"But this thou hast, that thou hatest the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate…" Revelation 2:6 (to the Ephesus church)
"So thou hast also them that hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitans, which thing I hate…" Revelation 2:15 (to the Pergamos church)
When on Patmos Island, John saw the mystery in the Lord’s right hand. He saw the destiny of what Christianity, as people, would become. The Lord commended the first church at Ephesus because they hated the DEEDS OF THE NICOLAITANS, because the Lord detested it also. In Pergamos, the third church, the church “held” the doctrine of the Nicolaitans, and their deeds became ACCEPTED PRACTICE of a priesthood over laity pattern which the Lord hates. The name Nicolaitans appears as a core aspect of recognizing a fallen condition in the candlestick churches, understanding that name sheds revelation light, so that we see the real history and destiny of Christian churches AS WE must know it.
The word Nicolaitan comes from two Greek words: ‘nikao’, which means ‘to rule over’ or ‘to conquer,’ and ‘laos’, which means ‘the laity’ or ‘the people.’ Put these definitions together and you get a domineering ruling class within the body of Christ whose main agenda is to get the upper hand, conquer, subordinate, and subdue those whom they consider laity as ‘less gifted,’ ‘less knowledgeable,’ and ‘less qualified’ than themselves! In the history of Christianity those called ‘church clergy’ have dominated laity, forming church hierarchies that have ruled over mass numbers of people who believe in Christ.
Jesus said He hated the deeds and doctrines of the Nicolaitans — that which is exalting the ‘clergy’ over the ‘laity’! These rulers among the Lord’s people have been in league with the many world and worldly religious orders. Rome had dominated the world and gathered and examined many pagan religions at Rome. As Christian clergy rose at Rome, they dominated the teachings about Jesus Christ and His people. The old Roman empire mutated into the Roman Catholic Church, where clergy exalted themselves to offices of authority whereas the laity were abased and obliged to support them. Then scripture was locked up in the Latin language, so what was supposed to guide people became known only to the ministers of the Roman churches, which eventually became the only source of authority. The rest of us poor folk became just the uninformed laity, the sheep who needed to follow the church bishops and priests, doing just what we are told by the pope.
The accepting of Rome’s Nicolaitan move was the take over shown in the early Pergamum church as they reached conclusions that laity needed their pope and his hired clergy (spirit of Balam); the hiring of church teachers prevailed until the entire church held the standards of the Nicolaitans.
That entire candlestick church accurately records THE FLESHLY EFFORTS of RELIGIOUS LEADERS IN CHRISTIANITY. Those in Thyatira became the mother Jezebel harlot heavens spoken of in Revelation 2:20. Oh, yes, they became a system that led His people astray. They built up organizations that now represent the Christian church to people in the world, for centuries they reached Nicolaitan conclusions to increase their defenses and make their church structure more cohesive.
Empowered Nicolaitans conclude it is their imperative to take measures to ‘protect’ the church from certain extremes that prey on the immature. They themselves develop doctrine and deeds of religious flesh speaking blasphemously IN THE NAME OF THE LORD. By placing themselves between God and His people, they try to hold and control the beautiful works God has begun by His Spirit! Now, through centuries of much religious effort of organizing a systematized scriptural viewpoint in the candlestick churches, the DOCTRINE and DEEDS of the Nicolaitans is clearly right there taking over as Satan’s seat appeared in Pergamos (Rev. 2:13). The ancient liar was empowered to bring forth an apostate Christian church system to the world. Being under men, a man-made order of priests, “church” became mystery Babylon in the eyes of God. This corrupt order of priests still lords it over the laity. That Nicolaitan, Balaam spirit (prophecy for hire) still holds places in the hearts that must yet be circumcised. What a mystery are the seven stars in the hand of the Lord!
