Ingabe UNkulunkulu Uyalibala Ukuletha Isahlulelo Sakhe?

AKE sithi ulindele isivakashi esivela kwelinye idolobha esikutshele usuku esizofika ngalo kodwa hhayi ihora. Njengoba isikhathi sihamba, futhi singafiki, uyaqala ukuzibuza ukuthi ingabe silibazisekile yini. Ingabe yilolusuku ngempela esathi sizofika ngalo? Ingabe kube khona ukungaqondani kahle? Kancane kancane, lokho ekuqaleni obekumane nje kuwukuxhamazela kuphenduka kube ukudideka okukhulu, okuthile okubizwa ngokuthi ukungabaza.

Lokhu kungayichaza kahle indlela abanye abantu abazizwa ngayo ngokufika okuthenjisiwe kwesikhathi sikaNkulunkulu sokwahlulela ababi. Kanti nokho, abakhulekeli bakhe bebelokhu besilindile isikhathi eside. Thatha ngokwesibonelo, iNkosi ethembekile uDavide. Eminyakeni engaphezu kwezi-3 000 edlule yathi: “INkosi [uJehova] ingakwesokunene sakho; iyakuchoboza amakhosi ngosuku lwentukuthelo yayo. Iyakwahlulela phakathi kwabezizwe.” Ngakho ingabe ukhona namuhla ongasolwa uma ebuza ukuthi, Nini?—IHubo 110:5, 6.

Ngokuqhathanisa izimo zezwe nesiprofetho seBhayibheli kanye nokucabangela uhlelo lwezikhathi zomlando weBhayibheli, abafundi beqiniso beBhayibheli baye baneliseka ngokuthi usuku lukaNkulunkulu lokwahlulela seluze lwaba seduze. Kodwa ingabe abantu abaningi esikhathini esidlule abazange bazizwe ngendlela efanayo, base bethola kamuva ukuthi bebenze iphutha? Ingabe ikhona indlela eqinisekile yokuthola ngokuqondile ukuthi isahlulelo sikaNkulunkulu siyokhishwa nini?

“Ngesikhathi Esimisiwe” SikaNkulunkulu

UJesu wabonisa ukuthi ukwahlulela kuyofika ngesikhathi esithile. Kodwa exwayisa abalandeli bakhe, wathi: “Qaphelani, nilinde, ngokuba anisazi isikhathi ukuthi siyakuba-nini.”—Marku 13:33.

UHabakuki, owathunywa nguNkulunkulu eminyakeni engamakhulu ayisithupha ngaphambili ukuba abhale ngokwehliswa kwesahlulelo saphezulu, futhi wathi siyoba ‘esesikhathi esimisiwe.’ Futhi njengesixwayiso sokungabekezeli, noma mhlawumbe ngisho nangokungabaza, wathembisa ngokuqondisa kukaNkulunkulu: “Awuyikukhohlisa; noma ulibala, wulindele, ngokuba uyakufika nokufika, awuyikwephuza.”—Habakuki 2:2, 3.

Kodwa uma isahlulelo sikaNkulunkulu ‘singesesikhathi esimisiwe’ futhi uma ‘singenakwephuza,’ kungani uHabakuki ethi ‘noma silibala?’ Ngokusobala ukuze abonise ukuthi abanye babantu bakaNkulunkulu babeyosilindela ukuba sifike ngokushesha singakafiki isikhathi saso ngempela. Kungani? Ngoba isikhathi esiqondile sokufika kwaso babeyohlala bengasazi.

Lapho esemhlabeni, ngisho noJesu akazange asazi isikhathi esiqondile, ngokuba wathi: “Kepha lolosuku nalelohora akakho owazi-lutho ngalo, nazingelosi ezulwini, naNdodana, nguBaba kuphela.” (Marku 13:32) Nokho, lokho ayekwazi kwakuyinkathi yesikhathi isahlulelo esasiyokwehliswa ngayo. Khona-ke, ecelwe ngabafundi bakhe, wabanikeza isibonakaliso esasiyobenza bayibone lenkathi lapho isiqalile. Ubufakazi bayo bokuqala, uJesu wathi, buyoba ‘njengokuqala kwemihelo.’ Manje, eqinisweni, owesifazane okhulelwe onemihelo akasazi isikhathi esiqondile umntwana wakhe azozalwa ngaso. Nokho, uyazi ukuthi ukuzalwa kwakhe sekuseduze kakhulu.—Mathewu 24:3-8.

“Lesizukulwane Asiyikwedlula”

Ngaphandle kokwazi inkathi yesikhathi sokufika kwesahlulelo saphezulu, uJesu wakwazi ukunikeza imikhawulo wobude bayo. Esebenzisa umfanekiso womkhiwane, wathi: “Nxa igatsha lawo selithamba, lihlume amaqabunga, niyazi ukuthi ihlobo seliseduze. Kanjalo nani, nxa nibona konke lokhu, yazini ukuthi iseduze ngasemnyango. Ngiqinisile ngithi kini: Lesisizukulwane asiyikudlula kungakenzeki konke lokhu.”—Mathewu 24:32-34.

