AmaKristu Ashisekayo Esikhathini Esinzima
NAWE, njengabanye abantu kuyo yonke imbulunga, kungase ukuba ukuqaphela ngokujulile ukuthi siphila ezikhathini ezinzima.
Abaningi bayaqaphela ukuthi izikhathi zinzima ngoba kunikezwa ukunakekela okukhulu ezikhalini nasempini. Abanye bezwa ubunzima ngenxa yezinkinga ezingokomnotho. Noma, uma ubuzwa ukuthi kungani izikhathi zinzima, ungase ucabange ngobugebengu obukhulayo nobudlova. Lezizinkinga ziwubufakazi bokuthi siphila phakathi nenkathi eyabikezelwa: “Ezinsukwini zokugcina kuzakuvela izikhathi ezinzima.”—2 Thim. 3:1-5.
Kodwa ngeSonto, ngoSeptember 13, 1981, kwaba khona isehlakalo esikhethekile esabonisa kahle ukuthi ngisho nakule“zikhathi ezinzima” esikuzo amaKristu angashiseka ngokomoya futhi alindele okuhle esikhathini esizayo. Sasiyini lesosehlakalo? Singazuza kanjani kuso?
UKUTHOLA IZIQU ESIKOLENI SASEGILIYADI
Isehlakalo esikhethekile esenzeka eNew York, N.Y., U.S.A., siwukunikezwa kweziqu eklasini lama-71 leWatchtower Bible School of Gilead. Senza kahle ngokuzindla ngamanye amaphuzu anikezwa phakathi nalesisimiso.
Isikhulumi esiyinhloko kwakungu-F. W. Franz, umongameli weWatchtower Society nowesikole. Lenkulumo eyathatha ihora yavula ngokubukeza umlando weSikole. Ngemva kokugqashuka kweMpi Yezwe II, umongameli weNhlangano wangalesosikhathi, uJ. F. Rutherford, wakholelwa ukuthi ukushushiswa okunzima koFakazi BakaJehova kwakuyodinga ukuba kube khona isinyathelo esithathwa iNhlangano endlunkulu eseBrooklyn eNew York. Ngakho wakha izakhiwo endaweni eseNyakatho neNew York ezazingase zisetshenziselwe ukufaka izisebenzi zasendlunkulu. Khona-ke ngo-1942, lapho uN. H. Knorr, eba umongameli wesithathu weNhlangano, wabukeza ngokunakekela isAmbulo isahluko 17 wambula ukuthi iNhlangano Yezizwe, inhlangano yokuthula, efanekiselwa isilo sasendle, yayiyobuye ivele ikwesinye isimo. (IsAm. 17:8) Lokho kwasho ukuthi impi yayiyophela futhi kulandele inkathi yokuthula. Njengoba wazi, yikho kanye lokho okwenzeka, inhlangano evuselelwe kabusha yokuthula yaba iZizwe Ezihlangene. Ngenxa yalokho kuqonda okungokomBhalo, kwenziwa isinqumo sokuba izakhiwo ezingasenyakatho neNew York zisetshenziselwe isikole esikhethekile sokuqeqesha izithunywa zevangeli ezingasakaza “izindaba ezinhle zombuso” kwamanye amazwe phakathi nenkathi ezayo yokuthula. (Math. 24:14) Lesisikole esiyingqayizivele savulwa ngoFebruary 1, 1943, futhi njengomongameli wesine weNhlangano, uFranz manje wayenikeza inkulumo eklasini lama-71 elathola iziqu.
Ngokufanelekile wabuza abafundi abangama-27 abavela emazweni ayisishiyagalombili: “Iminyaka engama-36 yokuthula okukhona isidlulile, ngakho izoqhubeka isikhathi esingakanani? Futhi iziphi izibonakaliso esinazo zokuthi ukuphela kwayo kuseduze kakhulu?” Wena ungaphendula kanjani?
Khona-ke uFranz waxoxa ngezici ezivusa amadlingozi zezikhathi zeBhayibheli ezihlanganisa isikhathi sethu. Waphawula ukuthi oFakazi BakaJehova bebeqaphela isikhathi eside ukuthi unyaka weMpi Yezwe I ka-1914 wawuphawula ukuphela kwenkathi eyaphawulwa uJesu: “IJerusalema liyakunyathelwa phansi ngabezizwe, kuze kugcwaliseke izikhathi zabezizwe.” (Luka 21:24) Lokho kusho ukuthi umbuso kaNkulunkulu, omelelwe iJerusalema wamiswa emazulwini ngalesosikhathi. Kodwa abanye bathi u-1914 akasho lutho nokuthi uJesu wayecabanga ngokunyathela okungokoqobo umuzi waseJerusalema. Nokho, isikhulumi sabuza: “Yini eniyitholayo uma niphoqelela imiphumela yalowombono?”
