1920—Kwiminyaka Elikhulu Eyadlulayo
EKUQALENI kuka-1920, abantu bakaYehova babekhangele phambili kumsebenzi ababeza kuwenza. Umxholo waloo nyaka wawusithi, “Iqhayiya lam nengoma yam nguYehova.”—INdu. 118:14, IBhayibhile YesiXhosa ka-1996.
UYehova wabomeleza aba bashumayeli bakhutheleyo. Ngaloo nyaka, iicolporteurs, okanye oovulindlela ababeyi-225 baba yi-350. Abavakalisi abangaphezu kwe-8 000, babeqala ukufaka ingxelo yabo kwikomkhulu. UYehova wabasikelela kuba bafumana abantu abaninzi ababenomdla.
BABEKHUTHELE KAKHULU
NgoMatshi 21, 1920, uJoseph F. Rutherford, owayekhokela aBafundi BeBhayibhile ngelo xesha, wanikela intetho enomxholo othi, “Izigidi Eziphilayo Ngoku Azisayi Kuze Zife!” ABafundi BeBhayibhile benza zonke izinto ababenokuzenza ukuze bameme abantu abanomdla. Baqesha enye yezona holo zinkulu eNew York City, baza bahambisa izimemo ezimalunga ne-320 000.
Kwiphephandaba kuthethwa ngentetho eyayinomxholo othi “Izigidi Eziphilayo Ngoku Azisayi Kuze Zife”
Kweza abantu abaninzi kunokuba bekulindelwe. Iholo yayigcwele qhu ngabantu abangaphezu kwe-5 000 kangangokuba kwade kwafuneka kujikwe abantu abangaphezu kwe-7 000. IMboniselo yathi, “le yeyona ntlanganiso yakha yankulu ngaphezu kwazo zonke abakhe banazo aBafundi BeBhayibhile, ibe yayithuthuzela nyhani.”
ABafundi BeBhayibhile baduma ngokuba ngabavakalisi ‘bezigidi zabantu ezingasayi kuze zife.’ Ngelo xesha, babengazi ukuba umyalezo woBukumkani kwakufuneka ushunyayelwe kwiindawo ezininzi. Nakuba kunjalo, yayimangalisa indlela ababekhuthele ngayo kulo msebenzi. UIda Olmstead, owaqala ukuya kwiintlanganiso ngo-1902 uthi, “Sasisazi ukuba bonke abantu bagcinelwe iintsikelelo ezininzi, ngoko asizange siyeke ukuxelela abantu ezi ndaba zilungileyo.”
SAZIPRINTELA IINCWADI ZETHU
Abazalwana baseBheteli baziprintela iincwadi ukuze baqiniseke ukuba ukutya okuvela kuThixo kuhlala kukho. Bathenga umatshini baza bawufaka kwisakhiwo esasirentwa esikufutshane neBheteli e-35 Myrtle Avenue, eBrooklyn, eNew York.
ULeo Pelle noWalter Kessler baqala ukusebenza eBheteli ngoJanuwari 1920. UWalter uthi: “Ukufika kwethu, umveleli wesebe lokuprinta wasijonga, wathi, ‘Sebenzani, kushiyeke iyure nemizuzu eyi-30 ngaphambi kokuba kuyiwe kwisidlo sasemini.’ Wathi masiye kuthatha iibhokisi zeencwadi kwigumbi elingaphantsi.”
Ethetha ngento eyenzeka kusuku olulandelayo, uLeo uthi: “Umsebenzi wethu yayikukuhlamba iindonga kumgangatho wokuqala. Zange ndingcole ngolwa hlobo oko ndasebenza. Kodwa sasisebenzela iNkosi, yiloo nto eyayibalulekile kuthi.”
Umatshini eyayiprintwa ngawo iMboniselo
Kwiiveki nje ezimbalwa, iMboniselo yayisele iprintwa ngabazalwana abakhutheleyo. Kumatshini okumgangatho wesibini kwaprintwa iiMboniselo zikaFebruwari 1, 1920, eziyi-60 000. Ngelo xesha, kwigumbi elingaphantsi abazalwana babefaka umatshini wokuprinta ababewuthiye igama elithi Battleship. Kwaqalwa ngokuprinta iThe Golden Age ka-Aprili 14, 1920. Ngokuqinisekileyo, uYehova wabasikelela aba bazalwana bakhutheleyo.
