Revelation 2:6 “But this thou hast, that thou hatest the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.”

Our Lord God hates any form of Nicolaitism. THIS IS THE ABSOLUTE. And He hates it until today. Therefore in this article, we will expose who are the Nicolaitans, what are their deeds, what are the signs that a minister is influenced by Nicolaitism and who is the very first Nicolaitan.

INTRODUCTION

The word “Nicolaitans” appeared two times in the Bible. It can be seen both in Revelation chapter 2 verses 6 and 15. It came from the word “Nikao” which means “to conquer” and from the word “Laity” that means “congregation”.  The aim of people who have this kind of spirit is to conquer the congregation of the Lord. To do this, the first step they do is to separate the ministers from common believers (Laity) by making distinctions between them. 

They bestowed impressive titles to the ministers to separate them and to lift them up from the common believers. They believe that ministers are not equal to the common believers because they are the ones “leading” the local churches thus, conquering the congregation.

The Lord hates this kind of spirit (Rev. 2:6). He hates it when a person is exalted because to Him, all members of His body are equal (1 Cor. 12:23-25). No one is more important than the other. It is during the Ephesian and the Smyrnian Church Ages (Rev. 2) that many Christian congregations have been influenced by this spirit.

Today, this spirit has greatly influenced the Protestant churches, the Denominational and Nondenominational, the Pentecostals, the Charismatics and even the Endtime Message churches. They have their associate pastors, senior pastors and suchlike patterned with the ultimate Nicolaitan church – the Roman Catholic Church, their Mother Harlot.

In the Endtime Message churches today, their Pastors are lifted up above the congregation. Their ministers are teaching the congregation that they should address them as “Pastor” and not just Brother. They are teaching the common believers that it’s a sign of respect if we addressed a minister as “Pastor” and that they should be granted this “double honor” because they are ministers of the Lord. These false ministers do not know that the Lord hates these branding of title upon them for they are making distinctions between them and to emphasize they are not equal to the common believers. They have no difference with the Roman Catholics who are calling their priest as “Fathers”. These ministers have no shame to our Lord. They have adopted a similar organizational structure just like their Mother.

Now, in order for us not to be deceived by this spirit, we need to go back to its origin. We need to know more about the root-cause of it using the Word of God for us not to be influenced by it. Where did this spirit come from? When did it all start? Let’s consult the Bible about these.

LUCIFER – THE FIRST NICOLAITAN

Ezekiel 28:11-15 “Moreover the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, Son of man, take up a lamentation upon the king of Tyrus, and say unto him, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Thou sealest up the sum, full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty. Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God; every precious stone was thy covering, the sardius, topaz, and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, and the carbuncle, and gold: the workmanship of thy tabrets and of thy pipes was prepared in thee in the day that thou wast created. Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire. Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee.”

Lucifer was no doubt, the first Nicolaitan spirit. In the passage above, the Prophet Ezekiel was not only rebuking the king of Tyrus who is a man of glory, who loved to glorify and exalt himself above anyone else. He is also rebuking the spirit behind him who is Satan, the originator of self-exaltation and thinking highly of once self above the others. He is the very first Nicolaitan.

In this passage, the Bible has given us a glimpse of how did the Lord God made Lucifer, the angel of light (2 Cor. 11:14, Isa. 14:12) before he fell and became Satan, the adversary of God who is now the father of all Nicolaitans. Let us then discussed detail by detail the qualities and characteristics of Lucifer when he was created by God.

“THOU SEALEST UP THE SUM, FULL OF WISDOM, AND PERFECT IN BEAUTY” (v. 13).

First of all, when Lucifer was created, he “sealest up the sum” in two areas: both in wisdom and beauty. The expression “Sealest up the sum” came from the Hebrew words “khawtham” and “tokneeth” which means “the end or the consummation of a pattern.” This means that in God’s creations, He patterned each with a certain amount of wisdom and beauty. But when God created Lucifer, he sealed up the sum in these two areas, that is, in all creations of God, he is the wisest and the most beautiful of them all. In short, he is the consummation of the pattern in wisdom and beauty in all of the creations.

