Ungaphila Phakade

ININGI lamakholwa ezinkolo ezisemhlabeni linethemba lokuphila phakade ngandlela-thile. Imininingwane ingase ihluke kuye ngenkolo, kodwa ngokuyisisekelo ithemba liyafana—ukuphila ngenjabulo endaweni enhle kungasekho ukwesaba ukufa. Akukhona yini lokho okufisayo? Kungani le nkolelo yande kangaka? Futhi liyoke ligcwaliseke yini leli themba lokuphila phakade?

ImiBhalo ibonisa ukuthi uMdali wafaka isifiso sokuphila phakade ekujuleni engqondweni yomuntu kusukela ekuqaleni lapho edala abantu ababili bokuqala. IBhayibheli lithi: “[UNkulunkulu] ufake ngisho nobuphakade ezinhliziyweni [zabo].”—UmShumayeli 3:11.

Nokho, ukuze leso sifiso sokuphila phakade sigcwaliseke, umbhangqwana wokuqala kwakudingeka wamukele igunya likaNkulunkulu lokunquma okulungile nokungalungile. Ukube wakwenza lokho, ngabe uJehova wawubheka njengokufanelekelayo ukuphila “kuze kube nini nanini” ekhaya ayewenzele lona, insimu yase-Edene.—Genesise 2:8; 3:22.

Ukulahleka Kokuphila Okuphakade

Ukulandisa kweBhayibheli kubonisa ukuthi uNkulunkulu watshala ensimini ‘umuthi wolwazi lokuhle nokubi,’ owawunesithelo u-Adamu no-Eva ababenqatshelwe ukusidla, funa bafe. (Genesise 2:9, 17) Ukungasidli leso sithelo kwakuyobonisa uNkulunkulu ukuthi bayalamukela igunya lakhe. Ukusidla kwakuyobonisa ukuthi bayalenqaba. U-Adamu no-Eva abazilalelanga iziyalezo zikaJehova, bathatha uhlangothi lukaSathane, isidalwa somoya esasivukele igunya likaNkulunkulu. Ngenxa yalokho, uNkulunkulu wanquma kufanele ukuthi u-Adamu no-Eva babengakufanelekeli ukuphila phakade.—Genesise 3:1-6.

UNkulunkulu wayebakhethise phakathi kokuphila nokufa, ukuba khona nokungabi khona. Umphumela wokungalaleli wawuwukufa baphele nya. U-Adamu no-Eva, noma omunye wenzalo yabo, babengeke bakwazi ukuqhubeka bephila ngekhambi elithile eliwumlingo noma ngenxa yokuthi umphefumulo awufi.a

Yonke inzalo ka-Adamu yahlupheka ngenxa yokuhlubuka kwakhe. Umphostoli uPawulu uchaza imiphumela. Wabhala: “Ngomuntu oyedwa isono sangena ezweni nokufa kwangena ngesono, futhi kanjalo ukufa kwasakazekela kubantu bonke ngenxa yokuthi bonke bonile.”—Roma 5:12.

Ukuphila Okuphakade Kuphinde Kuyatholakala

Umphostoli uPawulu wachaza isimo senzalo ka-Adamu ngokusifanisa nesesigqila sekhulu lokuqala. Ngenxa yofuzo lwesono, izingane zika-Adamu no-Eva zazingenakukugwema ukuzalwa ‘ziyizigqila zesono,’ zilindelwe ukufa. (Roma 5:12; 6:16, 17) Zazingenakukugwema ukube kwakungengenxa yosizo olungokomthetho uJehova alunikeza ukuze athenge inkululeko yalezi zigqila. UPawulu wachaza: “Njengoba ngesiphambeko esisodwa [sika-Adamu] umphumela kubantu bazo zonke izinhlobo waba ukulahlwa, ngokufanayo futhi ngesenzo esisodwa sokuzibonakalisa elungile umphumela kubantu bazo zonke izinhlobo uwukuba kuthiwe balungile kube ukuphila.” Leso ‘senzo sokuzibonakalisa elungile’ saholela ekubeni uJesu anikele ngokuphila kwakhe okuphelele kobuntu ‘njengesihlengo esihambelanayo sabo bonke.’ UJehova wawamukela amandla angokomthetho esihlengo okukhulula isintu ‘esahlulelweni sokulahlwa.’—Roma 5:16, 18, 19; 1 Thimothewu 2:5, 6.