“Sasisebenzela iNkosi, yiloo nto eyayibalulekile kuthi”
“MASIHLALE NGOXOLO”
Abantu bakaYehova baphinda bamanyana baza bakhuthala nakumsebenzi wokushumayela. Kodwa ngexesha ababevavanywa ngalo, ngo-1917 ukuya ku-1919, abanye aBafundi BeBhayibhile bayishiya intlangano. Babeza kuncedwa njani?
IMboniselo ka-Aprili 1, 1920, yayinenqaku elithi “Masihlale Ngoxolo.” Yathi: “Siqinisekile . . . ukuba wonke umntu onomoya weNkosi . . . uyafuna ukulibala izinto ezidlulileyo, . . . ukuze senze umsebenzi kaThixo simanyene.”
La mazwi akhuthaza abazalwana noodade abaninzi. Omnye umzalwana nenkosikazi yakhe babhala bathi: “Sibonile ukuba iphosakele into esiyenze kule minyaka idlulileyo yokuhlala singashumayeli ngoxa abanye babeshumayela. . . . Sizixelele ukuba loo nto soze iphinde yenzeke.” Aba basebenzi bakhuthaziweyo, babejongwe ngumsebenzi omninzi.
KUSASAZWA I-“ZG”
NgoJuni 21, 1920, aBafundi BeBhayibhile baba kwiphulo lokusasaza i-“ZG,” uhlelo olunoqweqwe oluthambileyo lwe-The Finished Mystery. * Ezi ncwadi zazishiyeke zaninzi xa urhulumente wathi maziyekwe ukusasazwa ngo-1918.
Yayingezocolporteurs, okanye oovulindlela bodwa ababehambisa le ncwadi, yayingabo bonke abavakalisi. “Bonke abavakalisi ababhaptiziweyo kuwo onke amabandla bamele bawenze lo msebenzi bevuya, bangaziva benyanzelekile. Umvakalisi makazixelele le nto: ‘Ndenza le nto inye—ndihambisa i-ZG.” UEdmund Hooper uthi xa kwakuhanjiswa le ncwadi, abaninzi babeqala ukushumayela kangaka kwindlu ngendlu. Uphinda athi, “Saqala ngelo xesha ukubona ukuba lo msebenzi wawuza kukhula ngendlela esingazange syicinge.”
KULUNGISELELWA UKUBA KUPHINDE KUSETYENZWE EYUROPHU
Kuba kwakunzima ukuthetha naBafundi BeBhayibhile abakwamanye amazwe ngenxa yeMfazwe Yehlabathi I, uMzalwan’ uRutherford wayefuna ukubakhuthaza ukuze baphinde baqhubeke nomsebenzi wokushumayela. Ngoko ngoAgasti 12, 1920, yena nabanye abazalwana baya eBritani nakwamanye amazwe amaninzi.
UMzalwan’ uRutherford e-Egypt
Xa wayeseBritani, aBafundi BeBhayibhile baya kwiindibano ezintathu baza bamamela iintetho zesidlangalala eziyi-12. Kuqikelelwa ukuba xa bebonke abantu ababelapho babeyi-50 000. Xa yayithetha ngolu hambo IMboniselo yathi: “Abazalwana noodade babemanyene, besebenza kunye kwaye babevuya nyhani.” NaseParis, uMzalwan’ uRutherford wanikela intetho ethi “Izigidi Eziphilayo Ngoku Azisayi Kuze Zife.” Yathi iqala intetho, yabe iholo igcwele qhu. Abantu abayi-300 baba nomdla wokufundiswa nezinye izinto.
