KUMASHUMI eminyaka ngaphambili, abafundi beBhayibhile bavakalisa ukuba kwakuza kwenzeka iziganeko ezibalulekileyo ngowe-1914. Ziziphi ezi ziganeko, yaye bubuphi ubungqina obalatha kowe-1914 njengonyaka obalulekileyo?

Njengokuba kubhalwe kuLuka 21:24, uYesu wathi: ‘IYerusalem iya kunyathelwa ziintlanga, ade azaliseke amaxesha amisiweyo eentlanga.’ IYerusalem yayilikomkhulu lohlanga lwamaYuda—behlala kuyo ookumkani bomnombo kaKumkani uDavide. (INdumiso 48:1, 2) Noko ke, aba kumkani babekhethekile  kunabanye abalawuli bohlanga. Babehleli “etroneni kaYehova” njengabameli bakhe. (1 Kronike 29:23) Ngoko iYerusalem yayingumqondiso wolawulo lukaYehova.

Kodwa lwaqala nini ulawulo lukaThixo ‘ukunyathelwa ziintlanga,’ yaye kwenzeka njani oko? Oku kwenzeka ngowama-607 B.C.E. xa iYerusalem yoyiswa ngamaBhabhiloni. ‘Itrone kaYehova’ yayingenamntu, baphela nookumkani bomnombo kaDavide. (2 Kumkani 25:1-26) Ngaba yayiza “kunyathelwa” ngonaphakade? Akunjalo, kuba isiprofeto sikaHezekile sathi ngokuphathelele ukumkani wokugqibela waseYerusalem, uZedekiya: ‘Shenxisa unkontsho, uze ususe isithsaba. Ngokuqinisekileyo asiyi kuba sesakhe nabani na ade afike lowo unelungelo elisemthethweni, yaye ndimele ndisinike yena.’ (Hezekile 21:26, 27) Lowo “unelungelo elisemthethweni” kwisithsaba somnombo kaDavide nguKristu Yesu. (Luka 1:32, 33) Ngoko ‘ukunyathelwa’ kwakuza kuphela xa uYesu esiba nguKumkani.

 Sasiza kwenzeka nini eso siganeko sibalulekileyo? UYesu wabonisa ukuba iiNtlanga zaziza kulawula kangangexesha elimiselweyo. Ingxelo ekuDaniyeli isahluko 4 isibonisa indlela esinokububala ngayo ubude belo xesha. Ichaza iphupha lesiprofeto likaKumkani uNebhukadenetsare waseBhabhiloni. Wabona umthi omkhulu kakhulu owagawulwayo. Isikhondo sawo sasingenakukhula kuba sasibotshwe ngentsimbi nangobhedu. Ingelosi yadanduluka yathi: ‘Makudlule amaxesha asixhenxe phezu kwaso.’—Daniyeli 4:10-16.

Maxa wambi eBhayibhileni, imithi ifanekisela ulawulo. (Hezekile 17:22-24; 31:2-5) Ngoko ukugawulwa komthi wokomfuziselo kufanekisela indlela olwaluza kupheliswa ngayo ulawulo lukaThixo, olwalumelwa ngookumkani eYerusalem. Noko ke, kulo mbono kuye kwachazwa ukuba ‘ukunyathelwa kweYerusalem’ kwakuza kuba kokwexeshana—“amaxesha asixhenxe.” Lide kangakanani elo xesha?

ISityhilelo 12:6, 14 sibonisa ukuba amaxesha amathathu anesiqingatha alingana ‘neentsuku eziliwaka elinamakhulu amabini anamashumi amathandathu.’ Ngoko “amaxesha asixhenxe” aliphinda kabini elo nani, aziintsuku ezingama-2 520. Kodwa iiNtlanga azizange ziyeke ‘ukunyathela’ ulawulo lukaThixo kwiintsuku nje ezingama-2 520 emva kokutshatyalaliswa kweYerusalem. Ngoko kucacile ukuba, esi siprofeto sigubungela ixesha elide ngakumbi. Ngokusekelwe kwiNumeri 14:34 noHezekile 4:6, abathi “usuku lube ngunyaka,” ngoko “amaxesha asixhenxe” ebeya kugubungela iminyaka engama-2 520.

Le minyaka engama-2 520 yaqala ngo-Oktobha 607 B.C.E. xa iYerusalem yatshatyalaliswa ngamaBhabhiloni waza nokumkani womnombo kaDavide washenxiswa etroneni yakhe. Eli xesha laphela ngo-Oktobha 1914. Aphela ngoko “amaxesha amisiweyo eentlanga,” waza uYesu Kristu wamiselwa njengoKumkani kaThixo wasezulwini. *—INdumiso 2:1-6; Daniyeli 7:13, 14.

 Kanye njengokuba uYesu wayexele kwangaphambili, ‘ubukho’ bakhe njengoKumkani wasezulwini buye baphawuleka ngeziganeko ezikhwankqisayo ehlabathini—imfazwe, indlala, iinyikima zomhlaba, iindyikitya zokufa. (Mateyu 24:3-8; Luka 21:11) Ezo ziganeko zibubungqina obunamandla bokuba ngokwenene owe-1914 wawungunyaka wokuzalwa koBukumkani bukaThixo basezulwini, nokuqalisa ‘kwemihla yokugqibela’ yale nkqubo ingendawo yezinto.—2 Timoti 3:1-5.