Isivumelwano leso senza kwabunjwa inhlanganiso entsha yomanyano wamazwe okuthiwa yi-League of Nations. Inhloso yenhlanganiso le ‘yayingeyokwenza ukuthi amazwe abe lobudlelwano lokuletha ukuthula lokuvikeleka emhlabeni.’ Amasonto amanengi ayisekela inhlanganiso le. Ngokwesibonelo, inhlanganiso yamasonto okuthiwa yi-Federal Council of the Churches of Christ in America yatshengisa ukuthi iyasekela i-League of Nations ngesikhathi isithi “iyinhlanganiso yezombusazwe emela uMbuso kaNkulunkulu lapha emhlabeni.” Okunye okutshengisa ukuthi inhlanganiso yamasonto yayisekela i-League of Nations yikuthi yathumela izithunywa emhlanganweni wokuthula. Esinye isithunywa sathi umhlangano lo “wawuzantshintsha izinto emhlabeni.”

Izinto zazizantshintsha sibili kodwa zazingasoze zintshintshwe ngamadoda ayesemhlanganweni wokuthula. Zantshintsha ngo-1919 emsebenzini wokutshumayela ngesikhathi uJehova enika abantu bakhe amandla okuthi batshumayele ngendlela ababengakaze benze ngayo. Kodwa kungakenzakali lokhu kwakumele kuqale kube lontshintsho olukhulu kuBafundi beBhayibhili.

Ukhetho lwabakhokheli beWatch Tower Bible and Tract Society olwalusenziwa minyaka yonke lwaluhlelwe ukuthi lube khona ngoMgqibelo mhlaka 4 January 1919. Ngalesosikhathi owayekhokhela abantu bakaJehova uJoseph F. Rutherford kanye labanye abayisikhombisa babebotshwe bengelacala e-Atlanta eseGeorgia eMelika. Ngakho abafowethu kwakumele benze isinqumo sokuthi abazalwane abakhokhelayo ababebotshiwe babuyiselwe ezikhundleni zabo kumbe kuvotelwe abanye.

Ngesikhathi esejele umfowethu uRutherford wayekhathazeke kakhulu ngekusasa lenhlanganiso. Wayekwazi ukuthi abanye abazalwane babekubona kungcono ukuthi kukhethwe omunye abe ngumongameli. Yikho wabhala incwadi esithi kungcono kukhethwe u-Evander J. Coward ukuthi abe ngumongameli. Wathi umfowethu lo ngumuntu “obekekileyo” “ohlakaniphileyo” futhi “oqotho eNkosini.” Kodwa abazalwane abanengi babebona kungcono ukuthi kulindwe okwezinyanga eziyisithupha kungakenziwa ukhetho. Amagqwetha ayeke alwela abafowethu ababebotshiwe avuma. Abanye basebezondile ngesikhathi ingxoxo iqhubeka.

 URichard H. Barber wakhuluma ngalokho okwenzakala ngelanga lelo, wathi omunye umzalwane wabhula umlilo owawusukhona. Umzalwane lo wathi: “Angisiyo ngcitshi endabeni zomthetho kodwa ngiyakwazi ukuthi kutshoni ukuba qotho. UNkulunkulu ufuna sibe qotho. Indlela engcono kulazo zonke esingatshengisa ngayo ukuthi siqotho kuNkulunkulu yikuthi sibe lokhetho besesibuyisela umfowethu uRutherford esikhundleni sakhe sokuba ngumongameli.”​—Hubo. 18:25.

Omunye umzalwane owayebotshiwe u-A. H. Macmillan walandisa okwenzakala ngelanga elalandelayo. Wathi umfowethu uRutherford watshaya umduli wesitokisi sakhe wasesithi: “Qhuba isandla sakho.” Umfowethu uRutherford wamnika ithelegramu. UMacmillan wathi ebona umlayezo owawubhaliwe wahle wazwisisa ukuthi wawusitshoni. Bonke abakhokheli (uRutherford, loWise, loVan, loBarber, lo-Anderson, loBully loSpill) babevotelwe kutsha. UJoseph Rutherford wayekhethwe ukuthi abe ngumongameli, uCharles Wise wayezakuba ngumsekeli wakhe njalo uWilliam Van Amburgh wayezakuba ngumabhalani futhi akhangele izimali.

Ngesikhathi abazalwane abayisitshiyagalombili besejele aBafundi beBhayibhili abathembekileyo babebhoda besayinisa abantu isicelo sokuthi abazalwane laba bakhululwe. Abantu abedlula 700 000 basayina isicelo sabafowethu labodadewethu laba ababelesibindi. Kwathi isicelo leso singakahanjiswa, umfowethu uRutherford labanye ayebotshwe labo bakhululwa ngoLwesithathu mhlaka 26 March 1919.

Umfowethu uRutherford watshela labo abamamukelayo evela ejele wathi: ‘Angithandabuzi ukuthi lokho esidlule kukho kusilungiselela izikhathi ezinzima ezizayo. Belingalwisi ukuthi likhiphe abafowenu ejele ngoba lokho ayisikho okuqakatheke kakhulu. Kodwa belilwela ukuthi uJehova adunyiswe futhi abakwenzileyo lokho bathole isibusiso esimangalisayo.’

