Is this the lightening Jesus was talking about in Luke 10:18?

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   Claire Evansposted 10 years ago

   
   This picture of the Vatican being struck by lightening was taken just after Pope Benedict resigned.  It has disturbed even non-religious people.   
   
   Luke 10:18
   
   Jesus replied, "I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.
   
   Say same the Pope's resignation is a Saint Malachy prophecy fulfilled.  Read about it here:
   
   http://beforeitsnews.com/conspiracy-the … 48414.html

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      Uninvited Writerposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Lightning strikes all the time. I knew the conspiracy nuts would be all over this and his resignation.
      
      From accuweather.com
      
      "The Empire State Building in New York City is hit by lightning 100 times per year. If the Basilica is properly grounded and an attractive source for lightning strikes, it's possible that it gets hit every time a thunderstorm moves through Rome."

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         Jewel01posted 10 years agoin reply to this

         uninvited way to hit the nail on the head.

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         MelissaBarrettposted 10 years agoin reply to this

         You would think Satan falling like lightning from heaven would be a little more noticeable than a lightning strike hitting the tallest object in the area.
         
         If I remember correctly isn't there a huge metal topper on the Basilica to boot?

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            Uninvited Writerposted 10 years agoin reply to this

            Yes, to stop lightning from setting fire to the building

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            Claire Evansposted 10 years agoin reply to this

            No, it doesn't have to be more spectacular than that.   Satan is subtle, too, you know.

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         Claire Evansposted 10 years agoin reply to this

         Yes, you just assume we are conspiracy nuts.   And thanks for stating the obvious that lightning strikes all the time. 
         
         It could be argued that it is a  coincidence.  Still, even non-religious people think it's disturbing.  I do not believe in coincidences as in the case of those in the occult.

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            riddle666posted 10 years agoin reply to this

            Who is that non religious people who think it "disturbing"?

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            Kangaroo_Jaseposted 10 years agoin reply to this

            Claire you are claiming 'Still, even non-religious people think it's disturbing.' where is your source for this statement?

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               Claire Evansposted 10 years agoin reply to this

               http://beforeitsnews.com/religion/2013/ … oreitsnews

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                  Kangaroo_Jaseposted 10 years agoin reply to this

                  So your source for that statement is quoting someone's opinion on a website.
                  
                  Being an atheist I can suggest all these theories are built on a house of straws and I don't believe any of it.

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                     Claire Evansposted 10 years agoin reply to this

                     Yes, I said some non believers would it disturbing.  That is their opinion.

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                        adrianrocposted 10 years agoin reply to this

                        I believe it is disturbing and it is not because of my human conditioning. Is that what they call believers of prophecy these days, "conspiracy nuts?" Glad to see there are still persons like you Claire, don't let the judgement of others thwart your perception.

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                           Claire Evansposted 10 years agoin reply to this

                           Thank you.

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            Uninvited Writerposted 10 years agoin reply to this

            Not everyone, you have shown numerous times that you will believe anything and everything is satan.

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      JMcFarlandposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Lightning strikes the top of the Vatican all the time.  I even have pictures of it happening when I was in Rome when I was 14.  Either "god" hates the church - or its a natural event with no significance whatsoever.  why try to turn it into something more?
      
      Do we have any verification that this picture was even taken when it says it was?

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         Uninvited Writerposted 10 years agoin reply to this

         The consensus does seem to be that it is legitimate, taken by a professional photographer.

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         Greekgeekposted 10 years agoin reply to this

         Here's a good video of the strike from the BBC:
         http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-21421810
         
         The bolt hit in the evening around 6PM. The Pope's announcement was at 11AM.
         
         I find it fascinating, just because we LOVE to impute meaning into things that have none. It's a fun coincidence.
         
         But as the rationalists above noted, St. Peter's, as the tallest building in the area with a metal roof that's one giant lightning rod, gets struck all the time.
         
