NICOLAITANES
SEMINAR NOTES:
THE MOTHER OF ALL STRONGHOLDS:
NICOLAITANES
or
"Nicolaitans" and "Nikolaites"
LORDING OVER (CONQUERING) THE PEOPLE
with mind control (strongholds)
Definition from
reference.com (encyclopedia):
“The meaning of the name, "victors over the people" or "rulers over the world" suggests to some of these authors that the Nicolaitanes were among those who maintained that there must be a religious hierarchy to control the spiritual development of the nobility and common people; it is believed they were trying to set themselves up as controllers in a three-class system – one that would give them absolute control over the laity (common people), who would be completely dependent upon them for all spiritual knowledge, guidance, and access to (Yahuah).”
(Parenthetical term is my correction; author used “God” in sentence;
I also corrected their reference to a "two class" system to the
actual "three class system", since I learned directly from the Jesuits
themselves of their arrangement.)
Do Not Be Called Rabi
Rab is a Hebrew word best defined as chief. The word
rabi means "my chief."
Rabshakeh means "chief cupbearer."
The men exalting or lifting themselves in rank above the common people set up
their own teaching authority, and placed their yoke (teachings) on any who would
submit to them as their chief. Rabbi is a status equal to the Hindu "guru," a
spiritual guide to those seeking fulfillment. With this nicolaitane context
defined, who wants to lift themselves with the title, rabi?
www.fossilizedcustoms.com/kabbalah.html
PRIME NICOLAITAN
DOCTRINE:
Apostolic Succession
Yahuah has no headquarters on
Earth. There is no succession,
kingdom, or government that can be seen, or any line of apostolic authority.
Yahusha’s Spirit guides us into
all Truth, not an organization or denomination.
Those who have received His Spirit
are Israelites, and are to teach the nations Torah:
Mat 28:19,20 “Therefore, go and make taught ones of all the nations, immersing them in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Set-apart Spirit, teaching them to guard all that I have commanded you.
And see, I am
with you always, until the end of the age.” Amn.
A three-class system, clergy over Nobility, and the common people (laity), is seen by many to be the core reason for the destruction of the original assemblies of Natsarim. They seek to be recognized or distinguished from the "ordinary" folk, and often dress the part. Appearances are most important to them, and their behavior is an act to be seen by men. Hypocrisy and eye-service is condemned by Yahusha, as we shall see in this study. They are playing a role, and expect that everyone should acknowledge their authority and status.
They seek after titles and
honors, and rule with costumes for greater effect.
These verses escape their attention:
Mat 23:8
“But you, do not be called ‘Rabbi,’ for One is your Teacher, the
Mashiak, and you are all
brothers."
Luk 17:20,21 “And having been asked by the Pharisees when the
reign of Alahim would come, He answered them and said, “The reign of Alahim does
not come with intent watching,
nor shall they say, ‘Look here!’ or ‘Look there!’ For look, the
reign of Alahim is in your midst!”
Mt. 12:25:
“And
Yahusha knew their thoughts, and said to them,
“Every reign divided against itself is laid waste, and every city or house
divided against itself shall not stand.”
Mt. 18:1, The talmidim/students pondered the question of who the
greatest among them was.
Mt. 20:21, The mother of the sons of Zabdai requested that they
be seated on His right and left in the reign.
Rom. 16:17, We
are to keep our eye on those who cause divisions.
Mat 23:12 “And whoever exalts himself shall be humbled, and whoever
humbles himself shall be exalted.”
NICOLAITANES USE MENTAL
STRONGHOLDS
TO CONTROL PEOPLE’S BELIEFS, THOUGHTS
Mental strongholds
can be broken by simply
knowing they are there.
The first "belief"
they promote is that they (Nicolaitanes) are the enlightened, and boast that
they know Yahuah.
Everyone else must
do as they say.
