48 years apart: Lightning strikes kill dad, son

It might be time to review what God has to say about lightning...

A story out of NJ today:

"HAMMONTON, N.J. - July 14, 2011 (WPVI) -- The story seems almost unbelievable, but the bark blown off an old sycamore tree is a reminder this tragedy is all too real. It was in a Hammonton backyard that 54-year-old Stephen Rooney was struck by lightning at a family barbeque July 3rd as he stepped away from the crowd to light a cigar. The party host, Rooney's cousin and next door neighbor, Funzi Digerolamo, says a giant bolt shook the yard. "Hit the tree, went up the tree. It electrified all through the root system of the tree at that time so he was standing right in the electric field," Digerolamo said. Digerolamo's son Scott was blown right off a bench, but survived. Steve Rooney died five days later."

"Just before he was hit, Rooney downplayed concerns about the lightning. "He had just said that lightning doesn't strike two people in one family right before it happened, not long before it happened, he said that," neighbor Paula Weisbecker said. Lightning is not supposed to strike twice, but in this case it did."

"Steve Rooney's father George was also killed by lightning 48 years ago when Steve was just a 5-year-old boy. The odds of this happening to a father and son are astronomical. Everyone is stunned that a bolt of lightning could claim them both, almost 5 decades apart."

More here at link

Plague of Lightning:

"2 Then the LORD said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand toward heaven, that there may be hail in all the land of Egypt—on man, on beast, and on every herb of the field, throughout the land of Egypt.” 23 And Moses stretched out his rod toward heaven; and the LORD sent thunder and hail, and fire darted to the ground. And the LORD rained hail on the land of Egypt. 24 So there was hail, and fire mingled with the hail, so very heavy that there was none like it in all the land of Egypt since it became a nation. 25 And the hail struck throughout the whole land of Egypt, all that was in the field, both man and beast; and the hail struck every herb of the field and broke every tree of the field. 26 Only in the land of Goshen, where the children of Israel were, there was no hail. 27 And Pharaoh sent and called for Moses and Aaron, and said to them, “I have sinned this time. The LORD is righteous, and my people and I are wicked. 28 Entreat the LORD, that there may be no more mighty thundering and hail, for it is enough. I will let you go, and you shall stay no longer.” 29 So Moses said to him, “As soon as I have gone out of the city, I will spread out my hands to the LORD; the thunder will cease, and there will be no more hail, that you may know that the earth is the LORD’s." (Exodus 9:22-29).

THE EARTH IS THE LORD'S!

Comments

  1. while I do think this is an important lesson to learn ("be careful of lightning"), please don't assume anything about a purely coincidental and scientifically explainable and extremely unfortunate event, that put four of my family members in the hospital, and took a beloved family friend from his own family too soon.

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    Replies
    1. Hello Ms or Mr DiGerolamo,

      Thank you so much for reading. I appreciate that you stopped by. I agree that there are many things that are scientifically explainable. God is the author of science and He orchestrates all pure coincidences.

      I assume nothing about the particular people in this essay, and I am surely sorry for your losses. However, the point is that God is sovereign. He sends the lightning. Not one thing happens on this earth that He doesn't allow or ordain. He is holy. He expects one thing from all of us, and that is to believe in His son, Jesus. When He takes us from this life, not too soon, but at His perfect timing, our job is to make sure that we have repented of our sins and asked Jesus to forgive them.

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