Jookbeard -
If you believe in God and the bible, then answering those questions will help very little infact may do the opposite.
Those who control the world, control the world's money supply and ancient archeological items. There are TON's of organizations, secret societies, etc, in a pyramid like structure, each filtering upwards.
What's going to happen, and where, is in the bible, and that's why I said just flat out telling you will do little help, because what will you do without God's direction and help, if you go to him to understand and reveal in the scriptures what is about to happen.
Here is a general overview though, and combine that with what information and things you observe happening, and you can make your own conclusion. This is the overview of what the scriptures reveal......
Prophesy, as even demonstrated in the dreams Joseph interpreted to Pharoh in Genesis shows that different dreams/prophesy's can mean the same thing, just in different forms or ways of presenting it. That is very consistant in the bible. Men in darkness have tried to interpret them all as individual or to agree with their own ideas vs what's in harmony with the rest of the scriptures.
Tyre/Babylon/Egypt are all very much related, comparing the prophesies of them are all practically identical. As a country, it would be one which is the world trade center of the earth, one which has the confidence of Israel, one which the world looks up to. It would be one of beauty, of perfect ideas, but bloodguilty, very powerful.
As a religion, it would be not the religion per say, but the ROOT of them. For example, thousand of christian religions, what inspired them all, what was the starting point. Kind of like a tree, one stump, but as it grows many many different branches, and if tree it cut, it ALL goes.
As a spirit creature, it would be perfect, beautiful from it's start. But changed to bad.
Learning the scriptures and reading, you choose which it would be, one or all 3.
It's downfall........will happen INSTANTLY. In one day. It will be so sudden the world is shocked and fearful. If it's a country, the tyrants of the world will team up and take it down. Famine, death, disease will overtake it and most of it's inhabitants will perish.
If it's faith/religion, it's tree is cut and destroyed. All aspects of it are gone.
If it's a spirit creature, it's power and influence are destroyed, it's destroyed.
There are 2 messages I've seen related in the scriptures as to what "God's people" are to do. One says "get out of her if you don't want to "share" in her plagues. As mentioned above, the plagues are famine, disease, war. Another says that those who run will be caught and killed, those who remain calm an do nothing will be protected. The apparent contradiction could be that God will only reveal what he wants one to do if he wants them to, if they are putting faith in him, and those who try to understand who are not, may be tricked into a trap? You decide.
That is the beginning of the great tribulation........