Ingabe Abefundisi Bobu-Orthodox Bahlala Bephapheme?

NGUMLOBELI WE-PHAPHAMA! EGREECE

“LAPHO uJesu engena ethempelini . . . futhi ebona ‘umbukiso wezohwebo,’ wathukuthela futhi wamemeza: ‘Yekani ukwenza indlu kaBaba indlu yokuthengisela!’ Ukube ubengaya esiqhingini sasePhatmose kulezi zinsuku, . . . ubeyokhuluma ngendlela ehlaba ngisho nakakhulu. Kodwa angiqiniseki ukuthi ukhona yini obeyomlalela.” Wakhala kanjalo umlobeli othile wephephandaba lapho ebika ngalokho okwabizwa ngokuthi “umbuthano wamaKristu jikelele obaluleke kakhulu” nangokuthi “esinye sezenzakalo ezivelele ebuKristwini banamuhla.”

Umbhishobhi omkhulu wamasonto aseConstantinople, uBartholomew I, obhekwa njengomholi onegunya weSonto Lobu-Orthodox emhlabeni wonke, wamemezela ukuthi unyaka ka-1995 “uNyaka We-Apocalypse.”a Kusukela ngo-September 23 kuya ku-27, 1995, lemikhosi yafinyelela umvuthwandaba lapho abefundisi abaphakeme bezifunda eziningi zababhishobhi bobu-Orthodox bebuthana esiqhingini sasePhatmose. Kwakukhona nabameleli beSonto LamaRoma Katolika, iSonto LaseSheshi, namahlelo ahlukahlukene obuProthestani. Lezi zenzakalo zahanjelwa izikhulu eziphakeme zezombangazwe nezempi zaseGreece, kanye nezikhulu zakwamanye amazwe, izazi zezombangazwe, osomabhizinisi abavelele, kanye nezinye izimenywa ezivela kuwo wonke umhlaba.

Abafundi bencwadi yesAmbulo bazozikhumbula izikhumbuzo eziphuthumayo ezanikezwa uJesu Kristu kuleyo ncwadi: “Bheka! Ngiyeza njengesela. Uyajabula lowo ohlala ephapheme.” (IsAmbulo 16:15) Ngenxa yalokhu kanye nalomkhosi wenkolo oyindumezulu ophathelene nesAmbulo, sishukumiseleka ukuba sibuze: Ingabe eLobukholwa lihlala liphapheme? Ingabe lihlala lilindile, ngokulangazela lilindele ukuza kukaJesu Kristu njengeNkosi ebekwe esihlalweni sobukhosi? Ingabe lemikhosi yayigxile esihlokweni seBhayibheli, esifinyelela umvuthwandaba kusAmbulo—ukungcweliswa kwegama likaJehova nokulwelwa kobukhosi bakhe ngoMbuso ngaphansi kukaKristu? Ake sicabangele amanye amaqiniso.

Ingxenye Yalelizwe?

Ezingqaphelini eziningi, ubudlelwane obuntengayo phakathi kwabaholi benkolo, izazi zezombangazwe, nosomabhizinisi phakathi nalemikhosi babungafanelekile neze. Ezinye zaba nomuzwa wokuthi bonke ababehilelekile babezama ukusizakala ngalesi simo ukuze kuzuze bona. Abefundisi bandisa ithonya labo ngokuvela benezazi zezombangazwe ezivelele, kuyilapho izazi zezombangazwe zazama ukuthuthukisa isimo sazo ngokuxhaphaza ukuthambekela komphakathi enkolweni. Umkhulumeli weHoly Synod yeSonto LaseGreece waze wathi: “IsAmbulo futhi sasinokuthambekela kwezombangazwe . . . Siyindaba embuleka emhlabeni.”—Omalukeke sizenzele.

Yeka ukuthi lokhu kuvumelana kangakanani nencazelo etholakala kusAmbulo 17:1, 2, lapho ‘isifebe esikhulu’ esingokomfanekiso, umbuso wezwe wenkolo yamanga ongxenye yawo evelele kungeLobukholwa, sichazwa khona njengesenza “ubufebe” obungokomoya ‘namakhosi omhlaba’! Kunokuba lihlale lihlanzekile ngokomoya futhi liqaphile, iSonto Lobu-Orthodox, njengalo lonke eLobukholwa, liye layengela ababusi bezombangazwe ebuhlotsheni obungengcwele, lishoshozela ushushiso olungokwenkolo, ikakhulukazi ngokumelene noFakazi BakaJehova.

