INqabayokulinda kaJanuwari 1, 1918, yaqala ngamazwi athi: “Usiphatheleni unyaka ka-1918?” Impi Yezwe I yayiqhubeka eYurophu, kodwa izinto ezazenzeke ngaphambilini kulowo nyaka zazibonisa ukuthi kuzokwenzeka izinto ezinhle kubaFundi BeBhayibheli nasemhlabeni jikelele.

NgoJanuwari 8, 1918, uMongameli uWoodrow Wilson, ethula inkulumo yakhe phambi kwe-U.S. Congress, wakhuluma ngezinto ezingu-14 ayenomuzwa wokuthi zazibalulekile ukuze kube “nokuthula nobulungisa.” Wathi amazwe kumelwe axoxe ngokukhululekile, kuncishiswe izikhali, futhi kwenziwe “umfelandawonye wezizwe” owawuzozuzisa “amazwe amakhulu namancane ngendlela efanayo.” La “Maphuzu angu-14” kamuva ayezosetshenziswa lapho kusungulwa iNhlangano Yezizwe nalapho kuvunyelwana nge-Treaty of Versailles okwabe sekuqeda iMpi Yezwe I.

Naphezu kwezinxushunxushu zangonyaka odlule, * ukuthula kwakubonakala kusondela kubaFundi BeBhayibheli njengoba kuboniswa izinto ezenzeka emhlanganweni waminyaka yonke wezebhizinisi weWatch Tower Bible and Tract Society.

Kulo mhlangano, owawungoJanuwari 5, 1918, amadoda amaningana avelele ayexoshwe eBethel, azama ukulawula inhlangano. URichard Barber, umbonisi ojikelezayo othembekile, wavula umhlangano ngomthandazo. Ngemva kokwethulwa kombiko womsebenzi wonyaka odlule, kwabe sekwenziwa inqubo yaminyaka yonke yokukhetha abaqondisi. UMfoweth’ uBarber wakhetha uJoseph Rutherford kanye nabanye abazalwane abayisithupha. Kwabe sekuthi ummeli owayesekela abaphikisi wakhetha amadoda ahlukile ayisikhombisa kuhlanganise nalawo ayexoshiwe eBethel. Abazange baphumelele. Abaningi ababelapho bakhetha uMfoweth’ uRutherford kanye nabanye abazalwane abayisithupha abathembekile ukuba babe abaqondisi.

Abazalwane abaningi ababelapho babiza lo mhlangano ngokuthi “umhlangano obusiseke kunayo yonke abake baya kuyo.” Kodwa injabulo yabo yasheshe yaphela.

Kwase kuphele izinyanga eziningana abaFundi BeBhayibheli besakaza incwadi ethi The Finished Mystery. Abafundi abanhliziyo ziqotho bawamukela amaqiniso eBhayibheli akule ncwadi.

U-E. F. Crist, owayengumbonisi ojikelezayo eCanada, waxoxa ngendoda nomkayo ababeyifunde yonke incwadi ethi The Finished Mystery, bamukela iqiniso ngamasonto amahlanu nje kuphela! Wathi: “Le ndoda nomkayo bazinikele ngokuphelele futhi bathuthuka kahle kakhulu.”

Enye indoda eyathola le ncwadi, yayibonisa abangane bayo ngokushesha. Yakhangwa umyalezo wayo. Iyalandisa: “Ngangihamba ngomgwaqo i-Third Avenue ngabe sengishaywa emahlombe yinto engangicabanga ukuthi yisitini kodwa ngathi uma ngibheka kahle ngabona ukuthi incwadi ethi ‘The Finished Mystery.’ Ngayithatha ngayo nayo ekhaya ngafike ngayifunda yonke. . . . Ngezwa ukuthi  umshumayeli . . . owajikijela le ncwadi wayikhipha ngewindi ethukuthele . . . Ngikholelwa ngokuqinile ukuthi ngaleso senzo sakhe waguqula abantu abaningi wabanika ithemba kunanoma yini enye ake ayenza. Ngenxa yentukuthelo yalo mshumayeli manje sidumisa uNkulunkulu.”

Indlela lo mshumayeli enza ngayo yayivamile. Iziphathimandla zaseCanada zayivala le ncwadi kusukela ngoFebhuwari 12, 1918, zithi iqukethe imfundiso eyenza abantu bavukele umbuso futhi bamelane nempi. Ngokushesha ngemva kwalokho, iziphathimandla zase-United States zenza okufanayo. Izisebenzi zikaHulumeni zasesha iBethel namahhovisi eNew York, ePennsylvania naseCalifornia, zifuna ubufakazi obumelene namalungu aholayo enhlangano. NgoMashi 14, 1918, uMnyango Wezobulungisa wase-United States wayivala incwadi ethi The Finished Mystery, ngelithi ukunyatheliswa nokusakazwa kwale ncwadi kunqanda imizamo yempi, okuwukwephulwa komthetho i-Espionage Act.

NgoMeyi 7, 1918, uMnyango Wezobulungisa wathola imvume yokubopha uGiovanni DeCecca, uGeorge Fisher, u-Alexander Macmillan, uRobert Martin, uFrederick Robison, uJoseph Rutherford, uWilliam Van Amburgh kanye noClayton Woodworth. Babesolwa ngokwenqaba ngamabomu ukuhlanganyela ebuthweni lase-United States. Ukuqulwa kwecala labo kwaqala ngoJuni 3, 1918 kodwa kwakwaziwa ukuthi bazoboshwa nakanjani. Kungani?