“THOU HAST BEEN IN EDEN THE GARDEN OF GOD; EVERY PRECIOUS STONE WAS THY COVERING” (V. 13)

We must always remember that the age of earth right now is about 4.543 billion years old. The first human, Adam, was only created about 6000 years ago according to the given chronology of events in the book of Genesis. So what happened to about 4.54 billion years before us? This is where the story of angels came in. Yes, just like us humans, they have also a story. And theirs is a very long story comprising billions of years. The Bible has given us some information about what happened to them. They were tested here on earth (Isa. 14:12-14 and Eze. 28:11-17). Most of them have been victorious in the trials and testing and became faithful servants of our Lord to be with Him in His throne in heaven. But one-third of them failed and was cast down to earth (Rev. 12:9).

Their story will also happen to us. Some of us will fail while others will be victorious. And those who will be victorious will reign with our Lord in His throne (2 Tim. 2:12, Psa. 8, Rev. 20:4-6). History will then repeat itself (Ecc. 1:9).

Adam’s garden of Eden was a garden of fruit trees and plants. The word “Eden” simply means “a delight” or “paradise”. Lucifer’s garden of Eden, however, was a garden of precious stones when the earth was still young. Everything in that garden of precious stones was made for the Angelic Prince; every precious stone was his covering — his glory.

“THE WORKMANSHIP OF THY TABRETS AND OF THY PIPES WAS PREPARED IN THEE IN THE DAY THAT THOU WAS CREATED” (v. 13b)

Lucifer was in-charge of the tabrets (a tambourine-like musical instrument) and pipes. They were prepared in the day that he was created which means that his function is to serve as the one who leads the angels to worship God. You see? Music is actually a gift from our Lord God. He is the originator of it and the sole purpose of it is to be used to worship Him. But now Lucifer used it for worldly things.

“THOU ART THE ANOINTED CHERUB THAT COVERETH; AND I HAVE SET THEE SO” (v. 14)

Lucifer was just like other angels when he was created. But some time in the past, God anointed him among the rest. The word “anointed” in this verse came from the Hebrew word “mimshach” which also came the word “messiah.” The word means “the sense of expansion”. This means that after he was anointed by God, Lucifer’s authority expanded to other angels. Since he is the consummation of wisdom and beauty and he is also the one leading the other angels in worshipping our Lord God, our God set him to be the anointed cherub over the angels. Because of this, Lucifer has authority over them.

The question is, how will Lucifer exercise this anointing (authority) over the other angels?

“THOU WAST PERFECT IN THY WAYS FROM THE DAY THAT THOU WAST CREATED, TILL INIQUITY WAS FOUND IN THEE” (v.15)

At first, he was perfect in his ways of exercising this authority over the other angels. No flaws can be found in his ways. He is leading them perfectly. All was in harmony until the time that inequity was found in him.

 The word “iniquity” came from the Hebrew word “eh’-vel” or “evil” which means “injustice, unequal or inequality”. Now, we must remember that God created all the angels in His own image and likeness. This means that all of them are equal before God. All creations created in the likeness and image of God are equal to Him. But Lucifer wanted to be like God Who is above the angels (Isa. 14:13-14). This is where inequality (iniquity) started. He wanted to be above the angels.

THE FALL OF LUCIFER AND THE STAGES OF NICOLAITISM

We have read in verse 15 of Ezekiel 28 that Lucifer’s ways of leading the angels were perfect until iniquity was found in him. So how did this iniquity started? Why did the anointed angel who is full of wisdom and beauty fell? Let’s leave Ezekiel 28 for a while and let’s take a look at Isaiah 14:12-14 in order to answer these questions.

Isaiah 14:12-14 “How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.”

According to the verses above, there are five stages of Lucifer’s fall. We need to take note of these stages for these are also the stages of how a person can become a Nicolaitan. These are the devices that Lucifer is using today in order to influence the people, especially the ministers for them to become Nicolaitan. These are the five I’s of Lucifer.

STAGE 1: “For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven”

This first I started in the heart of Lucifer when he desired to ascend to heaven. Even after being created full of wisdom and beauty. Even after having precious stones as his covering here on earth. Even after being set as the worship leader of the Lord. Even after anointing him to have authority over the angels. Still, Lucifer is not contended in all of these. He wanted more. He wanted to ascend on his current status.

He doesn’t want to be just an angel. He wanted more. He wanted to be above the angels of God. He wanted to separate himself from the angels by elevating his status. To do this, he needs to ascend to heaven.

