“It was given to him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them. Authority over every tribe, people, language, and nation was given to him. ” 
Rev 13:7 WEB.

Many apply this to the Roman Empire, but Rome never ruled the entire world. Rome did not even rule all of the ancient world. Yes Rome was big. Yes it covered more nations and territories than any near eastern or western empire had to date. However, at it’s height the Roman Empire was becoming unwieldy, and the Romans debated whether they should take over anymore territory. They clearly knew, for instance, of Persia and India, which Alexander the Great had conquered, and which Rome never did. So did Rome have “Authority over EVERY tribe, people, language, and nation”? NO! So taken literally, of Rome, this part does not fit.

Later in fact, the unwieldiness of that ancient Empire caused it to be split into Eastern and Western parts, for more efficient administration.

However, bits and pieces of Revelation chapters 13 through 19 did seem to fit Rome. There were terrible battles to force everyone to worship the Roman Emperors. This was to create a sort of international unity based on the worship of the Roman Emperors as “gods.” Many looked for the other parts of Revelation 13 to 19 to be fulfilled in Rome at any time. For instance the requirement of a certain “mark.” 

“6 He causes all, the small and the great, the rich and the poor, and the free and the slave, to be given marks on their right hands, or on their foreheads; 17 and that no one would be able to buy or to sell,unless he has that mark, the name of the beast or the number of his name. ” Rev 13:16-17 WEB

But it never happened!

For the average citizen, worshipping Caesar meant showing up before the magistrates, grabbing a pinch of incense (which the magistrates would supply), throwing it on the altar fire, and declaring, “Caesar is Lord.”

Then the magistrates would issue to the worshipper a certificate such as you see to the right, which declared that the holder had worshipped Caesar as a “god.” And the certificate was NOT needed for buying and selling! A special “mark” that “ALL” HAD to have for buying and selling NEVER HAPPENED!

And instead of Rome overcoming the saints (as in Rev 13:7 above), “the saints” (the church) overcame the Roman Empire, very much as prophesied in Daniel 2. The ancient Empire even came to be Christian to some extent, and even the Emperors denied their divinity and publicly worshipped Jesus Christ!

SO! Either Revelation is a false prophecy, that failed in the first few centuries after Christ (as many liberals believe), OR it is yet to happen. Rome and the Caesars are at best types or symbols of these final world empires and their rulers.

There is a great deal of just plain NONSENSE sold to us about the book of Revelation, and we often fail to think it through.

WEB is the World English Bible, is a copyright free revision
of the original ASV American Standard Version 1901