That is fair. Scofield, and his followers, pride themselves in their "literalism." Can you explain how he "literally" derived this? I can't. This is part of his note for Rev 1:20 [my bold and italic highlights:]
(4) prophetic, as disclosing seven phases of the spiritual history of the church from, say, A.D. 96 to the end. It is incredible that in a prophecy covering the church period, there should be no such foreview. These messages must contain that foreview if it is in the book at all, for the church does not appear after Rev 3.22. Again, these messages by their very terms go beyond the local assemblies mentioned. Most conclusively of all, these messages do present an exact foreview of the spiritual history of the church, and in this precise order. Ephesus gives the general state at the date of the writing; Smyrna, the period of the great persecutions; Pergamos, the church settled down in the world, "where Satan's throne is," after the conversion of Constantine, say A.D. 316. Thyatira is the Papacy, developed out of the Pergamos state: Balaamism (worldliness) and Nicolaitanism (priestly assumption) having conquered. As Jezebel brought idolatry into Israel, Song Romanism weds Christian doctrine to pagan ceremonies. Sardis is the Protestant Reformation, whose works were not "fulfilled." Philadelphia is whatever bears clear testimony to the Word and the Name in the time of self-satisfied profession represented by Laodicea.
If that is not spiritualizing the scripture, nothing is. He even threw the pope into the mix. And he wasn't finished with the papacy. This is part of his note for Rev 18:2:
"Two "Babylons" are to be distinguished in the Revelation: ecclesiastical babylon, which is apostate Christendom, headed up under the Papacy; and political babylon, which is the Beast's confederated empire, the last form of Gentile world-dominion. Ecclesiastical Babylon is "the great whore" Rev 17:1 and is destroyed by political Babylon Rev 17:15-18 that the beast may be the alone object of worship."
What did he say? LOL! He made it all up, or someone made it up for him.
Philip
I see no issues with his approach. It is clear he saw the 7 churches as literal and the messages to them as literal, and that such assurances, rebukes and promises apply to the church in all ages to include today. I would not go as far as he did in applying an historic attribution, but in any era there are elements of the 7 Asian churches in all churches.
This is the way with most prophecy. There is an immediate context and fulfillment and ultimate fulfillment.