65. In the book of Revelation we read of a new heaven and a new earth, and we are afterwards told, “Behold, I make all things new.” These verses have no other meaning than this, that in the church to be established now, there will be a new doctrine, which did not exist in the previous church. It did not exist because if it had, it would not have been accepted. For the Last Judgment had not yet been accomplished, and prior to that the power of hell prevailed over the power of heaven. Consequently, if the doctrine had been given before, out of the Lord’s own mouth, it would not have remained among the people. Nor does it remain at this day, other than with a few who turn to the Lord alone and acknowledge Him to be the God of heaven and earth (see no. 61 above).
This same doctrine was indeed given previously in the Word. But because not long after its inception the church was turned into Babylon, and later, among some, into Philistia, therefore the doctrine could not be seen in the Word. For the church sees the Word only in accord with the principal tenet of its religion and its doctrine.
The new tenets found in this short book are in general the following:
1. God is one in person and essence, and that God is the Lord.
2. The Holy Scripture throughout has Him alone as its subject.
3. The Lord came into the world to conquer the hells and glorify His humanity. And He accomplished both by undergoing temptations or trials, and did so completely by the last of these, which was His suffering of the cross. By this He became our Redeemer and Savior, and in consequence of it, the merit and righteousness are His alone.
4. His fulfilling all things of the Law means that He fulfilled all things of the Word.
5. By His suffering of the cross He did not take away sins, but bore them as a prophet, which is to say that He suffered it so as to represent in His person the church and how it had abused the Word.
6. An imputation of merit is without reality unless one takes it to mean a forgiveness of sins following repentance.
These tenets are contained in the present short work. Still more new ones will be found in the works to follow, works entitled The Sacred Scripture, The Doctrine of Life, Faith, and Divine Love and Wisdom.
