I don't think those who identify Rome as the "Whore of Babylon" are necessarily way off base. The Westminster divines, serious biblical scholars in their own right, included in the Confession in ch. 26.5 a passage that identified the Pope as the Antichrist. (Most modern churches holding the WCF as their secondary standards omit this portion.) They are far from alone among the men of the Reformation.

Here is an article on The Highway that identifies the papal office as the embodiment of Antichrist: "The Antichrist Unveiled."

Kyle

I tell you, this man went down to his house justified.