Empires have risen and fallen throughout history. The latest to fall were the British and Soviet empires. At its height, the sun never set on the British Empire, which had colonies around the world that eventually became 65 independent nations. The Soviet empire was made up of 15 Soviet Republics including the Russian Republic, which founded the Soviet empire. But all 15 Republics have become autonomous nations.
Today, there remains only one empire left: The American empire! Most people don’t think of America as an empire, but it is a collection of 50 states - all of which could be nations of and by themselves. America also has 14 Territories, including American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the Virgins islands. Collectively, the American Empire inhabits 9 time zones.
So what exactly brings down empires? That’s a question that Will & Ariel Durant asked themselves, as they wrote their stellar work, ‘The rise & fall of the Roman empire.’ In it, they identified 5 major causes of the Roman empires’ fall: The decline of the family in Roman society; Unsustainable growth of entitlement programs; An insatiable desire for pleasure; Military over-reach; and a decline in Religious values.
Well, a case can certainly be made that the American empire is currently suffering from all these problems too. In 1970, ‘married couple households’ were at 71%. As of 2022, that number has dropped to 47%. As a result of divorce, and out of wedlock births, 85 of 133 million households are led by one parent only.
‘Seneca the younger,’ a stoic philosopher and advisor to emperor Nero, wrote about the state of Roman families this way: “They divorce in order to remarry. They marry in order to divorce.’ That sounds a lot like American society today! The prophet Malachi was inspired to write: “For the Lord God of Israel says that HE hates divorce, for it covers one’s garment with violence…” (MALACHI 2:16) Anyone who has ever gone through a divorce (as married partner or child), knows firsthand that divorce violently tears a family apart!
The 5th commandment was given by God to instruct children in the importance of honoring their parents. And the 7th commandment was given to insure marital fidelity. We’ve all heard the saying, ‘As the family goes, so goes the nation.”
Unsustainable growth of entitlements also brings an empire down. Swedish Historian, Johan Norberg wrote: “Bread & circuses. The emperors wanted to become popular by handing out free stuff to people. Originally, this started small. You just handed the very poor - means of subsistence. But it was popular, so the group that lived on the public’s expense grew larger all the time. Emperors complained about this. Everyone from Caesar and onwards said: ‘We’ve got to reform this system because it means that we have fewer people working and more people consuming.’ But no one succeeded.” No politician in the American Empire has succeeded in reforming our entitlement programs either - as the cost of such programs has tripled since 2008 - adding to our national debt.
Benjamin Franklin is credited with saying: “God helps those who help themselves.” All entitlement programs should have some kind of requirement to work, or volunteer - if a person on the government dole is able-bodied enough to do so. The apostle Paul was inspired to write: “For even when we were with you, we commanded you this: ‘If anyone will not work, neither shall he eat.’ For we hear that there are some who walk among you in a disorderly manner, not working at all, but are busybodies. Now those who are such we command and exhort through our Lord Jesus Christ that they work in quietness and eat their own bread. (II THESSALONIANS 5:10-12)
Will & Ariel Durant also noted that Romans had an ‘insatiable thirst for pleasure,’ that also led to the empire’s demise. Even a cursory look at America reveals that we too suffer from an ‘insatiable thirst for pleasure.’ And when more of the population becomes ‘pleasure centered’ over ‘productivity centered,’ then the work force shrinks, and a nation’s GDP declines. Currently, America has a little over a third of its population in the ‘workforce,’ providing all the goods & services that the other 2/3 of the population (made up of kids, retirees, the disabled, and welfare recipients), have the pleasure of enjoying.
The apostle Paul was inspired to write about the Age we are living in, saying: “But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: For men will lovers of themselves, lovers of money… lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God…” (II TIMOTHY 3:1-4) For almost 200 years, Americans were taught to be ‘God centered’ rather than ‘pleasure centered,’ but now days that has become reversed.
A 4th cause of the Roman empires’ fall, according to the Durants, was Military over-reach. The Roman empire became so large, encompassing much of Europe, the Middle East and North Africa, that it began to drain Rome’s finances to an unsustainable level.
America has 128 military bases overseas, and the national defense budget is almost one trillion dollars. Needless to say, that number is unsustainable in wake of an annual debt payment that is as much. We print on our currency the words ‘IN GOD WE TRUST,’ - but when it comes to National defense, we’d rather rely on armaments. The book of Proverbs tells us: “But whoever listens to me will dwell safely, And will be secure, without fear of evil.” (PROVERBS 1:33)
Finally, the Durants found through research, that the decline of religious values also led to Rome’s collapse. As Roman citizens became more and more ‘pleasure centered’ - they let down on the very virtues that had made the Roman empire strong, and successful. There was corruption in government, the break down of the family, and the waning of loyalty and dedication to the empire itself.
We see this same moral decay throughout America today! Are we the ‘modern Romans?’
According to Bible prophecy, there is coming on the world stage, one more great empire of Man - but it will only last 42 months, and then be replaced permanently by the ‘kingdom of God’: ‘The fourth beast shall be
A fourth kingdom on earth, which shall be different from all other kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, trample it and break it in pieces…‘But the court shall be seated, and they shall take away his dominion, to consume and destroy it forever. then the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people, the saints of the Most High. His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey Him.’