Hi Joshua. I am trying my best here to relate. I’m not trying to be adversarial for argument sake. I don’t think that you may feel this way…but just wanted to say that I am not trying to be difficult or overly wanting to prove my point. I seek for proper tensions to hold that do no violence to the text…and those two verses are not the easiest to comprehend. I do agree that G5 and G6 will be utilized as the end time beast kingdom. AI and technology will be very advanced during those days i perceive.
So i wanted to post a short video for you that goes over your suspicions of this text. I would say that the problem areas I see is a presumption of sorts even on what some Greek translations may render. The weakness or dividedness of that kingdom would be explained as AI arguing with humans. If that is the takeaway then AI won’t have the dominance some of our science fiction concerns of the future may hold. It would be like saying that AI and people mix but they will be divided and not agree upon things. So that does not sound to me like a cohesive thought though as to this kingdom…unless it means that in certain areas people will be massively brainwashed and others where people are arguing against their AI install.
In all honesty what I find this verse highlighting is that their is a powerful dominance militarily but the division would likely be among the first three (lion, bear, leopard) and then to the 10. And the focus looks to be on the fact that although this kingdom is huge and violently powerful, the division appears to be among the 10 kings (or the 3 initially). So in that sense I sacrifice my own narrative of common folk (clay) vs. the elites (iron). For instead it would appear to be that the clay is not the “other” kingdom but that the clay is merely describing the loosely held together alliance. And that alliance is a fragile one, the 10 that sponsor and operate the power and violence like an iron fist upon the world.
So even though we have not gotten me much closer to see this passage indicating technology…it would appear that this is indeed a one world superpower. Something telling here as well. Super power elites are not of one mind. Not a hive mind. So as powerful as AC influence is upon the world…even the 10 most subject to his influence are not a hive mind…and are represented at least as not having one mind but factions yet globalist ruling class nonetheless. So whatever happens in the short term this side of tribulation…would likely result into a one world power as thought. I’m bummed I thought it would be something different too