Uzizwa njani ngoDisemba 21, 2012, ngokwe-almanaga yamaMaya ilanga ekuthiwa lizokuletha itjhentjho ephasini mazombe? Kuye ngalokho okulindeleko, ungazizwa utjhaphulukile, udanile namtjhana unganandaba. Kghani bekumane kungesinye isibikezelo sokuphela kwephasi okungasiso?

Kuthiwani ‘ngokuphela kwephasi’ okuhlathululwe eBhayibhilini? (Matewu 24:3, King James Version) Abanye basaba bona iphasi lizokutjhiswa. Abanye bakarwe kukobana kuzokwenzakalani ekupheleni kwephasi. Abanengi sebaphelelwe yikareko ngokusolo batjelwa bona isiphelo siseduze. Inga-kghani indlela abazizwa ngayo ingaba mamala kunokobana ibe liqiniso?

Kungakurara lokho okufundiswa yiBhayibhili malungana nokuphela kwephasi. IBhayibhili ayinikeli iinzathu zokuqala phambili ekupheleni kwaphela kodwana iyakutjheja ukusilingeka okuba khona nengabe ukuphela kuthatha isikhathi eside. Sikumema bona ucabangele iimpendulo zeBhayibhili zeminye yemibuzo ejayelekileko malungana nokuphela kwephasi.

IPENDULO YEBHAYIBHILI: “[UZimu] ujamise iphasi phezu kwesisekelo salo, angeze belatjhidiswa.”—IRHALANI 104:5.

Iphasi angekhe litjhatjalaliswe, ngomlilo namtjhana ngokhunye. Kunalokho, iBhayibhili ifundisa bona iphaseli likhaya lesintu ngokungapheliko. Umtlolo weRhalani 37:29 uthi, “Abalungileko bazokudla ilifa lephasi bahlale kilo ngokungapheliko.”—IRhalani 115:16; Isaya 45:18.

Ngemva kobana uZimu abumbe iphasi, wathi ‘belilihle khulu,’ begodu usazizwa ngendlela efanako. (Genesisi 1:31) Akakazimiseli nakancani ukulitjhabalalisa, uthembisa ‘ukutjhabalalisa labo abatjhabalalisa iphasi’ begodu alivikele ekutjhatjalalisweni unomphela.—IsAmbulo 11:18.

Ngalokho, ungazibuza malungana nomtlolo ka-2 Pitrosi 3:7. Iveseli leBhayibhileli lithi: “Izulu nephasi okukhona gadesi kubekelwe umlilo.” Lokhu akutjengisi na bona iphasi lizokutjhiswa? Eqinisweni, ngezinye iinkhathi iBhayibhili lisebenzisa amabizo athi “izulu,” “iphasi,” “nomlilo” ngokomfanekiso, njengajamele okuthileko. Ngokwesibonelo, umtlolo kaGenesisi 11:1 newuthi: “Iphasi loke laragela phambili likhuluma ilimi elilodwa,” usebenzisa “iphasi” uqalise ebantwini.

Okutjhiwo mtlolo ka-2 Pitrosi 3:7 kutjengisa bona izulu, iphasi, nomlilo kujamele okuthileko. Ivesi 5 no 6 ifikelela esiphethweni esifanako nesikhathi sakakukhulamungu wesikhathi sakaNuwa. Esenzakalenweso, iphasi lakade latjhatjalaliswa, kodwana iphasi lethu azange litjhabalale. Kunalokho, ukukhulamungu watjhabalalisa abantu abambi, namtjhana “iphasi.” Godu watjhabalalisa “izulu”—okubabantu ababusa isintu. (Genesisi 6:11) Ngendlela efanako, umtlolo ka-2 Pitrosi 3:7 ubikezela ngokutjhatjalaliswa kwesintu esimbi norhulumende okhohlakeleko njengokungathi ngomlilo.

IPENDULO YEBHAYIBHILI: “Iphasi nakho koke abantu abakufunako kilo kuyadlula; kodwana loyo owenza intando kaZimu unokuphila okungapheliko.”—1 JWANISI 2:17.

“Iphasi” ekufuze lidlule, akusilo iphasi lamambala, kodwana ngibo boke abantu abasephasini abaphila ngendlela engavumelani nentando kaZimu. Njengombana udorhodere ohlinzako  angasusa iliqa lekankere ukusindisa ukuphila kwesigulani, uZimu “uzokususa” abantu abambi khona abantu abalungileko bazokuthabela ipilo ephasini. (IRhalani 37:9) Ngomqondo loyo-ke, “ukuphela kwephasi” yinto ehle.

Umbono “wokuphela kwephasi”omuhle lo usetjenziswa matjhugululo weBhayibhili, aveza isitjhweso ngokuthi,“Ukuphela kobujamo bezinto,” namtjhana “Ukuphela kwesikhathi.” (Matewu 24:3; New International Version) Njengombana kokubili isintu nephasi kusinda ekupheleni, inga-kghani angeze saphetha kufanele ngokuthi isikhathi esitjha, ubujamo obutjha bezinto, buzokulandela? IBhayibhili iyavuma, ngombana ikhuluma ‘ngesikhathi esizako.’—Luke 18:30.

