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Revelation was written down by John of Patmos roughly a century after the crucifixion of Christ. It is his recount of a prophetic vision he received. It's heavy in symbolism and metaphor. There's no way to understand what most of it means without spiritual discernment, and it may be that some of its secrets are not meant to be revealed yet. Reading it without praying for guidance and trying to understand it will get you nowhere.
Irenaeus affirmed around 120 ad that Revelation was Scripture. He was trained by Polycarp, who was a student of John of Patmos, who wrote it. Polycarp gave Irenaeus his info about the apostles, including what was considered Scripture by the early church. Revelation should be taken seriously as Scripture, though we can debate how exactly to read it.