Doctrine or Teaching of the Nicolaitans and Church Government

> Articles   > Doctrine or Teaching of the Nicolaitans and Church Government Doctrine or Teaching of the Nicolaitans and Church Government Doctrine or Teaching of the Nicolaitans and Church Government In the Bible, among many questions, the commonly asked question is about the doctrine or teaching of the Nicolaitans and about church government. Over the years, scholars have debated on what these mean and many church institutions have used these words to create their own doctrine over the centuries. The aim of this study paper is to answer the following key questions: What is the doctrine or teaching of the Nicolaitans that Yehoshua HaMashiach (Jesus Christ) hates? Did Elohim (God) create a church government or a hierarchical rule? How many times do we find the word “government” in the scriptures/Bible? What are the scriptures that churches use to promote the ideologies of a government in a church? What did Elohim teach about serving His people? What is the master plan of the father of Nicolaitans? What is the doctrine or teaching of the Nicolaitans that Yehoshua HaMashiach (Jesus Christ) hates? In order to understand what the scriptures mean by the word “Nicolaitans”, we need to find out how many times this word appears in the scriptures. The word “Nicolaitans” appears in the scriptures as follows: Word Number of times it appears in the scriptures Nicolaitans 2 The word “Nicolaitans” comes from the Greek word “Nikolaites” (pronounced as “nik-ol-ah-ee-tace”). Concordance number is 3531, 3532 and 3534. The word means destruction of people or conquer over people. The word “conquer” means to use force and control over someone. “Nicolaitans means a system run by evangelists, elders, bishops, popes, rabbis, priests and modern day prophets that have forced its people (members) to submit to their dominion (rulership)”. Here we see religious leaders ruling over its members. The members have to do what they tell you to do. That is, they have dominion over your faith. They tell you what you need to believe, what instructions to follow and not to follow from the scriptures. Let us now look at the verses where the word “Nicolaitans” is found in the scriptures. The word “Nicolaitans” appears twice in the scriptures and is found in the book of Revelation. Revelation 2:6 — “Yet this you have, that you hate the works of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate”. Revelation 2:15 — “So you also have those who adhere to the teaching of the Nicolaitans, which I hate”. You need to understand that the book of Revelation is a coded (concealed) book. This means that the writings are put in the form of a code (that conveys a secret message) and the key to understand these writings is given to the “servants of the Messiah”. That is why the book starts with “The Revelation of Yehoshua HaMashiach which Elohim gave Him to show to His servants the things that must shortly occur” (Revelation 1:1). So the revelation and the understanding are given to the servants of the Messiah. They are not given to the casual person who attends their church/synagogue or to a Bible reader. Origin of the Nicolaitans When we look for the definition of the term “Nicolaitans” from biblical and secular dictionaries/commentaries, a common theme that stands out is through the words “conquer” and “hierarchy”. For instance, the Catholic Church, Council of Trent stated: "If any one said, that in the Catholic Church there is no hierarchy instituted by divine ordination consisting of bishops, priests, and deacons; let him be anathema" (Council of Trent, session XXIII, canon VI on the sacrament of Order). The word “anathema” means disfellowshipped, cursed or excommunicated. One could say that if anyone says there is no hierarchy in a church that will exercise authority over others, then let such a person be under a curse. One must ask the question, where did all this originate from or where did it begin? In order to understand this question, we need to go back in time to find out who the first Nicolaitans were. We know that the word “Nicolaitans” means to “conquer”. So the next question that arises is who was the first and great conqueror who led the people to destruction and rebellion in the Bible? From the scriptures, we know that in the beginning: “Cush brought forth Nimrod, he began to be a mighty one on the earth.  He was a mighty hunter before YHWH; therefore it is said, like Nimrod the mighty hunter before YHWH” (Genesis 10:8-9). While it is easy to read the above verse as reading a newspaper, it is important to know what the Hebrew words actually mean. Let us decode the above verses. Nimrod: comes from the Hebrew word “Nimrowd”, pronounced as “Nim-rode”, concordance number 5248. The word means rebellion. Began: comes from Hebrew word “Chalal”, pronounced as “Khaw-lal”, concordance number 2490. The word means to profane or desecrate.  Mighty one: comes from the Hebrew word “gibbowr”, pronounced as “ghib-bore”, concordance number 1368. The word means a powerful tyrant.  Earth: comes from the Hebrew word “erets”, pronounced as “eh-rets”, concordance number 776. The word means the whole earth. Hunter: comes from the Hebrew word “tsayid”, pronounced as “tsah-yid”, concordance number 6718. The word means hunting for provision. Before: comes from the Hebrew word “paniym”, pronounced as “paw-neem”, concordance number 6440. The word means in the face of. By decoding Genesis 10:8-9, we can say Nimrod became a powerful tyrant whose dominion spread all over the earth. He was a rebel who taught people to rebel (not to follow God) against the Most High (YHWH) and profaned whatever God created honourable. He was all the time in the face of the Most High and wanted to destroy the Most High. He ruled the world as per his laws that desecrated the laws of the Most High. In a nutshell, we can say that he was the supreme leader of the one-world authoritarian religious government that led mankind away from the true worship of YHWH. He put people into bondage (slavery) and created a financial one-world trade system that fed his own provisions. From the scriptures, we understand that Nimrod’s father was Cush. Cush was the son of Ham. Ham was the son of Noah. Cush lived in the land of Shinar. This is where the first civilization succeeded after the flood. The Land of Shinar was a general geographic term for what is referred today as Iraq, known in ancient times as Mesopotamia. Nimrod’s one-world government started in Babylon (Babel in Hebrew), which was in the land of Shinar. Josephus, a well-known Jewish historian, wrote this about Nimrod and his one-world government: “Now it was Nimrod who excited them to such an affront (insult) and contempt of God. He was the grandson of Ham, the son of Noah, a bold man, and of great strength of hand. He (Nimrod) persuaded them not to ascribe (attribute) it to God, as if it was through his means they were happy, but to believe that it was their own