Izikhathi Ezimbi Kakhulu, Kepha Ezingcono Kakhulu

UCHARLES DICKENS wavula inoveli yakhe yomlando i-A Tale of Two Cities, ekhuluma ngokuVukela Umbuso eFrance, ngencazelo ethi: “Kwakuyizikhathi ezingcono kakhulu, kwakuyizikhathi ezimbi kakhulu.” Ngaleyondlela wayezama ukugcizelela ukuguquka kwezikhathi ngokufanayo nethemba lokuthi kwakwenzeka ushintsho oluphawulekayo emlandweni.

Kodwa ngokucabangela lokho esikuphawule esihlokweni esingaphambili, ngezindlela eziningi, izikhathi zethu zingabizwa ngokufanelekile ngokuthi “izikhathi ezimbi kakhulu.” Nokho, ingabe isikhathi sobunzima obukhulu kangaka singaba imbangela yenjabulo ngesikhathi esifanayo? Ingabe ngempela singaba “isikhathi esingcono kakhulu?” Yebo, uma sinokuqiniseka okuqotho kokuthi izinsuku ezingcono ziseduze.

Njengoba sesibonile, izwe manje lisezikhathini zosizi ngezindlela eziningi. Kodwa kunesizathu sokukholelwa ukuthi ukukhululwa sekuseduze ngesintu—ukukhululwa ebugebengwini, ezimpini, endlaleni, ekuguleni. IBhayibheli liphethe ithemba elinjalo. Ukuze senze lelithemba kube ngelethu, sidinga ukuqaphela isikhathi esiphila kuso futhi sifunde emiBhalweni eNgcwele ukuthi iyiphi indlela okufanele siyilandele.

Isikhathi Sethu—Isizukulwane Esiphawuliwe

Ekhulwini lokuqala, okokuqala abaphostoli bakaJesu babelindele ukuba uJesu athathe umbuso kuIsrayeli njengoMesiya owayethenjisiwe. Lapho bebona ukuthi ukumuka kukaJesu kwakuseduze, kodwa ababekulindele kungakagcwaliseki, bambuza ngokubuya kwakhe: “Nesibonakaliso sokuza kwakho nesokuphela kwezwe siyakuba-yini na?” (Mathewu 24:3) Isiprofetho uJesu asinikeza empendulweni asizange sigcwaliseke ngokuphelele ekhulwini lokuqala. Futhi kamuva imibhalo ephefumlelwe yakhomba ekugcwalisekeni okukhudlwana emlandweni kamuva. (IsAmbulo 6:2-8) Ingabe kwakuzoba sesikhathini sethu?

UJesu wabonisa ukuthi ukubona isikhathi esasibikezelwe kwakuzodinga ukuhlakanipha, ngoba waxwayisa abafundi bakhe ngokuthi abaningi babengeke bawuthole umqondo wezehlakalo ezinzima ezenzekayo. Esebenzisa uZamcolo wembulunga yonke njengesibonelo, uJesu wathi: “Ngokuba njengasemihleni kaNowa, kuyakuba-njalo ukufika kweNdodana yomuntu. . . . Abazanga kwaze kwafika uzamcolo wabakhukhula bonke.”—Mathewu 24:37, 39.

Kungaziphi izindlela abantu ababezobona ngazo “ukuba-khona” kwakhe futhi bathathe izinyathelo ukuze bagweme ukukhukhulwa ekubhujisweni njengabaningi bosuku lukaNowa? UJesu wanikeza “isibonakaliso” esinezici eziningi ezingokwesiprofetho ezilotshwe emiBhalweni. Ake sibone ukuthi le“sibonakaliso” siyabonakala yini namuhla, futhi uma kunjalo, ukuthi yini esiyibikezelayo.

IMPI YEZIZWE—UKWANDA KOKUBI: “Isizwe siyakuvukela isizwe, nombuso uvukele umbuso.” (Luka 21:10) “Ukwanda kokubi.”—Mathewu 24:12.

Ziningi izimpi eziye zaba khona kusukela ngo-1914, kuhlanganise nezimbili zomhlaba wonke. Ngisho nanamuhla cishe amasosha ayisigidi nabantu abalwa ngabodwana asalwa, futhi ngokweNew Zealand Herald, izinsizwa ezingaphezu kwe-100 ziyabulawa nsuku zonke. Ubugebengu nabo budlangile, njengoba ngokudabukisayo kungenzeka uyabuqaphela. Umlobi wephephandaba uAnthony Lewis nje waphawula: “Kusukela emazweni ahlukile njengeBrithani . . . neSoviet Union kukhona imibiko yokwanda kobudlova bobugebengu nokungabi namandla okubhekana nabo kweziphathimandla.

