Leso sivumelwano samisa nenhlangano entsha ebizwa ngokuthi iNhlangano Yezizwe. Injongo yayo “kwakuwukuthuthukisa ukubambisana kwezizwe zomhlaba ukuze kube nokuthula nokulondeka emhlabeni.” Izinkolo eziningi zeLobukholwa zayisekela le nhlangano. I-Federal Council of the Churches of Christ eMelika yayincoma yayibiza ngokuthi “uMbuso kaNkulunkulu osemhlabeni.” Lo mkhandlu wabonisa ukuthi uyayisekela le Nhlangano ngokuthumela amalungu ayo ku-Paris Peace Conference. Elinye ilungu lalo mkhandlu lathi i-Paris Peace Conference “iletha inkathi entsha emlandweni womhlaba.”

Impela kwakuqala inkathi entsha, kodwa yayingalethwa amadoda ayekuleyo nkomfa yokwenza ukuthula. Ngo-1919 kwaqala inkathi entsha emsebenzini wokushumayela lapho uJehova enika abantu bakhe amandla okushumayela kakhulu kunanini ngaphambili. Kodwa kwakusadingeka kube noshintsho oluthile kubaFundi BeBhayibheli.

Ukhetho lwaminyaka yonke lwabaqondisi be-Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society lwaluhlelelwe uMgqibelo, Januwari 4, 1919. Ngaleso sikhathi, uJoseph F. Rutherford owayengumongameli wabantu bakaNkulunkulu, wayevalelwe ejele e-Atlanta, eGeorgia, e-U.S.A., kanye nabanye abayisikhombisa. Umbuzo wawungukuthi, Ingabe kwakumelwe kuphinde kukhethwe labo bazalwane ababeboshiwe? Noma ingabe kwakufanele kukhethwe abanye?

Esesitokisini, uMfoweth’ uRutherford wayekhathazeke ngekusasa lenhlangano. Wayazi ukuthi abazalwane abathile babenomuzwa wokuthi kungangcono kukhethwe omunye abe umongameli. Ngenxa yalokho, wabhala incwadi etusa ukuba kukhethwe u-Evander J. Coward njengomongameli. URutherford wachaza uCoward njengomuntu “ozolile,” “oqaphile” “nothembekile eNkosini.” Nokho, abazalwane abaningi bathi aluhlehliswe ukhetho ngezinyanga eziyisithupha. Ithimba labameli elalimelele abazalwane ababeboshiwe lavuma. Njengoba ingxoxo iqhubeka, abanye abazalwane baphatheka kabi kakhulu.

 Kwabe sekwenzeka okuthile uRichard H. Barber kamuva akuchaza ngokuthi ‘ukuthotshwa kwamanxeba.’ Omunye wabazalwane owayelapho wabe esethi: “Angiyena ummeli, kodwa kukhona engikwaziyo ngokuba qotho. UNkulunkulu ufuna sibe qotho. Ngakho, indlela engcono kakhulu yokubonisa ukuthi siqotho kuNkulunkulu ukuthi sibe nokhetho bese siphinde sikhetha uMfoweth’ uRutherford njengomongameli.”—IHu. 18:25.

U-A. H. Macmillan naye owayeboshiwe, kamuva wachaza ukuthi ngakusasa uMfoweth’ uRutherford wangqongqoza odongeni lwesitokisi ayekuso wathi, “Khipha isandla sakho.” UMfoweth’ uRutherford wabe esemnika incwadi eyayithunyelwe ngomshini. UMacmillan wabona umyalezo omfushane futhi ngokushesha waqonda ukuthi wawusho ukuthini. Umyalezo wawuthi: “RUTHERFORD WISE VAN BARBER ANDERSON BULLY AND SPILL DIRECTOR FIRST THREE OFFICERS LOVE TO ALL.” Lokhu kwakusho ukuthi bonke abaqondisi babephinde bakhethwa nokuthi uJoseph Rutherford noWilliam Van Amburgh babezoqhubeka nomsebenzi ababewenza. Ngakho uMfoweth’ uRutherford wayezoqhubeka engumongameli.

Ngesikhathi abazalwane abangu-8 besejele, abaFundi BeBhayibheli abathembekile bacela abantu ukuba basayine isicelo esasiya kuhulumeni sokuba abafowethu badedelwe. Labo bazalwane nodade abanesibindi basayinisa abantu abangaphezu kuka-700 000. NgoLwesithathu, ngoMeyi 26, 1919, ngaphambi kokuba isicelo sithunyelwe, uMfoweth’ uRutherford nabanye abazalwane abaholayo badedelwa ejele.

Ekhuluma nalabo ababezomamukela, uMfoweth’ uRutherford wathi: “Ngiyaqiniseka ukuthi lezi zinto ezenzekile zimane nje zisilungiselela izikhathi ezinzima eziseza. . . . Beningalweli ukudedelwa kwabafowenu ejele. Lokho bekuyinto nje eseceleni. . . . Benilwela ukufakazela iQiniso futhi labo abaye balwa kule mpi bathole isibusiso esihle kakhulu.”

