time for yourselves so as to learn what God requires of you and then apply in your daily life what you learn. Today some two million Christian witnesses of Jehovah are helping others to do that very thing, and, at your request, the Witnesses living in your own community will be glad to render such assistance to you.

Divine Backing Removes Fear

HOW would you feel if you had been directed by Almighty God to do a work, but were forbidden by human official decree to do so? And what if the decree came from the World Power of your time? Would you shake with fear, especially if that work had to be done in the open, where all could see? Would you stop your work, or would you boldly go on with it?

Christians declaring the good news of God’s kingdom have experienced such a situation many times and in many places. They know that their commission to preach is a divine one. Their Leader Jesus Christ, who spoke what he had heard from God, said: “This good news of the kingdom will be preached in all the inhabited earth for a witness to all the nations; and then the end will come.” Also: “Make disciples of people of all the nations, . . . teaching them.” (Matt. 24:14; 28:19, 20; John 8:28, 29) But rulers in some countries have issued commands that such preaching be stopped, and laws have been designed, even by major world powers, to ban this work. Nevertheless, true Christians have gone ahead fearlessly in the face of such opposition. How could they do it with real confidence?

A PROPHETIC ILLUSTRATION

Centuries ago this was prophetically illustrated. It was during Persia’s rule as the Fourth World Power of Bible history. God, by means of Cyrus, king of Persia, had broken Babylon’s power and had liberated Israel from its slavery. All who desired to return to Jerusalem to rebuild Jehovah’s temple and to restore true worship were allowed to do so. Under their appointed governor, Zerubbabel, a crowd of about 50,000 people demonstrated the faith and zeal to make the long journey. On arriving, they erected an altar and later laid the temple foundation. But opposition from the neighboring peoples was fierce. A new ruler had come into power in Persia, and these enemies were able to get a royal order to see to it that the temple building was stopped immediately.​—Ezra 3:8-10; 4:17-22.

In fear, the temple builders stopped. For about sixteen years no work went on. But the command to build had been given, not by the order of a mere earthly power, but by the Sovereign of the universe, Jehovah God himself. Would he let fear on the part of his servants make his command of no effect? Or would he strengthen them and back them up with divine power?

God was patient with his people, for he recognized the powerful opposition they faced. However, they should not have been