NGABA akuzange uve abantu bethetha ngesiphelo sehlabathi?— Abantu abaninzi namhlanje bayathetha ngaso. Abanye abantu bacinga ukuba ihlabathi liya kuphelela emfazweni apho abantu beya kusebenzisa iibhombu zenyukliya. Ngaba ucinga ukuba uThixo uya kuze atshabalalise umhlaba wethu omhle kunye namazulu athandekayo neenkwenkwezi ezikhanyise kuwo?—

Njengoko sele sifundile, iBhayibhile iyathetha ngesiphelo sehlabathi. IBhayibhile ithi: “Ihlabathi liyadlula.” (1 Yohane  2:17) Ngaba ucinga ukuba isiphelo sehlabathi sithetha ukutshatyalaliswa komhlaba?— Akunjalo, iBhayibhile ithi uThixo wawenza umhlaba “ukuba umiwe,” oko kukuthi, wawenzela ukuba abantu bahlale kuwo baze bawunandiphe. (Isaya 45:18) INdumiso 37:29 ithi: “Amalungisa aya kuwudla ilifa umhlaba, ahlale kuwo ngonaphakade.” Kungeso sizathu le nto iBhayibhile isithi umhlaba uya kuhlala ngonaphakade.​—INdumiso 104:5; INtshumayeli 1:4.

Ngoko ukuba isiphelo sehlabathi asithethi ukutshatyalaliswa komhlaba, sibhekisela entwenini kanye kanye?— Impendulo singayifumana xa siqwalasela oko kwenzeka ngexesha likaNowa. IBhayibhile ichaza isithi: “Ihlabathi langoko latshatyalaliswa xa lakhukuliswa ngamanzi kanogumbe.”​—2 Petros 3:6.

Ngaba ukho umntu owasindayo xa ihlabathi lalitshatyalaliswa ngaloo Nogumbe womhla kaNowa?— IBhayibhile ithi uThixo “wagcina uNowa, umshumayeli wobulungisa ekhuselekile kunye nabanye abasixhenxe xa wazisa unogumbe phezu kwehlabathi labantu abangenabuthixo.”​—2 Petros 2:5.

Ngoko liliphi ihlabathi elatshatyalaliswayo? Ngaba yayingumhlaba, okanye yayingabantu abangendawo?— IBhayibhile ithi ‘yayilihlabathi labantu abangenabuthixo.’ Yaye phawula ukuba, uNowa kuthiwa ‘ngumshumayeli.’ Ucinga ukuba wayeshumayela ngantoni?— UNowa wayelumkisa abantu ngokutshatyalaliswa ‘kwehlabathi langoko.’

Xa uYesu wathetha ngoMkhukula, waxelela abafundi bakhe izinto ezazisenziwa ngabantu ngaphambi nje kokuba isiphelo sifike. Wathi kubo: “Ngaloo mihla yangaphambi komkhukula, [abantu babesidla], besela, amadoda etshata namabhinqa etshatiswa, de kwaba yimini awangena ngayo uNowa emkhombeni; kwaye abazange banikele ngqalelo de wafika umkhukula waza wabatshayela bonke.” Ngoko uYesu wathi abantu babeya kwenza loo nto kanye ngaphambi kokuba eli hlabathi litshatyalaliswe.—Mateyu 24:37-39.

 Amazwi kaYesu abonisa ukuba sinokufunda koko kwakusenziwa ngabantu ngaphambi koMkhukula. Njengoko sifundile kwiSahluko 10 sale ncwadi, ngaba usazikhumbula izinto ezazisenziwa ngabo bantu?— Amanye amadoda ayebaphatha ngenkohlakalo abanye abantu aze abenze izinto ezimbi. Kodwa uYesu wathi abanye abaninzi abazange baphulaphule xa uThixo wathumela uNowa ukuba ashumayele kubo.

Ngenye imini uYehova waxelela uNowa ukuba uza kubatshabalalisa abantu abangendawo ngomkhukula. Amanzi awo ayeza kugubungela wonke umhlaba kwaneentaba. UYehova wathi uNowa makakhe umkhombe omkhulu. Wawufana nebhokisi enkulu, njengoko unokuwubona kumfanekiso okwiphepha 238.

UThixo wathi uNowa makawakhe lo mkhombe ube mkhulu ngokwaneleyo ukuze kungene yena nentsapho yakhe noninzi lwezilwanyana, ukuze bakhuseleke ngaphakathi kuwo. UNowa nentsapho yakhe basebenza nzima gqitha. Bagawula imithi emikhulu, baza bakha ngayo umkhombe. Kwaqengqeleka iminyaka emininzi bewakha lo mkhombe, ngenxa yokuba wawumkhulu.

Ngaba uyayikhumbula enye into eyayisenziwa nguNowa ngayo yonke loo minyaka wayesakha umkhombe?— Wayeshumayela, elumkisa abantu ngoMkhukula owawusiza. Ngaba ukho owaphulaphulayo kubo? Akukho namnye owaphulaphulayo ngaphandle kwentsapho kaNowa. Abanye babezixakekise gqitha ngezinto zabo. Ngaba uyakhumbula ukuba uYesu wathi babesenza ntoni?— Babezixakekise ngokutya, ukusela nokutshata. Babengaziboni benze nto iphosakeleyo, yaye abazange baziphe thuba lakumphulaphula uNowa. Ngoko makhe sibone oko kwabehlelayo.

