Throughout revelations, John praises and then condemns various churches for their version of Christian work. He begins with Ephesus, and praises them for enduring patiently. But he claims that they have forgotten the love they felt at the beginning of their faith, and wishes for them to return to that state. He will reward those who do and condemns those who do not (Revelation 2:1-7). He then turns to the Smyrna church, and tells them he knows they are being wrongfully attacked. He wishes for them to stay strong in prison and until the end, for they will be given the crown of life. He does not have harsh feelings towards them (Revelation 2:8-11) . The church in Pergamum is attacked by John; he claims that they are full of false teachings and are living where Satan’s sword is. He has no good things to say about them (Revelation 2:12- 17). For Thyatira, he believes that as a majority they are doing okay and he acknowledges their love, faith, and patience, but says they are also at fault for allowing someone who does not believe in God to be in their ranks. He deems this unacceptable (Revelation 2:18- 29). At Sardis, the people are of the correct faith and standing, but not active enough in their participation. He tells them to “wake up” and to strongly believe (Revelation 3:1- 6). John then moves to Philadelphia, who he says are pure and faithful in their religion, but have little power among the larger society. He acknowledges that and advises them to simply carry on (Revelation 3:7-13). He then moves to Laodicea and says that they are neither pure in their faith nor lacking, and he is quite angry with their indecisiveness. He calls them wretched and pitiful for not being able to take a stand and yet still believing they are fine in the eyes of God. (Revelation 3:14-22).

Overall, he is the angriest with the communities in Pergamum and Laodicea for they are the ones that are the least pure in their faith. They lack the proper teachings and dedication, and for that John believes they will perish. He prefers those who remain strong in their faith even when they are poor, of little power, or being persecuted. His main admonishments stem from people believing in false teachings, or simply not doing enough to maintain the proper level of faith or commitment. He praises strength, courage, love, and endurance even when times are tough, and condemns those who are weak and falter at danger.

The themes addressed in the communications with various towns corresponds with his overall message. John has an apocalyptic mentality, meaning he believes that the end is near where God will judge all Christians and potentially grant them salvation. John’s point here is to do a pre-judgment, and tell the communities what they are doing well and what they can improve upon so that they can make changes before the actual judgment from God occurs. He is simply trying to prepare all of the newly founded Christian churches, because he believes that the end is near and all must be at their best.