Abathandekayo Bakho Abafile—Ingabe Uyophinde Ubabone?

UJOHN wayeneminyaka eyisishiyagalolunye kuphela lapho unina efa. Kamuva, ukhumbula lokho okwenzeka emakhazeni: “Ngamdwebela isithombe futhi ngabhala umlayezo omfushane kuso ngimcela ukuba asilindele sonke ezulwini. Ngasinika ubaba ukuba asifake kanye nomama ebhokisini, futhi nakuba efile, nginomuzwa wokuthi wasithola lesosigijimi sami sokugcina.”—How It Feels When a Parent Dies, ebhalwe nguJill Krementz.

Akungabazeki ukuthi uJohn wayemthanda kakhulu unina. Ngemva kokuchaza izimfanelo zakhe ezinhle, wathi: “Mhlawumbe ngimane angifuni ukukhumbula izinto ezimbi, kodwa akukho okubi engingakucabanga ngaye. Wayeyintokazi enhle ukwedlula zonke engake ngazibona kukho konke ukuphila kwami.”

NjengoJohn, abaningi banezinkumbulo abazazisayo ngabathandekayo babo abafile futhi bayavuma ukuthi banesidingo esingokomzwelo sokuphinde bababone. U-Edith, ondodana yakhe eneminyaka engu-26 yabulawa umdlavuza, wathi: “Ngikuthola kudingekile ukukholelwa ukuthi indodana yami iyaphila endaweni ethile kodwa angazi ukuthi kuphi. Ingabe ngiyophinde ngiyibone? Angazi kodwa ngithemba ukuthi ngiyophinde ngiyibone.”

Ngokuqinisekile, uMdali womuntu onothando akayena ongenamizwa ngokuphathelene nalesisifiso semvelo sabantu. Kungakho ethembise ukuthi isikhathi siyeza lapho izigidi ziyophinde zihlanganiswe nabathandekayo bazo abafile. IZwi likaNkulunkulu liqukethe izikhombo eziningi ezikhuluma ngesithembiso sovuko lwabafile oluzayo.—Isaya 26:19; Daniyeli 12:2, 13; Hoseya 13:14; Johane 5:28, 29; IsAmbulo 20:12, 13.

Obani Abavuselwa Ezulwini?

Ake sicabange ngethemba likaJohn lokuthi unina othandekayo umlindele ezulwini. Abantu abaningi abasontayo banalelithemba noma inkolelo. Emzamweni wabo wokusekela imibono enjalo, abefundisi nezisebenzi zezenhlalakahle ziyisebenzisa kabi imibhalo yeBhayibheli.

Ngokwesibonelo, isazi sokusiza othile oshonelwe, uDkt. Elisabeth Kübler-Ross, sathi encwadini yaso ethi On Children and Death: “Ukufa kumane kusho ukuthi silahla imizimba yethu ngendlela ebesingalahla ngayo ijazi elidala eligugile, noma siphume kwelinye ikamelo singene kwelinye. KumShumayeli 12:7 siyafunda: ‘Uthuli luyakubuyela emhlabathini njengokuba lwalunjalo, umoya ubuyele kuNkulunkulu owawunikayo.’ UJesu wathi: ‘Ngiya ukunilungisela indawo ukuba lapho ngikhona nibe-khona nani.’ Futhi eselelesini esasisesiphambanweni wathi: ‘Namuhla uzakuba-nami eParadisi.’”

Ingabe lemibhalo engenhla ngempela isho ukuthi abathandekayo bethu abafile manje bayaphila futhi basilindele ezulwini? Ake sicabangele lemibhalo ngokunakekela, siqale ngomShumayeli 12:7. Ngokukhanyayo, indoda ehlakaniphile eyaloba lawomazwi yayingaqondile ukuphikisa lokho eyase ikushilo kakade encwadini efanayo yeBhayibheli: “Abaphilayo bayazi ukuthi bayakufa, kepha abafileyo abazi-lutho.” (UmShumayeli 9:5) Yayikhuluma ngokufa okuvamile kwesintu. Kunengqondo yini ukukholelwa ukuthi bonke abazikhethela ukungakholelwa ebukhoneni bukaNkulunkulu nezigelekeqe ezingaphenduki ziphindela kuNkulunkulu lapho zifa? Lutho neze. Eqinisweni, lokho akunakushiwo nganoma ubani wethu, kungakhathaliseki ukuthi sizibheka njengabahle noma ababi. Njengoba kungekho phakathi kwethu owake waba noNkulunkulu ezulwini, kungashiwo kanjani ukuthi siphindela kuye?

