UJehova wabasekela abatjhumayelaba. Hlangana nomnyaka loyo isibalo samaphayona sakhuphuka sisuka ema-225 saya ema-350. Bekukokuthoma abatjhumayeli abangaphezu kwee-8 000 babika umsebenzabo wokutjhumayela endlunkulu. UJehova wababusisa ngokuthi kube nabantu abanengi abasabela kuhle.

NgoMatjhi 21, 1920, uJoseph F. Rutherford obekamdosiphambili wabaFundi beBhayibheli ngesikhatheso wakhuluma ngesihloko esithi “Iingidi Eziphila Nje Angekhe Zihlongakale.” AbaFundi beBhayibheli benza koke okusemandlenabo bona bamemele abantu embuthwaneni lo. Baqatjha enye yama-theater eseNew York City bakhambisa iimemo ezingaba zii-320 000.

Abantu abamenywako basabela kuhle khulu. Abantu abangaba zii-5 000 bebazele baphuphuma endaweni leyo, kwathi abazii-7 000 kwafuze bajikiswe. IsiThala sangesikhatheso sabika sathi “lo bekumhlangano obeyipumelelo khulu ukudlula nanini ngaphambilini obanjwe baFundi beBhayibheli bePhasini loke.”

AbaFundi beBhayibheli baziwa ngokuthi batjela abantu ukuthi “iingidi eziphila nje angekhe zihlongakale.” Ngesikhatheso bebangazi bona umlayezo womBuso kusafuze utjhunyayelwe khulu ukudlula ngesikhathi sabo. Nanyana kunjalo itjiseko ebebanayo beyiyihle tle. U-Ida Olmstead owathoma ukuya emihlanganweni ngo-1902 uthi, “Besazi bona zinengi iimbusiso abantu abazozifumana, begodu besiqiniseka bona siyabatjela boke esihlangana nabo iindaba ezimnandi.”

Ngebanga lokuthi bebafuna abantu batjhidelane noZimu, abafowethu beBethel bathoma ukugadangisa iincwadi bona ngokwabo. Bathenga imitjhini, bayifaka endaweni ebebayiqatjhile ese 35 Myrtle Avenue, eBrooklyn, eNew York, hlanu kweBethel.

ULeo Pelle noWalter Kessler bathoma ukusebenza eBethel ngoJanabari 1920. UWalter uthi, “Nasifikako umdosi phambili wemnyangweni wokugadangisa iincwadi wasiqala wathi, ‘Nine-awara nesiqunto ngaphambi kobana kuthome isikhathi sokudla.’ Wathi asingene ngehloko emsebenzini sitjhove amabhoksi weencwadi siwafake ngakwelinye ikamura.”

ULeo nakakhumbula umsebenzi abawenza ngelanga elilandelako uthi, “Bekumsebenzethu ukuhlanza amaboda wengcenye ethileko yomakhiwo.  Bekumsebenzi obangela bona umuntu angahlanzeki, kodwana besiwenzela iKosi, lokho bekungenza ngiwuthande umsebenzi lo.”

Ngeveke yinye kwaphela isiThala sangeenkhathezo besele sigadangiswa batjhumayeli abasebenza ngokuzithandela. Amakhophi aziinkulungwana ezimatjhumi asithandathu weenThala sawagadangisa sawandlala phasi ngoFebherbari 1, 1920. Kwathi sisekumbeni leyo umfowethu omunye wahlela kuhle umtjhini wokugadangisa iincwadi ebewubizwa ngokuthi yi-Battleship. Nakuthoma u-Apreli 14, 1920, besithoma ukugadangisa incwadi ethi, The Golden Age. Siyaqiniseka ukuthi uJehova bekayibusisa imizamo yabafowethu abasebenza budisaba.

Abantu bakaJehova bebathabela ubunye netjhebiswano elihle. Nanyana kunjalo abanye abaFundi beBhayibheli batjhiya ihlangano ngeenkhathi ezibudisi zabo-1917 kuya kibo-1919. Alo, khuyini ebeyingenziwa bona bafumane isizo?

IsiThala sango-Apreli 1, 1920 besinesihloko esithi, “Asihlalisaneni Ngobunye.” Sakhuluma ngomusa sathi: “Siyaqiniseka . . . bona boke abantu abanommoya kaZimu . . . bazimisele ukulibala izinto ezenzeka esikhathini esidlulileko, . . . bahlalisane ngobunye nangebumbano njengomzimba owodwa.”

Abanengi basabela kuhle emezwini anomusa la. Abanye abatjhadikazi batlola bathi: “Iminyaka edlulileko bekuneemphoso ezenziwa ngabanye, bebangenzi litho kuthi kusesenjalo abanye bebenza umsebenzi [wokutjhumayela]. . . . Sifisa kwanga singadurhiswa.” Abasebenzaba bebasesenomsebenzi omnengi ebekusafuze bawenze.

NgoJuni 21, 1920, abafundi beBhayibheli bathoma ijima lokurhatjha ‘i-ZG’ enesihloko esithi The Finished Mystery. * Inengi leencwadezi labekwa ngemva kokobana umsebenzethu wokutjhumayela uvinjelwe ngo-1918.

