Imibuzo Evela Kubafundi
Ungubani ‘owesifazane’ okukhulunywa ngaye ku-Isaya 60:1 futhi ‘uvuka, akhanyise’ kanjani?
U-Isaya 60:1 uthi: “Vuka wena wesifazane, khanyisa ngoba ukukhanya kwakho kufikile. Inkazimulo kaJehova iyakhanya phezu kwakho.” Umongo ubonisa ukuthi ‘owesifazane’ kwakuyiZiyoni, noma iJerusalema, inhloko-dolobha yakwaJuda yangaleso sikhathi.a (Isaya 60:14; 62:1, 2) Idolobha limelela sonke isizwe. Amazwi ka-Isaya aphakamisa imibuzo emibili: Owokuqala, iJerusalema ‘lavuka’ nini futhi lakuletha kanjani ukukhanya okungokomoya? Owesibili, ingabe amazwi ka-Isaya agcwaliseka ngezinga elikhulu esikhathini sethu?
IJerusalema ‘lavuka’ nini futhi lakuletha kanjani ukukhanya okungokomoya? Ngesikhathi amaJuda edingiselwe eBhabhiloni iminyaka engu-70, iJerusalema nethempeli kwakusele kuyincithakalo. Kodwa ngemva kokuba iBhabhiloni linqotshwe amaMede namaPheresiya, ama-Israyeli ayehlala kuwo wonke uMbuso waseBhabhiloni akhululeka ukuba abuyele ezweni lawo aphinde akhonze uJehova ngeqiniso. (Ezra 1:1-4) Kusukela ngo-537 B.C.E., abathembekile ababesele abavela kuzo zonke izizwe ezingu-12 babuyela ezweni labo. (Isaya 60:4) Baqala ukunikela imihlatshelo eshiswayo kuJehova, ukugubha imikhosi, nokwakha kabusha ithempeli. (Ezra 3:1-4, 7-11; 6:16-22) Inkazimulo kaJehova yaphinde yakhanya eJerusalema—okuwukuthi, kubantu bakhe. Ngenxa yalokho baba umthombo wokukhanya ezizweni, ezazisebumnyameni ngokomoya.
Nokho, iziprofetho zika-Isaya ezimayelana nokubuyiselwa kokukhonza uJehova ngeqiniso zagcwaliseka ngokwengxenye eJerusalema lasendulo. Ama-Israyeli amaningi ayeka ukulalela uNkulunkulu. (Neh. 13:27; Mal. 1:6-8; 2:13, 14; Math. 15:7-9) Kamuva, aze aphika noMesiya, uJesu Kristu. (Math. 27:1, 2) Ngo-70 C.E., iJerusalema nethempeli kwaphinde kwabhujiswa.
UJehova wayibikezela leyo miphumela edabukisayo. (Dan. 9:24-27) Kusobala ukuthi kwakungeyona injongo yakhe ukuba iJerusalema elisemhlabeni lizigcwalise zonke iziprofetho ezimayelana nokubuyiselwa kokukhonza uJehova ngeqiniso eziku-Isaya isahluko 60.
Ingabe amazwi ka-Isaya agcwaliseka ngezinga elikhulu esikhathini sethu? Yebo, kodwa ngokuphathelene nomunye wesifazane ongokomfanekiso—“iJerusalema eliphezulu.” Umphostoli uPawulu wathi ngalo: “Lingumama wethu.” (Gal. 4:26) IJerusalema eliphezulu liyingxenye esezulwini yenhlangano kaNkulunkulu eyakhiwa izidalwa zomoya eziqotho. Abantwana balo bahlanganisa uJesu namaKristu agcotshwe ngomoya angu-144 000 anethemba lasezulwini. AmaKristu agcotshiwe akha “isizwe esingcwele”—“u-Israyeli kaNkulunkulu.”—1 Pet. 2:9; Gal. 6:16.
IJerusalema eliphezulu ‘lavuka’ kanjani futhi lakuletha kanjani “ukukhanya”? Lokho lakwenza ngabantwana balo abagcotshiwe abasemhlabeni. Qhathanisa indlela izinto ababhekana nazo ezifana ngayo nalokho okwaprofethwa ku-Isaya isahluko 60.
