There are many things we can't know, but I would be very wary of saying anything was or wasn't an act of God. I will explain why.
Various people have said various things regarding the deadly third-world collapse of 12 storey concrete framed apartment complex in Miami Surfside Florida. Prompted, Biden Secretary of Energy Blames Climate Change, specifically (normal) sea level rise. Surfside's former mayor said speculation as to the cause is not useful, which is foolish as only speculation can suggest causes, and it won't stop speculation - rather fuel it. But Surfside Town Commissioner Eliana Salzhauer said, “This was not an act of God. This was not a natural disaster. Buildings don't just fall.” usatoday.com
Prayers for the lives of those missing rely on the great power of the God of Israel, a power so great that when Samson pushed the pillars of the Philistines temple the whole fell down, and no doubt if Samson had wished it he could have survived.
I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty. (1Timothy 2:1-2)
UPDATE 4th of July! Independence Day Demolition
The final portion of the Champlain Tower tottering, damaged, condemned by greed and corruption and suddenly abandoned is detonated and demolished on America's 245th Independence Day, due to fear of Elsa, an approaching storm. We argue that the Bible says God controls all the storms;'Elsa' means 'the oath of El' or the 'covenant of God'. The demolition is announced by Ron deSantis 'Wise Ruler of the Holy'. As it is the third largest US peacetime disaster, this Sunday Independence Day demolition points to the state of America, in self-demolition mode, due to failure from fundamental corruption and fear, led by a tottering elderly leader who cannot even remember a pre-prepared answer. This is another pointer that, considering the great power and judgement of God, even considering the human corruption and mistakes, we would be wary of saying that the matter was not an act of God the only Wise Ruler of the Saints.
Because, even because they have seduced my people, saying, Peace; and there was no peace; and one built up a wall, and, lo, others daubed it with untempered morter: Say unto them which daub it with untempered morter, that it shall fall: .. and a stormy wind shall rend it. Lo, when the wall is fallen, shall it not be said unto you, Where is the daubing wherewith ye have daubed it? Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; I will even rend it with a stormy wind in my fury; and there shall be an overflowing shower in mine anger, and great hailstones in my fury to consume it. So will I break down the wall that ye have daubed with untempered morter, and bring it down to the ground, so that the foundation thereof shall be discovered, and it shall fall, and ye shall be consumed in the midst thereof: and ye shall know that I am the LORD. (Ezekiel 13:10-15)
Let us consider the sign in the symbol of the sudden end in the night of these people before an approaching destructive storm called the 'Oath of God',
The righteous perisheth, and no man layeth it to heart: and merciful men are taken away, none considering that the righteous is taken away from the evil to come. (Isaiah 57:1)
Dangerous world
Firstly, each day we live in a deadly dangerous world. It is perhaps a testament to a heritage of God-fearing care for life in engineering as to how safe it appears. Yet safety is always and only the province of the God of Israel – if we do not believe this we have no faith - if God is not in control of all things, without exception, no prayer is worth the breath to make it.
Wherefore ye shall do my statutes, and keep my judgments, and do them; and ye shall dwell in the land in safety. (Leviticus 25:18)
How can it be that safety is of God when humans can be so sloppy and cause such danger? People may ask why doesn't God always protect us? But even should God always protect us from others stupidity, sin, corruption and evil, should He always protect all of us from the consequences of our own sin?
The point, not just from Leviticus but many examples, is that God only protects those who love and serve him and love his commandments and keep them. The righteous keeping of commandments allows angelic protection in the detail of all their activity. There is an unseen player, in all things under the sun, that acts with wisdom we do not understand.
It shall come to pass, that like as I have watched over them, to pluck up, and to break down, and to throw down, and to destroy, and to afflict; so will I watch over them, to build, and to plant, saith the LORD. (Jeremiah 31:28)
But all others with no true faith and no true hope live with either God's judgment or chance, or the chance of God's judgment.
I returned, and saw under the sun, that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favour to men of skill; but time and chance happeneth to them all. For man also knoweth not his time: as the fishes that are taken in an evil net, and as the birds that are caught in the snare; so are the sons of men snared in an evil time, when it falleth suddenly upon them. (Ecclesiastes 9:11-12)
A possible exception to chance is God's Witnesses the people of sign, the generality of the Jewish people, who were scattered by God's will to face generations of deadly persecution and are now being regathered, but God's will, not their own.
Drilling into Miami Surfside Champlain collapse
This building is in a significant Jewish area where many who lived there sought safety with the rituals of Judaism. It is now the subject of prayers for many people, including God-fearing Jews. algemeiner.com
“This is a heavily Jewish neighborhood, with lots of synagogues and a lot of local residents are haredim,” Hatzalah volunteer Yosef Dahan told Israeli radio station Galei Tzahal on Thursday. With many of the missing believed to be Israeli citizens, Israel’s Foreign Minister Yair Lapid said in a statement that the Israeli government was working overtime to help those affected by the tragedy.worldisraelnews.com
As it had Israeli residents, it is connected to Israel, therefore at this point I would be very hesitant to eliminate God's role.
In any case where is the interface of the natural and the human made here? The Apartment building is on sand and/or limestone and was found to be sinking about 2mm per year from 1992-1999, twenty years ago.
Wdowinski and Fiaschi did not alert Surfside city officials about the sinking issue, nor was anyone in the city government alarmed or even bothered examining the study because it focused primarily on flooding hazards, not engineering disasters due to sinking land. zerohedge
They actually knew there was an issue, but their eyes were so blinded by a focus of Godless prejudice – the idea that human actions are causing the sea to rise – they ignored the odd finding of the 12 storey building behaving slightly oddly!
