‘Balekelani Ezintabeni’

Kulabo ababekhonza uNkulunkulu ngobuqotho, uJesu waqondisa lamazwi: “Ngakho-ke nxa nibona amanyala encithakalo ashiwo nguDaniyeli umprofethi emi endaweni engcwele—ofundayo makaqaphele—khona abaseJudiya mababalekele ezintabeni, ophezu kwendlu angehli ukuyothatha okusendlini yakhe, osensimini angabuyeli emuva ukuyothatha ingubo yakhe. Kepha maye kwabakhulelweyo nabancelisayo ngalezozinsuku!”—Mathewu 24:15-19.

Kungani uJesu anxusa abalandeli bakhe ukuba baphuthume kangaka ‘ekubalekeleni ezintabeni’? Wathi: “Ngokuba lapho kuyakuba-khona usizi olukhulu olungazange lube-khona kwasekuqaleni kwezwe kuze kube-manje nolungasayikuba-khona. Uma lezozinsuku zingafinyezwanga, bekungesindiswe-muntu; kepha ngenxa yabakhethiweyo lezozinsuku ziyakufinyezwa.”—Mathewu 24:21, 22.

Kodwa uJesu wayesho ukuthini lapho ekhuluma nga“manyala encithakalo . . . emi endaweni engcwele”? Wayesho ukuthini ngo‘sizi olukhulu,’ nanga‘bantu’ ababeyosindiswa? Kungani usizi ‘lwaluyofinyezwa,’ “ngenxa yabakhethiweyo”?

Ukugcwaliseka Ekhulwini Lokuqala

Kwaba yini ukugcwaliseka okungokoqobo kwalesiprofetho ekhulwini lokuqala? Okokuqala nje, phawula isixwayiso esiphuthumayo sokubalekela ezintabeni “nxa nibona amanyala encithakalo . . . emi endaweni engcwele.”

Ayeyini lamanyala encithakalo? Umlando uyasitshela ukuthi yini ngempela eyabangela ukubhujiswa kweJerusalema: Kwakungamabutho oMbuso wamaRoma. Lapho lawomabutho ebonakala okokuqala ephithizela ezungeza iJerusalema, kwakuyisibonakaliso kumuntu ‘oqaphelayo’ ukuba aphume kuleyondawo. Futhi lokhu kwenzeka ngonyaka ka-66 C.E. Khona-ke, amabutho amaRoma ngaphansi kukaJenene Cestius Gallus azungeza iJerusalema ahlasela ngisho nezindonga zethempeli, azonakalisa. Ayengase awuthumbe wonke umuzi.

Khona-ke, nanko amabutho amaRoma emi “emzini ongcwele.” (Qhathanisa noMathewu 4:5; 27:53.) Ngisho namaJuda ayizihlubuki ayeliqaphela iJerusalema nezakhiwo zalo njengeli“ngcwele.” Ukuba khona kwalezozimpi kule‘ndawo engcwele’ kwakungamanyala kumaJuda.

Nokho, kodwa ngesizathu esingaqondakali kwabayizazimlando, uJenene Gallus wawahoxisa amabutho akhe futhi wahlehla. Leso kwakuyisibonakaliso uJesu ayesibikezele. Sase sifikile isikhathi ngabalandeli bakhe ‘abakhethiweyo’ ukuba baqale ukubaleka. Beqaphela ukuphuthuma kwezikhathi, ngokushesha baphuma eJerusalema nakulo lonke iJudiya, njengoba uJesu ayeshilo. Isazimlando uEusebius uthi babaleka bawela uMfula iJordani maduze nePella esifundeni sasezintabeni zaseGileyadi.

IJerusalema Lenziwa Incithakalo

Eminyakeni embalwa kamuva, ngo-70 C.E., amabutho amaRoma ngaphansi kukaJenene Titus abuyela eJudiya futhi ahaqa iJerusalema. Kodwa ngalesosikhathi bonke ‘abakhethiweyo,’ amaKristu, kakade base bengaphandle ‘komuzi ongcwele.’ Ngakho-ke, ngenkathi amaRoma ezungeza iJerusalema ngalesosikhathi, kwakungasekho thuba nganoma ubani ukuba abaleke ukuze alondeke.—Luka 19:43, 44.

Ngemva kokuvinjezelwa kwesikhashana, kwezinyanga ezine nezinsuku ezingamashumi amabili nanhlanu, amabutho aseRoma awubhidliza umuzi nethempeli. Isazimlando uJosephus, ufakazi wokuzibonela, ubeka inani labafayo esi-1 100 000 nabathunjwa ezi-97 000. Izibalo zaziphakeme ngoba amaJuda angathembekile awasilalelanga isixwayiso sikaJesu sokubaleka. Enza okuphambene. Ngesikhathi somkhosi wenkolo, afika ngobuningi eJerusalema futhi onke abanjwa ngenkathi amaRoma ngokushesha ehaqa umuzi.

