The Nicolaitane Error that Jesus "Hates"?? WHAT!?

The MYSTERY OF THE NICOLAITANES
-rory moore 7-12-2012

In this post on the Nicolaitane error, we will recap the scriptural profile of what the New Testament ministry model and government looks like.

Revelation 2: (To the church at Ephesus)

6 But this you have, that you hate the deeds of the Nicolaitanes, which I also hate;

15 So you have also them that hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitanes, which thing I hate.

16 Repent; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will fight against them (the Nicolaitanes) with the sword of my mouth.

The mystery of what God detests is revealed as the most common form of church government found in almost every church and denomination. For 25 years I wondered what Jesus was speaking of.
The key is found in the meaning of the name itself, and results in people following "leadership", rather than Jesus Christ. And so down the "broad way" we all went.

This is  "The error of the Nicolaitanes".

Here is the truth:

"Nicolaitane" is from two Greek words "Nike" and "Laos" The Greek word "nike" means "to conquer"…to dominate, overcome, manipulate. It means the exercise of carnal hierarchial control, like the world. It results in ruling by subjugation, dominion, and force or by position and title. The word "laos" means "the people", that is, the laity.

Thus we have by definition the deeds and teaching of those who conquer, dominate, manipulate, and "lead" the laity, or the people. What makes it difficult to identify the Nicolaitanes is that the labels changed. What Jesus faced were the Pharisees, Saduccees, and Sanhedrin, the religious leadership establishment.
 He rebuked them for their deeds in Matthew 23 and pointed out their love of Titles, position, even their religious apparel.  

Why does Jesus "HATE" their deeds and doctrines?

Simply put, it puts men in the place of God, whether they be called the church board, elder, Senior Pastor, priest, or one of the many ecclesiastical titles. Clergy class (ministry) over laity (people).
 And it virtually guarantees the majority of God's people never mature but remain part of their kingdoms to support, work for, and finance.

It enshrines “respect of persons”, i.e. it breeds distinctions of division and position in the eyes of people resulting in favoritism and political maneuvering for favor and privileges within the body of Christ. –in direct opposition to what Jesus taught His apostles.  

Denominational, factious, competitive Christianity has given the church a hierarchial, professionalized, titled, system of church government foreign to scripture.

There is no Senior Pastor, Pope, cardinal, bishop, priest, monsignor, or denominational structure in scripture. There is no scripture giving any pastor-priest solo authority, headship, or rule over God's people. There are no bishops overseeing pastors, arch-bishops, boards, or General Superintendents.

There are no formal titles or labels attached to any of New Testament disciples including the obvious ones like the apostles.
In the Lord's Body, the "true temple":
there are no church boards, Assistant pastors, Co-pastors, associate pastors, or senior officials. There are no presidents, superintendents, youth pastors; there are no Capitalized Apostles, Prophets, Bishops, Senior Pastors, Deacons, or Reverends. 

The word "pastor" is used only once in the New Testament and not even one Titled pastor, “Senior Pastor”, “Youth Pastor”, Reverend, or Bishop is named or titled. How many TITLED pastors are mentioned in your local phone book?

In Revelation 2, this is one of the admonitions for the people of God who have eyes and ears to overcome:  How do you "overcome" the Nicolaitanes?

In a great majority of instances it usually means walking out the "church" doors, going home, and asking God Himself to take their error and deeds out of our hearts. And it means NOT going to find another group that calls itself a church yet has the same error unless there is clear direction from the Lord.

The called of God often experience the Lord raising up personal opposition so that  they kick YOU out.
 We have heard from many where this occurred. The clergy is not our enemy, they are part of a system unknowingly that works against themselves and the people they seek to save.

If this speaks to you, then read Ezekiel 34, and  Jeremiah 23. 
When the Lord opened this up to me, I saw the hated Nicolaitane error all through scripture.
In Genesis 47:22 Pharaoh had his clergy class.
In Judges 18:30 the apostate tribe of Dan set up idolatrous priests.
When Israel desired a man as king, 1Samuel 8.
By the time of Christ, there were synagogues ruled by men, a clergy-class of Scribes, Pharisees, various sects, and the Sanhedrin. These were all rebuked and chastised by Christ, and they all gathered against Him.
Acts 4:26 The kings of the earth set themselves in array,
And the rulers were gathered together,
Against the Lord, and against his Anointed:

Peace and grace to you.

WHO is BABYLON? A short word.

