IMboniselo kaJanuwari 1, 1918, yavula ngala mazwi: “Usiphathele ntoni lo nyaka ka-1918?” IMfazwe Enkulu yayiseshushu eYurophu ngelo xesha, kodwa kwakubonakala ngathi loo nyaka wawubaphathele izinto ezintle aBafundi BeBhayibhile nehlabathi lonke.

NgoJanuwari 8, 1918, uMongameli uWoodrow Wilson waxelela iPalamente yaseMerika ngezinto eziyi-14 awayecinga ukuba zingenza kubekho “uxolo olungasoze luphele.” Wathi amazwe mawathethathethane, anciphise izixhobo kuze kusekwe “umbutho wamazwe onke” oza kunceda “amazwe amancinci namakhulu.” Ezo ziphakamiso zakhe ziyi-14 zasetyenziswa xa kwakusekwa uManyano Lwezizwe naxa kwakuxoxwa ngeSivumelwano Soxolo SaseVersailles, nto leyo eyabangela ukuba kupheliswe iMfazwe Enkulu.

Ngoxa kwakuzele iziphithiphithi ngonyaka ka-1917, * izinto ezenzeka kwintlanganiso yonyaka yeWatch Tower Bible and Tract Society zenza aBafundi BeBhayibhile babona ngathi kuza kubakho uxolo.

Kule ntlanganiso yayingoJanuwari 5, 1918, amadoda amaninzi awaziwayo awayegxothiwe eBheteli ayefuna ukuyiphatha intlangano. Umveleli ohambahambayo uRichard H. Barber, wavula ngomthandazo. Kwanikelwa ingxelo yomsebenzi wonyaka ka-1917, emva koko kwakhethwa abalathisi bentlangano. UMzalwan’ uBarber wakhetha uJoseph Rutherford nabanye abazalwana abathandathu. Elinye igqwetha elalingakwicala labachasi lakhetha amanye amadoda asixhenxe, ekwakukho kuwo amadoda awayegxothiwe eBheteli. Kodwa oyiswa. Abaninzi ababenezabelo kumbutho bavumelana noMzalwan’ uBarber, bakhetha uMzalwan’ uRutherford nabanye abazalwana abathandathu.

Abazalwana abaninzi ababelapho bathi “kuzo zonke iintlanganiso ababekhe bakuzo, le yeyona isikelelweyo.” Kodwa olo vuyo babenalo, lwakhawuleza lwaphela.

Kangangeenyanga, aBafundi BeBhayibhile babesasaza incwadi ethi, The Finished Mystery. Abantu abaneentliziyo ezinyanisekileyo bazithanda iimfundiso zeBhayibhile ezazikuloo ncwadi.

Umveleli ohambahambayo waseKhanada, uE. F. Crist wathetha ngendoda nomfazi wayo abayifundayo le ncwadi baza bamkela inyaniso kwiiveki nje ezintlanu! Wathi: “Bobabini bazinikele ngokupheleleyo kwaye benza inkqubela.”

Eny’ indoda yona yathi yakuyifumana yayifunda nabahlobo bayo ngoko nangoko. Yayithanda gqitha into eyayifundayo. Ithi: “Ngeny’ imini ndathi ndizihambela kwisitrato iThird Avenue, ndabethwa yinto egxalabeni. Ndandicinga ukuba sisitena, kanti tyhini, yi-‘The Finished Mystery.’ Ndafika ekhaya ndayifunda ndayigqiba. . . . Le ncwadi  yalahlwa ngumfundisi ngefestile enomsindo . . . Ndicinga ukuba ngokuphosa kwakhe loo ncwadi, wanika abantu abaninzi ubomi benyani kunaxa eshumayela ecaweni. . . . Umsindo walo mfundisi wasenza sakhonza uThixo.”

Zininzi izinto ezenzekayo ezifana nale yenziwa ngulo mfundisi. NgoFebruwari 12, 1918, urhulumente waseKhanada wathi le ncwadi ayifuneki kwelo lizwe, esithi ithetha ngokuvukela urhulumente kwaye igxeka imfazwe. Kungekudala emva koko neMerika yenza okufanayo. Urhulumente wathumela amapolisa ukuba aye kugqogqa eBheteli nakwiiofisi eziseNew York, ePennsylvania naseKhalifoniya, akhangele nantoni na enokuba bubungqina bokubamba abazalwana abakhokelayo. NgoMatshi 14, 1918, iSebe Lezobulungisa laseMerika lathi le ncwadi ayifuneki kwelo, kuba lisithi iphazamisana nemfazwe kwaye yophula uMthetho Wezobuntlola.

NgoMeyi 7, 1918 iSebe Lezobulungisa lafumana imvume yokubamba uGiovanni DeCecca, uGeorge Fisher, uAlexander Macmillan, uRobert Martin, uFrederick Robison, uJoseph Rutherford, uWilliam Van Amburgh noClayton Woodworth. Babetyholwa ngokubangela ukuba abantu “bophule umthetho ngabom, bangcatshe urhulumente baze bangafuni nokusebenza emkhosini waseMerika.” Ityala labo laqala ukuxoxwa ngoJuni 3, 1918, kwaye ayebonakala emancinci kakhulu amathuba okuba basinde. Ngoba?