2Co 10:4-6:
"For the weapons we fight with are not fleshly but mighty in Alahim for
overthrowing strongholds,
overthrowing reasonings and every high matter that
exalts itself against
the knowledge of Alahim, taking captive every thought to make it obedient to the
Mashiak, and
being ready to punish all disobedience, when your
obedience is complete."
Luke 14 teaches us to take the “last place”.
Two key words used at 2Cor 10:4-6:
STRONGHOLDS:
G3794 OCHUROMA
(figurative fortification): argument, concept, thought;
literally: a
castle, stronghold, fortress
figuratively:
anything on which one relies, such as the arguments and reasonings by
which a disputant endeavors to fortify his
opinion
and defend it against his opponent.
A mindset or viewpoint is a "stronghold", and may be true or false. If
false, it needs to be overthrown with TRUTH.
IMAGINATIONS: (Greek) G3053 LOGISMOS reasoning, imagination, computation
“My mind is
made up;
don’t confuse me with the facts.”
-
unknown author
PEOPLE ARE:
WINESKINS
(vessels)
WHAT PEOPLE
BELIEVE:
WINES
(teachings,
including STRONGHOLDS)
NEW WINESKINS:
People untaught;
fresh, empty vessels ready for teaching
OLD WINESKINS:
People taught, full
vessels filled with the teachings received from other men, passed-along over
time.
Traditions and rules
set up by men ferment within the vessel.
NEW WINE:
Teachings straight
and fresh from Scripture, unmixed with men’s teachings.
OLD WINE:
Well established
doctrines of men, aged over time and given legitimacy or “accreditation” through
an organized faction, society, coalition, school, fellowship, or association.
Examples of such
factions having long-standing doctrinal positions (old wine) would be:
Rabbinical
Judaism
(Pharisees,
from Talmudic teachings of Rabbi Akiba)
Mormons
(Teachings of Joseph Smith, book of Mormon)
Catholics
(Constantine/Councils, “sacraments”, rituals)
Islam, Sikh
(Teachings of Muhammad, 5 pillars)
SHAHADAH – no ‘god’ but Allah, and Muhammad is prophet
SALAH – pray at 5 fixed times daily
ZAKAH – alms giving
SAWM – fasting;
ritual, repentant, ascetic
HAJJ
is a pilgrimage that occurs during the Islamic moon of Dhu al-Hijjah in the city
of
Hindu, Buddhist
(reincarnation, Karma)
STRONGHOLDS OF THOUGHT - TEACHERS BOASTING OF THEIR WISDOM:
Rabbis, Imams, Popes, Gurus, Lamas, Shamans, spiritual auditors, and straw men with titles:
NICOLAITANES
Lords over the
people
(NIKO + LAITY,
conquering the people)
Rev 2:12-17
“And to the messenger of the assembly in Pergamos write, ‘He who has the
sharp two-edged sword, says this:
‘I know your works, and where you dwell,
where the throne of 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 Satan
dwells.
‘But I hold a few
matters against you, because
you have there those who adhere to the teaching of Bilʽam,
who taught Balaq to put a stumbling-block before the children of Yisharal, to
eat food offered to idols, and
to commit whoring.
‘So you also have those who adhere to
the teaching of the
Nikolaites,
which teaching I hate.
“Repent, or else I shall come to you
speedily and fight against them with the sword of My mouth.
‘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 renewed Name written which no one knows except him who receives
it.’”
The renewed Name: YAHUSHA
Acts 20
"Therefore take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the
Set-apart Spirit has made you overseers,
to shepherd
the assembly of Alahim which He has purchased with His own blood.
For I know this, that after my departure
savage wolves
shall come in among you, not sparing the flock.
Also from among yourselves men shall arise, speaking distorted teachings,
to draw away the taught ones after themselves."
The Covenant
/Marriage
Contract
(BRITH)
Ex 20:1-17
ASERETH HA’DABARIM (10 WORDS)
Yahuah’s Covenant, our wedding vows:
LITERAL TRANSLATION:
“And Alahim spoke all these Words:
1. ‘I am
Yahuah your
Alahim, who brought you out of
You shall have no other Alahim before My face.
