IParadesi! Iincwadi zokukhenketha ezintle zisenza sirhalele ukuya ‘kwiparadesi’ ekude siyophola, khe sibethwe ngumoya simke kwizinto ezisikhathazayo. Kodwa siyazi ukuba xa sibuya siza kufika ezo zinto zisasilindile.

Sekunjalo, sonke sinomdla kwiparadesi. Siyazibuza: ‘Inoba bethu “iparadesi” le liphupha nje? Ukuba lilo, kutheni sinomdla kangaka kuyo? Ngaba ingaze ibekho nyhani?’

Kangangamakhulu eminyaka, abantu bebenomdla kakhulu kwiparadesi. Abaninzi bebenomdla nangakumbi ‘kumyezo okanye igadi yase-Eden engasempuma’ ekuthethwa ngayo eBhayibhileni. Yintoni eyayisenza le gadi ibe ntle kangaka? IBhayibhile ithi: “UYehova uThixo wantshulisa emhlabeni yonke imithi enqwenelekayo emehlweni nelungele ukudliwa.” Kucacile ukuba le gadi yayintle kakhulu. Eyona nto ibangela umdla nangakumbi kukuba kuyo kwakukho ‘nomthi wobomi.’​—Genesis 2:8, 9.

Ukongezelela, iGenesis ithetha nangemilambo emine eyayikuloo myezo. Eyona yaziwayo namhlanje yiTigris (okanye iHidekeli) kunye nomEfrate. (Genesis 2:10-14) Le milambo iqukuqelela kwiNyoba YasePersi, inqumla indawo ngoku eyaziwa ngokuba yi-Iraq, eyayiyinxalenye yePersi yakudala.

Siyaqondakala isizathu sokuba iparadesi iyinxalenye yenkcubeko yabantu basePersi. Ikhaphethi yasePersi yeminyaka yoo-1500, esePhiladelphia Museum of Art, ePennsylvania, eMerika, inemihombiso ebonisa igadi ebiyelweyo enemithi neentyatyambo. Igama lesiPersi elithi “igadi ebiyelweyo” likwathetha “iparadesi,” ibe umfanekiso okule khaphethi ubonisa indlela iBhayibhile eyichaza ngayo igadi entle nechumileyo yase-Eden.

Ehlabathini lonke kuphindaphindwa amabali athetha ngeparadesi ngeelwimi ezahlukeneyo. Ekubeni abantu babesasazeka kwiindawo ezahlukahlukeneyo zomhlaba, babebalisa ngaloo paradesi. Kodwa ngokuya iminyaka ihamba, loo mabali aye axutywa neenkolelo kunye neentsomi zasekuhlaleni. Nanamhlanje, xa abantu bechaza indawo entle bathi yiparadesi.

Abanye abakhenkethi bathi bayifumene iparadesi eyayilahlekile. Ngokomzekelo, ngo-1881, xa inkumanda yomkhosi waseBritani, uCharles Gordon, yayiyokubona iSeychelles, yamangaliswa bubuhle beVallée de Mai, ngoku eyindawo Ebalulekileyo Ehlabathini, kangangokuba yade yathi iyigadi yase-Eden. Ngeminyaka yoo-1400, uChristopher Columbus owayeqhuba iinqanawa wathi akufika kwisiqithi saseHispaniola ngoku esaziwa ngokuba yiDominican Republic neHaiti, wacinga ukuba sele eza kufika kwigadi yase-Eden.

Incwadi yembali ethi Mapping paradise, ineenkcukacha zeemaphu zakudala ezingaphezu kwe-190, ezininzi zazo ziveza uAdam noEva bese-Eden. Kwezi maphu kukho nengaqhelekanga yeminyaka yoo-1200, enemibhalo kaBeatus waseLiébana. Phezulu inebhokisi encinci ezotywe iparadesi. Kuyo kuphuma imilambo emine ibhalwe, iTigris, umEfrate, iPison neGeon. Mlambo ngamnye ubheka kweyawo ikona, mhlawumbi loo nto imela ukusasazeka kwamaKristu esiya kuzo zone iikona zomhlaba. Imifanekiso efana nale ibonisa ukuba nangona iParadesi eyayidaliwe yayingaziwa, kodwa ubuhle bayo busahleli ezingqondweni zabantu.

UJohn Milton, imbongi yesiNgesi yeminyaka yoo-1600 yaziwa ngombongo wayo othi, IParadesi Elahlekileyo (Paradise Lost). Kuwo ithetha ngesono  sika-Adam ekuthethwa ngaso kwiGenesis nokugxothwa kwabo e-Eden. Kulo mbongo, ubalaselisa isithembiso sokuba abantu baza kuphila ubomi obungunaphakade apha emhlabeni. UMilton walandelisa ngomnye othi IParadesi Efumanekileyo (Paradise Regained).

Kucacile ke ukuba oku kulahleka kweparadesi yeyona nto bekusoloko kuthethwa ngayo kuyo yonke imbali yabantu. Kutheni ingasahoywanga nje ngoku? Xa ichaza oyena nobangela, i-Mapping Paradise ithi, “Abefundisi . . . abazikhathazi nokuzikhathaza ngendawo eyayikuyo iparadesi.”

Ecaweni abantu abaninzi bafundiswa ukuba abazukuphila kwiparadesi esemhlabeni ngonaphakade, baza kuya ezulwini. Kodwa kwiNdumiso 37:29 iBhayibhile ithi: “Amalungisa aya kuwudla ilifa umhlaba, ahlale kuwo ngonaphakade.” Ekubeni lo mhlaba usebugxwayibeni obunje, singaqiniseka njani ukuba ungaze ube yiparadesi ngeny’ imini? *

UYehova uThixo, owayedale iParadesi uthembisa ukuba uza kuyibuyisela. Njani? Khumbula kaloku ukuba uYesu wathi, xa sithandaza masithi: “Mabufike ubukumkani bakho. Makwenzeke ukuthanda kwakho nasemhlabeni, njengasezulwini.” (Mateyu 6:10) Obu Bukumkani ngurhulumente wehlabathi onomlawuli onguYesu Kristu. Bona buza kungena endaweni yabo bonke oorhulumente babantu. (Daniyeli 2:44) Xa bulawula, kuza ‘kwenzeka’ ukuthanda kukaThixo, umhlaba ube yiparadesi.

Ephefumlelwe, umprofeti uIsaya wachaza ukuba iza kube injani imeko kwiParadesi ethenjisiweyo apho konke ukungavani neengxabano ezikhoyo namhlanje ziza kube zingasekho. (Isaya 11:6-9; 35:5-7; 65:21-23) Sicela ukhe uzifunde ezi zibhalo kweyakho iBhayibhile. Ukwenza loo nto kuza kukwenza uqiniseke ngezinto uThixo aza kuzenzela abantu abamthobelayo. Baza kuthandwa nguThixo baze banandiphe iparadesi, zinto ezo awazilahlayo uAdam.​—ISityhilelo 21:3.

Kutheni sinokuqiniseka ukuba ayilophupha nje into yokuba umhlaba uza kuba yiParadesi? Kungenxa yokuba iBhayibhile ithi: “Wona ke amazulu, ngamazulu kaYehova, kodwa umhlaba uwunike oonyana babantu.” Kwakudala ‘uThixo ongenakuxoka wasithembisa’ ngomhlaba oyiParadesi. (INdumiso 115:16; Tito 1:2) Sikhangele phambili kwithemba esilinikwa yiBhayibhile lokuphila ngonaphakade eParadesi.