 Babylon that mighty city..........
-rory moore

In the Bible, in the Book of Revelation, is an entity called "BABYLON" is focused on, especially in chapters 17 and 18.

Although many mistakenly refer to Babylon as the Vatican and the Roman church, it is greater than that narrow definition. It was once a City-State, and an ancient empire that conquered Israel around 600 BC.
Let's expand our concept of who is "Mystery Babylon the great..." Without making this too deep or complex, and apply to Babylon the nature and manner to exercise authority and power.

Understanding Who Babylon Is :

(hint 1: Money. 

 it is an economic system based on buying-selling-borrowing. Banking, business, commerce, advertising.

(hint 2:  Politics.

it is a political and governmental system rooted in patriotism, violent force, military conquest, and taking from others through forceful taxation, force of arms, and the non-just legal system.

(hint 3: Religion.

 it is the MYSTERY RELIGIOUS SYSTEMS of the world, satanicly engineered for confusion, competition, clergy-ism, division, conflict, pomp and ceremony, showmanship, rituals, that operates through worldly hierarchy's and structures never given in God's Word.

(hint 4: Culture.

 it is the social culture that distracts, entertains, appeals to our carnal senses, and uses all means to divert our attention away from the Lord.

(hint 5: Medicine.

The medical system: “pharmakeia". Drug-based treating of most afflictions predicted by scripture. Controlled by organizations like the FDA, AMA, CDC and many others to impose vaxxes, control physicians, in order to shut out alternative and natural healing methods.

(hint 6. Law.

The legal system which pervert true justice and is run by corrupt people, unjust laws, lawlessness.

(hint 7. Military Force.
The world's military to use force to conquer, subjugate, use terror, mass murder, and financial plunder.

Revelation 14:8 And a second angel, followed, saying, Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great, that has made all the nations to drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication (spiritual, economic, social, medical, political, legal, military).

The Nicolaitane (CLERGY-Laity) Error Jesus Hates (was not Santa Claus)

Overcoming The End-Time Nicolaitanes

-by Rory Moore

"neither as lords over God's heritage" -1Peter 3
The time has arrived in saving people from the CLERGY over the LAITY Church SYSTEM.

Disclaimer: 
At times it may sound as if I am anti-pastor. This is not so. We love the pastors whom God has graciously put in our lives. The truth is aimed at the harlot system and her institutions,
and NOT at any individual that is trapped by the error of the Nicolaitanes.

• "But this you have, that you hate the deeds of the Nicolaitanes".
  VERY few Christians "hate" this, and if one cannot recognize the Nicolaitane error then one cannot "hate it"  (i.e., despise it).
• We do not "hate" the people snared in the Nicolaitane error. Jesus calls us to love when disagree. 

Revelation 2: (To the church at Ephesus)
6   But this you have, that you hate the deeds of the Nicolaitanes, which I also hate;
15 So you also them that hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitanes,     which I hate.
16 Repent; or else I will come to you quickly, and will fight against them (the Nicolaitanes) with the sword of my mouth.

You cannot repent of this unless you know what it is and why Jesus hates it!

Here is truth:
Christ detests the formal, organized  (usually 501c3 incorporated) church government found in almost every church and denomination.  The Clergy over laity churches because it puts man in the place of God.

"Nicolaitane" is from two Greek words "Nike" and "Laos"

The Greek word "nike" means "to conquer"…to dominate, intimidate, CONTROL, rule over, even to manipulate.

It means exercising carnal control. It means ruling by position, dominion, subjugation, and taking authority by these means. 

The word "laos" means "the people", that is, the laity.
Hence,  "nike-laity", i.e. "Nico-laitane" error.

Thus we have by definition the deeds and teaching of those who conquer, dominate, manipulate, and "lead" the laity, or the people.

Why does Jesus "HATE" their deeds and doctrines?

Simply put, it is because it puts men in the place of God, seating them in the temple of God.
-whether they be called the church board, Elder, Senior Pastor, priest, Pope, Bishop, or some other ecclesiastical title.

 And it virtually guarantees the majority of God's people never mature into faith and their own ministry as Jesus.

Denominational, factious, competitive Christianity has given the church a hierarchical, professionalized, titled, system of church clergy organizing offering "strange fire". 

Now Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, took their respective firepans, and after putting fire in them, placed incense on it and offered strange fire before the Lord, which He had not commanded them.

