Sicongosekulindza saJanuary 1, 1918 ekhasini lekucala besinesihloko lesitsi: “Kutawentekani ngemnyaka wa-1918?” Imphi beyisolo ichubeka e-Europe kodvwa tintfo lebetenteka nakucala lomnyaka betikhombisa kutsi kutawenteka tintfo letinhle kuBaFundzi BeliBhayibheliemhlabeni wonkhe.

NgaJanuary 8, 1918, Mengameli Woodrow Wilson wakhuluma ne-U.S. Congress, washo tintfo letingu-14 labecabanga kutsi tingenta kube “nekuthula.” Washo umbono wekutsi kuncishiswe lizinga lekwakhiwa kwetikhali futsi kusungulwe “licembu lelakhiwa tive letinyenti” kuze kuzuze yonkhe imibuso ngalokulinganako. Letintfo letingu-14 betitawusentjentiselwa kwakha inhlangano yeTive Letihlangene nekwenta sivumelwano SaseVersailles futsi loko bekutawucedza lemphi lenkhulu.

Ngisho noma emnyakeni lowendlulile bekunesiphitsiphitsi, * bekubonakala ngatsi BaFundzi BeliBhayibhelibatawuba nekuthula. Loko kwabonakala ngetintfo letenteka emhlanganweni weWatch Tower Bible and Tract Society lovama kubakhona minyaka yonkhe.

Kulomhlangano lebewungaJanuary 5, 1918, emadvodza lambalwa latiwako lebekacoshiwe eBethel etama kucondzisa inhlangano. Umbonisi lojiketelako umzalwane Richard H. Barber wacalisa ngemthantazo. Nakacedza kubuketa umbiko wemnyaka lowendlulile, kwabese kukhetfwa bazalwane labatawucondzisa inhlangano. Umzalwane Barber wakhetsa umzalwane Joseph Rutherford kanye nalabanye bazalwane labasitfupha. Ummeli lobekaseluhlangotsini lwalabantfu labebavukela wakhetsa emadvodza lasikhombisa lokufaka ekhatsi labazalwane labacoshwa eBethel, kodvwa abazange baphumelele. Bazalwane labanyenti bakhetsa umzalwane Rutherford kanye nebazalwane labasitfupha labetsembekile kutsi bacondzise inhlangano.

Bazalwane labanyenti labebakhona kulomhlangano bebajabule kakhulu ngoba babona kutsi Jehova uwubusise kakhulu lomhlangano kunaleminye labake baya kuyo. Kodvwa kujabula kwabo bekukwesikhashana.

Besekuphele tinyanga letinyenti, BaFundzi BeliBhayibheli basakata incwadzi letsi, “The Finished Mystery.” Bantfu labanetinhlitiyo leticotfo bawemukela umlayeto lobewucuketfwe ngulencwadzi.

E. F. Crist lebekangumbonisi lojiketelako eCanada wasicocela ngemndeni lowafundza incwadzi letsi “The Finished Mystery” futsi wemukela emaciniso ngemuva nje kwemaviki lasihlanu. Watsi: “Lendvodza nemkayo bebatinikele ngalokuphelele futsi bebatfutfuka kahle.”

Lenye indvodza leyatfola lencwadzi yayifundza nebangani bayo. Umlayeto lebewukulencwadzi “wayitsintsa” kakhulu lendvodza. Yatsi: “Nangihamba eThird Avenue kwaba nentfo lengishayako, bengicabanga kutsi sitini kantsi bekuyincwadzi letsi, ‘The Finished Mystery.’ Ngayitsatsa ngaya nayo ekhaya futsi ngayifundza yaze yaphela. . . .  Ngabese ngiyeva kutsi lomunye umfundisi abejikijele lencwadzi ngelifasitelo ngobe abetfukutsele. Kodvwa banyenti kakhulu bantfu labafundza liciniso kulencwadzi leyajikijelwa ngulomfundisi kunalabo lokungenteka bazuza etinshumayelweni takhe noma kuleminye imisebenti layenta. . . . Nyalo bantfu labanyenti badvumisa Nkulunkulu ngaloko lomfundisi lakwenta nakatfukutsele.”

Loko lokwentiwa ngulomfundisi bekuyintfo levamile. Nga-February 12, 1918, tiphatsimandla taseCanada tavala kusakatwa kwalencwadzi ngobe betitsi icuketse imilayeto leyenta bantfu bavukele futsi bangayi emphini. Ngemuva kwesikhashana tiphatsimandla taseMelika tenta lokufanako. Tisebenti taHulumende tasesha emahhovisini aseBethel laseNew York, ePennsylvania, kanye naseCalifornia tifuna kutfola bufakazi lobumelene nebaholi benhlangano. Nga-March 14, 1918, i-U.S. Department of Justice yavala incwadzi letsi, “The Finished Mystery,” ngoba beyitsi lencwadzi yenta bantfu bangafuni kuya emphini futsi loko bekwephula umtsetfo lokutsiwa yi-Espionage Act.

Nga-May 7, 1918 i-Department of Justice yatsi kufanele kuboshwe umzalwane Giovanni DeCecca, George Fisher, Alexander Macmillan, Robert Martin, Frederick Robison, Joseph Rutherford, William Van Amburgh, kanye nemzalwane Clayton Woodworth. Kwatsiwa labazalwane “banelicala lekwenta bantfu bavukele hulumende, bangetsembeki, futsi bale kungenela libutfo lemasotja aseMelika.” Licala labo latekwa nga-June 3, 1918, futsi kwavele kwacaca kutsi batawuboshwa. Bekwentiwa yini loko?

