Book of Common Prayer
19 You will say to me, then, “So why does he still blame people? Who can stand against his purpose?” 20 Are you, a mere human being, going to answer God back? “Surely the clay won’t say to the potter, ‘Why did you make me like this?’ ” 21 Doesn’t the potter have authority over the clay, so that he can make from the same lump one vessel for honor, and another for dishonor? 22 Supposing God wanted to demonstrate his anger and make known his power, and for that reason put up very patiently with the vessels of anger created for destruction, 23 in order to make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy, the ones he prepared in advance for glory— 24 including us, whom he called not only from among the Jews but also from among the Gentiles?
God calls a remnant
25 This is what he says in Hosea,
I will call “not my people” “my people”;
and “not beloved” I will call “beloved.”
26 And in the place where it was said to them,
“You are not my people,”
there they will be called “sons of the living God.”
27 Isaiah cries out, concerning Israel,
Even if the number of Israel’s sons are like the sand by the sea,
only a remnant shall be saved;
28 for the Lord will bring judgment on the earth, complete and decisive.
29 As Isaiah said in an earlier passage,
If the Lord of hosts had not left us seed,
we would have become like Sodom, and been made like Gomorrah.
Israel, the nations and the Messiah
30 What then shall we say? That the nations, who were not aspiring towards covenant membership, have obtained covenant membership, but it is a covenant membership based on faith. 31 Israel meanwhile, though eager for the law which defined the covenant, did not attain to the law. 32 Why not? Because they did not pursue it on the basis of faith, but as though it was on the basis of works. They have stumbled over the stumbling stone, 33 as the Bible says,
Look: I am placing in Zion
a stone that will make people stumble,
a rock that will trip people up;
and the one who believes in him
will never be put to shame.
The beginning of the birth pangs
24 Jesus left the Temple and went away. As he did so, his disciples came and pointed out the Temple buildings to him. 2 “Yes,” he said, “and you see all these things? I’m telling you the truth: not one stone will be left standing upon another. All of them will be thrown down.”
3 As he was sitting on the Mount of Olives, his disciples came to him privately.
“Tell us,” they said, “when will these things happen? And what will be the sign that you are going to appear as king, and that the end of the age is upon us?”
4 “Watch out,” replied Jesus. “Don’t let anyone deceive you. 5 You see, there will be several who will come along, using my name, telling you ‘I’m the Messiah!’ They will fool lots of people. 6 You’re going to hear about wars, actual wars and rumored ones; make sure you don’t get alarmed. This has got to happen, but it doesn’t mean the end is coming yet. 7 Nations will rise against one another, and kingdoms against each other. There will be famines and earthquakes here and there. 8 All this is just the start of the birth pangs.
9 “Then they will hand you over to be tortured, and they will kill you. You will be hated by all nations because of my name. 10 Then several will find the going too hard, and they will betray each other and hate each other. 11 Many false prophets will arise, and they will deceive many people. 12 And because lawlessness will be on the increase, many will find their love growing cold. 13 But the one who lasts out to the end will be delivered. 14 And this gospel of the kingdom must be announced to the whole world, as a witness to all the nations. Then the end will come.”
Scripture quotations from The New Testament for Everyone are copyright © Nicholas Thomas Wright 2011, 2018, 2019.