The visions John receives intricately link to his personal messages for these seven assemblies in Revelation 2 and 3. They are part of the weirdness and even offer guidance on how to interpret it in two ways.
First, they remind us that Revelation applied to its original hearers. They understood it! John doesn't structure his letter with visions following personal messages. Rather, the messages only exist because of the instructions he receives from God at the beginning of his first vision.
It was the Lord's Day, and I was worshiping in the Spirit. Suddenly, I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet blast. It said, "Write in a book everything you see, and send it to the seven churches in the cities of Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea."
— Revelation 1:10-11 NLT
These are visions for them that speak directly to their challenges. Therefore, these personal messages set the narrative context for why these visions are necessary and how we are to interpret them.
Second, Jesus ends each message with a reward for everyone who "conquers" (NRSV), "overcomes" (NKJV), or is "victorious" (NLT) (see Rev. 2:7, 11, 17, 26; 3:5, 12, 21). The imagery in each of these comments only makes sense after someone reads the whole letter aloud. Again, we must not separate these messages from the vision itself. How Jesus frames victory here influences the way we are to view him—this is a revelation about Jesus, after all—as well as the conflict John goes on to witness.
He who is able to hear, let him listen to and heed what the [Holy] Spirit says to the assemblies (churches).
— Jesus in Revelation 2:7, 11, 17, 29; 3:6, 13, 22 AMPC (emphasis within translation)
