NJENGOBA wawusethafeni elivundile elisendaweni engamakhilomitha angu-80 eningizimu yeBaghdad yanamuhla, umuzi waseBhabhiloni lasendulo wawumangalisa ngempela. Ngenxa yezindonga ezinkulu ezibhangqene nomselekazi wamanzi owawulizungezile, iBhabhiloni lalibonakala lingenakunqotshwa. Lo muzi wawudume ngamathempeli awo amakhulu, izingadi nemibhoshongo yamathempeli. Njengomunye wemizi emikhulu kakhulu yasendulo, muva nje iBhabhiloni liye labizwa ngokuthi umuzi wezimangaliso.

EBhayibhelini wawubizwa ngokuthi “iNkosikazi Yemibuso” futhi wawuyinhloko-dolobha yombuso wesithathu womhlaba emlandweni weBhayibheli. (Isaya 47:5) Njengombuso waseGibhithe nowase-Asiriya eyawandulela, uMbuso waseBhabhiloni waba nendima ephawulekayo emlandweni weBhayibheli, okwenza sikwazi ukuqhathanisa lokho okushiwo iBhayibheli ngawo nalokho okushiwo imithombo yezwe.

Incwadi yeBhayibheli kaDaniyeli isitshela ukuthi indoda okuthiwa uBhelishazari yake yabusa njengenkosi eBhabhiloni. (Daniyeli 5:1)  Nokho, esikhathini esidlule eminye imithombo yezwe yathi nakuba ayenamandla, uBhelishazari akakaze abe yinkosi. Ingabe iBhayibheli lalinephutha? Abavubukuli baye bathola izindengezi eziningana emanxiweni ase-Uri eMesophathamiya. Umbhalo okolunye lwalezi zindengezi unomthandazo lapho inkosi yaseBhabhiloni uNabonidasi ithi “uBhelishazari indodana yami endala.” Ubufakazi obutholakale muva nje buyakuqinisekisa ukuthi uBhelishazari waba “ibamba isikhathi esingaphezu kwengxenye sokubusa kukayise, phakathi naleso sikhathi kwakufana nokuthi uyinkosi” kusho i-New Bible Dictionary.

Umlando ubonisa nokuthi iBhabhiloni lasendulo laliwumuzi ogxile kakhulu enkolweni, ugcwele ukubhula ngezinkanyezi nokulumba. Ngokwesibonelo, kuHezekeli 21:21 sifunda ukuthi inkosi yaseBhabhiloni yaphendukela ekubhuleni ukuze inqume ukuthi ilihlasele yini iJerusalema noma cha. IBhayibheli lithi inkosi ‘yabheka esibindini.’ Kungani yayibheka esibindini? AbaseBhabhiloni babesebenzisa lesi sitho uma befuna ukwazi ngekusasa. Incwadi ethi Mesopotamian Astrology isitshela ukuthi kwenye indawo yaseBhabhiloni lasendulo, abavubukuli bathola “imifanekiso yesibindi [yobumba] engu-32, yonke iqoshwe” amabika.

Umvubukuli owaziwayo uNelson Glueck wake wathi: “Sekuyiminyaka engu-30 ngivubukula ngiqhathanisa okushiwo yiBhayibheli nalokho engikuthola ngemivubukulo, futhi ezindabeni zomlando, iBhayibheli angikaze ngilithole linephutha.”

Ubungathini uma othile ekutshele ukuthi inhloko-dolobha enkulu—njengeBeijing, iMoscow noma iWashington, D.C.—izophenduka amanxiwa? Ubungamngabaza kufanele. Nokho, yilokho okwenzeka ngeBhabhiloni lasendulo. Kusasele iminyaka engu-200, ngo-732 B.C.E., uJehova uNkulunkulu waphefumulela umprofethi wakhe ongumHebheru ukuba alobe isiprofetho esiphathelene nokushabalala kweBhabhiloni elinamandla. Waloba: “IBhabhiloni, umhlobiso wemibuso, . . . liyoba njengalapho uNkulunkulu egumbuqela iSodoma neGomora. Ngeke liphinde lakhiwe, futhi ngeke liphinde lithole indawo yokuhlala izizukulwane ngezizukulwane.”—Isaya 13:19, 20.

