‘Ukuhlwithwa Sihlangabeze INkosi’—Kanjani?
UKUNCIPHA kwesikhathi okusondeza lesimiso esibi samanje esiphelweni kuyaqhubeka ngokungenakuhlehliswa. Ngokudlula kwehora ngalinye, umzuzu ngamunye, nomzuzwana ngamunye, sisondela ezenzakalweni ezimangalisayo okwaprofethwa ngazo esikhathini eside esidlule. Ingabe ukuhlwithwa kungesinye salezi? Uma kunjalo, kuyokwenzeka nini futhi kanjani?
Labo abakukholelwayo bacaphuna amazwi omphostoli uPawulu kweyoku-1 Thesalonika 4:17 njengesisekelo senkolelo yabo. Ake sihlole umongo walombhalo. UPawulu wabhala:
“Asithandi, bazalwane, ukuba ningabi-nakwazi ngabalalayo, ukuze ningadabuki njengabanye abangenalo ithemba. Ngokuba uma sikholwa ukuthi uJesu wafa, wavuka, ngokunjalo-ke uNkulunkulu uyakubaletha nabaleleyo kuJesu kanye naye. Ngokuba lokho sikusho kini ngezwi leNkosi ukuthi thina, esisekhona sisasele kuze kube-sekufikeni kweNkosi, asiyikubandulela nempela abaleleyo, ngokuba iNkosi uqobo iyakwehla ezulwini ngezwi lenhlokomo, ngephimbo lengelosi enkulu nangecilongo likaNkulunkulu, nabafileyo kuKristu bayakuvuka kuqala, khona thina, esisekhona sisasele siyakuhlwithwa kanye nabo emafwini, sihlangabeze iNkosi emoyeni; kanjalo-ke siyakuba-nayo iNkosi njalo. Ngakho-ke duduzanani ngalawomazwi.”—1 Thesalonika 4:13-18.
Ibandla laseThesalonika lalilisha ngokuqhathaniswa lapho uPawulu ebhala incwadi yakhe yokuqala eya kumaKristu alapho cishe ngo-50 C.E. Amalungu alelibandla ayekhathazekile ngokuthi abathile babo ‘babelele.’ Nokho, lokho uPawulu akubhala kwaduduza abaseThesalonika ngethemba lovuko.
“Ukuba-Khona” KukaKristu
Nakuba ayeqinisekisa ukuthi amaKristu athembekile ayefile ngalesosikhathi ayezovuswa, uPawulu wathi futhi: “Abasekhona abasasele kuze kube khona iNkosi, abayikubandulela nempela abaleleyo.” (Ivesi 15, NW) Okuphawulekayo ngempela, ukubhekisela kukamphostoli ‘ekubeni khona’ kweNkosi. Lapha umbhalo wolimi lokuqala usebenzisa igama lesiGreki elithi pa·rou·siʹan, ngokwezwi nezwi elisho “ukuba-khona.”
Lapho umholi weZwe elithile evakashela elinye izwe, izinsuku zokuba-khona kwakhe lapho ngokuvamile ziyamenyezelwa. Lokhu kuye kwaba okufanayo nangokuba-khona kweNkosi uJesu Kristu. INqabayokulinda ngokuqhubekayo iye yanikeza abafundi besiprofetho seBhayibheli abanhliziyo ziqotho ubufakazi bokuthi ukuba-khona kukaJesu emandleni oMbuso wasezulwini kwaqala ngo-1914. Izenzakalo kusukela ngalowonyaka ziye zafakazela ukuba-khona kukaJesu okungabonakali. (Mathewu 24:3-14) Ngakho lapho ethi amaKristu athile aphila phakathi nokuba-khona kweNkosi ‘ayeyohlwithwa ahlangabeze iNkosi emoyeni,’ uPawulu wayesho ukuthi labo abasindile babeyohlangana noKristu, hhayi esibhakabhakeni somhlaba, kodwa endaweni yasezulwini engabonakali lapho uJesu ehleli khona ngakwesokunene sikaNkulunkulu. (Heberu 1:1-3) Kodwa bangobani?
