INQABAYOKULINDA yesiNgisi ka-January 1, 1917 yathi, “Unyaka omusha uqala nje kunezingxabano, izinxushunxushu nokuchitheka kwegazi.” Yebo, iMpi Yezwe I—ukucekwa kwabantu okwenzeka embulungeni yonke okwakwaziwa ngokuthi iMpi Enkulu—yaqhubeka ngezinga elikhulu eYurophu.

Ngisho noma abaFundi BeBhayibheli babengakuqondi ngokugcwele okushiwo ukungathathi hlangothi kwamaKristu, abaningi benza imizamo encomekayo yokugwema icala legazi. Ngokwesibonelo, eNgilandi, uStanley Willis owayeneminyaka engu-19, wayezimisele ukungathathi hlangothi. Ngaphambi kokuya  ecaleni, wabhala: “Kuyilungelo elikhulu ukuba nginikeze lobu bufakazi. Ekuseni isikhulu sezempi singitshele ukuthi kuzomelwe ngigqoke iyunifomu yamasosha, uma nginqaba kuzomelwe ngiye ecaleni.”

Lapho uStanley enqaba ukwenza njengoba besho, wanikwa isigwebo sokuba ayosebenza ekamu lokufukuza. Noma kunjalo, waqhubeka enombono omuhle. Ngemva kwezinyanga ezimbili, wabhala: “Ngenxa ‘yomoya wamandla’ ovela eQinisweni, umuntu uyakwazi ukuzikhuthazelela ngesineke . . . izinto okunzima ngabanye ukuba bazikhuthazelele.” Wasisebenzisa kahle isikhathi sakhe esejele futhi wathi: “Esinye sezibusiso ezinkulu zalolu vivinyo ukuba nelungelo lokuba nesikhathi esiningi esingenaziphazamiso sokuthandaza, ukuzindla nokufunda.”

Kungakabiphi, i-United States nayo yaba ingxenye yempi. Enkulumweni ayethula phambi kwesiShayamthetho sase-United States ngo-April 2, 1917, uMongameli uWoodrow Wilson wathi ufuna izwe lakhe lilwe neJalimane. Ngemva kwezinsuku ezine, i-United States yayingenela impi. Ngokushesha, amaKristu ayehlala e-United States kwadingeka abhekane nendaba yokungathathi hlangothi.

Ukuze ithole amasosha ayedingeka, ngo-May, i-United States yashaya uMthetho Wokubuthelwa Empini. Ngemva kwenyanga, kwashaywa uMthetho Ophathelene Nobunhloli. UMthetho Wokubuthelwa Empini wanika uhulumeni wase-United States ilungelo lokubuthela izinkulungwane zamadoda emsebenzini wezempi kanti uMthetho Ophathelene Nobunhloli wona wakwenza kwaba ukwephula umthetho ukumelana nokubuthelwa emsebenzini wezempi. Kungakabiphi, izitha zeqiniso zasebenzisa lo mthetho ukuze ‘zibiyele inkathazo ngesinqumo somthetho’ kubakhulekeli bakaJehova abathanda ukuthula.—IHu. 94:20.

Izinxushunxushu ezweni elikhungethwe yimpi azibamangazanga abaFundi BeBhayibheli. Kwase kungamashumi eminyaka  bebonisa abantu iziprofetho zeBhayibheli ezazizibikezele lezo zimo. Nokho, iningi lamangazwa ukungavumelani okwaqubuka ngokushesha phakathi kwabantu bakaJehova.

E-United States, izinkinga zaqala ngemva nje kokufa kukaCharles Taze Russell. Inkinga yayiwukuthi wawusuzoqondiswa kanjani umsebenzi wezinceku zikaJehova. Ngo-1884, uMfoweth’ uRussell wayemise inhlangano i-Zion’s Watch Tower Tract Society futhi wakhonza njengomongameli wayo kwaze kwaba sekufeni kwakhe ngo-October 1916. Lapho uJoseph F. Rutherford eqala ukuthatha izintambo, kwaba namadoda athile aqavile enhlanganweni abonisa umoya wokuvelela, amane kuwo ayengamalungu ebhodi yabaqondisi.

La madoda amane, kanye namanye, ayengayithandi indlela kaMfoweth’ uRutherford yokuqondisa. Olunye udaba lwaluphathelene nomsebenzi kaPaul S. L. Johnson, owayeyi-pilgrim noma umbonisi ojikelezayo.

Ngaphambi nje kokufa kwakhe, uMfoweth’ uRussell wayehlele ukuthumela uJohnson eNgilandi njengomunye wabameleli benhlangano abajikelezayo. ENgilandi, uJohnson kwakufanele ashumayele izindaba ezinhle, avakashele amabandla bese ebika ngomsebenzi waleyo nsimu. Lapho efika khona ngo-November 1916, abazalwane baseNgilandi bamamukela ngemfudumalo. Ngokudabukisayo, ukumncoma kwabo kwamkhukhumeza, wacabanga ukuthi uyena okufanele athathe izintambo ngemva kukaMfoweth’ uRussell.

