These messages are directed to the individual churches of the ancient world and concern matters of importance to them at that time.

To the church at Ephesus it is a call to renewed faithfulness.  The portion of the message which is still of value to us is this: "To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God" (Revelation 2:7). What is to be overcome are the temptations of this world.

The message to the church of Smyrna is one of encouragement, even in the face of persecution and death. The portion of the message which is still of value to us is this "He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death" (Revelation 2:11). The "second death" is that which is imposed on the most unrepentant sinners after the resurrection of all the dead at the end of time; the 'first death' is the one that comes in this life.

The message to the church of Pergamos is one of both encouragement and rebuke and ends with an enticement that still applies today "To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone, and on the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it" (Revelation 2:17). The "hidden manna" is the fruit of the Tree of Life which bestows eternal life. A "white stone" was a mark of good fortune in ancient Rome, and so here signifies the benefits that a true believer will reap. The "new name written" on the stone is kept secret, but it indicates that the true believer will share in a greater intimacy with the message of God.

The message to the church of Thyatira is one of acknowledgment and threat. The threat has two sides, a threat of punishment to those who corrupt Christ's teaching, and  promise held out to the faithful "And he that overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations" (Revelation 2:26).

The message to the church of Sardis is one of warning. Like the town of Sodom, Sardis has lost its way, but the few who remain faithful will be given a reward at the end of time "He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels" (Revelation 3:5).

The message to the church of Philadelphia is one of encouragement and great promise. The power of the church was not great "thou hast a little strength" (Revelation 3:8) but it was used well "[thou] hast kept my word, and hast not denied my name" (Revelation 3:8). In return, Christ promises to protect the church from the trials of the last days, and further promises that, "Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God: and I will write upon him my new name" (Revelation 3:12). This does not mean that the individual will be turned to stone and made immobile, but that his faith will confirm a place for him forever in the house of the Lord. Both "I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God" and "I will write upon him my new name" indicate a greater intimacy with the divine. The statement that the city of god "cometh down out of heaven" is an indication about the nature of events after the resurrection.  Heaven will be manifested here on this Earth, but this Earth will be changed in order to accommodate it.  The Jerusalem of God is not the Earthly Jerusalem, built by the hands of men and inhabited by the good and wicked alike, but a divine city filled with those whom God permits to dwell there.  The location of this New Jerusalem may well be identical to that of the Earthly Jerusalem, but this only indicates that the current city of Jerusalem is to be wiped off the face of the Earth as an unclean thing, unfit for the presence of the Lord.  Of course, the same fate will befall all the works of man, but the point here is that Jerusalem will not be spared.

The message to the Laodiceans is a warning against complacency "I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou were cold or hot" (Revelation 3:15).  The threat for those who remain complacent is strong and real "because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spew thee out of my mouth" (Revelation 3:16), because, at the time of the writing, the church was young and needed diligence to grow strong; but even this rebuke was delivered with love and a promise for better things, if the people changed their ways, "As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent" (Revelation 3:19). The promise to those who are faithful is great, "To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne" (Revelation 3:21).