3. Briefly stated, the subjects concerning the Lord that are treated of in all the Prophets of the Old Testament, from Isaiah to Malachi, both in general and in particular, are these:
i. The Lord came into the world in the fullness of times, which was when He was no longer known by the Jews, and when, consequently, there was nothing of the church left; and unless He had then come into the world and revealed Himself, mankind would have perished in eternal death. As He Himself says in John: "Except ye believe that I am, ye shall die in your sins" (8:24).
ii. The Lord came into the world to execute a Last Judgment, and thereby to subdue the existing dominance of the hells; which was effected by means of combats (that is, temptations) admitted into his maternal human, and the attendant continual victories; for unless the hells had been subjugated no man could have been saved.
iii. The Lord came into the world in order to glorify His Human, that is, unite it to the Divine which was in Him from conception.
iv. The Lord came into the world in order to set up a new church which should acknowledge Him as the Redeemer and Savior, and be redeemed and saved through love to Him and faith in Him.
v. He at the same time reduced heaven into order, so that it made a one with the church.
vi. The passion of the cross was the last combat or temptation, by means of which He completely conquered the hells and fully glorified His Human.
In the following small work on The Holy Scripture it will be seen that the Word treats of no other subjects than these.