Nsanja ya Olonda ya January 1, 1918 inayamba ndi mawu akuti: “Kodi chichitike n’chiyani mu 1918?” Pa nthawiyi nkhondo yoyamba ya padziko lonse inali ikupitirira ku Europe. Koma zimene zinachitika kumayambiriro kwa chakachi zinkasonyeza kuti zinthu ziyamba kuyenda bwino kwa Ophunzira Baibulo komanso padziko lonse.

Pa 8 January 1918, Woodrow Wilson, yemwe anali pulezidenti wa dziko la United States, anafotokoza pamsonkhano wa boma mfundo 14 zimene ankaona kuti zingathandize kuti pakhale mtendere. Iye anafotokoza kuti mayiko ayenera kukambirana momasuka, kuchepetsa zida zankhondo komanso kukhazikitsa bungwe lomwe lingathandize mayiko akuluakulu komanso ang’onoang’ono. Mfundo zake 14 zinagwiritsidwa ntchito popanga bungwe la League of Nations komanso pochita pangano la ku Versailles, lomwe linathetsa nkhondo yoyamba yapadziko lonse.

Ngakhale kuti Ophunzira Baibulo anakumana ndi mavuto ambiri mu 1917, * ankaona kuti ayamba kukhala mwamtendere chifukwa cha zimene zinachitika pamsonkhano wa pa chaka wa Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society.

Pamsonkhanowu, womwe unachitika pa 5 January 1918, anthu angapo amene anachotsedwa pa Beteli anayesa kulanda maudindo m’gulu. Woyang’anira woyendayenda wina dzina lake Richard H. Barber anatsegula msonkhanowu ndi pemphero. Nkhani yofotokoza zimene zinachitika chaka cha 1917 itakambidwa, anayamba kusankha madailekitala ngati mmene amachitira chaka chilichonse. M’bale Barber anasankha Joseph Rutherford limodzi ndi abale ena 6. Kenako loya wina amene anali kumbali ya abale otsutsawo anasankha abale ena 7, kuphatikizapo amene anachotsedwa pa Beteli aja. Koma otsutsawo analuza. Ambiri anasankha M’bale Rutherford limodzi ndi abale ena okhulupirika 6 kuti akhale madailekitala.

Abale ambiri amene anapezeka ananena kuti msonkhanowu unali “msonkhano wodalitsidwa kwambiri kuposa wina uliwonse.” Koma pasanathe nthawi yaitali, anakumananso ndi mavuto ena.

Kwa miyezi yambiri, Ophunzira Baibulo anafalitsa buku lakuti The Finished Mystery. Anthu amtima wabwino anasangalala kwambiri ndi mfundo za m’Baibulo zimene zinali m’bukuli.

Woyang’anira woyendayenda wina wa ku Canada dzina lake E. F. Crist ananena kuti panali banja lina limene linangotenga milungu 5 yokha kuti liwerenge buku lonse n’kuyamba kutumikira Yehova. Iye anati: “Mwamunayo ndi mkazi wake amakonda kwambiri Mulungu ndipo akuchita bwino kwambiri.”

Munthu wina amene analandira bukuli anasangalala kwambiri ndi uthenga wake moti anauza anzake za bukulo. Iye anati: “Ndikuyenda mumsewu, ndinagendedwa ndi chinthu chinachake ndipo ndinkaganiza kuti ndi njerwa. Koma linali buku lakuti ‘The Finished Mystery.’ Ndinapita nalo kunyumba ndipo ndinaliwerenga lonse. . . . Kenako ndinamva kuti amene analiponya anali m’busa winawake. . . . Iye anaponya bukulo pa windo chifukwa chokwiya. . . . Ndikuona  kuti zimene anachitazo zinathandiza anthu ambiri kupeza choonadi kuposa chilichonse chimene anapangapo pa moyo wake. . . . Mkwiyo wa m’busayo watithandiza kuyamba kutamanda Mulungu.”

Si m’busa yekhayu amene anakwiya atawerenga bukuli. Akuluakulu a boma la ku Canada analetsa bukuli pa 12 February 1918. Iwo ananena kuti muli mfundo zotsutsa boma komanso zodana ndi nkhondo. Pambuyo pake akuluakulu a boma la United States anachitanso zomwezo. Apolisi anafufuza ku Beteli ndiponso kumaofesi a Mboni ku New York, Pennsylvania ndi ku California kuti apeze umboni woti oyang’anira gululi ali ndi mlandu. Pa 14 March 1918, Unduna wa Zachilungamo unaletsa buku lakuti The Finished Mystery. Undunawu unkaona kuti kufalitsa bukuli kungachititse kuti anthu azikana kupita kunkhondo, komwe ndi kuphwanya malamulo.

Pa 7 May 1918, Unduna wa Zachilungamo unakonza zoti abale ena amangidwe. Abale ake anali Giovanni DeCecca, George Fisher, Alexander Macmillan, Robert Martin, Frank Robison, Joseph Rutherford, William Van Amburgh ndi Clayton Woodworth. Mlandu wake unali wakuti “akuphwanya malamulo pochititsa anthu kuti aziderera boma, azikhala osamvera malamulo komanso azikana kukhala asilikali a dziko la United States.” Mlanduwu unayamba kuzengedwa pa 3 June 1918 koma zinkaonekeratu kuti abalewo adzamangidwa. N’chifukwa chiyani tikutero?

