text: The "four kingdoms" theme appears explicitly in Daniel 2 and Daniel 7, and is implicit in the imagery of Daniel 8. Daniel's concept of four successive world empires is drawn from Greek theories of mythological history. The symbolism of four metals in the statue in chapter 2 is drawn from Persian writings, while the four "beasts from the sea" in chapter 7 reflect Hosea 13:7–8, in which God threatens that he will be to Israel like a lion, a leopard, a bear or a wild beast. The consensus among scholars is that the four beasts of chapter 7, like the metals of chapter 2, symbolise Babylon, Media, Persia and the Seleucid Greeks, with Antiochus IV as the "small horn" that uproots three others (Antiochus usurped the rights of several other claimants to become king).
  Daniel 2
  In chapter 2, Nebuchadnezzar dreams of a statue made of four different materials, identified as four kingdoms:
  Head of gold. Explicitly identified as King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon (v. 37–38).
  Chest and arms of silver. Identified as an "inferior" kingdom to follow Nebuchadnezzar (v. 39).
  Belly and thighs of bronze. A third kingdom which shall rule over all the earth (v. 39).
  Legs of iron with feet of mingled iron and clay. Interpreted as a fourth kingdom, strong as iron, but the feet and toes partly of clay and partly of iron show it shall be a divided kingdom (v. 41).
  Daniel 7
  In chapter 7, Daniel has a vision of four beasts coming up out of the sea, and is told that they represent four kingdoms:
  A beast like a lion with eagle's wings (v. 4).