How Christianity preserved the doctrine of the Nicolaitans!

The Nicolaitans appear in Scripture during a pivotal time in early belief, when people were beginning to pull apart two things that Scripture always holds together: genuine belief in the Messiah and heartfelt obedience to all that Yahuah commands. In the book of Revelation, Yahusha calls out the Nicolaitans as a negative influence creeping into the assemblies. It is not just about wrong ideas. It is about teaching that directly changed how believers lived their daily lives, even as they still claimed to follow Yahuah. The core issue was not losing their identity as believers altogether. It was how certain teachings allowed behavior to drift away from Yahuah's standards while keeping the "believer" label intact.

This pattern is not ancient history. It is clearly visible in much of modern Christianity today, where similar ideas have become mainstream doctrine in countless denominations, churches, and Christian teachings. The most common error is the claim that Yahuah's law (the Torah) has been abolished or reduced to only "moral" parts, when Scripture teaches that the whole Torah remains the eternal standard of righteousness for Yahuah's people.

What Revelation Actually Says

Yahusha mentions the Nicolaitans explicitly twice, and both times He makes it clear He strongly opposes them. In Revelation 2:6 (to the assembly in Ephesus):

"But this you have, that you hate the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate."

Then, in Revelation 2:14–15 (to the assembly in Pergamos):

"But I have a few things against you, because you have there those who hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balak to put a stumbling block before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed to idols and to commit sexual immorality. So you also have those who hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitans, which thing I hate."

Yahusha deliberately places the doctrine of the Nicolaitans side by side with the doctrine of Balaam. This direct comparison is key to understanding the warning. Balaam never told Israel to abandon Yahuah or stop calling themselves His people. Instead, he showed Balak how to lead Israel into sin (idolatry and sexual immorality) while they still maintained their covenant identity and continued offering sacrifices to Yahuah. The result was that Israel kept the name and the outward form of worship, but their lives no longer honored Yahuah's commands.

The doctrine of the Nicolaitans works the same way, and Yahusha hates it for the same reason. In modern Christianity, this exact same pattern appears when teachings declare the entire Torah abolished or no longer applicable, rather than upholding it as Yahuah's eternal instruction for all His people.

Balaam's Strategy: Keep the Name, Lose the Lifestyle

The story in Numbers 25 reveals the devastating outcome of Balaam's counsel. Israel fell into idolatry and sexual immorality through the temptation of Moabite women, and Yahuah judged them harshly. Yet the root cause was Balaam's teaching: it showed Israel how to indulge in sin while still viewing themselves as Yahuah's chosen people.

Balaam's approach was subtle compromise, not open rejection. He neutralized the power of Yahuah's commands without destroying Israel's set apart self-image. This is precisely what much of modern Christianity does today. Many Christian teachers and denominations proclaim that the Torah in its entirety (including dietary instructions, appointed times, Sabbath observance, fringes, and all commandments) is no longer binding on believers. Common phrases heard in Christian pulpits, books, and seminaries include "We're not under law but under grace," "The law was nailed to the cross," and "The law was only for Israel under the Old Covenant." These teachings keep the Christian label ("I'm saved by grace through faith in Yahusha!") while removing the full Torah as the guide for righteous living, just as Balaam did for Israel. Scripture never divides the Torah into "moral," "ceremonial," and "civil" categories that can be partially abolished. All of Yahuah's commandments are His eternal Torah, meant to be obeyed to the fullest extent possible in every generation and circumstance. Some commandments (such as those tied to the Temple, the priesthood, or the land) cannot be fully kept while Israel remains scattered in exile and captivity among the nations. Yet even then, Yahuah expects His people to keep everything they can, to teach His Torah diligently, and to long for the day of full restoration when all commandments will be observed perfectly in the land.

The Widespread Christian Teaching That the Torah Is Abolished

One of the most dominant doctrines in modern Christianity is the claim that Yahusha's coming ended the Torah's authority. Christian leaders frequently teach that believers are free from all Torah observance because it was "fulfilled" or "nailed to the cross." This is the modern equivalent of both Balaam's doctrine and the Nicolaitan teaching that Yahusha condemned. Paul foresaw this error and refuted it strongly in Romans 6:1–2 and 6:15:

"What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Certainly not! … What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? Certainly not!"

Sin is defined as transgression of the Torah (1 John 3:4). Paul was confronting the idea that grace allows disregard for Yahuah's instructions. Yet today, mainstream Christianity teaches exactly that: the whole Torah is portrayed as bondage, and freedom in the Messiah means freedom from Torah observance.

Paul directly rejects this in Romans 3:31:

"Do we then make void the law through faith? Certainly not! On the contrary, we establish the law."

Yahusha Himself said in Matthew 5:17–19 that not the smallest letter or stroke would pass from the Torah until heaven and earth pass away, and whoever relaxes even the least commandment will be called least in the kingdom.

Belief Alone, Obedience to All Torah: The True Scriptural Path

In contemporary Christianity, salvation by belief has been twisted into freedom from all Torah observance. Yet true belief in the Messiah produces a life of full Torah pursuit, keeping every commandment possible and teaching others to do the same. This is the calling of true Israel: to be a kingdom of priests and a set-apart nation (Exodus 19:5–6), a light to the nations by demonstrating Yahuah's wisdom through Torah obedience (Deuteronomy 4:5–8). When the Gentiles come to faith in the Messiah of Israel, they are grafted into Israel (Romans 11) and join in learning and walking in the same Torah. In the restoration, returning Israel will teach the nations Yahuah's ways, and all peoples will walk in His paths (Isaiah 2:2–3; Micah 4:1–2; Zechariah 8:23).

Sexual Morality and Beyond: Full Torah as the Standard

Revelation ties the doctrine of the Nicolaitans directly to sexual immorality and idolatry, sins that violate specific Torah commands. Modern Christianity often relaxes these while claiming the rest of Torah is abolished anyway. But Torah obedience covers every area of life: what we eat, how we observe Sabbaths and feasts, how we dress, how we handle finances, justice, family, and worship. All are to be kept as fully as possible now, with the promise of complete restoration in the land.

Hierarchical Authority Redefining Obedience

The name "Nicolaitans" means "rule over the people," pointing to human authority overriding Yahuah's direct commands in Torah.

Modern Christianity's hierarchies often declare Torah obsolete, replacing Yahuah's eternal instructions with man-made traditions and doctrines.

Why This Parallel Matters So Much Today

The doctrine Yahusha condemned in both Balaam and the Nicolaitans lives on in modern Christianity's rejection of the full Torah. True restoration begins with returning to all of Yahuah's commandments, keeping what we can in exile, teaching them faithfully, and preparing to walk in them completely when Yahuah gathers His people back to the land. Israel is called to be that light to the nations, showing the beauty and wisdom of Yahuah's Torah to all peoples, drawing Gentiles to the same obedient walk through the Messiah. The warning in Revelation remains urgent: wherever professed belief preserves the name while rejecting or relaxing Yahuah's eternal Torah, the spirit of Balaam and the Nicolaitans is at work. The call is clear: return fully to Yahuah's Torah as the way of life for all who believe in His Messiah.