church interprets the creation accounts in Genesis symbolically. Salvation history Salvation history is the history of revelation. God progressively revealed to his people creation, himself and the resurrection. By his promise to Abraham to make him the father of believers, God redirects human history from death to life. By accepting God's promise, Abraham inaugurates the salvation history that will culminate in Jesus. The passover, the exodus from Egypt, the giving of the Torah, and the covenant with his people begin to fulfill God's promise to Abraham. Salvation history includes a number of blessings - the "birth of Isaac, the escape from Egypt (Passover and Exodus), the gift of the promised land, the election of David, the presence of God in the Temple, the purifying exile, and return of a 'small remnant'" - that reveal how, from the beginning to the end of time, God's work is a blessing. Times of the promises and preparations The times of the promises and preparations is the time when God promised to send his people a redeemer and prepared his people for said redeemer. God spoke through the prophets, who summoned his people to repentance, and, unlike the other mitzvot that were written by Moses, God wrote the Decalogue. Fullness of time The fullness of time is the time of fulfillment of God's promises to and preparations of his people. The Virgin Mary is the culmination of God's preparation of his people for the messiah via her Immaculate Conception, Perpetual Virginity, and becoming the Theotokos. The Annunciation inaugurates the fullness of time. The conception of Jesus in Mary's womb inaugurates the end-times and the messianic age. Hour of glory The hour of glory is the hour of Jesus and the hour of the New Covenant: the Paschal Mystery. The Paschal Mystery is historical, yet transcends time by being made present in the Eucharist. The descent of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost fulfills the Paschal Mystery and inaugurates the age of the church. Present Age of the church The age of the church is the age of the resurrection of Jesus and the age of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. The church is the beginning of the kingdom of God that will come in its fullness at the second coming. The second coming is hastened every time the Eucharist is celebrated, and every time a Christian prays for Jesus to come and lives according