THREE full blasts of the trumpets have already signalized the sad fate of Rome. The echo of their sounding reverberates through the earth, as the death knell of her departed glory is heightened by another furious outbreak. Before we attempt to apply the words of the prophet, as expressed by the fourth angel, it will be in place to give a description of the rise, location, and some relations of other powers, which were the means of the fulfillment of this prophecy.
About the end of the fourth century, barbarous tribes from the North and East commenced incursions on the Roman empire, and in the course of the succeeding hundred and fifty years, overthrew the Roman power.—Mitchell's Ancient Geography, p. 143.
About the last of the eighth century, the various little tribes which rose on the ruins of the Roman empire gradually merged into a few great monarchies, which, in the general outline, have continued till the present day.—Mitchell's Ancient Geography, p. 149.
About the middle of the fifteenth century arose an able historian and statesman, Machiavel, of Lombard nationality, who says that Rome in its fall was divided into ten parts, or kingdoms, and enumerates their rise as taking place between A. D. 356 and A. D. 483.
“And after this I saw in the night visions, and behold a fourth beast, . . . and it was diverse from all the beasts that were before it; and it had ten horns.” Dan. 7:7.
“And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns.” Rev. 13:1.
Seven of these ten horns, or kingdoms, have already been described under the three former trumpets, and there remain three more divisions, to bring the strong iron power of Rome into a condition in which it may well be likened unto iron, mixed with miry clay.
The first of these three powers were the Heruli. They were in Attila's army at the battle of Chalons. Odoacer afterward became their king. Under him they took Rome and executed the emperor in A. D. 476.—Sheppard's Fall of Rome, pp. 198, 268, 272.
The Heruli, after the death of Attila, returned westward, made repeated attacks on the Western empire, and deposed the last emperor, Romulus Augustulus. Their ruler was Odoacer, who became the first king of Italy.—Mitchell's Ancient Geography, p. 145.
The Heruli followed Attila in his march to Gaul, A. D. 451, and after his death, under their leader Odoacer, uniting with other German tribes, were powerful enough to destroy the Western empire. Odoacer succumbed to the Ostrogoths, A. D. 493.—Appleton's Encyclopedia.
Another of the three above-mentioned powers was the Anglo-Saxon. The successful establishment of the Anglo-Saxon Heptarchy cannot date earlier than A. D. 471, when Vortigern began his second reign in Britain.—Hayden's Dictionary of Dates, Art. Britain.
The last event of Roman Britain, when the people petitioned Aetius for aid to repel the Picts and the Scots, was A. D. 446, exactly thirty years before the fall of Rome in A. D. 476. The intervention of thirty years witnessed the establishment of the Saxons in the island of Britain.—Smith's History of the World, vol. iii. p. 735.
About the middle of the fifth century, the Saxons arrived in Britain. They helped the Britains repel the Picts and Scots. For this favor they were allowed to invite over other Saxons, Angles, and Jutes, to settle among them. Instead of longer assisting the Britons, the Saxons and Angles made war upon them, and in the course of the fifth century gained the ascendancy in England.—Appleton's Encyclopedia.
The Lombards, the last of the ten divisions, now claim our attention. This tribe, after the battle of Chalons and death of Attila, A. D. 453, became one of the chief powers that arose.—Smith's History of the World, p. 743.
The Lombards first established themselves on the Vistula, then on the Danube, whence they invaded Italy, and founded the kingdom of Lombardy.—Mitchell's Ancient Geography, p. 145.
The Lombards were among Attila's forces in the great decisive battle of Chalons, A. D. 451.—Sheppard's Fall of Rome, p. 198.
In the fifth century, the Lombards appeared on the north bank of the Danube. They overcame their former masters, the Heruli. Going south of the Danube, they subdued the Gepidæ, and after the annihilation of their enemies, crossed into northern Italy and there founded, A. D. 568, a powerful State.—Appleton's Encyclopedia.
Lombardy (North Italy) sustained its own sovereignty till the fifteenth century. It has since been contended for both by French and German sovereigns. In 1805, Napoleon, at Milan, was proclaimed king of Italy. After his abdication, in 1815, the allied sovereigns established it as the Lombardo-Venetian kingdom. In 1848, it revolted from this alliance, and its revolt was sustained by the king of Sardinia and the pope. Victor Emmanuel II. is of Lombard descent, and the heir to the Italian throne is Humbert, prince of Savoy in Lombardy.—Hayden's Dictionary of Dates.
We have given a brief account of the last three powers which were to arise according to the prophecy. Historians agree in the manner and time of their rise. Profane history grants these powers monarchical dominion, and prophecy gives them crowns.
The Heruli in Italy, the Anglo-Saxons in England, and the Lombards on the Danube, with the seven other powerful tribes before described, furnish the fulfillment of Daniel's prophecy, which says: “It had ten horns.” Now it is evident all these powers were at some time contemporary; for the prophet saw a beast upon which there were visible at one time ten horns. This was the case with Rome from A. D. 483 to A. D. 493.
The prophet saw afterward three of the horns “plucked up by the roots.” The expression, “plucked up by the roots,” according to the plain English language, would signify a cessation of existence. It is said three horns fell before (in the presence of) another power which came up; and in verse 24 of Dan. 7, the very power that came up should subdue these three kings.
