Who Were the Nicolaitans & Why Did Jesus Hate Their Deeds?

Another question is, “Does it even matter for us today?” Satan does have a limited number of “tricks in his bag of schemes” at his disposal but is good at “transforming himself and them into angels and ministers of light” to appeal to every generation and culture.

Solomon wrote in, Ecclesiastes 1:9
What has been will be again,
what has been done will be done again;
there is nothing new under the sun.

Revelation 2:6 But this thou hast, that thou hatest the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.
Revelation 2:15 Thus you also have those who hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitans, which thing I hate.

Have you ever wondered who the “Nicolaitans” were, mentioned in the book of Revelation? Whoever they were, Jesus loathed their doctrine and hated their deeds. I did and I did some research to find out what I could about it. In Revelation chapter 2, Jesus speaks favorably of the Church of Ephesus for “hating the deeds of the Nicolaitans,”

Revelation 2:6 But this you have, that you hate the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.

But to the Church of Pergamos, Jesus gives a rebuke for their ways saying this,

Revelation 2:14-16 But I have a few things against you, because you have there those who hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balak to put a stumbling block before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed to idols, and to commit sexual immorality. 15 Thus you also have those who hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitans, which thing I hate. 16 Repent, or else I will come to you quickly and will fight against them with the sword of My mouth.

We know that the stumbling block Balaam laid for the children of Israel to fall on was sexual sin with the women of the lands they were told to conquer.

God says in,  Proverbs 6:16-19 These six things the Lord hates,
Yes, seven are an abomination to Him:
17 A proud look,
A lying tongue,
Hands that shed innocent blood,
18 A heart that devises wicked plans,
Feet that are swift in running to evil,
19 A false witness who speaks lies,
And one who sows discord among brethren.

But Jesus saying He “hates” something is not heard anywhere except in this case in the Book of Revelation. The word “hate” comes from the Greek word miseo, H3404, which means to hate, to abhor, or to find utterly repulsive. It describes a person who has a deep-seated animosity, who is antagonistic to something he finds to be completely objectionable. He not only loathes that object, but rejects it entirely. This is not just a case of dislike; it is a case of actual hatred.

The name Nicolaitan is found only 2 times in these two verses and the only other name close to it is Nicolas is found only 1 time in the Book of Acts,

Acts 6:5-6 And the saying pleased the whole multitude. And they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit, and Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas, a proselyte from Antioch, 6 whom they set before the apostles; and when they had prayed, they laid hands on them.

Since little was said about this “Nicolas” in scripture I had to look to commentaries and other sources to find out what I could that might possibly fill in the blanks.

The name “Nicolaitans” is derived from the Greek word nikolaos, a compound of the words nikos and laos. The word “nikos” means to “conquer or to subdue.” The word “laos“ means for the people, it’s where we get the word “laity.” When these two words are compounded into one, they form the name Nicolas, which literally means “one who conquers and subdues the people.” It seems to suggest that the Nicolaitans were somehow conquering and subduing the people.

Jesus seems to relate the scheme of Balaam, that through sexual sin, the children of Israel were brought from a place of protection and blessings from God to a place of judgment and cursing for their disobedience. God would NOT allow Balaam to curse Israel and he didn’t. Instead he showed Balak how to get Israel into a position where God would have to punish them for their disobedience. Balaam and Balak got what they were after. They just had to find a way to let God do it for them.

In his book, “Antiquities of the Jews,” the Jewish historian Josephus records that after Balaam failed to curse the Israelites, he counseled Balak as follows:
Do you therefore set out the handsomest of such of your daughters as are most eminent for beauty, and proper to force and conquer the modesty of those that behold them, and these decked and trimmed to the highest degree you are able.
Then do you send them to be near the Israelites’ camp and give them in charge, that when the young men of the Hebrews desire their company, they allow it them; and when they see that they are enamored of them, let them take their leaves; and if they entreat them to stay, let them not give their consent till they have persuaded them to leave off their obedience to their own laws and the worship of that God who established them, and to worship the gods of the Midianites and Moabites; for by this means God will be angry at them [4:6:6].

