Uzizwa kanjani ngo-December 21, 2012, usuku olusekhalendeni lamaMaya abaningi abathi ngalo kuzoshintsha izwe lonke? Kuye ngokuthi ulindeleni, ungase ukhululeke, udumazeke noma ungabi nandaba. Ingabe lolu suku lumane nje lungesinye sezibikezelo esingamanga sokuphela kwezwe?

Kuthiwani ‘ngokuphela kwezwe’ okukhulunywa ngakho eBhayibhelini? (Mathewu 24:3, iBhayibheli lesiZulu elivamile) Abanye besaba ukuthi umhlaba uzosha. Abanye zibahlaba umxhwele izenzakalo zokuphela kwezwe. Abaningi sebekhathele ukutshelwa ngokuphela kwezwe okuseduze. Ingabe ukusabela okunjalo kusekelwe enganekwaneni noma eqinisweni?

Kungase kukumangaze ukuthola lokho okushiwo iBhayibheli ngempela ngokuphela kwezwe. IBhayibheli aligcini nje ngokusinikeza izizathu zokuba sikulangazelele ukuphela kwezwe kodwa likhuluma nangokukhungatheka okungase kubangelwe ukwephuza ukufika kwako. Sicela uhlole izimpendulo ezinikezwa iBhayibheli zemibuzo evamile ephathelene nokuphela kwezwe.

IMPENDULO YEBHAYIBHELI: “[UNkulunkulu] usekelé umhlaba phezu kwezindawo zawo ezimisiweyo; ngeke untenga-ntengiswe kuze kube nini nanini, noma kuze kube phakade.”—IHUBO 104:5.

Umhlaba ngeke ubhujiswe, ngomlilo noma nganoma yini enye. Kunalokho, iBhayibheli lifundisa ukuthi lo mhlaba uyikhaya labantu laphakade. IHubo 37:29, lithi: “Abalungile bayokudla ifa lomhlaba, futhi bayohlala kuwo kuze kube phakade.”—IHubo 115:16; Isaya 45:18.

Ngemva kokudala umhlaba, uNkulunkulu wathi ‘muhle kakhulu,’ futhi usazizwa ngaleyo ndlela. (Genesise 1:31) Kunokuba ahlele ukuwubhubhisa, uthembisa ‘ukuchitha abachitha umhlaba’ nokuwuvikela ukuba ungonakaliswa unomphela.—IsAmbulo 11:18.

Nokho, ungase uzibuze ngalokho okushiwo kweyesi-2 Petru 3:7. Leli vesi leBhayibheli lithi: “Amazulu nomhlaba okukhona manje abekelwe umlilo.” Ingabe lokhu akusho yini ukuthi umhlaba uyosha? Empeleni, ngezinye izikhathi iBhayibheli lisebenzisa amagama athi “amazulu,” “umhlaba” nelithi “umlilo” ngokomfanekiso. Ngokwesibonelo, uGenesise 11:1 uthi: “Umhlaba wonke waqhubeka unolimi olulodwa.” Elithi “umhlaba” kuleli vesi lisho abantu.

Umongo weyesi-2 Petru 3:7 ubonisa ukuthi amazulu, umhlaba nomlilo okukhulunywa ngako kuleli vesi nakho kungokomfanekiso. Amavesi 5 no-6 akufanisa noZamcolo wosuku lukaNowa. Kuleso senzakalo, izwe lasendulo labhujiswa kodwa umhlaba wethu usekhona. Kunalokho, uZamcolo wabhubhisa abantu abanobudlova, noma “umhlaba.” Wabhubhisa nohlobo oluthile ‘lwamazulu’—amakhosi ayebusa abantu ababephila emhlabeni ngaleso sikhathi. (Genesise 6:11) Ngendlela efanayo, eyesi-2 Petru 3:7 ibikezela ukuthi abantu ababi nohulumeni abonakele bazobhujiswa, njengokungathi ngomlilo.

IMPENDULO YEBHAYIBHELI: “Izwe liyadlula, kanjalo nesifiso salo, kodwa lowo owenza intando kaNkulunkulu uhlala kuze kube phakade.”—1 JOHANE 2:17.

“Izwe” elizodlula, akuwona umhlaba kodwa abantu abakuphila kwabo akuvumelani nentando kaNkulunkulu. Njengoba nje udokotela ohlinzayo engase asuse isimila esinomdlavuza ukuze asindise isiguli, uNkulunkulu ‘uzonquma’ ababi ukuze abantu  abalungile bakwazi ngempela ukujabulela ukuphila emhlabeni. (IHubo 37:9) Ngalowo mqondo, “ukuphela kwezwe” kuyinto enhle.

Lowo mbono omuhle ‘ngokuphela kwezwe’ uvezwe ezinguqulweni zeBhayibheli ezihumusha lawo mazwi ngokuthi ‘isiphelo sesimiso sezinto,’ noma “ukuphela kwenkathi.” (Mathewu 24:3; I-New International Version) Njengoba abantu nomhlaba kuyosinda ekupheleni kwezwe, akubonakali yini kunengqondo ukuba kulandele inkathi entsha noma isimiso esisha sezinto? IBhayibheli liphendula ngoyebo, ngoba likhuluma ‘ngesimiso sezinto esizayo.’—Luka 18:30.

