Europe is just screaming with identifying who the woman riding the beast in Revelation 17 really is.  Europe is using the symbol of EUROPA RIDING THE BULL all over the place.  Here's just a few examples....

Its a national symbol, and even on their money....

The legend of Europa riding the bull existed in the 8th century AD - long before the book of Revelation was written.  and it is not like we have a LOT of these types of symbols floating around the planet.  It is not as if every country has a woman riding as beast as their national symbol.  The USA doesn't have it....which makes you wonder how some people consider the USA a better candidate for the beast than Europe.  The Catholic Church doesn't have this symbol, yet some people are still alleging the woman is the Catholic Church. 

To those asking, "Who is the identify of the woman on the beast in Rev 17?".....All of Europe is just shouting "It's me!!!! It's me !!!!! It's me !!!!! It's me !!!!! It's me !!!!!".   They seem to be proud of it.  They are wanting to announce it from the rooftops.  And they have given that woman a name; Europa, the name the continent of Europe was named after.

Much like the bald eagle is the symbol of America, Europa Riding the Bull is symbol of the European Union.  We're told at the end of Rev 17;

"The woman you saw is the great city that rules over the kings of the earth" (Rev 17:18)

So the woman is a city.  She is not a Church, she is a city.  She is not the Catholic Church, she is a city.

She Rides a "BEAST".  In Daniel, Daniel used 4 beasts to represent 4 kingdoms.  Since this is using symbolism consistent with Daniel, the beast also must represent a country or a conglomeration of countries.  The woman is the Capity City.  The Human riding a beast guides the beast - tells it where to go, much like the Capital City of a Country is where the decisions are made.

We are also told....

"The seven heads are seven hills on which the woman sits. " (Rev 17:18)

So the woman or the city sits on 7 hills.   Rome sits on 7 hills and was once the capital of Europe.  The Treaty that formed the EU was signed in Rome, but the present capital is in Brussels, which also sits on 7 hills.  I would consider either city a legitimate candidate for being the city the woman symbolizes.

The Catholic Church is headquartered on a single hill, on Vatican Hill, not on seven hills, and Vatican Hill is outside the boundaries of ancient Rome and not part of the boundaries of modern Rome.  It is on the West side of the Tiber River, whereas the walls of Rome were all built on the East side of the Tiber, surrounding the 7 hills it was founded on.

After Rome expanded beyond its original walls, it even sort of handed Vatican Hill to the Papal State to avoid annexing an 8th hill that would mess up its reputation as being a city that sat on 7 hills.  After all, the ancient world saw 7 as the number of perfection.  Such as with the 7 wonders of the world.

 

Shalom, Joe