courage which procured that happiness. He also gradually changed the government into tyranny, seeing no other way of turning men from the fear of God, but to bring them into a constant dependence upon his power. He also said he would be revenged on God, if he should have a mind to drown the world again; for that he would build a tower too high for the waters to be able to reach and that he would avenge himself on God for destroying their forefathers!” “Now the multitude were very ready to follow the determination of Nimrod, and to esteem it a piece of cowardice (weakness) to submit to God; and they built a tower, neither sparing any pains, nor being in any degree negligent about the work: and, by reason of the multitude of hands employed in it, it grew very high, sooner than anyone could expect; but the thickness of it was so great, and it was so strongly built, that thereby its great height seemed, at first, to be less than it really was. It was built of burned brick, cemented together with mortar, made of bitumen (slime), that it might not be liable to admit water. When God saw that they acted so madly, he did not resolve to destroy them utterly, since they were not grown wiser by the destruction of the former sinners; but he (God) caused a disturbance among them, by producing in them diverse languages, and causing that, through the multitude of those languages, they should not be able to understand one another.” “The place wherein they built the tower is now called Babylon, because of the confusion of that language which they readily understood before; for the Hebrews mean by the word Babel, Confusion” (The New Complete Works of Josephus, published in 1999, Book 1, Chapter 4, Paragraph 2-113 to Paragraph 3-117, page 56 to 57).  What we can understand from the writings of Josephus is that Nimrod firstly united people under his government. Then, when people put their trust in him, he turned into a tyrant. He then created a religious system under the banner of unity, whose main purpose was to desolate the laws and decrees of the Most High. He taught people not to depend on God, but to depend on the government (of Nimrod) for all their needs. He technically was teaching people that God is an evil God that destroyed the world with flood and we do not need to depend on him for our needs. Nimrod’s dominion extended all over the earth. He brought every tribe and people under his government so that he alone could sit on his throne and rule them. Nimrod was also a mighty hunter. When you go hunting, the three important skills you need to have are intelligence, leadership and skill. It is not easy to bring people from all over the world for one task which was to build a great tower to fight the Most High. There is no doubt that Nimrod had a master plan. His plan would be passed from one generation to another so that a day would come when one of his seed would use his plans to make his dream come true for a “one-world authoritarian religious government”. After Nimrod, we find another person coming in the book of Daniel who had a similar vision. This person was Nebuchadnezzar (king of the Neo-Babylonian empire, also called the Chaldean empire) who was a prototype of Nimrod having the same wide-stretching ambition (Daniel 2:37-38). What we can understand from Genesis is that the master plan of Nimrod would always be passed from one generation to another, until its final fulfilment which we will discuss in the later part of this study.  Nimrod was the father and founder of the Nicolaitans and was the first great ruler of the people. The whole system of government was founded on his ideologies. The entire system was created in order to unify the people in the world into one religious system with the same beliefs, doctrines and trade system. The system was meant to transform people into slaves, so that the Nicolaitans, who ran the system, could live via the slaves who work for their system. Teaching of the Nicolaitans is basically when religious leaders rule over others. This is something God hates because man was always to be ruled only by its creator. So who is our creator? Our creator is YHWH, creator of the universe. So then how can the so-called evangelists, priests, pope and other ministers rule over us under the banner of religion? The reason is we have allowed it to happen. The day when we tell God that we want to follow religious leaders, then God allows these leaders to rule over us. This is the teaching that YHWH hates. From the time of creation, man was to obey God and listen to God, not men. This was the system that was put in place by God. Because of our rebellion towards God, we created our own manmade religious system where we started to listen to what men tell us. The system that Nimrod once started still flourishes all around the world. In today’s system, we give our support to the church that tells us what to do. God is just a picture of imagination for these churches. This is the reason why God is not real for millions of people in this world. We have put our trust and faith in men and in churches, who we believe can save us, which is the doctrine of Nicolaitans that originated from Nimrod, the father of all Nicolaitans. This is the doctrine and teaching that God hates. Did Elohim (God) create a church government or a hierarchical rule? When we go to most churches, we will hear ministers and evangelists shouting at the top of their voice that no authority exists unless they are appointed by God. Technically, they are saying that God has appointed them in that position and we must listen to them. We can say that God assigns everything and all power exists because of His will. For example, we know from the scriptures that Nebuchadnezzar came into power because God let it happen. As Nebuchadnezzar had already made his mind to be a king to rule his vast empire, God allowed it to happen. God had a plan to use a king like Nebuchadnezzar for His people of Israel, which we find out later in the Tanakh (Old Testament). While it may take some time for us to comprehend the fact that God would allow such a king to rule the world during the period of Daniel the prophet, the truth cannot be hidden. Yes, God did let it happen. Similarly, when Adolf Hitler came into power, again God let it happen. God knew what Hitler would do, which was to kill the Jews, but God let it happen. In order to understand why God allows this to happen, we need to go back in time to see how the creation was perfected under God before we entered into rebellion (not listening to God). Understanding the Law (decree) of Creation In Genesis chapter one and two, we find out that God created man and woman and put them in the Garden of Eden. Their duty was to work (look after) and protect the garden. When God created us, we were to listen to God. So you had God and man and woman. It was a direct relationship. God was our Master and Father. There was no third person (priest, evangelist, or anyone else) whom we had to listen