Liyini IBhabhiloni Elikhulu?

Impendulo YeBhayibheli

Incwadi yesAmbulo isichazela ‘ngowesifazane’ ‘oyisifebe esikhulu’ onegama “eliyimfihlakalo: ‘IBhabhiloni Elikhulu.’” (IsAmbulo 17:1, 3, 5) Lo wesifazane umelela zonke izinkolo zamanga ezisemhlabeni ezikhetha “ukukholelwa emangeni kunaseqinisweni likaNkulunkulu.”a (Roma 1:25) Nakuba zonke lezi zinkolo zihlukene endleleni ezenza ngayo, kodwa zonke zidedisela abantu kude nokukhulekela uNkulunkulu weqiniso, uJehova.—Duteronomi 4:35.

Izindlela eziyinhloko zokubona iBhabhiloni Elikhulu

1. IBhabhiloni Elikhulu lifanekisela okuthile. Incwadi yesAmbulo yethulwa “ngezibonakaliso” ngakho kunengqondo ukuphetha ngokuthi iBhabhiloni Elikhulu lifanekisela okuthile hhayi owesifazane ongokoqobo. (IsAmbulo 1:1) Ngaphezu kwalokho, ‘uhleli phezu kwamanzi amaningi,’ amelela “abantu nezixuku nezizwe nezilimi.” (IsAmbulo 17:1, 15) Owesifazane ongokoqobo ngeke akwazi ukwenza lokho.

2. IBhabhiloni Elikhulu limelela inhlangano yomhlaba wonke. Lo wesifazane ubizwa ngokuthi “idolobha elikhulu elibusa phezu kwamakhosi omhlaba.” (IsAmbulo 17:18) Ngenxa yalokho, uyakwazi ukuthonya umhlaba wonke.

3. IBhabhiloni Elikhulu liyinhlangano yenkolo hhayi eyezepolitiki noma eyamabhizinisi. IBhabhiloni lasendulo laliyidolobha elaligxile kakhulu kwezenkolo futhi lalaziwa ngokusebenzisa ‘iziphonso’ “nobuthakathi” (Isaya 47:1, 12, 13; Jeremiya 50:1, 2, 38) Empeleni, izakhamuzi zalelo dolobha zazisenkolweni yamanga eyayiphikisana noNkulunkulu weqiniso, uJehova. (Genesise 10:8, 9; 11:2-4, 8) Ababusi baseBhabhiloni babeziphakamisa ngaphezu kukaJehova nokukhulekela kwakhe. (Isaya 14:4, 13, 14; Daniyeli 5:2-4, 23) Ngokufanayo, iBhabhiloni Elikhulu laziwa ‘ngokusebenzelana kwalo nemimoya.’ Lokho kubonisa ukuthi liyinhlangano yenkolo.—IsAmbulo 18:23.

   IBhabhiloni Elikhulu alikwazi ukuba inhlangano yezepolitiki ngoba “amakhosi omhlaba” akhalela ukubhujiswa kwalo. (IsAmbulo 17:1, 2; 18:9) Ngeke futhi libe inhlangano yezamabhizinisi ngoba iBhayibheli liyalihlukanisa ‘kubahwebi bomhlaba.’—IsAmbulo 18:11, 15



Photograph taken by courtesy of the British Museum

4. IBhabhiloni Elikhulu liyifanekisela kahle inkolo yamanga. Kunokuba ifundise abantu indlela yokusondela kuNkulunkulu weqiniso uJehova, inkolo yamanga ibakhuthaza ukuba bakhulekele abanye onkulunkulu. IBhayibheli libiza lokhu ‘ngobufebe obungokomoya.’ (Levitikusi 20:6; Eksodusi 34:15, 16) Izinkolo eziningi zamanga ziyaqhubeka zifundisa izinkolelo ezazifundiswa eBhabhiloni lasendulo, njengemfundiso kaziqu-zintathu, ukungafi komphefumulo nokusetshenziswa kwezithombe ekukhulekeleni. Lezi zinkolo ziphinde zixube indlela ezikhulekela ngayo kanye nokuthanda izwe. IBhayibheli libhekisela kulolu hlobo lokungathembeki njengokuphinga ngokomoya.—Jakobe 4:4.

   Ukubukisa kwenkolo ngengcebo yayo kufanelana kahle nencazelo eshiwo iBhayibheli ngeBhabhiloni Elikhulu ‘elaligqoke okuphephuli nokubomvu, lihlobe ngegolide nangamatshe ayigugu nangamapharele.’ (IsAmbulo 17:4) IBhabhiloni Elikhulu lingumthombo ‘wamanyala omhlaba,’ noma wezimfundiso nezenzo zokungamhloniphi uNkulunkulu. (IsAmbulo 17:5) Amalungu enkolo yamanga ‘angabantu nezixuku, nezizwe nezilimi,’ ezisekela iBhabhiloni Elikhulu.—IsAmbulo 17:15

IBhabhiloni Elikhulu linecala lokufa ‘kwabo bonke abaye babulawa emhlabeni.’ (IsAmbulo 18:24) Kuwo wonke umlando, inkolo yamanga ayigcinanga nje ngokubhebhezela izimpi nezenzo zodlame kodwa iphinde yahluleka ukufundisa iqiniso ngoJehova, uNkulunkulu oluthando. (1 Johane 4:8) Lokhu kuhluleka kube nesandla ekuchithekeni kwegazi eliningi.

UNkulunkulu ulibheka kanjani iBhabhiloni Elikhulu?

Emehlweni kaNkulunkulu “izono zalo ziye zanqwabelana zaze zafika ezulwini.” (IsAmbulo 18:4, 5) UNkulunkulu uyithukuthelele inkolo yamanga ngokungammeleli kahle nangokuphatha kabi abalandeli bayo.

Kuzokwenzekani ngeBhabhiloni Elikhulu?

IBhayibheli lithi “uNkulunkulu uye wakhipha isahlulelo” ngeBhabhiloni Elikhulu. (IsAmbulo 18:20) Ngolimi olungokomfanekiso, iBhayibheli libikezela ukuthi uNkulunkulu uzoyiqeda nya inkolo yamanga (IsAmbulo 18:8) Uzogqugquzela isilo esibomvu—esimelela izinhlangano zezepolitiki ezinamandla—ukuba ziphendukele inkolo yamanga futhi ziyibhubhise ngokuphelele. (IsAmbulo 17:16, 17) “Lena yindlela iBhabhiloni, idolobha elikhulu eliyophonswa ngayo phansi ngokushesha futhi ngeke liphinde litholakale.” (IsAmbulo 18:21) Labo abafuna ukujabulisa uNkulunkulu banesizathu esihle ‘sokuphuma phakathi kwalo’ bazihlukanise nenkolo yamanga.—2 Korinte 6:14-17.