The Second Seal
The Time of Chaos (235 - 284)
There went out
another horse that was red: and power was given to
him that sat thereon to take
peace from the earth. Re 6:4
Between 235 and 284 there were more than 50 rulers,
most of them generals
backed by their troops who claimed the throne. Only
18 had a legitimate claim.
The others were "pretenders" or of the short lived
Gallic empire.
The average reign was 2.5 years and all but one died
of assassination or other
violent means. Whereas the 2nd century emperors
had been men of high standings in Rome, these
men were mostly from the army and of humble origin.
Barbarian Invasions
The Empire Fights for its Life
The sword without, and terror within. De 32:25
The Roman Empire was highly vulnerable to invasion
because of its extensive unprotected borders. The
internal divisions made it impossible for those in
power to prevent the barbarians from plundering
Europe. The empire was fighting for its life.
By the middle of the 260's, disunity, chaos, invasions,
economic decline and the deterioration of the
social order seemed to spell the end.
However, Claudius and Valerian turned the tide
on the barbarians.
Diocletian Ushers in a New Era
The Power of the Military was Restrained
For the transgression of a land many are the princes
thereof: but by a man of understanding and
knowledge the state thereof shall be prolonged. Pr
28:2
A turning point was reached in 284 with the
accession of Diocletian. He reformed the Imperial
administration dividing the power in four parts
between two Augusti and two Caesars. (A
tetrarchy)
He greatly reduced the number and powers of the
Praetorian guard. Constantine
would later suppress the whole body and deprive the
Prefects of their military authority altogether.
These changes ushered in a new era bringing to an
end the time of chaos.
The evil introduced by Commodus into the body politic
cast long shadows. It aggravated the social
and political woes prefigured by the Spirit of prophecy
in the third and fourth seals.