Here also is the lesson of our Lord - don't build a massive 12 storey concrete tower on sand. It is clear from the photos the side facing the surf fell.
And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it. (Matthew 7:25-27)
Christ had an extra point as he shows his disciples who controls the waves, as even the winds and water obey him (Luke 8:25).
So the structure and the sand foundation resist the loads, and then over time the sand settles, but did it sink suddenly? – is the actual point of failure an act of God?
He cuts out rivers among the rocks; and his eye sees every precious thing. (Job 28:10)
God controls the wind, the storms the sand and coasts (Prov 8:29, Job 26:10). In Christ's parable of the house destroyed, who sent the storm?
But an expert may point to the defects in the design with a slab design known for punching shear failures, non-symmetrical stability core, lack of reinforcing and low load capacity. Many have already noted the structural report of issues from 3 years ago. zerohedge
Nobody had acted on this report despite the fact that they had up to a foot of salt water in the basement at king tides and that the report predicted an explosion of steel corrosion, and pointed out the substandard state of existing repairs. Nobody listened to the building manager in the past about fixing the salt water intrusion because it was something that often occurred and even if the pumps failed to deal with the water, it would seep away.
The former deputy Lord Mayor himself noted cracking in pavement by the pool a few years ago and wondered if it was due to nearby construction, which had included the driving of piles yahoo
God could, if he chose tap someone on the shoulder at any of these many points to act on even one of these issues, but none noticed: hindsight is 20/20. Structural repair for much of the lower structure was a process about to start. Was a contributory cause the month long repairs on the roof that were wearying the residents, or is it a failure from below as the pool was reported sinking first, or a combination where God was in control of the earth and sea? Was it in fact a miracle that the building stood for so long?
Was a trigger cause an earthquake measured at 3.9 caused by the US Navy on Friday June 21 to test an aircraft carrier? foxnews
The explosion was some distance to the North, but was it a factor? Who comes up with such an absurd idea as to test blow up ones own ship right off ones own coast with a mega bomb?
In a dream, in a vision of the night, when deep sleep falleth upon men, in slumberings upon the bed; Then he openeth the ears of men, and sealeth their instruction, That he may withdraw man from his purpose, and hide pride from man. (Job 33:15-17)
Not only might matters of potential harm be hidden, people may be given ideas by God that lead to specific harm – for the good of reducing human pride. Does causing a tower to fall to shock a nation fit with bringing down pride? Will any now have confidence and trust in concrete towers? We can suspect but we don't know. Christ cuts through the matter in a way that still leaves us guessing - his focus is on eternal life, not on safety here in this life!
Jesus answering said unto them, Suppose ye that these Galilaeans were sinners above all the Galilaeans, because they suffered such things? I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish. Or those eighteen, upon whom the tower in Siloam fell, and slew them, think ye that they were sinners above all men that dwelt in Jerusalem? I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish. (Luke 13:2-5)
Consider long lingering death from cancer compared to a sudden death while sleeping? Christ's point is that none knows the extent of their life here.
Then we may drill into the timing. There is the ongoing movement and structural issues but what event led to a sudden snap that Thursday early morning June 24 at about 1.30am, was it natural or God-made timing? What causes anything much at that time of night? Who was not home as they should be that night? Then too there is a pattern – because this isn't the only collapse affecting the global Jewish community recently, specifically the Haredim, who have suffered many dead from a structural collapse at a place they made 'holy' and just also lost political power (funding) in Israel.
But there was an even larger reverse in fortunes for Israel, that of the loss of the support of the Trump Adminstration that brought with it a return of Hamas' attacks, and widespread violence.
Then too the rescue work is being hampered by rain. God sends rain (Matt 5:45)! yahoo
We would be have to be very bold to say it was not an act of God.
See now that I, even I, am he, and there is no god with me: I kill, and I make alive; I wound, and I heal: neither is there any that can deliver out of my hand. (Deuteronomy 32:39)
To not give God power over all life shows an appalling lack of understanding of the God of the Bible.
With nuance we have also understood the role of humans in the matter might be considerable. Humans have considerable power over the world they make. They have choices. They may choose to build high rise, when they know God isn't happy with it (Genesis 11). They may chose to be slovenly in documenting or constructing the buildings, they make choices to live in such buildings. They make choices to maintain the structures. If at no point they seek God in their choices, it will be as it is. But at any point the unseen hand of God who knows all may be there also, because we cannot see it we cannot know it's detail, but we may suspect it.
A Song of degrees for Solomon. Except the LORD build the house, they labour in vain that build it: except the LORD keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain. (Psalm 127:1)
Unseen Hand of God
We cannot know the details of the work of God, the unseen hand in the complex affairs of the willful inhabitants of the earth.
When I applied mine heart to know wisdom, and to see the business that is done upon the earth: (for also there is that neither day nor night seeth sleep with his eyes:) Then I beheld all the work of God, that a man cannot find out the work that is done under the sun: because though a man labour to seek it out, yet he shall not find it; yea further; though a wise man think to know it, yet shall he not be able to find it. (Ecclesiastes 8:16-17)
Those praying now are 'waiting for a miracle' as logic tells them that none could survive, and who knows for one or two there may be a miracle, as it may be the God of Israel works in their lives yet. There may be an explanation to the land line ringing out from the apartment. news.com.au
But we all hope and pray for miracles – every day.
If we have any faith at all, our faith is that in our lives the unseen angels ministers of God to the faithful are always there in all things, without exception.
Are they (the Angels) not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation? (Hebrews 1:14)
The sign for this generation is take note do not trust in towers – for very shortly all the Towers will fall.
