1914​—Hashize imyaka ijana

UMUNARA w’Umurinzi wo ku itariki ya 1 Mutarama 1914 wagize uti “twemera ko umwaka wa 1914 uduha gihamya y’uko tuzashobora gukora byinshi mu murimo wo guhamya Ukuri kuruta undi mwaka uwo ari wo wose w’Isarura wawubanjirije.” Umwaka Abigishwa ba Bibiliya bari bamaze imyaka ibarirwa muri za mirongo bategereje, wari ugeze kandi bari bafite ishyaka ryinshi mu murimo wo kubwiriza. Imihati Abigishwa ba Bibiliya bashyizeho muri uwo mwaka, yatumye abantu babarirwa muri za miriyoni bumva amasezerano yo muri Bibiliya. Icyakora isi yari ibakikije yo yashyiraga imihati mu cyerekezo kinyuranye cyane n’icyo.

Mu ntangiriro z’umwaka wa 1914, habaye imwe mu myigaragambyo y’abakozi yaranzwe n’urugomo kuruta indi yose muri Amerika, ihitana abagabo, abagore n’abana. Abakozi bacukuraga nyiramugengeri n’imiryango yabo, birukanywe mu mazu bari bacumbikiwemo n’ikigo bakoreraga, bajya kuba mu nkambi z’amahema. Ku itariki ya 20 Mata, urusaku rw’amasasu rwumvikanye mu nkambi yo hafi y’umugi wa Ludlow ho muri leta ya Colorado. Amahema abo bakozi babagamo yaratwitswe. Muri ako karere kose, abakozi bari bariye karungu barihimuye, bica abarinzi benshi b’icyo kigo. Igisirikare cyasabwe kugarura umutekano.

Mu Burayi ho ibintu byari ibindi bindi. Ku itariki ya 28 Kamena, igihe Umuseribe w’imyaka 19 wo muri Bosiniya witwaga Gavrilo Princip yarasaga François-Ferdinand wari igikomangoma cya Otirishiya agapfa, yakomye imbarutso yatangije Intambara ya Mbere y’Isi Yose. Umwaka wagiye kurangira Intambara ya Mbere y’Isi Yose, icyo gihe yitwaga Intambara Ikomeye, yarakwiriye mu Burayi hose.

Mu gihe isi yari mu mvururu zikaze, Abigishwa ba Bibiliya bo bateranaga inkunga yo kurangwa n’ishyaka mu murimo wo kubwiriza. Ikoraniro ry’abagize ubwoko bw’Imana rya mbere ryabereye muri Afurika y’Epfo, ryatangiye ku itariki ya 10 Mata. Abateranye muri iryo koraniro bose bari 34. William W. Johnston yaranditse ati “twari ‘umukumbi muto’ cyane. Twabatije hafi kimwe cya kabiri cy’abari muri iryo koraniro. Bashiki bacu umunani n’abavandimwe umunani bagaragaje ko biyeguriye Umwami mu buryo yategetse.” Ku munsi wa nyuma w’ikoraniro, abari muri iryo koraniro baganiriye uko bateza imbere umurimo wo kubwiriza muri Afurika y’Epfo. Ubu muri Afurika y’Epfo hari ababwiriza b’indahemuka basaga 90.000, bikaba bigaragaza ko wa “mukumbi muto” wageze kuri byinshi.

Ku itariki ya 28 Kamena 1914, ari na wo munsi igikomangoma Ferdinand yarashwe, Abigishwa ba Bibiliya bateraniye i Clinton muri leta ya Iowa, muri Amerika. Muri iryo koraniro, ku itariki ya 30 Kamena, A. H. MacMillan yaravuze ati “niba twifuza guhabwa ingororano yacu, tugomba gukomeza gukora ibyo Imana ishaka tubishishikariye, tukajya kubwiriza igihe cyose bishoboka, tukageza ubutumwa bw’isarura mu isi.”

