Labhujiselwani Izwe Lamandulo?

UZAMCOLO wembulunga yonke wawungeyona inhlekelele engokwemvelo. Kwakuyisahlulelo sikaNkulunkulu. Isixwayiso sasinikeziwe, kodwa ngokwezinga elikhulu sasishaywe indiva. Kungani? UJesu wachaza: “Ngalezozinsuku zangaphambi kwesikhukhula, [abantu] babedla futhi bephuza, amadoda eshada futhi abesifazane bendiswa, kwaze kwaba usuku uNowa angena ngalo emkhunjini; futhi abanakanga kwaze kwafika isikhukhula, sabakhukhula bonke, kuyoba njalo nokuba khona kweNdodana yomuntu.”—Mathewu 24:38, 39.

Impucuko Ethuthukile

Ngandlela-thize, impucuko yangaphambi kweSikhukhula yayinezinzuzo esingenazo namuhla. Ngokwesibonelo, sonke isintu sasikhuluma ulimi olulodwa olufanayo. (Genesise 11:1) Lokhu kwaba neqhaza ekuthuthukeni kwezobuciko nesayensi edinga umzamo wabantu abaningi abanamakhono ahlukahlukene. Futhi, ubude besikhathi sokuphila obabujatshulelwa cishe yiwo wonke umuntu ngaleso sikhathi babusho ukuthi babengaqhubeka bakhela phezu kwababekufunde emakhulwini eminyaka ngaphambili.

Abanye bagomela ngokuthi umuntu wayengaphili isikhathi eside kangako ngaleso sikhathi, nokuthi futhi iminyaka eshiwo eBhayibhelini empeleni yayiyizinyanga. Ingabe kuyiqiniso? Ake ucabangele isibonelo sikaMahalalele. IBhayibheli lithi: “UMahalalele wahamba iminyaka engamashumi ayisithupha nanhlanu, wazala uJarede. . . Zonke izinsuku zikaMahalalele zaziyiminyaka engamakhulu ayisishiyagalombili namashumi ayisishiyagalolunye nanhlanu; wayesefa.” (Genesise 5:15-17) Uma unyaka uyinyanga, uMahalalele  wayeneminyaka emihlanu kuphela ngesikhathi ezibula ngendodana! Cha abantu ngaleso sikhathi babesasondele kakhulu ebungqabavwini bokuphelela komuntu wokuqala, u-Adamu. Bawaphila ngempela amakhulu eminyaka. Yini abayifinyelela?

Emakhulwini amaningi eminyaka ngaphambi kweSikhukhula, inani labantu emhlabeni lase likhule kakhulu kangangokuba indodana ka-Adamu, uKayini, yakwazi ukwakha umuzi, eyawubiza ngokuthi i-Enoke. (Genesise 4:17) Phakathi nayo yonke iminyaka yangaphambi kwenkathi yeSikhukhula, imisebenzi ehlukahlukene kwezohwebo yayisikhona futhi ithuthukile. Kwakukhandwa “zonke izinto zethusi nezensimbi.” (Genesise 4:22) Akungabazeki ukuthi la mathuluzi ayesetshenziselwa ukwakha, ukubaza, ukuthunga, nezolimo. Yonke le misebenzi kukhulunywa ngayo lapho kulandiswa ngabantu bamandulo ababehlala emhlabeni.

Ulwazi oluye lwaqongelelwa lwaluyokwenza izizukulwane ezaziyolandela zikwazi ukuthuthukisa amakhono anjengesayensi yokusansimbi, ezolimo namahlathi, ukufuya izimvu nezinkomo, ukubhala, ezobuciko. UJubale ngokwesibonelo, “waba nguyise wabo bonke ababetha ihabhu nomtshingo.” (Genesise 4:21) Impucuko yathuthuka ngokushesha. Nokho, kungazelelwe yonke into yema nsé. Kwakwenzekeni?

Konakalaphi?

Naphezu kwawo wonke amathuba ayenosizo, umphakathi wangaphambi kweSikhukhula waba nesiqalo esibi. Umsunguli wawo, u-Adamu, wavukela uNkulunkulu. UKayini, umakhi wedolobha lokuqala emlandweni, wabulala umfowabo. Akumangalisi-ke ukuthi ububi baqala ukwanda ngokushesha! Imiphumela yefa elibi u-Adamu ayelishiyele inzalo yakhe yayisinqwabelana.—Roma 5:12.

Kuyacaca ukuthi izinto zase zifike kwangqíngetshe lapho uJehova enquma ukuthi wayeyovumela isimo siqhubeke eminye iminyaka engu-120 kuphela. (Genesise 6:3) IBhayibheli lithi: “Ububi bomuntu [babu]bukhulu emhlabeni [nazo] zonke izizindlo zemicabango yenhliziyo yakhe [zi]zimbi njalo. Umhlaba wawonakele ebusweni bukaJehova; umhlaba wagcwala ubudlwangudlwangu.”—Genesise 6:5, 11.

Ekugcineni, uNowa watshelwa ngokuqondile ukuthi uNkulunkulu wayezoyibhubhisa yonke inyama ngozamcolo. (Genesise 6:13, 17) Nakuba uNowa aba “umshumayeli wokulunga,” kuyacaca ukuthi kwakunzima ngabantu ukuba bakholwe ukuthi yonke into ebazungezile yayizopheliswa. (2 Petru 2:5) Abantu abangu-8 kuphela abalalela isixwayiso futhi basindiswa. (1 Petru 3:20) Kungani lokhu kubalulekile kithi namuhla?