Kungani uNkulunkulu ayengabikezela ngokubhujiswa kweBhabhiloni? Ngo-607 B.C.E., amabutho aseBhabhiloni abhubhisa iJerusalema futhi athumbela abasindile eBhabhiloni lapho bafike baphathwa khona ngonya. (IHubo 137:8, 9) UNkulunkulu wabikezela ukuthi abantu bakhe kwakuzodingeka babekezelele le mpatho ebuhlungu iminyaka engu-70 ngenxa yezenzo zabo ezimbi. Ngemva kwalokho wayezobakhulula abese ebavumela babuyele ezweni lakubo.—Jeremiya 25:11; 29:10.

Ngokuvumelana neZwi likaNkulunkulu lesiprofetho, ngo-539 B.C.E.—lapho nje  sekuzophela iminyaka engu-70 yokudingiswa kukaJuda—umuzi waseBhabhiloni owawubonakala ungenakunqotshwa wagumbuqelwa amabutho amaMede namaPheresiya. Ngokuhamba kwesikhathi, umuzi waphenduka izindunduma zamanxiwa—njengoba nje kwakubikezelwe. Akukho muntu owayengabikezela isenzakalo esiphawuleka njengalesi. Ngokungangabazeki, ukuprofetha noma ukubikezela izenzakalo, kwenza uMlobi weBhayibheli—uNkulunkulu weqiniso, uJehova—ahluke kunoma yimuphi omunye unkulunkulu.—Isaya 46:9, 10.

Kunesinye isiprofetho esigcwaliseka ngokuphawulekayo osukwini lwethu. Lesi siprofetho sihilela iNkosi yaseBhabhiloni uNebukhadinezari nephupho aliphupha lesizemazema sesithombe. Umzimba wawuhlukaniswe waba yizingxenye ezinhlanu—ikhanda, isifuba nezingalo, isisu namathanga, imilenze nezinyawo—ngayinye yenziwe ngohlobo oluhlukile lwensimbi. (Daniyeli 2:31-33) Lezi zingxenye zensimbi zazimelela ohulumeni noma imibuso eyayizolandelana, eyaqala ngeBhabhiloni kwehla kwaze kwaba seMbusweni weZwe wamaNgisi namaMelika, ongowesikhombisa emlandweni weBhayibheli.—Daniyeli 2:36-41.

UDaniyeli wembula ukuthi ezinyaweni nasezinzwaneni zesithombe kwaba noshintsho oluphawulekayo. Kanjani? Esikhundleni sensimbi engaxutshiwe, kwaba nensimbi exutshwe nobumba  olumanzi. UDaniyeli wachazela uNebukhadinezari: “Njengoba ubone insimbi ixubene nobumba olumanzi, bayoxubana nenzalo yabantu; kodwa ngeke banamathelane, lona kulowaya, njengoba nje insimbi ingaxubani nobumba olubunjiwe.” (Daniyeli 2:43) Yebo, ukuxuba insimbi nobumba kukhipha into engaqinile; ‘akunamathelani.’ Yeka indlela lokhu okulichaza ngokunembe ngayo izwe elihlukaniswe ezombangazwe esiphila kulo namuhla!

UDaniyeli wembula nesinye isenzakalo esiphawulekayo. Ephusheni layo, iNkosi uNebukhadinezari yabona itshe elaqheshulwa entabeni enkulu. Leli tshe laphakanyiswa futhi “lawushaya umfanekiso ezinyaweni zawo zensimbi nobumba olubunjiwe lazichoboza.” (Daniyeli 2:34) Kusho ukuthini lokho? UDaniyeli ngokwakhe uyaphendula: “Ezinsukwini zalawo makhosi [ngesikhathi sombuso wokugcina womhlaba] uNkulunkulu wezulu uyomisa umbuso ongeke neze uchithwe. Futhi lowo mbuso ngeke udluliselwe kwabanye abantu. Uyochoboza uqede yonke le mibuso, wona uqobo ume kuze kube nini nanini.” (Daniyeli 2:44) Leso siprofetho sabhekisela eMbusweni owawuzofika ongafani nanoma yimuphi uhulumeni abantu abawaziyo. INkosi yawo, uJesu Kristu uMesiya. Njengoba kubonisiwe ezihlokweni ezandulele zalolu chungechunge, uJesu uzomchoboza uSathane nabo bonke abamlandelayo, abantu nezingelosi, kanjalo alethe ukuthula nobunye bendawo yonke.—1 Korinte 15:25.