Ku itariki ya 11 Mutarama 1914, mu mugi wa New York herekanywe ku ncuro ya mbere filimi ivuga iby’irema (Photo-Drame de la Création), igizwe na disikuru zafashwe amajwi n’umuzika ujyanirana n’amafoto y’amabara yagendaga asimburana na videwo. Ku ncuro ya mbere yarebwe n’abantu bagera ku bihumbi bitanu, kandi hari benshi batashye batayirebye kubera ko aho yerekanirwaga hari habaye hato.

Gutegura iyo filimi ivuga iby’irema byari byaratwaye imyaka ibiri, ariko Umunara w’Umurinzi wavuze ko “byageze muri Mutarama ubwo yerekanwaga ku ncuro ya mbere itararangira neza.” Mu mezi atandatu ya mbere y’umwaka wa 1914, abavandimwe bakomeje kunonosora iyo filimi. Urugero, bongeyemo intangiriro yari igizwe n’amashusho ya Charles Taze Russell n’amagambo byajyanaga, bigatuma abantu bahita bamenya uwateguye iyo filimi.

Hari igihe iyo filimi yerekanwaga mu migi igera kuri 80 icyarimwe. Byageze muri Nyakanga 1914 yarageze mu Bwongereza, yerekanwa mu mazu arimo abantu benshi i Glasgow n’i Londres. Muri Nzeri yerekanywe muri Danimarike, muri Finilande, mu Budage, muri Suwede no mu Busuwisi. Mu kwezi k’Ukwakira, yari yarageze muri Ositaraliya no muri Nouvelle-Zélande. Muri ibyo bihugu byose, abantu barenga miriyoni 9 barebye iyo filimi ivuga iby’irema mu mwaka wa mbere yasohotsemo.

Buri kopi y’iyo filimi yabaga igizwe n’amafoto agenda asimburana abarirwa mu magana, ibizingo byinshi bya filimi n’ibyafashwe amajwi bibarirwa muri mirongo. Gukora kopi z’iyo filimi byarahendaga, kandi mu gihe cyo kuyerekana hakenerwaga itsinda ry’abavandimwe na bashiki bacu b’inararibonye. Ni yo mpamvu iyo filimi yose yerekanwaga mbere na mbere mu migi minini. Nanone Abigishwa ba Bibiliya bakoze filimi eshatu ngufi zishingiye kuri iyo, kugira ngo bashobore kuyereka abantu bo mu biturage. Imwe muri izo yari igizwe n’amafoto agenda asimburana yaherekezwaga na disikuru zishingiye kuri Bibiliya zafashwe amajwi n’umuzika (Eurêka Drame Y). Hari n’izindi zari zigizwe n’amajwi gusa zitarimo amafoto na videwo (Eurêka Drame X na Eureka Family Drama yari ngufi kurushaho). Mu mpera z’umwaka wa 1914, hatarashira amezi ane filimi ya “Eurêka Drame” isohotse, abantu basaga 70.000 muri Amerika bari barayibonye.

Nubwo umurimo wo kwerekana filimi ivuga iby’irema wari mushya kandi ushishikaje, Abigishwa ba Bibiliya babonye ko bagombaga gushyira mu mwanya wa mbere ubundi buryo bwo gukora umurimo wo kubwiriza. Mu ibaruwa Charles Taze Russell yandikiye abakoruporuteri bose, ubu bitwa abapayiniya, yagize ati “nta bundi buryo bwo gukora umurimo tuzi bwera imbuto nyinshi muri iki gihe cy’Isarura kurusha umurimo w’ubukoruporuteri. Ni yo mpamvu twagiraga inama abakoruporuteri yo kutajya mu mirimo yo kwerekana iyo filimi . . . Hari abandi bavandimwe na bashiki bacu, na bo b’indahemuka ku Mwami . . . bashobora gukoreshwa mu mirimo ifitanye isano n’iyo filimi.”