Lijaji lelikhulu laseMelika latsi labazalwane bephule umtsetfo lobitwa ngekutsi yi-Espionage Act lobewuvikela bantfu kutsi bangadukiswa yimininingwane lengemanga. Emhlanganweni lobewubanjwe nga-May 16, 1918 akuzange kuvunyelwe kushintjwa kwalomtsetfo lobekutawuvikela bantfu “labanetisusa letinhle labashicilela tincwadzi letinemlayeto loliciniso nalowemukelekako.” Kulomhlangano kwakhulunywa kakhulu ngencwadzi letsi, “The Finished Mystery.” Mayelana nalencwadzi, emarekhodi ale-U.S. Congress atsi: “Lencwadzi letsi, ‘The Finished Mystery’ igcwele imilayeto lengemanga futsi iyingoti . . . Injongo yayo ikudukisa bantfu kutsi bavukele futsi bale kujoyina libutfo lemphi.”

Nga-June 20, 1918 emajaji atsi labazalwane labasiphohlongo batfolakale banemacala labamangalelwa ngawo. Ngelilanga lelilandzelako, lijaji labaniketa sigwebo sabo. Latsi: “Lamanga enkholo lasakatwa ngulabasolwa sekasakateke kuyo yonkhe indzawo . . . Futsi ayingoti kakhulu kwendlula kwehlukana ekhatsi kwelibutfo laseGerman . . . Ngako kufanele batfole sigwebo lesimatima.” Ngemuva kwemaviki lamabili bonkhe labazalwane labasiphohlongo bagwetjwa iminyaka lengu-10 kuya kulengu-20 futsi baya eFederal Penitentiary eAtlanta, Georgia.

Ngaleso sikhatsi BaFundzi BeliBhayibheli bebaphikiswa kamatima. Emaphoyisa labitwa ngekutsi yi-FBI enta luphenyo ngemsebenti wabo, aphindze enta emarekhodi lamanyenti. Lamarekhodi akhombisa kutsi labazalwane batimisele kuchubeka bashumayela.

Encwadzini layibhalela i-FBI, umphatsi weliposi lase-Orlando, eFlorida watsi: “[LaBafundzi BeliBhayibheli] bahamba bashumayela emtini ngemuti ngisho nasebusuku. . . . Babonakala batimisele kuchubeka bashumayela ngisho noma baphikiswa.”

Umphatsi wemaphoyisa nelitiko lakhe babikela lihhovisi ngaloko lebekwentiwa ngumzalwane Frederick W. Franz, kamuva lowaba lilunga leSigungu Lesibusako. Batsi: “F. W. Franz . . . Sotsengise tinkhulungwane taletincwadzi.”

Charles Fekel naye lowaba lilunga Lesigungu Lesibusako wabhekana nelushushiso lolumatima. Tiphatsimandla tamvalela ejele futsi tamsesha ngenca yekutsi bekasakata lencwadzi letsi “The Finished Mystery.” Waboshwa inyanga yonkhe eBaltimore, eMaryland futsi watiwa ngekutsi “sitsa sase-Australia.” Ngesibindzi washumayela bashushisi bakhe, waze wakhumbula emavi emphostoli Pawula laku-1 Khorinte 9:16, latsi: “Maye kimi nangabe ngingazange ngitimemetele letindzaba letimnandzi!” *

Njengobe bebashumayela ngemfutfo, BaFundzi BeliBhayibhelibebabhala tincwadzi bacela kutsi kukhululwe bazalwane lebebaboshwe ejele lase-Atlanta. Anna K. Gardner utsi: “Kukhona lebesikwenta kuze bakhululwe. Besitsi singabhala letincwadzi bese sihamba umuti ngemuti sicela bantfu basisayinele. Satfola tinkhulungwane tebantfu labasisayinela! Besibatjela kutsi labazalwane bangemaKhristu eliciniso futsi baboshelwe intfo labangakayenti.”

Kulesikhatsi lesimatima, kwahlelwa imihlangano leminyenti kuze kuciniswe kukholwa kwebazalwane. Sicongosekulindza satsi: “Kwaba nemihlangano yesifundza lengu-40 ngalowo mnyaka . . . Kutfolakele imibiko lejabulisako kuyo yonkhe lemihlangano. Imihlangano beyivame kuba nasekuphela lihlobo kodvwa ngaleso sikhatsi beseyiba khona inyanga ngayinye.”

Bantfu labatfobekile bebasolo batilalela tindzaba letimnandzi. Kulomunye umhlangano wesifundza lobewuseCleveland, e-Ohio, bekunebantfu labangu-1 200 futsi kwabhajatiswa labangu-42, lokuhlanganisa umfana losemncane “lobekamtsandza Nkulunkulu futsi bantfu labangamkhonti Nkulunkulu bebatawuhlazeka nabambona abhajatiswa.”

Nasekuyophela umnyaka wa-1918, BaFundzi BeliBhayibheli bebangaciniseki ngelikusasa. Incenye yesakhiwo lesiseBrooklyn yatsengiswa futsi indlunkhulu yaBoFakazi yatfutsa yaya ePittsburgh, ePennsylvania. Ngesikhatsi bazalwane labaholako babhadla ejele, kwahlelwa lomunye umhlangano wemnyaka lobewutawuba nga-January 4, 1919. Bekutawukhulunywa ngani kulomhlangano?

Bazalwane bachubeka nemsebenti wekushumayela. Bebaciniseka kutsi lomsebenti wabo utawuba nemiphumela lemihle, bakhetsa kutsi sihloko semnyaka sa-1919 sitsi: “Kute sikhali lesilolelwa kulwa nawe lesiyawuphumelela.” (Isa. 54:17, King James Version) Bebalulungele lushintjo lobelutawubacinisa kukholwa futsi lubanikete emandla ekuchubeka nemsebenti wekushumayela lebekufanele bawente.