Intuthuko Yabo Nokwanda Kwabo Namuhla

UMLANDO wanamuhla woFakazi BakaJehova waqala eminyakeni engaphezu kwekhulu edlule. Ekuqaleni kwawo-1870, kwaqala iqembu elifufusayo lesifundo seBhayibheli e-Allegheny, ePennsylvania, e-U.S.A., manje eyingxenye yePittsburgh. UCharles Taze Russell wayengumqondisi oyinhloko walelo qembu. Ngo-July 1879, kwavela umagazini wokuqala we-Zion’s Watch Tower and Herald of Christ’s Presence. Ngo-1880 amabandla amaningi ayesesakazekele ezifundazweni eziseduze esuka kuleso sifundo seBhayibheli esisodwa esincane. Ngo-1881 kwamiswa i-Zion’s Watch Tower Tract Society, futhi ngo-1884 yabhaliswa ngokomthetho, uRussell waba ngumongameli wayo. Kamuva igama leNhlangano lashintshwa laba yi-Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society. Abaningi babefakaza endlini ngendlu behambisa izincwadi zeBhayibheli. Ngo-1888 babengu-50 abantu ababenza lokhu isikhathi esigcwele—manje isibalo emhlabeni wonke sesingaba ngu-700 000.

Ngo-1909 umsebenzi wawusufinyelele nakwamanye amazwe, futhi indlunkulu yeNhlangano yathuthelwa lapho ikhona manje eBrooklyn, eNew York. Izintshumayelo ezilotshiwe zazifakwa emaphephandabeni, futhi ngo-1913 zase zinyatheliswa ngezilimi ezine emaphephandabeni angu-3 000 e-United States, eCanada naseYurophu. Kwase kusakazwe amakhulu ezigidi ezincwadi, izincwajana namapheshana.

Ngo-1912 kwaqalwa umsebenzi we-“Photo-Drama of Creation.” Ngezithombe nangemifanekiso enyakazayo futhi ekhulumayo, yahlanganisa umlando kusuka ekudalweni komhlaba kuya ekupheleni kokuBusa KukaKristu Kweminyaka Eyinkulungwane. Imibukiso yaqala ngo-1914, futhi yayibukwa abantu abangu-35 000 nsuku zonke. Yaba yingqalabutho yezithombe zebhayisikobho ezinyakazayo futhi ezikhulumayo.

UNYAKA KA-1914

Isikhathi esibucayi sasisondela. Ngo-1876 umfundi weBhayibheli uCharles Taze Russell wabhala isihloko esithi “IZikhathi ZabeZizwe: Ziphela Nini?” wasithumela kuyi-Bible Examiner, eyayinyatheliswa eBrooklyn, eNew York, eyasho okulandelayo ekhasini 27 lohlelo lwayo luka-October, “Izikhathi eziyisikhombisa ziyophela ngo-A.D. 1914.” IZikhathi ZabeZizwe ziyinkathi enye inguqulo yeBhayibheli ebhekisela kuyo ngokuthi “izikhathi ezimisiwe zezizwe.” (Luka 21:24) Akuzange kwenzeke konke okwakulindeleke ukuba kwenzeke ngo-1914, kodwa waba ukuphela kweZikhathi ZabeZizwe futhi waba unyaka obaluleke ngokukhethekile. Izazi-mlando eziningi nezingqapheli ziyavuma ukuthi u-1914 waba unyaka wenguquko emlandweni wesintu. Izingcaphuno ezilandelayo ziyakubonisa lokhu:

“Unyaka wokugcina ‘owawuvamile’ emlandweni kwakungu-1913, unyaka ongaphambi kokuqala kweMpi Yezwe I.”—Ingosi yomhleli kuyi-Times-Herald, Washington, D.C., March 13, 1949.

“Inkathi yeminyaka engu-75 kusukela ngo-1914 kuya ku-1989, ehlanganisa izimpi zezwe ezimbili kanye nempi yomshoshaphansi, ibhekwa izazi-mlando ngokuqhubekayo njengenkathi eyodwa evelele, inkathi eyingqayizivele lapho ingxenye enkulu yomhlaba yayisempini, yayilulama ngemva kwempi noma yayilungiselela impi.”—The New York Times, May 7, 1995.

