AbaProfethi neziProfetho

Abaprofethi neziprofetho kudlala indima enkulu kwiTestamente eliDala lonke. U-Abrahama, u-Isaka noJakobe baboniswa futhi bakhuluma nezithunywa sazezulwini. UMose wakhuluma noNkulunkulu ubuso nobuso futhi wazisa abantwana bakwa-Israyeli ngomusa Wakhe. Incwadi yokuqala neyesibili yamaKhosi zilandisa ngezenzo nemilayezo ebalulekile yomProfethi u-Eliya no-Elisha. ITestamente eliDala liphinde likhulume ngabaprofethikazi abanjengoMiriyamu noDebora, kanye nabanye abesifazane ababusiswe ngomoya wokuprofetha, njengoRebeka noHana. Noma amaHubo engabhalwanga abaprofethi abasemthethweni, nawo agcwele umoya wesiprofetho, ikakhulukazi ngesikhathi ekhomba ekufikeni kukaMesiya.

Akukho kulokhu okumangazayo kumalungu eBandla likaJesu Kristu labaNgcwele beziNsuku zokuGcina. Empeleni, ivangeli likaJesu Kristu eliBuyiselwe lisifundisa ukuthi abaprofethi abekho bahle emlandweni nje kuphela kepha bayingxenye ebalulekile ohlelweni lukaNkulunkulu. Nakuba abanye bengabona abaprofethi njengabantu abatholakala ezikhathini zeTestamente eliDala kuphela, kepha thina sibabona njengabantu esinabo manje abafanayo nalabo bezikhathi zeTestamente eliDala.

Kodwa ukufunda isahluko encwadini ka-Isaya noma kaHezekeli kungezwakala kuhlukile kunokufunda umyalezo wengqungquthela yebandla lonke ovela kuMongameli wamanje. Ngesinye isikhathi kunzima ukubona ukuthi abaprofethi basemandulo babenakho abafisa ukusitshela khona. Ngoba umhlaba esiphila kuwo manje uhluke kakhulu kunomhlaba ababewushumayeza futhi bewuprofethela. Futhi nalokho ukuthi sinaye umprofethi ophilayo kungadala umbuzo othi: Kungani kuwumsebenzi ofanele—futhi kudinga umsebenzi omngaka—ukufunda amazwi abaprofethi basemandulo?

Iningi labantu namuhla, akubona labantu ababefundiswa abaprofethi beTestamente eiDala. Labaprofethi babenezinkathazo ababezixazulula ngesikhathi nasendaweni yabo—njengoba abaphrofethi bethu bezinsuku zokugcina benezinkathazo abazixazululayo zamanje.

Ngesikhathi esifanayo, abaprofethi bayakwazi nokubona ngale kwezinkathazo zamanje. Bafundisa amaqiniso angunaphakade, abalulekile kunoma yisiphi isikhathi nendawo. Bebusisekile ngesambulo, bawubone ngokubanzi umsebenzi kaNkulunkulu. Isibonelo, u-Isaya waxwayisa abantu ngesikhathi sakhe ngezono zabo. Waphinde wabhala ngokukhululwa kwama-Israyeli ayeyophila iminyaka engu-200 esikhathini esizayo. Ngesikhathi esifanayo, wafundisa ngokukhululwa okufunwa yibo bonke abantu baNkulunkulu. Futhi wabhala iziprofetho lezi, ngisho namuhla, ezisalinde ukufezeka ngokuphelele—njengezethembiso “[zo]mhlaba omusha” (U-Isaya 65:17) “ogcwele ulwazi lweNkosi” (U-Isaya 11:9), lapho izizwana zakwa-Israyeli ezilahlekile ziqoqelwe khona futhi lapho “izizwe” zingasayifundi “impi” (U-Isaya 2:4). Okuyingxenye yentokozo nentshisekelo evela ekufundeni amazwi abaprofethi beTestamente eliDala njengo-Isaya wukubona ukuthi thina sidlala indima osukwini olungcwele abalibona.

Ngakho-ke lapho ufunda iziprofetho zasendulo, kungasiza ukufunda ngomongo ezalotshwa kuwo—kodwa futhi kufanele uzibone ukuzo, noma “uzibhekise [kuwe]” (1 uNefi 19:24; bheka futhi uvesi 23). Ngezinye izikhathi lokhu kuchaza ukubona iBabele njengophawu lwesono nempakamo, hhayi ngokuthi idolobha lasemandulo nje qha. Kungachaza ukuqonda u-Israyeli njengabantu bakaNkulunkulu bakunoma yisiphi isikhathi nendawo. Noma kungachaza ukucabanga ngeSiyoni njengomsebenzi wezinsuku zokugcina owamkelwa abantu baNkulunkulu, kunokuthi uthathe okuthi elinye igama leJerusalema.

Singayifanisa imibhalo engcwele nempilo yethu ngoba siyakuqonda ukuthi isiprofetho singafezeka ngezindlela eziningi. Isibonelo esihle isiprofetho esitholakala ku-Isaya 40:3: “Izwi liyamemeza lithi: “Lungisani ehlane indlela kaJehova.” KumaJuda athunjiwe eBabele, lombhalo ngabe wawukhuluma neNkosi eyakha indlela yokuba aphume esimweni sokuthunjwa futhi aphindele eJerusalema. KuMathewu, uMarku, noLuka, lesi siprofetho sasikhuluma ngoJohane uMbhabhadisi, owalungisa indlela elungisela ubufundisi boMsindisi. Futhi uJoseph Smith wathola isambulo sokuthi lesi siprofetho sisafezeka namhlanje ukulungiselela ubufundisi bukaKristu ngenkulungwane yeminyaka. Ngezindlela ezithize, sisaqhubeka nokubona ukuthi ngempela abaprofethi basemandulo bakhuluma nathi. Futhi bafundisa amaqiniso amaningi ayigugu, futhi aphakade athinta thina njengoba ayethinta abakwa-Israyeli emandulo.

Mhlawumbe okubaluleke kakhulu kunokuzibona kwiziphrofetho zeTestamente eliDala ukubona uJesu Kristu kuzo. Uma umbheka, uzomthola, noma engabizwanga ngegama. Kungasiza ukukhumbula ukuthi iNkosi yeTestamente eliDala, iNkosi uJehova, Yiyo uJesu Kristu. Noma yinini lapho abaphrofethi bechaza khona ukuthi iNkosi yenzani noma izokwenzani, bakhuluma ngoMsindisi.

Uzothola nemibhalo ekhuluma ngoGcotshiweyo, uMhlengi kanye neNkosi ezayo ezovela emgqeni kaDavid. Zonke lezi ziprofetho zingoJesu Kristu. Uzofunda ngenkululeko, uxolo, ukuhlengwa, nokubuyiselwa kwevangeli. Uma uMsindisi esemqondweni nasenhliziyweni, lezi ziphrofetho zizokukhomba kalula kwiNdodana kaNkulunkulu. Vele, indlela elunge kakhulu yokuqonda iziphrofetho ukuba “nomoya wokuphrofetha,” loyo uJohane asitshela ukuthi “ubufakazi baJesu” (Isambulo 19:10).