2016 A.D.: The Empire State Building in NY City Is Struck By Lightning, and Democrats Nominate Hillary
The Democratic National Convention was underway Monday, July 25th, 2016, beginning with the shouting down of a woman trying to deliver a commencement prayer to God and Jesus on behalf of the assembled people.
The next day, Tuesday, July 26, 2016, the former New York State Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton was selected as the Democrat Party's candidate for President, the first woman ever to be a major American political party's nominee for President, and what occurs? Arguably the most iconic building in New York City - the Empire State Building - was struck by lightning.
This is not so uncommon during storms. The building is struck multiple times a year it is said. So it's probably coincidence, right?
Well, it certainly and absolutely might be coincidence. And even if God meant it for something, it is an open question as to what event it corresponded to, and what He may have been saying if indeed He was sending a sign.
But in 2013, on the day that Pope Benedict XVI surprised the world and resigned, the first Pope in approximately 600 years to do so, lightning struck the Vatican, and the strike was captured on film by photographer Filippe Monteforte just as it occurred. Also, interesting. Also, timely.
But back to lightning strikes because of American politics? Does that happen? Well, Rudy Giuliani, former Mayor of New York City and a very popular guy was once a Republican candidate for President trying to speak about his position on abortion during a Republican Presidential debate at St Anselm College in New Hampshire in 2007 and found he could not complete the sentences that he was speaking because of a storm outside, and lightning strikes with thunder that kept killing his microphone when he tried to explain his pro-choice stance on abortion (yet genuine personal opposition to abortion) to the audience. He even made a joking remark alluding to not being too comfortable with the occurrence because of his Catholic upbringing. His debate opponents also took a joking step or two away from him, as if to distance themselves from the possible wrath of God perhaps.
The weather is completely in the Almighty Father's hands, though Jesus too has authority given Him by His Father over the elements. Jesus once calmed the furious storm on the Sea of Galilee merely by speaking. A mighty tempest and an earthquake broke out as He died upon the cross, as well as an earlier darkness in the full of the afternoon.
Lightning has been a great omen at times. In the 1500's A.D. the Aztecs saw absolutely wild signs, for about 10 years running, that foretold the coming extinguishment of their mighty empire. These were detailed in what is now called the Codex Florentine, which you can read about here on the Deeds of God site by going to the events of the 1500's A.D. in the left side column of accounts. One of these signs was a thunder free stroke of lightning that destroyed the Temple of Xiuhtecuhtli, burning it to the ground. This they interpreted as the wrath of the 'Sun God' against them for reasons they seem to have been unsure of. Anyone could argue that it was only chance, true. But as mentioned, the omens they received in the ten or so years preceding the coming of the Spanish under Hernando Cortes are both varied and remarkable in the extreme.
At about the same time, but in Germany, Martin Luther made his commitment to Jesus in earnest when, as a young man traveling home from the University on a horse, he was 'attacked' by a lightning storm of such intensity that he felt it was trying to take his life. Committed to Jesus, he went on to instigate, in large part, the events of the Protestant Reformation.
In 1865 in the U.S. state of Georgia, northern Civil War prisoners forced to dwell in what was essentially a fenced in open pasture at Andersonville Prison were drinking water of such horrid quality that they were dying in staggering numbers from water borne sicknesses - up to 100 men a day. The whole camp got caught up in a sort of Christian revival that spring going into summer. Intense and widespread praying for an end to the war, and for good water to drink. A strange cloud came and was said to have parked over the prison camp. Then in front of 10's of thousands of men it let loose with such a powerful strike of lightening that it terrified them all for a few seconds. Then the cloud moved on, and curious men walking down to the point of the lightning strike found a spring of cool and fresh artesian spring water flowing from the smoking hole. It supported them for the duration of the war, and their captors, honoring God, allowed them to use it despite the animosities between them. It still flows today. That story is also on this website.
Lightning strikes may at times be meant to catch our attention. Who can say when and which times that is however. And then comes the whole problem of interpreting....
For instance, I used to regularly drive by this, a statue in front of an Ohio Christian church called Solid Rock, in Ohio. It was a Mega-church of about 4,000 people at that time; I don't know its present situation. They had this statue of Jesus with hands raised heavenward, towards His Father, or in victory. It was a well-known sight in the area, and I fully believe that it was totally meant for the good, in a respectful way.
But sometime on June 14th, 2010, it became this, from a lightning strike that set its construction materials alight.
In the 10 commandments, given as part of the Old and now former covenant between man and God, carved images were banned...strongly and decisively banned. Even well intended carved images. It did not state exceptions concerning well intended carved images...it simply forbade making or worshiping them.
“You shall not make for yourself a carved image—any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me, but showing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments.” Exodus 20:4-6
The Old Covenant was replaced, true, yet it did enumerate and specify what God did and did not like us to do, and how He did and did not like us to behave, and the 10 commandments (including the 2nd command, all of which can be read in Exodus chapter 20 or Numbers chapter 5) are surely still to be obeyed today as part of honoring God the Father, right?
Even well-meant graven images might offend. Some churches actually take that position and have no images ...not even crucifixes, etc., .... inside of their church buildings. Was that involved somehow? Maybe. But yet, lightning must strike somewhere, and it always tends to strike the tallest thing between the cloud and the ground. Wasn't that surely involved? And so, man is usually just left to ponder.
Yet, omens from God may be like that sometimes. Even the possibility of an expression of anger from Heaven causes us to wonder in our mind what God may be thinking about our personal or national or religious actions or intentions. There is nothing worse in all of Creation than incurring the wrath of our Maker or our Savior or the Holy Spirit of God. There is no appeals court for any sentence they pronounce upon a person or a people.
And let's face it...we all sin whether it be 'big' sin or 'smaller' sin, and Heaven is not accepting of sin at all. Scripture assures us that sin must be atoned for and cleansed away, as we must enter either Heaven or the place of eternal fire, and it cannot be Heaven for the uncleansed sinner. So, it is the most serious of business that we seek our Savior while we still have a chance.
Once our time is up...and that time comes for us all...the evidence is in the books and the time for seeking the mercy of our Savior, Jesus, the Son of God, is completed. And we are judged then, judged before the throne of God for our thoughts, intentions, and actions. And the sentence is final. Final. On Earth, we never really know anything that is final. Even our death leads to our judgement as a soul before the throne of our Maker. But once we have arrived at that moment, our judgement, that is different: it is final. So let us all pray that we will all be wise and choose the one single path that the New Testament says can lead to life: faith in and commitment to Jesus of Nazareth, the Christ, the only Savior.