In the past, I have stumbled across in the Bible where it mentions the Nicolaitans. It is only mentioned twice in the 2nd chapter of Revelation of the New Testament.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
6 (The Lord speaking) But you do have this: that you hate the deeds of the Nicolaitans, things which I also hate.
15 So likewise you also have those who hold fast to the teaching of the Nicolaitans. 16 Therefore repent! But if you do not, I (The Lord) am coming to you quickly, and I will make war with them with the sword from my mouth.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
This morning I was searching for something that was in Revelation chapter 2 but again that name 'Nicolaitans' caught my attention. In the past, I have searched to try and find out who this group is and what are their doctrines or teachings that God hates but never found anything to help me understand. For God to hate something, it is worth trying to find out about it.
So, I searched the internet again and this time I came across a website 'BibleStudy.org' that has made it clearer to me who they are and their doctrines.
Copied from the web site: ""The Greek word for Nicolaitans is Nikolaites (Strong's Concordance #G3531), which is three words combined. Niko or Nikos is defined as "a conquest, victory, triumph, those who are dominate over the defeated." Lai or Laos in the word means people. The "tes" or "ton" of the word simply represents the word "the." Taken together, the word Nicolaitans means the conqueror of the people (which, in this case, is the church of God).""
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2/3/2023 -- I was searching through the Bible this morning and came across some things that Jesus said that I thought fit well with this post.
Lexham English Bible
Human Traditions and God’s Commandments
15 Then Pharisees and scribes came to Jesus from Jerusalem, saying, 2 “Why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat a meal.” 3 So he answered and said to them, “Why do you also break the commandment of God because of your tradition? 4 For God said, ‘Honor your father and your mother,’ and ‘The one who speaks evil of father or mother must certainly die.’ 5 But you say, ‘Whoever says to his father or his mother, “Whatever benefit you would have received from me is a gift to God,” 6 need not honor his father,’ and you make void the word of God for the sake of your tradition. 7 Hypocrites! Isaiah correctly prophesied about you saying,
8 ‘This people honor me with their lips,
but their heart is far, far away from me,
9 and they worship me in vain,
teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’”
Defilement from Within
10 And summoning the crowd, he (Jesus) said to them, “Hear and understand: 11 It is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but what comes out of the mouth—this defiles a person.” 12 Then the disciples came and said to him, “Do you know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this saying?” 13 And he answered and said, “Every plant that my heavenly Father did not plant will be uprooted. 14 Let them! They are blind guides of the blind. And if the blind guide the blind, both will fall into a pit.” 15 But Peter answered and said to him, “Explain this parable to us.” 16 But he said, “Are you also still without understanding? 17 Do you not understand that everything that enters into the mouth goes into the stomach and is evacuated into the latrine? 18 But the things that come out of the mouth come from the heart, and these defile the person. 19 For from the heart come evil plans, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, abusive speech. 20 These are the things that defile a person. But eating with unwashed hands does not defile a person!”
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The word Nicolaitans is a symbol or represents those groups within the church who believe or even dictates that the knowledge about Yahweh (Father God) comes down in a hierarchal fashion, from top to bottom. Someone believes they have knowledge about God or interprets scriptures a certain way and that knowledge flows down through the ranks to the people. Catholicism is one example but you can find the same thing happening in the other Christian and non-Christian religions as well. Someone says they know Yahweh and that knowledge gets passed down to the people. Any person (of the people) who believes anything other than what is taught in their church is usually labeled a heretic (one who upsets the status quo).
11/27/19 -- When I woke up this morning I thought about Revelation 2:15 for some reason. I think I have missed the full implication of verse 15. (15 So likewise you also have those who hold fast to the teaching of the Nicolaitans.) In my mind, I have been putting more weight on the religious leaders, the Nicolaitans, but this verse clearly puts equal weight on the congregation, those who hold fast to the teachings. Holding fast to something means that you're not willing to let it go, not willing to change, not willing to repent.
There will come a time when man shall no longer teach man.
44 “In the time of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed, nor will it be left to another people. It will crush all those kingdoms and bring them to an end, but it will itself endure forever.
34 And they will no longer teach each one his neighbor, or each one his brother, saying, ‘Know Yahweh,’ for all of them will know me, from their smallest and up to their greatest,” declares Yahweh, “for I will forgive their iniquity and their sin I will no longer remember.”
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The beliefs of the Quakers fall in line with this idea that we don't need an intermediary to know Father God.
2/16/19
I was thinking about a piece that I did back in 2014 "The Sign of Jonah". This piece on the doctrines of the Nicolaitans may very well be what Jesus was alluding to when He told the religious leaders, (and the people) that the only sign He would give them was the sign of Jonah.
But He answered and said to them, “An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah.
A wicked and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign shall be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah.” And He left them and departed.
[ Seeking a Sign ] And while the crowds were thickly gathered together, He began to say, “This is an evil generation. It seeks a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah the prophet.
For as Jonah became a sign to the Ninevites, so also the Son of Man will be to this generation.
11/22/19
As I was reading my last post "Salvation From The Wrath of God" in the scriptural references on repentance, I noticed one of Jesus' quotes that has to do with the Ninevites. Nineveh was that wicked city that Jonah was commanded by God to go to. He was to proclaim a message to them from God.
41 The men of Nineveh will stand up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and now something greater than Jonah is here.
