Ngaziyakulinda yaChikuwa yamuJanuary 1, 1918 yakali kusaanguna amajwi aakuti: “Tulangililaanzi mumunyaka wa1918?” Nkondo Mpati yakachili kulwanwa kuEurope pesi kumatalikilo amunyaka kwakali kubonekaanga zintu zilabeendela kabotu Bayiyi baBbayibbele abamwi bantu boonse.

Mu 8 January 1918, Woodrow Wilson wakali Mweendelezi kuU.S., wakaamba twaambo tuli 14 kuMuswaangano ngubakalaawo ntwaakali kuyeeyela kuti tulakonzya kupa kuti “kube luumuno.” Wakasyomezya kuti kuyooba luumuno akati kazisi, zilwanisyo zyankondo zyakali kuyoocheya, “zisi zyakali kuyoomvwanana” kuchitila kuti “zimwi zisi zipati aziniini zigwasigwe.” “Twaambo Twakwe Tuli 14” twakali kuzoobelesegwa kuti kupangwe League of Nations amukubamba chizuminano chitegwa Treaty of Versailles chakapa kuti Nkondo Mpati imane.

Nikuba kuti kwakachili kutamvwanana kwakachitikide munyaka wakiinda, * Bayiyi baBbayibbele bakali kulangilila kuti kulaba luumuno kweendelana azyakachitika kumuswaangano waWatch Tower Bible and Tract Society wakali kuchitwa munyaka amunyaka.

Mumuswaangano ooyu wakachitwa mu5 January 1918, bamwi baalumi bakatandidwe aaBbeteli bakali kuyanda kweendelezya mumbunga. Mukwesu Richard H. Barber wakali mulangizi weendeenda uusyomeka, wakajula muswaangano ooyo ankombyo. Nikwakamana kwaambuulwa atala amulimu wakachitwa mumunyaka wakiinda, kwakaba kusalwa kwabeendelezi kwakali kuchitwa munyaka amunyaka. Mukwesu Barber wakasala mukwesu Joseph Rutherford abamwi bakwesu bali 6. Mpawo mwiiminini wabasikukazya wakasala bamwi baalumi bali 7 kuswaanizya abaabo bakatandidwe aaBbeteli. Basikukazya bakazundwa. Bakwesu biingi bakasala Mukwesu Rutherford abamwi bakwesu bali 6 basyomeka kuti bazulwide mumbunga.

Bakombima biingi bakanjila muswaangano ooyu bakati “kumuswaangano ooyu twabona Jehova mbatulongezya kwiinda yoonse miswaangano njitwakanjilide.” Pesi kubotelwa kwabo kwakali kwachiindi chifwiifwi.

Kwamyeezi myiingi, Bayiyi baBbayibbele bakali kupa bantu bbuku litegwa The Finished Mystery. Bantu bakali amyoyo iibombede bakakayanda kasimpe kakali mubbuku eeli.

E. F. Crist, wakali mulangizi weendeenda kuCanada, wakaambuula atala ayimwi mpuli yakabala bbuku litegwa The Finished Mystery akutambula kasimpe mumviki zili 5 luzutu! Wakati: “Mwaalumi amukayintu wakwe balilipedelede kubelekela Leza alubo balikuchita kabotu loko mubukombi.”

Naakajana bbuku eeli, umwi mwaalumi wakatondeezya beenzinyina mpawaawo. “Wakawumwa” amulumbe wakali mubbuku eeli. Wakati: “Ndakali kuyabweenda mumugwagwa muThird Avenue [mpawo] ndakatululwa aakkuko achimwi chintu nchindakali kubonaanga nchitina pesi teechakali chitina pe lyakali bbuku litegwa ‘The Finished Mystery.’ Ndakalibweza mpawo nindakasika kung’anda ndakalibala lyoonse. . . . Ndakazoomvwa kuti lyakasowedwe aawumwi mukambawusi . . . wakalisowela aawindo kanyemede . . . Nzyaakachita mukambawusi ooyo ndakabona kuti zyakagwasya bantu biingi kuti babe abulangilizi  bwachoonzyo kwiinda zimwi zintu nzyaakachita mubuumi bwakwe. . . . Bukali bwamukambawusi ooyo bwakatugwasya kuti tukonzye kutembawula Leza.”

