INDODA ethile yaseNew York (U.S.A.) iyalandisa: “Indodana yami uJonathan yayivakashele abangane bayo abaqhele ngamamayela ambalwa. Umkami, uValentina, wayengathandi ukuba aye lapho. Wayesaba izimoto. Kodwa uJonathan wayekuthanda ukusebenza ngama-electronic, futhi abangane bakhe babeneshabhu lapho ayengaziqeqesha khona. Ngangisekhaya entshonalanga Manhattan, eNew York. Umkami wayevakashele abakubo ePuerto Rico. ‘UJonathan usezobuya,’ ngicabanga. Kwase kuzwakala ukungqongqoza emnyango. ‘Nakanjani nguye lowo.’ Kwakungeyena. Kwakungamaphoyisa nezisebenzi zezempilo. ‘Uyayazi le ncwadi yokushayela?’ kubuza iphoyisa. ‘Yebo, eyendodana yami, uJonathan.’ ‘Sikuphathele izindaba ezimbi. Kwenzeke ingozi, i- . . . indodana yakho, . . . indodana yakho ifile.’ Ukusabela kwami kokuqala kwaba ukuthi, ‘Akunakuba iqiniso!’ Leso sigemegeme savula inxeba ezinhliziyweni zethu, elisaphola namanje, nakuba sekwadlula iminyaka.”

 Ubaba othile eBarcelona (eSpain) uyabhala: “Eminyakeni yawo-1960 eSpain, sasiwumkhaya ojabulayo. Kwakukhona uMaría, umkami, nezingane zethu ezintathu, uDavid, uPaquito, no-Isabel, beneminyaka engu-13, 11 nengu-9.

“Ngolunye usuku ngo-March 1963, uPaquito wafika ekhaya ephuma esikoleni ekhala ngezinhlungu ezinkenkethayo zekhanda. Savele sadideka nje ukuthi zibangelwa yini—kodwa ukudideka akuthathanga sikhathi. Ngemva kwamahora amathathu wayesefile. Wayebulawe ukopha ebuchosheni.

“UPaquito wafa eminyakeni engu-30 edlule. Ngisho noma kunjalo, sisezwa ubuhlungu obujulile ngalokho kulahlekelwa. Ngeke kwenzeke ukuba abazali bafelwe ingane kodwa bangezwa ukuthi balahlekelwe okuthile okungokwabo—kungakhathaliseki ukuthi side kangakanani isikhathi esesadlula noma zingaki ezinye izingane abanazo.”

Lokhu okuhlangenwe nakho okubili, lapho abazali belahlekelwa izingane, kubonisa ukuthi lijula  kangakanani futhi lihlala isikhathi eside kangakanani inxeba lokufelwa ingane. Yeka ukuthi ayiqiniso kanjani amazwi kadokotela othile owabhala: “Kuvamile ukuba ukufa kwengane kube buhlungu futhi kuhlasimulise kunokufa komuntu omdala ngoba ingane ingumuntu wokugcina ekhaya okulindeleke ukuba afe. . . . Ukufa kwanoma iyiphi ingane kusho ukuphela kwamaphupho ekusasa, ukulahlekelwa izihlobo ebezingaba khona [indodana, umalokazana, abazukulu], okuhlangenwe nakho . . . obekungakajatshulelwa.” Futhi lo muzwa ojulile wokulahlekelwa uyezwakala kunoma yimuphi owesifazane olahlekelwe ingane ngokuphuphunyelwa yisisu.

Inkosikazi eyashonelwa iyachaza: “Umyeni wami, uRussell, wayesebenze njengesisebenzi sezokwelapha endaweni okwakulwelwa kuyo ePacific phakathi neMpi Yezwe II. Wayebone izimpi ezesabekayo futhi wasinda kuzo. Wabuyela e-United States ekuphileni okuthe ukuthula. Kamuva wakhonza njengesikhonzi seZwi likaNkulunkulu. Lapho esanda kweva eminyakeni engu-60 waqala ukuba nezimpawu zesifo senhliziyo. Wazama ukuzigcina ematasa. Kwathi ngolunye usuku, ngo-July 1988, wamelwa inhliziyo wafa. Ukufa kwakhe kwakukhungathekisa. Angizange ngikwazi ngisho nokuvalelisa. Wayengeyena nje umyeni wami. Wayengumngane wami omkhulu. Sase sihlale ndawonye iminyaka engu-40. Manje kwabonakala sengathi kuzodingeka ngibhekane nomzwangedwa ngendlela ekhethekile.”

Lezi kumane kuyizinhlekelele ezimbalwa kweziyizinkulungwane eziningi ezihlasela imikhaya nsuku zonke emhlabeni wonke. Njengoba abantu abaningi abasosizini lokufelwa bengakutshela, lapho ukufa kuthatha ingane yakho, umyeni wakho, umkakho, umzali wakho, umngane wakho, kuba yilokho umlobi ongumKristu uPawulu akubiza ngakho, ‘isitha sokugcina.’ Ngokuvamile ukusabela kokuqala okungokwemvelo lapho uzwa izindaba ezimbi kungase kube ukuphika, “Akunakuba iqiniso! Angikholwa.” Kuvamise ukuba kulandele okunye ukusabela kamuva, njengoba sizobona.—1 Korinte 15:25, 26.

Nokho, ngaphambi kokuba sicabangele imizwa yosizi lokufelwa, ake siphendule imibuzo ebalulekile. Ingabe ukufa kusho ukuphela kwalowo muntu? Likhona yini ithemba lokuthi siyophinde sibabone abathandekayo bethu?

