Yintoni ethi qatha engqondweni yakho xa kuthethwa ngoDisemba 21, 2012, usuku olukwikhalenda yamaMaya, abaninzi abakholelwa ukuba ihlabathi liza kutshintsha ngalo? Xa ifika loo mini, mhlawumbi kusenokuthi ham kuwe, okanye uphoxeke, kungenjalo ibe yimini nje efana nezinye kuxhomekeke kuloo nto ubuyilindele. Ngaba abo bathanda ukuqikelela imini yesiphelo baphinde bawuphosa umhlola nakweli tyeli?

Kuthekani ‘ngesiphelo sehlabathi’ esichazwe eBhayibhileni? (Mateyu 24:3) Abanye boyika ukuba lo mhlaba uza kutshiswa. Ukanti kwabanye ingathi aside sifike nesi siphelo. Abanye bona badikiwe kukumana bexelelwa ukuba isiphelo sisondele. Kodwa ngaba ezi mvakalelo zabantu zibangelwa kukungxixhwa ngeentsomi kunenyaniso?

Usenokumangaliswa kukuva eyona nto ithethwa yiBhayibhile ngesiphelo sehlabathi. IBhayibhile ichaza izizathu ezivakalayo zokusilindela ngamehlo abomvu isiphelo, ize kwangaxeshanye ivume ukuba kuyacaphukisa ukusoloko ujong’ enkalweni. Makhe sive ukuba iBhayibhile iyiphendula njani eminye imibuzo edla ngokubuzwa ngesiphelo.

IMPENDULO YEBHAYIBHILE: “[UThixo] useke umhlaba phezu kweendawo omiswe kuzo; awuyi kushukunyiswa ukusa kwixesha elingenammiselo, okanye nangonaphakade.”—INDUMISO 104:5.

Umhlaba awuzukutshatyalaliswa ngomlilo okanye ngenye indlela. Kunoko, iBhayibhile ifundisa ukuba abantu baya kuhlala emhlabeni ngonaphakade. INdumiso 37:29 ithi: “Amalungisa aya kuwudla ilifa umhlaba, ahlale kuwo ngonaphakade.”—INdumiso 115:16; Isaya 45:18.

Emva kokuba edale umhlaba, uThixo wathi ‘ulunge gqitha’ kwaye usatsho nangoku. (Genesis 1:31) Kunokuba acinge ngokuwutshabalalisa, uthembisa ukuba uza ‘kubonakalisa abo bawonakalisayo umhlaba’ aze awukhusele.—ISityhilelo 11:18.

Mhlawumbi uyazibuza ukuba, xa umhlaba ungazukutshatyalaliswa, itheth’ ukuthini ke ngoko eyesi-2 kaPetros 3:7. Le vesi ithi: “Amazulu nomhlaba wangoku, zombini ziqwetyelwe umlilo.” Ithi umhlaba uza kutshiswa, akunjalo? Maxa wambi, iBhayibhile isebenzisa igama elithi “amazulu,” “umhlaba” nelithi “umlilo” njengezikwekwo. Ngokomzekelo, xa iGenesis 11:1 isithi: “Wonke umhlaba wawululwimi-lunye,” isebenzisa igama elithi “umhlaba” ukuze ibhekisele kubantu.

Umongo weyesi-2 kaPetros 3:7 ubonisa ukuba amazulu, umhlaba kunye nomlilo ekuthethwa ngawo apho zibhekisela kwenye into. Ivesi yesi-5 neyesi-6 zifanisa oku kunye noMkhukula womhla kaNowa. Xa kwafika uMkhukula, umhlaba wamandulo watshatyalaliswa, kodwa ke esi sijikelezi langa sethu sisekho unanamhla oku. Kunoko, “umhlaba” owatshatyalaliswa ngoNogumbe ngabantu abangendawo ababephila ngelo xesha. Kwakhona, kwatshatyalaliswa nabantu ababelawula ngelo xesha—ekubhekiselwe kubo ngokuthi “amazulu.” (Genesis 6:11) Ngendlela efanayo, eyesi-2 kaPetros 3:7 iprofeta ngokutshatyalaliswa ngonaphakade kwabantu abangendawo kunye noorhulumente babo abarhwaphilizayo, ngokungathi batshiswe ngomlilo.

IMPENDULO YEBHAYIBHILE: “Ihlabathi liyadlula nenkanuko yalo, kodwa lowo wenza ukuthanda kukaThixo uhleli ngonaphakade.”—1 YOHANE 2:17.

“Ihlabathi” eliza kutshabalala asinguwo lo mhlaba sihlala kuwo, kodwa ngabantu abangamthobeliyo uThixo. Kanye njengokuba ugqirha elinqumla ilungu lomzimba elibolileyo ukuze oko kubola  kunganwenwi, noThixo uza ‘kubanqumla’ abangendawo ukuze amalungisa ahlale ngoxolo emhlabeni. (INdumiso 37:9) Xa kunjalo, kuyabonakala ukuba ‘isiphelo sehlabathi’ yinto entle.

Ukuthi “isiphelo sehlabathi” akunto imbi sikubona nakwezinye iinguqulelo zeBhayibhile eziguqulela eli gama ngokuthi “kukuqosheliswa kwale nkqubo yezinto,” okanye “isiphelo sesi sizukulwana.” (Mateyu 24:3; New International Version) Ekubeni kuza kutshabalala kuphela abantu abangendawo xa kufika isiphelo, ngaba asifanele silindele ukuba emva koko kubekho isizukulwana esitsha nenkqubo yezinto entsha? IBhayibhile ithi ezi zinto ziyeza kuba ithetha ‘ngenkqubo yezinto ezayo.’—Luka 18:30.