Yingakho ososayensi bengasoze basithola ezakhini zofuzo zomuntu isihluthulelo sokuphila okungapheli. Asikho lapho. NgokweBhayibheli, imbangela eyisisekelo yokufa kwesintu iphathelene nesimiso esingokomthetho, ayikho ezakhini zofuzo. Indlela yokubuyisa ukuphila okuphakade—ewumhlatshelo kaJesu wesihlengo—nayo ihlangabezana nemfuneko engokomthetho. Futhi isihlengo sibonakalisa ukulunga kukaNkulunkulu nomusa wakhe wothando. Obani-ke abayozuza esihlengweni bathole ukuphila okuphakade?

Isipho Sokungafi

UJehova uNkulunkulu ukhona “kusukela nini nanini kuze kube nini nanini.” Akanakufa. (IHubo 90:2) Umuntu wokuqala uJehova amnika isipho sokungafi nguJesu Kristu. Umphostoli uPawulu uyachaza: “UKristu, njengoba esevusiwe kwabafileyo, akasafi; ukufa akuseyona inkosi phezu kwakhe.” (Roma 6:9) Empeleni, lapho ebonisa umahluko phakathi kukaJesu ovusiwe nababusi basemhlabeni, uPawulu umchaza ngokuthi nguye yedwa phakathi kwabo onokungafi. UJesu uyolokhu “ephila kuze kube phakade.” Ukuphila kwakhe ‘akunakubhubhiseka.’—Hebheru 7:15-17, 23-25; 1 Thimothewu 6:15, 16.

Akuyena uJesu kuphela othola lesi sipho. AmaKristu agcotshwe ngomoya akhethwe ukuba ayobusa njengamakhosi enkazimulweni yasezulwini athola uvuko olufana nolukaJesu. (Roma 6:5) Umphostoli uJohane ubonisa ukuthi leli lungelo linikwa abantu abangu-144-000. (IsAmbulo 14:1) Nabo bathola ukungafi. UPawulu uthi ngovuko lwabo: “Inyama negazi akukwazi ukuzuza ifa lombuso kaNkulunkulu . . . Icilongo liyokhala, futhi abafileyo bayovuswa benokungonakali, futhi thina siyoshintshwa. Ngoba lokhu okonakalayo kumelwe kugqoke ukungonakali, nalokhu okufayo kumelwe kugqoke ukungafi.” Ukufa akunagunya phezu kwalabo abathola lolu vuko.—1 Korinte 15:50-53; IsAmbulo 20:6.

Leli qiniso elambulwe uNkulunkulu liyamangalisa impela. Ngisho nezingelosi azizange zidalwe zinokungafi, yize ziyizidalwa zomoya. Lokhu kuboniswa ukuthi izidalwa zomoya ezachema noSathane ekuvukeleni ziyobhujiswa. (Mathewu 25:41) Ababusi abakanye noJesu bona bathola isipho sokungafi, okuwubufakazi bokuthi uJehova uqiniseka ngokugcwele ukuthi bathembekile.

Ingabe lokhu kusho ukuthi abantu abayothola ukuphila okuphakade bangu-144 000 kuphela—okuyinani elincane kakhulu uma liqhathaniswa nezinkulungwane zezigidi zabantu abake baphila? Cha. Ake sibone ukuthi kungani.

Ukuphila Phakade Emhlabeni OyiPharadesi

Incwadi yeBhayibheli yesAmbulo isinikeza isithombe esihle sesixuku esingenakubalwa sabantu abanikwa ukuphila okuphakade emhlabeni oyiPharadesi. Phakathi kwabo kukhona nalabo abafa base beyavuswa, babuyiselwa ekubeni yizingqabavu nemiqemane. (IsAmbulo 7:9; 20:12, 13; 21:3, 4) Bayiswa ‘emfuleni wamanzi okuphila, ocwebe njengekristalu, ogeleza uvela esihlalweni sobukhosi sikaNkulunkulu.’ Uphahlwe “imithi yokuphila” futhi ‘amaqabunga ale mithi ngawokwelapha izizwe.’ Isimemo somusa sikaJehova uNkulunkulu sithi: “Noma ubani owomile makeze; nanoma ubani othandayo makathathe amanzi okuphila ngesihle.”—IsAmbulo 22:1, 2, 17.

Le mithi namanzi akuwona uzifozonke noma ikhubalo lokuhlala umusha, njengalelo elalifunwa izazi ze-alchemy nabahloli bamazwe emakhulwini eminyaka adlule. Kunalokho, kumelela amalungiselelo uNkulunkulu awenza ngoJesu Kristu okubuyisela isintu ekupheleleni kwasekuqaleni.

