ARE YOU A NICOLAITAN?

Adapted from an article by A.B. Traina

 
COMMENDATION

"Unto the messenger of the congregation of Ephesus write: These things saith He that holdeth the seven stars in His right hand, Who walketh in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks. I know thy works, and thy labors, and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them which are evil: and thou hast tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and has found them liars: And hast borne and hast patience, and for my NAME'S sake hast laboured, and hast not fainted. Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love. Remember, therefore, from whence thou hast fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place except thou repent. But this thou hast, that thou hatest the deeds of the NICOLAITANS, which I also HATE." (Rev 2:1-7)

CONDEMNATION

"AND unto the congregation of Pergamos write; these things saith He which hast the sharp sword with two edges; I know thy works and where thou dwellest, even where Satan's seat is, and thou holdest fast my NAME, and hast not denied MY faith, even in those days wherein Anti-Pas was My faithful martyr, who was slain among you where Satan dwelleth. But I have a few things against thee, because thou hast, there them that hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balac to cast a stumbling block before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed unto IDOLS, and to commit fornication. So hast thou also them that hold the doctrine of the NICOLAITANS, which thing I HATE. Repent; or else I will come unto thee quickly and will fight against them with the sword of My mouth, He that hath an ear let him hear what the SPIRIT says unto the congregations." (Rev 2: 12-17.)

Are you a Nicolaitan? Don't say "No" before you investigate, or you may have to change your mind. He that judgeth a matter before he investigates is not wise. (Proverbs 18:13)

The Savior said that He hated the deeds and the doctrines of the Nico-laitans, even though they were members of His congregation in Pergamos; and I am sure you would not want to be numbered among them, nor to fellowship with them if you knew who they were. When these Nicolaitans were in the minority, the Savior said to the congregation, "Put them out from among you" (I Cor. 5:13). But now, when these Nicolaitans (idolaters) have taken over the congregation, Abba says to the believers, "Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, "saith YHWH," and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you," (2 Corinthians 6:17)

These Nicolaitans have been masquerading with us for a long time, and have made converts of us all, whether we admit it or not. It is no wonder that Isaiah was told to inquire, "To whom shall he teach knowledge, and whom shall he make to understand doctrine?" Then to make sure we would get the right answer, he continues, "Them that are weaned from the milk and drawn from the breast" (Isa 28:9). Have we really left the milk stage? Or have we left Mother Babylon's breast only to feed on the milk bottles drawn from the same sources and given to us by her nursing daughters, the Protestant Churches?

Sunday worship; Christmas, with its Sat-urnalian excesses; New Year's, with its watchnight and attendant debaucheries; Easter with its eggs, bunnies, hot-cross-buns, and sunrise worship; May Day with its May-poles and Lawn Festivals; Halloween, and its attending misrule, are not the feasts of YHWH as commanded in the Bible, but are definitely perpetuations of the old pagan Babylonian feasts, belonging to the pagan deities: "Lord, God, Jesus Christ, and Ma-Rhea, or Maria, the English Mary".

The doctrines of an ever-burning hell, Purgatory, going to heaven when you die, immediate transition, infant baptism, sprinkling, the conscious state of the dead, are not Apostolic, but purely and simply Babylonian. Their presence in the Christian Church identifies Christianity as the Simon-pure product of Babylon's fornications as evangelized by the Nicolaitans.

For a long time we have heard of the despicable Nicolaitans in the book of Revelation, but we have never really understood the meaning of their condemnation, because we have never really known who, or what, these Nicolaitans were. Many Bible students have tried to identify the Nicolaitans, but without success. Some have suggested that they were followers of a certain Nicholas, but can find no record of any such leader to substantiate their alibi. Then there is the Schofield School, or shall we say the editors of the Schofield Reference Bible, who say that the Nicolaitans are, and I quote: 

"From Nakao, to conquer and Laos, the people or laity. There is however, no ancient authority for a sect of Nicolaitans. If the word is symbolic, it refers to the earliest form of the notion of a priestly order, or clergy, which later divided an equal brotherhood into priests and laity. What in Ephesus were deeds (Rev. 2:6) had become in Pergamos, a doctrine (Rev. 2:15)." 

The above quotation is taken from the comment at the bottom of page 1332 of the Schofield Reference Bible. Please note that these wise theologians, who edited the Schofield Bible, admit that "there is no ancient authority for a sect of Nicolaitans" and, as for the other explanations, notice that it is based on an "IF the word is SYMBOLIC." That is the best explanation the Christian clergy can give, because they are blind and cannot see the forest because the trees are in the way. The truth of the matter is that the more orthodox they are, the nearer they identify themselves with the Nicolaitans, whose doctrines and deeds the Saviour said He hated. They themselves are blind, having been made so by their teachers. The teaching that the New Testament was originally written in the Greek language, is not only false but deceptive. The Hellenization of the Church not only produced a corrupted New Testament, but made a Greek deity displace the Hebrew Messiah. This was the work, or deeds, done by the Nicolaitans in the early days and which is now perpetuated by the Christians in these latter days, since they are the offspring of the sect that the Saviour condemned (Rev. 2:6 and 15).

