COMMENDATION

Revelation 2:1-7 “To the messenger of the assembly of Ephesos write, ‘He who is holding the seven stars in His right hand, who is walking in the midst of the seven golden lampstands, says this: (2) “I know your works, and your labour, and your endurance, and that you are not able to bear evil ones, and have tried those who say they are emissaries and are not, and have found them false; (3) and you have been bearing up and have endurance, and have laboured for My Name’s sake and have not become weary. (4) “But I hold this against you, that you have left your first love. (5) “So remember from where you have fallen, and repent and do the first works, or else I shall come to you speedily and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent. (6) “Yet this you have, that you hate the works of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. (7) “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the assemblies. To him who overcomes I shall give to eat from the tree of life, which is in the midst of the Paradise of Aluahim.” ’

CONDEMNATION

Revelation 2:12-17 “And to the messenger of the assembly in Pergamos write, ‘He who has the sharp two-edged sword, says this: (13) “I know your works, and where you dwell, where the throne of Shathan (Satan) is. And you hold fast to My Name, and did not deny the belief in Me, even in the days in which Antipas was My trustworthy witness, who was killed near you, where Shathan dwells. (14) “But I hold a few matters against you, because you have there those who adhere to the teaching of Balaw’am, who taught Balaq to put a stumbling-block before the children of Yashur’al, to eat food offered to idols, and to commit whoring. (15) “So you also have those who adhere to the teaching of the Nicolaitans, which teaching I hate. (16) “Repent, or else I shall come to you speedily and fight against them with the sword of My mouth. (17) “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the assemblies. To him who overcomes I shall give some of the hidden manna to eat. And I shall give him a white stone, and on the stone a new Name written which no one knows except him who receives it.” ’

Are you a Nicolaitan? Don’t say “No” before you investigate. You may have to admit that you are one.

He who answers a matter before he hears it, it is folly and shame to him. (Proverbs 18:13)

YAHUSHUA ha’Mashyach said that He hated the deeds and the doctrines of the Nicolaitans, even though they were members of His congregation in Ephesus and 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, YAHUSHUA said to the congregation, “Put them out from among you” (1 Corinthians 5:13). But now, when these Nicolaitans (idolaters) have taken over the congregation, He says to the believers, “Come out from among them and be separate, says YAHUAH, and do not touch what is unclean, and I shall receive you” (2 Corinthians 6:17).

These Nicolaitans have been masquerading among us for a long time, and have made converts of us all, whether we admit it or not. It is no wonder that Yashaw’yahu 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” (Yashaw’yahu 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?

Christmas, with its Saturnalian excesses; New Year’s Eve 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 YAHUAH in the Scriptures. These are definitely perpetuations of the old pagan Babylonian feasts, belonging to the pagan deities.

The doctrines of an ever-burning hell, Purgatory, idol worship, infant baptism, the conscious state of the dead and Sun-Day worship are not Scriptural, but Babylonian. Their presence in the Christian Church identifies Christianity as the 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 Scripture 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:

“From Nakao which means to conquer, and Laos meaning 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 (Revelation 2:6) had become in Pergamos, a doctrine (Revelation 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 “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 ha’Mashyach 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 Congregation not only produced a corrupted New Testament, but made a Greek deity displace the Hebrew Mashyach. 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 YAHUSHUA condemned (Revelation 2:6, 15).

Let us examine the facts. It is admitted that ha’Mashyach never heard himself addressed as “Jesus Christ”, not even when Greeks went to Philip and said, “We would see YAHUSHUA” (Yahuchanan 12:20-21). The Greek proselytes knew him as YAHUSHUA, for there is no other Name under heaven, given unto men, whereby we must be saved. The name “Jesus” was never applied to ha’Mashyach during His lifetime. Only after 1600 years since His death and resurrection was this corrupt hybrid name used.

The Nicolaitans infiltrated the early assembly and finally took over the policy-making. Having overcome the resistance of the set-apart ones who were contending for the True Belief, they opened the way for Jezebel, the ancient symbol for seductiveness, to come in and seduce the servants of YAHUAH by saying that lesous Kristos (Jesus Christ) was the Greek translation of YAHUSHUA ha’Mashyach. This ruse was so successful that it has deceived all the nations of the earth!

Who were the Nicolaitans? They are the evangelists of Zeus (Jupiter) who overcame or conquered the Hebrew Congregation. The Nicolaitans were not the followers of any leader Nicolas, but were NikoLaos themselves. 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 as the Nike-laity, or Nike laos of the original manuscript of Revelation. 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, Apollo, Tamuz, Bacchus, etc., whose birthday is on the 25th day of December, is to be memorialized. Santa Claus 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 submitted.

Baphomet wearing Santa Hat

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, aka Astarte and Ishtar), bunnies, eggs 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 placing 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 don the cap and gown, while a Christian minister or priest, is called upon to do the honors and pronounce upon them the Baccalaureate, or the Laurel of of Bacchus. And who is Bacchus? Bacchus, the meaning of which is “son of Cush” – Nimrod, the personification of Shathan, the enemy of YAHUAH (Genesis 10: 8, 9).