Alinabunye

Kuyaphawuleka ukuthi ababhishobhi ababili abakhulu bama-Orthodox babengekho kulemikhosi. Ngani? Ebhikisha, umbhishobhi omkhulu waseMoscow u-Alexios II wenqaba ukuba khona ngoba isifunda sombhishobhi omkhulu waseConstantinople sasamukelé isicelo sezifunda zababhishobhi zase-Estonia nase-Ukraine sokuphathwa isifunda saseConstantinople kunokuba ziphathwe iMoscow. Ngokwemibiko, “lena inhlekelele enkulu kunazo zonke eyake yenzeka ebuhlotsheni [besifunda sombhishobhi saseConstantinople] neSonto Lobu-Orthodox laseRussia elinamandla kakhulu,” okungase kubangele “imiphumela engenakulinganiswa ebunyeni nasegunyeni lobu-Orthodox.”

Ngaphezu kwalokho, umbhishobhi omkhulu waseJerusalem akabanga khona kulombuthano. Ngani? Kubikwa ukuthi kungenxa yokuthi wayethukutheliswe ukuhlawuliswa isifunda sombhishobhi saseConstantinople eminyakeni emithathu ngaphambi kwalokho ngenxa yokuzama kwakhe ukwengamela iSonto Lobu-Orthodox lase-Australia.

Ekuqaleni, uPapa John Paul II kwakufanele amenywe, kodwa lokhu kwashintsha ngomzuzu wokugcina ngenxa yokuphikisa okunamandla kwamalungu asadla ngoludala eSontweni Lobu-Orthodox. Ngo-May 1995 umfundisi ovelele wama-Orthodox e-Athens wabiza upapa ngokuthi “isigebengu sempi.” Khona-ke kwamenyezelwa ukuthi ngenxa yalezi zimo “upapa . . . akanakuhlanganyela emkhosini wasePhatmose.”

Okunezela kulesi simo esidabukisayo kwakuyindida yokuthi phakathi nalemikhosi, ebangeni elingamakhilomitha nje angu-1500 enyakatho-ntshonalanga yePhatmose, “amaKristu” angama-Orthodox nangamaRoma Katolika ayebulalana eBosnia naseHerzegovina!

Ngokusobala, amaKristu okuzisholo anganakile ngokomoya avumela ukuhlukaniswa amahlelo! Elahla lokhu kuntuleka kobunye, u-Iakovos, umbhishobhi omkhulu wama-Orthodox eNyakatho naseNingizimu Melika, wathi lapho kuxoxwa naye: “Siye sahluleka emzamweni wethu wokuhlanganisa amasonto ukuze sikhonze isintu hhayi ababusi balelizwe. . . . Abantu bakhathele . . . izilokotho ezinhle zababhishobhi abakhulu.”

“‘Ukwambulwa’ Kokunethezeka”

Kwahlolisiswa lokho okwakubizwa ngokuthi “umbukwane wengcebo.” Umbiko wephephandaba elithile wathi: “Lezi zinsuku ezine zemikhosi ePhatmose ekugcineni zaba ‘ukwambulwa’ kokunethezeka. . . . Ubukhazikhazi baseByzantium badlulela ngalé komkhosi wamasonto, bacishe baphendula isenzakalo esingokwenkolo saba umkhosi wenjabulo obizayo.” Abaningi babekhathazeke ngenani lemali eyachithwa kulemikhosi, ikakhulukazi phakathi nesikhathi lapho ukuphila kwabantu eBalkans engumakhelwane naseMpumalanga Yurophu kwakusongelwa. Okunye ukulinganisela kuthi izindleko ‘zalomkhosi wenjabulo ongakaze ubonwe’ zazingamaRandi ayizigidi ezingaba ngu-74. Kwafika imikhumbi kanokusho ethekwini lasePhatmose ukuze kuhlaliswe kuyo ezinye zezimenywa ezicebile ezazimenyelwe kulengqungquthela. Okwathukuthelisa izakhamuzi eziningi zakulendawo ukuthi lesi siqhingi salungilungiswa ngomzuzu wokugcina ukuze sikhange lezi zivakashi ezinezikhundla—nakuba singenaso isibhedlela nesikole esifanele.

