‘What Are We To Say, Then?’ (contest Christianity – Gilda Castillo)

“Look!
I am doing something new;

Even now
it is springing up.

Do you not recognize it?

I will make a way through the wilderness
And rivers through the desert.”

“I will make rivers flow on the bare hills
And springs in the valley plains.

I will turn the wilderness into a reedy pool of water
And the waterless land into springs of water.” Isa. 43:19; 41:18.

***

““Who has first given to him, (God)
so that it must be repaid to him?”

Because from him and by him and for him
are all things.”

“O the depth of God’s riches and wisdom
and knowledge!

How unsearchable his judgments are
and beyond tracing out his ways are!

For “who has come to know Jehovah’s mind,
or who has become his adviser?”” Rom. 11:33-36.

“But we do have the mind of Christ.” 1 Cor. 2:16.

***

“Now may the God who supplies endurance and comfort
grant you to have among yourselves

the same mental attitude
that Christ Jesus had”. Rom. 15:5.

Yes, “Keep this mental attitude in you
that was also in Christ Jesus,

who, although he was existing in God’s form,
did not even consider the idea

of trying to be equal to God.” Phil. 2:5, 6.

For did not Christ say, “‘I am going away
and I am coming back to you.’

If you loved me, you would rejoice
that I am going to the Father,

for the Father is greater than I am.” John 14:28.

The One who “has made everything beautiful
in its time.

He has even put eternity
in their heart;

yet mankind will never find out
the work that the true God has made

from start to finish.” Eccl. 3:11.

“How great your works are, O Jehovah!
How very deep your thoughts are!” Ps. 92:5.

” Look!

These are just the fringes of his ways;
Only a faint whisper has been heard of him!

So who can understand his mighty thunder?””Job 26:14.

“God thunders with his voice in a wonderful way;
He does great things that are beyond our understanding.” Job 37:5.

***

For did not Paul say: “I am telling the truth in Christ; I am not lying,… that I have great grief and unceasing pain in my heart.

For I could wish that I myself were separated from the Christ
as the cursed one for the sake of my brothers, my relatives according to the flesh, who are Israelites.

To them belong the adoption as sons and the glory and the covenants and the giving of the Law and the sacred service and the promises.

To them the forefathers belong,

and from them the Christ descended
according to the flesh.” Rom. 9:1-5.

“All the generations, then, from Abraham until David were 14 generations; from David until the deportation to Babylon, 14 generations; from the deportation to Babylon until the Christ, 14 generations.” Matt. 1:17.

But “not all who descend from Israel
are really “Israel.”

Neither are they all children
because they are Abraham’s offspring”. Rom. 9:6, 7.

Was not said by “Ho·seʹa: “Those not my people
I will call ‘my people,’ and her who was not loved, ‘beloved’;

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.’”” Rom. 9:25, 26; Hos. 2:23.

Why?

Because: “The stone that the builders rejected
Has become the chief cornerstone.

This has come from Jehovah;
It is wonderful in our eyes.” Ps. 118:22, 23.

Why Christ Jesus, to the chief priests and Pharisees said:
“The Kingdom of God

will be taken from you

and be given to a nation

producing its fruits.” Matt. 21:43.

“What are we to say, then?

That people of the nations,
although not pursuing righteousness,

attained righteousness,

the righteousness
that results from faith;

but Israel, although pursuing
a law of righteousness,

did not attain to that law.

For what reason?

Because they pursued it, not by faith,
but as by works.

They stumbled over the “stone of stumbling”;
as it is written:

“Look! I am laying in Zion a stone of stumbling
and a rock of offense,

but the one who rests his faith on it
will not be disappointed.” Rom. 9:30-33.

No. As “the Sovereign Lord Jehovah says:
“Here I am laying as a foundation in Zion

a tested stone,

The precious cornerstone
of a sure foundation.

No one exercising faith will panic.” Isa. 28:16.

***

Foreseen, “and look!

the Lamb standing on Mount Zion,
and with him

144, 000

who have his name
and the name of his Father

written on their foreheads.”

“The 144, 000, who have been bought
from the earth…. These are the ones
who keep following the Lamb

no matter where he goes.

These were bought from among mankind
as firstfruits to God and to the Lamb, 2 Rev. 14:1, 3, 4.

Therefore, “You are all, in fact, sons of God
through your faith in Christ Jesus.