         Just for fun, I just did a Google search limited to January 1993-Feb 1, 2013, and came up with a few links:
         
         "Archbishop Comastri said part of the restoration project includes putting up a new lightning rod "since a lot of lightning bolts hit the basilica." - June 2005
         http://www.catholicnews.com/data/storie … 503533.htm
         
         Fringe website with conspiracy theories galore sees huge significance in lightning strike on St. Peters in 2002:
         http://www.texemarrs.com/042002/heavens_fury.htm
         
         
         Other cathedrals struck by lightning:
         https://www.riga.lv/EN/Channels/About_R … aznica.htm
         http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bremen_Cathedral
         http://www.ultimateitaly.com/the-cupola  (Duomo in Florence was inspiration for St. Peter's Basilica)

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            Claire Evansposted 10 years agoin reply to this

            What are the chances of this photographer capturing this picture at the right moment?  It's interesting to note that Jim Cavaziel who played Jesus in "The Passion of the Christ" got hit by a lightening bolt while filming the Sermon of the Mount scene. When Jon Mikalini, an assistant, went to Cavaziel to ask if he was okay he got struck, too.
            
            http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/3209223.stm
            
            When one of the Muslim actors saw this he converted to Christianity on the spot.
            
            http://www.cbn.com/700club/guests/inter … zel_2.aspx
            
            I also recall the film, "The Omen" when the priest wanting to warn the ambassador of his son being the anti-Christ gets struck by lightning and dies.
            
            Some people believed the film was cursed because separate flights for both actor Gregory Peck and executive producer Mace Neufeld were struck by lightning when flying between the USA and England, and producer Harvey Bernhard was barely missed by a lightning bolt in Rome.

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               riddle666posted 10 years agoin reply to this

               Even god can miss! Tell him practice make perfect.

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               johndnathanposted 10 years agoin reply to this

               Modern professional digital cameras can take a good 10 pictures per second continuously.  If the user needs to capture something even more precise their camera can take a short burst of upwards of 100 pictures per second.  So timing it right is not as hard as one might think.  Also the pic could have been from the hundreds of times the roof was hit in the past.

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                  Claire Evansposted 10 years agoin reply to this

                  I'll accept your explanation.

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      brotheryochananposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      satan (adversary) falling (to be thrust down as in overtaken by a stronger opponent)  like lightning (the gleam of a lamp, by extension, short-lived).  This verse when looked at closer says basically "i see your adversary ( we have the word adversity now but not then)  overcome like the putting out of a candles flame".  The next verse reads "behold i give you power to ... overcome your adversaries - paraphrased.
      There is a difference between falling like (smilar) to lightning and falling as lightning. Jesus was pretty much giving his disciples a pep talk.
      Satan being here used has no more purpose than to purport catholic doctrine. Remember we must marry the OT and NT together to form our conclusions.

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         Claire Evansposted 10 years agoin reply to this

         Yes, you are right.  It isn't supposed to be literal but I do know that Satan is often associated with lightning.

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            Disappearingheadposted 10 years agoin reply to this

            Err where?

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      Disappearingheadposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Yeah right this site contains videos trying to advertise testosterone to me.

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   tngolfplayerposted 10 years ago

   Probably just denial of resignation.

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   Healthy Pursuitsposted 10 years ago

   Hey, what do you think happens when a guy gives God two weeks notice? That takes some serious ca-hone-ays!
   
   I'm loving the theories and extrapolations! They sound so, um, primitive...

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      riddle666posted 10 years agoin reply to this

      God does not like notices and he was all along planning to sent Satan as a lighting the moment the pope give notice.

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   Dale Hydeposted 10 years ago

   In all honesty, I would be led to believe that this photo was taken on an earlier date.  There has been no "proof" that this was taken when claimed.

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      Claire Evansposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      No, it was reported on BBC.
      
      http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-21421810
      
      Thunder and lightning is rare in winter in Italy.

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      Greekgeekposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      The BBC posted a video -- not a photo, a video -- of the same strike.
      
