I can't tell if you are agreeing with me or not. You sure make the inquisition sound like the second beast to me. Jews wouldn't be worshiping the image of what the RCC is promoting.
The beast, though used to represent a kingdom, is also used to represent a person. The man of lawlessness is the one who will establish that seven year covenant in part with Israel, who is also called the antichrist by John. He will be a literal human being, as will the second beast which is the false prophet. The beast however is that angel who is currently in the Abyss, where at the sounding of the 5th trumpet will come out with his demons who resemble locusts and will be the spiritual power behind the man of lawlessness.
The best way to understand this is by looking at the examples in scripture. In Daniel 10, we have the angel Gabriel being sent to Daniel as soon as he began to pray. But Gabriel tells Daniel that he was kept from getting to Daniel for 21 days by the prince of Persia who opposed him. Now, we know that Gabriel is mighty angel and that the human prince of Persia and his army could not keep him from reaching Daniel. What he was talking about was the prince of Persia in the spiritual realm, referring to those fallen angels/demons who were a power behind the human prince of Persia and his army.
The beast is described as the beast who:
Once was = He was once out in the world and the power behind some other human ruler
Now is not = He is currently not in the world but is now in the Abyss
And yet will come = He will again come out of the Abyss and will be the power behind the first beast/antichrist.
"They had as king over them the angel of the Abyss, whose name in Hebrew is Abaddon and in Greek is Apollyon (that is, Destroyer)."
"Now when they (two witnesses) have finished their testimony, the beast that comes up from the Abyss will attack them, and overpower and kill them."
"The beast, which you saw, once was, now is not, and yet will come up out of the Abyss and go to its destruction."