Lesson 11 – Fall of the Roman Empire

“… The fourth kingdom shall be strong as iron…. And whereas thou sawest the feet and toes, part of potters’ clay, and part of iron, the kingdom shall be divided….” Daniel 2:40, 41.

THE PRINCE OF PEACE AND THE ROMAN EMPIRE

SUNDAY

1. What beautiful promise was expressed by the angels to the shepherds when Jesus, the Prince of Peace, was born? What contrasting condition existed at the time?

Luke 2:13, 14 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, 14 Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.

“‘When the fullness of the time was come, God sent forth His Son.’ Prov- idence had directed the movements of nations, and the tide of human impulse and influence, until the world was ripe for the coming of the De- liverer. The nations were united under one government. One language was widely spoken, and was everywhere recognized as the language of literature. From all lands the Jews of the dispersion gathered to Jerusalem to the annual feasts. As these returned to the places of their sojourn, they could spread throughout the world the tidings of the Messiah’s coming.”–The Desire of Ages, p. 32.

MONDAY

2. What world power confirmed and carried out the death sentence pronounced against God’s Son?

Matthew 27:24-31 When Pilate saw that he could prevail nothing, but that rather a tumult was made, he took water, and washed his hands be- fore the multitude, saying, I am inno- cent of the blood of this just person: see ye to it. 25 Then answered all the people, and said, His blood be on us, and on our children. 26 Then released he Barabbas unto them: and when he had scourged Jesus, he delivered him to be crucified. 27 Then the sol- diers of the governor took Jesus into the common hall, and gathered unto him the whole band of soldiers. 28 And they stripped him, and put on him a scarlet robe. 29 And when they had platted a crown of thorns, they put it upon his head, and a reed in his right hand: and they bowed the knee before him, and mocked him, saying, Hail, King of the Jews! 30 And they spit upon him, and took the reed, and smote him on the head.31 And after that they had mocked him, they took the robe off from him, and put his own raiment on him, and led him away to crucify him.

“In the judgment hall of Pilate, the Roman governor, Christ stands bound as a prisoner. About Him are the guard of soldiers, and the hall is fast filling with spectators. Just outside the entrance are the judges of the Sanhedrin, priests, rulers, elders, and the mob.

“After condemning Jesus, the council of the Sanhedrin had come to Pilate to have the sentence confirmed and executed.” –The Desire of Ages, p. 723.

PILATE’S CRIME AND ITS CONSEQUENCES

TUESDAY

3.What did Heaven do to try to protect Pilate from the terrible guilt he would take upon himself by condemning Jesus unjustly? How did Pilate’s career and life end?

Matthew 27:19 When he was set down on the judgment seat, his wife sent unto him, saying, Have thou nothing to do with that just man: for I have suffered many things this day in a dream because of him.

Job 20:4-7 Knowest thou not this of old, since man was placed upon earth, 5 That the triumphing of the wicked is short, and the joy of the hypocrite but for a moment? 6 Though his excellency mount up to the heavens, and his head reach unto the clouds; 7 Yet he shall perish for ever like his own dung: they which have seen him shall say, Where is he?

2 Corinthians 4:7-11 But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us. 8 We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; 9 Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed; 10 Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body. 11 For we which live are always delivered unto death for Jesus’ sake, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh.

“If at the first Pilate had stood firm, refusing to condemn a man whom he found guiltless, he would have broken the fatal chain that was to bind him in remorse and guilt as long as he lived. Had he carried out his con- victions of right, the Jews would not have presumed to dictate to him. Christ would have been put to death, but the guilt would not have rested upon Pilate. But Pilate had taken step after step in the violation of his conscience. He had excused himself from judging with justice and equity, and he now found himself almost helpless in the hands of the priests and rulers. His wavering and indecision proved his ruin….

“Pilate yielded to the demands of the mob. Rather than risk losing his position, he delivered Jesus up to be crucified. But in spite of his precau- tions, the very thing he dreaded afterward came upon him. His honors were stripped from him, he was cast down from his high office, and, stung by remorse and wounded pride, not long after the crucifixion he ended his own life. So all who compromise with sin will gain only sorrow and ruin. ‘There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.’ Proverbs 14:12.” –The Desire of Ages, pp. 732, 738.

FATAL CONSEQUENCES FOR THE JEWISH PEOPLE

WEDNESDAY

4. What happened to the Jews after they rejected the Prince of Peace?

Luke 19:41-44 And when he was come near, he beheld the city, and wept over it, 42 Saying, If thou hadst known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the things which belong unto thy peace! but now they are hid from thine eyes. 43 For the days shall come upon thee, that thine enemies shall cast a trench about thee, and com- pass thee round, and keep thee in on every side, 44 And shall lay thee even with the ground, and thy children within thee; and they shall not leave in thee one stone upon another; be- cause thou knewest not the time of thy visitation.

Matthew 22:4-7 Again, he sent forth other servants, saying, Tell them which are bidden, Behold, I have prepared my dinner: my oxen and my fatlings are killed, and all things are ready: come unto the marriage. 5 But they made light of it, and went their ways, one to his farm, another to his merchandise: 6 And the rem- nant took his servants, and entreated them spitefully, and slew them. 7 But when the king heard thereof, he was wroth: and he sent forth his armies, and destroyed those mur- derers, and burned up their city.