Statue of Zeus (Nike standing in his right hand)

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 Dieu. He is known as the Father of Gods and Men. (Pope-Pappa of Gods and Men). No wonder the book of Revelation calls Antipas, “my faithful martyr” for he was 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, a laity, of the mythological goddess Nike, do the work that she is ‘supposed to do’. In other words, the deeds the Nicolaitans accomplished was to exalt the Greek deity Zeus above the Hebrew Mashyach YAHUSHUA. What they started in the Ephesian Congregation and failed to do, they finally succeeded in making a doctrine in the Assembly 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 (Yashaw’yahu 8:20), and to guard the commands of YAHUAH, and the witness of YAHUSHUA ha’Mashyach (Revelation 12:17).

When following the great impact of the Festival of Weeks (Pentecost) which launched the great evangelistic campaign to bring the people back to YAHUAH and His righteousness through YAHUSHUA ha’Mashyach, 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 (Acts 19:19, 20; Acts 16:17,24; Acts 19:17-35). 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 YAHUAH 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 ha’Mashyach. When, after three centuries, these measures of persecution failed in the suppression of the Belief once delivered to the believers, then the Babylonian clergy, in conjunction with their governments, resorted to tactics of infiltration: that is, to profess conversion and join the church, then influence the government to cease persecution and give the assemblies rest and security. The stopping of persecution among the believers 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 ha’Mashyach diagnosed their condition in Revelation 2:14-16. When speaking to the congregation of Pergamos, He says, “But I have a few things against thee, because you have there them that hold to the doctrine of Balaw’am, who taught Balaq to cast a stumbling block before the children of Yashur’al, to eat things sacrificed to idols and to commit fornication. So hast thou also them that hold to the doctrine of the Nicolaitans WHICH THING I HATE. REPENT OR ELSE…”

So you see, dear believer, that the doctrine of Balaw’am was just as active in the New Testament Congregation as it had been in the Old Testament at the time of Mushah; any variation of the old was only an adaptation of the new condition. The eating of things sacrificed to idols, which was Pagan back then, is Christian today; for the eating of the Christmas goose and the roast pig, were delicacies to be eaten on the memorial of the birthday of Baw’al, Mithra, Jupiter, Zeus. The month of Casleu is the equivalent of the modern December. The tree worship was also connected with the worship of Jupiter (Yurumyahu 10). The cakes and drink offerings were things sacrificed to the Goddess Astoreth, Easter. (Yurumyahu 44:19 and Yurumyahu 7:18). The clergy say that these things are offered to the Heavenly Father, but the Scriptures answer that YAHUAH has repudiated such things. (Numbers 25:1-9; Amus 5:25-26, Tsaphanyah 1:4-5, Husha’aw 2:5-8, Yashaw’yahu 65:11, Yachazaq’al 23:38-44, Yahuchanan 4:22, 1 Corinthians 10:20-22)

The time has come that YAHUAH is calling His people, whom He has favoured with His compassion, 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 Husha’aw He says, “…and shalt call Me no more Baw’ali (my Lord). For I will take away the names of Baw’alim (Lords) out of her (The Eternal Assembly) mouth, and they (Lords) shall no more be remembered by their name” (Husha’aw 2:16-17).

Of these days the prophet Mikah says, “The voice of YAHUAH cries unto the city, and the man of wisdom will see Your Name” (Mikah 6:9). Yashaw’yahu saw the Set Apart One of Yashur’al 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 does speak; behold it is I” (Yashaw’yahu 52:6). And the Psalmist says, “And they that know Your Name will put their trust in You, for You, O YAHUAH, has not forsaken them that seek You” (Psalms 9:10). “For some trust in chariots and some in horses; but we still remember the name YAHUAH our Aluahim” (Psalms 20:7). YAHUAH commands the believers in these last days to, “Come out of her, My people, lest you share in her sins, and lest you receive of her plagues” (Revelation 18:4).

Worshipping The Creator 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 states through Yashaw’yahu thus, “I am YAHUAH: that is My Name, and My honour I will not give to another, neither My praise to graven images” (Yashaw’yahu 42:8). Yurumyahu is hopeful of the people coming to the light of the true name of YAHUAH, for he, speaking for YAHUAH says, “Shall a man make mighty ones unto himself, and they are not mighty ones? 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 YAHUAH” (Yurumyahu 16:20-21).

Let us take the counsel of the prophet Husha’aw, for he says, “Come let us return unto YAHUAH; for He has torn, and He will heal us: for He has smitten and He will bind us up” (Husha’aw 6:1). In closing, I say with Mikah that, “For all the peoples walk, each one in the name of his mighty one, but we walk in the Name of YAHUAH our Aluahim forever and ever” (Mikah 4:5).

Halal YAHUAH!

Adapted from an article by A.B. Traina