“Izwe lonke lahlakazeka ngempela cishe ngeMpi Yezwe I futhi asikazi namanje ukuthi kungani. Ngaphambi kwalokho, abantu babecabanga ukuthi izwe elinokuthula laliseduze. Kwakunokuthula nokuchuma. Ngokungazelele konke kwahlakazeka. Kusukela lapho siye saba sesimweni sokusambatheka . . . Kuye kwabulawa abantu abaningi kuleli khulu leminyaka kunanoma yinini emlandweni.”—UDkt. Walker Percy, American Medical News, November 21, 1977.

Eminyakeni engaphezu kwengu-50 ngemva kuka-1914, isikhulu sikahulumeni waseJalimane uKonrad Adenauer sabhala: “Ukulondeka nokuthula kuye kwanyamalala ekuphileni kwabantu kusukela ngo-1914.”—The West Parker, Cleveland, Ohio, January 20, 1966.

Umongameli wokuqala weNhlangano, uC. T. Russell, wafa ngo-1916, futhi ngonyaka olandelayo walandelwa uJoseph F. Rutherford. Kwenzeka izinguquko eziningi. Kwakhishwa umagazini ongumngane we-Nqabayokulinda, owawubizwa ngokuthi i-Golden Age. (Manje ubizwa ngokuthi i-Phaphama!, kunyatheliswa amakhophi angaphezu kuka-20 000 000 ngezilimi ezingaphezu kwezingu-80.) Kwagcizelelwa kakhulu ukufakaza endlini ngendlu. Ukuze azihlukanise namahlelo eLobukholwa, la maKristu amukela igama elithi oFakazi BakaJehova ngo-1931. Leli gama lisekelwe ku-Isaya 43:10-12.

Umsakazo wasetshenziswa kakhulu ngawo-1920 nangawo-1930. Ngo-1933 iNhlangano yayisisebenzisa iziteshi zomsakazo ezingu-403 ukuze isakaze izinkulumo zeBhayibheli. Kamuva, ukuvakasha okwandisiwe koFakazi endlini ngendlu namagilamafoni ayedlala izinkulumo zeBhayibheli eziqoshiwe kwathatha ingxenye enkulu yomsebenzi womsakazo. Kwakuqalwa izifundo zeBhayibheli zasekhaya nanoma ubani owayebonisa isithakazelo eqinisweni leBhayibheli.

UKUNQOBA EZINKANTOLO

Phakathi nawo-1930 nawo-1940, kwakunoFakazi abaningi ababeboshwa ngenxa yokwenza lo msebenzi, futhi kwakuthethwa amacala asenkantolo ngenjongo yokulwela inkululeko yokukhuluma, yokusakaza ukwaziswa, yokuhlangana neyokukhulekela. E-United States, ukudluliswa kwamacala ezinkantolo ezincane kwaphumela ekutheni oFakazi bathethwe ngamacala angu-43 eNkantolo Ephakeme yase-United States. Ngokufanayo, kuye kwakhishwa izinqumo ezinhle ezinkantolo ezinkulu zakwamanye amazwe. Ekhuluma ngalokhu kunqoba koFakazi ezinkantolo encwadini yakhe ethi These Also Believe, uProfesa C. S. Braden wathi: “Baye bafeza inkonzo ephawulekayo embusweni wentando yeningi ngokulwela ukulondoloza amalungelo abo obuntu, ngoba ekulweni kwabo baye bafeza okukhulu ukuze balondoloze lawo malungelo awo wonke amaqembu amancane eMelika.”

