Question:
Should the book of Revelation actually be taken literally?

Answer:
Yes, but this might seem a bit clearer by posing another question. If Revelation is as some say only a book of symbols, allegories, metaphors and myths then why is it preceded with one of the most powerful promises of blessing for those who read it and hear it, Rev. 1:3 And secondly why would such a fairy tale be appendaged with what is probably the most grave warning in the entire Bible...For I testify unto every man that heareth the prophecy of this book. if any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: And if any man shall take away from the words of the hook of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book. Revelation 22: 18-19.

We are not talking here about some failure of our crops or the coming of blight, but rather the complete removal of our lives, our names and our future with God. That is some serious punishment for fooling with a book of myths and symbols. This would he about the equivalent of being condemned to hell for leaving out or altering a verse from The Rhyme of The Ancient Mariner.

Question:
Would God give a message or an entire book of the Bible that had no readily discernable meaning until a later time, or the very end of the world as we know it?

Answer:
Yes. In fact God has in many cases told the writers of the Bible to expose their messages for a specific time. Rev. 22:10. At other times he told them to conceal their message because it was meant for a later time. Daniel 12:4. 12:9 Revelation 10:4. One thing that jangles up believers quickly is their inability to cope with the fact that God sees past, present and future as one single continuum. This is childs play for the creator, but it is a wrestling match for us and that is exactly why God has chosen to make these various dispensations. They are effectively Gods way of helping us win the wrestling match.

Jesus said the Pharisees couldnt discern the times they were living in, even worse he said they wouldnt understand much of anything he was saying regardless of what time it was for. Jesus spoke using examples from nature, the elements and common everyday life. But these learned men couldnt grasp the spiritual content of his words, how could they be expected to understand the timing of the events or the place in history that his words would be more fully realized?

How could anyone understand unless they had Gods help and were actually entering a time when the message was pertinent? Any one who has ever taken a self improvement course, or a business management course, or had training in any level of sociology knows that there is timing in all communication that is second only to the content of that communication. Modern advertising executives can bet their success or failure on their ability to accurately note that timing. Why then, would we expect an omniscient God to be so careless as to leave timing out of his messages?