Romans 9:23-24 : And that he might make known the riches of his glory upon vessels of mercy, which he afore prepared unto glory, even us, whom he also called, not from the Jews only, but also from the Gentiles. The Jewish nation had long been fitted for destruction. Besides their general corruption and their arrogant self-righteousness, they had murdered the Son of God. This was a national crime, a national murder. The authorities hunted down Christians, and thus became guilty of wholesale murder. Death was and is the pen-alty for murder; and the nation was soon to suffer that penalty. God had endured them with much longsuffering, not for their sake, but "that he might make known the riches of his glory upon vessels of mercy, which he afore prepared unto glory, even us, whom he also called, not from the Jews only, but also from the Gentiles." Though the Jewish nation had for many years been ripe for destruction, God endured them with much long-suffering--spared them--till the gospel could be preached to the Gentiles and churches established among them. Think what would have been the fate of the churches when Jerusalem and the Jewish nation were destroyed, if that awful event had occurred before there were churches outside Judea. The riches of God's glory were the blessings of the gospel upon all, both of the Jews and of the Gentiles, who were called by the gospel into the service of God. The Jews were upset because Paul, a Jew, was going among the Gentiles and preaching to them and teaching that God now put no difference between Jew and Gentile. Even in the churches there were Jews who contended that Gentiles must be circumcised and keep the law--that is, they must become as Jews--or they could not be saved.