Bible Society of South Africa

Hope for Eternal Glory – 31 January 2020

Neville Turley

Itekisi yeBhayibhile

IINDUMISO 62

5Ndithe cwaka, ndikholose ngoThixo;

kaloku nguye yedwa ithemba lam.

IINDUMISO 62:5XHO96Vula kumfundi weBhayibhile

1 KWABASEKORINTE 15

Isiganeko sokuvuka kukaKrestu

1Ngoku ke, mawethu, ndithanda ukunikhumbuza ngeendaba ezimnandi zikaThixo endanishumayeza zona; ezo nazamkelayo, enimi nithe zinzi kuzo. 2Ludaba lukaThixo ke olo, enosindiswa ngalo ukuba nibambelele ngokuthe nkqi kulo ngale ndlela ndinishumayeza ngayo – ngele kokuba ke nafumana nakholwa lilize nje.

3Ndawo yokuqala ndazigqithisela kuni ezona ndawo ndazamkelayo, ezi zokuba uKrestu wafela izono zethu, ngokutsho *kweziBhalo, 4nokuba wangcwatywa, nokuba wavuka ekufeni ngomhla wesithathu, ngokweziBhalo; 5waza wabonakala kuPetros, wabonwa nangabo bonke abathunywa abalishumi elinambini. 6Emva koko ubonakele ngaxesha-nye nakubalandeli bakhe abangaphezu kwamakhulu amahlanu, abasekhoyo nangoku abaninzi babo, nakuba babhubhayo nje abanye. 7Uphindile wabonwa nanguYakobi, wabonwa *nangabathunywa xa bebonke.

8Ke ekugqibeleni, ngokungathi mna ndizelwe emva kwexesha, wabonwa nandim. 9Ke kuba mna ndingoyena uphantsi kubo bonke abathunywa, akufanele nokuba kuthiwe ndingumthunywa, kuba ndalitshutshisa ibandla likaThixo. 10Kodwa ngesisa sikaThixo ndiyile nto ndiyiyo, yaye nesisa andibabala ngaso uThixo andidlalanga ngaso. Ndisuke ndasebenza ukudlula bonke abathunywa, phofu ingendim, koko inguThixo osebenza ngam ngesisa sakhe. 11Ngoko ke nokuba ndim, nokuba ngabo, sishumayela udaba olunye; ke nina nalwamkela.

Ukuvuka kwethu kwabafileyo

12Njengokuba thina sishumayela ukuba uKrestu wavuka nje ekufeni, batsho njani ke abanye benu ukuba abafileyo abavuki ekufeni? 13Ukuba alukho uvuko lwabafileyo, noKrestu ke akazange avuke ekufeni. 14Ukuba ke uKrestu akavukanga ekufeni, ukushumayela kwethu ngamampunge, nokholo lwenu luphuthile. 15Ngaphezu koko ke nathi ngaba singamangqina amxokayo uThixo, kuba sathi umvusile uKrestu, nangona angamvusanga, ukuba kambe ngaba kuyinene ukuba abafileyo abavuki. 16Kuba, ukuba ngaba abafileyo abavuki, noKrestu ke akazange avuke ekufeni. 17Ukuba ke uKrestu akavuswanga ekufeni, ukholo lwenu ke luyalambatha – nisahleli ezonweni zenu. 18Loo nto ingathetha ukuthi loo makholwa afa emanyene neNkosi, akukho nto yawo, atshabalele. 19Ukuba ithemba lethu kuKrestu liphelela kobu bomi qha, singabona bantu balusizi kulo lonke ihlabathi.

20Kambe ke nantsi eyona nyaniso: evukile nje uKrestu ekufeni, ubahlahlele indlela abafileyo. 21Njengoko ukufa kweza ngomntu, ngokukwanjalo novuko lwabafileyo luza kwangomntu. 22Njengoko abantu bâthi ngokumanywa kwabo noAdam bafa bonke, ngokunjalo nangokumanywa kwabo noKrestu baya kuvuka bonke. 23Kodwa ke elowo nalowo kolwakhe uluhlu: uKrestu yena ngowokuqala kubo bonke; emva koko ke abakhe baya kuvuka ngethuba lokubuya kwakhe. 24Kwandule ke kufike isiphelo, apho uKrestu aya kunikezela lonke ulawulo kuThixo uYise, akuba ezibhangisile zonke iindidi zezithunywa zezulu: iziphathamandla, oomagunya, kwanamandla.