Many people think that we are just trying to be different and make another cult, but let us examine the facts. It is admitted that the Saviour never heard himself addressed as Jesus Christ, not even when Greeks went to Philip and said, "We would see Yahushua" (John 12:20-21). The Greek proselytes knew him as Yahushua, and as the Messiah, for there is no other NAME under heaven, given unto men, whereby we must be saved (Acts 4:12). The name "Jesus" was never applied to the Saviour during His lifetime, nor for nearly 300 years after His death and resurrection.

The Nicolaitans infiltrated the early assembly and finally took over the policy-making. Having overcome the resistance of the saints who were contending for the faith, they opened the way for Jezebel, the ancient symbol for seductiveness, to come in and seduce the servants of YHWH by saying that le-sus Kris-tos (Jesus Christ) was the Greek translation of Yahushua the Messiah. This RUSE was so successful that it has deceived all the nations of the earth! 

Who were the Nicolaitans? The evangelists of Zeus! (Jupiter) who overcame or conquered the Jewish congregation. The Nicolaitans were not the followers of any leader Nicolas, but were followers of the doctrine (teaching) of NikoLaos. The word Nicolaitans is a compound of the Greek words "Nike" and "Laos", Nike-Laos (Nicolas). Nike is the name of the Goddess of Victory, or the Winged Victory, and Laos is the Greek word for laity, devotees, or followers. Therefore, without any guesswork or speculation, we can identify the Nicolaitans, of the King James version of the Bible, as the Nike-laity, or Nike laos of the original manuscript of John the Revelator. And without any stretch of the imagination, we can identify the same old fellow, Saint Nike-Laos, or Santa Claus, who appears every year in the month of December, to remind us that Zeus, Jupiter, Mithra, Nimrod, Baal, Addon, Appolo, Tamuz, Bacchus, whose birthday is on the 25th day of December, is to be memorialized. He seduces the minds of the young, who in turn play upon the heartstrings of their parents, forcing them to celebrate, even against their will! Even the independent churches, when they originally came out from the worldly churches, had repudiated Christmas and Easter as pagan holidays; but now they have compromised and taken notice of these days. Why? Because it is a part of the Satanic deception. You cannot divorce Christmas from Saturnalia, with its tree worship, laurel, holly, mistletoe, cakes, and wine; nor from Easter with its hot-cross-buns (cakes to the Queen of Heaven, Astoreth), bunnies and the show of pride. All these were, and still are, part and parcel of the Babylonian doctrine perpetuated in the Christian churches today.

In Greek mythology, Nike is represented as the Goddess of Victory whose function was to proselytize or evangelize for Zeus, the Greek deity, and ascribe to him all the honor and glory of all the other gods, and thus displace them that he might be worshipped in their stead. If you look in Webster's International Dictionary under the heading, Zeus, you will find a picture showing Zeus sitting on a throne with Nike in back of him, in the act of putting a crown of laurel upon his head. This was the symbol that he had won the victory over the other deities.

Even our institutions of learning have been contaminated with this pagan idolatry, for when the students of schools, colleges and universities, win distinction in the course of study, they are made to put on the cap and gown, while a Christian minister or priest is called upon to do the honors and pronounce upon them the bachelor's degree, or the Laurel of of Bacchus. And who is Bacchus? Bacchus, the meaning of which is "son of Cush"— Nimrod the personification of Satan, the enemy of YHWH (see Gen. 10: 8, 9).

Returning to Zeus in Webster's International Dictionary, you will find that he is the same as the Latin Jupiter, the Spanish Dios, and the French Diu. He is known as the Father of Gods and Men (Pope-Pappa of Gods and Men). No wonder John the Revelator calls the Martyrs the Anti-Pas for they were against the father of gods and men! Among the many characteristics ascribed to him, he is known as Zeus-Soter, which means Zeus the Saviour. Whose Saviour is he? Is he yours?

Of course this is all mythology; but remember that mythology was, and is, the religion of the pagans; so that the devotees, or laity of the mythological goddess Nike, do the work that she is 'supposed to do'. In other words, the deeds the Nicolaitans of the King James version accomplished, was to exalt the Greek deity Zeus above the Hebrew Messiah Yahushua. What they attempted in the Ephesian congregation and failed to do, they finally succeeded in making a doctrine in the congregation of Pergamos.