to. In a nutshell, we have God telling us what we need to do. This is the law (decree) of creation that is set from eternity. When we read the scriptures, we find out that God tests everyone to see if they are faithful to Him or not. This is what we call as the “test of faithfulness”. Until Genesis chapter two, you have only two people, God and man and woman. Keep in mind that man and woman are considered as one flesh for God, not as two separate beings (Genesis 2:23-24). In Genesis chapter three, we see the serpent (called “Nahash” in Hebrew) which God made coming to the woman. Now we have a third person coming. This is very important to understand. Genesis chapter three starts with three persons now coming into the picture. You have on one side man and woman, then a being called the serpent, and you have God. The serpent now comes to the woman and asks her a question which is, “Is it true that Elohim has said, do not eat of every tree of the garden?” (Genesis 3:1) You need to understand that the serpent asked the woman a general question. We must ask ourselves, why did the serpent ask a question, why not give a direct order to do something? The reason being this was a shadow picture of false prophets/preachers that would come in the future who would twist the word of Elohim. The question which the serpent addressed to the women was: “Is it true that Elohim has said, do not eat of every tree of the garden?” (Genesis 3:1) An example of a question used by false prophets/preachers in today’s generation is as follows: “Is it true that God said that you cannot eat all animals? Have you not read Acts chapter 10 verses 9 to 16 where God has now commanded us to eat all animals?” We will now see what the reply of the woman was (Genesis 3:2-5). “And the woman said to the serpent, we are to eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden, but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, Elohim has said, Do not eat of it, nor touch it, lest you die (v 2-3). And the serpent said to the woman, You shall certainly not die (v 4). For Elohim knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes shall be opened, and you shall be like Elohim, knowing good and evil” (v 5). We know from Genesis 3:2-3 that woman first knew the command of God, which was not to eat the forbidden fruit of the tree. Instead of saying, “I will not do it” and walk away from that situation, she wanted to hear the reply of the serpent. The reply of the serpent was more powerful this time. The serpent now offers the woman many choices that she would experience if she ate the forbidden fruit. This included: Their eyes would be opened. They would be able to see things which they never saw before. They would be like God and would have the power of rulership. They would know the difference between good and evil. These choices were not given by God to man and woman. Their life was very simple, which was to work and protect the garden. Since the serpent has given so many choices to the woman, she is now becoming attracted (lust of the flesh) to what the serpent is saying. “And the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, and she took of its fruit and ate. And she also gave to her husband with her, and he ate” (Genesis 3:6). As the woman was becoming attracted to what the serpent was telling her, she started to become weak in her flesh (she was drifting away from God and His laws). The forbidden fruit then became so tempting to her eyes (lust of the flesh) that she ate it. This was a direct violation of the command of the Most High (YHWH). She not only ate the forbidden fruit, but she also convinced the man to eat it. This was again a shadow picture of what would happen in the future when God sends false prophets/preachers. They will offer you things that God does not offer. For instance, Status in the society. Be a part of our church/synagogue and we will make you a great person. Stand with us. Wealth and money. Rulership. Position in the church to rule others. The only thing that you have to do is just listen to what they (false prophets/preachers) tell you to do, regardless of what God tells us to do from the scriptures. Because man and woman violated a direct command (decree of God), not to eat the forbidden fruit, sin entered into the world through man and woman. They failed the “test of faithfulness”. Then we read in Genesis 3:14-24 the penalty of rebellion against the “Word of YHWH” King of the Universe. “And I put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed. He shall crush your head, and you shall crush His heel (Genesis 3:15). Genesis 3:15 is a prophetic revelation that is written in coded language for the servants of the Most High. It says God’s chosen people and the people who listen to the serpent (false prophets/preachers) will always be at war. God’s chosen people will tell people to come out of paganism and false teachings and return back to the Torah (laws of God) and to listen to the voice of God. They will have power to destroy these false prophets at its appointed times. These false prophets and preachers will fight back and hurt God’s chosen people (His servants), but God’s people will always prevail and their seed will never perish. From the seed of God’s chosen people shall arise the Righteous King and the Saviour of all who will save the people of this world from their sins and will conquer death. At the end of the age, this Righteous King and Saviour will crush the head of the serpent (satan/devil; “HaSatan” in Hebrew) and will destroy the serpent forever. The Bible says of a time of restoration of all things (Acts 3:21), which means going back to the original phase of creation. We believe that this has already begun, as this age in which we live closes for the grand finale of the return of the Righteous King and Saviour. The choice is before us. Do we follow men or the voice of YHWH who we hear through Ruach HaKodesh (Holy Spirit), the comforter of YHWH which will lead and guide us in all truth? This is the test of faithfulness, whether we will follow the twisted teachings of men or the righteous word of YHWH. You choose your path. From the law of creation, we can learn that there was never a hierarchy put in place. Man and woman walked with God and listened to the voice of God. Because we chose to listen to the serpent (false prophets/teachers), judgement was pronounced by God. This is why God’s faithful people can never be part of a system, church, government, and synagogue. They live a life of obedience to their Master and are ruled by their Master Yehoshua HaMashiach and are led into the truth by the Ruach HaKodesh. How many times do we find the word “government” in the scriptures/Bible? Let’s check how many times the word “government(s)” is mentioned in the Bible. If God indeed created a government or hierarchy in the church for men to rule over us, we can be confident that we will find many instances where the word “government(s)” is mentioned in the scriptures. Word