Isizathu Sokuba Kube Nempi YeArmagedoni

“UNKULUNKULU ULUTHANDO.” Umphostoli uJohane uthi, uNkulunkulu akabonisi nje uthando kuphela, kodwa, uluthando—ukubonakaliswa kwangempela kothando.—1 Johane 4:8.

Nokho, loNkulunkulu ofanayo wothando ngokuvamile abanye bambonisa njengonkulunkulu ophindiselayo obajezisa ngonya labo abaye bawa emuseni wakhe. Ngakho-ke, abaningi baye baphelelwa ukholo kuNkulunkulu noma balihleka usulu iBhayibheli, bethi akunakwenzeka ukuthi livela kuNkulunkulu onjalo. Kusolwa ngokukhethekile izingxenye zencwadi yesAmbulo lapho kuchazwa khona izahlulelo zikaNkulunkulu kubantu ababi eziphumela empini yeArmagedoni.

Ngokwesibonelo, uJoseph Wheless uyabhala encwadini yakhe, Is It God’s Word?: “Ngokuqinisekile umfundi omnene akanakuwubekezelela umbono wesambulo owembula umphefumulo ophendukayo phakathi kwezoni ezidabukisayo (zesono sokuqala noma sokufa), ‘ezihlushwa lapho ngomlilo nesibabule phambi kwezingelosi ezingcwele, naphambi kweWundlu,’ bonke ababuka ngokwenama lapho ‘umusi wokuhlushwa kwabo wenyuka kuze kube-phakade; abasenakuphumula imini nobusuku’ entukuthelweni yolaka lukaNkulunkulu uMninimandla onke (IsAm. xiv, 10, 11). Lesi isambulo esiphefumlelwe sikaNkulunkulu walo lonke uthando.”

Futhi ephikisa indaba yesAmbulo, uProfessor Gerald A. Larue waseYunivesithi YaseNingizimu California usanda kubhala kumagazini iFree Inquiry: “Abangakholwa baphonswa emgodini wokuhlushwa okukhulu ngokumangalisayo. Lesijeziso asikhona ukwahlulela kweso ngeso; asifani futhi nokuphindisela, lapho kungase kushanelwe lonke iqembu (qhathanisa noGen. 4:23, [24]; Josh. 6; njll.). Lapha ukujeziswa kungokwaphakade. Akukho sihawu, isijeziso asipheli. Akukho kuxolelwa, isijeziso kuphela esivimbela ukuthula ongakuthola uma ubhujiswa. Lokhu, akuwona umifanekiso kaJesu, wokuthembeka nobumnene.” Khona-ke, ecaphuna isAmbulo 14:9-11, uyaqhubeka: “Akukho kuphendulwa kwesinye isihlathi lapha—kuphela impindiselo yolaka, yentukuthelo neyobudlova eyenza uhlupho lwamaNazi lube yize uma kuqhathaniswa.”

Ngokuqondakalayo, imiqondo yokuhlupheka ngonya njengoba izoni zihlushwa phakade ingaphakamisa imibuzo ‘ngoNkulunkulu wothando.’ Kodwa imiqondo enjalo isekelwe ekuliqondeni kabi iBhayibheli nemifanekiso esetshenziswe kulo. Akukho lapho iBhayibheli lifundisa khona ukuthi umphefumulo awufi. Kunalokho, imiBhalo iveza ukuthi “inkokhelo yesono ingukufa,”—hhayi ukuhlushwa phakade—nokuthi ekufeni imizwa yomuntu, kuhlanganise nokuzwa ubuhlungu, iyaphela.—Roma 6:23; UmShumayeli 9:5, 10.

Isijeziso, esihlala phakade hhayi ukujeziswa—njengoba ababi beshanelwa ngokuphelele “echibini lomlilo,” imifanekiso we-mbubhiso ephelele. (IsAmbulo 20:14, 15; 21:8) Impi yeArmagedoni isazoletha ukuhlupheka okungenakulinganiswa nobunzima esintwini, futhi iyoba impi echitha igazi ngaphezu kwanoma iyiphi eyake yalwiwa. (Mathewu 24:21, 22; IsAmbulo 14:20; 19:17, 18) Ingabe ivela “kuNkulunkulu wothando?” Ingabe uNkulunkulu ngempela uyoletha impi enjalo?