For all of you who were baptized into Christ
have put on Christ.

There is neither Jew nor Greek,
there is neither slave nor freeman,
there is neither male nor female,

for you are all one
in union with Christ Jesus.

Moreover, if you belong to Christ,
you are really Abraham’s offspring,

heirs with reference to a promise.” Gal. 3:26-29.

Yes, these ‘chosen ones’ “sing a new song,
saying:

“You are worthy to take the scroll and open its seals,
for you were slaughtered

and with your blood

you bought people

for God

out of every tribe and tongue
and people and nation,

and you made them to be
a kingdom and priests

to our God,

and they are to rule as kings
over the earth.” Rev. 5:9, 10.

***

“And I saw another angel flying in midheaven,

and he had everlasting good news
to declare to those who dwell on the earth,

to every nation and tribe and tongue and people.

He was saying in a loud voice:

“Fear God and give him glory,
because the hour of judgment by him has arrived,

so worship the One who made the heaven and the earth

and the sea and the springs of water.”

Another, a second angel, followed, saying:

“She has fallen! Babylon the Great has fallen,

she who made all the nations
drink of the wine of the passion of her sexual immorality!”

Another angel, a third, followed them, saying in a loud voice:

“If anyone worships the wild beast and its image
and receives a mark on his forehead or on his hand,

he will also drink of the wine of the anger of God

that is poured out undiluted

into the cup of His wrath”. Rev. 14:6-10.

***

So this is why “Isaiah cries out concerning Israel:

“Although the number of the sons of Israel

may be as the sand of the sea,

only the remnant will be saved.

For Jehovah will make an accounting
on the earth,

concluding it and cutting it short.”

Also, just as Isaiah foretold:

“Unless Jehovah of armies had left an offspring to us, we should have become just like Sodʹom, and we should have resembled Go·morʹrah.”” Rom. 9:27-20.

“For though your people, O Israel,
Are as the grains of sand of the sea,

Only a remnant of them will return.

An extermination has been decided on,
And justice will engulf them.

Yes, the extermination decided on by the Sovereign Lord,
Jehovah of armies,

Will be carried out in the entire land.” Isa. 10:22, 23.

***

“And this good news of the Kingdom will be preached
in all the inhabited earth
for a witness to all the nations,

and then the end will come.” Matt. 24:14.

***

“Another angel emerged from the temple sanctuary, calling with a loud voice to the one seated on the cloud:

“Put your sickle in and reap, because the hour has come to reap,
for the harvest of the earth is fully ripe.”

And the one seated on the cloud thrust his sickle into the earth,

and the earth was reaped.” Rev. 14:15, 16.

***

“And everyone
who calls on the name of Jehovah

will be saved;

For on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem
there will be those who escape,

just as Jehovah has said,
The survivors whom Jehovah calls.”” Joel 2:32.

“For then I will change the language of the peoples
to a pure language,

So that all of them may call on the name of Jehovah,
To serve him shoulder to shoulder*.’” Zeph. 3:9.
(Or “worship him in unity.”)

“Those redeemed by Jehovah will return
and come to Zion with a joyful cry.

Unending joy will crown their heads.
Exultation and rejoicing will be theirs,

And grief and sighing will flee away.” Isa. 35:10.

“Instead of shame you will have a double portion,
And instead of humiliation they will shout joyfully over their share.

Yes, they will possess a double portion in their land.

Everlasting rejoicing will be theirs.” Isa. 61:7.

***

“What are we to say, then?
Is there injustice with God?

Certainly not!

For he says to Moses: “I will show mercy to whomever I will show mercy, and I will show compassion to whomever I will show compassion.”

So, then, it depends, not on a person’s desire or on his effort,
but on God, who has mercy.

For the scripture says to Pharʹaoh:
“For this very reason I have let you remain:

to show my power in connection with you
and to have my name declared

in all the earth.”

So, then, he has mercy on whomever he wishes,
but he lets whomever he wishes

become obstinate.” Rom. 9:14-18.

***

“God, who is over all,
be praised forever. Amen.”

“To him be the glory forever.
Amen.” Rom. 9:5; 11:36.

***

“I am Jehovah.
That is my name;

I give my glory to no one else,
Nor my praise to graven images.” Isa. 42:8.

Photo credit: Photo by Johannes Plenio on Unsplash

ITH & SB

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