Khona-ke, wayesho ukuthini lomlobi weBhayibheli uma ethi ekufeni, ‘umoya ubuyela kuNkulunkulu’? Ngokusebenzisa igama lesiHeberu elihunyushwa ngokuthi “umoya,” wayengabhekiseli kokuthile okuyingqayizivele okuhlukanisa umuntu komunye. Kunalokho, kumShumayeli 3:19, umlobi weBhayibheli ofanayo uchaza ukuthi umuntu nezilwane “[kunomoya, NW] munye.” Ngokusobala wayesho ukuthi “umoya” ungamandla okuphila asemangqamuzaneni akha imizimba yenyama yabantu nezilwane. Lomoya asiwamukelanga kuNkulunkulu ngokuqondile. Wadluliselwa kithi abazali bethu abangabantu lapho bekhulelwa futhi kamuva sizalwa. Ngaphezu kwalokho, lomoya awuhambi ngokoqobo emkhathini uphindele kuNkulunkulu ekufeni. Inkulumo ethi, “umoya ubuyele kuNkulunkulu,” iwucezu lwenkulumo olusho ukuthi amathemba okuphila esikhathini esizayo omuntu ofile manje axhomeke kuNkulunkulu. Uyena oyonquma ukuthi ubani ayomkhumbula futhi ekugcineni amvuse. Ziphawulele indlela iBhayibheli elikubonisa ngokucace ngayo lokhu kumaHubo 104:29, 30.

UJehova uNkulunkulu unenjongo yokuba inani elilinganiselwe labalandeli bakaKristu abathembekile, eliyingqikithi yabangu-144 000 kuphela, livuselwe ekuphileni kwasezulwini njengamadodana kaNkulunkulu omoya. (IsAmbulo 14:1, 3) Laba bakha uhulumeni wasezulwini kanye noKristu ukuze kubusiswe isintu emhlabeni.

Abokuqala abafunda ngalokhu kwakungabaphostoli bakaJesu abathembekile, labo athi kubo: “Ekhaya likaBaba kukhona izindlu eziningi; uma bekungenjalo, bengiyakunitshela ukuthi ngiya ukunilungisela indawo. Nanxa ngiya nginilungisela indawo, ngobuye ngize, nginibuyisele kimi ukuba lapho ngikhona nibe-khona nani.” (Johane 14:2, 3) Labobaphostoli namanye amaKristu okuqala afa futhi kwadingeka ukuba alinde engezwa lutho ekufeni kuze kube sekufikeni kukaJesu ezowavuza ngovuko lwasezulwini. Kungakho sifunda ukuthi umfel’ ukholo wokuqala ongumKristu, uStefanu, “walala ubuthongo.”—IzEnzo 7:60; 1 Thesalonika 4:13.

Ukuvuselwa Ekuphileni Kwasemhlabeni

Kodwa kuthiwani ngesithembiso sikaJesu eselelesini esafela eduze kwakhe? NjengamaJuda amaningi angalesosikhathi, lendoda yayikholelwa ukuthi uNkulunkulu wayezothumela uMesiya owayezomisa umbuso abuyisele ukuthula nokulondeka esizweni samaJuda emhlabeni. (Qhathanisa eyoku-1 AmaKhosi 4:20-25 noLuka 19:11; 24:21 nezEnzo 1:6.) Ngaphezu kwalokho, lomenzi wobubi wabonisa ukholo ekutheni uJesu wayenguYe kanye owayekhethwe uNkulunkulu ukuba abe yiNkosi. Nakuba kunjalo, ngalesosikhathi, ukufa kukaJesu njengomuntu olahliwe okwakusondela kwakwenza kwabonakala kungenakwenzeka lokhu. Kungakho uJesu abuye waqinisekisa leselelesi ngokwethula isithembiso sakhe ngalamazwi: “Ngiqinisile ngiyakutshela namuhla, Uyoba nami ePharadesi.”—Luka 23:42, 43, NW.