Mukambawusi ooyo teenguwe pe aalikke wakalimvwa munzila eeyi. Mu12 February 1918, bbuku eeli lyakakasigwa amfulumende yakuCanada nkaambo bakati lili amakani aasumpula muuya wakupapila akuti lili amakani aapa kuti kutabi nkondo. Muchiindi chifwiifwi biyo, balupati-pati bamfulumende kuUnited States abalabo bakalikasya bbuku eeli. Bantu bakatumidwe amfulumende bakasecha aaBbeteli akumawofesi aali kuNew York, Pennsylvania akuCalifornia, kabayanduula bumboni bupa kuti babajanine mulandu bakwesu bakali kuzulwida mumbunga. Mu14 March 1918, Dipatimenti yaMulawu yakuU.S., yakakasya bbuku litegwa The Finished Mystery akwaamba kuti kupupululwa kwalyo akulipa bantu, kupa kuti makanze aakuti kube nkondo atazwidilili, chaamba kuti batyola mulawu uutegwa Espionage Act.

Mu7 May 1918, Dipatimenti yaMulawu yakajana bumboni bwakuti Giovanni DeCecca, George Fisher, Alexander Macmillan, Robert Martin, Frederick Robison, Joseph Rutherford, William Van Amburgh, aClayton Woodworth basungwe. Bakatamikizigwa mulandu “wakutaswiilila balupati-pati aachaali, kutasyomeka akukaka kunjila mulimu wabusilumamba kuUnited States.” Kaambo kabo kakasaanguna kulangwa-langwa mu3 June 1918 pesi teekwakali bulangilizi bwakuti bayootolwa mujele. Nkamboonzi?

Mwiiminini wamfulumende yakuUnited States wakati mulawu ngubakali kutyola bantu aaba, uutegwa Espionage Act “ninzila mpati iipa kuti bantu batatobeli ziyandwa aamfulumende.” Mu16 May 1918, balupati-pati bamfulumende bakakaka kubelesya malayilile aali muMulawu ooyo aakali kukonzya kukwabilila bantu bapupulula “makani aakasimpe, bali amakanze aali kabotu abaamba makani atondeezya ziyoochitika kunembo.” Nibakali kulanga-langa nkani eeyi munkuta, chiindi chiingi bakali kubelesya bbuku litegwa The Finished Mystery. Makani aakazwa kuMuswaangano wakuU.S. aali atala abbuku eeli aamba kuti: “Imwi nzila iitali kabotu iipa kuti bantu bataswiilili zyaambwa amfulumende ndibbuku eeli litegwa ‘The Finished Mystery’ . . . Makanze aabbuku eeli ngakuti basilumamba baleke kusyoma nzitwaamba akuti balengwaane kuya kunkondo.”

Mu20 June 1918, bantu bakali kulanga-langa kaambo aaka bakabajanina mulandu bakwesu aaba bakali 8. Mubuzuba bwakatobela, mubetesi wakaamba nzibakasala munkuta. Wakati: “Makani aali atala achikombelo baalumi aaba ngibakali kusumpula akupupulula . . . mabi loko kwiinda zichitwa aBasilumamba bakuGermany. . . . Beelede kupegwa chisubulo chipati loko.” Nikwakayinda mviki zibili, bakwesu bali 8, bakatolwa kujele litegwa Federal Penitentiary kuAtlanta, muGeorgia, akupegwa chisubulo chakukkala minyaka iili 10 kusika ku20 mujele.

Muchiindi eecho, Bayiyi baBbayibbele, bakali kupenzegwa. Bamukabunga kategwa Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) bakasaanguna kuyanduulisisya mulimu waBayiyi baBbayibbele alubo bakalemba makani miingi atala anzibakajana. Nzibakalemba zyakatondeezya  kuti bakombima bakakanzide kuzumanana kukambawuka.