2. You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in
heaven above or on the Earth beneath or in the waters below.
You shall not bow down to them or worship them;
for I,
Yahuah your
Alahim, am a jealous Alahim, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers
to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing love to a
thousand [ generations] of those who love Me
and keep My
Commandments.
3. You shall not cast
(NASA, send)
the Name of Yahuah
your Alahim to ruin(SHOAH,
destruction),
for
Yahuah will not
hold anyone guiltless who casts His Name to
ruin.
4. Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it qodesh.
Six days you shall labor and do all your work,
but the seventh day is a Sabbath to
Yahuah your
Alahim.
On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your
manservant or maidservant, nor your animals, nor the alien within your gates.
For in six days
Yahuah made the
heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and He rested on the
seventh day.
Therefore
Yahuah blessed
the Sabbath day and made it qodesh.
5. Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the
land
Yahuah
your Alahim is giving you.
6. You shall not murder.
7. You shall not break wedlock.
8. You shall not steal.
9. You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.
10. You shall not covet your neighbor's house.
You shall not covet your neighbor's
wife, or his manservant or maidservant, his ox or donkey, or anything that
belongs to your neighbor.”
“The secret of Yahuah
is with those who fear Him, And He makes His Covenant
known
to them.”
Psa
25:14
MEN’S
TEACHINGS EITHER ADD TO, OR TAKE AWAY FROM, THE WORD ABOVE,
AND NICOLAITANES ARE THE CAUSE OF THIS.
Supreme Judaism leader:
14
Million Followers
Rabbi Yona Metzger, Chief Rabbi of
Talmud of
Akiba + Torah, Prophets, Writings (TaNaK)
Judaism is essentially the modern form of the Pharisees, built upon the teachings of Akiba. All Pharisees were known by the title “rabbi” - the term is not found in the TaNaK. It means “my teacher” or “my master.”
Islamic Imams
oversee approximately
1 Billion
Followers
Sunni and Shia
sects are rivals, in perpetual conflict
Abdul Alim
Musa states that the
Abdul Alim Musa:
Offshoots:
Druze, Babism, Ba’hai, Sikh
Supreme Sikh leader:
23
Million Followers
Giani Joginder
Singh Vedanti,
No hair
cutting (ever) – blend of Hinduism and Islam
Supreme Lutheran leader:
65
Million Followers
Mark S. Hanson
3
“sacraments”, trinity
Supreme Buddhist:
376 Million Followers
Tenzin Gyatoso, 14th Dalai Lama of
Karma,
reincarnation, Samsara, Nirvana, no deities, only “life force” -
objective: achieve
nothingness, oblivion.
(Humanists
love this man).
Supreme Hindu:
900
Million Followers
“Amma” Sri
Mata Amritanandamayi in
hundreds of
deities, Samsara
Practices
sorcery for healing and divination
Supreme Anglican:
73
Million Followers
Rowan
Williams, Archbishop of
Same as Roman
Catholic,
only deny
authority of the pope of
Supreme Eastern Orthodox:
240
Million
Followers
Current head:
His Holiness Aleksi II, Patriarch of
Same program
of salvation as
Supreme Roman Catholic Magisterium:
(Magical Mystery Tour)
Rosary prayer beads
Over 1 Billion
Followers
His Holiness
Pope Benedict XVI
Salvation
through grace dispensed by 7 sacraments through appointed/ordained “priesthood”.
NEW CATHOLIC CONVERT:
Ex-prime
minister of
Seeks
salvation through “7 Sacraments”
dispensed
through Catholic priesthood magisterium
Dan 4:17
‘This matter is by the decree of the watchers, and the command by the word of the set-apart ones, so that the living know that the Most High is ruler in the reign of men, and gives it to whomever He wishes, and sets over it the lowest of men.’