So Balaam was regarded as advising Balak to use the Midianite women to trick the sons of Israel into committing sexual immorality and abandoning the Law of God and to go after pagan gods.

Numbers 25:5 So Moses said to the judges of Israel, “Every one of you kill his men who were joined to Baal of Peor.”

9 And those who died in the plague were twenty-four thousand.

10 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: 11 “Phinehas the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, has turned back My wrath from the children of Israel, because he was zealous with My zeal among them, so that I did not consume the children of Israel in My zeal. 12 Therefore say, ‘Behold, I give to him My covenant of peace; 13 and it shall be to him and his descendants after him a covenant of an everlasting priesthood, because he was zealous for his God, and made atonement for the children of Israel.’ ”

Peor is Strong’s H6465 – From H6473; a gap. Strong’s H6473 – to {yawn} that {is} open wide (literally or figuratively): – {gape} open (wide)

God the Father and Jesus are both expressing a deep seated “hatred” for sexual sin. The Strong’s meaning of Peor leaves little for the imagination to fill in. God DID curse His chosen people with a plague that would have killed more than the 24,000 if not for Phinehas’ intervention.

Acts 6:5 tells us that this Nicolas was “a proselyte of Antioch.” He was not born a Jew but had converted from paganism to Judaism. Then he experienced a second conversion, this time turning from Judaism to Christianity.

What follows is from respected leaders in the early church. Irenaeus mentioned below was from the same town as Polycarp. ‘Polycarp’ means ‘much fruit’ in Greek. Both Irenaeus, who as a young man heard Polycarp speak, and Tertullian recorded that Polycarp had been a disciple of John the Apostle. Jerome wrote that Polycarp was a disciple of John and that John had ordained him bishop of Smyrna.

This website provided some of the info below,
http://www.ncregister.com/blog/jimmy-akin/revelation-solving-the-mystery-of-the-nicolaitans

An early father of Church history–Eusebius–states:
1. At this time the so-called sect of the Nicolaitans made its appearance and lasted for a very short time. Mention is made of it in the Apocalypse of John. They boasted that the author of their sect was Nicolaus, one of the deacons who, with Stephen, were appointed by the apostles for the purpose of ministering to the poor. Clement of Alexandria, in the third book of his Stromata, relates the following things concerning him.
2. “They say that he had a beautiful wife, and after the ascension of the Saviour, being accused by the apostles of jealousy, he led her into their midst and gave permission to any one that wished to marry her. For they say that this was in accord with that saying of his, that one ought to abuse the flesh. And those that have followed his heresy, imitating blindly and foolishly that which was done and said, commit fornication without shame” [Church History III:29:1-2].
3. But I understand that Nicolas had to do with no other woman than her to whom he was married, and that, … when he brought his wife, whom he jealously loved, into the midst of the apostles, he was evidently renouncing his passion; and when he used the expression, ‘to abuse the flesh,’ he was inculcating (teaching) self-control in the face of those pleasures that are eagerly pursued. For I suppose that, in accordance with the command of the Saviour, he did not wish to serve two masters, pleasure and the Lord.

Nicolas gave his wife to be used by other men in an attempt to show what you did in the body didn’t matter and to show he would not sin through jealousy.

The second century Father, Irenaeus of Lyons, agrees, writing:
The Nicolaitans are the followers of that Nicolas who was one of the seven first ordained to the diaconate by the apostles. They lead lives of unrestrained indulgence [Against Heresies 1:26:3].
The character of these men is very plainly pointed out in the Apocalypse of John, [when they are represented] as teaching that it is a matter of indifference to practice adultery, and to eat things sacrificed to idols. Irenaeus, for one, simply describes the Nicolaitans as his followers, apparently giving credence to the view that he founded their heresy.

