Yes, I know--but not many Christians do. I think the term "Universal Church" has a better reception among non-RCs because the RCC has arrogated the title of "Catholic" to itself.
It is very easy to believe that the Vatican is specifically, the Whore of Babylon. First there is the Daniel 9:27 warning about the "people of the prince who shall come". The reference to the "prince" was, on the surface, the Roman General Titus (son of the Emperor Vespasian). Titus was the first Roman Emperor to succeed an Emperor father--and thus a prince. But, as is so often the case with the Bible, there appears to be a double reference there. Daniel links the same people (the Romans) to the Antichrist and the "End" (see Daniel 8:23-26 for a further description of the Antichrist and the timing of "a long time from now".) It is clear that the Roman Empire is the last of the four "world" empires highlighted in Daniel chapter 2. It is part iron and part clay. The "iron" part is exceedingly strong, smashing all who resist its rule. The Roman Empire was notoriously brutal toward any of those who rebelled from its rule but was relatively benign (as empires go) toward conquered people groups. The Assyrian Empire was MUCH more brutal toward conquered people. However, the Jews simply did not accept being under the heel of Rome. They plotted and rebelled constantly against Roman rule--leading to the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple. Interestingly, Titus had the Temple looted of its treasures but did not want the Temple destroyed. However, his troops burned the Temple down anyway, in order to get at the gold lining its walls. They thus inadvertently fulfilled Jesus' prophecy that "there will be not one stone left upon another". The gold was melted by the intense heat from the burning cedar of the Temple structure and flowed down into the cracks between the foundation stones of the Temple. The solders pried the stones apart to get at the gold. The Roman-Jewish historian, Josephus, estimated that 1 million were killed during the attack by the 60,000 seasoned Roman soldiers.
The "new" Rome, represented by the clay toes on Daniel's vision likely represent a very much weakened version of the original Roman Empire--the European Union. Over this "beast" sits the Whore of Babylon--the Vatican with all of its political machinery. If one checks into the history of the Vatican, one quickly sees that it is anything but a "Holy City". The obelisk which decorates St. Peter's Square (taken from the Egyptians by the completely decadent Roman Emperor, Caligula) was set up in the center of what was the site where many, many Christian martyrs met their deaths, under their persecution by Rome. For many of them, it was the last thing that they saw when gazing up into the heavens. And that is just the beginning of abominations contained within the city-state of the Vatican. It is a death-loving cult that thoroughly dominates the RCC.
The Calvinists and Lutherans (who are much more like the RCs than they care to admit, because of Calvin's dependence on Augustine and Luther's training as a Roman Catholic theologian) and all other amillennialists believe that Daniel's prophecy was over in 70 A.D. when General Titus did what Daniel had prophesied. However, the second reference is to the time of the "End" (Daniel 9:26-27). We know that General Titus cannot be the one being referenced because he did neither of those two things that are mentioned. He did not stop the sacrifices, and he did not "set up a sacrilegious object" in the Temple. Amillennialism plays right into the hands of Antichrist who will rise to power through great deception. Only pre-millennialism gives a warning to the modern people of God.
The "Ten Kings" and the Antichrist (he will most likely be a European) will use the Whore to put his system in place. But, Scripture tells us that the Ten Kings and the Antichrist hate her, will turn on "her" and, among other things, will burn "her" with fire. (Revelation 17:16)
