The Revelation of Jesus Christ - The Herald

continuing to symbolize the Eastern Roman government at Constantinople. The fact that
the "diadems," in the vision of the beast, are seen upon its horns, instead of upon its heads
as in the case of the dragon, indicates that the time or period in which the vision begins to
have its fulfillment is when the kingdoms symbolized by the "ten horns" have all begun
their rule.
In our search to discover whether this division of the Roman Empire has yet taken place it
will be helpful to examine Daniel's prophecy where the same tenfold division of the
Roman Empire is symbolically described. The prophecy reads:
"After this I saw in the night visions, and behold a fourth beast (Roman Empire) . . . and it
was diverse from all the beasts that were before it (the Babylonian, the Medo-Persian, and
the Grecian); and it had ten horns."
In explaining this vision the heavenly revealer said:
"The fourth beast shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth, which shall be diverse from all
kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in
pieces. And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings [kingdoms] that shall arise."--
Dan. 7:7,23,24.
Ten horns picture the breaking up of the Roman Empire
It is very generally agreed that this fourth beast with its ten horns, was the same as the
beast with its ten horns seen by St. John; and that they both, in this aspect, refer to the same
period of time, namely when the ten kingdoms into which the Roman Empire was divided
begin to be first seen in history. The breaking up of the Roman Empire, as recorded by all
historians, was accomplished during the fourth and fifth centuries by the conquests or
invasions of what are commonly called the Gothic hordes of the North. This was the
period of time when, in the fulfillment of the vision, St. John saw the dragon stand upon
the seashore, and the beast gradually emerging from the sea. The "sea" would represent
the disturbed, turbulent condition amongst the peoples of the Roman Empire, as a
consequence of these barbaric Gothic invasions. History informs us that at the close of the
fifth century . . .
". . . only the shadow of the empire in the West remained. All the provinces--Illyricum,
Gaul, Britain, Spain, and Africa--were in the hands of the Goths, the Vandals, . . . and
various other intruding tribes. Italy, as well as Rome herself, had become again and again
the spoil of the insatiable barbarians. The story of the twenty years [from about 456 AD]
following the sack of the capital by Genseric affords only a repetition of the events we
have been narrating. During these years several puppet emperors were set up by the
different leaders of the invading tribes. A final seditious movement placed upon the
shadow-throne a child of six years named Romulus Augustulus. . . . He had reigned only a
year, when Odoacer, the leader of a tribe of German mercenaries [the Heruli], dethroned
him, and abolishing the title of emperor, took upon himself the government of
Italy."