Impicabadala Yemfundiso Yenkolo

“UMBONO wokungafi komphefumulo nokuba nokholo ovukweni lwabafile . . . imiqondo emibili ehlukene ngokuphelele, okudingeka kukhethwe owodwa phakathi kwayo.” Lamazwi kaPhilippe Menoud aveza ngamafuphi impicabadala izazi zemfundiso yenkolo ezingamaProthestani nezingamaKatolika ezibhekene nayo ngokuphathelene nesimo sabafile. IBhayibheli likhuluma ngethemba lovuko “ngosuku lokugcina.” (Johane 6:39, 40, 44, 54) Kodwa ithemba lamakholwa amaningi, kusho isazi semfundiso yenkolo uGisbert Greshake, “lisekelwe ekungafini komphefumulo, ohlukanayo nomzimba ekufeni futhi ubuyele kuNkulunkulu, kuyilapho ukuthembela ovukweni kuye kwehla kakhulu, uma kunganyamalele ngokuphelele.”

Esimweni esinjalo, kuphakama inkinga enzima, kuchaza uBernard Sesboüé: “Siyini isimo sabafile phakathi ‘nenkathi’ ephakathi kokufa kwabo ngomzimba wenyama novuko lokugcina?” Kubonakala sengathi inkulumo-mpikiswano ephathelene nemfundiso yenkolo ibigxile kulombuzo eminyakeni embalwa edlule. Yini eyaholela kuwo? Okubaluleke nakakhulu, liyini ithemba langempela ngabafile?

Umsuka Nokukhula Kwalempicabadala

AmaKristu okuqala ayenombono ocacile ngalendaba. Ayazi ngokusekelwe emiBhalweni ukuthi abafile abazi lutho, ngoba imiBhalo YesiHeberu ithi: “Abaphilayo bayazi ukuthi bayakufa, kepha abafileyo abazi-lutho . . . Akukho-msebenzi, namcabango, nakwazi, nakuhlakanipha endaweni yabafileyo, lapho uya khona.” (UmShumayeli 9:5, 10) LawomaKristu ayenethemba lokuthi uvuko lwaluyokwenzeka “ekubeni khona kweNkosi” kwesikhathi esizayo. (1 Thesalonika 4:13-17) Ayengalindele ukuba aphile ndawana-thile lapho esalindele lesosikhathi. UJoseph Ratzinger, oyisikhulu seVatican Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, uthi: “Kwakungekho siqinisekiso semfundiso ngendaba yokungafi komphefumulo eSontweni lasendulo.”

Nokho, i-Nuovo dizionario di teologia, ichaza ukuthi lapho kufundwa imibhalo yoFata BeSonto, abanjengo-Augustine noma u-Ambrose, “siqaphela okuthile okusha ngokuphathelene nemikhuba engokweBhayibheli—ukuvela kwemfundiso yamaGreki ephathelene nokufa, ngokuyisisekelo ehlukile kweyamaKristu angamaJuda.” Lemfundiso entsha yayisekelwe “ekungafini komphefumulo, ekwahlulelweni komuntu ngamunye okunomvuzo noma isijeziso ngokushesha ngemva kokufa.” Ngakho, kwaphakanyiswa umbuzo ngokuphathelene ‘nesimo esiphakathi nendawo’: Uma umphefumulo usinda ekufeni komzimba, kwenzekani kuwo lapho usalindele uvuko “ngomuhla wokuphela”? Lena impicabadala izazi zemfundiso yenkolo eziye zalwa kanzima ukuze ziyixazulule.

Ekhulwini lesithupha C.E., uPapa Gregory I waphikisa ngokuthi ekufeni, ngokushesha imiphefumulo iya endaweni emiselwe ukuya kuyo. UPapa John XXII wekhulu le-14 wayeqiniseka ukuthi abafile bayothola umvuzo wabo wokugcina ngoSuku Lokwahlulela. Nokho, uPapa Benedict XII wamphikisa umanduleli wakhe. Encwadini eyakhishwa upapa ethi Benedictus Deus (1336), wamemezela ukuthi “imiphefumulo yabashonile ingena esimweni sentokozo enkulu [izulu], sokuhlanzwa [isihlanzo], noma sokulahlwa [isihogo] ngokushesha ngemva kokufa, iyoze ihlanganiswe nemizimba yayo evusiwe ekupheleni kwezwe.”

