Kungani Siguga Futhi Sifa?
UMBUZO osekuyisikhathi eside ososayensi bezibuza wona uwukuthi, Kungani umuntu eguga futhi efa? Abanye ososayensi basikisela ukuthi ingqamuzana ngalinye linqunyelwe ubude besikhathi sokuphila kwezakhi zofuzo. Kukhona nezinye izincazelo eziningana, kuhlanganise nombono wokuthi ubuchopho bukhipha ama-hormone anendima enkulu ekugugeni nasekufeni ekugcineni. Ososayensi abaqiniseki ukuthi imuphi kulo mbono oyiqiniso, futhi abaningi bayavuma ukuthi ayaziwa imbangela yokuguga.
Lapho sicabangela izinto eziye zatholwa ososayensi neziphetho zabo, kufanele siphawule ukuthi abaningi abavumi ukuthi ukuphila kuvela kuMdali. Ngemizamo yabo, banethemba lokuthola imfihlo yokuguga nokufa ukuze bakwazi ukunweba ukuphila komuntu phakade. Abalinaki iqiniso lokuthi uMdali nguye owakhipha isigwebo sokufa embhangqwaneni wokuqala ongabantu ngendlela umuntu angayiqondi ngokuphelele; ngokufanayo, unomvuzo wokuphila okuphakade awugcinele labo ababonisa ukholo eNdodaneni yakhe.—Genesise 2:16, 17; Johane 3:16.
Imbangela Yokufa Iyembulwa
Lapho u-Adamu edalwa, uNkulunkulu wabeka ‘umuthi wokuphila’ ensimini yase-Edene. (Genesise 2:9) Kubonakala sengathi lo muthi wawungenazo izithelo ezinamandla angokwemvelo anikeza ukuphila, kodwa wawumelela isiqinisekiso sikaNkulunkulu sokuphila “kuze kube phakade” kumuntu uNkulunkulu ayezomvumela ukuba adle izithelo zawo. Lapho u-Adamu ona, akalinikwanga ithuba lokudla kulo muthi. UJehova wathi: “Manje ukuze angeluli isandla sakhe futhi empeleni athathe izithelo nasemthini wokuphila adle aphile kuze kube nini nanini,—.” UJehova wabe esethatha isinyathelo ngokuvumelana namazwi akhe. Wayengeke avumele umuntu ongakufanelekele ukuphila ukuba ahlale ensimini eyenzelwe abantu abalungile futhi adle emthini wokuphila.—Genesise 3:22, 23.
U-Adamu, owayejabulele ukuphila okuphelele okwakuxhomeke ekulaleleni uJehova, manje wabhekana nemiphumela yesono nezithelo zaso, ukufa. Nokho, wayeseyingqabavu. Nakuba ayekulesi simo esidabukisayo, ehlukanisiwe noNkulunkulu nengokomoya leqiniso, waphila iminyaka engu-930 ngaphambi kokuba anqotshwe ukufa. Phakathi naleso sikhathi akadluliselanga ukuphila okuphelele, kodwa izinga elithile lokuphila enzalweni yakhe, iningi layo elaphila iminyaka engu-700 kuya kwengu-900.—Genesise 5:3-32.
Lokho Umuntu Akudingayo Ukuze Aphile
Abacwaningi abaningi bezesayensi abagcini nje ngokuziba imbangela yokufa kubo bonke abantu, kodwa okubaluleke nakakhulu, bashalazela iqiniso eliyinhloko elidingekayo ukuze kube nokuphila okuphakade. Nakuba kubalulekile ukuba umzimba womuntu wondliwe njalo futhi uthole ukuqabuleka ngokuphefumula, ngokuphuza nangokudla, kunokuthile okubaluleke kakhulu ukuze ukuphila kuqhubeke kukhona. Leso simiso savezwa uJehova: ‘Umuntu akaphili ngesinkwa sodwa kodwa uphila nangawo wonke amazwi omlomo kaJehova.’—Duteronomi 8:3.
Lapho umuntu edalwa, wenziwa ngomfanekiso kaNkulunkulu. (Genesise 1:26, 27) Kuyiqiniso ukuthi lokhu akusho umfanekiso ongokoqobo, ngoba uNkulunkulu unguMoya, kanti umuntu uyinyama. (Johane 4:24) Kwakusho ukuthi uhlukile ‘ezilwaneni ezingenangqondo,’ unamandla okucabanga; unezimfanelo ezifana nezikaNkulunkulu, njengothando, umuzwa wobulungisa, ukuhlakanipha namandla. (2 Petru 2:12; qhathanisa neyabaseKolose 3:10.) Unekhono lokuqonda ukuthi kungani ekhona nokuthi iyini injongo yoMdali wakhe ngaye. Ngenxa yalokho wanikwa ikhono lokulangazela izinto ezingokomoya. Wayekwazi ukuqaphela uMdali wakhe futhi amkhulekele. Wayedinga okungaphezu nje kokudla okungokwenyama; wayedinga nokudla okungokomoya. Ngaphandle kukaJehova uNkulunkulu namalungiselelo akhe angokomoya akunakuba nokuphila okuqhubeka phakade. Ngoba uJesu wathi ngokuphila okuphakade: “Lokhu kusho ukuphila okuphakade, ukungenisa kwabo ulwazi ngawe, owukuphela kukaNkulunkulu weqiniso, nangalowo omthumileyo, uJesu Kristu.”—Johane 17:3.