Izinto ezenzeka ngesikhathi kuqulwa icala labafowethu zibonisa ukuthi nguJehova owayeqondisa izinto. NgoMeyi 14, 1919, inkantolo okudluliselwa kuyo amacala yakhipha lesi sinqumo: “Abamangalelwa kuleli cala abaphathwanga . . . ngendlela enobulungisa ngokuvumelana namalungelo abo, ngenxa yalokho isinqumo esakhishwa siyahoxiswa.” Abazalwane babemangalelwe ngezenzo ezimbi kakhulu zobugebengu futhi amagama abo ayeyohlala emabi ukube babemane nje baxolelwa noma kwancishiswa isigwebo sabo. Awekho amanye amacala abamangalelwa ngawo. Ngenxa yalokho, uJudge Rutherford akazange aphucwe iziqu zomthetho, okwabangela ukuba akwazi ukumelela abantu bakaJehova eNkantolo Ephakeme Yase-United States, okuyinto ayenza kaningi ngemva kokudedelwa kwakhe.

UMfoweth’ uMacmillan uyakhumbula: “Sasingeke sihlale nje singenzi lutho sithi silinde iNkosi  ukuba isithathe siye ezulwini. Saqaphela ukuthi kudingeka senze okuthile ukuze sithole ukuthi iyini ngempela intando yeNkosi.”

Kodwa abazalwane endlunkulu babengeke bakwazi ukuvele baqhubeke nomsebenzi okwase kuyiminyaka bewenza. Kungani? Yingoba ngesikhathi beboshiwe, zonke izinto okwakunyatheliswa ngazo izincwadi zazicekelwe phansi. Lokhu kwakudumaza futhi abanye abazalwane babenomuzwa wokuthi umsebenzi wokushumayela usuphelile.

Babesekhona yini abantu ababesafisa ukuzwa izindaba zoMbuso ezazishunyayelwa abaFundi BeBhayibheli? Ukuze kuphenduleke lowo mbuzo, uMfoweth’ uRutherford wanquma ukunikeza inkulumo. Kwamenywa bonke abantu ukuba babe khona. UMfoweth’ uMacmillan wathi: “Ukube akufikanga muntu kulowo mhlangano, kwakuyosho ukuthi umsebenzi wokushumayela usuphelile.”

Inkulumo yaba ngeSonto, ngoMeyi 4, 1919, futhi naphezu kokugula kakhulu, uMfoweth’ uRutherford wanikeza inkulumo ethi “Ithemba Ngesintu Esicindezelekile” eLos Angeles, eCalifornia. Kwaba khona abangu-3 500 futhi abaningi bajikiswa ngoba ingasekho indawo. Ngosuku olulandelayo, kwaphinde kwaba khona abangu-1 500. Kwabakhanyela abafowethu ukuthi abantu babesafisa ukuzizwa izindaba ezinhle!

Lokho abafowethu abakwenza ngokulandelayo kwaba isendlalela somsebenzi wokushumayela woFakazi BakaJehova kuze kube namuhla.

INqabayokulinda ka-Agasti 1, 1919 yathi ngasekuqaleni kukaSepthemba kuzoba nomhlangano eCedar Point, e-Ohio. UClarence B. Beaty, umFundi WeBhayibheli osemusha eMissouri wathi, “Bonke abantu babefuna ukuya kulowo mhlangano.” Kwaba khona abafowethu nodade abangaphezu  kuka-6 000, inani elalingaphezulu kakhulu kwalokho ababekulindele. Ngaphezu kwenjabulo abayithola ngokuba kulo mhlangano, kwabhapathizwa abangaphezu kuka-200 eChibini eliseduze okuthiwa yi-Erie.

NgoSepthemba 5, 1919, usuku lwesihlanu lomhlangano, enkulumweni yakhe eyayinesihloko esithi “Inkulumo Yezisebenzi,” uMfoweth’ uRutherford wamemezela ukukhululwa kukamagazini omusha onesihloko esithi The Golden Age. * Wawuzoba ‘nezindaba ezibalulekile zakamuva, unikeze izizathu ezingokomBhalo zezenzakalo ezinkulu ezazenzeka.’

Bonke abaFundi BeBhayibheli bakhuthazwa ukuba basebenzise lo magazini ukuze bashumayele ngesibindi. Incwadi eyayichaza indlela umsebenzi okwakufanelwe uhlelwe ngayo yathi: “Umuntu ngamunye obhapathiziwe makakhumbule ukuthi kuyilungelo elikhulu ukukhonza, ukubamba iqhaza manje nokuba nengxenye ekunikezeni abantu ubufakazi.” Ukusabela kwabafowethu kwaba kuhle kakhulu! NgawoDisemba, abamemezeli abashisekayo boMbuso base bethole imizila yalo magazini omusha engaphezu kuka-50 000.

Ngasekupheleni kuka-1919, abantu bakaJehova base behlelwe kabusha futhi belungele ukusebenza. Ngaphezu kwalokho, iziprofetho eziningana eziyinhloko ezihlobene nezinsuku zokugcina zase zigcwalisekile. Ukuvivinywa nokucwengwa kwabantu bakaNkulunkulu, okwabikezelwa kuMalaki 3:1-4, kwase kufezekile. Abantu bakaJehova base bekhululiwe ekuthunjweni “iBhabhiloni Elikhulu” okungokomfanekiso futhi uJesu wayeseyimisile “inceku ethembekileyo neqondayo.” * (IsAm. 18:2, 4; Math. 24:45) Manje abaFundi BeBhayibheli base bewulungele umsebenzi uJehova ayefuna bawenze.