Ibhodi eyayibonisa intetho eyayiza kuba seRoyal Albert Hall, eLondon
Kwiiveki ezilandelayo, uMzalwan’ uRutherford nabazalwana awayehamba nabo baya eAthens, eCairo naseJerusalem. Ukuze kufundiswe abantu abaninzi ababenomdla kwezo ndawo, uMzalwan’ uRutherford walungiselela ukuba kubekho indawo yokothula iincwadi eRamallah, kufutshane naseJerusalem. Emva koko wabuyela eYurophu waza walungiselela ukuba kubekho iofisi ekuza kuprintwa kuyo iincwadi.
KUTYHILWA INYANISO NGOKUNGABIKHO KOBULUNGISA
NgoSeptemba 1920 aBafundi BeBhayibhile bakhulula u-No. 27 weThe Golden Age, owayechaza indlela ababetshutshiswa ngayo aBafundi BeBhayibhile ngo-1918. Umatshini wokuprinta iBattleship, ebekuthethwe ngawo kwiziqendu ezidlulileyo nowawusebenza imini nobusuku, waprinta iimagazini eziyi-4 miliyon.
Ifoto esemapoliseni kaEmma Martin
Abantu ababefunda le magazini bafunda ngetyala likaEmma Martin. Lo dade wayeyicolporteur eSan Bernardino, eKhalifoniya. NgoMatshi 17, 1918, wahamba nabazalwana abathathu, uE. Hamm, uE. J. Sonnenburg, noE. A. Stevens, baya kwiintlanganiso zaBafundi BeBhayibhile.
Omnye wabantu ababekuloo ntlanganiso wayengayelanga ukufunda iBhayibhile. Le ndoda yathi: “Ndandithunywe yiofisi yomtshutshisi ukuba ndiye kukhangela ubungqina.” Yabufumana ke obo bungqina yayibufuna, incwadi ethi The Finished Mystery. Kwiintsuku ezimbalwa emva koko, uDade Martin nabazalwana abathathu awayehamba nabo bavalelwa etrongweni. Babekwa isityholo sokuba bophule umthetho banika abantu incwadi athe urhulumente mayingahanjiswa.
UEmma naba bazalwana bathathu bafunyaniswa benetyala baza bagwetywa iminyaka emithathu etrongweni. Babhena kaninzi, kodwa amathuba abo okubhena aphela ngoMeyi 17, 1920, ngoko bathunyelwa etrongweni. Kodwa kungabanga xesha lide emva koko, izinto zatshintsha.
NgoJuni 20, 1920, uMzalwan’ uRutherford wabalisa ngale nto kwindibano eyayiseSan Francisco. Abantu ababekuloo ndibano bothuswa yindlela la maKristu awaphathwa ngayo kangangokuba bavuma ukuba kuthunyelwe ithelegram kumongameli waseUnited States. Le thelegram yayisithi: “Ukubanjwa . . . kukaDade Martin . . . kusithiwa wophule umthetho ayibobulungisa . . . Abezomthetho basebenzise kakubi igunya labo . . . ukuze abanjwe . . . uDade Martin . . . baza bamtyhola ngento engekhoyo ukuze avalelwe etrongweni, sithi . . . yinkohlakalo leyo.”
Ngosuku olulandelayo, uMongameli uWoodrow Wilson wasiphelisa isigwebo sikaDade Martin, uMzalwan’ uHamm, uSonnenburg noStevens. Bakhululwa etrongweni.
Ekupheleni kuka-1920, aBafundi BeBhayibhile babevuyiswa zizinto ezininzi. Kwikomkhulu umsebenzi wawusanda kakhulu, wona amaKristu enyaniso ayeqhubeka eshumayela ngoBukumkani BukaThixo obuza kuphelisa iingxaki zabantu. (Mat. 24:14) Kanti unyaka olandelayo, u-1921, wawuza kuba ngowona nyaka yayiza kuvakaliswa kakuhle ngawo inyaniso engoBukumkani.
^ isiqe. 18 IThe Finished Mystery yayingumqulu wesixhenxe wencwadi yesiNgesi ethi Studies in the Scriptures. I-“ZG” yayiyiMboniselo kaMatshi 1, 1918, eyaprintwa yayincwadi enoqweqwe oluthambileyo. U-“Z” wayemela iZion’s Watch Tower, yena u-“G,” ongunobumba wesixhenxe emela umqulu wesixhenxe.
