Declining Empires

When an empire falls under a curse, God cannot give it a good emperor. There are three possibilities.

1. God can cause the empire to be invaded by another powerful nation. This usually happens towards the end of the life of the empire. This is what happened to Egypt. Pharaoh was destroyed when it was invaded and defeated by the rising Babylonian empire.

2. God can destroy the empire from within. This is what happened to the Roman Empire.

3. The best that God can to an arrogant empire is give the it an emperor who is mad. That is what happened with Nebuchadnezzar (Dan 5:19). When he exalted himself and demanded worship, God made him go mad and he lived among the donkeys and remained there until he honoured God. This was only possible because a prophet was there to challenge the emperor.

A clown as emperor is a merciful option.