UCABANGA ukuthi luzabe lunjani uSuku Lokwahlulela? Abanengi bacabanga ukuthi amabhiliyoni abantu azamiswa munye ngamunye phambi kwesihlalo sobukhosi sikaNkulunkulu. Bathi ngalesosikhathi, umuntu ngamunye uzakwahlulelwa. Bacabanga lokuthi abanye bazahamba bayehlala kuhle ezulwini baphinde bathi abanye bazatshiswa kuze kube nini lanini. Kodwa iBhayibhili lichaza isikhathi lesi ngenye indlela. ILizwi likaNkulunkulu litshengisa ukuthi kuyabe kuyisikhathi sethemba lokulungiswa kwezinto, hatshi isikhathi esesabekayo.

KuSambulo 20:11, 12 sifunda ingcazelo yomphostoli uJohane mayelana loSuku Lokwahlulela ethi: “Ngabuya ngabona isihlalo sobukhosi esikhulu kanye lalowo owayehlezi kuso. Umhlaba lomkhathi kwabaleka phambi kwakhe akwaze kwaba lendawo yakho. Ngasengibona abafileyo, abancane labakhulu, bemi phambi kwesihlalo sobukhosi, kwasekuvulwa izincwadi. Kwavulwa enye incwadi eyincwadi yokuphila. Abafileyo bahlulelwa mayelana lalokho ababekwenzile okwakulotshwe encwadini.” Evesini le, ngubani owahlulelayo?

 UJehova uNkulunkulu unguMahluli omkhulu wabantu. Lanxa kunjalo, unike othile ukuthi amenzele umsebenzi wokwahlulela. Encwadini yemiSebenzi 17:31 umphostoli uPhawuli wathi uNkulunkulu “uselumisile usuku lapho azakwahlulela khona umhlaba ngokulunga ngomuntu ammisileyo.” UMahluli lowo okhethiweyo nguJesu Khristu owavuswayo. (UJohane 5:22) Kodwa uSuku Lokwahlulela luqalisa nini njalo luthatha isikhathi esingakanani?

Ibhuku leSambulo litshengisa ukuthi uSuku Lokwahlulela luqalisa ngemva kwempi ye-Amagedoni, lapho okuzabhujiswa khona umhlaba kaSathane. * (ISambulo 16:14, 16; 19:19–20:3) Ngemva kwe-Amagedoni, uSathane lamadimoni akhe bazabotshwa bajikelwe emgodini ongelamkhawulo okweminyaka eyinkulungwane. Ngalesosikhathi, izindlalifa zasezulwini ezingu-144 000 zizakuba ngabahluleli ‘zibuse loKhristu iminyaka eyinkulungwane.’ (ISambulo 14:1-3; 20:1-4; KwabaseRoma 8:17) Okuzakwenzakala ngoSuku Lokwahlulela akusoze kube ngokwesiphangiphangi, okuthatha amahola angu-24 nje kuphela. Kuzathatha iminyaka eyinkulungwane.

Phakathi kweminyaka eyinkulungwane, uJesu Khristu ‘uzakwahlulela abaphilayo labafileyo.’ (2 KuThimothi 4:1) “Abaphilayo” bazabe ‘belixuku elikhulukazi’ elizasinda empini ye-Amagedoni. (ISambulo 7:9-17) Umphostoli uJohane wabona ‘abafileyo bemi phambi kwesihlalo sobukhosi’ sokwahlulela. Njengoba uJesu wathembisa, “bonke abasemathuneni abo bazalizwa ilizwi layo [uKhristu] baphume” ngokuvuswa. (UJohane 5:28, 29; ImiSebenzi 24:15) Kodwa bonke lababantu bazakwahlulelwa njani?

Ngokombono womphostoli uJohane, ‘kwavulwa izincwadi’ njalo “abafileyo bahlulelwa mayelana lalokho ababekwenzile okwakulotshwe ezincwadini.” (ISambulo 20:12) Izincwadi lezi ngumbhalo olezenzo zabantu zakudala yini? Hatshi, ngoba ukwahlulela akusoze kuye ngalokho abantu abakwenza bengakafi. Sikwazi njani lokhu? IBhayibhili lithi: “Lowo osefile usekhululwe esonweni.” (KwabaseRoma 6:7) Yikho-ke abazavuswa bavuka sebemsulwa, sebethethelelwe izono zabo. Lokhu kutsho ukuthi izincwadi lezo zimela ezinye izimfuneko zikaNkulunkulu. Abazasinda empini  ye-Amagedoni labazavuswa kuzamele balalele imilayo kaNkulunkulu. Lokhu kugoqela lezimfuneko ezintsha uJehova azabanika zona phakathi kweminyaka eyinkulungwane ukuze baphile kuze kube nini lanini. Yikho ke, umuntu ngamunye uzakwahlulelwa ngalokho azakwenza phakathi koSuku Lokwahlulela.

NgoSuku Lokwahlulela, amabhiliyoni abantu azathola ithuba lokuqala lokufunda ngentando kaNkulunkulu lokuyenza. Lokhu kutsho ukuthi kuzakuba lomsebenzi omnengi kakhulu wokufundisa. Akuthandabuzwa ukuthi ‘abantu basemhlabeni bazakufunda ukulunga.’ (U-Isaya 26:9) Kodwa ayisibo bonke abazazimisela ukwenza intando kaNkulunkulu. U-Isaya 26:10 uthi: “Lanxa ababi betshengiswa umusa, kabafundi ukulunga; laselizweni lokulunga baqhubeka besenza okubi, bengabunaki ubukhosi bukaJehova.” Abantu laba ababi bazabulawa phakathi koSuku Lokwahlulela bangaphindi bavuke futhi.—U-Isaya 65:20.

Nxa uSuku Lokwahlulela seluphelile, abantu bazanikwa ukuphelela okwalahlwa ngu-Adamu lo-Eva. Yikho-ke ngoSuku Lokwahlulela abantu bazabuyiselwa esimeni sokuqala sokuba ngabantu abapheleleyo. (1 KwabaseKhorinte 15:24-28) Ngemva kwalokho, kuzakuba lokuvivinywa kokucina. USathane uzakhululwa-ke ekubotshweni kwakhe abesevunyelwa ukuthi azame ukukhohlisa abantu okokucina. (ISambulo 20:3, 7-10) Abazaphumelela ukulwisana laye bazabona ukugcwaliseka okupheleleyo kwesithembiso esiseBhayibhilini esithi: “Abalungileyo bazazuza ilifa lelizwe bahlale kulo lanini.” (IHubo 37:29) Akuthandabuzwa lakancane ukuthi uSuku Lokwahlulela luzakuba yisibusiso ebantwini bonke abathembekileyo!