emperors, and caused himself to be proclaimed king of Italy in A.D. 476.
This terminated the Western empire; and thus was the Roman sun eclipsed
in darkness. In a subsequent chapter, however, we will find the eclipse
lifted at a later period and _New Rome_ enjoying all the power and
authority lost in her predecessors of the old Augustin line.

Odoacer continued in possession of his kingdom seventeen years. Then he
was defeated and slain by Theodoric, and by him the kingdom of the
Ostrogoths was established in Italy. Sixty years later this kingdom was
subverted by Belisarius, the general of Justinian, emperor of the East,
to whom it became a tributary province. In each of the principal cities
of Italy Justinian appointed a governor with the title of Duke, in
subordination to another with the title of Exarch, whose residence was
at Ravenna. "Thus, at last, was Rome, once the proud mistress of the
world, reduced to a poor dukedom, made tributary to the Exarch of
Ravenna, and he holding his authority at the will of the emperor of
Constantinople, the seat of the Eastern empire."

Thus, under the symbols of these four trumpets we have developed the
wondrous history of the downfall of imperial Rome, in order to give
opportunity for the scenes of the drama yet to follow. The "man of sin"
could not be fully revealed in all his terrible features until this
hindrance was removed out of the way. Imperial Rome for three centuries
stood as the great opposer of God's people and slaughtered thousands,
perhaps millions, of the Lord's innocent servants, and the hand of
retributive Justice was finally extended to humble her to the dust.
Singularly, the persons whom God made choice of to effect her downfall
have either regarded themselves as special instruments whose mission it
was to punish the world or else have received such designations by
historians because of their awful work. Contemporary historians
distinguish Alaric by the epithets "The Scourge of God," "The Destroyer
of Nations"; while the great Vandal leader is designated "The Terrible
Genseric." Attila claimed the title "The Scourge of God."

13. And I beheld, and heard an angel flying through the midst of
heaven, saying with a loud voice, Woe, woe, woe, to the
inhabiters of the earth by reason of the other voices of the
trumpet of the three angels, which are yet to sound!

The later editions of the Greek New Testament give the word _eagle_
instead of _angel