And I tell you that many will come from the east and from the west and will recline at table with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the Kingdom of the Heavens,
»He will put the wretches to a wretched death,« was the reply, »and will entrust the vineyard to other vine-dressers who will render the produce to him at the vintage season.«
And He will send out His angels with a loud trumpet-blast, and they will bring together His own People to Him from north, south, east and west–from one extremity of the world to the other.
Jesus listened to this reply, and was astonished, and said to the people following Him, »I solemnly tell you that in no Israelite have I found faith as great as this.
Blessed are those servants, whom their Master when He comes shall find on the watch. I tell you in solemn truth, that He will tie an apron round Him, and will bid them recline at table while He comes and waits on them.
This statement of Peter's silenced his opponents. They extolled the goodness of God, and said, »So, then, to the Gentiles also God has given the repentance which leads to Life.«
Everywhere they strengthened the disciples by encouraging them to hold fast to the faith, and warned them saying, »It is through many afflictions that we must make our way into the Kingdom of God.«
Upon their arrival they called the Church together and proceeded to report in detail all that God, working with them, had done, and how He had opened for the Gentiles the door of faith.
Do you not know that unrighteous men will not inherit God's Kingdom? Cherish no delusion here. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor any who are guilty of unnatural crime,
I mean the truth that the Gentiles are joint heirs with us Jews, and that they form one body with us, and have the same interest as we have in the promise which has been made good in Christ Jesus through the Good News,
In that new creation there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, barbarian, Scythian, slave nor free man, but Christ is everything and is in all of us.
For these are a plain token of God's righteous judgement, which has in view your being deemed worthy of admission to God's Kingdom, for the sake of which, indeed, you are sufferers.