17
"You heard the voice speaking from the middle of the eagle's body, instead of from its heads.
18
That means that after the rule of the second king, a great struggle for power will take place, and the empire will be in danger of breaking up. But that will not happen, and the empire will regain its earlier power.
19
"You saw the eight small wings growing out of the eagle's big wings. That means
20
that eight kings will rise up in the empire, but their rule will be brief and unimportant.
21
Two of them will appear briefly near the middle of the period, four of them will not appear until near the end, and two will be left until the very end.
22
"You saw the three heads that were asleep. That means
23
that in the last days of the empire, God Most High will raise up three kings; they will restore much of the empire and rule over the world
24
and its people with more harshness than any before them. The reason they are called the eagle's heads
25
is that these three kings will bring to a head and complete the godless work of the eagle.
26
You saw the largest head disappear. This means that one of the kings will die in his bed, in great agony.
27
The other two will die in battle.