The Book of Revelation was written for Christians under persecution from the Roman Empire to encourage those Christians during the period of their persecution before this empire embraced the new found religion and not for some off-beat religious cult to be created roughly 1800 years later in a little then known continent by the authors of the Book of Revelation.
Those early Christians would have understood the symbolism used in the Book of Revelation; a modern reader would find the symbolism easier to understand by understanding the history of the time and the challenges faced by those early Christians and their beliefs and doctrines which were still developing.
Those early Christians under persecution would have little interest in a cult that was to form about 1800 years later as few in our age would be interested in addressing cults that may form in around the year 4,000 in an unknown location.
