Hello Cassia, thank you for your comments. This article, which is only the first part of the study about the tribulation, really focuses on the fact that the bible speaks of various tribulations. There are tribulations that we all face individually, and there are tribulations that specific congregations of God’s people face. And then of course the bible speaks of this world being full of tribulation for all of us. But the “great tribulation” spoken of in Mathew 24, and Mark 13, is a tribulation that as the bible says, “such as the world has never seen until now, and never will again”. This tribulation was one that a particular group of people were going to suffer through. And though that great tribulation is now past, the tribulations that everyone faces in this world will continue till the end of time.

That’s where we come in.

Our relationship to Christ is one of obedience to Him. That’s why He said, “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.” John 14:15. A relationship of disobedience is NOT what we want. To disobey God, is to sin. Jesus said in Mathew 7:23, “Then I will declare to them, I never knew you, depart from me, you who practice iniquity.” We’re told in Hebrews 5:9, “He became the author of salvation to all those who obey Him.” And we need to learn from the example of the nation of Israel, when we’re told in Hebrews 3:18, “And to whom did He swear that they should not enter His rest, but to those who were disobedient?” And in the next verse, God calls disobedience, “unbelief”. Jesus tell us in Mathew 14:13, “It is the one who endures to the end who will be saved.”

So our relationship to Jesus, and to God, is one of pure obedience to everything He has told us to do.

And our mission in life is the very same for each and every one of us. It’s stated clearly in Ecclesiastes 12:13, “Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is the WHOLE of man.”

What about our relationship to others? Our relationship to others is stated just as clearly by Jesus in Mathew 22:39, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself!” Jesus also told us in Mathew 25:40, “To the extent that you did it to one of these, My brethren, you did it to Me.”

And the “call to action”? “Not everyone who says to Me, Lord, Lord will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who DOES the will of my Father who is in Heaven.” Mathew 7:21. “And why do you call Me Lord, Lord, and do not DO what I say?” Luke 6:46. The “call to action” is to DO what God says to do! That is exactly what the bible calls us for, to DO His will.

I realize that many people want to think that they have been “called” to do something “specific” for God. But God doesn’t get that specific in his word. He tells us what we need to obey, and He tells us what we need to stay away from, and it’s up to us all to obey these same words. There are many areas of service that a person could be involved in, and it’s really up to us to choose exactly HOW we can best serve God. Any service to God that is according to His word, is acceptable to Him. But we need to remember that just because WE think something might be a “good work”, if it isn’t according to what God has said in His word, it’s not necessarily His will. His will is determined by His word. We have His word, all we need to do is obey it.

Thanks so much for visiting and for commenting. If I can help point you to the answers to any other questions, please don’t hesitate to let me know.