Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-12-21

Judah's history that were the results
of the fatal foreign policy of Ahaz,
filled with degradation, disaster and
despair, furnish the dark background
for this glorious picture of new era
of peace and freedom.
Isaiah advised a dependence upon God
when the confederacy of Syria and
Israel threatened the life of Judah. The
cowardly Ahaz sought and secured the
intervention of Assyria. Tiglath- pileser
swiftly responded and the ruthless war
riors from the empire of the Euphrates
swept over Palestine, leaving the
country desolate and the people broken
hearted"
The inhabitants Of Galilee and Peres
were carried into captivity, plunging
the people into utter despair. Amid
the great moral and social darkness
that overshadowed the nation. the
poor, starving people cursed their God
and denounced their king. To the ma
ton suffering, sorrowing and strick-
en-, because it had repudiated Jehovah,
the prophet Isaiah, whose heart was
filled by the Spirit Of God with mes
sage of mercy and hope. comes with
his most wonderful prophecy that
thrilled Judah by its promise of Christs
coming.
Christ's Coming.
The spiritual significance of the adj
vent of the great Hero-King may not
have been as clear to the prophet as to
us, yet the sagacious statesmanlike
suggestions, springing from his faith
in Jehovah, furnishes an excellent il
lustration of what Bagehot has so
well described as the military and
- Toll
not left in doubt as to the fulfllment
of this prophecy, for 1T has been
spiritually and literally interpreted for
us by Matthew, who writing for Jew
ish readers, presented the Messlanic
character, the kingly side and the full
fillment in the life of Jesus. Amid all
the darkness, despair and desolation of
their history, the Jewish people have
looked forward with hope and conf
dence to the coming Of political Mes
siah that would crush their enemies and
restore their national independence and
the glory of Jerusalem. The decadence.
degeneration and darkness that pre-
vailed throughout the world where all
religions were dying revealed spirit
ual unrest at the time Of Christs birth
hat proves that all nations awaited the
greatest event in all history. the COM
ng Of the Messiah, which Isaiah fore
told.
The appearance Of Jesus as a messen-
ger of light, proclaiming in the provinces
of Naphtali and Zebulum dying in Cali
lee) the gospel Of the kingdom of heaven
filled the people that walked in darkness,
exposed, as the Galileans were. to the
influence of the heather religions and
the dangers of the border tribe in war
more than other tribes in the nation
dwelling in the shadow of death, with
hope that the political restorer had APP
peared. In our recent studies have
seen how Jesus counteracted that view
by showing the supremacy of the spir-
itual. History has shown the growth Of
the spiritual Israel I'm the rapid multi
plication of the faithful. who have re-
joiced in the peace, power and progress
Of the church of the living God that has
come from the Light Of the World The
advance of Christianity has been marked
by the social, political and physical free
dom of humanity. The task of removing
the yoke of oppression, destroying the
staff of tyrannical power and breaking
the rod of the taskmaster has been di-
rectly or indirectly the contribution of
the spiritual power of the humble fol-
lowers of the Christ, who have not only
preached but practiced the principles of
His gospel.
The great power that is silently revo-
lutionizing the nations OF the world by