“UIsrayeli KaNkulunkulu”
ImiBhalo isho okuningi ngoIsrayeli ongokwenyama futhi ikhuluma ‘nangoIsrayeli kaNkulunkulu’ ongokomoya. Amakholwa angamaJuda nawabeZizwe ayezokwakha inani eliphelele laleliqembu eligcotshwe ngomoya ongcwele kaNkulunkulu, noma amandla ayisiphekupheku. (Galathiya 6:16; Roma 11:25, 26; 1 Johane 2:20, 27) Incwadi yesAmbulo ibonisa ukuthi ingqikithi yenani likaIsrayeli ongokomoya ingu-144 000, bonke baboniswe beneWundlu, uJesu Kristu, eNtabeni iSiyoni yase-zulwini. Kanye noKristu, bayokuba ngamakhosi nabapristi ezulwini. (IsAmbulo 7:1-8; 14:1-4; 20:6) Abanye abayoba phakathi kwabo kuyoba abantu ababehlanganyela namabandla aseThesalonika nakwezinye izindawo, kungakhathaliseki ukuthi banesizinda saluphi uhlanga noma ubuzwe.—IzEnzo 10:34, 35.
Ngaphambi kokuba noma yimaphi amalungu athembekile kaIsrayeli ongokomoya athole umvuzo wasezulwini, kuyodingeka ahlanganyele kokuhlangenwe nakho okuthile. Njengoba nje ukufa kukaJesu esigxotsheni sokuhlushwa kwandulela ukuvuselwa kwakhe ekuphileni emazulwini, ngakho amaKristu anethemba lasezulwini kumelwe afe ngaphambi kokuthola umvuzo wawo. (1 Korinte 15:35, 36) Kwakuyokwenzeka okufanayo kumalungu kaIsrayeli ongokomoya ayephila ekhulwini lokuqala C.E. nalawo aphilayo namuhla.
Ngemva kokukhuluma ‘ngokuba-khona kweNkosi,’ uPawulu wakhomba esikhathini lapho amaIsrayeli angokomoya athembekile ayefile ayeyothola umvuzo wawo wasezulwini. Wabhala: “INkosi uqobo iyakwehla ezulwini ngezwi lenhlokomo, ngephimbo lengelosi enkulu nangecilongo likaNkulunkulu, nabafileyo kuKristu bayakuvuka kuqala.” (Ivesi 16) Ngakho-ke, uma nje ukuba-khona kukaJesu njengeNkosi sekuqalile, besiyolindela ukuba ukuvuselwa ezulwini kuqale, kuqale ngalabo bakaIsrayeli ongokomoya abase befile kakade bengabagcini bobuqotho. (1 Korinte 15:23) Manje bakhonza eceleni kukaJesu ezulwini. Kodwa kuthiwani ngamaKristu agcotshiwe ambalwa ngokuqhathaniswa asaphila emhlabeni? Ingabe alindele ukuhlwithwa?
‘Ukuhlwithwa’—Kanjani?
Ngemva kokubhekisela kumaKristu agcotshiwe ayefile, uPawulu wanezela: “Khona thina, esisekhona sisasele siyakuhlwithwa kanye nabo emafwini, sihlangabeze iNkosi emoyeni; kanjalo-ke siyakuba-nayo iNkosi njalo.” (Ivesi 17) ‘Abakhona’ kuyoba yilabo abaphilayo phakathi nokuba-khona kukaKristu. ‘Bayakuhlwithwa’ ukuze bahlangabeze iNkosi uJesu. Njengasendabeni yamaKristu akuqala athembekile, kudingeka bafe njengabantu ukuze bahlanganiswe noKristu ezulwini.—Roma 8:17, 35-39.
Lapho ebhalela amaKristu aseKorinte, uPawulu wathi: “Kepha ngisho lokhu, bazalwane, ukuthi inyama nagazi akunakulidla ifa elingumbuso kaNkulunkulu; nokubola akulidli ifa elingukungaboli. Bhekani, ngiyanitshela imfihlakalo; asiyikulala sonke, kepha siyakuguqulwa sonke, ngesikhashanyana, ngokuphazima kweso, ngecilongo lokugcina; ngokuba icilongo liyakukhala, abafileyo bavuswe bengenakubola, thina siguqulwe.” (1 Korinte 15:50-52) Lapho efa ethembekile phakathi nokuba-khona kukaKristu, ngamunye wensali kaIsrayeli ongokomoya ngokushesha umukela umvuzo wakhe wasezulwini. “Ngokuphazima kweso,” uvuswa eyisidalwa somoya futhi ‘ahlwithwe’ ukuze ahlangane noJesu futhi akhonze njengombusi kanye naye eMbusweni wasemazulwini. Kodwa kuthiwani ngabo bonke abanye abakhulekela uJehova? Njengoba ukuphela kwalesimiso esibi kusondela, ingabe nabo bayakuhlwithelwa ezulwini?