Umlobi weBhayibheli uPawulu wanikeza ithemba lokukhululwa ‘esitheni sokugcina,’ ukufa. Wabhala: ‘Ukufa kuyakuchithwa.’ “Isitha sokugcina esiyoshatshalaliswa singukufa.” (1 Korinte 15:26, The New English Bible) Kungani uPawulu ayengaqiniseka kangaka ngalokho? Yingoba wayefundiswe yilowo owayevuswe kwabafileyo, uJesu Kristu. (IzEnzo 9:3-19) Yingakho uPawulu ayengabhala nokuthi: “Ngoba njengoba ukufa kukhona ngomuntu [u-Adamu], novuko lwabafileyo lukhona ngomuntu [uJesu Kristu]. Ngoba njengoba nje bonke befa ku-Adamu, kanjalo nakuKristu bonke bayokwenziwa baphile.”—1 Korinte 15:21, 22.

UJesu waba lusizi ngokujulile lapho ehlangana nomfelokazi waseNayini futhi ebona nendodana yakhe eyayisifile. Ukulandisa kweBhayibheli kusitshela ukuthi: “Njengoba [UJesu] ayesondela eduze kwesango lomuzi [waseNayini], bheka! kwakukhona umuntu ofile owayethwelwe ekhishelwa ngaphandle, indodana ezelwe yodwa kunina. Ngaphandle kwalokho, wayengumfelokazi. Isixuku esikhulu esivela emzini naso sasinaye. Futhi lapho iNkosi imbona, yaba nesihawu ngaye, futhi yathi kuye: ‘Yeka ukukhala.’ Ngemva kwalokho yasondela yathinta uhlaka, futhi abathwali bema banganyakaza,  yathi: ‘Nsizwa, ngithi kuwe, Vuka!’ Futhi lomuntu ofile wavuka wahlala futhi waqala ukukhuluma, yamnika unina. Manje bonke bagajwa ukwesaba, baqala ukukhazimulisa uNkulunkulu, bethi: ‘Kuvezwe umprofethi omkhulu phakathi kwethu,’ bethi futhi, ‘UNkulunkulu ubanakile abantu bakhe.’” Qaphela indlela uJesu aba nozwela ngayo, waze wavusa indodana yalo mfelokazi! Ake ucabange nje ukuthi lokho kubonisani ngekusasa!—Luka 7:12-16.

Kuleyo ndawo, phambi kofakazi bokuzibonela, uJesu wenza uvuko olungelibaleke. Lwaluyisiqinisekiso sovuko ayeselubikezele kakade esikhathini esithile ngaphambi kwalesi senzakalo, ukubuyiselwa ekuphileni emhlabeni ngaphansi ‘kwamazulu amasha.’ Kuleso senzakalo uJesu wayethé: “Ningamangali ngalokhu, ngoba ihora liyeza lapho bonke abasemathuneni ayisikhumbuzo beyozwa khona izwi layo futhi baphume.”—IsAmbulo 21:1, 3, 4; Johane 5:28, 29; 2 Petru 3:13.

Abanye abazibonela ngawabo uvuko bahlanganisa uPetru, kanye nabanye babangu-12 ababephelezela uJesu ohambweni lwakhe. Bamuzwa ngezabo uJesu ovusiwe ekhuluma ngasoLwandle LwaseGalile. Ukulandisa kusitshela ukuthi: “UJesu wathi kubo: ‘Wozani, yidlani ukudla kwenu kwasekuseni.’ Akekho noyedwa kubafundi owaba nesibindi sokumbuza ukuthi: ‘Ungubani?’ ngoba babazi ukuthi kwakuyiNkosi. UJesu weza wathatha isinkwa wabanika sona, nenhlanzi ngokufanayo. Manje lokhu kwakungokwesithathu uJesu ebonakala kubafundi ngemva kokuvuswa kwakhe kwabafileyo.”—Johane 21:12-14.

Ngakho, uPetru wayengabhala ngokukhulu ukuqiniseka: “Makatuswe uNkulunkulu noYise weNkosi yethu uJesu Kristu, ngoba ngokwesihe sakhe esikhulu wasipha ukuzalwa okusha ethembeni eliphilayo ngokuvuka kukaJesu Kristu kwabafileyo.”—1 Petru 1:3.

Umphostoli uPawulu wayezwakalisa ithemba lakhe eliqinile lapho ethi: “Ngikholelwa zonke izinto ezibekwe eMthethweni nezilotshwe kubaProfethi; futhi nginethemba kuNkulunkulu, okuyithemba nalababantu ngokwabo abalibambile, lokuthi luyoba khona uvuko kokubili olwabalungileyo nabangalungile.”—IzEnzo 24:14, 15.

Ngakho-ke, izigidi zingaba nethemba eliqinile lokuphinde zibone abathandekayo bazo bephila emhlabeni kodwa ngaphansi kwezimo ezihluke kakhulu. Ziyoba yini lezo zimo? Imininingwane eyengeziwe yethemba elisekelwe eBhayibhelini ngabathandekayo bethu abafileyo kuzoxoxwa ngayo engxenyeni yokugcina yale ncwajana, enesihloko esithi “Ithemba Eliqinisekile Ngabafileyo.”

Kodwa ake siqale sicabangele imibuzo okungenzeka unayo uma usosizini lokufelwa othandekayo: Ingabe kungokwemvelo ukuba lusizi ngale ndlela? Ngingaphila kanjani nalolu sizi engikulo? Yini abanye abangayenza ukuze bangisize ngibhekane nesimo? Ngingabasiza kanjani abanye abasosizini lokufelwa? Futhi ngokuyinhloko, IBhayibheli lithini ngethemba eliqinisekile ngabafileyo? Ngiyophinde ngibabone yini abathandekayo bami? Futhi ngibabone kuphi?