·     

o   WHY is no Senior Pastor, Youth Leader, Choir Director, pope, cardinal, Archbishop, priest, monsignor, or denominational structure found in scripture?

o   WHY no scripture giving any Pastor-Priest sole ruler-ship, headship, or sole authority over an assembly of God's people?

o   WHY were no formal titles or labels attached to any New Testament disciples including the obvious ones like the apostles?

o   WHY are no church boards, assistant pastors, co-pastors, associate pastors, or senior church officials in scripture?

The simple truth is because Jesus taught His disciples not to do those things.

Overcoming the Nicolaitane error and deeds

In Revelation 2, the people of God who have eyes and ears to overcome are told:
15-17: So have you also some that hold the teaching of the Nicolaitans in like manner.
 Repent therefore;
or else I come to you quickly, and I will make war against them with the sword of my mouth.
 He that has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.
 To him that overcomes will I give of *the hidden manna....

Serious words I never heard in church, never discussed or considered. Mysterious.
Yet strong admonitions are given in scripture in regard to what Jesus said was the relationship among the brethren and how actual church should function (like family and not am institution).

What Peter said in 1Peter 5:

1 The elders among you I exhort, who am a fellow-elder, and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, who am also a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed:

2 Tend the flock of God which is among you, exercising the oversight, not of constraint, but willingly, according to the will of God; nor yet for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind;

3 neither as lording it over the charge allotted to you, but making yourselves examples to the flock.

In this passage, note elderS (plural) are among us, Peter includes himself as an elder, and no mention of "pastors".

Why not?
Connect the dots friends.
-God gave a five headship ministries to oversee and serve God's people. Apostles, prophets, evangelists, teachers, pastors. Co-equal brethren, elders, men. (my post regarding qualifications to oversee)

-neither ...  means  "  not even, no, not once".

-as lording: means: "to lord against, that is, control, subjugate: - exercise dominion over (lordship), be lord over, overcome."

Yet this is exactly what the Nicolaitane error does and Peter said not even once was the flock to be carnally subjugated, controlled, or have someone exercise dominion over.

As the Christian sees the truth of scripture, he will need to simply repent and realign his thinking in terms of what the New Testament ministry truly is, not from what we have seen all around us.

1 Corinthians 11:3 But I would have you know, that the head of every man is Christ;

The ministry is given to serve, edify, and steward the faith. Those who minister are to comfort, correct, and contend for the faith.
The faith they are to contend for is THE faith as it is written (not the fragmented, conflicted, sectarian mish-mash of faith found in the church world).

Friends, Jesus gave, taught, and lived THE faith to His disciples, who in turn gave the same gospel and the same faith to the churches they established. 

Many pastors compare their ministry to Moses who led the people of God to the "Promised Land" with the idea that there must be a leader-centered administration of a church body.
But that is not a model found in the New Testament because we have Christ and the Holy Spirit given to direct an assembly if they are Spirit-filled and Spirit led. Most churches simply fall back into the traditions of men in their structure.

And the 501c3 Incorporation so common to church groups legally places Caesar above Christ.

You see, when the Nicolaitanes imposed their error and deeds upon the church, the pastor-priest became the preeminent personage.
T'was never meant to be and there is not one positive New Testament example of that.

Who gave the pastor-priest preeminence over the rest of the five-fold ministry and the false hierarchial system of "accountability"?

It was the work of the Nicolaitane clergy. 
As many of us finally realize, this is the most common form of church government around us. .

How do you "overcome" the clergy-laity Nicolaitanes?

Love them but Renounce and resign from all official memberships.
Ask God to take their error and deeds out of your heart.
Then pray to assemble with others.

If these steps are not done, or the deeds and error of the Nicolaitanes not spoken out in the church, then excuses, justifications, and having faith with "respect of persons" (see James 2:1) will keep you within the body of the harlot church system.  -and the cycle of church to church will continue.

James 2:1 NCV

My dear brothers and sisters, as believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ,
never think some people are more important than others.

*the hidden manna....: is the Truth revealed by the Holy Spirit. The "hidden manna" revelation of what the Nicolaitane deeds and error in this post was revealed to me by the Holy Spirit.

My prayer is others will see this and take it to heart. People will rise or fall with the Clergy church system. They will  walk in Light or darkness, be deceived or be delivered. 


Study References:
James 2:1
Matthew 23
Matthew 20: 21-27
1 Peter 5:1-5
Revelation 2:1-20
Acts 20:17-35