The first beast is not the Papacy.
As you can see from what you have written above the first beast is much bigger and more complex than the Papacy.
The first beast is a composite of world powers represented by the lion and the bear and the leopard. And if you don't even see who these three beasts represent you are incapable of interpreting this prophecy.
There you have your Papacy someone who started like a lamb but later only looks like one from the outside.
You really need to read end time prophecy and understand it. Pray to God to give you understanding if end time prophecy according to His word. We are meant to understand everything about end time prophecy in the Bible.
You also haven't proved anything to me from the Bible. Its all about what you think. The papacy is the biggest and most complex beast in Revelation and in all end time prophecy. It is the one behind the second beast's (USA) decision to persecute God's people. That is why the second beast tells the world to worship the first beast whose would had healed. Its not only a religious power its a political one too. Revelation gives us information on these two sides of the papacy.
Revelation 13 is its political side and
Revelation 17 is its religious side and it is the great whore that sitteth upon many waters with whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication. Wine in prophecy symbolises doctrine.
Here is how the Bible describes and identifies the first beast in Revelation 13.
A. It would rise from the sea (Revelation 13:1).
The sea (or water) in prophecy refers to people or a populated area (
Revelation 17:15). So the beast—antichrist—would arise amid the established nations of the then known world. The papacy arose in Western Europe, so it fits this point.
A Word of Explanation
In harmony with God’s command to honour all people (
1 Peter 2:17), we pause here to recognize the papacy for her many good deeds and activities. Her hospitals, orphanages, care for the poor, homes for unwed mothers, and care for the aged are appreciated universally. She can honestly be lauded for many things. But, like all other organizations, she has also made serious errors. God pinpoints some of these errors in Revelation. The Lord, who blesses and comforts, must sometimes chasten and correct. Please ask His Spirit to speak to you as you continue studying this crucial topic.
B. It would be a composite of the four beasts of Daniel chapter 7 (Revelation 13:2).
Study the comparison below to see how it all fits together:
Daniel chapter 7 Revelation chapter 13
BabylonLion-like beast (vs. 4)"Mouth of a lion" (vs. 2)
Medo-PersiaBearlike beast (vs. 5)"Feet of a bear" (vs. 2)
GreeceLeopard-like beast (vs. 6)"Like unto a leopard" (vs. 2)
RomeTen-horned beast (vs. 7)"Having ... ten horns" (vs. 1)
The four beasts of Daniel 7 are depicted as part of Antichrist, or the beast, because the papacy incorporated pagan beliefs and practices from all four empires. She clothed them in spiritual garb and spread them to the world as Christian teachings. Here is one of many supporting statements from history:
"In a certain respect, she [the papacy] has copied her organization from that of the Roman Empire, has preserved and made fruitful the philosophical intuitions of Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle, borrowed from both Barbarians and the Byzantine Roman Empire, but always remains herself, thoroughly digesting all elements drawn from external sources." This point definitely fits the papacy.
C. The beast must receive its power, seat (capital), and authority from the dragon (Revelation 13:2).
To identify the dragon, we go to Revelation chapter 12, where God's end-time church is pictured as a pure woman. In prophecy, a pure woman represents God's true people or church (
Jeremiah 6:2, Isaiah 51:16). The pure woman is portrayed as pregnant and about to deliver. The dragon crouches nearby, hoping to
"devour" the baby at birth. However, when the baby is born He evades the dragon, fulfils His mission, and then ascends to heaven. Obviously the baby is Jesus, whom Herod tried to destroy by killing all the babies in Bethlehem (
Matthew 2:16). So the dragon represents pagan Rome, of which Herod was a king. The power behind Herod's plot was, of course, the devil (
Revelation 12:7-9). Satan acts through various governments to accomplish his ugly work in this case, pagan Rome.
We will quote just two supportive references from history, though there are many: (1)
"The Roman Church ... pushed itself into the place of the Roman World-Empire, of which it is the actual continuation. ...The Pope ... is Caesar's successor." (2)
"The mighty Catholic Church was little more than the Roman Empire baptised. Rome was transformed as well as converted. The very capital of the old Empire became the capital of the Christian Empire. The office of Pontifex Maximus was continued in that of Pope." So this point also fits the papacy. She received her capital city and power from pagan Rome.
D. It would receive a deadly wound (Revelation 13:3).
The deadly wound was inflicted when Napoleon's general, Alexander Berthier, entered Rome and took Pope Pius VI captive in February of 1798. Napoleon decreed that at the death of the pope, the papacy would be discontinued. The pope died in France in August of 1799.
"Half Europe thought ... that without the Pope the Papacy was dead." So this point also fits the papacy.
E. The deadly wound would be healed, and the entire world would give homage to the beast (Revelation 13:3).
Since its healing, the strength of the papacy has grown. Today she is one of the most powerful religious-political organizations and influence centres in the world.
ABOUT THE POPE:
He is the most well-known person in our world. People of the world see him as a strong moral leader. Thousands of Catholics and non-Catholics throng to him when he visits other countries. In 2015, he spoke before a joint session of the U.S. Congress for the first time in history.
ABOUT THE PAPACY:
An American ambassador has said the Vatican is unmatched as a “listening post.” Papal structure is already prepared for worldwide control.
Clearly, the wound is healing and the eyes of the nations are upon the Vatican, fitting the prophecy of the Bible.
F. It would become a strong political power (Revelation 13:3, 7).
G. It would become a very powerful religious organization (Revelation 13:3, 8).
H. It would be guilty of blasphemy (Revelation 13:5, 6).
The papacy is guilty of blasphemy because her priests claim to forgive sins and her popes claim to be Christ on earth.
I. It would war with and persecute the saints (Revelation 13:7).
The papacy did persecute and destroy millions of saints during the Dark Ages.
J. It would reign for 42 months (Revelation 13:5).
The papacy reigned for 42 prophetic months, which equals 1,260 years, from A.D. 538-1798.
K. It would have the mysterious number 666 (Revelation 13:18). "Here is wisdom. Let him who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man: His number is 666" This verse says,
“It is the number of a man,” and
Revelation 15:2 refers to
“the number of his name.”
We must remember that this attribute is not the most important, but is rather just a small piece of the description Scripture gives of this beast.
Modern interpretations of this prophecy apply the 666 to a computer in Brussels. This implies that 666 represents registration of every citizen of Earth who is to be subjected to the new economic policies of the new world order.
However, this computer did not persecute the saints for 1260 years. It did not say it was God. And, it does not claim to forgive sins. These are all attributes of the Antichrist.
What man do you think of when you think of the papacy? Naturally, we think of the pope. What is his official name? Here is a Catholic quote:
“The title of the pope of Rome is Vicarius Filii Dei” (English:
“Vicar of the Son of God”). Latin letters have a numerical value. The numeral letters of his name shall make up this number. When you take out the Latin letters, which have a numerical value, and which still are used to represent numbers, and which are: V, I, C, L, and D, these letters form the number given below. In these Latin words there are two V's, which letter denotes 5, six I's denoting 1, one C which denotes 100, one L, which denotes 50, and one D, which denotes 500, thus, V,V=10; I,I,I,I,I,I=6; C=100; L=50; and D=500, the sum 666. Again, the papacy fits the identification point. The first beast with the is the papacy. No other power in history could possibly fit these 11 divine descriptive points. God bless.