uphawu lwemicabango

Okufanele ukuKhumbule

AbaPhrofethi neziPhrofetho

Encwadini yokuqala yeTestamente eliDala, isigaba sokugcina (kusuka ku-Isaya kuya kuMalaki), sibizwa “ngabaPhrofethi.”¹ Lesi sigaba, esisodwa kwezine encwadini yeTestamente eliDala, siqukethe amazwi ezinceku zikaNkulunkulu ezisemthethweni, ezakhuluma neNkosi futhi zayikhulumela, zabelana ngomlayezo Wayo kubantu phakathi kwa-900 no-500BC.²

Abaphrofethi neziphrofetho kudlala indima enkulu kwiTestamente eliDala lonke. Abaphaytriyakhe 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 ilanda ngezenzo nemilayezo ebalulekile yomProfethi u-Eliya no-Elisha. ITestamente eliDala liphinde likhulume ngabaprofethikazi abanjengoMiriyamu (bheka ku-Eksodusi 15:20) noDebora (bheka AbaHluleli 4), kanye nabanye abesifazane ababusiswe ngomoya wokuprofetha, njengoRebeka (bheka uGenesise 25:21–23) noHana (bheka ku-1 Samuweli 1:20–2:10). Noma IzAga zingabhalwanga abaphrofethi abasemthethweni, nazo zigcwele umoya wesiphrofetho, ikakhulukazi ngesikhathi bekulindele ngamehlo abomvu ukufika kwaMesiya.

Konke lokhu akubathusi abaNgcwele beziNsuku zokuGcina. Empeleni, ivangeli likaJesu Kristu eliBuyiselwe lisifundisa ukuthi abaprofethi abekho bahle emlandweni nje kuphela kepha bayingxenye ebalulekile ohlelweni lukaNkulunkulu. Noma abanye bengabona abaprofethi njengabantu abatholakala ezikhathini zeTestamente eliDala kuphela, kepha thina sibabona njengabantu esinabo manje abafanayo nalabo bezikhathi zeTestamente eliDala.

Noma kunjalo, ukufunda isahluko encwadini ka-Isaya noma kaHezekeli kungezwakala kuhlukile kunokufunda umlayezo womhlangano omkhulu ovela kuMongameli weBandla wamanje. Ngesinye isikhathi kungaba nzima ukubona ukuthi abaprofethi basemandulo babenakho abafisa ukusitshela khona. Ngoba umhlaba esiphila kuwo manje uhluke kakhulu kulowo ababewushumayeza futhi bewuprofethela. Futhi nalokho ukuthi sinaye umprofethi ophilayo kungadala umbuzo othi: Kungani kuwumsebenzi kangaka—futhi kudinga umsebenzi omngaka—ukufunda amazwi abaprofethi basemandulo?

Banakho abafisa ukukusho kithi.

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

Ngesikhathi esifanayo, abaphrofethi bayakwazi nokubheka ngale kwezinkathazo zamanje. Okokuqala nje, bafundisa amaqiniso angunaphakade, ahambisana nanoma yisiphi isikhathi. Futhi, bebusisekile ngesambulo, babona isithombe esikhulu, bawubone ngokubanzi umsebenzi kaNkulunkulu. Isibonelo, u-Isaya akabaxwayisanga abantu besikhathi sakhe ngezono zabo kuphela—wakwazi nokubhala ngokukhululwa kwabakwa-Israyeli ababezophila eminyakeni engama-200 ezayo kepha ngesikhathi esisodwa efundise ngokukhululwa okufunwa yibo bonke abantu baNkulunkulu. Ngaphezulu kwalokho, wayekwazi ukubhala iziphrofetho lezi, ngisho namuhla, ezisalinde ukufezeka ngokuphelele—njengezethembiso “[zo]mhlaba omusha” (Isaya 65:17) “ogcwele ulwazi lweNkosi” (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 abaphrofethi beTestamente eliDala njengo-Isaya wukubona ukuthi thina sidlala indima osukwini olungcwele abalibona.³

Ngakho-ke, ngesikhathi ufunda iziphrofetho zasemandulo, kuyasiza ukufunda ngezimo ezabhalwa kuzo. Kepha kufanele futhi uzibone kuzo, noma “uzifanise [nawe],” njengoba kwabeka uNefi (bheka ku 1 Nefi 19:23–24). Ngezinye izikhathi lokhu kuchaza ukubona iBabele njengophawu lokwasemhlabeni nempakamo, hhayi ngokuthi idolobha lasemandulo nje qha. Kungachaza ukuqonda u-Israyeli njengabantu baNkulunkulu bakunoma yisiphi isikhathi nokuqonda iSiyoni njengomsebenzi wezinsuku zokugcina owamkelwa abantu baNkulunkulu, kunokuthi uthathe okuthi elinye igama leJerusalema.