Regardless of the origin of the group, it seems that the Nicolaitans were a group of heretics that took a libertine attitude toward sexual morality and impermissible involvement in pagan things (specifically, whatever is meant by eating meat offered to idols).
They at least claimed the Deacon Nicholaus as their founder, and they may well have pointed to a dispute over Nicholaus’s alleged jealousy regarding his wife–a jealousy that Nicholaus denied (according to some out of libertinism, and according to others out of rigorous chastity).
They apparently lasted only a short time, as Eusebius says, since they apparently did not become an established, enduring heresy, and he speaks of them in the past tense.

“To the angel of the church in Thyatira write”

After mentioning the Nicolaitans in the message to the church of Pergamum there is another, intriguing passage in the message to the next church in line: Thyatira. We read:
Revelation 2: [18] “And to the angel of the church in Thyatira write: `The words of the Son of God, who has eyes like a flame of fire, and whose feet are like burnished bronze. [19] “`I know your works, your love and faith and service and patient endurance, and that your latter works exceed the first. [20] But I have this against you, that you tolerate the woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess and is teaching and beguiling my servants to practice immorality and to eat food sacrificed to idols. [21] I gave her time to repent, but she refuses to repent of her immorality. [22] Behold, I will throw her on a sickbed, and those who commit adultery with her I will throw into great tribulation, unless they repent of her doings; [23]and I will strike her children dead. And all the churches shall know that I am he who searches mind and heart, and I will give to each of you as your works deserve. [24] But to the rest of you in Thyatira, who do not hold this teaching, who have not learned what some call the deep things of Satan, to you I say, I do not lay upon you any other burden; [25] only hold fast what you have, until I come.

Notice that we have the same two things–sexual immorality and eating food sacrificed to idols–that were just a few verses earlier identified as the teachings of the Nicolaitans. Apparently they were present in Thyatira as well, and taught by a woman who is here referred to as “Jezebel.”
This may indicate the presence of another group of Nicolaitans in Thyatira, which was just up the road from Pergamum.
The reference to “the deep things of Satan” may be a biting allusion to Jezebel and the Nicolaitans’ claim that they their teachings were really “the deep things of God.” How wrong they were! (Or maybe they didn’t have as negative a view of Satan as they should.)

“The Woman Jezebel”

As for “Jezebel,” scholars have long thought that this was not her real name but that she is called this as a reference to the evil pagan queen of Northern Israel named Jezebel. If so, Revelation would link the Nicolaitans to two sinister Old Testament figures that led Israel astray: Balaam and Jezebel.
She also is said to describe herself as a prophetess, and scholars have seen her as a rival in the churches of Asia Minor to John.
Although John–a genuine prophet–was apparently well known to the churches of Asia Minor, Thyatira was the home to a rival prophetess who apparently led a group of Nicolaitans.
The picture of the church scene in Asia Minor was thus mixed. According to the Fathers, the true prophet–John–was based in Ephesus, which hated the works of the Nicolaitans. The false prophetess–“Jezebel”–was based in Thyatira, whose church tolerated her. Others–like the church in Pergamum (located between Ephesus and Thyatira on the route of John’s messenger)–had a mixed attitude, with some embracing the doctrines of the Nicolaitans and others rejecting them.
One can only imagine what it must have felt like to sit in the church of Thyatira on Sunday and have the book of Revelation–with its thunderous condemnation of “Jezebel” and her followers–who may have been sitting right there–read out for the first time.

Solomon wrote in, Ecclesiastes 1:9
9 What has been will be again,
what has been done will be done again;
there is nothing new under the sun

Whether it’s perverting the True Doctrine of God’s Grace to give license to sin, promoting a false piety in saying “I am above what I do in my body” (it don’t matter because it’s the spiritual that matters), Satan gets his work accomplished. You would think everyone would see through the lie and error of this thinking when your read these scriptures,

Romans 12:1-2 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. 2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

1 Corinthians 6:19-20 Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; 20 you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.