IZIMISO EZIKHETHEKILE ZOKUQEQESHA

UJ. F. Rutherford washona ngo-1942, futhi uN. H. Knorr wangena esikhundleni sakhe sokuba umongameli. Kwaqala isimiso esihleliwe sokuqeqesha. Ngo-1943 kwasungulwa isikole esikhethekile sokuqeqesha izithunywa zevangeli, esibizwa ngokuthi iWatchtower Bible School of Gilead. Kusukela ngaleso sikhathi kuqhubeke, abathole iziqu kulesi sikole baye bathunyelwa emazweni omhlaba wonke. Kuye kwamiswa amabandla amasha emazweni lapho ayengekho khona, futhi amagatsha amiswe emhlabeni wonke manje angaphezu kwekhulu. Ngezikhathi ezithile kuye kwaba nezifundo ezikhethekile zokuqeqesha abadala bamabandla, izisebenzi zokuzithandela ezisemagatsheni kanye nalabo abahlanganyela emsebenzini wokufakaza isikhathi esigcwele (njengamaphayona). Ezinye izikole ezikhethekile zokuqeqesha izikhonzi ziye zalungiselelwa esikhungweni semfundo esisePatterson, eNew York.

UN. H. Knorr washona ngo-1977. Enye yezinguquko zokugcina zokuhlela umsebenzi ahlanganyela kuzo ngaphambi kokufa kwakhe kwakuwukwandiswa kweNdikimba Ebusayo, esendlunkulu eBrooklyn. Ngo-1976 imithwalo yemfanelo yokuqondisa yahlukaniswa futhi yabelwa amakomiti ahlukahlukene akhiwa amalungu eNdikimba Ebusayo, ngalinye elinamashumi amaningi eminyaka liyisikhonzi.

IZINDAWO ZOKUNYATHELISA ZIYANDA

Umlando woFakazi BakaJehova ezikhathini zanamuhla uye waba nezenzakalo ezibabazekayo. Kusukela esifundweni seBhayibheli esisodwa esincane ePennsylvania emuva ngo-1870, oFakazi baye bakhula baba amabandla angaphezu kuka-90 000 emhlabeni wonke ngonyaka ka-2000. Ekuqaleni zonke izincwadi zazinyatheliswa amafemu ezentengiselwano; kwase kuthi ngo-1920, oFakazi bakhiqiza ezinye zezincwadi ezakhiweni zamafektri eziqashiwe. Kodwa kusukela ngo-1927 kuqhubeke, izincwadi eziningi zaqala ukukhiqizwa esakhiweni esiyifektri esiyizitezi ezingu-8 se-Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of New York, Inc., eBrooklyn, eNew York. Lesi sakhiwo siye sanda saba yizakhiwo ezinkulu kanye nesakhiwo samahhovisi. Kunezinye izakhiwo eziseduze eBrooklyn zokuhlalisa izikhonzi ezivumé ngokuzithandela ukunakekela umsebenzi wokunyathelisa. Ngaphezu kwalokhu, kunepulazi nefektri esetshenziswayo eduze kwaseWallkill, enyakatho yeNew York. Le ndawo isingatha ukunyatheliswa komagazini INqabayokulinda ne-Phaphama! futhi ikhiqiza okunye kokudla kwezisebenzi ezikhonza ezindaweni ezihlukahlukene. Isisebenzi ngasinye sokuzithandela sithola imadlana yosizo nyanga zonke ukuze sihlangabezane nezindleko ezincane.

IMIHLANGANO YEZIZWE ZONKE

Ngo-1893 kwaqhutshwa umhlangano wokuqala omkhulu eChicago, e-Illinois, e-U.S.A. Kwaba khona abangu-360, futhi kwabhapathizwa abasanda kuhlanganyela abangu-70. Umhlangano wezizwe wokugcina omkhulu waqhutshelwa eNew York City ngo-1958. Kwasetshenziswa kokubili iYankee Stadium nePolo Grounds eyayikhona ngaleso sikhathi. Inani eliphakeme lababekhona lalingu-253 922; abasanda kuhlanganyela ababhapathizwa baba ngu-7 136. Kusukela ngaleso sikhathi kuye kwaqhutshwa imihlangano yezizwe ewuchungechunge emazweni amaningi. Sekukonke, uchungechunge olunjalo lungase luhlanganise imihlangano yezizwe eyinkulungwane emazweni omhlaba wonke.

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Inkonzo ephawulekayo yokulwela inkululeko yomphakathi

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“INqabayokulinda,” kusukela emakhophini angu-6 000 ngolimi olulodwa kuya kwangaphezu kuka-22 000 000 ngezilimi ezingaphezu kuka-132

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Inkathi yenguquko emlandweni wesintu

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