“Thus the Jewish people sealed their rejection of God’s mercy. The re- sult was foretold by Christ in the parable. The king ‘sent forth his armies, and destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city.’ The judgment pronounced came upon the Jews in the destruction of Jerusalem and the scattering of the nation.” –Christ’s Object Lessons, pp. 308, 309.

PERSECUTION OF THE CHRISTIANS

THURSDAY

5. From the time of Nero on, how did Rome treat the followers of Christ?

1 Corinthians 4:7-11 For who ma- keth thee to differ from another? and what hast thou that thou didst not receive? now if thou didst receive it, why dost thou glory, as if thou hadst not received it? 8 Now ye are full, now ye are rich, ye have reigned as kings without us: and I would to God ye did reign, that we also might reign with you. 9 For I think that God hath set forth us the apostles last, as it were ap- pointed to death: for we are made a spectacle unto the world, and to angels, and to men. 10 We are fools for Christ’s sake, but ye are wise in Christ; we are weak, but ye are strong; ye are honourable, but we are despised.11 Even unto this present hour we both hunger, and thirst, and are naked, and are buf- feted, and have no certain dwelling place;

“During Paul’s imprisonment the converts to Christianity had become so numerous as to attract the attention and arouse the enmity of the authorities. The anger of the emperor was especially excited by the con- version of members of his own household, and he soon found a pretext to make the Christians the objects of his merciless cruelty.” –The Acts of the Apostles, p. 487.

“These persecutions, beginning under Nero about the time of the mar- tyrdom of Paul, continued with greater or less fury for centuries. Chris- tians were falsely accused of the most dreadful crimes and declared to be the cause of great calamities–famine, pestilence, and earthquake. As they became the objects of popular hatred and suspicion, informers stood ready, for the sake of gain, to betray the innocent. They were condemned as rebels against the empire, as foes of religion, and pests to society. Great numbers were thrown to wild beasts or burned alive in the amphitheaters. Some were crucified; others were covered with the skins of wild animals and thrust into the arena to be torn by dogs. Their punishment was often made the chief entertainment at public fetes. Vast multitudes assembled to enjoy the sight and greeted their dying ago- nies with laughter and applause.” –The Great Controversy, p. 40.

DIVISION OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE

FRIDAY

6. How did prophecy portray the end of the Roman Empire? When was this iron monarchy divided?

Daniel 2:33, 41 His legs of iron, his feet part of iron and part of clay. 41 And whereas thou sawest the feet and toes, part of potters’ clay, and part of iron, the kingdom shall be divided; but there shall be in it of the strength of the iron, forasmuch as thou sawest the iron mixed with miry clay.

“Here, then, is a division presented; and what have we in the symbol to indi- cate it? Nothing but the toes of the image. Unless they do, we are left utterly in the dark on the nature and extent of the division which the prophecy shows did exist. To suppose this would be to cast a serious imputation upon the prophecy itself. We are therefore held to the conclusion that the ten toes of the image denote the ten parts into which the Roman Empire was divided. “This division was accomplished between A.D. 351 and 476. The era of this dissolution thus covered a hundred and twenty-five years, from about the middle of the fourth century to the last quarter of the fifth. No historians of whom we are aware, place the beginning of this work of the dismemberment of the Roman Empire earlier than A.D. 351, and there is general agreement in assigning its close in A.D. 476.” –Uriah Smith, The Prophecies of Daniel and the Revelation, pp. 57, 58.

SABBATH

7. What does history present about the division of the Roman Empire?

Daniel 2:42, 43 And as the toes of the feet were part of iron, and part of clay, so the kingdom shall be part- ly strong, and partly broken.43 And whereas thou sawest iron mixed with miry clay, they shall mingle them- selves with the seed of men: but they shall not cleave one to another, even as iron is not mixed with clay.

“Earthly powers are shaken. We need not, and cannot, expect union among the nations of the earth. Our position in the image of Nebuchad- nezzar is represented by the toes, in a divided state, and of a crumbling material, that will not hold together. Prophecy shows us that the great day of God is right upon us. It hasteth greatly.” –Testimonies for the Church, vol. 1, p. 360.

“The ten nations which were most instrumental in breaking up the Ro- man Empire, and which at some time in their history held respective- ly portions of Roman territory as separate and independent kingdoms, may be enumerated (without respect to the time of their establishment) as follows: Huns, Ostrogoths, Visigoths, Franks, Vandals, Suevi, Burgun- dians, Heruli, Anglo-Saxons, and Lombards.” –Uriah Smith, The Prophecies of Daniel and the Revelation, p. 58.

FOR PERSONAL STUDY

The Desire of Ages, p.
Prophets and Kings, p.

“Of the second ruler of Rome, Numa Pompilius (B.C. 716- 673) history tells us he built a temple for Janus. This temple was to be open in times of war and shut in times of peace. Under Numa himself, the temple was always closed. After Numa, during the whole period of the Ro- man Republic, this occurred only two more times–the first time after the end of the first Punian war and then again at the beginning of the reign of Caesar Augustus, the first Caesar.” –Dr. Starke, Römische Geschichte (Roman Histo- ry), p. 9.