UJesu wabiza leyo nkathi ezayo ngokuthi “ukwenziwa kwazo zonke izinto zibe zintsha.” Ngaleso sikhathi, uyobuyisela abantu esimweni uNkulunkulu ayehlose ukuba babe kuso kwasekuqaleni. (Mathewu 19:28, I-NIV) Siyobe sesijabulela lokhu:

• Umhlaba oyipharadesi olondekile noyoletha ukuchuma kubo bonke abantu.—Isaya 35:1; Mika 4:4.
• Umsebenzi ojabulisayo nowanelisayo.—Isaya 65:21-23.
• Ukuphulukiswa kuzo zonke izifo.—Isaya 33:24.
• Ukubuyiselwa ebusheni.—Jobe 33:25.
• Ukuvuswa kwabafileyo.—Johane 5:28, 29.

Uma senza “intando kaNkulunkulu,” lokho akufunayo kithi, akudingeki sikwesabe ukuphela kwezwe. Kunalokho, kufanele sikulangazelele.

IMPENDULO YEBHAYIBHELI: “Lapho nibona lezi zinto zenzeka, yazini ukuthi umbuso kaNkulunkulu useduze.”—LUKA 21:31.

Encwadini ethi The Last Days Are Here Again, uProfesa uRichard Kyle uthi “ushintsho nezinxushunxushu ezenzeka ngokushesha emphakathini zibangela izimo ezivumelana nezibikezelo zokuphela kwezwe.” Lokhu kunjalo ikakhulukazi lapho kubonakala kunzima ukuchaza lolo shintsho nalezo zinxushunxushu.

Nokho, abaprofethi abaseBhayibhelini abakhuluma ngokuphela babengazami ukuchaza izenzakalo ezingaqondakali zosuku lwabo. Kunalokho, babephefumulelwe uNkulunkulu ukuba bachaze izimo ezaziyobonisa ukuthi ukuphela kwezwe kuseduze. Cabanga ngezinye zalezo ziprofetho bese uzinqumela ukuthi ziyagcwaliseka yini esikhathini sethu.

•   Izimpi, indlala, ukuzamazama komhlaba nezifo eziwumshayabhuqe.—Mathewu 24:7; Luka 21:11.
• Ukwanda okuphawulekayo kobugebengu.—Mathewu 24:12.
• Abantu ababhubhisa umhlaba.—IsAmbulo 11:18.
• Abantu abazithandayo, abathanda imali nezinjabulo kunokuthanda uNkulunkulu.—2 Thimothewu 3:2, 4.
• Ukuchitheka kwemishado.—2 Thimothewu 3:2, 3.
• Ukubushaya indiva ubufakazi bokuthi ukuphela kuyasondela.—Mathewu 24:37-39.
• Ukushunyayelwa kwezindaba ezinhle zoMbuso kaNkulunkulu emhlabeni wonke.—Mathewu 24:14.

Njengoba uJesu asho, lapho sibona “zonke lezi zinto” zenzeka kumelwe sazi ukuthi ukuphela kwezwe kuseduze. (Mathewu 24:33) OFakazi BakaJehova bakholelwa ukuthi lobu bufakazi buyiqiniso futhi batshela abanye lokho abakukholelwayo ngokushumayela emazweni angu-236.

IMPENDULO YEBHAYIBHELI: “Noma nini lapho bethi: ‘Ukuthula nokulondeka!’ khona-ke imbubhiso engazelelwe iyobafikela ngaso leso sikhathi njengomhelo wokucindezeleka ufikela owesifazane okhulelweyo; futhi abasoze baphunyuka nangayiphi indlela.”—1 THESALONIKA 5:3.

IBhayibheli lifanisa ukubhujiswa kwezwe nokuqala kwemihelo—ubuhlungu obungenakugwemeka obuzwiwa owesifazane okhulelwe nobufika ngokushesha. Isikhathi esiyoholela ekupheleni sifana nokukhulelwa, ngoba umama okhulelwe uyazibona izimpawu ezibonisa ukuthi usezobeletha. Udokotela wakhe angase ahlawumbisele usuku azobeletha ngalo, nokho, ngisho noma engabelethanga ngalo kanye lolo suku, uyaqiniseka ukuthi sekuseduze. Nakuba isiphelo sezwe singafikanga ngesikhathi abantu abebesilindele ngaso, lokhu akulishintshi iqiniso lokuthi manje siphila “ezinsukwini zokugcina.”—2 Thimothewu 3:1.

Ungase ubuze, ‘Uma zicace kangaka izimpawu zokuthi ukuphela kwezwe kuseduze, kungani abantu abaningi bengaziboni?’ IBhayibheli lithi uma ukuphela sekusondela, abaningi bayobushaya indiva lobo bufakazi. Kunokuba baqaphele ushintsho  oluphawulekayo lwezinsuku zokugcina, bayohleka usulu, bathi: “Kusukela osukwini okhokho bethu abalala ngalo, zonke izinto ziqhubeka ngokufana ncamashí nasekuqaleni kwendalo.” (2 Petru 3:3, 4) Ngamanye amazwi, izimpawu zezinsuku zokugcina zicacile kodwa abaningi ngeke bazinake.—Mathewu 24:38, 39.

Lesi sihloko sikhulume ngobufakazi obuseBhayibhelini bokuthi ukuphela sekuseduze. * Ungathanda yini ukufunda okwengeziwe? Uma kunjalo, sicela uthintane noFakazi BakaJehova ukuze uthole isifundo seBhayibheli samahhala. Bangeza bazofunda nawe kwakho, kwenye indawo ezovumelana nawe noma ngocingo. Uma nje ubanika isikhathi, uyothola izinzuzo ezingenakuqhathaniswa.