Fallen Fallen is Babylon The Decline and Fall
Fallen, Fallen is Babylon The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire
The Fall of Rome • Prophesied by Daniel (2: 40 -45; 7: 23 -27) • Prophesied by John (Rev. 14: 8; 16: 19; 18: 2, 10, 18 -19, 21) • Why did Rome fall? What did Daniel say? What did John say? What does history say?
The Fall of Rome The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire was written by the English historian Edward Gibbon, which traces Western civilization … from the height of the Roman Empire to the fall of Byzantium. It was published in six volumes. Volume I was published in 1776 and went through six printings. Volumes II and III were published in 1781; volumes IV, V, and VI in 1788– 1789. The original volumes were published in quarto sections, a common publishing practice of the time. The work covers the history, from 98 to 1590, of the Roman Empire, the history of early Christianity and then of the Roman State Church, and the history of Europe, and discusses the decline of the Roman Empire in the East and West.
1. Undermining the Home • Gibbon: the rapid increase of divorce; the undermining of the dignity and sanctity of the home, which is the basis of human society • A national problem (Jer. 23: 10) • Our high rate of divorce: 50%
1. Undermining the Home • Our high rate of live-ins and adultery • More same-sex marriages • Less marriage • More teen pregnancies
2. Spending Public Money • Gibbon: higher and higher taxes and the spending of public monies for free bread and circuses for the populace • Many government leaders want to spend the hard-earned money of the tax payer to support the lazy (2 Thess. 3: 10) or immoral (abortion)
3. Mad Craze for Pleasure • Gibbon: the mad craze for pleasure; sports becoming every year more exciting and more brutal • Many focus on pleasure (Gr. hedone = hedonism; Tit. 3: 3; Jas. 4: 1, 3) • Entertainment is a billion(s) dollar industry in this nation
3. Mad Craze for Pleasure • Like the Roman coliseum, the sports arena has become a place for indecency: alcohol, language, lewd music and dancing, violence, gambling, etc.
4. The Enemy Was Within • Gibbon: the building of gigantic armaments when the real enemy was within, the decadence of the people • Many trust in their military (Prov. 20: 7; Isa. 31: 1) • High rate of crime
4. The Enemy Was Within • High rate of addictions: alcohol, drugs • High rate of suicide, run-aways • High rate of non-employment/poverty • High rate of “legal” things that destroy from within: pornography, gambling, pot, transgender, same-sex, abortion, divorce, etc.
5. The Decay of Religion • Gibbon: the decay of religion-faith fading into mere form, losing touch with life and becoming impotent to warn and guide the people • Many have little to no real religion (Psa. 9: 17; Prov. 14: 34; Tit. 1: 16; 2 Tim. 3: 5)
5. The Decay of Religion • Many religious groups in this nation, including some brethren, are nothing more than glorified “social clubs” • More people are non-religious unbelievers
Fall of America? Fall of My House? • We may not be able to stop the fall of America, but we can keep our own house from falling (Mt. 7: 24 -27; Lk. 11: 17) • There are Christians that we could mention by name that have succumbed to each of these 5 factors
Fall of America? Fall of My House? 1. What about the sanctity of my home (Mt. 19: 6; Heb. 13: 4)? 2. What my spending/work (1 Thess. 4: 12)? 3. What about my craze for pleasure (Lk. 8: 14)?
Fall of America? Fall of My House? 4. What about my enemy within (Prov. 4: 23)? 5. What about my decay of religion (Jas. 1: 27)
Fall of America? Fall of My House? • History repeats itself • Those who refuse to learn from history are destined to repeat it • Will you fall or not fall?
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