Injongo kaNkulunkulu yokunika isintu esilalelayo ukuphila okuphakade emhlabeni ayikashintshi. Iyogcwaliseka, ngoba uJehova uqotho. IHubo 37:29 lithi: “Abalungile bayokudla ifa lomhlaba, futhi bayohlala kuwo kuze kube phakade.” Lesi sithembiso sisishukumisela ukuba sisho kanye nalabo besintu abanikwa ukungafi ezulwini: “Mikhulu iyamangalisa imisebenzi yakho, Jehova Nkulunkulu, Mninimandla onke. Zilungile futhi ziyiqiniso izindlela zakho, Nkosi yaphakade. Ubani ongeke ngempela akwesabe, Jehova, akhazimulise igama lakho, ngoba wena wedwa uthembekile?”—IsAmbulo 15:3, 4.

Ingabe uyafisa ukuthola isipho esiyigugu sokuphila okuphakade? Uma kunjalo, kumelwe uzibonakalise uqotho futhi ulalele ‘iNkosi yaphakade.’ Kudingeka ufunde ngoJehova nangalowo ukuphila phakade okwenziwa kutholakale ngaye, uJesu Kristu. Bonke abazimisele ukwamukela izindinganiso zikaNkulunkulu zokulungile nokungalungile bayophiwa isipho ‘sokuphila okuphakade.’—Johane 17:3.

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Iphupho Elihlala Njalo

INkondlo Yobuqhawe KaGilgamesh, ewumlando waseMesophothamiya okuthiwa yalotshwa ngenkulungwane yesibili B.C.E., ichaza ukufuna kwaleli qhawe ubusha baphakade. AbaseGibhithe basendulo babomisa izidumbu, benombono wokuthi imiphefumulo, okwakukholelwa ukuthi ayifi, iyokwazi ukuphinde isebenzise imizimba yayo. Ngenxa yalokho, kwamanye amathuna aseGibhithe kwakufakwa zonke izinto abafileyo ababengase bazidinge kwelizayo elalicatshangwa.

Ezazini ze-alchemy zaseChina, kubonakala sengathi inkolelo yokungafi komzimba yayikhona okungenani kusukela ngekhulu lesi-8 B.C.E., kanti eyokuthi lokhu kungenzeka ngokuphuza amakhambi anomlingo yayikhona ngelesine B.C.E. Izazi ze-alchemy zaseYurophu zangeNkathi Ephakathi nezingama-Arabhu zazicinga amakhambi okungafi futhi zizama ukuzithakela awazo. Ezinye zezingxube zazo zaziba nempushana ye-arsenic, i-mercury nesibabule. Kwazi bani ukuthi zingaki ezadla ushevu zihlola lezi zithako!

Okunye okwake kwanda yizinganekwane zalokho okwakuthiwa uMthombo Wobusha—umthombo wamanzi okwakuthiwa bonke abaphuza kuwo babuyela ebusheni babo.

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Ingabe Ukuphila Phakade Kungaba Isicefe?

Abanye baphikisa ngokuthi ukuphila phakade kungaba isicefe, kumane kube ukuchitha isikhathi esingunaphakade ngokuzilibazisa ngezinto ezingenanjongo eziphindaphindwa unomphela. Mhlawumbe ukuphila phakade abakucabangayo kuwukunwetshwa kokuphila nezimo zanamuhla, okubonakala kuyiso isicefe futhi kungenanjongo kwabaningi. Nokho, ePharadesi uNkulunkulu azolibuyisela, uthembisa abantu ukuthi bayothola “injabulo enkulu ngokuchichima kokuthula.” (IHubo 37:11) Ukuphila okunjalo kuyonika isintu ithuba lokwazi ngendalo kaJehova nokuzinika isikhathi sokuhlakulela noma iliphi ikhono nokufunda ngemikhakha yolwazi nemisetshenzana ethakazelisayo esigcina ngokuyifisa manje.

UDkt. Aubrey de Grey, isazi sezakhi zofuzo sase-Cambridge University esicwaninga ngokunwetshwa kokuphila, uthi: “Abantu abanemfundo enhle nesikhathi sokuyisebenzisa ababi nesithukuthezi namuhla futhi abaziboni neze bephelelwa izinto ezintsha abangathanda ukuzenza.” IZwi likaNkulunkulu eliphefumulelwe lithi “abantu [ngeke bawuthole] nanini umsebenzi uNkulunkulu weqiniso awenzile kusukela ekuqaleni kuze kube sekupheleni.”—UmShumayeli 3:11.