 Boke abatjhumayeli bamenywa bona barhatjhe umsebenzi lo ingasi amaphayona kwaphela. U-Edmund Hooper ukhumbula ukuthi ejimeneli abanengi bekukokuthoma bangena umuzi nomuzi uthi,“Woke umtjhumayeli [obhajadisiweko] ofuna ukwenza umsebenzi lo, angawenza. Amezwi la akasikhuthaze soke: ‘Ngilokho mina engikwenzako’—nginikela abantu i-ZG.” Wabuye wathi, “Kulapho sathoma khona ukuzwisisa kuhle ukuthi kutjho ukuthini ukwenza umsebenzi lo.”

Njengombana bekuba budisi kwezinye iinarha bona abatjhumayeli barage nomsebenzi lo ngebanga lePi yePhasi yokuThoma, umFowethu uRutherford wakhuthaza abafowethu balapho bona bahlele kabutjha umsebenzi lo. Yeke ngo-Arhostesi 12, 1920, yena nabanye abafowethu abane bavakatjhela iBritain ne-Europe yoke kuhlanganise neMiddle East.

Kwathi uRutherford nakavakatjhele eBritain abafundi beBhayibheli babanemihlangano emikhulu emithathu neminye emincani ema-12. Abantu ebebakhona bafikelela esibalweni esingaba zii-50 000. Nasele aphetha ivakatjho, isiThala sathi: “Abafowethu nabodadwethu bakhuthazekile tle. Babanobunye nethando emsebenzini lo begodu amanceba wabalimeleko abotjhwa.” NakaseParis umFowethu uRutherford wabuye wakhu- luma ngesihloko esithi “Iingidi Eziphila Nje Angekhe Zihlongakale.” Nakathoma ikulumwakhe, bekuzele khulu ewolweni. Abantu abamakhulu amathathu babawa ukwaziswa okunabileko.

Eemvekeni ezalandelako abanye abafowethu bavakatjhela e-Athens, eCairo, neJerusalem. Ukulandela ikareko abayifumana eendaweni abaya kizo, umFowethu uRutherford wathumela iincwadi edorobheni leRamallah, eliseduze neJerusalem. Ngemva kwalokho wabuyela e-Europe, wafumana i-oFisi wahlela bona iincwadi zigadangiselwe lapho.

Nakuzakuthoma ubusika ngo-1920, abaFundi beBhayibheli batjhaphulula incwadi yama-27, ebizwa ngokuthi yi-The Golden Age, bekuligadango elikhethekileko ngombana beliveza indlela abaFundi beBhayibheli abatjhutjhiswa ngayo ngeminyaka yabo-1918. I-Battleship ekhesakhulumangayo ekuthomeni beyigadangiswa ubusuku nemini bona kube namakhophi angaphezu kwamamiliyoni amane womagazini lo.

Abantu bafunda ngendaba engakajayeleki emagazinini lo, bekuyindaba ka-Emma Martin.  UDadwethu uMartin bakaliphayona eSan Bernardino, eCalifornia. NgoMatjhi 17, 1918, yena nabafowethu abathathu u-E. Hamm, u-E. J. Sonnenburg, no-E. A. Stevens, baya emhlanganweni omncani wabafundi beBhayibheli.

Bekunendodenye ebeyingakezeli ukuzokufunda ngeBhayibheli. Ngokukhamba kwesikhathi yathi, “Ngaya emhlanganweni lo, ngombana bengithunyiwe ngivela e-ofisini lomjameli.” Waraga wathi, “Bengifuna ukuyokufumana ubufakazi.” Wabufumana “ubufakazi” ebekabufuna, incwadi ethi, The Finished Mystery. Kwathi ngemva kweminyaka embalwa uDadwethu uMartin nabafowethu abathathu babotjhwa. Basolwa ngokwephula umthetho nokuthi banikele abantu incwadi okungakavunyelwa bona bazinikele abantu.

U-Emma nabafowethwaba bafunyanwa banomlando begodu bagwetjwa iminyaka emithathu. Besasolo bafaka iimbawo zokuthi behliselwe isigwebo sabo kodwana ngoMeyi 17, 1920, kwafikelela ekutheni badose isikhathi abanikelwe sona ngombana bebangasanalo ithuba lokufaka isibawo esinye. Kodwana izinto zatjhuguluka zabangcono.

NgoJuni 20, 1920 umFowethu uRutherford wakhuluma ngezinto abahlangabezana nazo emhlanganweni ebewuseSan Francisco. Abantu ebebalapho kwabathusa ukuzwa indlela abafowethu abaphathwa ngayo. Bathumelela umongameli we-United States umlayezo. Umlayezwabo bewuthi, “Ukubotjhwa kwakakosazana uMartin akusisemthethweni . . . Isenzo amapholisa asithathako ekubopheni ukosazana uMartin nokumgalaja . . . Ukumvulela iqala kutjengisa ukungathembeki nokungabi nobulungiswa.”

Ngelanga elilandelako uMongameli uWoodrow Wilson wabehlisela uDadwethu uMartin nabaFowethu uHamm, uSonnenburg, noStevens isigwebo. Umlando onganabulungiswa loyo waqedwa.

Njengombana umnyaka ka-1920 besele uzokuphela, abafundi beBhayibheli kunengi abakuthabelako. Umsebenzi endlunkulu waragela phambili amaKrestu weqiniso atjhumayela ngomBuso kaZimu njengesisombululo semiraro yabantu. (Mat. 24:14) Umnyaka ka-1921 bewuzokuba mnyaka omuhle khulu wokutjhumayela iindaba ezihle zomBuso.