AmaKristu agcotshiwe kwadingeka ‘avuke’ ngoba ayembozwe ubumnyama obungokomoya ngesikhathi kwanda izihlubuki ngekhulu lesibili C.E. (Math. 13:37-43) Ngaleso sikhathi athunjwa yiBhabhiloni Elikhulu, umbuso wezwe wenkolo yamanga. Abagcotshiwe baqhubeka bethunjiwe kwaze kwaba “sesiphelweni sesimiso sezinto,” inkathi eyaqala ngonyaka ka-1914. (Math. 13:39, 40) Ngokushesha ngemva kwalokho, ngo-1919, bakhululwa base beqala ukuletha ukukhanya okungokomoya ngokuthi bahlanganyele ngokugcwele emsebenzini wokushumayela.b Kuyo yonke le minyaka, abantu bazo zonke izizwe bebelokhu beza kulokhu kukhanya, kuhlanganise nabasele baka-Israyeli kaNkulunkulu—“amakhosi” okukhulunywe ngawo ku-Isaya 60:3.—IsAm. 5:9, 10.
Esikhathini esizayo amaKristu agcotshiwe azoletha ukukhanya kukaNkulunkulu ngendlela enkulu ngisho nakakhulu. Kanjani? Lapho befa emhlabeni, bazoba yingxenye ‘yeJerusalema elisha,’ noma umakoti kaKristu wabangu-144 000 abangamakhosi nabapristi kanye naye.—IsAm. 14:1; 21:1, 2, 24; 22:3-5.
IJerusalema elisha liyodlala indima ebalulekile ekugcwalisekeni kuka-Isaya 60:1. (Qhathanisa no-Isaya 60:1, 3, 5, 11, 19, 20 nesAmbulo 21:2, 9-11, 22-26.) Njengoba nje iJerusalema lasemhlabeni laliyisikhungo sikahulumeni ka-Israyeli wasendulo neJerusalema elisha noKristu bayoba uhulumeni wesimiso esisha sezinto. IJerusalema elisha “lehla [kanjani] livela ezulwini kuNkulunkulu”? Lehla ngokwenza izinto ezizozuzisa umhlaba. Abantu abesaba uNkulunkulu bazo zonke izizwe ‘bayohamba ngokukhanya kwalo.’ Bayokhululwa esonweni nasekufeni. (IsAm. 21:3, 4, 24) Umphumela uyoba ukuthi ‘zonke izinto ziyokwenziwa zibe zintsha’ ngokuphelele, njengoba u-Isaya nabanye abaprofethi babikezela. (IzE. 3:21) Lokho kubuyiselwa okukhulu kwaqala lapho uKristu eba iNkosi futhi kuyopheleliswa ekupheleni Kweminyaka Eyinkulungwane Yokubusa kwakhe.
a Ku-Isaya 60:1, IBhayibheli—ImiBhalo Engcwele lisebenzisa igama elithi ‘owesifazane’ esikhundleni selithi “iZiyoni,” noma “iJerusalema,” ngenxa yokuthi isenzo sesiHebheru esithi “vuka” nesithi “khanyisa” angamagama asetshenziswa kwabesifazane, njengoba kunjalo nangegama elithi “wena.” Igama elithi ‘owesifazane’ lisiza umfundi wesiZulu aqonde ukuthi kukhulunywa nowesifazane ongokomfanekiso.
b Ukubuyiselwa kokukhonza uJehova ngeqiniso okwenzeka ngo-1919 kuphinde kuchazwe kuHezekeli 37:1-14 nakusAmbulo 11:7-12. UHezekeli wabikezela ngokubuyiselwa kokukhonza uJehova ngeqiniso kwawo wonke amaKristu agcotshiwe okwakuyokwenzeka ngemva kwenkathi ende yokuthunjwa. Isiprofetho esikusAmbulo sibhekisela ekuzalweni kabusha okungokomfanekiso kweqembu elincane labazalwane abebelokhu behola ngemva kwesikhathi esifushane bengakwazi ukukhonza uJehova ngokukhululekile ngenxa yokuboshwa ngokungenabulungisa. Ngo-1919, bamiswa ‘njengenceku ethembekile neqondayo.’—Math. 24:45; bheka incwadi ethi Indlela Emsulwa Yokukhonza UJehova—Iyabuyiselwa Ekugcineni!, k. 118.