'And as the religious declension becomes more and more pronounced in those bodies [heretofore] constituting spiritual Babylon, and their growing unlikeness to their Lord becomes more and more evident, the true people of God will at last sever their bonds with [such], realizing they no longer possess the truth.'
That time, I suggest, is not only fast approaching, it is even now upon us; 'right at the very doors', as One has put it. Yes, when worldly legislatures seek to not only rewrite the language, but rework history and historical truth/s in their own image, then I suggest we have reached the stage long prophesied, and the world is ripe for destruction, for God's judgments to be poured out upon it. Or, more precisely, His especial favour and blessing and ultimately presence through His Holy Spirit withdrawn, leaving each and every one of us to the particular future we have individually chosen.
So let's not for a moment even pretend that the Deity's response is that of a petulant parent, reacting ballistically in response to a *rebellious or defiant child, angry, nay infuriated simply because His kid has deigned, has *dared to defy, to cross his parent's will. No, it's altogether different from that.(*Though in saying that I don't for a moment discount the eminent good sense of the likes of the well-respected family life psychologist/radio host of Focus on the Family fame, Dr James Dobson, who prudently makes the point in his classics Dare to Discipline and Discipline while you can: The Strong-Willed Child, that whereas many (inadequate) parents tend to overdo the discipline meted out upon relatively minor, even wholly inadvertent childhood 'misdemeanours' by coming down upon such like the proverbial ton - or tonne - of bricks, when and where the line of demarcation is crossed from simple errors or mistakes to that of rebellion, of open, flagrant defiance of a parent's well-expressed and well-known wishes - so that the child in question is thus openly challenging that parent as to who is in control, who really runs and rules the roost in that particular household - then it is absolutely imperative that the parent/s in question lay down the law in no uncertain terms...though not by employing excessive or inordinate degrees of or inappropriate methods of physical discipline (essentially approaching violence). (Yet like the present Pope I wholly agree that spanking or smacking a kid doesn't remotely fall into such a category, and is even in a very real sense - though the word admittedly seems odd here - 'beautiful' in its way as Francis recently put it!)
It's rather 'simply' a matter of, having, however reluctantly, accepted their implicit rejection of Himself and all that He represents, He - at last - withdraws, leaving them to the choice they have themselves freely, willingly, even (at times) eagerly coveted and pursued. As has been said often enough, grief is the price we pay for love. And, moreover, if you truly love something - or someone - let them go. If they really, truly love you in turn, they will come back; if they don't, they never ever did.
"For why will you die, O Israel? Turn, turn ye from your wicked ways. For I have no pleasure in the death of him who dieth. Turn ye, for why will you die, O Israel?"