Ukusinda—Kodwa Hhayi Ngokuhlwithwa
Njengoba ukuba-khona kukaJesu embusweni kwaqala ngo-1914, manje sesingene shí ‘esikhathini sokugcina’ salelizwe. (Daniyeli 12:4) UPawulu waxwayisa: “Kepha ngezikhathi nangemizuzu, bazalwane, anisweli ukulotshelwa, ngokuba nina uqobo niyazi kahle ukuthi usuku lweNkosi luza njengesela ebusuku. Nxa bethi: Ngukuthula nokuhlala kahle, khona ukubhujiswa kuyabazuma njengemihelo ifikela okhulelweyo, abasoze baphunyuka.” (1 Thesalonika 5:1-3) Kodwa amaKristu aphapheme ayosinda. Kanjani?
Isimemezelo esithi ‘Ukuthula nokulondeka!’ sandulela inkathi uJesu ayibiza ngokuthi “usizi olukhulu.” Lapho ichaza “isixuku esikhulu” sabathembekile abanethemba lokuphila phakade epharadesi lasemhlabeni, incwadi yesAmbulo ithi: “Laba yibo abaphuma osizini olukhulu, bahlanza izingubo zabo, bazenza zaba-mhlophe egazini leWundlu.” (IsAmbulo 7:9, 14; Luka 23:43) Cha, ithemba labo akulona elokuhlwithwa. Kunalokho, banethemba lokusindela khona lapha emhlabeni. Ukuze bakulungiselele, kumelwe bahlale bephapheme ngokomoya. Ungakwenza kanjani lokhu futhi usinde ekupheleni kwalesimiso?
Kudingeka ‘uqonde, ufake isivikelo sesifuba sokukholwa nesothando, isigqoko sibe-yithemba lokusindiswa.’ (1 Thesalonika 5:6-8) Manje yisikhathi sokuqaphela iZwi likaNkulunkulu lesiprofetho, iBhayibheli. Njengoba isikhathi sidlula kuze kube yisiphelo salesimiso, lalela iseluleko sikaPawulu: “Ningakudeleli ukuprofetha; vivinyani konke, nibambisise okuhle.” (1 Thesalonika 5:20, 21) Ngakho oFakazi BakaJehova bayakwemukela emaHholo abo oMbuso, lapho ungahlanganyela nabo ekutadisheni iziprofetho zeBhayibheli nezinye izici zeZwi likaNkulunkulu eliphefumlelwe.
Njengoba ukhula olwazini oluqondile nasokholweni, uyokuqonda ukufezeka kwezinjongo zikaJehova uNkulunkulu zokususa izitha zakhe endaweni yonke futhi abuyisele umhlaba ube yipharadesi. Ngokubonisa ukholo, nawe ungaba phakathi kwalabo abayosinda osizini olukhulu, abayoba nelungelo lokwamukela izigidi eziyovuselwa ekuphileni emhlabeni. Futhi yeka injabulo okuyoba yiyo ukuphila ngaphansi koMbuso kaNkulunkulu osezandleni zikaJesu Kristu kanye nalabo abusa kanye nabo, abayobe ‘behlwithiwe bahlangabeza iNkosi’ ngokuba bavuselwe ekuphileni endaweni yasezulwini!
Khona-ke, liyini ithemba langempela elingokomBhalo ngoquqaba lwesintu olulalelayo? Akukhona ukuhlwithwa. Kunalokho, liwukuphila phakade emhlabeni ngaphansi kokubusa koMbuso kaNkulunkulu.
[Isithombe ekhasini 7]
Abayosinda osizini olukhulu bayokwamukela abavuselwe ekuphileni epharadesi emhlabeni ngaphansi kokubusa kukaJesu nalabo ‘abahlwithelwa’ ezulwini