NEW RELIGION
WAKE-UP CALL:
SCIENTOLOGY:
22
Million Followers
L. Ron Hubbard
- founded church in 1954
Born 1911,
Hubbard
discovered he could make more money in religion than in writing science fiction,
so he designed a new set of beliefs.
Dianetics,
solves “engrams” (traumas) stored in soul (theta).
Objective:
To erase the engrams to a state of “clear” through the help of
spiritual auditors
and an electronic gizmo (E-meter).
E-meter
Part of the
“teachings” include this historical gem:
“75
million years ago, there was an alien galactic ruler named Xenu who was in
charge of 76 planets in our sector of the galaxy, including planet Earth.”
Our problems
are caused by the spirits of space aliens inhabiting our bodies.
Thomas Cruise Mapother, aka:
Tom
Cruise, Scientologist, attended
Nicolaitanes are
unnecessary; we have direct access
Jn 14:12-15:
“Truly,
truly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he shall do
also. And greater works than
these he shall do, because I go to My Father.
And whatever
you ask in My Name, that I shall do, in order that the Father might be esteemed
in the Son.
If you ask
whatever in My Name, I shall do it.
If you love Me,
you shall guard My commands.”
Interpretation
of meaning of the wine & wineskins as explained by Yahusha:
Beginning at
Mat 9:14:
“Then the
taught ones of Yoḥanan came to Him, saying, “Why do we and the Pharisees fast
often, but Your taught ones do not fast?”
And
Yahusha said to them, “Are the friends of the bridegroom able to mourn as long
as the bridegroom is with them? But the days shall come when the bridegroom is
taken away from them, and then they shall fast.
And no one puts a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment, for the patch pulls
away from the garment, and the tear is made worse.
Neither do they put new wine into old wineskins, or else the wineskins burst,
and the wine is spilled, and the wineskins are ruined. But they put new wine
into fresh wineskins, and both are preserved.”
And no one puts
new wine into old wineskins, otherwise the new wine bursts the wineskins, and
the wine runs out, and the wineskins are ruined. But new wine is to be put into
fresh wineskins.”
And no one puts
new wine into old wineskins, otherwise the new wine shall burst the wineskins
and run out, and the wineskins shall be ruined.
But new wine is
put into fresh wineskins, and both are preserved.
And no one,
having drunk old wine, immediately desires new
wine, for he says,
‘The old is better.’
”
What they were
originally taught (old wine) is better to them.
DIVISIONS are not of Yahusha
Rom 16:17,18
“Now I call upon you, brothers, watch out for those who cause
divisions
and stumbling, contrary to the teaching
(instruction, TORAH)
which you
learned, and turn away from them.
For such ones
do not serve our Master
Yahusha Mashiak, but their own stomach, and by smooth words and flattering
speech they deceive the hearts of the innocent.”
Making a “name” for their “division” and the
teachings
they adhere to, is what is known as a “denomination today.
These divisions are defined by their individual names, and the doctrinal
society they associate with. Are
these divisions endorsed by the Word?
1Co 1:10-13
“And I appeal to you, brothers, by the
Name of our Master
Yahusha Mashiak, that you all agree,
and that there
be no divisions among you,
but that you be knit together in the same mind and in the same opinion.
For I have been informed concerning you, my brothers, by those of
the house of Chloe, that there
are strifes
(quarrels, variances, debates)
among you.
What I mean is this, that each one of you says, “I am of Paul, or “I am of
Apollos,” or “I am of Kefa,” or “I am of Mashiak.”
Has the Mashiak been divided? Was Paul impaled for you?
Or were you immersed in the name of Paul?”
We are to be one body, without divisions
1Co 3:
“. . . for you are still fleshly. For since there is envy, and strife, and
divisions
among you, are you not fleshly and walking according to man?
For when one
says, “I am of Paul,” and another, “I am of Apollos,” are you not fleshly?
What then is
Apollos, and what is Paul, but servants through whom you believed, as the
Master assigned to each?
