It was argued that only a nation that has embraced the faith could be considered a "whore". This is not true. First off, the USA has never embraced Christianity as a state religion. Our Declaration of Independent recognizes the existance of God, but as a Country, we have never endorsed the idea that Jesus/Yeshua was His Son or embraced Christianity as the state religion. On the other hand, most European nations have done so. Catholicism is the State Religion in Italy, as it is in seveal European countries. In the UK it is the Anglican Church.
Some nations have declared multiple state religions. Russia recognizes 4 religions as "official", including Russian Orthodox, Catholic, and 2 others I forget. 5 nations have established Lutherism as the state religion (Norway, Finland, Denmary, Iceland and Greenland). It WAS the state religion of Sweden until 2000, when they eliminated having a state religion.
As a nation, the USA has not embraced any religion nor has it rejected one. It has stood for freedom of worship from the beginning, and there were more Masonic polytheists or Deists who signed the Declaration of Independence than Christians. Masons laid out our capital. The USA as a nation has never tried to define Who God is.
So if the argument made that God will punish the "servant" nations more several than those who do not, then again, the USA is at no extreme on this account. It has never embraced the faith enough to be considefred a "servant" nation like many countries in Europe or Russia have, nor has it rejected it faith completely, such as athiest countries like China or the old Soviet Union, nor has it established a contrary religion, like Islam, which most countries in the Mid-East and North Africa have. It has remained neutral and stood for letting each man decide for himself.
The USA is not at either extreme when it comes to moral behavior, nor is it at either extreme when it comes to embracing or rejecting the faith. It therefore cannot be the ultimate example of who God wants to punish by any standard of measurement. Nearly EVERY country in Europe has done more to embrace the faith by establishing Christianity as the state religion and then behaved worse than us.
And while it is true, as was pointed out at http://www.fivedoves.com/letters/mar2014/gino324.htm that Israel was called a "whore" in a number of places, it is not a requirement that a woman be married to be called a "whore". the Hebrew word used in most of the scriptures quoted at that URL is ZONAH (זוֹנָה), which includes ANY form of sexual impropriety, including pre-marital sex by unmarried people. One proof text is Hosea, where God told Hosea, "'Go, take unto thee a wife of harlotry (זְנוּנִים from the root "zona" again) ", though she had never been married, otherwise, God would not have told Hosea to marry a married woman. and while it is true that Israel was called a "whore" in several places because Israel adopted idolatry from the surrounding nations, Ninevah and Assyria were called a "whore" in Nahum 2-3 too; one of the nations that influenced Israel INTO idolatry. Israel does not stand alone as the only nation called such in Scripture; so is the harlot nation that influenced Israel into harlotry.
And the idea that only a believing nation would be singled out for the ultimate punishment is refuted by several examples. Sodom and Gamorrah were not described as believing nations, but were singled out for utter destruction because of their sins, but not for hypocrasy, for they never embraced the faith. And what about the nations Israel drove OUT of the promised land? Many of them too, were idol worshippers.
So the USA is at neither extreme of accepting or rejecting the faith, and Israel is not the only country called a "whore" in Scripture. And there are countries that never embraced the faith in the one true God who were sentenced to complete and total destruction. It is therefore illogical to conclude that only the USA could be singled out for the ultimate punishment or that only the USA is a candidate to be considered a "whore".
I believe that a big part of this problem is that many American think more highly of America than it ought to. America is the center of OUR lives, and we think it should be at the center of Scriptural attention to. But it is not. Most people can't even find the USA in Scripture, we are so unimportant to Biblical Prophecy.
Shalom, Joe