Yeka ukuthi amazwi esAmbulo 18:2, 3, 7 asebenza ngokufaneleke kanjani kulesi simo: ‘Abathengisi abahambahambayo bomhlaba baceba ngenxa yamandla okunethezeka [kweBabiloni Elikhulu] okungenamahloni. Ngezinga elazikhazimulisa futhi laphila ngalo ngokunethezeka okungenamahloni, linikeni ngalelozinga ukuhlushwa nokulila’! Ngesikhathi lapho abantu behlupheka, iSonto Lobu-Orthodox, kunokuba liphaphamele ukunikeza induduzo nosizo olungokomoya, lalimatasa lizitika ngensada yamadili angazuzisi ngokomoya.

Ukubambelela Emathembeni Amanga

Phakathi nalomkhosi, kwaba khona izinkulumo zochungechunge nezingqungquthela ezihlukahlukene. Kwahlongozwa amakhambi okusingatha izinkinga ezingathi sína isintu esibhekene nazo. Kwakhishwa izwi lesinqumo elicela ososayensi ukuba bathathe isinyathelo esiphuthumayo sokuxazulula izinkinga zesintu. Akuzange kukhulunywe ngoMbuso kaNkulunkulu ngisho nakanye. Ngokuphambene nalokho, incwadi yesAmbulo, ngokuvumelana nalo lonke iBhayibheli, igcizelela ukuthi uMbuso kaNkulunkulu ngaphansi kukaJesu Kristu uwukuphela kwekhambi lazo zonke izinkinga zesintu.—IsAmbulo 11:15-18; 12:10; 21:1-5.

Akumangalisi ukuthi eLobukholwa alilithathi ngokungathi sína ithemba loMbuso elisekelwe eBhayibhelini. Lapho iveza isimo sengqondo esisakazeke kabanzi, enye yezindela zasesikhungweni sasePhatmose ngokungagunci yavuma: “Asisibheki isAmbulo njengombhalo onegunya. Siwumbhalo ongenakufundwa emasontweni.” Ngokufanayo, isazi esithile semfundiso yenkolo sathi: “Kuyingozi ukuhlobanisa isAmbulo nomlando walelizwe ngomqondo wokuthi siwumbhalo ochaza imininingwane yalokho okuzokwenzeka. . . . Lokhu ukunganaki futhi kuyincazelo eyingozi ngempela.” Yeka ukozela okukhulu ngokomoya!

Abahlali Bephapheme

Khona-ke, ngokusobala eLobukholwa alihlali liphapheme. Lomkhosi, kunokuba udonsele ukunakekela eZwini likaNkulunkulu nasezithembisweni zakhe, waba “umbukiso” wenkolo ongenalusizo. Isimo samasonto okuthiwa awobuKristu sifana nsé nesimo sebandla laseLawodikeya, uJesu athi kulo: “Uthi: ‘Ngicebile futhi ngiye ngazuza ingcebo futhi angidingi lutho nhlobo,’ kodwa awazi ukuthi ungowosizi nowokudatshukelwa nokuthi umpofu, uyimpumputhe futhi uhamba-ze.”—IsAmbulo 3:17.

Ngokuthakazelisayo, umshisekeli weSonto Lobu-Orthodox wabhalela iphephandaba elithile ekhononda ngokuthi “okuwukuphela kwabantu abaye bazuza” kulomkhosi kwakungoFakazi BakaJehova. Kungani ayecabanga kanjalo? Wachaza ukuthi isambulo sikaJohane “sinesisekelo semfundiso yokuphela kwezwe esifana nezimfundiso zoFakazi BakaJehova.” Yebo, kuyiqiniso ukuthi oFakazi ngenkuthalo bazama ‘ukuhlala belindile’ ngokuqaphela ukufezeka kwenjongo kaNkulunkulu. Futhi bashisekela ukusiza bonke abantu abanhliziyo ziqotho ukuba ‘bahlale bephapheme ukuze baphumelele ekumeni phambi kweNdodana yomuntu,’ uJesu Kristu.—Mathewu 24:42; Luka 21:36.

[Umbhalo waphansi]

[Amazwi acashunwe esihlokweni ekhasini 20]

“Umbukwane wengcebo” kanye ‘nomkhosi wenjabulo ongakaze ubonwe’

[Amazwi acashunwe esihlokweni ekhasini 21]

“Abantu bakhathele . . . izilokotho ezinhle zababhishobhi abakhulu”

[Umthombo Wesithombe ekhasini 19]

Photo: Garo Nalbandian