1 Peter 1:13-19 Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; 14 as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance; 15 but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, 16 because it is written, “Be holy, for I am holy.”
17 And if you call on the Father, who without partiality judges according to each one’s work, conduct yourselves throughout the time of your stay here in fear; 18 knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, 19 but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.

In the past week another high profile preacher and his wife fell but are still being propped up by some in the New Apostolic Reformation group of ministers. Remember my saying, “some people don’t mind a little ‘slip’ now and then.” Now one of the “New Apostles” is accusing the “snitch” of witchcraft. This couple has been caught multiple times in serious immoral and sexually related sin, both homosexual and hetrosexual. The NAR supporters are still proclaiming “the anointing is without repentance” and professing “all the lives these leaders have brought to the Lord” outweigh their sin. In other words they “are a little disappointed in them.” Also many others are now coming forth with stories and proof of things done by the “church leaders.” It’s NOT one person’s testimony, it’s multiple ones.

You might even wonder how in the world can this be that those calling themselves the “New Apostles” can’t read scripture and don’t have discernment of “Truth from Error.” It’s simple really. If you resist the leading of the Holy Spirit when He convicts you of sin and points out error to you and you chose to follow the lust of your flesh or the doctrines of man instead, God’s Word says this,

2 Thessalonians 2:9-12 The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, 10 and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. 11 And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie, 12 that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.

Romans 1:18-32 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, 19 because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. 20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, 21 because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Professing to be wise, they became fools, 23 and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man—and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things.
24 Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves, 25 who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.
26 For this reason God gave them up to vile passions. For even their women exchanged the natural use for what is against nature. 27 Likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust for one another, men with men committing what is shameful, and receiving in themselves the penalty of their error which was due.
28 And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting; 29 being filled with all unrighteousness, sexual immorality, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil-mindedness; they are whisperers, 30 backbiters, haters of God, violent, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, 31 undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, unforgiving, unmerciful; 32 who, knowing the righteous judgment of God, that those who practice such things are deserving of death, not only do the same but also approve of those who practice them.

Any Time a person rejects walking in the LIGHT God Reveals to them it leaves ONLY One option, to Walk in Darkness. Walking in Known Sin WILL Cost Your Discernment, Blind Your Eyes and Harden your Heart.

No Matter How You Are, God Doesn’t allow this on a person, pastor or apostle in a day. Gradually it does set in though,

Matthew 6:22-24 “The lamp of the body is the eye. If therefore your eye is good, your whole body will be full of light. 23 But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness!
You Cannot Serve God and Riches
24 “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.

You Can’t Be Neutral. There Is No Riding The Fence.

And as to the accusation by this “New Apostle” that the person who tried to come forward, (to him personally and he didn’t respond but called them “demands”) was acting in witchcraft. Being a Good Berean is the “Best Defense” to a sinister Offense, you MUST Know God’s Word for yourself.  Many people throw out the “Don’t judge unless you be judged,” stick your head in the sand and shut up view. In Numbers 25, Phinehas was praised for upholding the Righteousness of God and from last weeks Torah Portion a “True Apostle” teaches us this,

Immorality Must Be Judged
1 Corinthians 5:9-13 I wrote to you in my epistle not to keep company with sexually immoral people. 10 Yet I certainly did not mean with the sexually immoral people of this world, or with the covetous, or extortioners, or idolaters, since then you would need to go out of the world. 11 But now I have written to you not to keep company with anyone named a brother, who is sexually immoral, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or an extortioner—not even to eat with such a person.

12 For what have I to do with judging those also who are outside? Do you not judge those who are inside? 13 But those who are outside God judges. Therefore “put away from yourselves the evil person.”

