The seven churches addressed in Revelation are named in the sequence of the ages, or time periods, they represent. These periods can vary in length a great deal, from a couple of centuries to over a thousand years, so they are not defined by the amount of time but by the main spiritual conditions of each period.

      The meaning of each name is also prophetic of that period. So, it may seem logical that all of the other “sevens” named in Revelation would fall into the same sequence and relate to these same church ages, but that is not always the case.

      Again, if prophecy followed a mathematical formula or pattern that is easy to figure out and follow, it may be easier for us to find scientifically-minded people who could figure out prophecy for us. But making things easy does not seem to be a priority for the Lord. In fact, He seems intent on making it harder to separate out those who do not value His truth enough to persevere through the difficulties. He would rather have us become dependent on His Spirit to lead us into all truth. The many attempts to figure out Revelation in place of seeking the Holy Spirit to understand it is a reason for much of the confusion taught about it.

      The Lord is intent on keeping His mysteries mysterious. He hides His truth from those who do not share His love for the truth, or do not have His heart for righteousness and justice, which is the foundation of His throne, or kingdom (see Psalm 89:14). As He shared repeatedly, He purposely shared His truth in a way that would keep out those who did not really love Him and His truth.

      For this reason, having a right heart toward the Lord—especially the humility and willingness to accept the truth as He intended it and to obey it—is more important than learning the technicalities of what prophetic symbols and metaphors mean.

      In John 7:17-18, there are two crucial principles we must have to know His truth: "If anyone is willing to do His will, he will know about the teaching, whether it is of God, or I am speaking from Myself.  The one who speaks from himself seeks his own glory; but He who is seeking the glory of the One who sent Him, He is true, and there is no unrighteousness in Him."

      The first principle here is that we must accept His truth as He intended it. Then, we must be willing to obey it. The second principle is to use His truth to seek His glory, not our own. As the Greek word for “glory” in this text is also translated “recognition,” this relates as well. Do we want to know these mysteries to impress others with our knowledge, or are we seeking to be better able to recognize Him and have others do the same?

      God’s truth tends to work on our hearts and motives before our minds. So, as we examine the messages to these churches, especially the words of correction, let us consider how they might first apply to us personally and then to our churches, not others.

      God is love, and becoming like Him is an ultimate purpose of all truth. As we’re told in 1 Corinthians 13, it is better to have love than to know all mysteries. We’re also told that “He disciplines those whom He loves” (Hebrews 12:6). Do we interpret the challenges and trials that we go through as God’s love for us? They are, and if we don’t see them this way, we are likely misunderstanding Him and wasting our trials that are intended to make us more like Him.

      So, we want to know the mysteries of the book of Revelation to love God more and to love His people more. We want to understand the times and to be prepared for them so we can help others do the same, and for recognizing and embracing the daily discipline of the Lord.

       It is also the nature of the Lord, who is the Word of God, the Communication of God, to communicate with those whom He wants to understand in ways they can best understand it. For this reason, He used a “critique sandwich” when He addressed the seven churches. This is when you sandwich correction between two slices of encouragement. You start with encouragement, then bring the correction, and follow it with more encouragement about the reward they will receive for overcoming the problems that need correcting.

       To be like Him, shouldn’t we use these critique sandwiches when we have issues with each other? This does not mean we should use flattery—which the Bible has not one good thing to say about—but we can begin with something positive, like a compliment, or note something they are doing right before hitting them with the correction. Most people will immediately become defensive with correction, making it harder for them to receive it. Starting with something positive about them can help them be more open. After the correction, end the conversation with a positive. This will help make the correction feel positive, which it should be.