KUSASELE amashumi eminyaka, abafundi beBhayibheli bamemezela ukuthi kwakuyoba nezenzakalo ezibalulekile ngo-1914. Yiziphi lezo futhi yibuphi ubufakazi obuveza ukuthi u-1914 uwunyaka obaluleke kanjalo?

Njengoba kulotshwe kuLuka 21:24, uJesu wathi: “IJerusalema liyonyathelwa phansi yizizwe, kuze kugcwaliseke izikhathi ezimisiwe zezizwe [“izikhathi zabezizwe,” IBhayibheli lesiZulu elivamile].” IJerusalema lalikade liyikomkhulu lesizwe samaJuda—lapho uhlu lwamakhosi endlu yeNkosi uDavide lwalubusela khona. (IHubo 48:1, 2) Kodwa la makhosi wona ayekhethekile phakathi kwabaholi bezizwe. Ayehlala “esihlalweni sobukhosi sikaJehova”  njengabameleli bakaNkulunkulu uqobo lwakhe. (1 IziKronike 29:23) Ngakho iJerusalema lalimelela ukubusa kukaJehova.

Ukubusa kukaNkulunkulu kwaqala nini futhi kanjani ‘ukunyathelwa phansi yizizwe’? Kwaqala ngo-607 B.C.E. ngenkathi iJerusalema linqotshwa abaseBhabhiloni. Akubange kusahlala muntu “esihlalweni sobukhosi sikaJehova,” futhi uhlu lwamakhosi ozalo lukaDavide lwaphazamiseka. (2 AmaKhosi 25:1-26) Ingabe lokhu ‘kunyathelwa phansi’ kwakuyoqhubeka unomphela? Cha, ngoba mayelana nenkosi yokugcina yaseJerusalema, uZedekiya, isiprofetho sikaHezekeli sathi: “Susa umshuqulo, ususe umqhele. . . . Ngeke kube okwamuntu aze afike onelungelo elingokomthetho, ngikunike yena.” (Hezekeli 21:26, 27) Lowo “onelungelo elingokomthetho” lomqhele kaDavide uKristu Jesu. (Luka 1:32, 33) Ngakho ‘ukunyathelwa phansi’ kwakuyophela lapho uJesu eba iNkosi.

Sasiyokwenzeka nini leso senzakalo esikhulu? UJesu wathi abeZizwe  babeyobusa isikhathi esithile esimisiwe. Ukulandisa okukuDaniyeli isahluko 4 kuyisihluthulelo sokwazi ukuthi sasiyoba side kangakanani leso sikhathi. Kusitshela ngephupho eliyisiprofetho leNkosi yaseBhabhiloni uNebukhadinezari. Yabona umuthi omkhulu owagawulwa. Isiphunzi sawo sasingakhuli ngoba sasiboshwe ngebhande lensimbi nelethusi. Ingelosi yathi: “Makudlule phezu kwaso izikhathi eziyisikhombisa.”—Daniyeli 4:10-16.

Ngezinye izikhathi imithi ifanekisela imibuso eBhayibhelini. (Hezekeli 17:22-24; 31:2-5) Ngakho, ukugawulwa kwalo muthi ongokomfanekiso kufanekisela indlela okwakuyophazamiseka ngayo ukubusa kukaNkulunkulu, okwakumelelwe amakhosi aseJerusalema. Kodwa leli phupho laveza ukuthi lokhu ‘kunyathelwa phansi kweJerusalema’ kwakuyoba okwesikhashana—inkathi ‘yezikhathi eziyisikhombisa.’ Yinde kangakanani leyo nkathi?

IsAmbulo 12:6, 14 siveza ukuthi izikhathi ezintathu nengxenye zilingana ‘nezinsuku eziyinkulungwane namakhulu amabili namashumi ayisithupha.’ Kusho ukuthi “izikhathi eziyisikhombisa” zaziyoba yilezo zinsuku ziphindwé kabili, noma izinsuku ezingu-2 520. Kodwa abeZizwe abayekanga ‘ukukunyathela phansi’ ukubusa kukaNkulunkulu ngemva nje kwezinsuku ezingu-2 520 iJerusalema liwile. Kusobala-ke ukuthi lesi siprofetho sihlanganisa isikhathi eside kakhulu kunalokho. Uma sisebenzisa okushiwo uNumeri 14:34 noHezekeli 4:6, othi “usuku lumelele unyaka,” “izikhathi eziyisikhombisa” zaziyoba iminyaka engu-2 520.

Le minyaka engu-2 520 yaqala ngo-October 607 B.C.E., lapho iJerusalema linqotshwa abaseBhabhiloni futhi inkosi yendlu kaDavide isuswa esihlalweni sayo sobukhosi. Leyo nkathi yaphela ngo-October 1914. Ngaleso sikhathi zaphela “izikhathi ezimisiwe zezizwe,” futhi uJesu Kristu wamiswa njengeNkosi kaNkulunkulu yasezulwini. *—IHubo 2:1-6; Daniyeli 7:13, 14.

 Njengoba uJesu abikezela, ‘ukuba khona’ kwakhe njengeNkosi yasezulwini kuye kwabonakala ngezigigaba ezinkulu emhlabeni—izimpi, indlala, ukuzamazama komhlaba, nezifo eziwumshayabhuqe. (Mathewu 24:3-8; Luka 21:11) Lezo zigigaba zinikeza ubufakazi obunamandla bokuthi ngempela u-1914 waba unyaka okwazalwa ngawo uMbuso kaNkulunkulu wasezulwini nokwaqala ngawo ‘izinsuku zokugcina’ zalesi simiso sezinto esibi.—2 Thimothewu 3:1-5.