What is the Beast? (Rev 17)
1. The Beast is an Empire or Union of Countries
The Beast is obviously an empire of some kind since it consists of many kings and kingdoms combined into asingle entity. So we should not think of the Beast as a person, but rather as a federation or union of countries.
(All the previous beasts, described in the book of Daniel, were empires.). However the leader of that federation
might be thought of as the Beast.
2. The beast is described as having 7 hills and 7 kings
Rome was built upon 7 hills and founded by a succession of 7 kings
3. A woman sitting on 7 hills
The image used in Rev 17 is of a woman sitting on a Beast with 7 heads that are 7 hills. During the time thatRevelations was written – during the reign of Vespasian, Rome was depicted on coins as a woman sitting upon 7hills.

4. A Succession of Kings
The Beast is described as having a succession of kings. Only an empire or country can have a succession of kings.
5. Rev 17 says that 5 kings have passed, one is and one will come. Then an eight who was and will come again.
This approximates to the succession of the Roman emperors
5 emperors have fallen
1 emperor is current
1 will come later
1 was and will come again– Augustius, Tiberius, Caligula, Claudius, Nero.
– Vespasian.
– Titus.
– Domitian reigned in his father’s place for a while then later on after his father.

6. 10 horns
These are 10 kings have no kingdom but are part of the Beast = 10 conquered kingdoms
Western Roman Empire divided into 10 parts –1. Franks
2. Huns
3. Visigoths
4. Ostrogoths
5. Heruli
6. Lombards
7. Anglo-saxons
8. Suevi
9. Vandals
10. Burgundians

7. A city which reigns over the kings of the earth
The woman who sits on the 7 hills is described as a city that reigns over the kings of theearth. The Vatican in Rome was the only such city to have power over the kings ofEurope, since the Pope was regarded as the representative of God.

Conclusion
So the Beast is an empire consisting of the unification of those kingdoms that were part of the Roman Empire Western Europe. This empire will be under a leadership that might also be referred to as the Beast.
Assassination attempt
The leader is a ruler of one of the participating countries, and suffers a mortal wound – assassination attempt – butrecovers.
Worship
The Beast will demand total obedience – overriding any moral, religious, or legal considerations. We can see thisalready, in the way that leaders and collaborators in the pandemic agenda have been willing to suspend all
constitutional, moral and legal rights of subjects.
The Beast will also demand self-sacrifice and economic sacrifice - a form of total worship. We can see this in the waythat leaders were willing to destroy their own businesses by locking down economies.
Financial Control
And the Beast will enforce this obedience with a system of total financial control.
Fire from Heaven
It will provide demonstrations of its might - its ability to take-out any resistance - by demonstrating the use of alaser weapon mounted on satellites that can bring fire down from heaven.
“He performs great signs, so that he even makes fire come down from heaven in full view of men.”

Media and Surveillance
It will use moving and speaking images (TV, video) as an object of worship, and use surveillance to see who refuses,
criticises or speaks against this image, or refuses to worship it. This will be a method for filtering out dissidents to thesystem based on their attitude rather than upon their actions of compliance.
“And he was granted power to give breath to the image of the Beast, that the image of the Beast shouldboth speak and cause as many as would not worship the image of the beast to be killed”
What this means is that those who watch moving images of the Beast will be registered as supportive, whilst those
who watch media that is critical, will be registered as dissidents.
The Beast will use attendance to media (aka moving and speaking images) as a means of identifying dissent people.

The Collaboration of the Church
The Church will compromise its values, and lend its support to the Beast’s agenda, as we have already seen with theCatholic Church recommending poisonous vaccinations and masks. However, the Beast will bring the Church ofRome to ruin – since it is ultimately opposed to the Church and all it stands for.
The Church supports the Beast, and uses its influence to support the agenda of the Beast, but is ultimately discardedand destroyed when it is of no further use.

Anti-theist and Anti-Christian
The Beast requires worship of itself and total obedience to itself, so will persecute those who follow any other God.
It probably has an atheistic, secular philosophy since it adopts the social system of China (the Dragon that gives
authority to the Beast) which is also atheistic.

The fall of The West (Rev 18)
Babylon was the world’s first empire after the Flood. Every one spoke one language and gathered in one place tobuild a tower to heaven.
Now, all the countries of the globe are again united under one authority – the authority of the Beast. And the empireof the Beast is referred to as Babylon.
Rev 18 describes Babylon as a place of•••••luxuryfornication
self-glorification and presumed superiority
sin
responsible for innocent blood

Babylon does not last long though. The Bible describes it as perishing from plagues, famines, lockdowns (no travel ortrade – turning it into a prison), cessation of production, and fires.
Plague and Famine
Rev 18 says that Babylon will be destroyed by plagues and famines. In fact God calls upon people to leave
Babylon or suffer those plagues and famines.
“Come out of her, my people, lest you share in her sins, and lest you receive of her plagues”
No Trade or Travel••

Trade will cease – causing shortages
No one will travel there. And merchants will no longer deliver there“every shipmaster, , all who travel by ship, sailors, and as many who trade on the sea, stood at a distance”

A Prison and a Cage“a prison for every foul spirit, , and a cage for every unclean and hated bird”
No Productivity or Marriages••

Complete cessation of any work
Complete cessation of any marriages

Fires
Perhaps these fires are caused by the meteor showers of burning hail.
(Such meteor showers would destroy all the telecom masts – which would mean no more surveillance and no more
CBDC. The meteor showers would also take out every one of the 12,000 satellites that orbit our planet, so they canno longer be used for surveillance or for mounting laser weapons.)

Destruction of the Armies of the East (Rev 19, 20)
After the Fall of Babylon (Europe), the armies of the East is gather together – perhaps to invade a devastated Europe.
However they are met by the armies of Christ and destroyed.
Beast and False Prophet are captured and cast into the Lake of Fire. The Dragon is imprisoned.

First Judgement (Rev 20)
First Resurrection :These live and reign with Christ for 1000 years. The second death has no power over these people.
1. Those who have been beheaded for their witness to Jesus and for their witness to the Word of God
2. Those who had not worshipped the Beast or his image
3. Those who had not received his mark on their foreheads or on their hands
But the rest of the dead do not live again until the 1000 years are finished.

Final Judgement (Rev 20, 21)
People are judged – each one according to his works. They are either given everlasting life or death (this is thesecond death)
The cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolators, and all liars shall havetheir part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.

NotesList of the Emperors of Rome
List of Roman emperors - Wikipedia
At the time of writing of Revelations there had been 5 previous emperors, Vespasian was in power.
•Augustus (31 BCE–14 CE)•

Tiberius (14–37 CE)•Caligula (37–41 CE)•

Claudius (41–54 CE)•

Nero (54–68 CE)•

Galba (68–69 CE)•

Otho (January–April 69 CE)•

Aulus Vitellius (July–December 69 CE)•

Vespasian (69–79 CE)•Titus (79–81 CE)•

Domitian (81–96 CE)

The woman is the city of Rome – and the Vatican that rules over the kings of the Earth