UKUZAMAZAMA KOMHLABA: Ukuzamazama komhlaba izindawo ngezindawo.”—Mathewu 24:7.

Nakuba kuye kwabakhona ukuzamazama okukhulu komhlaba ngezikhathi ezithile emakhulwini eminyaka, usuku lwethu luphawuleka ngokukhethekile kulesici. Ukuzamazama komhlaba kuye kwaba kuningi kakhulu kulamashumi eminyaka embalwa adlule. Kusukela ngo-1970 kuya ku-1979, isilinganiso sabantu abayizi-80 000 unyaka ngamunye balahlekelwa ukuphila kwabo ekuzamazameni komhlaba. Lesibalo asihlanganisi ngisho nesehlakalo sango-1975 saseLiaoning endaweni yaseChina, lapho, ngokwezilinganiso ezithile abantu abayizi-800 000 balahlekelwa ukuphila kwabo!

INDLALA—IZIFO: “Nobici nendlala izindawo ngezindawo.”—Luka 21:11.

Ngokwe-UNICEF, izigidi eziyi-12 zabantwana zafa ngenxa yendlala emhlabeni jikelele ngo-1979. EAfrika cishe umntwana oyedwa kwabathathu ulamba aze afe. Izifo, nazo ziyaqhubeka zenza umonakalo ezweni lonke. Abantwana abayizinkulungwane ezinhlanu bayafa ngenxa yesimungumungwane unyaka ngamunye, futhi abantu abayizigidi eziyinkulungwane bahlushwa izifo zasemazweni asenkabazwe. Nalabo abasemazweni ezemisebenzi abazizwa belondekile, ngenxa yokuthi ikhensa, izifo zenhliziyo nezifo zokubhajwa zigadla ezigidini.

UBUFAKAZI EMHLABENI WONKE: “Lelivangeli lombuso liyakushunyayelwa ezweni lonke.”—Math. 24:14.

Esikhathini sezinyanga eziyi-12 kusukela ngoSeptember 1981 kuya kuAugust 1982, oFakazi BakaJehova bachitha amahora angaphezu kwezigidi ezingama-384 besakaza izindaba ezinhle futhi befundisa abantu amaqiniso eBhayibheli. Izikhonzi ezingaphezu kwezigidi ezimbili zashumayela emazweni angama-205 neziqhingi zolwandle.

Okushiwo Yikho Konke

Ngemva kokubikezela lezizehlakalo ezihlukene, uJesu waveza ezikushoyo:

Bhekani umkhiwane nemithi yonke. Nxa isihluma, niyabona, nazi ngokwenu ukuthi ihlobo seliseduze. Kanjalo nani, nxa nibona lezozinto zenzeka, yazini ukuthi umbuso kaNkulunkulu useduze. Ngiqinisile ngithi kini: Lesisizukulwane asiyikudlula kungakenzeki konke.”—Luka 21:29-32.

Ukugcwaliseka kwakho konke lokhu uJesu akuchaza kwakuyokwenza “isibonakaliso” esihlangene, esibonisa ukuba seduze koMbuso kaNkulunkulu okuqiniseke njengezihlahla esezi“hluma” ezibika ukufika kwehlobo. Kodwa zaqala nini ukwenzeka lezizinto?

Sikhuluma ngesehlakalo esashintsha ukubukeka kwezwe, isazi sezomnotho esingumFulentshi uAlfred Fabre-Luce sathi: “Impi ka-1914 yayiwukuzamazama kokuqala okwazala ukundindizela komhlaba okusasinyakazisa nanamuhla.” Eziningi ezinye izazimlando nezazi zokuphathwa kwezwe ziye zavuma ukuthi isikhathi esihluke kakhulu saqala ngo-1914 lapho kuqala iMpi Yezwe I. Ngokuthakazelisayo uPius XI, upapa kusukela ngo-1922 kuya ku-1939, wabona ukuthi izehlakalo ezenzeka kusukela ngo-1914 zaziyi“zibonakaliso zezinsuku zokugcina, njengoba zazibikezelwe iNkosi Yethu.” Njengoba sesibonile, izehlakalo ezabikezelwa kulesiprofetho ziyaqhubeka nanamuhla. Kanjalo sinesizathu esihle sokukholelwa ukuthi isizukulwane esabona imihelo yokuqala ngo-1914 futhi esisamelelwe ngabantu abaphilayo namuhla kufanele kube yiso esizobona ukugcwaliseka kokugcina kwalesiprofetho.