2Co 10:3-5
“For though we walk in the flesh, we do
not fight according to the flesh.
For the weapons
we fight with are not fleshly but mighty in Alahim for overthrowing strongholds,
overthrowing thoughts and every high matter that exalts itself against the
knowledge of Alahim, taking captive every thought to make it obedient to the
Mashiak.”
Fear
drives the anger or rage between two sides of any disagreement.
Overcome the
fear,
and we conquer.
What weapon do
we use on fear?
1Jn 4:18
“There is no fear in love, but perfect
love casts out fear, because fear holds punishment, and he who fears has not
been made perfect in love.”
Our parents, family members,
friends, teachers -
are all indoctrinated from birth with “old wine”, which are the customs
and traditions they have learned, filling them with doctrines and hierarchical
programming.
They are familiar and comfortable with those “old teachings”, and they are held by Nicolaitane STRONGHOLDS.
Nicolaitanes are
not our intercessors,
and WHEREEVER two or more are gathered, Yahusha is there with them.
In every
time
and place,
Yahusha is accessible to us
all.
Mat 18:20:
“For where two or three are gathered together in My Name, there I am in their
midst.”
The Oral Law, or Talmud requires a quorum of 10 men (Minyan).
Talmud is considered to be the codification of halakah, but Yahusha
invalidated this idea.
Mat 24:23-27:
“‘If anyone then says to you, ‘Look,
here is the Mashiak!’ or ‘There!’ do not believe.
For false
Mashiaks and false prophets shall arise, and they shall show great signs and
wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the chosen ones. See, I have
forewarned you.
So if they say
to you, ‘Look, He is in the desert!’ do not go out; or ‘Look, He is in the inner
rooms!’ do not believe.
For as the
lightning comes from the east and shines to the west, so also shall the coming
of the Son of Adam
be.’”
Be aware of
the presence of the Nicolaitanes, yet respond in love.
The nine
fruits of the Spirit:
Love, joy,
peace, patience, gentleness, goodness, faithfulness, kindness, and self-control.
(Gal.
5:22,23)
Rom 12:18
“If possible, on your part, be at peace with all men.”
We don’t have to win or “be
right” when there are doctrinal divisions, even though one side is right and the
other wrong.
The side that
is “wrong” in their doctrine but loving, patient, kind, and respectful to the
other side has learned more about Torah and its
application
than the side that may have the doctrine correct, yet is malicious and
judgmental toward the other.
Division is the challenge,
and love is the answer.
This is why
the humble will inherit the reign of Yahuah; they put others before
themselves.
Contempt and disrespect are
the opposite of deference and thoughtfulness for others. We can
disagree with someone, yet still show them sincere affection.
This is the best approach, in my opinion, for the son to take. If he
testifies in court, he should stick to facts, and not allow himself to take
sides emotionally. His mom can be wrong, or right, but he only needs to
concern himself with remaining respectful and stick to the facts. We can
disagree with our parents, yet still maintain respect for them.
Seat of Moshah
– obey
what you hear being read from it.
but do not do as
they do who read it.
As you read the following,
keep in mind that the NICOLAITANES are the cause for the corruption of the
teachings, and establishing a
“two-class
system.”
Mat 23:1-39: “Then Yahusha spoke to the crowds and to His taught ones, saying,
‘The scribes and the Pharisees sit on the seat of Mosheh.
Therefore, whatever they say to you to guard, guard and do.
But do not do according to their works, for they say, and do not do.
For they bind heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on men’s shoulders, but
with their finger they do not wish to move them.
And they do all their works to be seen by men, and they make their tefillin wide
and lengthen the tsitsith of their garments,
and they love the best place at feasts, and the best seats in the congregations,
and the greetings in the market-places, and to be called by men,
‘Rabbi, Rabbi.’
But you,
do not be called ‘Rabbi,’
for One is your Teacher, the Mashiak, and you are all brothers.
