he first one was given in the
garden to our first parents. God said (Gen. 3:15) to the serpent: I will
put enmities, that is hatred, between thee and the woman; that is,
between the devil and the Blessed Virgin--whom the holy writers call the
second Eve; because as the first Eve caused our fall, the second Eve
helped us to rise again. I will put also a great hatred between the
devil and your Redeemer. The next promise of the Redeemer was made to
Abraham. (Gen. 15). Another was made to Isaac, and another to Jacob; and
later these promises were frequently renewed through the prophets; so
that during the four thousand years God encouraged the good people, by
promising from time to time the Redeemer.

Some of the prophets foretold to what family He would belong, and when
He would be born, and when and what He would suffer, and how He would
die. They also foretold signs or things that would come to pass just
before the advent or coming of the Messias (Gen. 49:10); so that when
the people saw these things coming to pass, they could know that the
time of the Messias was at hand. Thus when Our Lord came, the whole
world was waiting and looking for the promised Redeemer, because the
signs foretold had appeared or were taking place. But the majority did
not recognize Our Lord when He came, on account of the quiet, humble,
and poor way in which He came. They were expecting to see the Redeemer
come as a great and powerful king, with mighty armies conquering the
world; and in this they were mistaken. If they had studied the Holy
Scriptures they would have learned how He was to come--poor and humble.

*73 Q. How could they be saved who lived before the Son of God became
man?
A. They who lived before the Son of God became man could be saved by
believing in the Redeemer to come, and by keeping the Commandments.

We have seen that God promised the Redeemer during four thousand years.
Now, those who believed these promises and kept all God's Commandments,
and observed all His laws as they knew them, could be saved. They could
not, it is true, enter into Heaven after their death, but they could
wait in Limbo without suffering till Our Lord opened Heaven for them.
They were saved only through the merits of Our Lord. And how could this
be when Our Lord was not yet born? Do you know what a promissory note
is? It is this. When a man is not able to pay his debts just now but
will be able afterwards, he gives those to whom he owes the money a