Igqwetha likarhulumente waseMerika lathi batyholwa ngokuvukela uMthetho Wezobuntlola, “osebenza kakhulu ekulweni nabantu abasasaza ubuxoki.” NgoMeyi 16, 1918 iPalamente yala ukuwuhlaziya uMthetho owawuza kukhusela abantu abasasaza “izinto eziyinyani, beneenjongo ezintle nezizathu ezivakalayo.” Kwathethwa kakhulu nge-The Finished Mystery kuloo ngxoxo. IPalamente yaseMerika yathi: “Incwadi ethi, ‘The Finished Mystery’ yenye yezona zinto ziyingozi ekusasazeni obu buxoki . . . Eyona nto iyenzayo kukwenza amajoni angafuni ukuya emfazweni . . . nabantu bangafuni ukuya emkhosini.”

NgoJuni 20, 1918 ijaji yabafumanisa benetyala aba bazalwana basibhozo kuzo zonke izityholo ababebekwa zona. Ngengomso yakhupha isigwebo sayo. Yathi: “Ubuxoki ababumela nababusasaza ngesibindi aba batyholwa . . . buyingozi kakhulu kuneqela loMkhosi WaseJamani. . . . Bamele bafumane esona sohlwayo siqatha.” Kwiiveki ezimbini emva koko, aba bazalwana basiwa kwintolongo yaseAtlanta, eGeorgia, begwetywe iminyaka eyi-10 ukuya kweyi-20.

Ngelo xesha aBafundi BeBhayibhile babetshutshiswa kakhulu. I-FBI yaphandisisa kakuhle ngomsebenzi abawenzayo, ikhupha iingxelo ezininzi  ngawo. Ezi ngxelo zazibonisa ukuba abazalwana bethu bazimisele ukuqhubeka beshumayela.

Owayephethe iposi yaseOrlando, eFlorida wabhalela i-FBI esithi: “ABafundi BeBhayibhile basashumayela kwindlu ngendlu ibe bashumayela kakhulu ebusuku. . . . Bazimisele ukuyenza le nto phezu kwayo yonke imizamo yethu.”

Elinye ijoni eliphezulu kwiSebe Lemfazwe labhalela i-FBI liyixelela ngomsebenzi kaFrederick W. Franz, owaba lilungu leQumrhu Elilawulayo kamva. Lathi: “U-F. W. Franz . . . ukhuthele aph’ ekuthengiseni i-‘Finished Mystery,’ ibe ngoku sele ethengise amawaka ale ncwadi.”

UCharles Fekel, naye owaba lilungu leQumrhu Elilawulayo kamva, watshutshiswa kakhulu. Wabanjelwa ukusasaza i-The Finished Mystery ibe zonke iileta zakhe zazihlolwa. Wavalelwa kangangenyanga eBaltimore, eMaryland, kusithiwa “lutshaba oluvela eOstriya.” Washumayela ngesibindi kubantu ababemncina, ekhumbula amazwi kaPawulos akweyoku-1 kwabaseKorinte 9:16, athi: “Yeha ke mna ukuba andizivakalisanga iindaba ezilungileyo!” *

ABafundi BeBhayibhile abazange bashumayele ngesibindi nje kuphela, kodwa babecela abantu basayine iphepha elicela ukuba abazalwana bakhululwe kwintolongo yaseAtlanta. UAnna K. Gardner uthi: “Sasisoloko sinento esiyenzayo. Xa abazalwana bevalelwe, thina sasingena kuyo yonke imizi sicela abantu abaza kusayina. Kwasayina amawakawaka abantu. Sasibaxelela ukuba la madoda avalelweyo ngamaKristu okwenyani ibe akanatyala.”

Kweli xesha linzima, kwakusoloko kuqhutywa iindibano ezaziqinisa ukholo lwabazalwana. IMboniselo yathi: “Kulo nyaka . . . kuqhutywe iindibano ezingaphezu kweziyi-40 . . . Kufunyenwe iingxelo ezivuyisayo ezivela kuzo zonke ezi ndibano. Iindibano bezikade ziqhutywa ngasekupheleni kwehlobo okanye xa kuqala ukwindla; kodwa ngoku ziqhutywa nyanga nganye.”

Abantu abanyanisekileyo babesenomdla kwiindaba ezilungileyo. Kwenye indibano eyayiseCleveland, eOhio, kwakukho abantu abayi-1 200 kwaza kwabhaptizwa abayi-42, ekwakukho kubo inkwenkwana “eyayinolwazi ngoThixo nokuzinikela kangangokuba yayisogqitha abantu abaninzi abadala.”

Ngasekupheleni kuka-1918 izinto zazingabahambeli kakuhle aBafundi BeBhayibhile. Kwathengiswa ezinye izakhiwo zaseBrooklyn laza ikomkhulu lafuduselwa ePittsburgh, ePennsylvania. Ngoxa abazalwana abakhokelayo babesesentolongweni, kwalungiselelwa intlanganiso yonyaka eyayiza kuba ngoJanuwari 4, 1919. Kwakuza kwenzeka ntoni?

Abazalwana bethu baqhubeka nomsebenzi. Babeqinisekile ukuba abazalwana baza kuphumelela kangangokuba umxholo wonyaka ka-1919 abawukhethayo wawusithi: “Nasiphi na isixhobo esiya kuyilwa nxamnye nawe asiyi kuphumelela.” (Isa. 54:17) Kwakuza kwenzeka utshintsho olwaluza kuqinisa ukholo lwabo luze lubanike amandla okwenza umsebenzi omkhulu ababeseza kuwenza.