 It is the duty of every sincere believer to come out and to leave all these paganisms behind, and return to the Law and the Testimony (Isa. 8:20), and to keep the commandments of YHWH, and the testimony of Yahushua the Messiah. (Rev. 12:17)

When following the great impact of PENTECOST, which launched the great evangelistic campaign to bring the people back to YHWH and His righteousness through Yahushua the Messiah, the leaders of the then existing religions began to tremble. In order to uphold these false religions, the leaders resorted to the persecution of the Apostles (See Acts 19:19, 20; Acts 16:17,24; Acts 19:17-35; Fox's Book of Martyrs). But persecutions could not quench the fire of the Set-Apart Spirit in those who had received it. Under persecution, the Assembly of Believers increased, since, for every one of the faithful martyrs of the Lamb of YHWH who went down, five would spring up to join the ranks; for the blood of the martyrs was the true seed of the congregation of the Messiah. When, after three centuries, these measures of persecution failed in the suppression of the FAITH once delivered to the saints, then the Babylonian clergy, in conjunction with their governments, resorted to tactics of infiltration: that is, to profess conversion and join the congregation, then influence the government to cease persecution and give the assemblies rest and security. The stopping of persecution among the saints had a bad effect on them as it took away their ardour and zeal and made them soft. They no longer felt as much need of prayer as they had under persecution, and in their apparent ease and security began to lose their first love. Following this, the false teachers began to cast stumbling blocks in the way of believers, as the Saviour diagnosed their condition in Rev. 2:14-15. When speaking to the congregation of Pergamos, He says, "But I have a few things against thee, because thou hast there them that hold to the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balac to cast a stumbling block before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed to IDOLS and to commit fornication. So hast thou also them that hold to the doctrine of the Nike-laitans WHICH THING I HATE. REPENT OR ELSE."

So you see, dear believer, whoever you are, that the doctrine of Balaam was just as active in the New Testament Congregation as it had been in the Old Testament at the time of Moses; any variation of the old was only an adaptation of the new condition. The eating of things sacrificed to IDOLS, which was PAGAN back there, is CHRISTIAN today; for the eating of the Christmas goose and the delightful roast SWINE, was a delicacy to be eaten on the memorial of the birthday of Baal, Mithra, Jupiter, Zeus (See I Maccabee 1: 54—59). The month of Casleu is the equivalent of the modern December. The tree worship of Jeremiah 10 was also connected with the worship of Jupiter. The Easter eggs, bunnies and hot-cross-buns were things sacrificed to the Goddess Astoreth, Easter, or Oas-tre. (See Jer. 44:19 and Jer. 7:18). The clergy say that these things are offered to the Heavenly Father, but the Bible answers that YHWH has repudiated such. (See Amos 5:25-26; Zephaniah 1: 4-5; Hosea 2: 5-8; Isaiah 65:11; Eze. 23: 38-44; I Cor. 10:20-22; Num. 25:1-9; John 4:22.)

The time has come that YHWH is calling on His people, whom He has favored with His mercy, to seek Him and His SET APART NAME, by having their mouths purged from the pollutions of pagan names of the deities. Through the prophet Hosea He says, "Thou shalt call me no more Baal (LORD). For I will take away the names of Baalim (Lords) out of her (the Church's) mouth, and they shall no more be remembered by their name." (Hosea 2:16-17).

Of these days the prophet Micah says, "The voice of YHWH crieth unto the city, and the man of wisdom will see THY name." (Micah 6:9). Isaiah saw the Set Apart One of Israel looking down on the condition of His people as they were going through tribulation and said, "Therefore my people shall know my name, therefore they shall know in that day that I am HE that doth speak; behold it is I" (Isa. 52:6). And the Psalmist saith, "And they that know Thy name will put their trust in Thee, for Thou, O YHWH, hast not forsaken them that seek Thee" (Psalm 9:10). "For some trust in chariots and some in horses; but we still remember the name YHWH our Elohim" (Psalm 20:7).

Worshipping the Creator-Redeemer by the names of pagan deities is not honoring Him, but is ascribing to another the honor that ought to be ascribed to Him. So He complains through Isaiah thus, "I am YHWH: that is my name, and my honour I will not give to another, neither my praise to graven images" (Isa. 42:8). Jeremiah is hopeful of the people coming to the light of the true name of YHWH, for he, speaking for YHWH says, "Shall a man make elohim unto himself, and they are not elohim? Therefore, behold, I will this once cause them to know. I will cause them to know mine hand and my might; and they shall know that my name is YHWH" (Jer.l6:20-21).

Let us take the advice of the prophet Hosea, for he says, "Come let us return unto YHWH; for He hath torn, and He will heal us: for He hath smitten and He will bind us up" (Hosea 6:1). In closing, let me say with Micah that, while all the people (Christian-Nicolaitans) will walk every one in the name of his elohim, but will walk in the Name of YHWH our Elohim forever and ever. (Micah 4:5).

The Nicolaitans will have the names of blasphemy upon them, and they will eventually receive the mark (Rev. 13:16-17), if they refuse to repent. But the congregation of the Redeemed will be protected. They will have the Name of the Lamb and the Name of His Father upon their foreheads. (Rev. 14:1).

Acts 2:38 Repent and be baptized every one of you in the NAME of Yahushua the Messiah, for the forgiveness of sins, and you shall receive a gift of the Set-apart Spirit.

Questions or Comments

The Restored Name King James Version

Home