The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-12-18
PASTOR RUSSELL'S
 WEEKLY LESSON

Son is given."-V. 6.
 Todays study relates to a subject which has thrilled the civilized world for een- turies--a subject which will never grow old-a subject which shall to all eternity be theme of angels and of men. Tue birth of Jesus must be considered from the standpoint of a gift of love divine. God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever be- lieveth on Him should not perish, but have everlasting life" John iii. 1s) The world was under sentence of death, man. kind had been dying for more than four thousand years God had pitied humanity from the first. Yea, before sin entered, divine wisdom saw the end, and would not have created man. nor permitted the con- dtion which led to sin and the sentence of death. had divine wisdom not foreseen and arranged in advance for human re- demption.
 God had purposely arranged so that it would require the death of a perfect rlan to redeem Adam and the race which lost life in him. God knows from the begin ming that no such perfect man could be found, because all men were of Adamic stock and had a share in imperfectlon and condemnation. From the beginning the divine plan contemplated that His only begotten, the active agent of divinity Tn the work of creation, should be granted the great privilege of being mans Re- deemer and thereby securing a great re- ward-immortality, the divine nature through a resurrection from the dead.
 The First Step of Redemption
 The primary step in mans recovery necessarily was that the Logos should be made fresh and dwell amongst is and taste death, by the grace of God, for every plan. (John 1, IA; Hebrews ii 9) It Is this first step that we celebrate at this season of the year-the birth of Jesus. He who was rich. for our sakes became poor, that we through His poverty" might be rich.
 Today's study points out that those Jews who at the time were supposed to be in greatest darkness would see the great light of divine truth as repre- sented in Jesus and His ministry. This had a primary fulfilment in Galllee, where the major portion of the mighty works of Jesus were performed. But it's real fulfillment lies in the future. when the great light of the Milennlal kingdom, 'the Son of righteousness, shall arise with il1dilhb III ito btdiiSs btlDIt lDdi BlD11- ous sun, sorrow and signing will flee away; ignorance and superstition will vanish; sin and darkness will be no more. Jesus is the great center of that sun of righteousness, but as He points out, the bride class, in process of selection during this age, Is to sit with Him in His throne; they will shine forth with the bridegroom to heal earths sorrows and to scatter earth's night. Matthew xiii, 43)-All this will fo tio ft,fI Ii is born, unto us a son is given" because the government shall rest upon His shou- ders; because His name shall be called wonderful, counselor, the mighty, mighty one, the everlasting father the prince of peace. "-1saiah K, 6.
 The Fall of Babylon
 We are to understand verses 2 to as referring, not to natural Israel, but to spiritual Israel-nominal. The holy na- tion has phenomenally increased without increasing the joy. There are many false children in the nominal family of God; there are many "tares" in the wheat-field. But in the harvest time of this age there will be a joy the faithful will re- joice as they that divide the spoil" The burdensome yoke of the creedal superst,- tions will be broken, and the rod of the oppressor, Satan, will be broken as in tho day of Midian, when Gideon with his It, tie band put to flight the army of the Mid ianites and set the people free. Verse 5 intimates that the fall of Babylon and the breaking of the yoke and the rod will be in the great time of trouble" For all the armor of the armed men and the tur- moi and the garments rolled in blood shall even be for burning, for fuel of fire"
 Messiah's Many Titles
 "Our great Redeemer, highly exalted, is eventually to bear many titles in com memoration of the many wonderful offices He will fill and services He will accom- plish. But these are yet future. His great work in the past the dedemptlon work, was the foundation of all His future work in the past, the redemption work, His since He died on our behalf, but He waits the Fathers time for taking His glorious power to reign; and the govern ment must come to Him before He can begin to fulfil the various titles.
 First of all. His revelation to the world will be as the wonderful one, the em- bodiment, the expression, of divine jus tice, love, wisdom and power As yet the world knoweth Him not. He will be revealed to mankind "in flaming fire in the time of trouble, and subsequently, in the rescue work of His kingdom.
 He will be the worlds counselor, to give assistance, guidance whereby they may return, through restitution, into harmony with Jehovah and to the enjoyment of the blessings provided through redemption. As the head of the church, He has been her counselor, but our text refers to Him as the great king or governor of the world, and as the worlds instructor, the great prophet, teacher, whom God promised through Moses.
 His title, the mighty God, or mighty, mighty one, will be recognized then, on earth. as well as in heayen-that Him hath God set forth to be prince and a Savior, to grant repentance and remission of sins" to Israel and the whole world
 The title, the everlasting Father win apply to Him as the life-giver Of the world, during the thousand years of His reign. In all that time He will be giving life more abundant" to mankind-therc- fore His title.- the erlasting Father, or the Father who will give everlasting life