Nicolaitan: Lords of Hypocrisy

About 30 years after the ascension of Jesus, Paul warns the Ephesian elders in Acts 20:29–30 ESV: “I know that after my departure fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; and from among your own selves will arise men speaking twisted things, to draw away the disciples after them.” About 30 years after this Jesus warned the Ephesians about Nicolaitans and said He "hates their works." Are the Nicolaitans and the wolves speaking twisted things in Paul's warning the same? Did the Ephesians manage to get rid of the Nicolaitans, or have they spread throughout the church and are still present today under different names? Does it matter today?

Nicolaitan is a rather obscure reference in the Bible, but inside you’ll see that the seeds of Nicolaitan teachings have produced fruit well into our own time. Nicolaitans don’t use that name anymore, but it might surprise you that they are still around. In this book, the author illuminates biblical connections between Nicolaitans and other “elites” who lord their position over lay people. This includes Pharisees, Saduccees, scribes, Jezebel, Balaam, wolves in sheep's clothing, false teachers, works that are hated by Jesus, and modern teachers you may know.

Bruce showed believers the way to increased maturity, abundant life, and fruit of the Spirit from Jesus in his book Whole Bible Christianity, Blessings Pressed Down and Overflowing. He continues his work here, identifying the false teachers who would block those blessings. A repentant Nicolaitan himself, by the time he was 40 Bruce had tired of the useless struggle to match church Nicolaitan teachings to the Bible, and departed. But like many others, he stayed with his Messiah. And since leaving Nicolaitan teachings 20 years ago, learning to just read the Word and do it, living water has gushed into his life out of the Rock.