UYesu wathi elo xesha sililindeleyo ‘lelokwenziwa kwezinto ntsha.’ Ngelo xesha, uza kubuyisela abantu kulaa meko wayefuna babe kuyo uThixo xa wayebadala. (Mateyu 19:28, NIV) Emva koko

• Umhlaba uya kuba yiparadesi apho sonke siya kukhuseleka size sonwabe.—Isaya 35:1; Mika 4:4.

• Siya kwenza umsebenzi owanelisayo.—Isaya 65:21-23.

• Zonke izifo ziza kuphiliswa.—Isaya 33:24.

• Abantu abalupheleyo baya kwenziwa batsha kwakhona.—Yobhi 33:25.

• Abafileyo baza kuvuswa.—Yohane 5:28, 29.

Ukuba siyamthobela uThixo size senze ‘ukuthanda kwakhe,’ asimele sisoyike isiphelo sehlabathi. Kunoko, sifanele sisilindele ngamehlo abomvu.

IMPENDULO YEBHAYIBHILE: “Xa nibona ezi zinto zisenzeka, yazini ukuba ubukumkani bukaThixo bukufuphi.”—LUKA 21:31.

Kwincwadi ethi The Last Days Are Here Again, uNjingalwazi Richard Kyle wathi, “ukutshintsha kwezinto ngesiquphe kunye nezidubedube ezenzekayo kwenza kube lula ukuba abantu bathi isiphelo sikufuphi,” ingakumbi xa bengawuqondi ncam oyena nobangela wezo zinto.

Noko ke, abaprofeti beBhayibhile abathetha ngesiphelo babengazami ukucacisa unobangela wezidubedube ezazisenzeka ngamaxesha abo. Kunoko, baphefumlelwa nguThixo ukuze bachaze iimeko esasiza kubona ngazo xa isiphelo sehlabathi sisondele. Funda ezinye zezo ziprofeto uze ubone enoba ziyazaliseka kwixesha lethu kusini na.

•   Iimfazwe, iindlala, iinyikima nokusasazeka kwezifo ezibulalayo.—Mateyu 24:7; Luka 21:11.

• Ukuqatsela kolwaphulo-mthetho.—Mateyu 24:12.

• Ukonakaliswa komhlaba ngabantu.—ISityhilelo 11:18.

• Abantu abazidlayo, abathanda imali neziyolo kodwa babe bengamthandi uThixo.—2 Timoti 3:2, 4.

• Ukuqhekeka kweentsapho.—2 Timoti 3:2, 3.

• Ukungabukhathaleli kwabantu abaninzi ubungqina bokuba isiphelo sisondele.—Mateyu 24:37-39.

• Ukushunyayelwa kweendaba ezilungileyo zoBukumkani bukaThixo emhlabeni wonke.—Mateyu 24:14.

Njengoko uYesu watshoyo, ukubona “zonke ezi zinto” kusenza siqonde ukuba isiphelo sisondele. (Mateyu 24:33) AmaNgqina kaYehova aqinisekile ukuba ubungqina bokuba isiphelo sisondele buzicacele, kwaye ashumayeza abantu kumazwe angaphezu kwama-236.

IMPENDULO YEBHAYIBHILE: “Xa besithi: ‘Luxolo nonqabiseko!’ iya kwandula ke intshabalalo yequbuliso ibafikele ngephanyazo kanye njengenimba kumfazi omithiyo; yaye abasayi kuze basinde.”—1 TESALONIKA 5:3.

IBhayibhile ifanisa ukutshatyalaliswa kwehlabathi nokuqalisa kwenimba—kaloku umfazi onenimba uba sezintlungwini kwaye zifika ngequbuliso. Kwakhona, ukusondela kwesiphelo kufana nokukhulelwa, kuba umfazi okhulelweyo uyabona xa ixesha lokubeleka lisiya lisondela. Ugqirha usenokuwuqikelela umhla aza kubeleka ngawo; enoba akabeleki ngolo suku, uqinisekile ukuba kungekudala uza kuba nomntwana. Ngokufanayo, nangona isiphelo singafikanga ngexesha ebesilindelwe ngalo, loo nto ayithethi kuthi asiphili ‘kwimihla yokugqibela.’—2 Timoti 3:1.

Usenokubuza, ‘Ukuba umqondiso wokuba siphila kwimihla yokugqibela ucace gca okwekati emhlophe ehlungwini, kutheni abantu abaninzi bengayiboni loo nto?’ IBhayibhile yathi xa isiphelo sisondele, abantu babengayi kubunanza ubungqina boko. Kunokuba bavume ukuba kukho utshintsho olukhulu olwenzekayo ngemihla yokugqibela, babeza kubetha ngenqindi phantsi besithi: “Ukususela ngomhla ookhokho bethu abalala ngawo ekufeni, zonke izinto zisaqhubeka kanye njengasekuqaleni kwendalo.” (2 Petros 3:3, 4)  Ngamanye amazwi, kucace gca ukuba siphila kwimihla yokugqibela, kodwa abantu abaninzi ababethelwa nangu-do.—Mateyu 24:38, 39.

Kweli nqaku siye sathi gqaba-gqaba nje ngobunye bobungqina obuseZibhalweni bokuba isiphelo sisondele. * Ngaba ungathanda ukufunda okungakumbi? Ukuba kunjalo, musa ukuphozis’ amaseko ukudibana namaNgqina kaYehova uze uwacele akufundise iBhayibhile simahla. IBhayibhile akufundisela ekhayeni lakho okanye kwenye indawo ekulungeleyo, nkqu nangefowuni. Ekuphela kwento ekufuneka ukulungele ukuyincama lixesha lakho kwaye umvuzo woko uyancumisa.