The prophecies of Daniel

King Nebuchadnezzar dreams of a large statue with a head of gold, chest and arms of silver, belly and thighs of bronze, legs of iron, and feet of iron mixed with clay.

Each part of the statue represents successive kingdoms:

Head of Gold - Babylonian Empire (Nebuchadnezzar).

Chest and Arms of Silver - Medo-Persian Empire.

Belly and Thighs of Bronze - Greek Empire (under Alexander the Great).

Legs of Iron - Roman Empire.

Feet of Iron and Clay - A divided kingdom or future states, less powerful and not as cohesive.

A stone "cut out without hands" strikes the statue, destroying it, and grows into a mountain filling the earth, symbolizing God's everlasting kingdom.

The Four Beasts (Daniel 7)

Daniel dreams of four great beasts coming up from the sea: a lion with eagle's wings, a bear with ribs in its mouth, a leopard with four wings and four heads, and a terrifying beast with iron teeth and ten horns, with another little horn uprooting three others, having eyes and a mouth speaking great things.

These beasts also represent kingdoms:

The Lion - Babylonian Empire.

The Bear - Medo-Persian Empire.

The Leopard - Greek Empire, with its four heads representing the division of Alexander's empire into four parts after his death.

The Fourth Beast - Often interpreted as the Roman Empire or a future empire with global influence. The ten horns might represent ten kings or kingdoms, and the little horn might symbolize a significant, possibly antichrist figure.

The Ram and the Goat (Daniel 8):

A ram with two horns (one longer than the other) is defeated by a goat with a notable horn, which then breaks, replaced by four smaller horns, from one of which comes another small horn that grows great.

The Ram - Medo-Persian Empire, with the longer horn representing Persia's dominance.

The Goat - Greek Empire, with the large horn as Alexander the Great. The four horns represent the four kingdoms into which Alexander's empire was divided.

The small horn growing very great often interpreted as Antiochus IV Epiphanes or a type of antichrist figure in future interpretations.

The Seventy Weeks (Daniel 9):

Daniel receives a prophecy about seventy 'weeks' (often interpreted as weeks of years, i.e., 490 years) determined upon the Jewish people and Jerusalem to finish transgression, make an end of sins, make reconciliation for iniquity, bring in everlasting righteousness, seal up vision and prophecy, and anoint the Most Holy.

This prophecy has been interpreted in various ways, with some seeing it as:

A timeline from the decree to rebuild Jerusalem to the coming of the Messiah Jesus Christ

The latter part of the prophecy deals with a covenant being confirmed, sacrifices ceasing, and desolation, which links to events in Jewish history.

The Kings of the North and South (Daniel 11-12):

Detailed prophecy about the conflicts between the kings of the North (Seleucids) and South (Ptolemies), leading into events involving a contemptible person (often seen as Antiochus IV or a future figure), and culminating in a time of trouble followed by deliverance for God's people.

While much of this prophecy can be aligned with historical events up to Antiochus IV, some elements are seen by various traditions as pointing towards end-times scenarios.