25UKrestu kaloku umelwe kukulawula lo gama uThixo amoyisela zonke iintshaba. 26Olokugqibela ke utshaba oluya kubhangiswa kukufa, 27kuba, njengoko zitshoyo *iziBhalo: “UThixo umoyisele zonke iintshaba.” Kucacile ke ukuba uThixo yena akabalwa xa kusithiwa “umoyisele zonke,” inguye nje kaloku omoyisele zonke iintshaba uKrestu. 28Xa ke zonke izinto sezilawulwa nguKrestu, uya kwandula ke yena uNyana ukungena ekulawulweni ngulowo umoyisela zonke izinto; yena ke uThixo abe ngolawula konke.

29Kwakho kukho abo babhaptizwa endaweni yabafi. Bathemba ukuzuza ntoni ke ngaloo nto? Ukuba ke banyanisile xa bathi akukho luvuko lwabafileyo, bebhaptizwa nje endaweni yabafi, kutheni? 30Khona kutheni le nto thina sizibeka emngciphekweni maxa onke? 31Ndihleli ndisemngciphekweni wokufa mihla le, mawethu! Ngenene le nto ndiyithetha ndiqhayisa ngani ngenxa yebhongo endinalo ngokumanywa kwam noYesu Krestu iNkosi yethu. 32Ukuba apha e-Efese bendisilwa namarhamncwa ngamandla obuntu nje kuphela ibingandinceda ntoni loo nto? Kodwa ke ukuba akukho kuvuka kwabafileyo “masisesisitya sisela, kuba ngomso siya kufa,” ngabula saci.

33Musani ukuphazama: “Incoko embi iyasonakalisa isimilo esihle.” 34Buyelani engqondweni nahlukane nezono. Abazani noThixo abanye benu. Loo nto ndiyithetha ukuze nidane.

Umzimba wovuko

35Mhlawumbi omnye uya kubuza athi: “Bavuka kanjani na abafileyo? Bavuka benomzimba onjani na?” 36Siyathandini, akwazi ukuba imbewu oyityalileyo ayintshuli ingakhange ife kuqala? 37Le nto uyityalayo ayisiso isithombo, kodwa yimbewu nje, nokuba yeyengqolowa okanye olunye uhlobo. 38Imbewu nganye uThixo uyinika isimo esiyifaneleyo ngokuthanda kwakhe.

39Inyama yezinto eziphilayo ayifani; ikho eyabantu, ikho neyezilwanyana, neyeentaka ikhona, kanti ikwakho neyeentlanzi. Xa iyonke ke ayifani. 40Ukumila nesithomo sezidalwa ezisezulwini kwahlukile. Ezasezulwini zinobuhle nesidima esisodwa, kanti nezasemhlabeni zinobuhle nesidima esahlukileyo. 41Ilanga linobuqaqawuli balo lodwa, nenyanga inobuqaqawuli obubodwa, kanti neenkwenkwezi zinobuqaqawuli obahlukileyo, kuba inkwenkwezi iyahluka kwenye ngokuqaqamba.

42Kukwanjalo ke nakuvuko lwabafileyo. Njengokuba umzimba ungcwatywa unako ukonakala, uvuka ungasenakonakala. 43Ungcwatywa uthobekile, uvuka unobuqaqawuli; ungcwatywa ubuthathaka, uvuka unamandla. 44Kungcwatywa umzimba ongowemvelo, kuvuka umzimba ongowoMoya. Njengokuba ukho nje umzimba ongowemvelo, kucacile ukuba ukho nomzimba ongowoMoya. 45Kuba *iziBhalo zithi umntu wokuqala, uAdam, waba ngumntu odla ubomi, yena ke owokugqibela uAdam waba nguMoya odlisa ubomi. 46Akuqali okoMoya, kodwa kuqala okwemvelo, kuze kulandele ke okoMoya. 47Owokuqala umntu wenziwa ngothuli lomhlaba, ungowomhlaba; yena owesibini uMntu waphuma ezulwini. 48Abasemhlabeni abantu bafana naloo mntu wenziwa ngomhlaba; kanti ke abasezulwini abantu bafana naloo Mntu wavela ezulwini. 49Njengokuba sifuze loo mntu wenziwa ngomhlaba, ngokunjalo siya kumfuza naloo Mntu weza ephuma ezulwini.

