Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1922-10-05
SABBATH SCHOOL LESSON
For Oct. 8. Luke 2
By DIR. MARION MICH. HULL

| significant is it, therefore, that when
| the siX-weeks' old Babe of Bethle-
hem was brought into the temple
| to be presented before Jehovah and
for His mother to be purified &C.
cording to the law, this old saint
took the Child in his arms and bless
| ed God, saying, Lord, now thou
art setting thy servant free from
the prison of the body that 1 may
depart and be with Thee, for my
eyes have seen Thy salvation which
| Thou hast prepared before all peo-
pie; a light to tighten the Gentle,
and the glory of Thy people Israel. y
No sign had been given him; his
waiting heart detected in this Babe
the Messiah for whom he had long
been looking.
Anna was coming into the temple
at that instant. She had been a
widow for eighty-four years, after
seven years of married life, so she
must have been at least Ill years
old. When she saw the Child in
Simeon's arms, she gave thanks and
spoke of Him to all them in Jerusa-
lem that had been looking for re-
demption, for during the years of
41S1 W1NtO"A AOOI O1lc IIctu S1NSu Her
self to a wonderful service-the
service of intercession-nig and
day.
To all of the@1 waiting ones-the
shepherds, Simeon, Anna and the
unnamed others who were looking
for redemption-the Christchild was
revealed. Nor was this confined to
Israel, for even from the east wise
men came to worship the King that
! had been born, for there was every
where an atmospheer of expectancy.
| World conditions were such then
| that men everywhere realized that
| som thing unusual must take place.
| Plutarch, Suetonius, Tacitus and
'Josephus all tell of the despair
which had fallen upon meh at that
! me and the general desire for de-
| liverance. 1T seemed though the
! 'orld's sun had set, and it's night
were Fastening on" The remark
! able thing is that the heather were
| turned their eyes toward Israel,
| looking for a Redeemer.
Darkness Before Dawn
1t is darkest just before the dawn.
Particularly was this true in Israel.
Herod, an Edomite, was on the
! throne, as the vassal OF the cruel
| Roman empire. HIS hands had been
Y stained by the blood OF his own
wife and her two sons because he
| feared their 1reditary right to his
! throne. ell had commenced his
reign by having the members of the
| Sanhedrim murdered Everywhere
mems hearts were failing them for
fear Of the things that were coming
to pass. War, oppression of the
masses by the classes, murder,
bloodshed, lawlessness-4n such a
day, the Child of Bethlehem was
| born, the Christ came into the
WprlG
Is it not rather significant that in
| these days world conditions are so
very similar? War, oppression,
murders, bloodshed, laWIessness-
just read the newspapers Did you
| know that in Russia it is dangerous
be cut after dark. Physicians
/ answering a call to relje : the sick
at night are overpowered and eaten.
People are being caught with sacks
and ropes, taken home and made
! into meat pies which are sold on
| the streets, children and women en-
tlced to death or kidnapped. Poverty
| everywhere; 40 per cent of the Ber-
! ILL oCiACOI SllA1OI NlIL1OuL uuClGI-
clothing; general breakdown in NOR
! ais; alarming increase in prostitu-
| ton; liquor parties and looseness
that is disgusting among mice peo-
| ple;;' 70 per cent of all paper used
! in one great nation devoted to I'M
| clean publications!
And along with these conditions
On expectancy that is growing daily;
here are waiting ones in ever-in-
| creasina numbers now, those who
are looking fer tie soon coming Of
the Lord Christ as the only light
for the worlds darkness. The gra-
cioU promise is that unto them
that lol for Him shall He appear
the second time with ut. SIN unto
salvation"
Symmetrical Development
Only once from His babyhood I'M
til He began His public ministry
is the veil lifted to give us a view
of the earthly life of this unique
Person. His parents had gone into
Egypt to escape the murderous de-
signs of Herod, and had established
themselves in their former home in
Nazareth after the tyrant's death.
Children were born to His parents,
with whom Mary's firstborn grew
up. When He was twelve years of
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