Christ Jesus is in the midst of that candlestick order, but has been calling men to come out of it, to overcome, arise from the carnal minds of men ruling in religious Christian heavens by deceitful means. The Christian systems REPRESENTING Jesus Christ to the WORLD claim they are God’s church, to preserve and maintain the status quo, but they keep out all who they judge as not worthy. Yet as any man or group of men, puts their hands on God’s people to control their worship of God, the anointing lifts and another work is formed into a formal dead daughter of Babylon. Here the focus is on keeping people spiritual children while the real glory has not been discovered!
Where there was once a quickening of the Holy Spirit in fellowship meetings, they are now deadened, by organized, structured, and controlled systematized forms of worship, resulting in repetitive motions of what once was beautiful outpourings of spiritual truth. The life and light of higher orders quickened of the Holy Spirit of the Lord is missing. The Nicolaitan concept gained authority over Pentecostal heavens and sonship movements too, showing up after every renewal. Jesus still has been in the midst of all these candlestick orders from Christianity’s early days until now. Paul clearly instructed us:
“…that we should all attain to the unity of the faith and of the realization of the son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature of the complement of the Christ, that we may by no means still be minors, surging hither and thither and being carried about by every wind of teaching by human caprice or craftiness with a view to the systematizing of the deception.” Ephesians 4:13-14 Concordant
It seems this mystery is still not understood very well if at all among church goers. Sonship and kingdom people, however, should recognize the spirit of Nicolaitans when changes and adaptations come from time to time, as the basic concepts remain the same, in phraseology and methodology. THE DEEDS AND DOCTRINE OF THE NICOLAITANS set up MINISTERS to control people for their own gain! A mature Christian will grow in wisdom to recognize these crafty ways humans work in the candlestick church heavens. The Lord’s defining work in the last two-thousand-year period was to gather mature Christians out of candlestick church heavens. It has been accomplished as Christ has been revealed by spiritual revelation, an illumination among sons in sovereign guidance from God!
Nicolaitan leaders have had the control in the remaining candlestick churches, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicean, leading them short of the real kingdom. Mainline Christianity today is a religious system where men think they are rich because they will go to heaven after they die. In those church fellowships today, Jesus is on the outside knocking on the door of a lukewarm people that are “wretched, and miserable, and poor and blind, and naked” (Rev.3:17). To those who can hear His voice, He is coming to us now feeding us higher truths that only His Spirit can unfold in our life, placing us in His kingdom now, a kingdom not established on mere human ideas or authority.
The beastly nature of men seeks power over others, lying in wait in church meetings to take control to get or maintain a following. Christian people outside denominational camps still go here and there following the “man of the hour.” The history of candlestick church heavens is swollen with many power-grabbing authoritarians. It is not confined to denominations but appears wherever and whenever blessed yet prideful men gather. Sincere men rise and fight for dominant authority unknowingly bringing resurgent deeds of the Nicolaitans under various titles and guises, such as ‘shepherd,’ ‘bishop,’ ‘set man,’ ‘gift ministries’, etc. But it is still the great error that the Lord hates, and we should also hate it. It has sapped the life out of every refreshing move of God in the candlestick churches for centuries.
When asked, "Where do you go to church?”, sons reply they are brethren in the body of Christ, outside every structured camp, and THE LORD IS OUR PASTOR. God’s rank of overcoming people have been called up and elected to be thoroughly washed from the Nicolaitan errors that have saturated the church systems where men speak by rote in ridiculous absurdities assimilated by former generations of clergy. That is religious Babylon. How astounded some are to discover their cherished teachings and hallowed practices are unwittingly ASSUMED to be right, but in fact are HATED by the savior of the world!
“Then Jesus spoke to the crowds and to His disciples, saying: ‘The scribes and the Pharisees have seated themselves in the chair of Moses; therefore all that they tell you, do and observe, but do not do according to their deeds; for they say things and do not do them. They tie up heavy burdens and lay them on men's shoulders, but they themselves are unwilling to move them with so much as a finger.