      Do really think they were sitting on that video waiting for a chance like this, and wouldn't have released it sooner? It meant tons of views whenever they posted it.
      
      Claire, I am distracted in all this discussion by the fact that your name means "lightning."

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         Claire Evansposted 10 years agoin reply to this

         It means clear or giver of light.  Not quite lightning.

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            Disappearingheadposted 10 years agoin reply to this

            Lucifer means 'Shining one'; are you Satan Claire?

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               Claire Evansposted 10 years agoin reply to this

               What a stupid question.

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   Emile Rposted 10 years ago

   I'm afraid you have your myths mixed up here Claire. Zeus sends the lightning. This probably means he was making sure the Vatican knew he was displeased.About something. Probably the inexpensive Christmas decorations this year. Or, the pedophile scandal. I doubt the news of the Pope's resignation has reached Olympus yet.

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      johndnathanposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Zing!

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   atomswifeyposted 10 years ago

   I'm not saying that this is a prophesy from Luke but one has to admit that the odds of a giant bolt such as this striking at the exact place and the exact time of his resignation is astounding! What it means if anything I don't know but still it is astonishing and thought provoking.

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      johndnathanposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      It was a couple of hours afterwards that the lightning struck.  Also this sort of event is not uncommon as St. Peter's Basilica is the highest point around and made of metal.  It is in fact a huge lightning rod.
      
      Humans are good at recognizing patterns and linked events... even when the events are not linked in any way at all.

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      psycheskinnerposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      The likelihood of any given thing in isolation is remote (the likelihood I would wear non-matching socks today, or that my dog would have a spot shaped like a heart, for example).  But there is no reason to be surprised by this particular one. It is a tall building.  And lightning occurs in this country about as often as it does in any other country.

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      Claire Evansposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      I don't think it is a prophecy but I think it's pretty clear lightning represents Satan.  I've got this annoying habit of making my forum titles ambiguous.  It wasn't the exact time of his resignation but a couple of hours later.  It was also disturbing that Cardinal Angelo Sodano said the resignation was “like a lightning bolt in a clear blue sky.”
      
      There was another incident with a lightening bolt regarding the Vatican:
      
      "John Paul II, head of the Roman Catholic Church, and Patriarch Bartholomew, symbolic head of Orthodox Christians, together, on Thursday, June 29, from the balcony of the basilica of St. Peter, blessed their faithful all over the world. They addressed a common appeal for the reunification of the Christian churches, separated for 1,000 years. The two religious leaders came to participate at a mass in the Vatican, where they undertook to redouble their ecumenical efforts...
      
      In an atmosphere charged with intensity...ambassadors credited to the Holy See, members of the Sacred College, and numerous high officials of the Vatican, the Pope, and the Patriarch each in their turn spoke...to express their intention to 'dispel' the misunderstandings which have separated Christians… since the 11th century...
      
      The Patriarch underlined "that today, happily...we have arrived at a maturity." The Pope, in turn, suggested that papal authority would have to be supreme in a unified Church because Christ had given Saint Peter, the first pope, free power to rule the flock on earth.
      
      Patriarch Bartholomew then asked Christians to pray and fast to oppose the power of the Devil and to drive out demons. At that exact moment, all the faithful were startled by a lightning bolt which struck the basilica, followed by a violent summer storm."
      
      http://www.texemarrs.com/042002/heavens_fury.htm

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         brotheryochananposted 10 years agoin reply to this

         If we think that the vatican has any special place in the kingdom of God we are sadly mistaken.

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   Uninvited Writerposted 10 years ago

   Wow, Satan gets busy in the spring and summer doesn't he, and the occasional winter thunder storm?

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      kirstenblogposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Seems that hell must get even hotter during spring/summer so he might need a little R&R in the physical plane and well while here, why not stir up a little trouble? It is his bread and butter ya know

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      A Troubled Manposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      It's funny how we have evolved to understand lightning is produced in weather patterns while others evolution has gone from Zeus to Satan.

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