Ukulandela iqiniso kuyoholela umuntu olwazini ngelungiselelo likaNkulunkulu ngoJesu Kristu, owanikela ngokuphila kwakhe ‘ukuze kube yisihlengo sabaningi.’ (Mathewu 20:28) UJesu Kristu ubizwa ngokuthi ‘ungu-Adamu wokugcina, umoya onika ukuphila.’ (1 Korinte 15:45) Isiprofetho simbiza ngokuthi “uYise Ongunaphakade” nanjengalowo ‘owathulula umphefumulo wakhe ekufeni uqobo,’ waba ‘njengomnikelo wecala.’ Uyakwazi ukuvusa isintu ekufeni, ngaleyo ndlela abanikeze ukuphila labo abamlalelayo nababonisa ukholo emhlatshelweni womphefumulo wakhe.—Isaya 9:6; 53:10-12.
Okuwukuphela Kwendlela Eya Ekuphileni Okuphakade
Umphostoli uJohane wacaphuna uJesu ethi: “Ngoba uNkulunkulu walithanda izwe kangangokuba waze wanikela ngeNdodana yakhe ezelwe yodwa, ukuze wonke umuntu obonisa ukholo kuyo angabhubhi kodwa abe nokuphila okuphakade.” (Johane 3:16) Emfanekisweni wakhe wezimvu nezimbuzi, lezo zizwe ezinjengezimvu ezingasohlangothini lukaJesu lwesokunene zingena “ekuphileni okuphakade.” (Mathewu 25:46) Lapho u-Adamu edalwa njengomuntu ophelele ‘wayeyindodana kaNkulunkulu.’ (Luka 3:38) Umbono ongokwesiprofetho wesAmbulo 21:1-4 ukhomba esikhathini ‘sezulu elisha nomhlaba omusha’ futhi unikeza isithembiso sokuthi ngaleso sikhathi “ukufa ngeke kusaba khona, noma ukulila noma ukukhala noma ubuhlungu ngeke kusaba khona.” Njengoba lesi sithembiso singanikezwanga izidalwa zomoya, kodwa “isintu” ngokuqondile, sinikeza isiqiniseko sokuthi umphakathi wesintu omusha ophila ngaphansi ‘kwezulu elisha’ uyobona ukubuyiselwa okuphelele kokuphila kwengqondo nomzimba nokuphila okuphakade ‘njengabantwana bakaNkulunkulu’ basemhlabeni.
Lapho eyala u-Adamu, uNkulunkulu wamtshela ukuthi uma elalela, wayengeke afe. (Genesise 2:17) Ngakho lapho sekunesintu esilalelayo, isitha somuntu sokugcina ukufa sesenziwe ize, siyobe singasekho isono esibangela ukufa emizimbeni yaso. Siyobe singasekho isidingo sokufa kuze kube phakade. (1 Korinte 15:26) Ukwenziwa ize kokufa kuyokwenzeka ekupheleni kokubusa kukaKristu, incwadi yesAmbulo eveza ukuthi kuyoba iminyaka eyinkulungwane ubude. Ngokuphathelene nalabo abayoba amakhosi nabapristi kanye noKristu le ncwadi ithi, “baphila futhi babusa njengamakhosi kanye noKristu iminyaka eyinkulungwane.” “Bonke abanye abafileyo” abangavuki kuze ‘kuphele iminyaka eyinkulungwane’ yilabo abayobe bephila ekupheleni kweminyaka eyinkulungwane, kodwa ngaphambi kokuba uSathane akhululwe kwalasha futhi alethe isivivinyo esiwujuqu esintwini. Ekupheleni kweminyaka eyinkulungwane, abantu abasemhlabeni bayobe sebefinyelele ukuphelela kobuntu, besesimweni u-Adamu no-Eva ababekuso ngaphambi kokuba bone. Manje bayoba nokuphila okuphelele ngempela. Ngemva kwalokho labo abayophumelela esivivinyweni lapho uSathane ekhululwa kwalasha isikhashana bayokwazi ukujabulela ukuphila phakade.—IsAmbulo 20:4-10.
Ngokwamazwi kaJesu kusobala ukuthi imizamo yabantu yokwelula ukuphila phakade noma umbono wokuthi izinhlobo ezithile zokudla noma izindlela ezithile zokuphila ziyolethela isintu ukuphila, iyize. Okungcono kakhulu abangakwenza, kungaba ukuletha impilo engcono okwesikhashana. Okuwukuphela kwendlela yokuphila ukulalela izindaba ezinhle, “izwi lokuphila.” (Filipi 2:16) Ukuze umuntu ngamunye athole ukuphila, kufanele agcine ingqondo yakhe igxile “ezintweni zaphezulu, hhayi ezintweni zomhlaba.” (Kolose 3:1, 2) Kulabo ababemlalele uJesu wathi: “Lowo ozwa izwi lami futhi akholwe yilowo ongithumileyo, unokuphila okuphakade, futhi akangeni ekwahlulelweni kodwa usedlulile ekufeni waya ekuphileni.”—Johane 5:24; 6:40.