But they do all their deeds to be noticed by men; for they broaden their phylacteries and lengthen the tassels of their garments. They love the place of honor at banquets and the chief seats in the synagogues, and respectful greetings in the market places, and being called Rabbi by men. But do not be called Rabbi; for One is your Teacher, and you are all brothers. Do not call anyone on earth your father; for One is your Father, He who is in heaven. Do not be called leaders; for One is your Leader, that is, Christ.” Matthew 23:1-10 NAS
Real promises of God are given to OVERCOMERS who come out of the “proper” accepted traditional methods of worship. They hear the LORD’S counsel to buy refined gold (understanding) and gain eye salve to see beyond those mysterious Babylonian orders that mark people in fellowship with mysterious Babylonish teachings. I do submit everyone must learn how to be LED OF GOD’S SPIRIT. Finding that we can have a most PERSONAL, REAL RELATIONSHIP with God as our Father, we receive God’s Word and Spirit now being written within our inner being.
Beloved saints need to heed the call to “Come up hither,” so our hope of reigning with Christ BECOMES SUBMITTED TO THE AUTHORITY OF GOD’s TIMING. These are receiving the SPIRIT OF TRUTH from THE SHEPHERD OF ISRAEL who HIMSELF leads the church of the Firstborn. He alone can bring us into the fullness of life and the immortality of His kingdom order. There is only ONE HEAD in the body of Christ — the MAN Jesus Christ! When we sincerely learn how to be GATHERING TOGETHER UNTO HIM, IT WILL STOP THE AGING PROCESS IN US JUST AS IT CONQUERED DEATH IN JESUS WHO IS ALIVE FOREVERMORE.
Jesus now holds the keys, He is a King of secret things, yet He Himself IS true mercy. The truth is HE HAS WORDS THAT WORK ETERNAL LIFE into us! True ministries in the body of Christ bear the distinctive marks of His vision and ability.
Mature Christians truly KNOW THE LORD FOR OURSELVES. God Himself is Fathering those who in utter abandonment depend upon His loving care, they too find the storehouses of God’s treasures. Wisdom is unfolding the sweet mysteries as knowledge is taught at banqueting tables of Tabernacle’s feast of bread, with wine well refined. He has continually spread a table before us in the presence of our enemies, leading us to and through green pastures. We are thankful for all the revelation of Christ that encourages us onward and upward toward our true homeland. God draws us step by step into a deeper relationship with Him as we better understand God as our Father:
“Nevertheless, the firm foundation of God stands, having this seal, ‘The Lord knows those who are His,’ and ‘Everyone who names the name of the Lord is to abstain from wickedness.’ Now in a large house there are not only gold and silver vessels, but also vessels of wood and of earthenware, and some to honor and some to dishonor.” II Timothy 2:19-20 NAS
The NICOLAITAN SPIRIT has been subverting Christianity for two thousand years, forming hierarchical structures in both denominational and non-denominational church systems. This subversion has grown into a system of church codes that has twisted the truth to establish hierarchal dominates in fellowships.
In contrast, sons are being established in the current revelation of Jesus, understanding what the Spirit is saying to the churches:
"He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith to the churches…" Revelation 2:7, 2:11,2:17,2:29,3:6,3:13,3:22.
Did Jesus say, “he that hath an ear, let him hear what the Bible says?” We thank God for the scriptures, for they testify of Him and of His great plans. The scriptures disclose His hidden purposes to us as we hear what THE SPIRIT says about them. Those who are taught by His Spirit have become SPIRIT-ORIENTED, SPIRIT-LED sons and daughters who are made to be priests and kings of God, members of the body of Christ, the lasting government! In Mount Zion, our spirit is quickened to know God. It is marvelous truth which brings change to our spirit through our natural ear:
"He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches…" Revelation 2:7
Vast multitudes of believers need to truly hear what the Spirit says about reconciliation, sonship, and the kingdom of God. There needs to be a Word that penetrates the inner spiritual part of each one of us, a word spoken as the oracle of God! This happens! We truly are changed in quality of our character and disposition by meeting the Lord, then following THE REVELATION OF JESUS CHRIST COMING BY HIS SPIRIT!
"The hearing ear, and the seeing eye, the Lord hath made even both of them!" Proverbs 20:12