Loya wamkulu wa boma la United States ananena kuti lamulo limene abalewo ankaphwanya linali “loteteza kuti nkhani zosokoneza anthu zisafalikire” m’dziko. Pa 16 May 1918 boma linakana kuwonjezera mfundo ina pa lamuloli imene ikanateteza anthu amene ankafalitsa “nkhani zoona ali ndi zolinga zabwino komanso zifukwa zomveka.” Posankha zochita pa nkhaniyi anakambirana kwambiri za buku lakuti The Finished Mystery. M’mapepala a boma ofotokoza zimene anakambiranazi munalembedwa kuti: “Chitsanzo cha mfundo zoopsa kwambiri zimene zingasokoneze anthu ndi zimene zili m’buku lakuti ‘The Finished Mystery.’ . . . Cholinga cha buku limeneli n’kugwetsa ulesi asilikali athu komanso kuchititsa anthu kuti azikana usilikali.”

Pa 20 June 1918, khoti linagamula kuti abale 8 ndi olakwa. Tsiku lotsatira, woweruza ananena kuti: “Mfundo zachipembedzo zimene anthu amenewa akulimbikitsa komanso kufalitsa . . . n’zoopsa kwambiri kuposa gulu la asilikali a dziko la Germany. . . . Ayenera kulandira chilango chokhwima kwambiri.” Patangopita milungu iwiri, abale 8 amenewa anatsekeredwa kundende yamumzinda wa Atlanta ku Georgia ndipo zaka zimene anaweruzidwa kuti akhale m’ndendemo zinayambira pa 10 kufika 20.

Pa nthawi imeneyi, Ophunzira Baibulo ankazunzidwa kwambiri. Apolisi a ku United States ankafufuza kwambiri zimene a Mboni ankachita ndipo analemba malipoti ambirimbiri. Malipotiwa amasonyeza  kuti abale athu anali ofunitsitsa kuti apitirize kulalikira.

Bwana wa ku positi ofesi yamumzinda wa Orlando ku Florida analemba kuti: “[Ophunzira Baibulo] akuyenda kunyumba ndi nyumba mumzindamu ndipo akuchita kwambiri zimenezi usiku. . . . Zikuoneka kuti sakufuna kusiya ntchito yawoyi.”

Mkulu wina wa asilikali analemba lipoti kwa apolisiwo n’kuwauza zimene ankachita Fredrick W. Franz, yemwe anadzakhala m’Bungwe Lolamulira. Mkuluyo analemba kuti: “F. W. Franz . . . wakhala akugulitsa masauzande angapo a buku lakuti ‘The Finished Mystery’.”

Nayenso Charles Fekel, yemwe anadzakhalanso m’Bungwe Lolamulira, ankazunzidwa kwambiri. Apolisi anamumanga chifukwa chofalitsa bukuli ndipo ankafufuza zimene iye analemba m’makalata ake. Iye anatsekeredwa m’ndende yamumzinda wa Baltimore ku Maryland kwa mwezi umodzi ndipo ankamunena kuti ndi “mdani wa ku Austria.” Pamene ankayankha molimba mtima apolisi, m’baleyu anakumbukira mawu a Paulo a pa 1 Akorinto 9:16 akuti: “Tsoka kwa ine ngati sindilengeza uthenga wabwino!” *

Kuwonjezera pa kulalikira mwakhama, Ophunzira Baibulo ankapempha anthu ambiri kuti asaine chikalata chopempha kuti abale amene anali m’ndende ya ku Atlanta amasulidwe. Anna K. Gardner ananena kuti: “Tinkatanganidwa nthawi zonse. Pamene abale anali m’ndende ntchito yathu inali yopempha anthu kuti asaine chikalatacho. Tinkayenda kunyumba ndi nyumba ndipo tinapeza anthu masauzande amene anasaina. Tinkauza anthu amene tinkalankhula nawo kuti anthu amene anali kundendewo ndi Akhristu enieni ndipo anamangidwa pa zifukwa zopanda chilungamo.”

Pa nthawi yovutayi, misonkhano yachigawo inkachitika pafupipafupi n’cholinga choti abale azilimbikitsidwa. Nsanja ya Olonda ina inanena kuti: “Misonkhano yachigawo yoposa 40 . . . yachitika m’chaka chimenechi . . . Panali malipoti osangalatsa kwambiri ochokera m’misonkhano yonseyi. Poyamba, misonkhano yachigawo inkachitika kamodzi pa chaka pakati pa July ndi October koma panopa ikuchitika mwezi uliwonse.”

Anthu ambiri amaganizo oyenera ankamvetsera uthenga wabwino. Pamsonkhano wina mumzinda wa Cleveland ku Ohio panali anthu okwana 1,200 ndipo anthu 42 anabatizidwa. Wina amene anabatizidwa anali mnyamata wamng’ono kwambiri yemwe “ankakonda kwambiri Mulungu komanso ankadziwa bwino kufunika kodzipereka kwa iye moti akuluakulu ambiri akanatha kuchita manyazi poona chikhulupiriro chake cholimba.”

Chakumapeto kwa 1918, Ophunzira Baibulo sankadziwa kuti chichitike n’chiyani m’tsogolo. Choncho anagulitsa malo ena ku Brooklyn ndipo anasamutsa likulu kupita kumzinda wa Pittsburgh ku Pennsylvania. Pamene abale amene ankatsogolera zinthu anali kundende, abale anakonza zoti pakhale msonkhano wina wosankha madailekitala pa 4 January 1919. Kodi n’chiyani chinachitika pamsonkhanowu?

Abale athu sanagwe ulesi. Iwo ankakhulupirira kwambiri kuti zinthu ziyenda bwino moti lemba limene anasankha kuti likhale la chaka cha 1919 linali lakuti: “Chida chilichonse chimene chidzapangidwe kuti chikuvulaze sichidzapambana.” (Yes. 54:17) Iwo ankayembekezera kuti zinthu zomwe zichitike zilimbitsa kwambiri chikhulupiriro chawo ndipo adzatha kugwira bwino ntchito yaikulu imene anali nayo.