Isivumelwaneso senza bona kuhlonywe ihlangano etjha ebizwa ngokuthi yi-League of Nations. Umgomo wehlangano le, “bekukuthuthukisa ibumbano ephasini loke nokuphumelelisa ukuthula nokuvikeleka.” AmaSondo amanengi ayisekela ihlangano le. I-Federal Council of the Churches of Christ in America yadumisa “zepolotiki ezikhuluma ngomBuso kaZimu ephasini.” Umkhandlu lo watjengisa ukuthi usekela ihlangano ye-League ngokuthumela iinkhambeli bona ziye eMhlanganweni wokuThula eParis. Omunye wabakhambeli bomhlangano lo, wathi umhlangano “wanqophisa ukuthoma kwesikhathi esitjha emlandweni wephasi.”

Kwathoma isikhathi esitjha, kodwana besingekhe sinqotjhiswe babantu ebebasemhlanganweni wokuthula. Ngo-1919, kwathoma isikhathi esitjha, uJehova wavuselela abantu bakhe bona batjhumayele ukudlula nanini ngaphambili. Ngaphambi kobana lokho kwenzeke, bekunento eqakathekileko ebekufuze abafundi beBhayibheli bayenze.

Umhlangano waqobe mnyaka wokukhethwa kwabanqophisi be-Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society waba ngoMgqibelo, ngoJanabari 4, 1919. Ngesikhatheso, uJoseph F. Rutherford, obekadosa phambili abantu bakaJehova, wabotjhwa ngokunganabulungiswa e-Atlanta, eGeorgia, ye-U.S.A., kuhlanganise nabanye abalikhomba. Kwaphakama umbuzo, kghani abafowethu ebebabotjhiwe bekufuze bakhethwe godu? Namkha bekufuze bajanyiselelwe ngabanye?

Njengombana bekabotjhiwe, umFowethu Rutherford bekatshwenyekile ngekusasa lehlangano. Bekazi ukuthi abanye abafowethu bazizwa ngendlela efanako ukuthi kungaba kuhle bona kukhethwe omunye ozokuba ngumongameli. Ngesizathweso, watlolela labo ebebahlangene incwadi bona kukhethwe u-Evander J. Coward ukuthi abe ngumongameli. URutherford wathi uCoward mumuntu “othobekileko,” “onelemuko,” begodu “othembekileko eKosini.” Nanyana kunjalo, abafowethu baba nombono ohlukileko ngendaba le, bathi ikhetho alitshwiliselwe eenyangeni ezisithandathu. Isiqhema somthetho esivikela abafowethu  ababotjhiweko savumelana nesiquntweso. Njengombana bebakhuluma ngendaba le, imimoya yaba phezulu.

Kwathi kusese njalo, kwenzeka okuthileko umFowethu uRichard H. Barber wathi indaba le, ‘imraro wakosodiye.’ Omunye wabafowethu obekalapho, wathi: “Angisiligqwetha, kodwana nakuziwa eendabeni zomthetho, kunokuthileko engikwaziko ngiyazi bona kutjho ukuthini ukuthembeka. UZimu ufuna sithembeke. Akukho okhunye engikucabangako ngaphandle kokuthi sithembeke kuZimu, sikhethe umfowethu uRutherford bona abe ngumongameli.”—Rhu. 18:25.

Omunye ebekabotjhiwe, u-A. H. Macmillan ukhumbula umFowethu Rutherford akokoda ebodeni lejele athi kuye, “Lulela isandla sakho ngaphandle.” Wathi nakasilulako, umFowethu Rutherford wamnikela i-telegram. UMacmillan wathi nakabona umlayezo omfitjhani, kwamkhanyela bona utjho ukuthini. Bewufundeka bunjesi: “RUTHERFORD WISE VAN BARBER ANDERSON BULLY AND SPILL ABANQOPHISI ABATHATHU BOKUTHOMA BAKHETHIWE GODU NGINITHANDA NOKE.” Lokhu bekutjho ukuthi besele bakhethiwe abanqophisi begodu uJoseph Rutherford, noWilliam Van Amburgh babuyiselwa eenkhundleni zabo. Ngaphezu kwalokho, umFowethu Rutherford bekazokuraga nokuba ngumongameli.

Ngesikhathi abafowethu ababunane babotjhiwe, abaFundi beBhayibheli abathembekileko bakhambisa isibawo sokobana abafowethwaba batjhatjhululwe. Abafowethu nabodadwethu abanesibindi, kuhlanganise nabanye abangaphezu kwee-700 000 batlikitla incwadi le. Ngaphambi kokudluliselwa kwencwadi le ngeLesithathu, ngoMatjhi 26, 1919, umFowethu uRutherford kunye nabanye abafowethu batjhatjhululwa.

Nakakhuluma nalabo ebebazomamukela, umFowethu uRutherford wathi: “Ngiyaqiniseka ukuthi lokho ebesiqalene nakho kusilungiselela iinkhathi ezibudisi ezizako. . . . Ukulwa kwenu bekungasi kukobana nitjhaphulule abafowenu ngejele. Lokhu bekungasi mnqopho wepi le. . . . Benilwela ukutjhumayela iQiniso, begodu labo ebabanengcenye bafumane isibusiso esihle.”