Mulugwalo ndwaakalembela bamukabunga kaFBI, sikupupulula makani wamukabunga kakuOrlando, kuFlorida wakalemba kuti: “[Bayiyi baBbayibbele] balikukambawuka kung’anda ang’anda mudolopo alubo eezi balikuzichita mansiku. . . . Bayanda kwiinkilila kunembo kabakambawuka nikuba kuti balikukazigwa.”

Mupati wabasilumamba wakalembela basikubweza twaambo atala azyakali kuchitwa aFrederick W. Franz, wakazoobeleka muKabunga Keendelezya. Wakalemba kuti: “F. W. Franz . . . waba achiindi chilamfu kali kuuzya mabbuku miingi loko ‘aFinished Mystery’.”

Mukwesu Charles Fekel, wakazooba muKabunga Keendelezya, alakwe wakapenzegwa zyiindilide. Mukwesu ooyu wakazoosungwa akaambo kakupa bantu bbuku litegwa The Finished Mystery alubo mapulisa bakasaanguna kuyanduulisisya bantu mbaakali kumvwanana aabo. Wakatolwa kujele kuBaltimore, muMaryland kwamweezi uumwi alubo bakamuuzika zina lyakuti “Sinkondoma muzwakule muAustria.” Chiindi naakali kupa bumboni chakutayoowa kumapulisa bakali kumubuzisisya, wakayeeya majwi akaambwa aPawulu ajanika muli 1 BaKorinto 9:16 akuti: “Maawe kulindime nintakambauka Makani Mabotu.” *

Kuyungizya mukuzumanana kukambawuka, Bayiyi baBbayibbele bakali kukombelezya bantu kuti bakombinyina bakali mujele kuAtlanta, baangununwe. Anna K. Gardner wakati: “Twakali kukkala katuchita chimwi chintu. Bakwesu nibakali mujele, mulimu wesu wakali wakuyanduula bantu batasayine. Twakali kwiinka kung’anda ang’anda. Twakajana bantu biingi bakatusayinina! Twakali kubuzya bantu mbitwakali kukambawukila kuti bakwesu aaba bakali maKristu bakasimpe akuti basungwa kabatakwe mulandu.”

Muchiindi eechi chiyumu, kwakali kuchitwa miswaangano yabbooma myiingi kuti bakombima basime mubukombi. Imwi Ngaziyakulinda yakati: “Kwachitwa miswaangano yabbooma . . . yiinda ku40 munyaka uuno . . . Kuli makani miingi aabotezya ngitwakamvwa aali atala amiswaangano eeyi. Chiindi, miswaangano yabbooma yakali kuchitwa lyachilimu pesi lino mweezi amweezi mumunyaka, tuba amiswaangano yabbooma.”

Bantu bakali amyoyo iibombede bakali kwaaswiilila makani mabotu. Kumuswaangano umwi wabbooma wakachitwa kuCleveland, muOhio, kwakali bantu basika ku1 200 alubo bali 42 bakabbabbatizigwa, kuswaanizya akamwi kalombe “kakali kuyanda Leza alubo kakalilipedelede zyakapa kuti bantu biingi basungwaale kuswaanizya abapati.”

Kumamanino aamunyaka wa1918, Bayiyi baBbayibbele bakali kukataazikana atala azyakali kuyoochitika kunembo. Zimwi zintu zyakali kuBrooklyn zyakawuzigwa alubo mawofesi mapati akalonzegwa akutolwa kuPittsburgh, iili kuPennsylvania. Nikuba kuti bakwesu bakali kuzulwida bakachili mujele pesi kwakachitwa mabambe aakuti kuzoobe muswaangano wamunyaka amunyaka mu4 January 1919. Niinzi zyakazoochitika?

Bakwesu bakalisimya mumulimu wabo. Bakali alusyomo lwakuti zintu zyakali kuyoochincha nkinkaako bakasala lugwalo luti: “Kunyina cilwanyo cipangilwa kulwana nduwe iciyoozwidilila” kuti lube lugwalo lwamunyaka wa1919. (Is. 54:17, NW) Bakalilibambilide kuswaana kuchincha kwakali kuyoobasimya lusyomo akubagwasya kulibambila kuchita mulimu wakali kunembo.