Chapter and Verse Concordance number government Isaiah 9:6 4951 government Isaiah 9:7 4951 government Isaiah 22:21 4475 government 2 Peter 2:10 2963 governments 1 Corinthians 12:28 2941 Going through the whole scriptures/Bible, we find that the word “government(s)” is mentioned only five times. We now have a big problem. In the whole Bible, how can this word be mentioned only five times? We will now look at the verses from the scriptures where this word  is mentioned in its chronological order. “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The Mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6). “Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this” (Isaiah 9:7). “And I will clothe him with thy robe, and strengthen him with thy girdle, and I will commit thy government into his hand: and he shall be a father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and to the house of Judah” (Isaiah 22:21). “But chiefly them that walk after the flesh in the lust of uncleanness, and despise government. Presumptuous are they, self-willed, they are not afraid to speak evil of dignities” (2 Peter 2:10). “And God hath set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, governments, diversities of tongues” (1 Corinthians 12:28). Why is the word “government” used in Isaiah 9:6 and Isaiah 9:7? The word “government” used in Isaiah 9:6 and Isaiah 9:7 comes from the Hebrew word “misrah” (pronounced as “mis-raw”), Strong’s concordance number 4951. The word “misrah” means an empire, even though the concordance scholars have also added the word “government” as an alternative. The problem we have over here is with the English language (a West Germanic language), which in theory is a pagan language (influenced by Celtic, French, Latin, Greek, Dutch, Spanish, German, Italian, Indian) that deteriorates itself from one generation to another. Let’s look at two examples in order to illustrate the issue with the English language: Example One: King George had an empire that reached its majesty in 1922. Example Two: King George had a government that reached its majesty in 1922. When we read examples one and two, we see the differences are pretty big. The first example tells of an empire that reached its majesty in 1922 of King George. The second example tells of a government that reached its majesty in 1922 of King George. The second example completely diminishes the enormity of the message that the original writer wants to convey to the reader, even though the difference is just a word. Again the problem is with the English language. The corrected translation of Isaiah 9:6 and Isaiah 9:7 should read as: “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the empire shall be upon His shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The Mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6). “Of the increase of His empire and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the YHWH of hosts will perform this” (Isaiah 9:7). The word “empire” used in the corrected translation of Isaiah 9:6 and 9:7 means “the power of the empire”. When the Kingdom of the Most High is established on earth, His empire and power would stretch from one part to the other part of the world and there will be no end to His empire. Why is the word “government” used in Isaiah 22:21? The word “government” used in Isaiah 22:21 comes from the Hebrew word “memshalah” (pronounced as “mem-shaw-law”), Strong’s concordance number 4475. The word “memshalah” means a realm or rulership, even though the concordance scholars have also added the word “government” as an alternative. The corrected translation of Isaiah 22:21 should read as: “And I will clothe him with thy robe, and strengthen him with thy girdle, and I will commit thy rulership into his hand: and he shall be a father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and to the house of Judah” (Isaiah 22:21). The world “rulership” in English means a territory over which a person rules. Why is the word “government” used in 2 Peter 2:10 (Messianic Writings, New Testament)? The word “government” used in 2 Peter 2:10 comes from the Greek word “kuriotes” (pronounced as “koo-ree-ot-ace”), concordance number 2963. The word “kuriotes” as per Thayer’s Greek definition means dominion (rule), even though the concordance scholars have also added the word “government” as an alternative. The corrected translation of 2 Peter 2:10 should read as: “But chiefly them that walk after the flesh in the lust of uncleanness, and despise dominion. Presumptuous are they, self-willed, they are not afraid to speak evil of dignities” (2 Peter 2:10). Why is the word “government” used in 1 Corinthians 12:28 (Messianic Writings, New Testament)? The word “government” used in 1 Corinthians 12:28 comes from the Greek word “kubernesis” (pronounced as “koo-ber-nay-sis”), Strong’s concordance number 2941. The word “kubernesis” means to guide (steering, pilotage) even though the concordance scholars have also added the word “government” as an alternative. The corrected translation of 1 Corinthians 12:28 should read as: “And God hath set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, guides, diversities of tongues” (1 Corinthians 12:28). The word “guides” means to steer/direct people to God. We can see from the above Bible verses that the word “government” does not exist in the scriptures, as the Hebrew and Greek words convey a different meaning to the reader as we have seen with the corrected translations. The issue is with the translation of the actual Hebrew and Greek words and the biases of the Bible translators who inserted the word “government” into the scriptures. In a nutshell, we can say that the word “government” does not exist in the scriptures, as God did not create a government to rule over men. The rulership and the power to rule over man and woman is only for the Messiah Yehoshua (Jesus Christ). What are the scriptures that churches use to promote the ideologies of a government in a church that is ordained by God? This section will explore the various scriptures used by churches to promote that a government in a church is ordained by God. Lessons from Moses — Where did he get the information from? Exodus 18:13 to 27:  And so it was, on the next day, that Moses sat to judge the people; and the people stood before Moses from morning until evening.  So when Moses’ father-in-law saw all that he did for the people, he said, “What is this thing that you are doing for the people? Why do you alone sit, and all the people stand before you from morning until evening?” And Moses said to his father-in-law, “Because the people come to me to inquire of God.  When they have a difficulty, they come to me, and I judge between one and another; and I make known the statutes of God and His laws.” So Moses’ father-in-law said to him, “The thing that you do is not good.  