Muri Mutarama 1914, hari abakoruporuteri 850. Muri uwo mwaka, abo babwiriza barangwaga n’ishyaka batanze kopi zisaga 700.000 z’igitabo cyasobanuraga Ibyanditswe (Études des Écritures). Umunara w’Umurinzi “wishimiraga cyane” abakoruporuteri, kandi wateye abasomyi bawo inkunga yo kujya “bababwira amagambo yo kubatera inkunga, kuko hari igihe bahuraga n’ingorane muri uwo murimo.”

Abandi Bigishwa ba Bibiliya batanze inkuru z’Ubwami mu ndimi nyinshi. Mu mwaka wa 1914, batanze kopi zisaga miriyoni 47 z’inkuru z’Ubwami zasohokaga buri kwezi (L’étudiant de la Bible), n’izindi nkuru z’Ubwami!

Umurimo w’Abigishwa ba Bibiliya ntiwakorerwaga mu ibanga. Babwirizaga mu ruhame kandi ntibakaga amaturo abaje mu materaniro yabo. Umwe mu bayobozi b’amadini yiyita aya gikristo yavuze ababaye ati “abantu ntibazatinda kubona ko kwaka amaturo ari icyaha, none se ubwo tuzaba aba nde? Pasiteri Russell arashaka kudukoza isoni.”

Abigishwa ba Bibiliya batekerezaga ko ‘ibihe by’amahanga’ bivugwa muri Luka 21:​24, byari kurangira ahagana ku itariki ya 1 Ukwakira 1914. Uko ukwezi k’Ukwakira kwagendaga kwegereza, ni na ko barushagaho kugira amatsiko. Hari na bamwe mu Bigishwa ba Bibiliya bari bafite ikarita yo kubariraho, bakajya bashyira akamenyetso kuri buri munsi urangiye kugira ngo bamenye iminsi isigaye. Benshi bumvaga ko kuri iyo tariki bari kujyanwa mu ijuru.

Mu gitondo ku itariki ya 2 Ukwakira 1914, umuvandimwe Russell yinjiye mu cyumba cyo kuriramo cyo kuri Beteli, maze atangariza umuryango wa Beteli ati “ibihe by’Amahanga birarangiye, igihe cy’abami babo kirarangiye.” Bamwe mu bari aho bashobora kuba bari bazi ayo magambo yari ashingiye ku ndirimbo ya 171 yo mu gitabo cy’indirimbo bakoreshaga (Hymnes de l’Aurore du Millénium). Guhera mu mwaka wa 1879, Abigishwa ba Bibiliya bajyaga baririmba bavuga ko “ibihe by’Amahanga biri hafi kurangira,” ariko noneho ayo magambo ntiyari akiri ukuri, kubera ko ‘ibihe by’Amahanga,’ cyangwa “ibihe byagenwe by’amahanga,” byari byarangiye (Luka 21:​24). Nyuma yaho, ibitabo byacu by’indirimbo byagaragaje iryo hinduka rikomeye.

Mu mpera z’umwaka, Ubwami buyobowe na Mesiya bwo mu ijuru bwari bwaramaze guhama, kandi bamwe mu Bigishwa ba Bibiliya batekerezaga ko umurimo wabo wari wararangiye. Nyamara ntibari bazi ko bari bagiye kwinjira mu gihe cy’ibigeragezo no kugosorwa. Isomo ry’umwaka wa 1915 ryari rishingiye muri Matayo 20:​22 ryagiraga riti “mbese mwashobora kunywera ku gikombe cyanjye?” (King James Version). ‘Igikombe’ Yesu yavugaga cyerekezaga ku bitotezo yari guhangana na byo kugeza apfuye. Abigishwa ba Bibiliya bari bagiye guhangana n’ibitotezo biturutse muri bo no hanze. Uko bari kwitwara muri ibyo bitotezo byari kugaragaza ko bari indahemuka kuri Yehova.