Interpreting Daniel’s Statue

Q

I was reading your answer about the 2 legs of the statue in Daniel that they were indicative of two Romes (I’ve also heard it taught that they are indicative of the two halves of the empire of the Seleucids) But I started wondering then, by that logic the chest and arms would also have to be representing three different parts of the Media-Persian empire, wouldn’t they?

A

Perhaps my description wasn’t clear. The two legs of iron represent the first Roman Empire. It eventually did have both Eastern and Western components, but that’s not what makes for 2 Romes. The second Rome is the feet and toes.

There’s no connection in Daniel’s interpretation of the statue between the number of parts in the statue and the number of members in any coalition the parts represent. Media Persia was the only coalition and as you pointed out, there’s a chest and two arms of silver. Greece was not a coalition but is represented by a belly and two thighs. Rome was not a coalition either but is represented by two legs in the first instance and two feet and ten toes in the second.

Think of the statue’s division into different metals as a natural division of the human body rather than an effort to define the characteristics of the Empires they represent.