Izinguqulo zeBhayibheli ezifaka ikhefana ngaphambi kwegama elithi “namuhla” zibabangela inkinga abantu abafuna ukuqonda amazwi kaJesu. UJesu akazange aye kunoma iliphi ipharadesi ngalolosuku. Kunalokho, walala ekufeni engezwa lutho izinsuku ezintathu kwaze kwaba yilapho uNkulunkulu emvusa. Ngisho nangemva kokuvuka nokwenyukela kukaJesu ezulwini, kwadingeka alinde ngakwesokunene sikaYise kuze kufike isikhathi sokuba abuse njengeNkosi phezu kwesintu. (Heberu 10:12, 13) Ngokushesha, ukubusa koMbuso kaJesu kuyolethela isintu inkululeko kushintshe nomhlaba wonke kuwenze ipharadesi. (Luka 21:10, 11, 25-31) Khona-ke uyogcwalisa isithembiso sakhe kulesoselelesi ngokusivusela ekuphileni emhlabeni. Futhi uJesu uyoba nalomuntu ngomqondo wokuthi uyosiza ekunakekeleni zonke izidingo zakhe, kuhlanganise nesidingo sokwenza indlela yakhe yokuphila ivumelane nemithetho kaNkulunkulu yokulunga.

Uvuko Lwabaningi

Njengoba kunjalo nangeselelesi esiphendukayo, uvuko lwabantu abaningi luyokwenzeka lapha emhlabeni. Lokhu kuvumelana nenjongo kaNkulunkulu yokudala umuntu. Indoda yokuqala nowesifazane babekwa ensimini eyipharadesi futhi batshelwa ukuba banqobe umhlaba. Ukuba bahlala belalela uNkulunkulu, babengeke baguge futhi bafe. Ngesikhathi sikaNkulunkulu esifanele, wonke umhlaba wawuzonqotshwa, wenziwe ube yipharadesi lembulunga yonke u-Adamu nenzalo yakhe ephelele.—Genesise 1:28; 2:8, 9.

Nokho, ngenxa yokuthi u-Adamu no-Eva bona ngamabomu, bazilethela bona kanye nenzalo yabo yesikhathi esizayo ukufa. (Genesise 2:16, 17; 3:17-19) Kungakho iBhayibheli lithi: “Isono sangena ezweni ngamuntu munye [u-Adamu], nangesono kwangena ukufa, ngokunjalo ukufa kwafikela abantu bonke, lokhu bonke bonile.”—Roma 5:12.

Munye kuphela umuntu owazalwa engenasono asizuze ngefa. Lowo kwakuyiNdodana kaNkulunkulu ephelele, uJesu Kristu, okuphila kwakhe kwadluliselwa kususwa ezulwini kuyiswa esizalweni sencasakazi engumJuda, uMariya. UJesu wahlala engenasono futhi wayengakufanele ukubulawa. Ngakho-ke, ukufa kwakhe kunenani elihlengayo ngenxa ‘yezono zezwe.’ (Johane 1:29; Mathewu 20:28) Kungakho uJesu ayengathi: “Mina ngingukuvuka nokuphila; okholwa yimi, noma efa, wophila.”—Johane 11:25.

Ngakho, ungaba nethemba lokuphinde uhlanganiswe nabathandekayo bakho abafile, kodwa lokhu kudinga ukuba ube nokholo kuJesu njengoMhlengi wakho futhi umlalele njengeNkosi kaNkulunkulu emisiwe. Ngokushesha uMbuso kaNkulunkulu uzoshanela bonke ububi kulomhlaba. Bonke abantu abenqaba ukuzithoba ekubuseni kwawo bazobhujiswa. Nokho, izikhonzi zoMbuso kaNkulunkulu ziyosinda futhi ziyoba matasa emsebenzini wokuguqula lomhlaba ube yipharadesi.—IHubo 37:10, 11; IsAmbulo 21:3-5.

Khona-ke kuyofika isikhathi esijabulisayo sokuba uvuko luqale. Ingabe uyoba khona ukuze wamukele abafile abavusiwe? Konke kuxhomeke kulokho okwenzayo manje. Izibusiso ezimangalisayo zilindele bonke labo manje abazithoba ekubuseni koMbuso kaJehova ngeNdodana yakhe, uJesu Kristu.