hezekeli 18:4, 20; IzEnzo 3:23; IsAmbulo 16:3) IZwi likaNkulunkulu lithi lapho imiphefumulo seyifile, ‘ayisazi lutho.’—UmShumayeli 9:5, 10.
Ngakolunye uhlangothi, iBhayibheli liqukethe izindaba zabantu abafa ababuyiselwa ekuphileni. Endabeni kaLazaru, lokhu kwenzeka ngemva kokuba esefe izinsuku ezine. (Johane 11:39, 43, 44) Nokho, kuyokwenzekani kubantu abafa emakhulwini noma izinkulungwane zeminyaka edlule? Ingabe ithemba labo lokuphila esikhathini esizayo lidinga ukuba uNkulunkulu avuse umzimba ofanayo nalowo ababenawo ngaphambi kokuba bafe?
Cha. Lowombono awuvumelani nalokho okwenzeka kuma-athomu akha umzimba ofile. Ngokuhamba kwesikhathi, amanye alama-athomu amuncwa uhlaza, kamuva olusetshenziswa ezinye izidalwa futhi lube ingxenye yemizimba yazo.
Ingabe lokhu kusho ukuthi alikho ithemba ngabantu asebenesikhathi eside bafa? Cha. UMdali wayo yonke indawo yethu unenkumbulo emangalisayo, engenakulinganiswa. Enkumbulweni yakhe ephelele, unamandla okugcina izici zobuntu nezofuzo lwanoma yimuphi umuntu ofile akhetha ukumkhumbula. Ngaphezu kwalokho, uJehova uNkulunkulu unamandla okuphinde adale umzimba womuntu onezici zofuzo ezifana ncimishí nezomuntu owake waphila ngaphambili. Angafaka futhi kulowomzimba inkumbulo nobuntu balowo amkhumbulayo, njengo-Abrahama.
Eminyakeni ecishe ibe izinkulungwane ezimbili ngemva kokufa kuka-Abrahama, uJesu Kristu wanikeza lesisiqinisekiso: “Ukuthi bayavuswa abafileyo, noMose wakubonakalisa esihlahleni, lapho eyibiza iNkosi ngokuthi uNkulunkulu ka-Abrahama, noNkulunkulu ka-Isaka, noNkulunkulu kaJakobe. UNkulunkulu kasiye owabafileyo kodwa owabaphilayo, ngokuba bonke baphila kuye.” (Luka 20:37, 38) Ngaphandle kuka-Abrahama, u-Isaka, noJakobe, ezinye izigidi ezifile ziyaphila enkumbulweni kaNkulunkulu, zilindele uvuko oluzayo. “Kuyakuba khona ukuvuka kwabafileyo, okwabalungile nokwabangalungile,” kuqinisekisa iBhayibheli.—IzEnzo 24:15.
Emasontweni ambalwa ngemva kokushonelwa kwakhe, u-Alec wazithola izimpendulo zemibuzo yakhe. Omunye woFakazi BakaJehova wafika kubo futhi wambonisa lokho iZwi likaNkulunkulu elikushoyo ngokufa novuko. Lokhu kwamduduza u-Alec futhi kwashintsha ukuphila kwakhe.
Ubungathanda yini nawe ukufunda okwengeziwe ngethemba lovuko elisekelwe eBhayibhelini? Ngokwesibonelo, ingabe abaningi bayovuselwa ezulwini noma emhlabeni? Futhi yini okumelwe umuntu ayenze ukuze amukelwe uNkulunkulu futhi ajabulele ukugcwaliseka kwesithembiso saKhe esimangalisayo sokuthi abantu bangaphinde bahlanganiswe nabathandekayo babo abafile?