Paul teaches, don’t judge those out of the church of God but certainly to judge those in the church. How much more should the leaders who stand over the “People – Laity” be scrutinized.

Nikolaos also means “Victor of People”, a compound of nikē ‘victory’ and laos ‘people’. The connotation is “people’s champion” or “conqueror of people.”

For Good or for Bad, there are those who take the task of the Moabite women set out to lead the children of God away so as to fall under His Judgment. Or the Truly Righteous leaders of congregations all over the world trying to teach and present the Infallible Word of God, in an honest and sincere way, the SAME Saying Applies,

They Are Out To WIN Souls, some for God Almighty, some for Satan.

In December of 2016 Bishop Drew gave a prophecy he received from God. Read it in light of the continued scandals that have rocked the world with Jeffery Epstein and many Christian church leaders of every denomination.

Bam means suddenly. Bam says the Lord. In 2017 I will Bam the world. I will Bam the countries. I will Bam the States. I will bam the boarders. I will bam the guilty and bam the innocent.

Those who mock me and disrespect me, to them I say Bam. I will bring you down. I will expose your sins. I will cause you to make great mistakes. Repent quickly or the Bam of my glory will be against you and the things that you are doing.

To those who respect me and keep my faith, to you I say Bam! Get ready. I will bless you as never before. I will bring you up. I will prosper you. I will promote you. You will be the head and not the tail. You will eat the fat of the land. You will see great change for the better. I will honor your fast and your disciplines. I will quickly answer your prayers. I will cause you enemies to be confounded before you. Those that judge you will be judged in front of many. Those that lie, cheat, steal, to lift themselves up will be exposed for what they are and what they do. I will return honor to you. I will restore what the canker worm has eaten away. I will cause the oil to flow again, the coal to move again, the jobs to return, the prosperity to find you again, and you will be blessed. Blessed again by my Bam.

Look to the hills from wince cometh your help. Your help comes from above. Your help come from me. In the winter I will give you the plan. In the spring will move the wheel and cause things to happen. In the Summer it will be Bam. Bam will come in the summer of 2017. Judgement begins in the house of the Lord but it will hit the camp of the godless and the disrespecting mockers next summer. This is the last warning for many. Repent and come to me and I will pardon thee. You do not want the Bam of my wrath says the Lord.

In the fall of next year, I will give you birth. Birth of a new time and season of life. Birth of separation between flesh and spirit. Birth of unity. Birth of understanding. Birth of rewards and renewal. Birth of dreams, desires and visions. Birth of hope, and faith and love. Birth in the fall of the year for the godly and death to the dragon of despair. Hoards of demons will be bound with chains in the fall. Their laughter will be turned to cries of anguish as they are judged. It will happen. It will happen. Bam!

Pointing out failure in the lives, examples of lives lived of church leaders does not equate to condemnation without hoping and praying for them that they should repent of their sinful ways and return to God. I have been mentioning regularly of the many examples of people in the Bible that were mightily used of God to later on fall into deep sin, NOT Enduring until the end.

I know how error becomes sin and sin brings on loss of discernment and blindness followed by hardness of heart. Another recurring theme from my recent post. “If you Hear God’s Voice, DON’T Harden Your Heart!!!”

What the King James Bible calls a “Reprobate Mind” in Romans chapter 1 is a VERY Hard thing to recover from. Again, ashamedly I know this from experience. I am not out to cast stones but neither am I called to stick my head in the sand and shut up, turning a blind eye to corruption that brings a reproach to the Word of God and the Body of Christ.

1 Corinthians 6:9-11, 15-20  Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, 10 nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God. 11 And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God.

15 Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take the members of Christ and make them members of a harlot? Certainly not! 16 Or do you not know that he who is joined to a harlot is one body with her? For “the two,” He says, “shall become one flesh.” 17 But he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with Him.

18 Flee sexual immorality. Every sin that a man does is outside the body, but he who commits sexual immorality sins against his own body. 19 Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? 20 For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.

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