50Xa nditshoyo ke, mawethu, ndithi into eyenziwe ngenyama negazi ayinakubudla ilifa ubuncwane bokulawulwa nguThixo, kwaneyonakalayo ayinakungonakali.

51Mandinazise le nto benikade ningayazi: Asiyi kufa sonke; kodwa ngesiquphe, 52ngephanyazo, siya kwenziwa kumila kumbi sonke, xa kukhala ixilongo lokugqibela. Kuba liya kuvakala ixilongo; abafileyo baya kuvuswa sebenemo engasenakufa, senziwe kumila kumbi sonke. 53Kuba le mo sikuyo yonakalayo, imelwe kukwambatha imo engonakaliyo; le mvelo ifayo, yambathe ukungafi. 54Xa ke le mo yonakalayo seyambethe ukungonakali, naxa le mvelo ifayo seyambethe ukungafi, iya kuzalisekiswa ke le ndawo yeziBhalo ithi:

“Ukufa kubhangisiwe;

ukufa kufincelelwe eloyisweni.”

55“Kufa luphi na uloyiso lwakho?

Kufa luphi na ulwamvila lwakho?”

56Ulwamvila lokufa sisono; amandla esono ngumthetho. 57Makubulelwe ke kuThixo osinika uloyiso ngayo iNkosi yethu uYesu Krestu!

58Ngoko ke, mawethu athandekayo, yomelelani ningathandabuzi. Yisebenzeleni ngenkuthalo iNkosi ngalo lonke ixesha, kuba kakade ukubulaleka kwenu ngenxa yeNkosi akunakulambatha.

1 KWABASEKORINTE 15XHO96Vula kumfundi weBhayibhile

I depend on God alone; I put my hope in him.”  Psalm 62:5 (GNT)

If, says Paul, our hope in Christ is in vain, we are more to be pitied than anyone else in this world.  Paul was speaking to the Corinthians about the resurrection. (1 Corinthians 15) Some of the Corinthians were saying that the dead would not be raised to life.

If this was true, Christians are indeed in a sad state. Committing one’s life to Christ is taking a decision to lead a life that will glorify God. If there is nothing after death, no home to go to, no God to welcome one, then the Christian is indeed in a pitiable state. But such is not the case.

In Old Testament times until the fall of the temple in Jerusalem, the High Priest would carry out a special ritual during Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement.

He would take two goats and present them at the door of the tabernacle.  By lot, one would be chosen as the Lord’s goat and sacrificed.  Its blood would be sprinkled on the Ark of the Covenant in the Holy of Holies.

The other goat would be the “Azazel” – the scapegoat – on who the High Priest, after confessing the sins of the Israelites to God, would figuratively place the sins on its head. This goat would then be driven into the wilderness to perish.

The blood of the Lord’s goat atoned for the sins of the Israelites and the “Azazel” goat took the sins away.

Jesus Christ, our High Priest, is the Lamb of God who through his sacrificial death on the cross atoned with his blood for our sins and put us right with God.

Paul did not leave the Corinthians in any doubt about the resurrection; “But the truth is that Christ has been raised from death, as the guarantee that those who sleep in death will also be raised.” (1 Corinthians 15:20)

That guarantee is valid for all who die in Christ. We will pass from death to glory.  Hallelujah! What a Saviour!

Prayer: Oh God of our salvation, strengthen us by your Holy Spirit that we may glorify you. This we pray in Jesus name.Amen

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