Evening star., 1916-12-23
SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON.

| of what Bagehot has so well described as
| "the military and political benefits of re-
| iigion"
| Matthew has pointed out in his gospel
written for the benefit of Jewish readers
| how this prophecy was literally as well
| as spiritually fulfilled in the career OF the
| Lord The appearance of Jesus the Mes
senEer Of Light, proclaiminR in the regions
! OF Naphtali and Zebulun dying in Call
J lee) the gospel OF the Kingdom OF heaven
! filling the people who walked in darkness
with the light Of His message. was in ac-
cordan"e with lsaiah's predictions Cali
! leans were more exposed than any other
tribes IN the nation to the influence of
heather religions and as border tribe to
! the dangers OF war. To those Galileans
, dwelling III the shadow OF death Jesus
gave by His ministry and messages con-
/ corning the kingdom of heaven the hopes
: OF political restoration
| The decadence. degeneration ard dark
ness that prevailed throughout the world
! where all religions were dying. revealed %
spirit OF spiritual unrest at th. time of
| Chr.st birth that proves that all ma
tons awaited the greatest event in all
| hlstofN, winch Isaiah had foretold when
( ne predicted the coming birt h Of the Light
| OF the World. The prospect OF an increasc
since Their popUlati ton had been depopu-
! lated by tn" INVADERS armies. filad them
with nope when they thought of coming
aEtnies ana conqUests Christ in His
ministry tried to make. His disci,,les nm
derstand how the Kingdoms development
WAS TO be = spiritual and not temporal
expansion. History has shown the growth Il
! OF the spiritual Israel in the rapid multi
pilcation Of the faithful. who have re-
/ 1oiced IN the peace, bower and progress
o. the church OF the living God thar was
established by Christ Jesus the Light Of
! the World
! CbristihHity's advance has been marked
| by the expansion of the social. politicaI
and physical freedom of humanity II
has filled the earth with the songs of
/ JOYFUL praise because OF their deliverance
, redemption and freedom. Every Chris
tan feels called upon 20 enlist in the
army OF freedom that Christ has enrolled
IN HIS church to remove the yoke of OPP
| preston to destroy the staff Of tvrannical
power and to break the rod Of the task
( master through the power of His gospel
The greatest power that the world has
ever seen. that is row silently resolution
iztpg the nations of the world and is des-
i 'lnen to nave a complete end of strikes.
conflicts and wars among mon and ma
Cons, r!Ctocrats and proletariats, politi-
clans ard the people. is the character OF
the Christ, whose coming Isaiah saw and
! predicted
Looking down the centuries. the
| prophet heheld the birth of the child
whose advent the whole world will
soon celebrate. Christianity is unique
among the religions of the world in
that 1t rises or falls with the charac-
ter o' its founder. Isaiah saw and tells
of the coming birth of the child that
was born to virgin and to be called
| Immanuel-God with us-a title of
Jesus hat proclaims exactly His di-
vine-human personalitv. Nearly $50
years before His birth the propret fore
told of the advent Of God into human
life. Christ's entrance into the life of
men revealed not only the Father.
! whose Son He was, to men, but also
the infinite value Of an i u not