Since angels are on earth during that time, Lucifer wanted to ascend to heaven. He wanted to ascend to where the throne of God is (Isa. 66:1). This way, he will be above the angels and he will be like our Lord God.

This is the first stage of Nicolaitism.

Remember that being a Nicolaitan always starts with the desire to be above the rest. In this stage, a person or a minister starts to desire in his heart to be above all the others. He wanted to be above the common believers. He wanted to elevate his status in the Body of Christ.

God has given these ministers the authority to feed and to take good care of the flock and the Lord has provided for all of their needs and the spiritual gifts in the ministry but they are still not contented with all of it. Ministers who were influenced by Nicolaitism wanted to be above the believers. They wanted to separate their selves from the common believers. This is the stage where they start to think that they are more important than the believers. And in order for this to happen, the first thing they did is to make distinctions between them and the common believers. To do this, they will teach and preach that they should be called “Pastor” and not just a mere “Brother”. They will justify it by saying that you are giving them “respect” or “double honor” if you will call them Pastor.

These ministers are hypocrites! They have no shame to our Lord who instructed us not to exalt ourselves from the others (Matthew 23:7-8, Mark 10:42-45). What’s wrong if you are a minister and believers are addressing as “Brother”? Is that a sign of disrespect? They have brainwashed today’s believers through their Nicolaitan teachings.    

Just like Lucifer, preaching and teaching this to the believers will feed the desire in them to be above the common believers. It will separate them also from the congregation and they will feel that they are much closer to the throne of God.

This first stage of Nicolaitism is prevalent among the Endtime Message churches today. These foolish ministers do not know that “whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased” (Luke 14:11a). They have forgotten what the Apostle Paul told us in Romans 12:3

“For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.”

Calling your minister “Pastor” is actually not wrong as long as you do it because you recognized the gift that was given to him by our Lord. But if your Pastor is teaching and preaching that you should address him pastor, then that is the first sign that he has the desire of a Nicolaitan in his heart.

Here is a challenge to everyone:

Try to call your ministers “Brother”. If he can respond to you without correcting you to call him Pastor or is not even bothered by it, then that minister is not yet influenced by Nicolaitism.

Also, try to test yourself. Can you call your Pastor “Brother” without feeling awkward about it? Without feeling guilty about it? If you can, then you are not yet influenced by the Nicolaitan Spirit. But if you can’t call him “Brother” because you feel awkward about it, then you have been greatly influenced by Nicoliatism.  You have been brainwashed. If many believers in your church cannot call your Pastor “Brother,” then something is really wrong in your church. The church you are attending is under the influence of Nicolaitism. You need to reassess your self and you need to be very careful because the church that you are attending right now might be already in the second stage of Nicolaitism.

STAGE 2: “I will exalt my throne above the stars of God”

Nicolaitism is like a cancer in the body. We are all members of the Body of Christ. But some cells in the body tend to divide abnormally as rapidly as possible compared to normal cells. These cells tend to do more compared to what they are supposed to do that leads to the formation of tumor in the Body. What’s worse is, these cancer cells will influence other cells, spreading cancer in other parts of the body and destroying those parts.  

On it’s second I, Nicolaitism has already taken a hold on Lucifer. The once desire in his heart now grows into action. After desiring to ascend to heaven, he wanted to set up his throne above the other servants (stars) of God (Rev. 12:4). At this point, it is now clear that Lucifer wanted to build up an empire among the angels. After separating his self from them, he wanted to be like God over the angels who has his own throne. You see? Lucifer really wanted to emphasized that he is on a higher level compared to other angels.

Nicolaitism cancer is very active on its second stage. After emphasizing that they should be called Pastors on their local churches, Nicolaitan ministers will then set up his throne among other churches especially on their outreach churches. He will then exalt himself not only among common believers but also among other ministers! They are doing God a service without His will! They go beyond what God has intended them to do. They became a cancer in the Body of Christ.

Titles like Elder Pastor, Senior Pastor, Chief Apostle, Lead Apostle and Major Prophet are signs that these ministers are already on the second stage of Nicolaitism. They are already on the second stage of being a cancer in the Body of Christ.  Actually, stage one and stage two cancer are still manageable once prevented and stopped. Those affected area of the body are still curable and can still be backed to normal. But it’s another story when it reaches stage three.