Naphezu kokuphikisana nezinkulumo-mpikiswano, lesi kuye kwaba isimo samasonto eLobukholwa emakhulwini eminyaka, nakuba ngokuvamile amasonto obuProthestani nawobu-Orthodox engakholelwa esihlanzweni. Nokho, kusukela ekupheleni kwekhulu leminyaka elidlule, inani elandayo lezazi liye lakhomba emsukeni wemfundiso yokungafi komphefumulo njengongewona ongokweBhayibheli, umphumela waba ukuthi, “imfundiso yenkolo yanamuhla ngokuvamile manje izama ukubheka umuntu njengento eyodwa ebhubha ngokuphelele ekufeni.” (The Encyclopedia of Religion) Ngakho, abakhulumeli beBhayibheli bakuthola kunzima ukusekela ukuba khona ‘kwesimo esiphakathi nendawo.’ Ingabe iBhayibheli liyakhuluma ngaso, noma ingabe linikeza ithemba elihlukile?

Ingabe UPawulu Wayekholelwa ‘Esimweni Esiphakathi Nendawo’?

I-Catechism of the Catholic Church ithi: “Ukuze sivuke noKristu, kumelwe sife noKristu: kumelwe ‘singabibikho emzimbeni sibe sekhaya neNkosi’. [2 Korinte 5:8] Kulokho ‘kuhamba’ okuwukufa umphefumulo uyahlukaniswa nomzimba. [Filipi 1:23] Uyohlanganiswa nomzimba ngosuku lokuvuswa kwabafileyo.” Kodwa emibhalweni ecashunwe lapha, ingabe umphostoli uPawulu uthi umphefumulo uyasinda ekufeni komzimba bese ulindela “uKwahlulela Kokugcina” ukuze uhlanganiswe nomzimba?

Kweyesi-2 Korinte 5:1, uPawulu ubhekisela ekufeni kwakhe futhi ukhuluma ‘ngendlu yasemhlabeni edilizwayo.’ Ingabe wayecabanga ngomzimba oshiywe umphefumulo wawo ongafi? Cha. UPawulu wayekholelwa ukuthi umuntu ungumphefumulo, hhayi ukuthi unomphefumulo. (Genesise 2:7; 1 Korinte 15:45) UPawulu wayengumKristu ogcotshwe ngomoya othemba lakhe, njengabafowabo bekhulu lokuqala, ‘ayeligcinelwe emazulwini.’ (Kolose 1:5; Roma 8:14-18) Ngakho-ke, ‘isifiso sakhe esiqotho’ sasiwukuba ngesikhathi sikaNkulunkulu esimisiwe avuselwe ezulwini njengesidalwa somoya esingafi. (2 Korinte 5:2-4) Ekhuluma ngalelithemba, wabhala: “Siyoshintshwa . . . phakathi necilongo lokugcina. Ngoba icilongo liyokhala, futhi abafileyo bayovuswa benokungonakali, futhi thina siyoshintshwa.”—1 Korinte 15:51, 52.

Kweyesi-2 Korinte 5:8, uPawulu uthi: “Sinesibindi futhi sikujabulela kakhulu ukuba kunalokho singabibikho emzimbeni nokuba sakhe ikhaya lethu eNkosini.” Abanye bakholelwa ukuthi lamazwi abhekisela esimweni sokulinda esiphakathi nendawo. Abanjalo babhekisela futhi esithembisweni sikaJesu kubafundi bakhe abathembekile sokuthi wayeyolungisa indawo ‘ayezobamukela kuyo ekhaya.’ Kodwa ayeyogcwaliseka nini lawomathemba? UKristu wathi kwakuyoba lapho ‘ebuya eza’ ekubeni khona kwakhe kwesikhathi esizayo. (Johane 14:1-3) Ngokufanayo, kweyesi-2 Korinte 5:1-10, uPawulu wathi ithemba amaKristu agcotshiwe ayenalo laliwukuzuza njengefa ikhaya lasezulwini. Lokhu kwakuyokwenzeka, hhayi ngokungafi komphefumulo okuthile okucatshangelwayo, kodwa ngovuko phakathi nokuba khona kukaKristu. (1 Korinte 15:23, 42-44) Umchazi wemibhalo uCharles Masson uphetha ngokuthi eyesi-2 Korinte 5:1-10 “ingaqondakala kahle ngaphandle kokuphendukela embonweni ocatshangelwayo ‘wesimo esiphakathi nendawo.’”