Both you and these people who are with you will surely wear yourselves out. For this thing is too much for you; you are not able to perform it by yourself. Listen now to my voice; I will give you counsel, and God will be with you: Stand before God for the people, so that you may bring the difficulties to God. And you shall teach them the statutes and the laws, and show them the way in which they must walk and the work they must do. Moreover you shall select from all the people able men, such as fear God, men of truth, hating covetousness; and place such over them to be rulers of thousands, rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens.  And let them judge the people at all times. Then it will be that every great matter they shall bring to you, but every small matter they themselves shall judge. So it will be easier for you, for they will bear the burden with you.  If you do this thing, and God so commands you, then you will be able to endure, and all this people will also go to their place in peace.” So Moses heeded the voice of his father-in-law and did all that he had said.  And Moses chose able men out of all Israel, and made them heads over the people: rulers of thousands, rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens.  So they judged the people at all times; the hard cases they brought to Moses, but they judged every small case themselves. Then Moses let his father-in-law depart, and he went his way to his own land. Exodus 18:13 to 27 is the fundamental doctrine used by all churches to appoint ministers, evangelists, rabbis, priests, so that people can be taught the way of the Most High Elohim. We need to examine the above-mentioned verses as we have a big problem. From the scriptures prior to Exodus 18:13 to 27, we find that Moses is asking God for instructions on how to do things. When we come to Exodus 18:13 to 27, we have a situation that is similar to the one we had in the garden of Eden, where a third person is now entering the picture with advice on how things are to be done. The common belief that people have is that God told Moses to set into motion the events that took place in Exodus 18:13 to 27. But it was not God who told Moses what to do, but it was a third person. This third person is Moses’ father-in-law and his name is Jethro. Jethro was a priest of Midian. Midianites worshipped multiple pagan gods and Jethro was a priest of Midian and its people. Therefore, Jethro was a pagan priest. Later in the scriptures, we see YHWH Elohim telling Moses to destroy the Midianites (Numbers 25:17-18 and Numbers 31) because of their wicked ways. Instead of asking God for advice on how to teach the children of Israel, he heard the advice of Jethro as shown in Exodus 18 verses 24 to 26. So Moses heeded the voice of his father-in-law and did all that he had said.  And Moses chose able men out of all Israel, and made them heads over the people: rulers of thousands, rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens.  So they judged the people at all times; the hard cases they brought to Moses, but they judged every small case themselves. Why did Moses listen and do what Jethro told him? He did because it was pleasant to Moses’ eyes/hearing. Because Moses made this decision without consulting with God in the first place, God allowed this to happen. Moses here failed the “test of faithfulness”. Keep in mind that such decisions are not small; these are big decisions that require the counsel of the Most High Elohim. But Moses heard the counsel of Jethro, who was a pagan priest. So the hierarchy of people to rule was put in place by Moses who received advice from a pagan priest (seed of serpent). This was a mistake that Moses did. God did not tell Moses to do this; it was a decision Moses made on the advice of his father-in-law. The hierarchy to rule the children of Israel came from a pagan priest, not from God. Lessons from the book of Numbers 11:16-17 Some churches use Numbers 11:16-17 to ordain 70 elders/ministers as part of their ministry, as they say this is how God wants his ministry to run. So YHWH said to Moses: “Gather to Me seventy men of the elders of Israel, whom you know to be the elders of the people and officers over them; bring them to the tabernacle of meeting, that they may stand there with you.  Then I will come down and talk with you there. I will take of the Spirit that is upon you and will put the same upon them; and they shall bear the burden of the people with you, that you may not bear it yourself alone” (Numbers 11:16-17). Most churches would go this way about Numbers 11:16-17. We need to choose 70 men (people in our ministry who do what we say) and appoint them as elders so that they can also do our ministry work. When we read Numbers 11:16-17, we see God first talking to Moses and telling him to gather 70 elders of Israel. The first thing we need to ask is, what is the meaning of the word “elder”? The word “elder” comes from the Hebrew word “zaqen” (pronounced as “zaw-kane”) concordance number 2204 and 2205. This means a person who is recognized by the people for his gifts of leadership, wisdom (in righteous living based on the Torah) and justice. Then we see Moses choosing, based on what God told him, 70 men and bringing them to the tabernacle so that the spirit of YHWH could be upon them. So the flowchart of events over here is: God talking to Moses with an instruction   70 Elders chosen   Spirit of YHWH rests on them. In modern-day churches, we don’t see God talking to the elder of the church or God sanctifying these elders. We see men appointing men based on an event that happened during the time of Moses. Moreover, we need to understand why God chose 70 elders to help Moses. In the previous verses of Numbers 11:10-15, we read Moses is pleading to God to kill him because the people were weeping before Moses. Moses was unable to bear the grief of weeping, as the burden was too heavy for him. God then, in His great mercy, told Moses, “I will sanctify elders to help you so that you don’t have to bear all of these burdens yourself”. So we see that the elders and the duty of Moses were to serve the people, and not serve themselves. Lessons from the book of Judges — Did God tell men to rule over His people? A certain verse from the book of Judges is one of the favourite verses that most churches use to promote their doctrine of a hierarchy in the church. I used to be sick of hearing this when I used to go to church. Judges 17:6 and Judges 21:25 states: “In those days there was no sovereign (king) in Israel, everyone did what was right in his own eyes”. The ministers in the church I used to go to would use the above verses to say, see what happens when you don’t follow leaders appointed by God. You end up doing what is right in your eyes. You need to follow us and we will lead you to the right path. Let us take a step back and pay more close attention to Judges 17:6 and 21:25. We all know that Israel had many kings and judges. Even though they had a king or a judge, they still did the wrong thing. Just because you have a king or a ruler, it does not mean