STAGE 3: “I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north”

This is where the “point of no return” starts. Once Nicolaitism has already greatly influenced an individual and he has already reached this stage, it will be hard for him to repent. He is doomed to fall and to keep falling in this Bottomless Pit designed by Lucifer himself.

As Lucifer continues on his ambition to separate himself, set up his throne and be like God, other angels are also being greatly influenced. They are convinced and they start to believe him. This cancer started to spread among the angels.

We must remember that these angels were created perfect. They are ministering spirits created to serve God (Heb. 1:14). They are original creations of God, therefore, it is impossible for them to be deceived. So the question is: How did Lucifer convince them? Why did these angels believe and follow him instead of serving God? To answer this, let’s go back to Ezekiel 28:15-16:

“Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee. By the multitude of thy merchandise they have filled the midst of thee with violence, and thou hast sinned: therefore I will cast thee as profane out of the mountain of God: and I will destroy thee, O covering cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire.”

The Hebrew word used for the word “merchandise” is “rkullah” (pronounced as rek-ool-law’) which means “traffic” and “trade”. We all know that the word “traffic” means “to go about from place to place or from person to person”. While the word “trade” means “exchange of goods or services”. From these, the Bible has given us a picture of how did Lucifer convince one-third of the angels to follow him (Rev. 12:4). He went from angel to angel securing their allegiance to him by trading “something” in exchange for their services.  And what is this “something” that Lucifer has offered to every angel? Let’s read Matthew 4:8-9

“Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me.”

You see? Satan promises our Lord Jesus a very high position in exchange for our Lord’s fall down and worship him. The “exceeding high mountain” in this verse speaks of how high this position is and how high Satan had exalted himself. It speaks of a very high position where one can see the kingdoms and the glory of the world of which are all under this position. Remember the tower of Babel in Genesis 11:1-9?

This is Satan’s Bottomless Pit (Rev. 9). Satan will lift you up to a higher position in this Nicolaitan system. The more you are lifted up, the more your position became higher. In the eyes of the world, you are being lifted up, but in the eyes of God, you are actually falling and falling. For “whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased” (Luke 14:11a). This is the reason why this system is called a “Pit” because even though you are being lifted, in actuality, you are falling. The higher your position is, the more that you can’t get out.

So Lucifer offered these positions to angels. Because angels are created equal by our Lord God, through this merchandize of Lucifer, an angel can be higher than the rest if he possesses a position. With this merchandize, Lucifer has destroyed the harmony and equality set by our Lord among the angels. Those angels who want to be higher than the rest, wanted to possess a position. And so they fought one another to have those position. This is the reason why the verse says “By the multitude of thy merchandise they have filled the midst of thee with violence.”

One-third of the angels believed him because he was the angel anointed by God among all of them. He has the capacity and power to create a system among the angels. And through this Nicolaitan system, Lucifer has completely destroyed the harmony and equality in them. The once peaceful and harmonious story of angels were then filled with violence by just the introduction of positions – the merchandize of Lucifer.

This is also what is happening in many local churches today. Most of the ministers today are teaching the believers that being a Pastor is a position in a local church. I once had a chat with a brother in other local church after he heard that I am the one preaching the Word of God every Sunday and Thursday in Makati Church. This is our conversation:

Him: Brother Bon, I heard that you are already handling a congregation in Makati. You are already a Pastor.

Me: No brother. I preached the Word of God in Makati Church brother but I know I am not a Pastor. I don’t have a gift of being a Pastor.

Him: But you are handling the congregation right? So you are a Pastor. We should address you “Pastor Bonbon”.

Me: No brother. I may be used by our Lord to feed His flock but being a Pastor is having the gift of a Pastor. I may possess one of the ascension gift in the five-fold ministry but I am sure that I don’t have the gift of being a Pastor.

Him: If you are handling a congregation and you’re not a pastor, then what are you? What should we call you?

Me: You can just call me Brother. You see? This is what’s wrong with our definition of a what a Pastor is. We call any minister a “Pastor” just because he is handling a congregation even though he doesn’t possess the gift of a Pastor. Our definition is too shallow. We see it as a position in the church and not a Gift. For us, those ministers who have a gift of being an Apostles, Prophets, Evangelist and Teachers handling a congregation are also Pastors. That’s why we also called them Pastor. This is all wrong. Yes, I believe that all true Pastors of God are handling a congregation, this is true! BUT NOT ALL OF THOSE WHO ARE HANDLING A CONGREGATION ARE PASTORS. Some are Apostles, Prophets, Evangelist and Teachers. Some are even false ministers.

