This is a false doctrine especially instigated by John Darby of England and William Branham in the US. I would not be so lulled into loose theories that quickly develop into concrete traditions and beliefs as we have today in Christian doctrine.
These 7 types of congregation that existed after Christ's in SW Turkey resurrection represent characteristics of typical congregations then, through every generation, and today. There is no intriguing, end-times and nifty time sequence of the predominance of specific characteristics of one congregation in one age over another.
just saying....
Well , I disagree.
Yes they are seven types of church congregations in all ages of the church.
They also are seven letters to seven literal churches.
They are also seven types of believers in every age of the church age.
Now for them showing a progression of the church through the ages that is drawn by the following:
1. the name of the church and what it means.
2. the characteristic of that particular church
3.the exhortations and rebukes of the church.
4. The order of the letters as they appear in Scripture.
When you factor these in and look at the churches and specific dates when the church underwent major changes, it aligns perfectly with history. also when you look at what the name means and matchit to historic dates, you see that the general characteristic of teh visible church matches the exhortations and condemnations for each particular church!
Darby may or may have not laid the seeds for this, but it is still true and fits to a tee. The reason it took so long is that eschatology was a subject buried in the covenant theology of Romanism and those protestant branches which kept to covenantalism. Also as Daniel said in the last days more and more truths of end times would be revealed. Unfortunately with that truth comes the fact that many sincere believers have gone off the dep end with all sorts of whacky eschatology based on an allegorical reinterpretation of SCripture.