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 child