The Biblical Interpretation of the Rise and Fall of the Roman Empire

Human History Planned By God

In “The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire”, Gibbon tried to figure out the reasons why the seemingly invincible Roman Empire come to an end. And also many historians after him studied the fall of the Roman Empire and they agree that there are about five main reason for the fall of the empire: internal strife, economic deterioration, the split empire to East and West, emaciated military, Barbarian migration and invasion.

In the historical perspective, these might be right answers for the fall of the great Roman Empire. However, the truth behind the historical event can be found in the bible. The bible teaches that God is the one who has planned the human history from the beginning and He has been fulfilling all the historical event according to His plan.

Daniel 2:21 He changes times and seasons; he deposes kings and raises up others. He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the discerning.

Biblical Interpretation of the Fall of the Roman Empire

A historian might think that the fall of the Roman was caused by the invasion of the German tribes. And historically it is quite right because it was what has happened at that time.

Four Metals and Four Kingdoms

But those who has eyes for the prophecies in the bible knows that the fall of the Roman Empire took place because it was prophesied as such in the bible.

In the prophecy of Daniel Chapter 2, we can see the image of a statue made up of 4 different metals: head of gold, chest and arms silver, stomach and thigh bronz, and finally the legs iron. And in the interpretation of the statue reveals that the four different metals of the statue signifies the four kingdoms which was to come after the Babylonian Kingdom. The head of gold represent Babylon; the silver, Media and Persia; the bronze, Greece; and the iron, the Roman Empire.

Ten Toes and Ten Kingdoms

And the bible prophesies about what is going to happen to the Roman Empire through the description of the feets and toes, which represent the kingdoms that was to come after the Roman Empire.

Daniel 2:41 Just as you saw that the feet and toes were partly of baked clay and partly of iron, so this will be a divided kingdom; yet it will have some of the strength of iron in it, even as you saw iron mixed with clay. 42 As the toes were partly iron and partly clay, so this kingdom will be partly strong and partly brittle. 43 And just as you saw the iron mixed with baked clay, so the people will be a mixture and will not remain united, any more than iron mixes with clay.

This prophecy was given in the time of Daniel around B.C. 600 and the Roman Empire fell and divided into ten toes that is ten different kingdoms around A.D. 476. About 1000 years before the fall of the Roman Empire God already foretold the rise and the fall of the Rome and its division into ten different kingdoms after the fall of the empire. And as we can see in the history book, the Roman Empire broke into ten different German kingdoms after the migration.

For this reason, when we talk about the fall of the Roman Empire, we can definitely say the reason for the fall was because the statue has ten toes. The figure in the statue could have worn shoes to cover its toes or it could be made or described different ways to produce different results. However, the bible specifically teaches us that it has the ten toes and the empire will be a divided one and it will never be united after that. This is the description of Europe after the Roman Empire. Since the Roman Empire, many kings and emperors tried to unite the Europe again, but they failed. And they will never be successful because God prophesied that “the people will be a mixture and will not remain united, any more than iron mixes with clay.”

Then since we now know the prophecies of the bible about the fall of the Roman Empire, let us ask the question again. What was the reason for the fall of the Roman Empire? The answer is because the statue has “ten toes.” The fall of the empire was predestined by God when God depicted the statue with ten toes. Period. Historians give many different reasons for the fall of the empire, but it happened to fulfilled the prophecies of the bible.

The Kingdom of God at the End of the Human History

Then what is the lesson God wants to give us by planning the human history and fulfilling them according to his plan. Does he just want to show off his power and knowledge? Definitely not.

Acts 17:26 From one man he made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands. 27 God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us. 28 ‘For in him we live and move and have our being.’ As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are his offspring.’

God wants to teach us that He is the one who gives us life and we are His children or offspring. And also he want us to seek him and find him to receive blessings of eternal life. God wants us to come to him with a humble mind for the salvation that will come at the end of the plan of God.

Daniel 2:44 In the time of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed, nor will it be left to another people. It will crush all those kingdoms and bring them to an end, but it will itself endure forever.

What is the Kingdom of God which will appear at the end the human history? God wants us to find the kingdom and come to the kingdom of God for the salvation. Just as the bible says, we have to diligently study the bible to know God and find God. Then we can enter the Kingdom of God where we can have eternal joy and happiness in the salvation of God. I hope you all find the kingdom of the prophecies of God by coming to the Spirit and the Bride