Ngo-1967 amabutho ombuso wakwaIsrayeli anqoba ingxenye engasentshonalanga yomfula iJordani, kuhlanganise nezindonga ezindala zomuzi waseJerusalema. “Nokho,” kubuza uFranz: “Ingabe lokho kuye kwaphumela ekulethweni kodumo kuNkulunkulu? Ingabe kuye kwaphumela ekuzeni kukaMesiya ezomisa umbuso kaNkulunkulu eJerusalema lasemhlabeni?” Impendulo esobala uCha. Ngisho namaJuda angokoqobo awazishumayeli “izindaba ezinhle zombuso” ekugcwaliseni uMathewu 24:14. Ngakho-ke amaqiniso abonisa ukuthi ‘ukunyathelwa kweJerusalema ngabezizwe’ akuphelanga ngo-1967. Kunalokho, “isibonakaliso” uJesu asinikeza sasigcwaliseke kusukela onyakeni woshintsho ka-1914. Kusukela ngalesosikhathi uMesiya, iNkosi uJesu Kristu, ibibusa isezulwini phakathi kwezitha zayo. (IHu. 110:1, 2) Khona-ke izithunywa zevangeli ezintsha zakhuthazwa, ‘isikhathi esisele ngempela kumelwe sincishiswe,’ futhi kumelwe zibe nomuzwa wokuphuthuma, zenze okwengeziwe kulezikhathi ezinzima.—1 Kor. 7:29-31.
Labafundi ababethola iziqu babengabona kalula ukuthi kungani kumelwe bashiseke emsebenzi wobuKristu. Kwaba njalo ngezihlobo zabo nabanye ababelalele, ababecishe babeyizi-2 000. Bonke bavuswa amadlingozi ukuzwa ukuthi kwakwenziwe amalungiselelo okuqeqesha izithunywa zevangeli ezengeziwe. Ababili babafundi kwakumelwe baphindele eJalimane ukuba bayoba abaqeqeshi kwesisha “iSikole Esengezizwe saseGiliyadi” kulelozwe. Kuyoba isikole sokuzinikezela sezinyanga ezimbili nengxenye ezikhonzini, lezo ngaphandle kokuba kudingeke zifunde isiNgisi, ezingaqeqeshwa futhi ziqhubeke nezabelo zezithunywa zevangeli kwamanye amazwe.
ISELULEKO ESIWUSIZO KUMAKRISTU ASHISEKAYO
Ezinye izikhulumi esimisweni sokunikezwa kweziqu zanikeza iseluleko esihle esingokomBhalo eklasini, iseluleko leso wonke amaKristu angazuza kuso ezikhathini zethu ezinzima.
U-U. V. Glass, omunye wabaqeqeshi besikole saseGiliyadi, wakhuthaza ukuzindla ngesibonelo sikaJeremiya, owaqhubeka nokushumayela naphezu kokuphikiswa nengozi. Ngokuphambene, umprofethi u-Uriya ngokwesaba wabalekela eGibithe, kodwa wabuyiselwa emuva kwaJuda wabulawa inkosi. Isibonelo sikaJeremiya, nokusekela akuthola kuvela kumEtiyopiya uEbedi-Meleki, futhi kwaqhanyiswa idrama enhle kakhulu eyenziwa abafundi kuleyontambama. Idrama yayinesihloko esithi “Ummemezeli Onesibindi Wesigijimi Esingathandwa.”
Isimiso sokunikezwa kweziqu sahlanganisa izinkulumo ezimfushane, kodwa eziwusizo zezikhonzi ezithile ezinokuhlangenwe nakho. Ngokwesibonelo, uDavid Olson wagcizelela u-1 Samuweli 2:30, lapho uNkulunkulu ethi: “Abangidumisayo ngiyakubadumisa.” Wagcizelela ukuthi sonke siyakwazisa ukuphathwa ngenhlonipho, ngakho kumelwe siqaphele ukuba sinikeze abanye udumo noma inhlonipho. Lokhu kuwusizo kakhulu kubantu abaphila noma abasebenza ndawonye, njengezithunywa zevangeli. UKarl Klein waxoxa ngokubaluleka ‘kokungakhononi kanzima ngabanye,’ njengoba kweluleka uJakobe 5:9. Nakuba singase sibubule noma sikhonone ngokushiyeka kwethu siqu, ukukhonona ngobuthakathaka bamaKristu esikanye nawo ngokuvamile kuhilela ukuwahlulela futhi kungabangela ukuba adumazeke noma acindezeleke.
Nakuba abafundi babengabi izithunywa zevangeli ngokufunga, uRalph Walls wagcizelela ukuthi (sonke) singalingisa umoya wamaNaziri asendulo. Lawa adela izinto ezithile ukuze azindle ngezinto ezingokomoya. Futhi, njengoba izinwele zamaNaziri zazigcizelela intobeko yawo kuJehova, amaKristu ashisekayo adinga umoya wokuthobeka kulabo abakhonzayo nakuNkulunkulu.—Num. 6:2-7.
Isimiso sokunikezwa kweziqu saphetha ngemva kwedrama nomthandazo wokuphetha. Kodwa izilaleli zazizimisele kunanini ngaphambili ukuqhubeka ngentshiseko ‘zihamba noNkulunkulu,’ njengoba uGeorge Gangas ekuqaleni kosuku ayekhuthaze iklasi ngentshiseko, ebeka izibonelo zikaEnoki noNowa. (Gen. 5:24; 6:9) Futhi bonke bangakhumbula inkulumo eqeqeshayo kaJ. Redford eyaphetha ngesikhuthazo sokuthi ababethola iziqu nezilaleli kwakumelwe baqhubeke ‘bememezela iNkosi noMbuso’ kulezikhathi ezinzima.
[Isithombe ekhasini 3]
Abaqeqeshi besikhathi esizayo beSikole Esengeziwe saseGiliyadi esiseJalimane, kanye nezithunywa zevangeli ezithole iziqu ezingamaFilipino
[Isithombe ekhasini 4]
Idrama engokweBhayibheli ngentshiseko yabonisa uJeremiya njengommemezeli wesigijimi sikaNkulunkulu onesibindi