you will do the right thing. The whole point is, at the end of the day, what you do in life determines whether you are with God or not and has nothing to do with whether there is a leader/ruler or not. We must follow God and not men. Man should be ruled by God and not by men. Judges Chapter 2 tells us, when Joshua died and all the generations after him died (verse 8-10) the children of Israel did evil in the eyes of YHWH and served other gods and served Baal (verse 11). Evangelist and church ministers want you to listen to them because if you don’t listen or are not a part of their group, then obviously there will be no money (under the banner of tithes/donations) coming into the religious system. If you are part of their system, then you will tell this to many people and bring more people into the system. So it is advantageous for them to say that God has appointed them and you need to follow them. When we read Judges Chapter 2, we see that the children of Israel started worshiping false gods. Let us now read verses 13 to 19 and see how the story transpires: “So they forsook YHWH and served Baal and the Ashtoreths” (v 13). “And the displeasure of YHWH burned against Yisrael. Therefore He gave them into the hands of plunderers who despoiled them. And He sold them into hands of their enemies all around, and they were unable to stand before their enemies any longer” (v 14). “Wherever they went out, the hand of YHWH was against them for evil, as YHWH had spoken, and as YHWH had sworn to them. And they were distressed greatly” (v 15). “Then YHWH raised up rulers who saved them from the hand of those who plundered them” (v 16). “However, they did not listen to their rulers either, but went whoring after other mighty ones, and bowed down to them. They soon turned aside from the way in which their fathers walked, in obeying the commands of YHWH, they did not do so” (v 17). “And when YHWH raised up rulers for them, YHWH was with the ruler and saved them from the hand of their enemies all the days of the ruler, for YHWH had compassion on their groaning because of those who oppressed them and crushed them” (v 18). “And it came to be, when the ruler was dead, that they would turn back and do more corruptly than their fathers, to go after other mighty ones, to serve them and bow down to them. They did not refrain from their practices and from their stubborn way” (v 19). Judges 2:13-19 shows us that even though YHWH raised rulers to save the children of Israel from their enemies, they still went back whoring after other gods. The whole point of Judges 2:13-19 is that, ruler or no ruler, at the end of the day it all depends on you. Your faithfulness to God is what matters at the end of the day. The other thing we find over here is that the role of the ruler was to save the children of Israel from their enemies as their enemies were ruthlessly crushing them. The ruler was not supposed to rule over them as we see in today’s modern-day churches, where ministers rule over its members. In Judges Chapter 6 to 8, we further see the rise of a mighty brave man called Gideon. Here the children of Israel were given into the hands of the Midianites as they were worshipping false gods. God delivered the children of Israel from the Midianites through Gideon who was faithful to YHWH. Here is the test of faithfulness (the choice we make in our life) that Gideon had. When Gideon delivered the children of Israel, they came to Gideon with a proposal that could make Gideon a great ruler. Let’s see what they offered to Gideon: “So the men of Yisrael said to Gideon, ‘Rule over us, both you and your son, also your son’s son, for you have saved us from the hand of Midyan.’” “But Gideon said to them, ‘I do not rule over you, nor does my son rule over you. YHWH does rule over you.’” (Judges 8:22-23) We see from the above verses what Gideon said to them — you must allow YHWH to rule over you and not men. The primarily lesson that we need to learn from the book of Judges is that we must allow YHWH to rule over us, and not men. We must also understand that it is not Elohim’s will for people to have rulers to rule over them. But it is the Israelites who demanded someone to be their ruler. All throughout the Tanakh we see, regardless of who ruled, the decision to follow God or the ways of men was the choice of every individual. Lessons from the book of Samuel — Did God appoint a King to rule over His people? Many churches use 1 Samuel 15, verse 1, as an example where God sends His prophet to anoint a person so that they can lead His people. For instance, the church/religious institution would say something like this: “In 1930, God raised a man called Herbert. God used him powerfully to preach the end time warning to Israel. Before he died he anointed many people to continue to do that work. People must follow us and our teachings as we are anointed and put in this position by God through Herbert who anointed us to carry the end time work”. 1 Samuel 15:1 reads, “And Samuel said to Saul, YHWH sent me to anoint you king over His people, over Israel. And now, listen to the voice of the words of YHWH”. When you read the Bible, context is very essential. For instance, when we read a story book we read the whole story. We don’t take one sentence and then convince the audience that this is how the story is being said. We read the whole story and then tell the audience what the story actually is. Let us read the previous chapter before 1 Samuel 15 and see how the story actually begins. In 1 Samuel 8:1-22, we read: “And it came to be, when Samuel was old, that he made his sons rulers over Yisrael. (Verse 1) And the name of his first-born was Joel and the name of his second was Abijah, rulers in Beersheba. (Verse 2) But his sons did not walk in his ways, and turned aside after own gain, and took bribes, and twisted right-ruling. (Verse 3) And all the elders of Yisrael gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah and said to him, ‘look you are old and your sons do not walk in your ways. Now appoint for us a king to rule us like all the nations’. (Verse 4, 5) But the word was evil in the eyes of Samuel when they said, give us a king to rule us. So Samuel prayed to YHWH. (Verse 6) And YHWH said to Samuel, listen to the voice of the people in all that they say to you, for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected Me from reigning over them. (Verse 7) According to all the works which they have done since the day I brought them up out of Egypt, even to this day, forsaking Me and serving other mighty ones so they are doing to you too. (Verse 8) And now listen to their voice, but you shall certainly warn them and shall make known to them the ruling of the king who does reign over them. (Verse 9) And Samuel spoke all the words of YHWH to the people who asked him for a king, and said, this is the ruling of the king who does reign over you: He shall take your sons and appoint them for his own chariots and to be his horsemen, and