Emva kokuba uNowa nentsapho yakhe bengenile emkhombeni, uYehova wawuvala umnyango wawo. Abantu ababengaphandle kwawo babengekakholelwa ukuba uMkhukula uza kufika. Kodwa ngequbuliso, kwaqalisa ukuhla amanzi esibhakabhakeni! Yayingeyomvula  nje iqhelekileyo. Yayizizantyalantyala zemvula! Akuzange kube kudala la manzi aba yimilambo emikhulu, ebangela ingxolokazi enkulu. Yawisa imithi emikhulu, yaqengqa namatye amakhulu ngokungathi ngamatyana nje. Kuthekani ngabantu ababengaphandle komkhombe?— UYesu uthi: “Wafika umkhukula waza wabatshayela bonke.” Bafa bonke abantu ababengaphandle komkhombe. Ngoba?— Njengoko uYesu watshoyo, “abazange banikele ngqalelo.” Abazange baphulaphule!​—Mateyu 24:39; Genesis 6:5-7.

Ngoku khumbula ukuba, uYesu wathi oko kwenzeka kwabo bantu kufundisa thina namhlanje. Kusifundisa ntoni ke?— Kaloku, aba bantu abazange batshatyalaliswe kuba babengendawo kuphela, kodwa nangenxa yokuba abaninzi kubo babengenalo ixesha lokufunda ngoThixo nangoko wayeza kukwenza. Sifanele silumke singafani nabo, akunjalo?—

Ucinga ukuba uThixo uya kuphinda alitshabalalise ihlabathi ngomkhukula?— Akunjalo, kuba uThixo wathembisa ukuba akayi kwenjenjalo. Wathi: “Umnyama wam ndiwubekile efini, yaye umele ube ngumqondiso.” UYehova wathi umnyama wawuza kuba ngumqondiso wokuba “akasayi kuphinda amanzi abe ngunogumbe wokonakalisa inyama yonke.”—Genesis 9:11-17.

Ngoko sinokuqiniseka ukuba uThixo akasayi kuze aphinde alitshabalalise ihlabathi ngomkhukula. Kodwa, njengoko sele sibonile, iBhayibhile iyathetha ngokutshatyalaliswa kwehlabathi. Xa uThixo elitshabalalisa, ngoobani aya kubasindisa?— Ngaba  iya kuba ngabantu abanomdla gqitha kwizinto zabo nabangafuniyo ukufunda ngoThixo? Ngaba iya kuba ngabo basoloko bexakeke gqitha ukuba bangafundisisa iBhayibhile? Ucinga ntoni wena?—

Sifuna ukuba phakathi kwabantu abaya kusindiswa nguThixo, akunjalo?— Ngaba bekungayi kuba yinto entle ukuba intsapho yakowethu ibinokufana nekaNowa ize isindiswe nguThixo?— Ukuze sisinde ekutshatyalalisweni kwehlabathi, sifanele siqonde indlela uThixo aza kulitshabalalisa ngayo aze azise ihlabathi elitsha lobulungisa. Makhe sibone indlela aza kukwenza ngayo oko.

IBhayibhile iyakuchaza kuDaniyeli isahluko 2, indinyana 44. Esi sibhalo sithetha ngexesha esiphila kulo xa sisithi: “Ngemihla yabo kumkani uThixo wezulu uya kumisa ubukumkani [okanye, urhulumente] obungenakuze bonakaliswe. Yaye obo bukumkani abuyi kudluliselwa kubo nabaphi na abanye abantu. Buya kuzityumza buziphelise zonke ezi zikumkani, buze bona bume ukusa kwixesha elingenammiselo.”

Ngaba uyakuqonda oko?— IBhayibhile ithi urhulumente kaThixo uza kutshabalalisa bonke oorhulumente bomhlaba. Ngoba?— Kaloku abamthobeli Lowo uThixo amenze uKumkani. Ngubani lowo?— Ewe, nguYesu Kristu!

UYehova uThixo unelungelo lokugqiba ngorhulumente omele alawule, yaye ukhethe uNyana wakhe uYesu, ukuba abe nguKumkani. Kungekudala lo Mlawuli umiselwe nguThixo, uYesu Kristu, uza kutshabalalisa bonke oorhulumente behlabathi. IBhayibhile kwiSityhilelo isahluko 19, indinyana 11 ukusa kweye-16, ichaza indlela aza kukwenza ngayo oku, njengoko sibona kulo mfanekiso. EBhayibhileni, imfazwe kaThixo yokutshabalalisa bonke oorhulumente behlabathi ibizwa ngokuba yiArmagedon.

Ngoku uThixo uthi uBukumkani bakhe buza kutshabalalisa oorhulumente babantu. Kodwa ngaba ufuna sibatshabalalise ngokwethu? — Akunjalo, kuba eBhayibhileni iArmagedon ibizwa ngokuba ‘yimfazwe yemini enkulu kaThixo uSomandla.’ (ISityhilelo 16:14, 16) Ewe, iArmagedon yimfazwe kaThixo, yaye usebenzisa uYesu Kristu ukuba akhokele imikhosi elwayo yasezulwini. Ngaba imfazwe yeArmagedon ikufuphi? Makhe sibone indlela esinokukufumanisa ngayo oko.