Ukubonakaliswa Kothando LukaNkulunkulu

Eqinisweni, kungenxa yothando lukaNkulunkulu ukuthi impi yeArmagedoni kumelwe ilwiwe. Injongo kaNkulunkulu ngomhlaba iwukuwubuyisela esimweni sawo sakuqala sePharadesi, nokuba isintu sihlale kuwo ngokuthula nangokuphelela ‘kungekho osesabisayo.’ (Hezekeli 34:28; Mika 4:3, 4; IsAmbulo 21:4) Yini-ke eyokwenziwa ngalabo abayokonakalisa ukulondeka kwePharadesi elibuyiselwe ngobugebengu babo nobudlova? Akukho simiso esiqanjwe umuntu, esesiye saxazulula inkinga enjalo ngokuphumelelayo. Okuwukuphela kwendlela yokuqinisekisa ukuthula okuphelele, ukususa nokusongela kobubi. Yebo uNkulunkulu kumelwe abhubhise ababi ngokwedlulele ngenxa yalabo abafuna ukwenza okulungileyo. Ngenxa yothando, uthatha isinyathelo sokususa ababhubhisa umhlaba.—IsAmbulo 11:18.

Kodwa akekho noyedwa okudingeka afe. Umphostoli uPawulu uyabhala: “[UNkulunkulu] othanda ukuba abantu bonke basindiswe.” (1 Thimothewu 2:4) NoPetru, ebhala ngaphansi kokuphefumlelwa, uthi: “Ingathandi ukuba kubhubhe namunye, kodwa ukuba bonke beze ekuphendukeni.” (2 Petru 3:9) UNkulunkulu uye walungiselela ukuba “ivangeli lombuso” limenyezelwe ukuze umuntu ngamunye athole ithuba lokuzenza afanelekele ukusinda. (Mathewu 24:14; Filipi 2:12; Galathiya 6:5) Ungaphila phakade ngokuphelela emhlabeni eyipharadesi. Ukukhetha ngokwakho. (Roma 2:5-9; Hezekeli 18:23, 32) Ingabe lokhu akukhona esingakulindela kuNkulunkulu wothando?

Impikiswano Yokubusa

Ukuze kuqinisekwe ngokuthula okuphelele noxolo, kuyoba nohulumeni owodwa kuphela obusa phezu kwawo wonke umhlaba—uMbuso kaNkulunkulu. Akubona yini ohulumeni abaningi babantu, bonke abalwela izinzuzo zabo zobuzwe ezinobugovu, abaye babangela izingxabano eziningi nokuchithwa kwegazi emhlabeni wonke? Labohulumeni kumelwe basuswe ukuze badedele ukubusa okulungileyo koMbuso kaNkulunkulu ngaphansi kukaKristu. (Daniyeli 2:44) Uye wawukhulekela lowohulumeni wasezulwini lapho uphindaphinda umthandazo oyisibonelo uJesu awunikeza abafundi bakhe: “Mawufike umbuso wakho; mayenziwe intando yakho emhlabeni njengasezulwini.”—Mathewu 6:10.

Kodwa imuphi uhulumeni owaziyo ozimisele ukulahla ukubusa kwawo futhi uzithobe ngokuphelele ngaphansi koMbuso kaNkulunkulu? Kunalokho ingabe ohulumeni ababambeleli ngokuqinile ekubuseni kwabo, befuna ukwandisa ithonya labo njalo, beyisa uMbuso kaNkulunkulu omisiwe? (IHubo 2:1-9) Ingabe lwake lwaba khona uphawu lokuthi izizwe ziyonikela ukubusa kwazo kuNkulunkulu noKristu? Ukwehluleka kwenhlangano yeZizwe Ezihlangene njengethuluzi lokuthula komhlaba kubonisa ukungazimiseli kwezizwe ukudeda nokuzithoba egunyeni elilodwa lapho kuhileleke izithakazelo zobuzwe zobugovu. Izizwe zizimisele ukuphatha izindaba zezwe ngendlela yazo. (IsAmbulo 17:13, 14; 19:19) Ngakho kumelwe kube nempi yeArmagedoni ukuze kuxazululwe lengqinamba futhi kulungiswe phakade impikiswano yokuthi ubani onelungelo lokubusa umhlaba.

