Those of us who know the scriptures know of a truth that
the 2nd and 3rd chapters of the Revelation are 7
letters to the churches; which are not only letters
to 7 actual churches which existed in the period of time
when John the Apostle received the Revelation from Jesus
(about A.D. 90), but also are letters to the whole church
of Jesus Christ which, in chronological order, reveal the
dispensations within the "church age" (the
period of time beginning with the birth of the church in
the 2nd chapter of Acts, and culminating in the catching
away of the church prior to God's future dealing with
Israel and the sinners of the world-1
Thessalonians 4:16-5:11).
In the 1st chapter, we see that Jesus had in his right
hand seven stars. These seven stars are the angels of
the seven churches (Rev. 1:20).
What does that mean?
The scripture reveals that clearly...
God appeared and spoke by his angel
several times in the Bible.
Galatians
3:19 "...it [the law of
Moses] was ordained by angels
in the hand of a mediator..."
Hebrews
2:2 "For if the word spoken by angels
was steadfast..."
Acts 7:53
"Who have received the law by the
disposition of angels, and
have not kept it."
These are referring to times when God spoke his word to
Moses by sending his angel, which is the same as God
himself speaking. (see Exodus 14:19, 32:34, Numbers
22:22-35, etc...)
Jesus sent his angel to give John the
Revelation of himself.
Revelation
22:16 "I Jesus have sent mine angel
to testify unto you these things in the
churches..."
Yet this angel was not a created being, speaking the
words of Jesus in the second person (in other words, he
was not saying, "he says", or "he wants
you to do this", as a messenger would speak for his
master); but the actual presence of Jesus himself in the
form of his angel.
Acts
12:15 "Then said they, It is his angel."
In this instance they were speaking of Peter, because
they supposed that Herod had killed him, and that it was
not Peter in the flesh appearing at their door, but
rather his angel. The angel of Peter would not be a
messenger sent by him, but rather Peter himself in the
spirit. That is what is meant in the Bible by the angel
of a person, or by the angel of a church. It is the very
spiritual essence and personality of that person or
church; not a separate entity sent as a messenger.
The angels of the seven churches are the very churches
themselves; the very heart and personality of them; the
spirit of them; the mind of them. And the Lord Jesus
declared with a surety that he has them in the palm of
his right hand; which means that he knows, and even
guides, their every thought and deed according to his own
perfect wisdom and eternal purpose. And thus the 7
letters to the churches lay out the sequence of events of
some 2,000 years in the church, which was ordained of the
Lord in the beginning; and when we search the scriptures,
we can see that it is an exact and miniature timeline of
events that exactly mirrors the evolution of Israel, even
as a parenthesis within a parenthesis. But I
digress...that is another subject...
The doctrine of the Nicolaitanes is not a concept
that began with the New Testament church; however it is
in the New Testament that this doctrine and practice is
first addressed as such...much in the same way that MYSTERY, BABYLON
THE GREAT, MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE
EARTH (Revelation 17:5), which now wears the mask of the
Roman Catholic Church, is a system of religion which
predates the Roman Church even back to the days of Cain
and Abel; but in these last days it is referred to as
such.
The word "Nicolaitanes" (Revelation 2:6,
15)
is a transliteration of the greek word,
"Nikolaites" (Strong's # 3531), which means an
adherent of "Nikolaos" (strong's # 3532), which
is a compilation of two words--"Nikos"
(#3534), which means "Conquest, triumph, or
victory", and "laos"(#2992),
which means "a people". The word Nicolaitanes
means those who are of the group or order that
have conquered the people. In
other words, they are the ones who have exalted
themselves to be in control, and better than the rest,
and therefore to be revered as above the body and without
reproach.
In both places that mention the Nicolaitanes (Revelation 2:6,15), it is clearly
stated that Jesus HATES their doctrine
and deeds.
It
was the doctrine of the Nicolaitanes that Jesus
himself exposed and reproved when he called the
Pharisees, Saducees, and lawyers hypocrites,
vipers, and children of their father the Devil.
They had exalted themselves above the people, and
changed the law of God for their own vain
traditions; and the Lord said that whenever they
converted anyone to their religion, they only
made him twofold more a child of hell than
themselves (Matthew 23:15)!
And
today it is the doctrine of the Nicolaitanes that
has the religious multitudes deceived and
enslaved unto vanity and liturgy with the satanic
concept of "clergy and laity", which is
the FALSE precept that some in
the church are meant to be in charge, and others
are meant to just sit and be entertained and told
what to do.
This concept is totally foreign to the church of Jesus
Christ in the New Testament of the Bible. Yes, in the
church God has ordained apostles, prophets, evangelists,
pastors, and teachers; but nowhere in the New Testament
has it been ordained of God that these men (yes, they are
men, and not women) should wear costumes, or be called by
flattering titles, or exercise control over the church.
The Bible tells the saints of God (Christians) to be
subject to those who are in authority (1 Thessalonians
5:12,13, Hebrews 13:17); but also maintains with
clarity that those who are overseers must be accountable
to those over whom they are placed,
"...neither as being lords over God's
heritage, but being ensamples to the flock." (1
Peter 5:3).
Likewise when Peter the apostle of Christ said,
"Ye
younger, submit yourselves unto the elder.",
...he also finished by saying,
"Yea,
all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with
humility (not with red and purple robes of pride
and self exaltation!): for God resisteth the proud, and
giveth grace to the humble. (1 Peter 5:5).
Brethren, when you walk into one of the many man made
organizations called "churches" today, and you
see men wearing costumes, or allowing themselves to be
called "reverend"...
