Almost As If By Design...

A good engineer will tell you sound structure is crucial. Possibly because anything that withstands the ravages of time and nature has to have a firm foundation and solid design. Historically, I can see that as well. When opening the New Testament, you find that a lot has changed since Malachi. One has to note that the split nation of Israel fought each other and they would often enlist neighbors in their infighting. Those neighbors got used to the idea of attacking Israel (Judea and the Northern Kingdom.) Syria would take over parts of the Northern Kingdom, Assyria would conquer Samaria and take them captive in 723, The Babylonians would destroy the Assyrians in 586, Persian ruler Cyrus would conquer the Babylonian empire (which included Jerusalem), in 332 Greek leader Alexander The Great would dominate Judea and Jerusalem and Romans would capture Jerusalem in 70. Quick detour: For some reason, in my head, I hear the song "Istanbul" by They Might Be Giants... "I...