UJesu wabiza isikhathi esizakweso ‘ngokwenziwa butjha kwazo zoke izinto.’ Ngesikhatheso, uzokubuyisela isintu ebujamweni uZimu ebekabuhlosele sona. (Matewu 19:28, NIV) Ngalokho sizokuthaba

• Iphasi eliyiparadeyisi elinevikeleko nepumelelo yabo boke.—Isaya 35:1; Mika 4:4.
• Umsebenzi onehloso nowanelisako.—Isaya 65:21-23.
• Ukulatjhwa kwazo zoke izifo.—Isaya 33:24.
• Abalupheleko bazokuba batjha.—Jobhi 33:25.
• Ukuvuswa kwabantu abahlongakeleko.—Jwanisi 5:28, 29.

Nesenza “intando kaZimu,” lokho asibawa khona, kufuze singakusabi ukuphela kwephasi. Kunalokho, singaqala phambili kikho.

IBHAYIBHILI IYAPHENDULA: “Ngokunjalo-ke, lokha nanibona izintwezi zisenzeka, nizakwazi bona umbuso kaZimu sewuzakwiza.”—LUKA 21:31.

Encwadini ethi, The Last Days Are Here Again, uProfesa Richard Kyle, watlola bona “itjhentjho nokuhlangahlangana komphakathi kwenza kube nokuqagela ngokuphela kwephasi.” Lokhu kuba njalo khulukhulu nengabe ukutjhentjhoko nokutjharagana kubonakala kubudisi ukukuhlathulula.

Nokho, abaporofidi beBhayibhili ebebakhuluma ngokuphela bebangalingi ukuhlathulula bona kubayini izinto ezimbi bezenzeka ngesikhathi sabo. Kunalokho, bebaphefumulelwe nguZimu ukuveza ukuphela kwephasi okutjhidela msinyana. Cabangela ezinye zeemporofidwezo bese ubone bonyana ziyazaliseka na esikhathini sethu.

•   Izipi, indlala, ukuzamazama kwephasi namagulo abulalako.—Matewu 24:7; Luka 21:11.
• Ukwanda kokukhohlakala.—Matewu 24:12.
• Abasilaphaza iphasi.—IsAmbulo 11:18.
• Abantu bayorhubhela ngeenkhwanyeni zabo, bayorhuluphela imali, nabathanda ukuzithabisa kunobanyana bathande uZimu.—2 Timothy 3:2, 4.
• Ukuhlukana komndeni.—2 Timothy 3:2, 3.
• Ukungabutjheji ubufakazi besiphelo esitjhidelako.—Matewu 24:14.
• Ukutjhunyayelwa kweendaba ezimnandi ephasini mazombe.—Matthew 24:14.

Njengombana uJesu atjho, nesibona “zoke iintwezi” kufuze sazi bona ukuphela kuseduze. (Matthew 24:33) AboFakazi bakaJehova bayakholelwa bona ubufakazobu buyakholisa, babelana ngekholo labo nabanye eenarheni ezi-236.

IPENDULO YEBHAYIBHILI: “Lokha abantu basithi: Kunokuthula nehlalakuhle, kuthi khonokho kuzafika ukurhayilwa kibo, kufike msinyana njengehlabi lokubeletha lifikela umfazi, akakho noyedwa ozaphuluka.”—1 TESALONIKA 5:3.

IBhayibhili ifanisa ukutjhatjalaliswa kwephasi nesikhathi sokubeletha—ubuhlungu umma abuzwako angekhe abubalekele begodu bufika msinyana. Isikhathi esirholela ekupheleni naso sinjengokuba sidisi, umma ozithweleko uyawatjheja amatshwayo wokubeletha kwakhe asolo anda. Udorhoderakhe angaqagela ilanga lakhe lokubeletha; nokho, ngitjho nanyana angekhe asinembe ngokunqophileko, angaqiniseka bona umntwanakhe uzokubelethwa msinyana. Ngokufanako, nanyana ngikuphi ukulindelwa okungasikho malungana nokuphela akulitjhugululi iqiniso lokobana le, ‘mimihla yokuphela.’—2 Thimothi 3:1.

‘Nengabe itshwayo elitjengisa bona sitjhidele esiphelweni ibonakala kangaka,’ ungazibuza, ‘kubayini abantu abanengi kangaka bangakuboni lokho?’ IBhayibhili itjengisa bona, nesele ukuphela kuzofika, abanengi bazobunyaza ubufakazobu. Kunokutjheja amatjhuguluko aqakathekileko phakathi nesikhathi sokuphela, bazokunyefula bathi: “Solo kwalala abobamkhulu, koke  kusakhamba njengombana kunjalo kusukela emathomeni kokubunjwa.” (2 Pitrosi 3:3, 4) Ngamanye amezwi, itshwayo lemihla yokuphela libonakala kuhle khulu, kodwana abanengi bazozenza kwanga abaliboni.—Matewu 24:38, 39.

Isihlokwesi simane sakhuluma ngobunye ubufakazi obusemitlolweni bokobana ukuphela kuseduze. * Ungathanda ukufunda okungeziweko? Nengabe kunjalo, kubayini ungathintani naboFakazi bakaJehova wamukele isifundo seBhayibhili sasimahla? Isifundo seBhayibhili singaragelwa ekhaya lakho, namtjhana kenye indawo ozizwa ukhululekile ngayo, ngitjho nangomtato. Into nje osinikela yona sikhathi sakho, begodu imiphumela ozoyifumana angekhe uyimadanise nalitho.