KweyabaseFilipi 1:21, 23, uPawulu uthi: “Ngokuqondene nami ukuphila kunguKristu, nokufa kuyinzuzo. Ngicindezelwe yilezizinto ezimbili; kodwa engikufisayo ukukhululwa nokuba kanye noKristu, ngoba lokhu, empeleni, kungcono kakhulu.” Ingabe uPawulu lapha ubhekisela ‘esimweni esiphakathi nendawo’? Abanye bacabanga kanjalo. Nokho, uPawulu uthi wayebhekene nezinto ezimbili—ukuphila noma ukufa. Wanezela: “Kodwa engikufisayo,” ephawula into yesithathu, “ukukhululwa nokuba kanye noKristu.” ‘Ukukhululwa’ ukuze abe noKristu ngokushesha ngemva kokufa? Phela, njengoba sekubonakele kakade, uPawulu wayekholelwa ukuthi amaKristu agcotshiwe athembekile ayeyovuswa phakathi nokuba khona kukaKristu. Ngakho-ke, kumelwe ukuba wayekhuluma ngezenzakalo zangalesosikhathi.

Lokhu kubonakala emazwini akhe atholakala kweyabaseFilipi 3:20, 21 neyoku-1 Thesalonika 4:16. ‘Ukukhululwa’ okunjalo phakathi nokuba khona kukaKristu Jesu kwakuyokwenza uPawulu akwazi ukwamukela umvuzo uNkulunkulu ayemlungiselele wona. Ukuthi wayenalelithemba kubonakala emazwini akhe abhekiswe ensizweni enguThimothewu: “Kusukela kulesisikhathi kuqhubeke ngigcinelwe umqhele wokulunga, lowo iNkosi, umahluleli olungileyo, eyonginika wona njengomvuzo ngalolosuku, nokho kungemina ngedwa, kodwa futhi nabo bonke labo abakuthandile ukubonakaliswa kwayo.”—2 Thimothewu 4:8.

Uvuko—Iqiniso LeBhayibheli Elikhazimulayo

AmaKristu okuqala ayecabanga ngovuko njengesenzakalo esasiyoqala phakathi nokuba khona kukaKristu, futhi leliqiniso leBhayibheli elikhazimulayo lawanika amandla nenduduzo. (Mathewu 24:3; Johane 5:28, 29; 11:24, 25; 1 Korinte 15:19, 20; 1 Thesalonika 4:13) Ayelindele leyonjabulo yesikhathi esizayo ngokwethembeka, enqaba izimfundiso zezihlubuki zomphefumulo ongafi.—IzEnzo 20:28-30; 2 Thimothewu 4:3, 4; 2 Petru 2:1-3.

Yebo, uvuko alulona olwamaKristu anethemba lasezulwini kuphela. (1 Petru 1:3-5) Izinzalamizi nezinye izinceku zikaNkulunkulu zasendulo zabonisa ukholo emandleni kaJehova okubuyisela abafile ekuphileni emhlabeni. (Jobe 14:14, 15; Daniyeli 12:2; Luka 20:37, 38; Heberu 11:19, 35) Ngisho nalezozigidi zezigidi ezingazange zimazi uNkulunkulu emakhulwini eminyaka adlule zinethuba lokuphinda ziphile epharadesi lasemhlabeni, njengoba “luyoba khona uvuko kokubili olwabalungileyo nabangalungile.” (IzEnzo 24:15; Luka 23:42, 43) Akulona yini ithemba elivusa amadlingozi leli?

Kunokuba asenze sikholelwe ukuthi ukuhlupheka nokufa kuyohlala kukhona, uJehova ukhomba esikhathini lapho ‘isitha sokugcina, ukufa,’ siyobe sisuswe phakade futhi isintu esithembekile siyophila phakade emhlabeni obuyiselwe ePharadesi. (1 Korinte 15:26; Johane 3:16; 2 Petru 3:13) Yeka ukuthi kuyoba okujabulisa kanjani ukubona abathandekayo bethu bephila futhi! Yeka ukuthi lingcono kangakanani lelithemba eliqinisekile kunokungafi komphefumulo womuntu okucatshangelwayo—imfundiso engasekelwe eZwini likaNkulunkulu, kodwa kuyifilosofi yamaGreki! Uma usekela ithemba lakho esithembisweni sikaNkulunkulu esiqinisekile, nawe ungaqiniseka ukuthi ngokushesha “ukufa ngeke kusaba khona”!—IsAmbulo 21:3-5.

[Isithombe ekhasini 31]

Uvuko luyiqiniso leBhayibheli elikhazimulayo