Kusithinta Kanjani Thina?

Siphila ezikhathini ezifana nezikaNowa. Njalo sizwa ngezenzo ezishaqisayo zobuphekula, imikhankaso yokuqothulwa kohlanga, ukubulawa kwabantu ngobuningi bedutshulwa ngaphandle kwesizathu, ubudlova basekhaya obusezingeni elishaqisayo. Umhlaba usuphinde wagcwala ubudlova, futhi njengasekuqaleni, umhlaba uxwayisiwe ngesahlulelo esizayo. UJesu uqobo lwakhe wathi uyoza njengoMahluleli kaNkulunkulu omisiwe ahlukanise abantu njengomalusi ehlukanisa izimvu nezimbuzi. Labo abayotholakala bengafaneleki, “bayomuka baye ekunqunyweni okumi phakade,” kusho uJesu. (Mathewu 25:31-33, 46) Kepha-ke, iBhayibheli lithi manje kuyoba nezigidi eziyosinda—isixuku esikhulu esikhulekela okuwukuphela kukaNkulunkulu weqiniso. Emhlabeni ozayo, laba bayojabulela ukuphila okunokuthula nokulondeka okuhlala njalo nokungakaze kubonwe.—Mika 4:3, 4; IsAmbulo 7:9-17.

Abaningi bawahleka usulu amavesi eBhayibheli anjengalawa nezixwayiso ezixwayisa ngesahlulelo esiyofakazela ukuthi la mavesi aqinisile. Nokho umphostoli uPetru wachaza ukuthi laba bahleki bosulu bashalazelela amaqiniso. Wabhala: “Ezinsukwini zokugcina kuyofika abahleki bosulu . . . bethi: ‘Kuphi lokhu kuba khona kwakhe okuthenjisiwe?’ . . . Ngoba, ngokwesifiso sabo, leliqiniso liyabaphunyuka, lokuthi ayekhona amazulu kusukela kudala nomhlaba omi ubumbene uvelé emanzini futhi uphakathi kwamanzi ngezwi likaNkulunkulu; futhi ngawo izwe langalesosikhathi labhujiswa lapho limbozwa amanzi. Kodwa ngezwi elifanayo amazulu nomhlaba  okukhona manje kubekelwe umlilo futhi kuyagcinwa kuze kube sosukwini lokwahlulelwa nolokubhujiswa kwabantu abangamhloniphi uNkulunkulu.”—2 Petru 3:3-7.

Isixwayiso ngosuku oluzayo lokwahlulela nomyalezo wezindaba ezinhle zokuthula okuyolandela kushunyayelwa ngomfutho emhlabeni wonke, kulalelwa umyalo kaJesu ongokwesiprofetho. (Mathewu 24:14) Lesi sixwayiso akumelwe sithathwe kalula. UNkulunkulu uMninimandla onke uyasigcina isithembiso sakhe.

Umhlaba Ozayo

Liyini ikusasa lesintu, lapho sicabangela ushintsho olukhulu oluzayo? Esethulweni seNtshumayelo yakhe edumile yaseNtabeni, uJesu wathembisa: “Bayajabula abanomoya omnene, ngoba bayozuza umhlaba njengefa.” Wabe eseqhubeka efundisa abafundi bakhe ukuba bathandaze kuNkulunkulu bathi: “Intando yakho mayenzeke nasemhlabeni, njengasezulwini.” (Mathewu 5:5; 6:10) Yebo, uJesu ngokwakhe wafundisa ukuthi isintu esithembekile silindelwe ikusasa elihle khona lapha emhlabeni. Walibiza ngokuthi ‘ukudalwa kabusha.’—Mathewu 19:28.

Ngakho-ke njengoba uzindla ngekusasa, ungavumeli abahleki bosulu bakwenze ungabaze isixwayiso sikaNkulunkulu. Yiqiniso, indawo esikuyo ingase ibonakale izinzile kanti nezwe lanamuhla linomlando omude. Noma kunjalo akumelwe sibeke ithemba lethu kulo. Izwe lesintu lilahliwe. Khumbula isiphetho sencwadi yomphostoli uPetru:

“Njengoba zonke lezizinto ziyoncibilika kanjalo, luhlobo luni lwabantu okufanele nibe yilo ezenzweni zokuziphatha ezingcwele nasezenzweni zokuzinikela kokuhlonipha uNkulunkulu, nilindele futhi nikugcine kuseduze engqondweni ukuba khona kosuku lukaJehova. . . Njengoba nilindele lezizinto, yenzani konke okusemandleni enu ukuba ekugcineni anithole ningenabala, ningenasici futhi nisekuthuleni. . . . Qhubekani nikhula emseni ongafanelwe nasolwazini ngeNkosi noMsindisi wethu uJesu Kristu.” (2 Petru 3:11, 12, 14, 18) Ngakho, funda kulokho okwenzeka emuva osukwini lukaNowa. Sondela kuNkulunkulu. Khula olwazini ngoJesu Kristu. Hlakulela ukuzinikela kokwesaba uNkulunkulu, futhi ube phakathi kwezigidi ezikhetha ukusinda esiphelweni saleli zwe zingene ezweni elinokuthula elizayo.

[Isithombe ekhasini 5]

Kwakusetshenzwa ngensimbi ngaphambi kweSikhukhula

[Isithombe ekhasini 7]

Silindelwe ikusasa elimangalisayo