GOD’S JUDGMENT ON A NATION
THE DOWNFALL OF ROME: Historical Illustration

Daniel prophesied of the rise and fall of four great empires: Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece and Rome. In chapter four, verses twenty through twenty-seven, we read of Babylon’s king Nebuchadnezzar and the judgment that came on him.

20 “The tree that you saw, which grew and became strong, whose height reached to the heavens and which could be seen by all the earth,
21 whose leaves were lovely and its fruit abundant, in which was food for all, under which the beasts of the field dwelt, and in whose branches the birds of the heaven had their home—
22 it is you, O king, who have grown and become strong; for your greatness has grown and reaches to the heavens, and your dominion to the end of the earth.
23 “And inasmuch as the king saw a watcher, a holy one, coming down from heaven and saying, ‘Chop down the tree and destroy it, but leave its stump and roots in the earth, bound with a band of iron and bronze in the tender grass of the field; let it be wet with the dew of heaven, and let him graze with the beasts of the field, till seven times pass over him’;
24 this is the interpretation, O king, and this is the decree of the Most High,which has come upon my lord the king:
25 They shall drive you from men, your dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field, and they shall make you eat grass like oxen. They shall wet you with the dew of heaven, and seven times shall pass over you, till you know that the Most High rules in the kingdom of men, and gives it to whomever He chooses.
26 “And inasmuch as they gave the command to leave the stump and roots of the tree, your kingdom shall be assured to you, after you come to know that Heaven rules.
27 Therefore, O king, let my advice be acceptable to you; break off your sins by being righteous, and your iniquities by showing mercy to the poor. Perhaps there may be a lengthening of your prosperity.”

Nebuchadnezzar’s arrogant spirit is representative of all pagan rulers, including the Caesars who governed Rome. As has been well said, “Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” At the pinnacle of earthly power stood Rome. Never was there an empire like Imperial Rome. Now, we can learn from history or we will be doomed to repeat it.

Consider THE FACTORS BEHIND ROME’S RISE.

o Strong Families—Rome was founded on high moral standards. Each father was respected as head of the family and saw to it that the principle of authority was inculcated, along with other important principles and character qualities.

o Home Education—Parents were responsible for education. This further strengthened family ties and the transmitting of family values and civic and moral virtues.

o Economic Prosperity—Strong families led to strong finances. It has been said that, “All roads lead to Rome,” and on those roads, you would have found vast wealth flowing its way into the city. Rome’s armies prevailed and gathered the spoils of victory.

Further note THE FAILURES BEHIND ROME’S DEMISE.

o Family Breakdown—As Rome prospered, educated Greeks were hired to teach children and with it they brought their humanistic philosophy, filling a younger generation with false ideas that would unravel the fabric of the family.

o Excessive Taxation, Inflation, Trade Deficit, Socialism—By the first century, authority had moved from the parents to the state, and with big government came all this economic chaos with catastrophic unemployment. The state created a multitude of government jobs. The poisonous flower of the welfare state was in full bloom.

o Pleasure Addiction—Sports, the gladiatorial contest of the Coliseum, the Circus—all these spectacles became a national obsession. The citizens could not get enough and the government was happy to feed the addiction to keep the populace under control.

o Extreme Cost of Maintaining Defense, Infrastructure—The Empire was so vast, roads, bridges and buildings so many, that keeping up the army and infrastructure bankrupted them.

o Moral Decline, Crime—Perversion and vice; drunkenness and debauchery flourished. Crime increased exponentially.

o Failure of Immigrants to Assimilate—the borders were not guarded—whether it be the Vandals, Visigoths, Huns or some other barbarian horde, they flooded into the land and they did not assimilate into the Roman culture. There was no common bond to hold them together—not even a common language. These were named barbarians because their speech sounded like, “bar bar” to the Romans.

o Government Corruption, Excess—Time would fail us to list the flaws of the leaders. Good taste would prevent us from detailing their perversions. Let’s just say that some of the vilest rulers who ever held power were found in ancient Rome. Incest, sodomy, and the like were routinely practice in the palace.

By no means is this list exhaustive--there were other contributing factors, but these were primary and most illustrative. Does any of this sound familiar?

So, where are we headed in America?