And do not call anyone on earth your father, for One is your Father, He
who is in the heavens.
Neither be called leaders, for One is your Leader, the Mashiak.
But the greatest among you shall be your servant.
And whoever exalts himself shall be humbled, and whoever humbles himself shall
be exalted.
But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! Because you shut up the reign
of the heavens before men, for you do not go in, nor do you allow those who are
entering to go in.
Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! Because you eat up widows’
houses, and for a show make long prayers. Because of this you shall receive
greater judgment.
Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! Because you go about the land and
the sea to win one convert, and when he is won, you make him a son of Gehenna
twofold more than yourselves.
Woe to you, blind guides, who say, ‘Whoever swears by the Dwelling Place, it
does not matter, but whoever swears by the gold of the Dwelling Place, is bound
by oath.’
Fools and blind! For which is greater, the gold or the
And, ‘Whoever swears by the altar, it does not matter, but whoever swears by the
gift that is on it, is bound by oath.’
Fools and blind! For which is greater, the gift or the altar that sets the gift
apart?
He, then, who swears by the altar, swears by it and by all that is upon it.
And he who swears by the
And he who swears by the heaven, swears by the throne of Alahim and by Him who
is sitting upon it.
Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! Because you tithe the mint and
the anise and the cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the
Torah: the right-ruling and the compassion and the belief. These need to have
been done, without neglecting the others.
Blind guides – straining out a gnat and swallowing a camel!
Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! Because you clean the outside of
the cup and dish, but inside they are filled with plunder and unrighteousness.
Blind Pharisee, first clean the inside of the cup and dish, so that the outside
of them becomes clean too.
Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! Because you are like whitewashed
tombs which outwardly indeed look well, but inside are filled with dead men’s
bones and all uncleanness.
So you too outwardly indeed appear righteous to men, but inside you are filled
with hypocrisy and lawlessness.
Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! Because you build the tombs of
the prophets and decorate the monuments of the righteous,
and say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our fathers, we would not have taken
part with them in the blood of the prophets.’
Thus you bear witness against yourselves that you are sons of those
who did
murder the prophets –
and you fill up the measure of your fathers!
Serpents, brood of adders! How would you escape the judgment of Gehenna?
Because of this, see, I send you prophets, and wise men, and scholars
of
Scripture. Some of them you shall kill and impale,
and some of them you shall flog in your congregations and persecute from city to
city,
so that on you should come all the righteous blood shed on the earth, from the
blood of righteous Heḇel
to the blood of Zekaryah,
son of Barukyah,
whom you murdered between the
Truly, I say to you, all this shall come upon this generation.
Yerushalayim, Yerushalayim, killing the prophets and stoning those who are sent
to her! How often I wished to gather your children together, the way a hen
gathers her chickens under her wings, but you would not!
See! Your house is left to you laid waste,
for I say to you, from now on you shall by no means see Me, until you say,
‘Blessed is He who is coming in the Name
of Yahuah!’”
BARUCH HABA BASHEM YAHUAH
You will know them by their fruits.
The Inquisition speaks volumes, and so do the actions of homicidal bombers.
STRONGHOLDS OF THOUGHT - TEACHERS BOASTING OF THEIR WISDOM:
Rabbis, Imams, Popes, Gurus, Lamas, Shamans, spiritual auditors, and straw men with titles:
Mar 9:33-35:
“And they came to Kafar Nakum, and having come in the house He asked
them, “What was it you disputed among yourselves on the way?”
And they were silent, for on the way they had disputed with one another
who was the greatest.
And sitting down, He called the twelve and said to them,
'If anyone wishes to be first, he shall be last of all and servant of all.'”
Jeremiah / YirmeYahu 9:24
“ ‘but let him who boasts boast of this, that he understands
and knows Me, that I am
Yahuah, doing kindness, right-ruling, and righteousness in the earth. For
in these I delight,’ declares Yahuah."
End of
seminar
Please love one another.
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