[OBW]

You don't support your principles with scripture. Your guru is taking scripture and seeking to reanalyze events so that a pattern can be found. The magic formula that will either evidence God's judgment or bring God's favor. A sycamore fell over at some point after something else so there is a pattern. That was not the first or last sycamore to fall over. And generally, "felled" means to have been cut down. No one cut this one down. Terrorists spreading the fear of a false god set events in motion that caused many things to fall. Among them was a sycamore, roots and all. Funny thing is that this was not the first sycamore to fall. It might not have been the only sycamore to fall. But it is the one that was found and given special properties.

How about "be subject to rulers and authorities" (talking about the rulers of the world, not the church).

From the beginning I agreed that we should pray. And always pray.

But what are we being called to pray about by this fear monger? Blessing on the nation for its righteousness? (Now there is a good laugh.) I am all for the continuation of the US for generations to come. But it is not, has never been, nor never will be the focus of my spiritual energies. Neither will its laws that allow for what we declare to be immorality. Such as homosexuality, abortion, divorce, sexual promiscuity (as long as you don't pay for it and are not in Nevada), and so on. Instead, my focus is on what I have been charged by Jesus to do — love God and love my neighbor as myself. Unlike Israel, the US is not bound to a religious code as a nation. It is not a theocracy. Jesus came and was born in a nation that was ruled by another nation. Israel was never again simply a theocracy. That ended. They were never free again. And the nation that was current ruler over them was about as immoral and pagan as they come. And the one that conquered them was not really much better.

And he did not say anything about the Roman empire.

Now we come to a nation that was clear that the church was not the nation and the nation was not the church. And you want to declare that suddenly the pattern of Isaiah's prophecies has appeared and we are being warned? For what? Why not 200 years ago? Do you think we were really better then?

What are we being judged for? Allowing the homosexuals out of the closet? Really? You think that the "love your neighbor" position on this subject is to incarcerate them? Or better yet, stone them? And since we haven't at least forced them to be private about it, our nation is doomed?

If that is my God, then he is not the one I read of the in the Bible. Someone has stolen my God!!

And I think it is the Moral Majority, and Cahn, and others like him who did it. Who substituted bigoted and vengeful God for the one who charged us to live in unity and peace as we love our neighbors as ourselves?

Maybe the problem is that some of these people don't think much of themselves.