Isithombe Esikhulu Esingokwesiprofetho—Kuyosho Ukuthini Ukuwa Kwaso?

YINI uNebukadinesari, umbusi onamandla waseBabiloni, ayibona lapho elele eminyakeni engaphezu kwezi-2 500 edlule? Uma wayengakhumbula ngemva kokuphaphama, ingabe wayeyokwazi ukuthi esithombeni esisodwa wayebone ukuhlaziywa kwekusasa lomhlaba?

Lapho isiphapheme, iNkosi uNebukadinesari yoMbuso waseBabiloni yabiza abahlola imihlola nabahlakaniphileyo bayo. Yayifuna ukuba bayikhumbuze iphupho layo futhi balichaze.

Kodwa ubani ongachaza okuthile angakwazi? Abahlakaniphileyo babekhungathekile. Nokho, uJehova wenza ukuba umdingiswa ongumJuda uDaniyeli akwazi ukukhumbula futhi achaze iphupho kanjalo atshele inkosi ngezehlakalo zesikhathi esizayo. Ake silandele incazelo kaDaniyeli yaleliphupho, njengoba lithinta isikhathi sethu.

Isithombe Esiyimfihlakalo

UDaniyeli uqala ngokuchaza isithombe esikhulu esinekhanda legolide, isifuba nezingalo zesiliva, isisu namathanga ethusi, imilenze yensimbi, nezinyawo zensimbi nebumba. Itshe lishaya izinyawo zesithombe futhi lisibhubhise ngokuphelele. Ngokulandelayo, itshe liyakhula lize libe intaba egcwalisa umhlaba wonke. (Daniyeli 2:31-35) Leli kwakuyiphupho lenkosi eyayisilikhohliwe! Lalisho ukuthini?

UDaniyeli utshela inkosi ukuthi izingxenye zesithombe zimelele imibuso yezwe eyolandelana. Izazi eziningi zenkolo ziyavumelana nephuzu elivezwe kuyiencyclopedia yeBhayibheli elithi: “Iqiniso eliwumgogodla (likaDaniyeli isahluko 2) liwukuthi ngolunye usuku umbuso kaNkulunkulu uyothatha indawo yayo yonke imibuso yabantu.” Luyofika nini lolosuku? Isiprofetho sikaDaniyeli sinikeza ukwaziswa okubalulekile okuphathelene nalowombuzo.

Ikhanda Nomzimba

“Wena-nkosi uyinkosi yamakhosi enikwe umbuso, namandla, nodumo . . . Wena uyikhanda legolide.” Ngakho, ikhanda lalimelele iNkosi uNebukadinesari kanye nohlu lwamakhosi olwaqala ngaye.—Daniyeli 2:37, 38.

“Emva kwakho kuyakuvuka omunye umbuso omncane kunawe, nomunye umbuso wesithathu wethusi oyakubusa emhlabeni wonke.” (Daniyeli 2:39) Ngemva kweBabiloni, uMbuso wamaMede namaPheresiya wathatha ithuba lawo njengombuso ovelele womlando weBhayibheli. Walandelwa uMbuso waseGrisi, lowo, ngaphansi kuka-Alexander oMkhulu, owanwebela ukubusa kwawo endaweni enkulu kakhulu kuneyanoma imuphi umbuso wezwe wangaphambili.

“UMbuso Wesine”—Isihluthulelo Semfihlakalo

Imibuso emithathu yokuqala yavela yabuye yanyamalala emhlabeni njengemibuso emikhulu yomhlaba njengoba nje uDaniyeli ayeprofethile ngaphansi kokuphefumlelwa kwaphezulu. Kodwa kubaluleke ngokwengeziwe ngathi ukuba sazi “umbuso wesine.” Ngani? Ngoba isithombe sephupho kumelwe siwe phakathi nesikhathi salombuso, futhi sidinga ukwazi ukuthi ukuwa kwaso kuhilelani. Lalela njengoba uDaniyeli enikeza ukwaziswa okwengeziwe.

“Umbuso wesine uyakuqina njengensimbi, ngokuba insimbi ichoboza, igxobe konke; nanjengensimbi ekwaphula konke lokhu, uyakugxoba, waphule.” (Daniyeli 2:40) Ingabe lombuso wesine umelela uMbuso wamaRoma kuphela, owalandela iGrisi njengombuso wezwe ovelele? Cha, ngenxa yezizathu ezihlukahlukene.

Yona kanye incwadi kaDaniyeli isinikeza umqondo wesikhathi salesithombe, ngoba kwathiwa: “[UNkulunkulu] wazisile inkosi uNebukadinesari okuyakuba-khona ngezinsuku ezizayo [“engxenyeni yokugcina yezinsuku,” NW].” (Daniyeli 2:28) Lamazwi abonisa ukuthi ukugcwaliseka kokugcina kombono kwakuyoba sesikhathini esikude esizayo, ngemva kwesikhathi sombuso wamaGreki nowamaRoma.

Umphostoli uJohane, omunye umlobi weBhayibheli, naye wakhuluma “ngamakhosi” noma imibuso yezwe. Ngokuphathelene nawo wabhala: “Zingamakhosi ayisikhombisa; ayisihlanu asewile, enye ikhona, enye ayikafiki.” Ngaphambi kokungenela koMbuso kaNkulunkulu, omunye umbuso wezwe wawuzofika (ngemva koMbuso wamaRoma ‘owawukhona’ osukwini lukaJohane). Lowombuso wezwe wawuyohlanganiswa futhi “embusweni wesine” wesiprofetho sikaDaniyeli. (IsAmbulo 17:10-14; Daniyeli 2:40) Yini esiyifunda emlandweni ngalokhu?