("Reverend"
is from the latin word "august", which the
Roman caesars called themselves. Caesar Augustus means
"the King is god". Later on, this pagan
tradition was instituted in the Roman church by the pagan
priests [who are priests of nothing], who decided that
the people should call them "reverend", which
means, "to be worshipped as God".)
...or to be called, "pastor so and so", or
"apostle so and so", or "elder so and
so", or when you see these ungodly men sitting in
"special" seats in the front of the church-
(they love the chief seats in the
synagogues, and to be called of men, Rabbi,
Rabbi--Matthew 23:6,7)
...you can know of a truth that these men are the Nicolaitanes,
and that God hates what they are doing! They honour each
other and pat each other on the back as if they were holy
men of God, but they are hypocrites and liars, and
usurpers of authority. Come away from them! They know not
the honour that cometh from God, nor do they care for it.
They desire the honour and reverence of men, and that is
their reward. The blackness of darkness forever is
reserved for them, and soon the empire that they have
built for themselves, which they have blasphemously
called by Jesus' name, will fall like a bowing and a
tottering wall, and sudden destruction shall come upon
them, and there shall be no escape. They are vipers,
children of hell; and those whom they beget in their
hypocrisy (the converts they make and teach) are
literally twofold more the children of hell than they
are. A corrupt tree cannot bring forth good fruit. It is
just not possible. Corruption only begets corruption.
Wherefore come out from among them, and be separate, and
touch not the unclean thing, and I will receive you,
saith the LORD...
The meeting of the church is for the saints to gather
together and worship God, enjoy his fellowship in the
praises of his people, and experience his power and gifts
in the form of teaching, prophecy, tongues and
interpretation, healing, etc..., and although there may
be those who are called and equipped to teach, the Bible
says that,
"ye may all prophesy one by one, that
all may learn, and all may be comforted."
(1 Corinthians 14:31).
But in the churches today, the "elders" have
the whole show worked out and timed just so, that there
is no place for a word from the Lord if any man or woman
had one. Plus that they are so protective of their self
made empires that they are afraid to let anyone speak in
the church who has not been given permission by the
pastor, because that person might speak a word from the
Lord Jesus Christ that will wake up the people and tear
down the false authority they have established by their
"clergy and laity" system of the
Nicolaitanes...
Where in the Bible does anyone declare that a saint of
God needs permission from the pastor before he speaks a
word in the church? That is ridiculous! The Bible says,
let the word come forth, and then let the others judge
(by the scripture, whether the word is from Jesus or
not--1
Corinthians 14:29-31)!
Anyone who
forbids you to speak in the church without knowing what
you are going to say is a Nicolaitane,
and he is afraid that you are going to topple his
established control over the people with the truth! Period!
There
is no other reason for that kind of unscriptural
dominance. I personally have been physically removed from
a denominational church for trying to speak a word from
the Lord without the pastor's prior approval and
permission. What a shame it is when the Lord sends his
word to a church to help them learn and be saved, and
they throw him out so they can keep their religion as
they have established it.
That, brethren, is why the Lord Jesus Christ is OUTSIDE
of the church today, saying,
"Behold, I stand at the door and
knock: if any man hear my voice, and OPEN THE DOOR,
I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with
me."
(Revelation 3:20)
Jesus in this verse is talking to the CHURCH, not the
world; and he is pleading for anyone who will COME
OUTof that filthy abominable religion of
the Laodiceans (which is Greek
for, "the people of my wrath"), and come to have
fellowship with him. To "sup" is to break bread
together, which is an intimate form of fellowship, and
also a covenant privilege. But in order to do that, we
must first "open the door",
which means to come out of the denominations and
their religious nonsense, and meet Jesus outside.
When he said,
"I will come in to him, and will sup
with him",
...he was definitely NOT saying that he would come in to
the denomination from whence we have come to meet him:
but rather to "come in" to someone means to
have intimate fellowship with him; even as with a man and
his wife.
So, in order to have that intimate fellowship with the
Lord Jesus Christ that we need and desire greatly (if we
are of his seed), we must necessarily come out of
the religious system that he hates. To just sit
there so as to not offend men, and still profess to love
Jesus, will only anger him more. A friend of the world is
verily the enemy of God. No man may serve two masters,
for either he will hate the one and love the other, or
else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Come
out of her, my people, saith the Lord, and so say I his
minister. Come out and live, or abide therein and perish.
It is black and white. It is just that simple.
Period.
Brethren and friends, now you know how to identify the
doctrine and the deeds of the Nicolaitanes.
You know also that Jesus Christ hates them, because they
are oppressors of his people and usurpers of his
authority over them. They are of the wicked one, and
their spiritual offspring are children of hell even as
they are. They can offer you nothing but death and
destruction, and the confusion of their
"theological" rhetoric.
(Theology
is nonsense at least, and witchcraft at
most, because it is an illicit tool to twist and pervert
the meaning of the word of God!)
They are in the business of making merchandise of you,
and desire to glory in your flesh.
Jesus Christ our Lord is the Good Shepherd who has laid
down his life for the sheep. Let us be washed with water
by his word, and come out from among the children of his
wrath so we can bask in the sunshine of his wisdom and
love and joy! And when we come together to break bread
and have fellowship in his presence, let us not be bound
by the yoke of the ungodly who desire to have us for their
disciples; but rather let us in liberty worship God our
Saviour and rejoice in the power of his love and the
wondrous gifts he hath bestowed on every man and woman in
his house!
"When he ascended up on high, he led
captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men."
(Ephesians 4:8, Psalm 68:18)
To him be honour and glory and power
forevermore.
Amen.
This online tool is added for your
benefit and convenience: always remember to use the King
James Version!
