UDANIYELI oselula nowayethembekile wathinjelwa eBhabhiloni ngaphambi kokuba iYerusalem itshatyalaliswe. Yena namanye amaYuda—awayethinjwe kubukumkani bakwaYuda obaboyisiwe—banikwa umlinganiselo othile wenkululeko ngabathimbi babo. Ngoxa wayeseBhabhiloni, uDaniyeli wasikelelwa gqitha nguThixo, wamsindisa xa wayephoswe kumhadi weengonyama waza wamnika imibono eyamnceda wakwazi oko kuya kwenzeka kwikamva. Ezona ziprofeto zibalulekileyo zikaDaniyeli ziphathelele uMesiya nolawulo Lwakhe.

UDaniyeli uxelelwa ixesha aya kufika ngalo uMesiya. UDaniyeli waxelelwa ixesha abantu bakaThixo abamele bamlindele ngalo ‘uMesiya iNkokeli’—iiveki ezingama-69 zeminyaka emva kokuba uphumile umyalelo wokwakhiwa ngokutsha kweendonga zeYerusalem. Ngokuqhelekileyo iveki yenziwa ziintsuku ezisixhenxe; iveki yeminyaka yenziwa yiminyaka esixhenxe. Loo myalelo wakhutshwa sele kukudala uDaniyeli wafayo, ngowama-455 B.C.E. Ukususela ngelo xesha, “iiveki” ezingama-69 zathabatha iminyaka engama-483, zaphela ngonyaka wama-29 C.E. Kwinxalenye elandelayo yale ncwadana siza kubona oko kwenzekayo ngaloo nyaka. UDaniyeli waboniswa kusengaphambili nokuba uMesiya wayeza “kunqunyulwa,” okanye abulawe, ukuze kuxolelwe izono.—Daniyeli 9:24-26.

UMesiya wayeza kuba nguKumkani ezulwini. Kumbono ongaqhelekanga awabona kuwo izulu, uDaniyeli wabona uMesiya, ekuthiwa ‘nguthile onjengonyana womntu,’ esondela kwitrone kaYehova. UYehova wamnika “ulawulo nesidima nobukumkani.” Obo Bukumkani buza kuhlala ngonaphakade. UDaniyeli waxelelwa ezinye iinkcukacha ezibangela umdla ngoBukumkani bukaMesiya—lo Kumkani uza kulawula nabanye, “abangcwele baLowo uPhakamileyo.”—Daniyeli 7:13, 14, 27.

UBukumkani buya kuzitshabalalisa izikumkani zeli hlabathi. UThixo wanceda uDaniyeli wakwazi ukuchaza iphupha elalibhide uNebhukadenetsare, ukumkani waseBhabhiloni. Lo kumkani wayebone umfanekiso omkhulu onentloko yegolide, isifuba neengalo zesilivere, isisu namathanga obhedu, imilenze yentsimbi, neenyawo zentsimbi exutywe nodongwe. Kwasuka ilitye entabeni labetha iinyawo ezo zibuthathaka laza lawutyumza waba yingqushu. UDaniyeli wachaza ukuba iinxalenye zalo mfanekiso zazimela amagunya ehlabathi ngokulandelelana kwawo, ukususela kwiBhabhiloni eyayimelwa yintloko yegolide. Wabona ukuba ngexesha lokugqibela lolawulo lwegunya elingendawo lehlabathi uBukumkani bukaThixo buza kungenelela. Buya kubatyumza bonke oorhulumente beli hlabathi. Emva koko buya kulawula ngonaphakade.—UDaniyeli, isahluko 2.

Njengengwevu, uDaniyeli waphila de wakubona ukuwa kweBhabhiloni. UKumkani uKoreshi wasibhukuqa eso sixeko kanye njengokuba abaprofeti babetshilo. Kungekudala emva koko, amaYuda akhululwa ekuthinjweni—kanye ngexesha elifanelekileyo ekwakuthethwe ngalo, iminyaka engama-70 yokuphanziswa kwelizwe lawo. Ekhokelwa ziirhuluneli ezithembekileyo, ababingeleli nabaprofeti, ekugqibeleni amaYuda ayakha ngokutsha iYerusalem netempile kaYehova. Kodwa ke, yintoni eyayiza kwenzeka ekupheleni kwaloo minyaka ingama-483?

—Oku kusekelwe kwincwadi kaDaniyeli.