Parataiso! Ha ha he tau porosua lanu kehekehe e tau fakaohoohoaga ki a tautolu ke fenoga ke he tau matakavi “parataiso” ke okioki mo e fakanimo e tau tupetupe mo e tau lekua oti ha tautolu. Ka e iloa mitaki e tautolu, ka liliu mai ki kaina ko e tatai agaia e tau tutūaga he moui tuga ni he toka e tautolu.

Pete ia, kua malolō lahi e miti ke he parataiso. Ti manamanatu a tautolu: ‘Ko e miti fiafia noa ni kia e “parataiso”? Ka pihia, ko e ha ne miti ki ai? Mo e to fai parataiso nakai?’

He tau senetenari loga kua mole, ne manako e tau tagata ke he manatu he parataiso. Tokologa ne fiafia ha kua talahau he Tohi Tapu hagaao ke he “kaina i Etena ke he fahi uta.” Ko e heigoa ati fulufuluola lahi e kaina ia? Tala mai ki a tautolu: “Ne fakatupu foki e Iehova ko e Atua ke he fonua e tau akau oti kua fulufuluola he kitekite, mo e mitaki ke kai.” Ko e kaina ia kua fulufuluola mo e mitaki. Ka e mua atu ai, ko e “akau he moui foki ke he vaha loto he kaina.”​—Kenese 2:8, 9.

Lafi ki ai, ne talahau ia Kenese e tala ke he fā e vailele ne tafe mai he kaina. Ua he tau vailele ia kua iloa agaia e tautolu mogonei​—ko Tigris (po ko, Hitekelu) mo e Euphrates. (Kenese 2:10-14) Tafe atu e tau vailele ua nei ke he Persian Gulf he puhala i Iraq mogonei, ko e vala fakamua a Peresia i tuai.

Maama ai, ko e parataiso he lalolagi ko e vala lahi he tufaaga fakamotu ha Peresia. Ko e kapete Peresia he senetenari ke 16 aki he Philadelphia Museum of Art i Pennsylvania i U.S.A., ne fakakite e katene he kaupā ne tia ki ai e tau akau mo e tau fiti. Ko e kupu Peresia ma e “katene he kaupā” ne kakano foki ko e “parataiso,” ti tatai e fakatino he kapete mo e fakamaamaaga he Tohi Tapu ke he kaina fulufuluola mo e tupuolaola i Etena.

Ti ko e tau tala ke he parataiso kua liu fatiaki ke he loga e tau vagahau mo e tau aga fakamotu he lalolagi katoa. He hiki e magafaoa he tagata ke he tau faahi kehekehe he lalolagi, ne uta foki e lautolu e tau tala ni ha lautolu hagaao ki ai, ti fai senetenari he mole ne fio e tau taofiaga ia mo e tau tala tuai ne tupu he matakavi. He vahā nei foki, ne fakamaama mooli he tau tagata e tau matakavi fulufuluola lahi ko e parataiso.

Ne pehē falu tagata ō fenoga kua moua e lautolu e parataiso ne galo. Ma e fakatai, ko e takitaki kautau i Peritania ko Charles Gordon ne ahiahi ke he Seychelles he 1881, ne ofoofogia lahi he uhiuhi mo e fulufuluola he Vallée de Mai​—ko e matakavi he World Heritage mogonei​—ne kua pehē a ia ko e kaina ha Etena. He senetenari ke 15 aki, ko e ikivaka Italia ko Christopher Columbus ne manatu kua teitei a ia ke liu moua e kaina ko Etena he magaaho ne hoko a ia ke he aelani ha Hispaniola, mogonei ko e Dominican Republic mo Haiti.

Ko e tohi foou ke he fakamauaga tala tuai he Mapping Paradise kua ha ha i ai e tau vala tala matafeiga ne molea e 190 e mepe tuai, laulahi ai ke fakakite a Atamu mo Eva i Etena. Taha mai i ai ko e mepe matakehe ne moua mai he lagaki he manuscript ha Beatus i Liébana he senetenari ke 13 aki. I luga he manuscript e pakafā tote ne ha ha i ai e parataiso he lotouho. Tafe mai i ai fā e vailele ko “Tigris,” “Eufrates,” “Pison,” mo “Geon,” kua igatia mo e tafe atu ke he tau matapotu ne fā, tuga kua fakakite e holofa he faka-Kerisiano ke he tau matapotu ne fā he lalolagi. Ko e tau fakatino pihia ne fakakite pete kua nakai iloa tonu e matakavi he Parataiso fakamua, ka e manatu agaia e fulufuluola i ai.