This is the reason why we must not address any ministers as “Pastor” just because he is handling a congregation. We should make sure first what his gift is or if ever he has any. The best thing to do in order to avoid this mistake is to call them “Brother” for they are indeed our brothers! Ministers who do not want to be called brother are influenced by a Nicolaitan spirit.

Here are other incidents where the notion that a Pastor being a position in a local church had caused violence and chaos among the believers.

Scenario 1

One time, a brother who is from a local church in Baler, Aurora approached me to get advice on the problem in their local church. This brother is attending in Makati Church whenever he is in Makati. He told me that their pastor had just resigned from being a pastor and had stopped attending the church. There are four brothers in their local church who are all gifted in preaching and handling the Word. These brothers are taking turn in peaching the Word. They have set their schedules. All are in harmony until a minister from one of the churches in Manila had preached on their church telling them that they should have someone whom they can call a “Pastor” in their local church. Someone to lead the local church. And someone whom they can give their tithes to. This is where the chaos started.

Following the advice of that minister from Manila, they have called for a votation among those four brothers. Of course, the one that had won most votes is the one who has many family members in that local church. Since then, that brother who won the position of being a “Pastor” has prevented one brother to preach while making the others his assistants. This had caused so much chaos in their church.

Have you seen when did this Nicolaitan scheme of Satan started in that local church? It’s when that minister from Manila had introduced to the believers that being a Pastor is a position that should be filled in the church. That it is the highest position in the local church. There is actually no disharmony if the believers in that church have viewed each other as equal and that the Pastor is not a higher position to be claimed upon. If only they have worked together, helping each other so that the body of Christ will be feed and grow without thinking of any position. But that is the scheme of Satan, whenever a Nicolaitan is introduced, there will always be chaos. AND THIS IS THE PROBLEM IF WE VIEW PASTORSHIP AS A POSITION. Satan just introduces a position, and everyone is rushing to have it.

I told that brother that in Makati Church, we don’t have a position for a Pastor. All of us are equal. Our only head and our leader is our Lord Jesus Christ. Every member of the Body is working together for the spiritual growth of everyone. No one is above anyone. If problem occurs, the burden is not only given to one person who acts as the “head” of the Church. We work together to solve the problem involving every believer. Many have told me that this will not work, that there should be someone who should lead the local church and carry the burden. I told them that this is not how the Body of Christ works. The Makati Church is a living testimony that there’s no need for someone to be the head. Our Lord Jesus Christ is enough for us as our head.

Scenario 2

A Pastor in a local church in Laguna died. He has this elder in his church who has a gift of Pastorship. This elder is the one delivering the Word of God in that church whenever the pastor is unavailable or is sick.  Before that pastor died, he requested this elder to feed the flock in their church and he assured that dying pastor to do it. But just right after the Pastor died, the believers wanted to have someone whom they can call “Pastor.” So they called for a votation and the one who won is not the elder with the gift of pastorship. The one who won is the son of the pastor who has not even any gift of pastorship but because he has many family members present during the votation.

This is the reason why most of the churches here in the Philippines are church “dynasties”. They are actually a family business. Most of the ministers here are a bunch of mediocre who are not even anointed by God but are just appointed by men. And these ungifted ministers are the ones propagating the teaching that they should be called “Pastors”. They have no shame to our Lord God.   

This is also the reason why Lucifer has easily manipulated the angels even though they are impossible to be deceived. Because they, the angels themselves, are supporting and lifting up Lucifer. “The mount of congregation” in Lucifer’s third I are the angels while “the sides of the north” speaks of a higher position among them.

After elevating their selves from the congregation and other ministers, these Nicolaitan ministers will then create followers that will support them and will lift them up in everything they do. These followers will do everything for their ministers even if it means fighting against God. That’s why stage three is the “point of no return”. It’s impossible to repent if you have already many followers supporting you. And these will lead to stage four.

STAGE 4: “I will ascend above the heights of the clouds”

A stage four cancer means a terminal one. It means that cancer has already spread from one organ to another. An inevitable death is next to this stage.