Singayifanisa imibhalo engcwele ngoba siyakuqonda ukuthi isiphrofetho singafezeka ngezindlela eziningi.⁴ Isibonelo esihle salokhu isiphrofetho 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. KuMatewu, uMarku, noLuka, lesi siprofetho safezeka kuJohane umBhabhadisi, owalungisa indlela elungisela ubufundisi boMsindisi.⁵ Futhi uJoseph Smith wathola isambulo sokuthi lesi siphrofetho sisafezeka ezinsukwini zokugcina ukulungiselela ubufundisi bukaKristu ngenkulungwane yeminyaka.⁶ Ngezindlela ezithize, sisaqhubeka nokubona ukuthi ngempela abaprofethi basemandulo bakhuluma nathi. Futhi bafundisa amaqiniso amaningi ayigugu, futhi aphakade athinta thina njengoba ayethinta abakwa-Israyeli emandulo.

umphrofethi wasendulo ebhala

Ukugcwala Kwezikhathi, nguGreg K. Olsen

Bafakaza ngoJesu Kristu

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 (bheka ku-Isaya 61:1) ngoMhlengi (bheka kuHoseya 13:14), kanye neNkosi ezayo ezovela emgqeni kaDavide (bheka ku-Isaya 9:6–7; Zakariya 9:9). Zonke lezi ziphrofetho zingoJesu Kristu. Uzofunda ngenkululeko, uxolo, ukuhlengwa, nokubuyiselwa. 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).

Imithombo okuthathwe kuyo lemfundiso

1. U-Isaya, uJeremiya, uHezekeli, noDaniyeli bajwayele ukubizwa ngabaPhrofethi abakhulu ngenxa yobude bezincwadi zabo. Abanye abaphrofethi (uHoseya, uJoweli,u-Amose, u-Obadiya, uJona, uMika, uNahume, uHabakuki, uZefaniya, uHagayi, uZakariya, noMalaki) babizwa ngabaPhrofethi abaNcane ngoba izincwadi zabo zimfushane. Incwadi yesiLilo ithathwa njengengxenye yemiBhalo, hhayi abaPhrofethi.

2. Asazi ukuthi izincwadi zeziphrofetho zahlanganiswa kanjani. Kwezinye izimo, kungaba wukuthi umphrofethi wahola indlela okwaqoqwa ngayo imibhalo neziphrofetho kwakhe. Kwezinye izimo, kungenzeka ukuthi zabhalwa futhi zahlanganiswa emuva kokuba ashone.

3. “Awuke ucabange ngenjabulo nokuphuthuma kwakho konke: bonke abaphrofethi, kusukela ku-Adamu, balibonile usuku lwethu. Futhi bonke abaphrofethi sebeke bakhuluma ngosuku lwethu, ngesikhathi kuzoqoqwa khona u-Israyeli futhi nezwe lizolungiselwa ukuBuya kwesiBili koMsindisi. Cabanga ngalokho! Kubo bonke abantu abake bahlala emhlabeni, yithina esinethuba lokubamba iqhaza kulesi sehlakalo sokugcina sokuqoqa. Kwaze kwajabulisa lokho!” (uRussell M. Nelson, “Hope of Israel” [worldwide youth devotional, June3, 2018], kufakwe kwiNew Era kanye ne-Ensign,8, ChurchofJesusChrist.org). Bheka futhi kuRonaldA. Rasband, “Fulfillment of Prophecy,” Ensign noma iLiyahona, Meyi 2020, 75–78.

4. UMsindisi, ekhuluma ngo-Isaya, wathi, “Zonke izinto azikhuluma zenzeka futhi zisazokwenzeka, ngisho njengamazwi awakhulumayo” (3 Nefi 23:3; umbhalo otshekile ufakiwe).

5. Bheka NgokukaMathewu 3:1–3; NgokukaMarku 1:2–4; NgokukaLuka 3:2–6.

6. Bheka IMfundiso neziVumelwano 33:10; 65:3; 88:66.