Church Age Timeline

A number of times I have been asked about the timeline
of the church age. The timeline is based upon the
belief that the letters to the seven literal churches
in Revelation chapters two and three also represent
the seven sequential divisions of the church age. This
as a practical matter seems to have a great deal of
validity. The following listing represents a good
general opinion of that timeline:

The first division - Ephesus - The Desirable One -
Revelation 2:1-7
Represents the time period 34 A.D. to 100 A.D.
Great failing was that it left its first love.

The second division - Smyrna - name taken from myrrh -
Revelation 2: 8-11
Represents time period 100 A.D. to 312 A.D.
The persecuted church exhorted to faithfulness even to
death.

The third division - Pergamos - Married; Pergamos is
married to the world. - Revelation 2: 12-17
Represents time period 312 A.D. to 590 A.D.
Holds two categories of false doctrine.

The fourth division - Thyatira - Continual Sacrifice -
Revelation 2: 18-29 
Represents time period 590 A.D. to 1517 A.D.
Church of the false prophetess. Has the most verses
addressed to it.

The fifth division - Sardis - Remnant - Revelation 3:
1-6
Represents time period 1517 A.D. to 1750 A.D.
Church of the Reformation. Strong on orthodoxy but
does not bring practice into daily life.

The sixth division - Philadelphia - Brotherly love -
Revelation 3: 7-13
Represents time period 1750 A.D. to 1925 A.D.
The missionary church, against whom nothing is said
against.

The seventh division - Laodicea - Revelation 3: 14- 22
Represents time period 1900 A.D. till time of
Tribulation
The lukewarm, self-satisfied church

	There are some overlapping of time periods that might
not be apparent in this list as it is given: 
a. For instance Europe, particularly France and
Germany moved into the Laodicean age well ahead of
England and the rest of the Christian world due to the
influence of liberal theologians and higher criticism.
b.  Great Britain would be weakened by the compromises
within its establishment church, and would be well
headed into the age with the work of Westcott and Hort
in the late 1800's. 
c. The United States would be influenced by B.B.
Warfield when he went into error and trained other men
so, and spiritually weakened by the influence of the
two World Wars. Finally, the church would fail to
respond to President Eisenhower's encouragement to
evangelize Asia in the 1950's.