Izinto ebezenzeka ezimalungana necala abafowethu ebebamangalelwe ngalo bezitjengisa ukuthi kunokuthileko uJehova akwenzako. NgoMeyi 14, 1919, ikhotho yokuzibilayeja yathi: “Abamangalelwa akhenge bavele phambi kwakamarhistrada . . . bona bazivikele, yeke ngebangelo icala abathweswe lona latshwiliswa.” Abafowethu bebathweswe amacala abudisi, begodu ukumangalelwa kwabokhu bekuzokuhlala emarekhodenwabo womlandu nangathana isigwebo sabo akhenge sehliswe. Awekho amanye amacala abathweswa wona. Umphumela kwaba kukuthi umFowethu uRutherford, njengombana bekaliJaji, waragela phambili nokuvikela abantu bakaJehova phambi kweKhotho ePhakemeko ye-United States, lokho wakwenza iinkhathi ezinengi ngemva kokutjhatjhululwa kwakhe.

Nakakhumbulako, umFowethu uMacmillan uthi, “bengekhe sihlale singenzi litho, sisonge izandla silindele bona iKosi isithathe siye ezulwini. Salemuka bona kufuze senze okuthileko nasizakufumana ukuthi iyini intando yeKosi.”

Kodwana abafowethu bemzikhulu akhenge babuyele ngesikhatheso emsebenzini ebebawenza iminyaka eminengi. Kubayini? Kungombana ngesikhathi babotjhiwe, yoke imitjhini yokugadangisa ebeyisetjenziswa bona kugadangiswe iincwadi yatjhatjalaliswa. Lokhu kwabadanisa, begodu abanye abafowethu bazibuza ukuthi kghani umsebenzi wokutjhumayela sewuphelile na.

Kghani bekusese nabantu abangathanda ukutjhumayela umlayezo womBuso obewenziwa baFundi beBhayibheli? Ukuphendula umbuzo lo, umFowethu Rutherford waqunta bona anikele ikulumo. Bekuzokumenywa woke umuntu. UmFowethu uMacmillan wathi, “nangabe akunamuntu ozako, sizokwazi ukuthi umsebenzi wokutjhumayela sewuphelile.”

BekungoSondarha, ngoMeyi 4, 1919, naphezu kokugula okumbi, umFowethu uRutherford wethula ikulumo ethi, “Ithemba Ngabantu Abagandelelekileko” emhlanganweni ebewuseLos Angeles, eCalifornia. Abantu ebebalalele ikulumo le pheze babe zii-3 500, kodwana ngebanga lokutlhayela kwendawo, amakhulu wabantu abuyela emuva. Ngelanga elilandelako, kweza abanye abayi-1 500. Abafowethu bayifumana ipendulo—ngombana abantu bebathabe kwamambala!

Lokho okwenziwa bafowethu kwaba nomthelela endleleni aboFakazi bakaJehova abenza ngayo umsebenzi wokutjhumayela bekube kunamhlanjesi.

IsiThala sango-Arhostesi 1, 1919, samemezela ukuthi ekuthomeni kwakaSeptemba, kuzokuba nomhlangano omkhulu eCedar Point, Ohio. Nakakhumbulako, uClarence B. Beaty, umfundi weBhayibheli osesemutjha ovela eMissouri, wathi,  “Woke umuntu bekafuna ukuzibona asemhlanganweni.” Emhlanganweni loyo, bekunabafowethu nabodadwethu abangaphezu kwee-6 000, okusibalo ebesingaphezu kwaleso ebebasilindele. Okhunye okwenza umhlangano lo wabamnandi khulu, kukuthi kwabhajadiswa abantu abangaphezu kwama-200, eMlanjeni i-Erie.

NgoSeptemba 5, 1919, ngelanga lesihlanu lomhlangano, umFowethu uRatherford wabeka ikulumo ethi, “Umlayezo Kwesibambisene Nabo,” ngemva kwalokho watjhaphulula umagazini omutjha, i-Golden Age. * Beyizokukhuluma ngeendaba eziqakathekileko zamva nje, begodu ihlathulule okutjhiwo miTlolo malungana nokuthi kubayini kwenzeka izenzakalwezi.”

Boke abaFundi beBhayibheli bakhuthazwa bona batjhumayele ngesibindi basebenzisa umagazini omutjha lo. Incwadi eyaveza bona umsebenzi lo kufuze wenziwe njani yathi: “Umrhuweleli ngamunye othembekileko [obhajadisiweko] kufuze akhumbule ukuthi kulilungelo elikhulu ukwenza umsebenzi lo, nokusebenzisa ithubeli nje, begodu nokuhlanganyela ngokuzeleko ekunikeleni ubufakazi ephasini.” Abantu banengi basamukela isimemweso! NgoDisemba, abarhuweleli bomBuso abatjhisekako bafumana iimbawo zabomagazini abatjha abangaphezu kwee-50 000.

Ngekupheleni kwaka-1919, abantu bakaJehova besele bahlelekile begodu bavuselelekile. Ngaphezu kwalokho, iimphorofido eziqakathekileko ezimbalwa ezibandakanya imihla yokuphela besele zizalisekile. Ukulingwa nokuthuthukiswa kwabantu bakaJehova, okwabikezelwa kuMalaki 3:1-4, besele kuzalisekile. Abantu bakaJehova batjhatjhululwa ekuthunjweni okungokomfanekiso ‘yiBhabhiloni eliKhulu’ begodu uJesu wabeka “inceku ethembekileko nehlakaniphileko.” * (IsAm. 18:2, 4; Mat. 24:45) Nje abaFundi beBhayibheli besele bakulungele ukwenza umsebenzi uJehova abaphathise wona.