It amazes me the absolute certainty with which some people interpret Revelation, for example, in a literalistic manner, when the book is entirely symbolism.
The above is the problem! For the book of Revelation is not entirely made up of symbolism. In fact, the majority is literal with symbolism and metaphors laced throughout the book. When you read about an enormous red dragon with seven heads and ten horns, that is obvious symbolism, but that symbolism is explained right in the same book. Revelation should be read just like any other scripture until a symbolic interpretation is obvious and required. For example, one of the most common errors is when people have the idea that Revelation is all symbolic and so they ignore anything literal and automatically look for some symbolic meaning, when the answer is right in front of their face. The seals, trumpets and bowl judgments are all literal events of God's coming wrath, but because of the for mentioned, people go right to the symbolic.
People need to stop approaching the book of Revelation and end-time events in this manner, because by doing so, they will never understand it. Their conclusions will always be false. I don't have all of the answers to Revelation and eschatology, but I keep looking for them. The information that the Spirit has revealed to me, that I do know and that I can expound on. Just like the rest of his word, God gave us end-time events to be excited about and for us to dig into the details and he rewards those who diligently seek those answers. Consider what God is saying to the reader right in the very first verse and also at the end of the book:
"The revelation from Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants what must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John, who testifies to everything he saw—that is, the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ
"Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it, because the time is near."
"Look, I am coming soon! Blessed is the one who keeps the words of the prophecy written in this scroll"
The most frustrating thing for those of us who have put in the studies and the prayers to know this information, is when you tell people about these events and they don't believe you and this because they have adopted the popular practice of applying the symbolic meanings that they have been taught by others. And most of the time these are the people who have a mediocre, to little study in the book of Revelation and end-time events.