A Cloud in the Bible speaks of God’s glory (Exod. 16:10; 19:18; Num. 9:15-16; 2 Chron. 5:13; Isa. 4:5). This cloud of God’s glory is only produced by the Fire of the Spirit of God (Acts 1:9-11; 2:1-4). However, Lucifer’s cloud is without fire. It’s a counterfeit. It’s a false glory without any foundation.  

After gaining many followers, after building an empire among the angels, Lucifer then gained false glory upon himself. Other angels who deceive themselves granted him this glory not founded in any foundation.

After gaining many followers who lift up the man instead of God, Nicoliatan ministers will then grabbed this opportunity to gain false glory. Since he now knows that he had many supporters who will support him no matter what, he will then fueled it using false testimonies like dreams, miracles, angel apparition, signs and wonders and even financial prosperity to build up a cloud of false glory. With that, many of his supporters will become delusional, giving also false testimony to further lift up the minister.  

STAGE 5: “I will be like the most High”

This is the final stage of being a cancer in the Body. This means that the disease has already widely spread affecting many organs. The only way to save the unaffected is to cut the affected parts. This stage means death to the cancer cells in the Body.

This is the stage where Lucifer equates himself to God. He appoints himself to be a God to the angels. One-third of the angels supported him in this delusion. After he had influenced these angels, God has to act to stop this disease in spreading to other angels. And so according to Revelation 12:7-9:

“And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, and prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven. And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.”

This is the time where the cancer cells were all taken out from the heavenly host. His angels (those angels who became his followers) were cast out with him. This is also the time were Lucifer became Satan – the adversary of God. He is called the old serpent because his system, the Nicolaitan system, is patterned in the anatomy of the serpent. In this system, Satan is the head and the rest are his followers. Wherever the head goes, the body follows. In his body, it is full of inequality. Some positions are higher than the others. The closer you are to the head, the more important you are.

This is also what will happen to those Nicolaitan ministers who have become cancer cells in the Lord’s Body. According to Matthew 5:30

“And if thy right hand offend thee, cut it off, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell.”

The 5-fold ministers represent the right hand of God (Isa. 41:10; 1 Pet. 5:6). If these ministers will be influenced by Nicolaitism and became stumbling block (cancer) in the Body of Christ, the Word of the Lord told us that our Lord will not hesitate to cut (kill) these ministers in order to save the other parts of the body. This is the reason why many Nicolaitan ministers of today experienced an “untimely death.” They are taken out by our Lord before they can influence many in order to save the Body.

That’s why ministers should be very careful not to be influenced by this spirit. Even if you are a true minister of the Lord, if you allowed yourself to be influenced by this spirit, our Lord will not hesitate to cut you off from His Body.

Today, there are many ministers claiming to be the “Elohim,” “The Appointed Son of God” “The Messiah” etc., making themselves equal to God. But we should all remember that it all started with the desire to elevate themselves and to do beyond the roles that our Lord God has intended them to do.

LUCIFER AND JESUS CHRIST COMPARED

Philippians 2:5-11 “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

We are given two messiahs (anointed ones) here. The first one was for the angels and the other One was sent for humans. The first one exercised his authority with pride and elevated himself from a position which is beyond the role that our Lord God has intended him to do. The second One, Who is not just an anointed One but a God, exercised His role by humility and by lowering Himself in a lowest form, even taking the lowest form of all – a servant!

In this portion, we will tackle the qualities of our Lord Jesus Christ that made him to be the total opposite of Lucifer.

“LET THIS MIND BE IN YOU, WHICH WAS ALSO IN CHRIST JESUS: WHO, BEING IN THE FORM OF GOD, THOUGHT IT NOT ROBBERY TO BE EQUAL WITH GOD”

Our Lord Jesus, even if He is the Son of God and even if He is Himself is a God, did not even thought (desire, aspired) to be equal to God. The first stage of Nicolaitism was not even present in Him. Unlike Lucifer, He did not harbor the ambition to be equal to God.

“BUT MADE HIMSELF OF NO REPUTATION”

Unlike Lucifer who elevated himself among the other angels, our Lord did not even put any reputation upon Himself! He has no position. He has no title upon Himself. He doesn’t even want to be called Rabi during His earthly ministry (Mat. 23:7-8). But most ministers today are the total opposite. They build reputations. They put impressive titles upon themselves.