Ko John Milton ko e tagata tohi poeme faka-Peritania he senetenari ke 17 aki ne talahaua he poeme haana ko e Paradise Lost, ne fakavē ke he tala he Kenese hagaao ke he agahala ha Atamu ti vega mai i Etena. Fakamaama e ia i loto hagaao ke he maveheaga  ke liuaki mai e moui tukulagi ke he tau tagata he lalolagi, he pehē: “Ko e magaaho ia to eke e lalolagi katoa mo parataiso.” Ti liu a Milton tohi foki e Paradise Regained.

Maaliali ai, ko e parataiso he lalolagi kua galo ko e manatu uho ne hagaaki e tau tagata ki ai tali mai he fakamauaga tala tuai. Ti ko e ha kua fakaheu ai mogonei? Kakano ni, tuga ne talahau he Mapping Paradise “ko e tau tagata lotu . . . kua fakaheu pauaki e matakupu hagaao ke he tokaaga he parataiso.”

Laulahi he tau tagata ō tapu ne fakaako ko e nonofoaga tukulagi ha lautolu ko e lagi, nakai momoui he parataiso he lalolagi. Ka e pehē e Tohi Tapu he Salamo 37:29: “To eke ni e motu ma e tau tagata tututonu, to nonofo muatua ai a lautolu.” Ha kua nakai ko e parataiso e lalolagi ha tautolu mogonei, ko e heigoa e amaamanakiaga to fakamooli e maveheaga nei? *

Ko Iehova ko e Atua ne tufuga e Parataiso he kamataaga, ne mavehe ke liuaki mai e mena ne galo. Puhala fe? Manatu ko e mena fakaako e Iesu a tautolu ke liogi: “Kia hoko mai hau a kautu. Kia eke hau a finagalo ke he lalolagi, tuga ne eke ke he lagi.” (Mataio 6:10) Ko e Kautu ia ko e fakatufono he lalolagi katoa ne haia he tau lima ha Iesu Keriso ka hukui e tau pule oti he tagata. (Tanielu 2:44) I lalo hifo he pule he Kautu ia, ko e finagalo he Atua ke he lalolagi to “eke” ai mo parataiso.

Fakamua atu, ne omoomoi he agaaga tapu e perofeta ko Isaia ke fakamaama e tau tuaga he Parataiso ne mavehe mai, he fakaotioti katoatoa e tau pehiaaga mo e fekehekeheaki ne mamahi ai e tau tagata mogonei. (Isaia 11:6-9; 35:5-7; 65:21-23) Tomatoma e mautolu a koe ke fakaaoga taha magaaho gahoa ke totou e tau kupu ia he Tohi Tapu haau ni. He taute pihia to fakamafana a koe ke he tau mena ka fakatoka mai he Atua ma e tau tagata omaoma. Ko lautolu ka momoui he magaaho ia to nonofo ai he parataiso mo e moua e taliaaga he Atua, ko e tau mena ne fakagalo e Atamu.​—Fakakiteaga 21:3.

Ko e ha kua iloa mooli e tautolu ko e amaamanakiaga ke he Parataiso he lalolagi kua nakai ko e miti ka ko e mena mooli? Ha kua pehē e Tohi Tapu ki a tautolu: “Ko e lagi, ko e lagi ni, ha Iehova ia; ka kua tuku mai e ia e lalolagi ke he fanau he tau tagata.” Ko e amaamanakiaga ke he Parataiso he lalolagi ko e taha maveheaga he “Atua kua nakai maeke ke pikopiko, ka e nakaila kamata ai e tau hau.” (Salamo 115:16; Tito 1:2) Ko e amaamanakiaga homo ue atu mooli kua fakatoka mai he Tohi Tapu​—ko e Parataiso tukulagi!