Iqiniso lokuthi amaKristu ‘akhethiweyo’ ayengasekho eJerusalema, lalisho ukuthi uNkulunkulu wayengasenakukhathazeka ngokulondeka kwawo. Ayesebalekile kakade. Ngakho-ke uNkulunkulu wayengavumela amaRoma ukuba angene eJerusalema futhi ngokushesha ehlisele isahlulelo saKhe ngokumelene nomuzi. Ngakho-ke, ngenxa yokuthi amaKristu akhethiwe ayesengaphandle kweJerusalema kakade, lezozinsuku zosizi zafinyelela ekupheleni ngokushesha okukhulu njengoba zazi‘finyeziwe.’ Lokhu kwavumela abanye ‘abantu,’ izi-97 000 ukuba basinde.

Lolo“sizi olukhulu” ngo-70 C.E., kwakuyinhlekelele esabeka kakhulu eyake yehlela phezu kweJerusalema. Lwaletha isiphelo esihlala njalo emzini wamaJuda owakhiwe, ithempeli lawo nesimiso senkolo esasiwuzungezile.

Kodwa lowomlando wasendulo unakubaluleka kuni kulabo bethu abaphila kulelikhulu lamashumi amabili leminyaka? Unokubaluleka kakhulu.

‘Indawo Engcwele’ ‘Namanyala Encithakalo’

Umbuso kaNkulunkulu ongokomfanekiso wabusa eJerusalema kusukela ngo-1070 kuya ku-607 B.C.E. Wawumelele ubukhosi bukaNkulunkulu emhlabeni. Kodwa-ke loluhlu lobukhosi lukaDavide lwagumbuqelwa ngabaseBabiloni. Akukho mbuso oye wabusa futhi eJerusalema lasemhlabeni kuze kube namuhla. Nokho, iJerusalema liye lakhawuka ukunyathelelwa phansi maqondana nalokhu: Ubukhosi bukaNkulunkulu manje buye basebenza nge“Jerusalema lasezulwini”—umbuso kaNkulunkulu kaMesiya, uKristu Jesu. Uhlelo lwezikhathi lweBhayibheli, ukugcwaliseka kwesiprofetho nobufakazi bezazimlando, konke kuyahlangana kukhombe unyaka ka-1914 njengophawula ukuphela ‘kwezikhathi zabezizwe’ nokuqala kwenkathi ‘yosizi olwehlela izizwe.’—Heberu 12:22; Luka 21:24-26; IsAmbulo 11:15.

“IJerusalema lasezulwini” elimelelwe amaKristu athembekile agcotshiwe emhlabeni, manje lise“ndaweni engcwele.” Kodwa ingabe izizwe zomhlaba ziye zakuqaphela lokhu? Lutho neze! Ngonyaka ka-1919 zahlongoza iNhlangano yeZizwe leyo abefundisi abaholayo abayibiza ngokuthi “isibonakaliso sezombangazwe soMbuso kaNkulunkulu emhlabeni.” Ngokufanayo, abaholi benkolo baye bachaza umlandeli weNhlangano yeZizwe eyamiswa ngo-1945, njenge‘themba okuwukuphela kwalo lokuthula okuhlala njalo.’ Ngakho-ke abefundisi bamisa lenhlangano eyenziwe abantu “endaweni engcwele” lapho umbuso kaNkulunkulu kuphela ngoKristu wakhe manje ongase usebenze khona ngokufanelekile. “Amanyala encithakalo” ngempela, phambi kukaNkulunkulu nakubo bonke abathandi bokulunga!

Nokho, njengoba sehlela esikhathini sikaNkulunkulu sokubhubhisa isimiso sezwe samanje esonakele, “amanyala encithakalo,” inhlanganisela yezizwe iU.N., iba ingozi enkolweni yezwe ngokwayo. Kanjani? Kulawomazwe anamandla angamalungu eU.N., ikakhulukazi lawo asemazweni obuKhomanisi, aye ahlasela inkolo. Lemikhosi engakholelwa kuNkulunkulu iye yasongela ikakhulukazi ukusebenza okuqhubekayo kwezinkolo zeLobukholwa, ngokwesibonelo, eChina, eSoviet Union nakwamanye amazwe aseMpumalanga Yurophu. Khona-ke amalungu eU.N. alambele ukubusa manje ami njengasongela ‘indawo engcwele’ eLobukholwa elithi eyalo. Lena imelela konke izinkolo zalo, ezikubheka njengokungcwele—indawo yalo yokusebenza, izinhlangano zalo, izakhiwo zalo zamasonto nokunye elinakho, nelungelo elithi linalo lokubusa ukuphila kwamalungu alo. Siyoba yini isiphetho salokhu kungqubuzana?

Umchithi wanamuhla, iU.N. eyi‘silo esinamakhanda ayisikhombisa nezimpondo eziyishumi,’ kuprofethwa ngaye njengozokwenza inkolo yamanga ‘incithakalo neze’ futhi ‘ayishise ngomlilo ayiqede.’ (IsAmbulo 17:3, 16) Ngokwenza kanjalo, isenzo sawo siyobe singabangelwa uthando ngoNkulunkulu, njengoba nje kwakunjalo ngeRoma lasendulo. “Amanyala encithakalo” anamuhla manje ahlanganisa izizwe eziningi ezizonda uNkulunkulu, ukubusa kombuso wakhe nabantu abanegama likaNkulunkulu, uJehova. Futhi, ngokuqinisekile lomchithi uyingxenye yesamanje isimiso sezinto esiqondiswa uSathane uDeveli.—Luka 4:5-8; 2 Korinte 4:4; Mathewu 6:9, 10.