“AND TOOK UPON HIM THE FORM OF A SERVANT”

Our Lord Jesus even though He is the King of all kings and the Lord of lords (Rev. 19:16; Deu. 10:17; Psalm 136:3; Dan. 2:47; 1 Tim. 6:15; Rev. 1:5; Mat. 28:18; Acts 10:36), did not even took these forms when he was born here on earth. He chose to be a servant. Even though He is the Head of the Body (Col. 1:18), He chooses to be a heel, the lowest part of the Body which symbolize servanthood (John 13:1–17). This means that our Lord when He was born here on earth He is the lowest among all of the lowest, a total opposite of Lucifer.

“AND WAS MADE IN THE LIKENESS OF MEN AND BEING FOUND IN FASHION AS A MAN, HE HUMBLED HIMSELF, AND BECAME OBEDIENT UNTO DEATH, EVEN THE DEATH OF THE CROSS”

Even though He is God, our Lord Jesus Christ chose be like us and have never elevated Himself above us. He lived among us. And in so doing, because humans are sinners, He was “made to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him” (2 Cor. 5:21). He Who has no sin, because He chose to be like us, because he chose to reach us out, our sins were imputed in Him. Can you imagine how is it for a God who knows no sin, chose to be like us? Can you imagine all the sufferings He had been through because our sins were imputed to Him? That’s what it means to be made in the likeness of men. He had experienced extreme suffering just to reach us out. He died at the cross to save humanity.

GLORIFICATION OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST

Philippians 2:9-11 “Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

Because of His humility, our Lord God Himself has highly exalted our Lord Jesus Christ to be above everything. The thing that Lucifer has never receive from God because of his wrong approach. This is because according to Matthew 23:12:

“And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted.”

In God’s Kingdom, in order to go up, you must go down. Being served isn’t best. Being honored isn’t greatness. If you are exalting yourself, you shall be lowered. So be humble and don’t exalt yourself. If we wanted to be exalted by our Lord God one day, follow the example of our Lord Jesus Christ. Be a servant today while living here on earth, don’t be a Nicolaitan who love positions and exaltation. Surely one day, just like our Head who has been exalted, we also, who are members of His Body will be exalted if we will just be a servant here on earth.

THE PROBLEM OF THE FARMERS

Last September 4, 2019, I brought my family to our province to spend a one-week vacation with my parents and siblings. I grow up on that place. My parents are farmers. I am also a farmer when I was young. Our main source of income is farming rice. During that vacation, I have this opportunity to walk with my father in our rice field and talked to him about the Word of God. Below is our conversation:

Father: It was really enlightening when you relate the parable of the wheat and the tares to rice farming. On how you compare Palay (rice) to Paray Paray (false rice, weeds). I understood it better now. But you know son, the main problem of the farmers here is not really the Paray Paray (weeds, tares). Paray Paray can easily be died out by herbicides because they are not rice. Our main problem here is the kind of rice called “Lakay”. 

Me: How did this Lakay becomes a problem Tatay? I remember when I was young you taught me how to pull those Lakay so that they can’t do much damage to the rest of the rice and you are really frustrated when they are so many of them. But until now, I still didn’t get why farmers hate them and how are they damaging the rice.

Father: Look at the rice field on your right. These are the rice that has little Lakay on them. Last cropping, I made it sure to pull nearly all of the Lakay in them. But look at the rice field on your left. This is the portion where we have only spent few hours of pulling out Lakay last year due to heavy rains. Now compare these two rice fields. What do you see?

(I look at the two rice fields. I can see that these two fields are already golden in color and should be ready for harvest in a week’s time.

The rice field on my right are so beautiful. Each stalk of rice is teaming with golden-bulky rice grains. I think one rice plant holds about 100 to 150 grains. Because of its bulky and abundant grains, their stalks are all bowing down and as if they are doing everything they can just to prevent the grains from touching the ground. Another very significant character to notice in this field is: these rice are uniform in heights! No rice is above everyone. It is as if you are literally looking at a “bed of rice” where you can lay down because of there evenness.

