Revelation is a little bit difficult to understand. Some of it is literal, and some figurative. Some of it talks about the future, some about the past, some about all times.
This isn't simply a problem with Revelation... it's a problem with the entire bible...
How do you decide which part is literal vs metaphor? I read the bible... God did not include any hints or footnotes about what is meant to be literal vs metaphor...
Who are you to decide that God meant something metaphorically, instead of the way He literally wrote the bible? (Is God the author, or you?)
Do you really think you are qualified to be God's editor/interpreter of the bible?