Khona-ke, sifanele sibe yini isimo sethu njengoba lesi“sizukulwane” siqhubeka? Akufanele sidangale noma singanaki. Esikhundleni salokho, sidinga ukugcina iseluleko esanikezwa uJesu ngemva kokuba esesho izici ezihlukahlukene ze“sibonakaliso.” Wathi: “Kepha nxa kuqala ukuvela lokho, lulamani, niphakamise amakhanda enu, ngokuba kusondele ukukhululwa kwenu.” (Luka 21:28) Singaba nesimo sengqondo esinjalo uma sazi ukuthi ikusasa eliseduze lisiphatheleni ngaphansi kokubusa koMbuso kaNkulunkulu.

Izithembiso ZikaNkulunkulu

Abaningi banomuzwa wokuthi izinkathazo zabo zamanje zingancipha uma bengasebenza ezindaweni ezijabulisayo futhi babe nokulondeka. ImiBhalo ayiwusunduzeli eceleni umbono onjalo. Abaprofethi abanjengoIsaya babikezela izimo ezingcono eziyokwenza ukuba umuntu ajabulele ukuphila: “Bayakwakha izindlu, bahlale kuzo; bayakutshala izivini badle izithelo zazo. Abayikushikashikela ize bazalele izinhlupheko.”—Isaya 65:21, 23.

Nokho, imiBhalo ngokukhethekile idonsela ukunakekela ephuzwini lokuthi izibusiso ezivela kuJehova ziyohlanganisa futhi nalezo ezingokomoya. Abantu badinga okungaphezu nje kokuma kahle ngokwezinto ezibonakalayo. Sidinga ukuhlonipha izimiso zothando nomthetho futhi sihlalisane nabanye abahlonipha lezozimiso. UMbuso kaNkulunkulu uzoletha isimo esihle kanjalo emhlabeni sivumela abanhliziyo eziqotho ukuba bajabule ngokuphelele. Umprofethi okukhulunywe ngaye ngaphambili uyanezela: “Ngokuba lapho izahlulelo zakho zisemhlabeni, abakhileyo bafunda ukulunga.”—Isaya 26:7-9.

UMbuso kaNkulunkulu uzofeza okuthile omunye umbuso ongeke ukwenze, okungukuthi, ukukhulula isintu esonweni nemiphumela yaso: omaye, ukugula nokufa. Uma uNkulunkulu efeza lokhu ngoJesu Kristu, bonke labo abathanda futhi benze ukulunga bayozuza ukuphila okuphakade.

Izinzuzo Ngisho Manje

Akumelwe singalinaki iqiniso lokuthi isilinganiso esikhulu senjabulo siyatholakala kwamanje ngokuphila kwethu ngokuvumelana nezinjongo zikaNkulunkulu. Izinto ezimbi ezenzeka emhlabeni zisobala kubo bonke futhi azibaletheli ukujabula. Nokho, uma siqonda ezikushoyo futhi ngalokho sibone “isibonakaliso,” singaqonda ukuthi kungani izikhathi zethu ngengqondo ethile ziwukunambitha izikhathi ezingcono kakhulu, ngoba sizobona ukungenela kukaNkulunkulu, lapho eletha ikhambi elihlala njalo ezinkingeni zomuntu.

Nakuba bephila phakathi kwalelizwe elikhathazekile, oFakazi BakaJehova bayakwazi ukuvuna izinzuzo ezingatholakala nakuwe. Ulwazi lwabo ngemithetho kaNkulunkulu lunikeza isivikelo sokuziphatha futhi lubenza bakwazi ukuphila ukuphila okulinganiselwe. Baye bathola ukuthula kwengqondo okuvela ethembeni elisekelwe ezithembisweni ezingokwasezulwini; kanye nokuziphatha kokwesaba uNkulunkulu. (AmaHubo 119:165; 1 Thimothewu 4:8) Ngaphezu kwalokho, kuyoba khona ukukhululwa lapho uKristu ebhubhisa izitha zikaNkulunkulu esikhathini esizayo futhi avule amathuba okuthola izibusiso zikaNkulunkulu zaphakade.—Zefaniya 2:2, 3; AmaHubo 29:11.

[Isithombe ekhasini 6]

Maqondana nezikhathi zethu, uJesu wathi singafunda emkhiwaneni