Between A. D. 493 and A. D. 538, three of these powers which held to Arianism were destroyed. The Heruli, in A. D. 493, were exterminated by the Ostrogoths under Theodoric. It was brought about in this way: Under the proposal, or what was called the “Pragmatic” of Zeno, who was then emperor of the East, and who was orthodox in religion; the Ostrogoths, whose dominions lay east of Italy, were encouraged to make war upon the Heruli, who then held Rome, and who were Arians. Theodoric assembled his forces, marched to Italy and dispossessed the Heruli. He now repudiated the “Pragmatic,” had himself declared king of Italy, and governed it for thirty-eight years. An Arian, “he showed at first no violence to the opposite party, and established friendly relations with the popes.” He was a great statesman and brought Italy to a state of renown. The foundation of some of the most renowned cities was due to his genius; yet there was a spiritual power arising that was incompatible with the permanency of his kingdom because of its Arian character.—Sheppard's Fall of Rome, pp. 286, 297, 300, 302.
A new emperor of the East, Justin I., arose and proscribed Arianism. Theodoric felt the proscription as an indignity. He tried to deprecate its severity by negotiation; but he met with little success. He then retaliated by executing some of the dignitaries of Rome. As he began to suppress treason and orthodoxy, he was taken away by disease. About four years after, A. D. 536, his kingdom fell into the hands of Justinian's general. Belisarius entered Rome in triumph, A. D. 536, after he had just completed the conquest of the Vandals in Africa.
The finishing stroke against Vandal rule was this: Belisarius had taken the Vandal king captive at Carthage. He was taken thence to Constantinople. He was here stripped of his scarlet robe and asked to renounce his Arian profession. Because he was unwilling to do so, he found no favor in the eyes of Justinian, but was refused the dignities which were promised to him at his capitulation.
The three powers thus fell by the policy of this spiritual power that was coming up. There was nothing now in the way of the assumption of the civil power which it laid hold of, A. D. 538, and became the noted little horn of Dan. 7.
For fifteen years after the overthrow of the Ostrogoths, Narses ruled Italy in the name of the emperor of the East, as Exarch of Ravenna. He was about to be recalled and have his authority taken away, which summons stung him to the heart. He immediately sent word to the powerful Lombards on the Danube that Italy lay at the mercy of their arms. The Lombards soon after invaded Italy, and in A. D. 568 it fell into their hands.
The territory of Western Rome, over which her banners had waved so gloriously for more than five centuries, is now entirely occupied by barbarians, and in her state of effeminacy, it is only necessary, in order to entirely efface her mere nominal sovereignty, to blot her rulers from existence, and her glory as an empire has departed forever. It remains, then, only to mention a few facts concerning the rulers of Rome at the last stage of her existence.
Odoacer compelled Augustulus to write to the Roman senate that a single emperor was now sufficient for both Greece and Rome. The senate then sent the ornaments of the imperial palace, diadems, purple mantles, and all other insignia of imperial power to Zeno, emperor of the East, and asked him to yield to their wishes, and allow Odoacer to be their ruler. He conceded to their entreaty, and appointed him Patrician and governor of Italy in his own name, about A. D. 483.—Sheppard's Fall of Rome, p. 276.
When Theodoric overcame Odoacer, he received an appointment as Patrician from the emperor of the East, about A. D. 485. The senate of Rome was still in existence; for, during his reign, he sent an eminent senator on an embassy to the court of Burgundy.—Sheppard's Fall of Rome, pp. 286, 360.
Belisarius entered Rome in triumph, A. D. 536; but the entire subjugation of the Ostrogoths was accomplished by Narses, about A. D. 552; and for fifteen years after, Rome was governed by him under the title of Exarch of Ravenna. We thus see that the ruling of the senate terminated about A. D. 552.—Sheppard's Fall of Rome, p. 311.
VERSE 12. “And the fourth angel sounded, and the third part of the sun was smitten, and the third part of the moon, and the third part of the stars; so as the third part of them was darkened, and the day shone not for a third part of it, and the night likewise.”
This trumpet illustrates the closing up of the Roman government. Sun, moon, and stars, are evidently symbols that denote the rulers in the government—its emperors, consuls, and senators.
The sun sends forth light of itself—the decree of the emperor is law. The moon shines by a borrowed light—the authority of the consul was dependent in some measure on the will of another. The stars shine when the night comes—the wants of the people demanded attention, and then the senate acted.
“The sun was smitten.” Odoacer caused the title of emperor to cease. But one-third part only is affected—the jurisdiction of Rome then extended over only the middle division of the empire, as ceded by Constantine to his three sons. One-third part of the moon was smitten; the effect of this political calamity had the same extent as the former. When the consulship was taken away, Rome had ceded all her territory beyond the Alps.—Sheppard's Fall of Rome, p. 276.
“And the third part of the stars” was smitten. When Narses ruled Rome as Exarch, in the name of the emperor of the East,171there was no longer any need of a senate at Rome, for Justinian had one of his own.
“So as the third part of them was darkened.” This smiting continued, until in the middle division of the empire these rulers were merely nominal; they could not act.
“And the day shone not for a third part of it, and the night likewise.” Superior and inferior rulers—Emperors, Consuls, and Senators, ceased to be.