Khona-ke isahlulelo sasiyokhishwa ngesikhathi esithile phakathi nokuphila kwabantu ababona isibonakaliso sokuqala senkathi eyabikezelwa uJesu. Isiqalo salenkathi yesikhathi, sasiyophawula isiqalo sesiphelo sezwe likaSathane, lelo uMbuso kaNkulunkulu osanda kumiswa ezulwini oyolehlisela isahlulelo saphezulu. Ihlelo lezikhathi zomlando weBhayibheli nokugcwaliseka kweziprofetho zeBhayibheli kunikeza ubufakazi obanele bokuthi lenkathi yesikhathi yaqala ngo-1914.a

Ngakho ngaphambi kokuba isizukulwane sika-1914 sife sonke, isahlulelo sikaNkulunkulu kumelwe sikhishwe. Lesizukulwane sisekhona ngamanani amakhudlwana. Ngokwesibonelo, ngo-1980 eFederal Republic yaseJalimane kwakusenabantu abaphilayo abayi-1 597 100 abazalwa ngo-1900 noma ngaphambili. Inani belingaba ngisho ngaphezulu ukuba izigidi zezakhamuzi zalo azizange zife ngaphambi kwesikhathi phakathi nezimpi zezwe ezimbili.

Ekuthembiseni ukuthi “lesisizukulwane asiyikwedlula,” uJesu wasebenzisa amagama amabili esiGreki aphikisanayo uou nome. IThe Companion Bible ichaza ukusetshenziswa kwawo ngalendlela: “Lamagama amabili aphikisanayo lapho ehlanganiswa alahlekelwa incazelo yawo ehlukene, bese enza ukuvuma okunamandla nokuqine kakhulu [ukugomela].” Kumanje kuphela, esikhathini lapho isizukulwane sibonakala singedlula kungakagcwaliseki konke, lapho amazwi kaJesu athi “asiyikwedlula” eba nokubaluleka kwangempela.

Ukuvivinywa Kokholo

Amazwi esixwayiso kaHabakuki abonisa ukuthi kwakuyoba sengathi kukhona ukwephuza okuthile kwesahlulelo sikaJehova, okuyosebenza njengovivinyo lokholo. Ngokunengqondo loluvivinyo lwalungeke lube khona kuze kube ngasekupheleni kwesizukulwane uJesu akhuluma ngaso. Ngokuvumelana nesibonelo esinikezwe ekuqaleni kwalesihloko, cabangela lokhu: Kunini lapho bewuyoqala ukungabaza ngokungathi sína ngokuthi isivakashi sakho siyeza? Ngokuqinisekile hhayi ngehora lesishiyagalolunye ekuseni, noma emini, ngokunokwenzeka hhayi ngisho nantambama. Kodwa cishe ukholo lwakho beluyovivinyeka uma ukuhlwa sekuqalile. Nokho, khumbula ukuthi ngisho nango-11:30 kusihlwa isivakashi sakho besisenesikhathi esanele sokuba sizogcwalisa isithembiso saso!

Asikho isizathu sokukhathazeka ngokuthi iZwi likaNkulunkulu ngeke ligcwaliseke. Alikaze lingagcwaliseki. Amazwi kaJoshuwa kumaIsrayeli eminyakeni engaphezu kwezi-3 000 edlule aseyiqiniso namanje njengoba ayenjalo ngalesosikhathi: “Akuphuthanga nento eyodwa kuzo zonke izinto ezinhle azikhuluma uJehova uNkulunkulu wenu ngani; kwenziwa konke kini, akuphuthanga nento eyodwa kuzo.”—Joshuwa 23:14.

“Ngokuqondene nokugcwaliseka kwesiprofetho kubonakala kungokwemvelo ngathi, nangaso sonke isintu, ukuxhamazela nokulindela ukuba izinto zenziwe ngokushesha kunangendlela ezivame ukwenzeka ngayo.” Kwasho INqabayokulinda yesiNgisi kaMay 1, 1910, inezela: “Lokhu kuwukulibala ngokuqondene nokulangazelela kwethu, kodwa singaqiniseka ngokuthi akukho ukulibala ngokuqondene nenjongo yaphezulu . . . Asingabazi ukuthi ekugcineni imiphumela iyovela ekugcwalisekeni kwesikhathi—ngesikhathi sikaNkulunkulu.”

Ngokubheka emuva, amaKristu athembekile aphila namuhla angase abone isizathu esihle sokuthi kungani isahlulelo sikaNkulunkulu singakakhishwa. Eqinisweni ayajabula ngokuthi asikafiki. Isihloko sethu esilandelayo sichaza isizathu.

[Umbhalo waphansi]

[Isithombe ekhasini 4]

Abantu besizukulwane sika-1914 banethemba lokubona ‘zonke lezizinto zenzeka’