However, when I look at my left, the first thing that I have noticed is that the rice on that field are not uniform in heights which is not really good to look at. Some are much higher that the others. When I made a closer look at one of those tall rice, I notice that they have a “tail-like-appendage” on each of their grain. This “tail” have made these rice to stand strait and not to bow down unlike the ordinary rice. You can easily recognize them from ordinary rice because as if those tailed rice are standing proudly among the others! They are not bowing down. Another thing that I have noticed is that, when I look at the ordinary rice on that field, each one is only having about 20-60 grains. They are producing much lesser grains compared to the ones in my right.)

Father: That tall ones you have seen on your left having “tails” are the Lakay. They are very difficult to destroy because they are also rice. No herbicide has been discovered yet to destroy them without destroying the ordinary rice. The only way to destroy them is to pull them out before the harvest so that they won’t multiply.

Me: But Tay, why do you want to destroy them if they are also rice? Can’t we just eat them?

Father: We can eat them but they are very difficult to cook because they are hard. If you open them, inside them are brown grains and not white. Our ducks and chickens won’t even eat their grains because their tails are choking them. Buyers will not also buy them since they are brown.

Me: But you said that these Lakay are destroying our harvests? How are they destroying them?

Father: You see Son, if you have so many Lakay in your rice field just like the one on our left, ordinary rice on that field cannot produce 100 grains. They will only produce less grains which will lead to poor harvest and much losses to the farmers. That’s why these Lakay are really a problem to us.

Me: But how are these Lakay affecting the ordinary rice?

Father: Base on my observation, since these Lakay are very tall and are big compared to ordinary rice, they are taking up much nutrients and water from the soil which leads to the deprivation of soil and water for ordinary rice. These Lakay are also very cunning. Before the grains of the ordinary rice turned into golden brown, Lakay grains are already falling on the ground before we can even harvest the rice. By that, Lakay multiplies faster and it’s already too difficult to get rid of them if they have already landed on the soil. And because they have no more grains on them at the time of the harvest, the field will only produce few sacks of rice which is a great loss to us.

Me: Is there a way to prevent them multiplying on our field?

Father: As I have said, the only way to prevent them to multiply is to pull them out before their grains will fall on the ground. You cannot pull them while they are still young since you can’t distinguish them from ordinary rice for they are also rice. The only way to get rid of them is to let them grow first and you can easily distinguish them for they are taller than the others.  

THE MEANING OF THE ANALOGY

It is as if our Lord is speaking to me that time trough my father. Here is the meaning of that analogy that the Lord had revealed to me:

The two rice fields on my left and right are the two kinds of Endtime Churches today. The Lakay are the Nicolaitan ministers and believers inside the church. The ordinary rice are the ordinary believers. My father symbolizes our Heavenly Father, the owner of the fields.

The rice field on my right is the churches which are free from Nicolaitan people. They are not influenced by a Nicolaitan Spirit. The Ministers and the believers in these churches are humble and are true servants of our Lord. You can see them all lowering themselves before the Farmer. The reason why they are lowering themselves is because they are full of bulky-golden-grains in them. Each one of them is carrying about 100 to 120 grains. And the more grains they have, the more they lowered themselves. Those ones who are having the most grains in them are also the ones whose head is at the lowest, almost touching the ground. This field is an example of a Church teeming with the Bride of our Lord. They are the ones to whom our Lord will return to.

On the other hand, the rice field on my left is the churches full of Nicolaitan ministers and believers. Remember that these Nicolaitans are also rice, which means, they are also born-again Christians who are also members of the Body of Christ. They are saved people. Only that, they have become cancer to the Body because they have entertained the spirit of Nicolaitism in their Churches. Believers on these Churches, even though they are not Nicolaitans, will hardly produce 100 grains. Since wheat that holds 100 grains symbolizes the wise virgins (Matt. 13:8), this only means that believers in churches full of Nicolaitan people will hardly make it to the Rapture. They are either foolish virgins or just saved people. They cannot produce 100 grains because of the presence of Nicolaitism among them. One cannot see evenly believers in these churches. Some are tall some are low. This kind of church is ugly to look upon.

This is the reason why we should ask ourselves: Is the church we are attending to free from Nicolaitism? Are the ministers in our churches do not possess these qualities of being a Nicolaitan?

Let us be wise and know the schemes of Satan. Let us follow our Lord Jesus.

May our Lord will continue to guide us into all His truth is my prayer.

About Author