If I tell you to imagine this scene, you'll probably know what it is I'm describing. Imagine a blue and white bulldog with a seagull in its mouth. Now some of you will know what that means. If you follow Rugby League it means Canterbury Bankstown beat the North Coast Seagulls. They are symbols, but they are symbols of a real event.
Revelation is just like that.
So when we get to chapter 20 for example, and read about a period of 1000 years, we shouldn't just assume that it means 1000 literal years. Even 'literalists' aren't really. We must interpret Revelation on the basis of its own symbolism. The key to understanding the symbols of Revelation is the Old Testament, not modern politics. Don't look in the newspaper, but in the Bible.