Engagunyazwanga, uJohnson waxosha amalungu athile omkhaya waseBethel eNgilandi ayemelene naye. Waphinde wazama ukulawula i-akhawunti yasebhange yenhlangano eLondon, okwenza uMfoweth’ uRutherford wamyala ukuba abuyele e-United States.

UJohnson wabuyela eBrooklyn kodwa kunokwamukela isiyalo ngokuthobeka, wazama kaningi ukunxenxa uMfoweth’ uRutherford ukuba amvumele abuyele eNgilandi ayoqhubeka nomsebenzi wakhe. Ebona ukuthi uyahluleka, uJohnson wazama  ukuthonya ibhodi yabaqondisi, amalungu amane ayo amsekela.

Ebona ukuthi la madoda ayezozama ukushaqa imali yenhlangano e-United States, njengoba uJohnson ayezame ukwenza eNgilandi, uMfoweth’ uRutherford wathatha izinyathelo zokuwakhipha ebhodini yabaqondisi. Umthetho wawuthi unyaka ngamunye kumelwe amalungu enhlangano akhethe ababezoba amalungu ebhodi yabaqondisi. Nokho, emhlanganweni wenhlangano waminyaka yonke owawungo-January 6, 1917, kwakhethwa amalungu amathathu kuphela ebhodi, uJoseph F. Rutherford, u-Andrew N. Pierson, noWilliam E. Van Amburgh. Bathatha isikhundla sikamongameli, esesekela likamongameli nesomgcini-zimali ongunobhala wenhlangano. Abazange bakhethwe ababezogcwalisa lezi ezinye izihlalo ezine zamalungu ebhodi yabaqondisi. Abanye babenombono wokuthi amadoda amane ayekade ekulezo zikhundla, lawo ayengabaphikisi, ayezoqhubeka ekuzo ukuphila kwawo konke. Nokho, ngenxa yokuthi ayengakhethwanga emhlanganweni waminyaka yonke, ayengasewona amalungu angokomthetho ebhodi yabaqondisi! Ngakho, ngo-July 1917, uMfoweth’ uRutherford wasebenzisa igunya lakhe elingokomthetho ukuze akhethe amadoda amane athembekile ayezongena kulezo zihlalo ezine zebhodi yabaqondisi.

Njengoba kungalindelwa, abaqondisi abane ababekhishiwe ezikhundleni babethukuthele bengqangqa futhi baqala umkhankaso wokubuyela ezikhundleni zabo. Abaphumelelanga. Nakuba abanye abaFundi BeBhayibheli babasekela futhi bahlangana benza ezinye izinhlangano, iningi labaFundi BeBhayibheli lahlala lithembekile futhi lawo madoda amane awaphindanga azithola izikhundla ebhodini yabaqondisi.

Phakathi naleso sikhathi, uMfoweth’ uRutherford nabanye abafowethu abathembekile baseBethel baqhubeka besebenza ukuze kuthuthukiswe izithakazelo zoMbuso. Inani lababonisi abajikelezayo, ababaziwa ngama-pilgrim, landiswa lasuka ku-69 laya ku-93. Inani lama-colporteur noma amaphayona  avamile, nalo landa lasuka ku-372 laya ku-461. Ngaphezu kwalokho, kwamiswa nama-colporteur akhethekile, ayekhonza ngendlela efana neyamaphayona asizayo anamuhla. Kwamanye amabandla zazingu-100 lezo zisebenzi ezikhuthele.

Ngo-July 17, 1917, kwakhululwa incwadi ethi, The Finished Mystery. Kwathi kuphela lowo nyaka, ayesehanjiswe wonke amakhophi ayenyathelisiwe, kwabe sekufakwa i-oda lezinye izincwadi ezingu-850 000 efemini eyayisinyathelisela izincwadi. *

Ukuhlelwa kabusha komsebenzi waseBethel okwakuqalwe uMfoweth’ uRussell ngo-1916 kwaphothulwa ngo-1917. Ngo-December walowo nyaka, INqabayokulinda yabika: “Ukuhlelwa kweHhovisi . . . kuphelile futhi manje selisebenza ngokuhleleka njenganoma iyiphi inhlangano ehlelwe kahle . . . Amalungu asebenza eHhovisi ayaqaphela ukuthi ukusebenza kwawo kulo kuyilungelo akuyona into angayifuna ngenkani.”

Ngo-September 1917, INqabayokulinda yathi: “Kusukela ngo-January 1, kuye kwaba nokwanda inyanga ngayinye [ezincwadini ezihanjisiwe] uma kuqhathaniswa nenyanga efanayo yangonyaka ka-1916 . . . Kithi lokhu kuwubufakazi obuqinile bokuthi isibusiso seNkosi besilokhu siphezu komsebenzi owenziwa la eBrooklyn.”

Abaphikisi base besusiwe enhlanganweni futhi imiphumela yenhlolo-vo eyenziwa emabandleni eyanyatheliswa kuyi-Nqabayokulinda, yabonisa ukuthi iningi labafowethu lalisekela uMfoweth’ uRutherford namadoda athembekile ayeseBethel. Kodwa ukuvivinywa kwala madoda kwakungakapheli. Nakuba unyaka ka-1918 waqala kahle, wawuzomelela ihora lobumnyama obukhulu enkathini yethu yomlando wabantu bakaNkulunkulu.