Ummeli-jikelele wase-United States wabiza umthetho ababesolwa ngokuwuphula, i-Espionage Act, ngokuthi “yisikhali esiphumelelayo sokulwisana nemibiko engamanga.” NgoMeyi 16, 1918 i-Congress yakwenqaba ukuthuthukiswa komthetho okwakuyovikela labo abanyathelise “okuyiqiniso, benezisusa ezinhle nezizathu ezizwakalayo.” I-Finished Mystery yayivela kaningi ezimpikiswaneni zabo. Ngokuphathelene nayo, i-United States Congress yathi: “Esinye sezibonelo eziyingozi kakhulu zalolu hlobo lolwazi oludukisayo yincwadi ebizwa ngokuthi ‘The Finished Mystery’ . . . Ukuphela kwenjongo yayo ukwenza amasosha angakuboni ukubaluleka kwalokhu esikumelelayo nokukhuthaza . . . abantu ukuba benqabe ukubuthelwa empini.”

NgoJuni 20, 1918, isigungu esinqumayo sathola laba bazalwane abangu-8 benecala kuwo wonke amacala ababethweswe wona. Ngosuku olulandelayo ijaji lakhipha isigwebo. Lathi: “Amanga enkolo okuyinto laba basolwa abayifundisayo nabayisakazayo . . . ayingozi kakhulu ukudlula iButho LaseJalimane. . . . Kumelwe bathole isigwebo esiqinile.” Ngemva kwamasonto amabili, laba bazalwane abangu-8 bangena eFederal Penitentiary e-Atlanta, eGeorgia, begwetshwe iminyaka ephakathi kuka-10 kuya kwengu-20.

Phakathi naleso sikhathi, abaFundi BeBhayibheli babephikiswa kakhulu. I-Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) yawucwaninga ngokucophelela umsebenzi  wabo, yabhala izinkulungwane zamadokhumenti. Lokhu kubonisa ukuthi abafowethu babezimisele ukuqhubeka beshumayela.

Encwadini eya kuyi-FBI, isikhulu seposi e-Orlando, eFlorida, sabhala: “[AbaFundi BeBhayibheli] bangena imizi nemizi edolobheni lethu futhi lokhu bakwenza ebusuku. . . . Kubonakala sengathi bazimisele ukuqhubeka beshumayela yize bephikiswa.”

Umkhuzi webutho eMnyangweni Wezempi wabhalela i-FBI ebika umsebenzi kaFrederick W. Franz, kamuva owakhonza njengelungu leNdikimba Ebusayo. Lo mkhuzi webutho wabhala: “U-F. W. Franz . . . ubelokhu edayisa izinkulungwane zemiqulu ethi ‘Finished Mystery’.”

UCharles Fekel, kamuva owakhonza njengelungu leNdikimba Ebusayo, wabhekana noshushiso olunzima. Amaphoyisa ambopha ngenxa yokusakaza i-Finished Mystery, ngemva kwalokho amqapha ngeso lokhozi. Wavalelwa ejele laseBaltimore, eMaryland, inyanga eyodwa, wabizwa ngokuthi “yisitha se-Austria.” Njengoba ngesibindi eshumayeza labo ababemphonsa imibuzo, wakhumbula amazwi kaPawulu akweyoku-1 Korinte 9:16, ethi: “Maye kimi uma ngingazimemezelanga izindaba ezinhle!” *

Ngaphezu kokushumayela kwabo ngentshiseko, abaFundi BeBhayibheli basakaza isikhalazo sokuba kukhululwe abazalwane abavalelwe ejele e-Atlanta. U-Anna K. Gardner uyakhumbula: “Kwakuhlale kunokuthile esikwenzayo. Lapho abazalwane besejele, umsebenzi wethu kwakuwukuthola abantu abazosayina isikhalazo sethu. Sasingena indlu ngendlu. Sathola izinkulungwane zamasignesha! Satshela abantu esasikhuluma nabo ukuthi la madoda angamaKristu eqiniso nokuthi aboshwe ngendlela engenabulungisa.”

Phakathi nezikhathi ezinzima, kwakuhlale kuba nemihlangano eyayenzelwa ukuqinisa ukholo lwabazalwane. INqabayokulinda yathi: “Kuye kwaba nemihlangano engaphezu kwengu-40 . . . phakathi nonyaka . . . Siye sathola imibiko emihle evela kuyo yonke le mihlangano. Ngaphambili yonke imihlangano beyenziwa ngasekupheleni kwehlobo noma ekuqaleni kwekwindla, kodwa manje inyanga ngayinye onyakeni iba nemihlangano.”

Abantu abanezinhliziyo eziqotho bayaqhubeka belalela izindaba ezinhle. Komunye umhlangano eCleveland, e-Ohio, kwakunabantu abangu-1 200 futhi kwabhapathizwa abangu-42 kuhlanganise nomfana omncane “othanda uNkulunkulu futhi okwazi ukugxilisa ingqondo ukudlula abantu abadala abaningi.”

Njengoba u-1918 ayesondela, abaFundi BeBhayibheli babengaqiniseki ukuthi kuzokwenzekani. Ezinye zezakhiwo zabo eBrooklyn zazidayisiwe futhi indlunkulu yathuthelwa ePittsburgh, ePennsylvania. Ngesikhathi labo abaholayo bebhadla ejele, omunye umhlangano waminyaka yonke wahlelelwa umhla ka-4 Januwari 1919. Kwakuzokwenzekani?

Abafowethu baqhubeka beshumayela. Babeqiniseka ngomphumela kangangokuthi bakhetha lo mBhalo wonyaka: “Noma isiphi isikhali esiyokwakhiwa ngokumelene nawe ngeke siphumelele.” (Isaya 54:17) Manje babelindele ushintsho olwaluzoqinisa ukholo lwabo lubanike amandla okwenza umsebenzi omkhulu owawuphambi kwabo.