Uqiniswe ukunqoba kwezempi, uMbuso Wezwe WamaRoma awuphelanga ngokugudluzwa kombusi wawo wokugcina eRoma ngumholi oyiJalimane uOdoacer, ngo-476 C.E. Emakhulwini amaningi eminyaka, iRoma yaqhubeka nokubusa iYurophu ngokwezombangazwe, futhi ikakhulukazi ngokwezenkolo ngenxa yesimiso sezikhonzi ezazisebenzela amakhosi ziwavikele nasezitheni esasenza wonke umuntu okokuqala azihlele phansi kwalowo ayemsebenzela, bese kuba senkosini, futhi ekugcineni kube kupapa. Empeleni, upapa wayehlulela izindaba ezibalulekile njengenkantolo yezinqumo zokugcina futhi wayengathobisela amakhosi entandweni yakhe ngokuxosha nangokunquma.a Njengoba iThe Columbia History of the World iphawula: “Isonto lalinguhulumeni waseYurophu omkhulu kakhulu.”

Ngo-1534 iNkosi uHenry Vlll yaseNgilandi yazenza inhloko yeSonto laseSheshi, yangancika kuyiRoma. Ngaleyondlela yaqeda lobobuhlobo. Kodwa yaqala futhi ukwakha isikhali sempi esiyinhloko sombuso waseBrithani, njengoba uEric Delderfield ephawula encwadini yakhe iKings and Queens of England: “UHenry waqhubeka nomsebenzi kayise wokusungula imikhumbi yezempi ephumelelayo. . . . Ekufeni kwakhe, uHenry wayesenezele cishe imikhumbi engamashumi ayisishiyagalombili emandleni eMikhumbi Yezempi ngakho wayesebekela iSpain inselele ekuveleleni kwayo kwezemikhumbi.”

Kulawomakhulu eminyaka umbuso waseBrithani wenziwa waba umbuso omkhulu lowo uDaniel Webster, isazi sezombangazwe esidumile saseMelika sekhulu le-19 leminyaka, esakuchaza “njengombuso iRoma engeqhathaniswe nawo, kungakhathaliseki ukuphakama kodumo lwayo, uma kucatshangelwa ukunqoba kwayo amazwe angaphandle kanye nokuthumba,—umbuso oye wavelela emhlabeni wonke ngempahla yawo nangezikhundla zempi.” Ngokushesha uMbuso waseBrithani waba nokuxhumana okuseduze ngokwezombangazwe nasezindabeni zezempi namazwe ayo akuqala asenyakatho Melika. Ngaleyondlela kwavela inkosi yesikhombisa yesAmbulo 17:10, okunguMbuso Wezwe Okabili wamaNgisi namaMelika.

Ngokwalokho okwashiwo ngesithombe sephupho, “inzalo yabantu,” noma abantu abavamile, babeyofeza indima enkulu ngokwengeziwe kuhulumeni ngesikhathi “salenkosi” yokugcina. (Daniyeli 2:42, 43) Umlando wanamuhla uyaqinisekisa ukuthi lokho ngempela sekuye kwenzeka, ngemibuso yentando yeningi noma ‘ohulumeni babantu’ bethatha indawo yamakhosi amaningi, izindlovukazi, noma eminye imibuso yobushiqela. Phakathi kohulumeni banamuhla, abamelelwe yizinzwane eziyishumi zesithombe, abanye banjengensimbi, okungukuthi, bayashiqela noma bayacindezela. Kodwa abanye, ngenxa yokuthi babusa ngesimiso sokusebenzela uhulumeni nangentando yeningi bagobeka kalula, njengobumba.

Ukuwa

Njengoba kuboniswe esiprofethweni sikaDaniyeli, lapho ohulumeni abamelelwe izinyawo sebebusa—futhi lokho kusho ukuthi esikhathini sethu—ukuphela kwesithombe esikhulu kwakuyobe sekusondela. Ngeke siwe ngenxa yobuthakathaka bezinyawo ezakhiwe ngensimbi nangobumba, kodwa ngenxa yokushaywa nokuchotshozwa ‘ngetshe’ elingokomfanekiso. Lelolitshe limeleleni? UMbuso wobuMesiya ‘owawuyochoboza uqede yonke lemibuso’ bese uba ‘intaba enkulu egcwalisa umhlaba wonke.’—Daniyeli 2:34, 35, 44.b

“Iphupho liqinisile, nencazo yalo iyiqiniso,” kusho uDaniyeli. (Daniyeli 2:45) Ukugcwaliseka kokuqala kwaleziprofetho ezimbili—esinye ngokubhujiswa kweBabiloni nesinye ngokuphathelene nokulandelana kwemibuso yezwe—kusiqinisekisa ngokuthi lokho okusasele ukuba kugcwaliseke kuyokwenzeka ngesikhathi esimisiwe. Lokhu kuyohlanganisa ukubhujiswa kwesithombe sephupho esingokwesiprofetho ngokungenela koMbuso kaNkulunkulu.

Ezinye izincwadi zeBhayibheli ziqukethe iziprofetho ezibalulekile ngezinjongo zikaNkulunkulu. Umagazini ngamunye weNqabayokulinda, ukhuluma ngeziningi zalezi futhi uchaze ezikushoyo esikhathini sethu. Ngakho uma ungeyena umfundi wasikhathi sonke walomagazini, kungani ungabi nguye? Ngaleyondlela ungafunda okwengeziwe ngoJehova uNkulunkulu, “owambula izimfihlakalo,” kanye nezibusiso ezingenakubalwa uMbuso wakhe ozoziletha ngokushesha emhlabeni.—Daniyeli 2:28.

[Imibhalo yaphansi]