Certainly no person or entire nation is going to be completely obedient. Are there any verses that give the specifics on what the criteria is for God to consider a nation non-obedient?
First, I would say we could talk about what is most important to being obedient, so you might see what I mean by not being obedient and why this could mean major trouble for an individual or a whole nation.
By the way, when God says He will punish a whole nation, I think He could mean a nation of the unbelievers in a country. We in Jesus, possibly, are now considered to be citizens of the
"holy nation" of Christ > 1 Peter 2:9. So, if we are being obedient, a whole nation being punished where we live would not include us >
"Only with your eyes shall you look,
.And see the reward of the wicked."
. . . . . . . . . . . . . (Psalm 91:8)
Even so . . . who does the Bible say gets judged
"first"? > 1 Peter 4:17. And going by Romans 8:29 I understand we will be evaluated in comparison with Jesus, and if we have loved the way He wants, of course.
So, may be I can multi-task here, helping to answer your question and at the same time answering >
So what does “be ready” mean for you?
An obedient person is getting ready for Jesus who says
"be ready" in Matthew 24:44. Now, to
"be" means, I understand, how we are, and not only how we act or reform our ways of thinking. So, I think Jesus means how we need to become in our character; He does not mean only to change our actions and beliefs.
And I notice how in His Sermon on the Mount, the very first thing Jesus talks about is how to be >
"poor in spirit" (in Matthew 5:3); personally, I think this means how we are
"poor" in our hearts, meaning we don't care about having the things of this world, and we are so pleased and unconditionally satisfied with God and His love, and therefore
"content with such things as you have" (in Hebrews 13:5).
And then in verses thereafter, He says we need to be
"merciful",
"meek", and
"pure in heart". This all makes us like Jesus so we are compatible with our soon-coming Groom.
And our Apostle Paul says how we can do great things, but we are nothing and profited nothing if we do not have love > 1 Corinthians 13:1-3.
How we relate in love is essential, then, I would say, so we are ready for Jesus and family sharing and caring love with Him and one another in the Rapture and for all eternity.
So, yes I would say Jesus means for us to become like Him in our character and to relate in His love now, the way we will be sharing and caring in the Rapture. We need to be doing now what we will be doing in the Rapture . . . loving this way now so we are ready to love like this with Jesus when He comes.
And we have scriptures which can feed us how God's love has us relating > here are some of the things God's word says about this >
"Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you." (Ephesians 4:31-32)
"Do all things without complaining and disputing, that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation," (in Philippians 2:13-16)
And Ephesians 1:4 says that God wants us to
"be holy and without blame before Him in love".
"Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; because as He is, so are we in this world." (1 John 4:18)
So, I understand and trust God, that He wants us to become how His love has us become in our character, so we are ready for
"the day of judgment", and therefore ready to spend eternity in sharing with God and one another as His family, in His family caring and sharing way of loving.
So, if people do not obey these Bible basics of how to be and how to relate in love . . . this is a main way people are disobeying God. And this evil world is set up to provide many ways to keep our attention away from seeking how God is able to change us to be like Jesus. This world is constantly trying to misdirect our attention so we get tangled up (2 Timothy 2:4) in trying to reform people's actions and beliefs, and so we get tied up with judging politicians and certain worldly religious leaders instead of doing the praying that God's word says to do
"first of all" > 1 Timothy 2:1-4. And ones can do nothing but call attention to when and what will happen, in a way which keeps people's attention away from how to be
"ready".
So, then, when will Jesus come? - - - when God has Christ's Bride Church
"ready", in my opinion. If I am correct . . . the number-one sign of Christ's return will be the prepared church of Christ; and this sign will mainly be
"in the sight of God", I consider; and so,
@Dorothy Mae > this is why I already gave you 1 Peter 3:4 where I was talking about how we need to be
"ready" > so we are
"in the sight of God" the way He desires for us to be >
"rather let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God." (1 Peter 3:4)
So, the ones who will be judged will include ones who disobey this, by making a project of calling attention away from this, to various worldly things. Because there is indeed a set-up of Satan's conspiracy to control our attention away from God and how His word says to become like Jesus and to love like Jesus.
By being and loving like Jesus our Groom, we are compatible with Him now and later; here is another scripture about how we can love so even now we are compatible with our Groom Jesus and with one another >
"And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma." (Ephesians 5:2)
