AbaProfeti neziProfeto

Abaprofeti kunye nesiprofeto badlala indima enkulu kuyo yonke ITestamente eNdala. U-Abraham, u-Isake noYakobi babona imibono baza bathetha nezithunywa zasezulwini. UMoses wayethetha noThixo ubuso ngobuso kwaye athethe intando yaKhe ebantwaneni bakaSirayeli. Incwadi yokuqala neyesibini yooKumkani zibalisa ngemisebenzi engalibalekiyo nezigidimi zomprofeti u-Eliya no-Elisha. ITestamente eNdala ikwathetha ngabaprofetikazi abafana noMiriyam noDebhora, kunye nabanye abafazi abasikelelwe ngomoya wokuprofeta, abafana noRebheka noHana. Kwaye nangona iiNdumiso zingabhalwanga ngabaprofeti abasesikweni, nazo zizaliswe ngumoya wesiprofetho, ngakumbi njengoko zisalatha ekuzeni kukaMesiya.

Akukho nanye koku into emangazayo kumalungu eBandla likaYesu Krestu labaNgcwele beMihla yokuGqibela. Enyanisweni, ivangeli ebuyisiweyo kaYesu Krestu isifundisa ukuba abaprofeti abangobantu bembali abanomdla kodwa bayinxalenye ebalulekileyo yecebo likaThixo. Nangona abanye besenokubona abaprofeti njengabo bakhethekileyo kumaxesha eTestamente Endala, sibabona njengento esinayo kwi eqhelekileyo namaxesha eTestamente Endala.

Kodwa ukufunda isahluko esisuka ku-Isaya okanye kuHezekile kunokuziva ngokwahlukileyo nokufunda umyalezo wekomfa yajikelele ovela kuMongameli wangoku weBandla. Ngamanye amaxesha kunzima ukubona ukuba abaprofeti bamandulo babenento yokuthetha kuthi. Ngapha koko, ihlabathi esiphila kulo lahluke ngokupheleleyo kwihlabathi ababeshumayela naxa beprofeta. Kwaye isibakala sokuba si sinomprofeti ophilayo sinokuphakamisa umbuzo: Kutheni kuwufanele umgudu—kwaye kufuna umgudu—ukufunda amazwi abaprofeti bamandulo?

Ubukhulu becala, abantu namhlanje asingabo abona bantu baphambili babaprofeti beTestamente eNdala. Abo baprofeti babenenkxalabo ekhawulezileyo ababethetha ngayo ngexesha labo kunye nendawo yabo—kanye njengokuba abaprofeti bethu bemihla yokugqibela bethetha ngokuxhalaba kwethu kwangoku.

Kwangaxeshanye, abaprofeti banokubona ngaphaya kweenkxalabo zangoko. Bafundisa iinyaniso zanaphakade, ezifanelekileyo kulo naliphi na ixesha nendawo. Besikelelwe sisityhilelo, babona umbono obanzi womsebenzi kaThixo. Ngokomzekelo, u-Isaya walumkisa abantu bexesha lakhe ngezono zabo. Kwakhona wabhala ngokuhlangulwa kwamaSirayeli awayeza kuphila iminyaka engama-200 kwixesha elizayo. Kwangaxeshanye, wafundisa ngosindiso olufunwa ngabo bonke abantu bakaThixo. Yaye wabhala iziprofeto, nanamhlanje, ezisalindele ukuzaliseka—njengezithembiso ‘zomhlaba omtsha’ (Isaya 65:17) oya ‘kuzaliswa kukwazi uYehova’ (Isaya 11:9) izizwe ezilahlekileyo zakwaSirayeli ziya kuhlanganiswa nalapho “iintlanga” zingayi “kuphinda zifunde ukulwa” (Isaya 2:4). Inxalenye yovuyo nempembelelo efumaneka ngokufunda amazwi abaprofeti beTestamente eNdala abafana no-Isaya kukuqonda ukuba thina sidlala indima kwimini ezukileyo ababeyicinga.

Ke xa ufunda iziprofeto zakudala, kunokunceda ukufunda ngomxholo ezibhalwe kuwo—kodwa kufuneka uzibone ukuzo, okanye “uzifanise nawe” (1 Nifayi 19:24; bona kananjalo vesi 23). Ngamanye amaxesha oko kuthetha ukugqala iBhabhiloni njengomfuziselo wesono nekratshi, kungekhona nje njengesixeko samandulo. Kusenokuthetha ukuqonda uSirayeli njengabantu bakaThixo kulo naliphi na ixesha nendawo. Okanye kusenokuthetha ukuyibona iZiyon njengonobangela wemihla yokugqibela abantu bakaThixo abawamkelayo, endaweni yokuyibona njengelinye igama leYerusalem.

Sinokuthelekisa izibhalo kubomi bethu kuba siyaqonda ukuba isiprofeto sinokuzaliseka ngeendlela ezininzi. Umzekelo olungileyo woku, sisiprofeto esiku Isaya 40:3: “Yivani omemezayo, esithi, Yigeceni entlango indlela kaYehova.” KumaYuda awathinjiweyo eBhabheli, le ngxelo kusenokwenzeka yayibhekise eNkosini ibonelela ngendlela yokuphuma ekuthinjweni kunye nokubuyela eYerusalem. KuMateyu, uMarko, kunye noLuka, esi siprofeto sibhekisa kuYohane uMbhaptizi, owalungiselela indlela yobufundisi boMsindisi wasemhlabeni. Kwaye uJoseph Smith wafumana isityhilelo sokuba esi siprofeto sisazaliseka nanamhlanje ekulungiseleleni ubufundisi bukaKrestu beminyaka eliwaka. Ngeendlela esisaziqonda ngayo, abaprofeti bamandulo ba bathetha nathi. Kwaye baye bafundisa iinyaniso ezininzi ezintle, zanaphakade ezisifanele nathi njengokufana nangoko zazifanele uSirayeli wamandulo.

Mhlawumbi okubaluleke ngakumbi kunokuzibona kwiziprofeto zeTestamente eNdala kukubona uYesu Krestu kuzo. Ukuba uyakhangela Yena, uya kumfumana Yena, nkqu nokuba Yena akakhankanywanga ngagama. Kusenokukunceda ukukhumbula ukuba uThixo weTestamente Endala, iNkosi uYehova, ngu uYesu Krestu. Nangeliphina ixesha abaprofeti bechaza oko iNkosi ikwenzayo okanye oko Yona iza kwenza, bathetha ngoMsindisi.

Kwakhona uya kufumana iimbekiselo ezingoMthanjiswa, uMhlawuleli, noKumkani wexesha elizayo womnombo kaDavide. Zonke ezi ziziprofeto ezingoYesu Krestu. Ngokubanzi, uya kufunda ngokuhlangulwa, uxolelo, ukuhlangulwa, kunye nokubuyiselwa. NgoMsindisi engqondweni nasentliziyweni yakho, ezi ziprofetho ziyakukhomba ngokwemvelo kuNyana kaThixo. Ngapha koko, eyona ndlela ibalaseleyo yokusiqonda isiprofeto kukuba “nomoya wesiprofeto,” uYohane asixelela ukuba “bubungqina bukaYesu” (ISityhilelo 19:10).