they shall run before his chariots, and appoint commanders over his thousands and commanders over his fifties, or to plough his ground and reap his harvest, or to make his weapons, and equipment for his chariots. (Verse 10-12) And your daughters he is going to take to be perfumers, cooks and bakers. (Verse 13) And the best of your fields, and your vineyards, olive trees he is going to take and give them to his servants. (Verse 14) And a tenth of your grain and your vintage he is going to take and give it to his officers and servants. (Verse 15) And your male servants and your female servants and your best young men and your donkeys he is going to take and use for his own work. (Verse 16) A tenth of your sheep he is going to take and you are to be his servants. (Verse 17) And you shall cry out in that day because your king who you have chosen for yourselves, but YHWH is not going to answer you in that day. (Verse 18) However, the people refused to listen to the voice of Samuel and said, “No, but let a king be over us. (Verse 19) Then we shall be, we also, like all the nations, and our king shall rule us and go out before us and fight our battles. (Verse 20) And Samuel heard all the words of the people, and he repeated them in the hearing of YHWH. (Verse 21) And YHWH said to Samuel, listen to their voice, and make a king. And Samuel said to the men of Yisrael, each of you go to his city.” (Verse 22) From 1 Samuel 8:1-22, we know that when Elohim wanted to rule over His chosen people of Israel, they rejected Elohim from ruling over them. It was never God’s intention to allow men to rule over His people. When we read verse 7, we read that “…for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected Me from reigning over them”. You can literally see God weeping here when He says, “they have rejected me”. Man was always to be ruled by God. This is the law of creation. No mortal human being has the authority to rule over man. Since we don’t want God to rule over us, we told God we want a king to rule over us just like the other nations (pagan nations). The children of Israel made up their mind that they want a king to rule over them. Before God gave them a king, He told them that, if you have a king over you, he is going to rob you basically in everything you have. In verses 11 to 17, it basically tells what the king is going to do to their household, which is, “take your sons and daughters away for the King’s own purpose, all of the fruits the best of them of your farming lands will go to the king, your cattle livestock will go to the king including your grains”. When we take a step back, we find that, whatever the people had, the king is going to rob them. First, the king is going to take their family, then their fields and grains, and then their cattle. By the time the king takes all of this, you will have nothing with you and you will weep to YHWH, but YHWH will not answer your prayers. While it is easy for a person to read verses 11 to 17 as reading a tabloid, this verse is prophetic in nature for every generation who allows men to rule over them. In today’s generation, we see ministers/priests and churches/religious institutions ruling over God’s people. In Table 1, you will see the similarities between a king and a minister who rules over the children of God. You have to understand that verses 11 to 17 are comparable to a curse of slavery (to become slaves of men) pronounced by God because man does not want to be ruled by God. Even though God said that the king will do what pleases him and they will weep to Him when the king takes away everything, “…the people refused to listen to the voice of Samuel and said, ‘No, but let a king be over us’” (verse 19). What do we learn from 1 Samuel 8? In life, to follow God or to follow men is always our choice. But as human beings, the excuse we have is, how can I be right and others be wrong? Since this cannot be correct, I rather follow men than follow God. This eventually leads to God not listening to our prayers, when we go into slavery. Table 1: Similarities between a king and minister who rules over God’s people What happens when you allow a king to rule over you and not YHWH? What happens when you allow ministers/priests and churches/religious institutions to rule over you and not YHWH? Family: Take sons away from the home to work for the king. The work includes serving in the army, and in the king’s farms. Take daughters away to look after the king and to work for the king. Family: Take sons from their family so that they can help in the ministry of the church as volunteers and to help the church grow. Many churches don’t allow people to marry someone from outside the church. For instance, a member of the living church of God is only allowed to marry another member of the living church of God.  Land: Best produce of your land is for the king and his people who serve in his courtyard. Land: The church encourages people to give their inheritance after they die to the church. “…If you would like to donate your house/property to the church, please do contact us”. Household: Your servants and your friends he is going to take for his own work. Household: While the ministers enjoy their comfortable life, they expect you to come and help in the church, like cleaning the church, kitchen duties, usher duties and other duties as commanded by the ministers. Livelihood: Your grains, winery and your sheep, a tenth of them he is going to take for his own need. Livelihood: These ministers rob you of your livelihood under the banner of tithes and donations. For instance, under the donation section on their church website, you will be surprised to see the number of tithes they require from you: First Tithe (Living Church of God) Second Tithe (Living Church of God) Third Tithe (Living Church of God) Festival Fund (United Church of God) Assistance Fund (United Church of God) Youth Program Fund (United Church of God) Good Work Program Fund (United Church of God) Building Fund (United Church of God) International Work Fund  (United Church of God) Lessons from the book of Ephesians (B'rit Hadashah, New Testament, Messianic Writings) — Did God appoint a hierarchy in the religious system/church? Ephesians chapter four is the gold standard used by churches and all religious systems to promote and make the church members believe that God ordained a hierarchy of rulership in the church. From the time I started going to church, ministers in the church loved quoting Ephesians 4:11. The ministers would say, “This is the hierarchy we must follow”. Let us read Ephesians chapter 4 verses 1 to 16 (New King James Version) and see what is actually being said here: I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called,  with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.  There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling;  one Lord, one faith, one baptism;  one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all. But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ’s gift.  