Ukuze Kwaneliswe Izidingo Zomuntu

Isenzo sikaJehova eArmagedoni siyocabangela izithakazelo ezingcono kakhulu zesintu. Cabanga. Uzizwa kanjani ngezimo zamanje zomhlaba? Ingabe uzithanda njengoba zinje? Ingabe uzizwa ulondekile ngaphansi kokusongelwa yimbubhiso yenyukliye? Ingabe uyathuthumela ngokubona ukwanda kobudlova, indawo yakini ingasalondekile? Ingabe ayesaba ngabantabakho nekusasa labo? Yikuphi ukukhululeka okubonayo? Ingabe ukhona uhulumeni owake wabonisa ukuthi ungaletha ukuthula nokuchuma kuso sonke isintu? Ingabe ukhona owake wakwazi ukuqeda ukugula nokufa emhlabeni? Kunalokho, ingabe izimo emhlabeni wonke azizange zibe zimbi kakhulu naphezu kwempumelelo yezobuchwepheshe, futhi ngokuvamile nangenxa yentuthuko enjalo? UMbuso kaNkulunkulu wokulunga kuphela oyokwanelisa ngokugcwele izidingo zesintu. Yiwona kuphela oyokwenza ukuthula kweqiniso kuvame emhlabeni wonke. Impi yeArmagedoni kumelwe ibe khona!

Kodwa kuthiwani ngokuhlupheka kwesintu nobunzima obuyoba umphumela lapho uNkulunkulu ethatha isinyathelo sokuhlanza umhlaba? Lokhu ngokuvamile kuye kwaba umphumela wempi. Kuyokwenzeka eArmagedoni kuphela nje ngoba izizwe zigxila ekumelaneni nokubusa okungokwasezulwini. Zizimisele ukulwa nokuzabalaza. (IHubo 2:2, 3) Lokho akulona iphutha likaNkulunkulu. Uzinikeza isixwayiso esifanele: “Futhi manje nina makhosi; lalelani; xwayani, nina babusi bomhlaba. Khonzani iNkosi ngokwesaba, nithokoze phambi kwayo; yikhonzeni ngokuthuthumela, funa ithukuthele futhi nibhujiswe phambi kwayo, lapho ulaka lwayo luvutha ngokuphazima kweso. Bayajabula bonke abaphephela kuyo!”—IHubo 2:10, 11, The New American Bible.

Manje cabanga. Zingaba njani izimo zomhlaba uma uNkulunkulu engangeneli ukuba aqondise izindaba zomhlaba? Ingabe izimpi, ubudlova, nenzondo bekungenakuqhubeka ngamandla njengoba kuye kwenzeka kuwo wonke amakhulu eminyaka okubusa komuntu? Ingabe ngisho namanje akwandi yini kufinyelele ezingeni lapho sonke isintu sisongelwa ukwesabisa kwempi yenyukliye nemisebe yayo ewushevu? IArmagedoni eqinisweni iyinto engcono kakhulu engenzeka embulungeni yethu! Iyophelisa inkambo yobugovu yokuzibulala kwezizwe. Iyosusa izimiso ezibangela usizi esintwini futhi ivule indlela yesimiso esisha sezinto esilunge ngempela lapho konke ukudabuka okwenziwe umuntu, ubuhlungu, nokufa kuyosuswa phakade. ‘Okokuqala kuyobe sekudlulile,’ ngokwesithembiso sikaNkulunkulu.—IsAmbulo 21:4; 2 Petru 3:13.

Kumelwe sikhumbule ukuthi ngokuhlakanipha kwakhe uNkulunkulu wazi okungcono kakhulu ngesintu nokuthi yini edingekayo ukuze kufinyelelwe. Ngisho nohulumeni babantu baye basongoza futhi balwa ukuze balungise okubonakala kuwukungalungi noma ukulwela lokho okucatshangelwa njengenjongo enhle. Kodwa uNkulunkulu kuphela onokuhlakanipha kokulwa impi yokulunga kweqiniso. Uyena kuphela ongalwa impi ekhetha ngempela lapho kuyolondolozwa abantu abanezinhliziyo ezinhle, noma kuphi lapho bengase babe khona emhlabeni. (Mathewu 24:40, 41; IsAmbulo 7:9, 10, 13-17) Futhi uNkulunkulu kuphela enelungelo lokubeka ukubusa kwakhe kuwo wonke umhlaba, ngoba uyindalo yakhe. Yebo, ukuze kususwe yonke imikhonjwana yobubi phakade, kupheliswe ukungalungi, ukukhulekela kwamanga okucindezelayo, ngisho nembangela yesono, futhi kungcweliswe igama likaNkulunkulu elingcwele ngokuphelele—kumelwe kube nempi yeArmagedoni. Futhi iyoba khona, ngoba “uNkulunkulu uluthando!”

[Isithombe ekhasini 6, 7]

IARMAGEDONI . . .  . . . ivula indlela yokuthula