Why did Rome (753 BC - AD 476) fall? Was it due to external circumstances (barbarian invasion, famine, plague, etc), or to internal ones? We in the West ought to take notice. This podcast (30 minutes) encourages us to think critically about Rome -- her strengths and weaknesses alike -- and the many obvious parallels with our own society.
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Symptoms of a sick society:
- MOUNTING LOVE OF SHOW AND LUXURY
- WIDENING GAP BETWEEN THE VERY RICH AND THE VERY POOR
- INCREASED DESIRE TO LIVE OFF THE STATE
- FREAKISHNESS IN THE ARTS, MASQUERADING AS ORIGINALITY
- ABSORPTION IN ENTERTAINMENT
- OBSESSION WITH SEX
Note: many of these symptoms were identified by Englishman Edward Gibbon, who penned his famous The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire (1776-89).
Some scriptures referred to:
- 1 Peter 5:13
- 1 Peter 4:1-4
- Revelation 18
- Romans 2:7-8
- Proverbs 16:18; 1 Corinthians 10:11-12
Other ancient texts predict the fall of Rome on account of her immorality and luxurious lifestyle, such as Aelius Aristides, Oratio 26 [155 AD] and Sibylline Oracles 8:113-119 [175 AD]).