Indlela icala labafowethu elaphathwa ngayo ingabe itshengisa ukuthi uJehova wayeqondisa izinto. Mhlaka 14 May 1919 umthethwandaba wakhipha isinqumo wathi: ‘Abamangalelwayo abazange bathonisiswe ngendlela okwakufanele bathonisiswe ngayo, yikho isigwebo sabo sesesuliwe.’ Abafowethu babetheswe amacala amabi kakhulu futhi uhulumende wayezahlala ebabona beyizephulamthetho aluba babexolelwe kumbe behliselwe iminyaka yokupika. Abazange baphinde bamangalelwe ngamanye amacala. Yikho uMahluleli uRutherford waqhubeka eligqwetha njalo elwela abantu bakaJehova okweminyaka eminengi eMthethwandaba Omkhulu weMelika.

Umfowethu uMacmillan wathi: “Sasingasoze siphonguhlala sigoqe izandla silindele ukuthi iNkosi isithathe isise ezulwini. Sananzelela  ukuthi kukhona okwakumele sikwenze ukuze sibone ukuthi iyini sibili intando yeNkosi.”

Kodwa abafowethu ababesemawofisini amakhulu babengasoze bahle baqhubeke ngomsebenzi abasebeleminyaka bewenza. Ngenxa yani? Ngesikhathi uRutherford labanye bakhe bebotshiwe, okunye okwakusetshenziswa nxa kuphrintwa amabhuku (amaprinting plates) kwatshabalaliswa. Lokhu kwakuqeda amandla futhi abanye abafowethu babecabanga ukuthi kwasekuyikuphela komsebenzi wokutshumayela.

Kambe ukuthi ukhona owayesafuna ukuzwa umlayezo woMbuso owawutshunyayelwa ngaBafundi beBhayibhili? Abafowethu babefuna ukukubona lokhu, yikho umfowethu uRutherford wahlela ukuthi enze inkulumo. Kwakuzanxuswa wonke umuntu. Umfowethu uMacmillan wathi: “Nxa kwakungelamuntu owayezabuya enkulumeni le sasiyahle sibone ukuthi kwasekuyikuphela komsebenzi wokutshumayela.”

Ngakho ngeSonto mhlaka 4 May 1919 umfowethu uRutherford wenza inkulumo elesihloko esithi “The Hope for Distressed Humanity” lanxa wayegula kakhulu. Inkulumo le yenzelwa eLos Angeles eCalifornia futhi yalalelwa ngabantu abangaba ngu-3 500. Kwabuya labanye abanengi kodwa bacina bebuyela ezindlini zabo ngenxa yokuthi kwakungaselandawo. Ngelanga elilandelayo kwakulabangu-1 500. Kwazikhanyela ukuthi abantu babelokhu besafuna ukuzwa umlayezo woMbuso.

Okwenziwa ngabafowethu kwavula indlela yokutshumayela elokhu ilandelwa ngoFakazi bakaJehova lamuhla.

INqabayokulinda ka-August 1 1919 yathi kwakuzakuba lomhlangano omkhulu eCedar Point e-Ohio ekuqaliseni kukaSeptember. Umfundi weBhayibhili osakhulayo okuthiwa nguClarence B. Beaty owayehlala eMissouri wathi: “Wonke umuntu wayefuna ukuya kuwo.” Kwakulabafowethu labodadewethu  abedlula 6 000 futhi kwakungakhangelelwanga ukuthi kube labantu abanengi kangaka. Okunye okwathokozisa kakhulu emhlanganweni lo yikubhabhathizwa kwabantu abedlula 200 eLake Erie eyayiseduzane lalapho okwenzelwa khona umhlangano.

Ngelanga lesihlanu lomhlangano mhlaka 5 September 1919 umfowethu uRutherford wenza inkulumo eyayilesihloko esithi “Address to Co-laborers” futhi enkulumeni le wakhuluma ngokuthi kwasekuzakuba lemagazini entsha okuthiwa yi-The Golden Age. * Yayizakhuluma “ngendaba ezisegudwini eziqakathekileyo njalo ichasise isebenzisa iBhayibhili ukuthi kungani [kwakube] lezehlakalo lezi.”

Bonke aBafundi beBhayibhili bakhuthazwa ukuthi batshumayele ngesibindi besebenzisa imagazini le entsha. Incwadi eyayikhuluma ngokuthi babezakwenza njani lokhu yathi: “Wonke umuntu oqotho [obhabhathiziweyo] kumele akhumbule ukuthi umsebenzi wokutshumayela uyisibusiso futhi kumele awenze khathesi njalo enze konke okusemandleni akhe ukuthi atshumayeze bonke abantu.” Abantu abanengi basukumela phezulu. Kusiyafika uDecember abamemezeli boMbuso abatshisekayo basebethole izicelo zemagazini le entsha ezedlula 50 000.

Ekupheleni kuka-1919, abantu bakaJehova basebehlelwe kutsha futhi sebevuselelwe. Kanti njalo kuleziphrofetho ezinengi eziqakathekileyo eziphathelane lensuku zokucina ezasezigcwalisekile. Ukuhlolwa lokuhlanjululwa kwabantu bakaNkulunkulu okwakhulunywa ngakho kuMalaki 3:1-4 kwasekuphelile. Abantu bakaJehova basebekhululiwe ekuthunjweni ‘yiBhabhiloni Enkulu’ njalo uJesu wayesebeke ‘inceku ethembekileyo lehlakaniphileyo.’ * (Isam. 18:2, 4; Mat. 24:45) Khathesi aBafundi beBhayibhili basebekulungele ukwenza umsebenzi uJehova ayefuna bawenze.