Therefore He says: “When He ascended on high, He led captivity captive, And gave gifts to men.” Now this, “He ascended”—what does it mean but that He also first descended into the lower parts of the earth?  He who descended is also the One who ascended far above all the heavens, that He might fill all things. And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers,  for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ,  till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ;  that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting,  but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ  from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love. Translating the Greek words of Ephesians 4:11 English Word Used in Bible Greek Word Concordance Number Actual Meaning of the Greek Word Apostles apostolos 652 Messenger or a sent one Prophets prophetes 4396 Foreteller or an inspired speaker. This means someone who is sent by God with a divine message. Evangelists euaggelistes 2099 A preacher of the gospel. Pastors poimen 4166 A shepherd who tends herds or flocks. Teachers didaskalos 1320 An instructor who teaches the things of God and the duties of man.   When we translate Ephesians 4:11 Greek words, we find out what is actually being said. Technically, the words apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, teachers mean only one thing, “a person to teach God’s way”. Unfortunately, the Christian world has desecrated what God actually meant. Men have twisted God’s words and have made a TITLE competition to show everyone on where they stand in the hierarchy of their church which is ruled by men. For example, Presiding Evangelist of the Church of God – Dr Roderick First Vice President, Evangelist, Successor to the Church of God – Mr Richard Director of the Church of God and Evangelist of Australasia – Mr Bruce Apostle, Modern Day Prophet, Anointed Teacher, Preacher, Author, Executive Producer – Dr Arthur His Holiness the Holy Father Pope Benedict XVI Patriarch of Antioch and all the east Supreme Head of the Universal Syrian Orthodox Church His Holiness Ignatius Zakka I I-was Grand Rabbi Moshe A normal person would think, “My goodness, what is wrong with all of these people? Are these people normal (psychologically stable)? Is this the hierarchy of mentally unstable people God created as per Ephesians 4:11?” The answer is NO. God did not create the above-mentioned hierarchy. Men created these huge titles by adding and subtracting and misusing God’s words. For God, apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers are all at the SAME LEVEL. He classifies them as His servants. One is not superior to another. They are to teach God’s word and are servants of God. According to modern-day churches/religious institutions, the hierarchy works as this (Figure 1): God Evangelist or Prophet or Pope or Bishop         People who want to learn the way of God According to the scriptures, this is how God works (Ephesians 4:11-12) (Figure 2)             God                           People who want to learn the way of God Evangelist or Prophet or Pope or Bishop (They are servants of God. So they have to work below the people, not above the people. They serve the people from below, not from above. If they rule from above, then they become a Nicolaitan.) When we read Ephesians 4:11-12, it clearly says, “ “And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ”. The role of all the apostles and others are for equipping the saints. The word “equipping” comes from the Greek word “katartismos” (concordance number 2677). The word means preparing fully the people. Let’s look at an example in a modern-day situation: The king gave his maids, butlers, chief of staff, secretaries and his advisors orders for the equipping of the people so that they can serve in the king’s palace. Here the king gives direct orders to his servants (maids, butlers, chief of staff, secretaries and advisors) saying, do whatever is required to serve and teach my people so that they can serve in my palace. The people over here are supposed to serve the king and not his servants. Now going back to Ephesians 4:11-12, how many apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers do you know that are willing to do the following for you? Clean your home. Clean your toilets. Give money to help you. Provide you with shelter and food. Pick you up from your home and take you to the supermarket. Help you in times of need. Cook food for you. Find a job for you. Encourage you to do great things in life. Come to your home and teach you the word of God. I am sure we all know the answer to the above question, which is, there is hardly anyone. Why is it that they do not want to do the above-mentioned things? Because then they will be seen as a servant. Since they have already appointed themselves with these huge titles like the “Presiding Evangelist of the Church of God”, how can they then do things that a servant would do? It would be an embarrassment for them. We can say from Ephesians 4:11-12 that the whole point of having apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers is to support you and teach you, that is, be a servant to you (not vice versa), so that you can come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of the Most High. Lessons from the book of 1 Corinthians — Did God appoint a hierarchy in the religious system/church? 1 Corinthians chapter 12 is always used by churches in conjunction with Ephesians chapter 4 to promote and make the church members believe that God ordained a hierarchy of rulership in the church. Let us read 1 Corinthians chapter 12 verses 1 to 31 (New King James Version) and see what is actually being said here: Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I do not want you to be ignorant:  You know that you were Gentiles, carried away to these dumb idols, however you were led.  Therefore I make known to you that no one speaking by the Spirit of God calls Jesus accursed, and no one can say that Jesus is Lord except by the Holy Spirit. There are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit.  There are differences of ministries, but the same Lord.  And there are diversities of activities, but it is the same God who works all in all.  But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all:  for to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, to another the word of knowledge through the same Spirit,  to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healings by the same Spirit,  to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another discerning of spirits, to another different kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues.  But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills. For as the body is one and has many members, but all the members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ.  For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free—and have all been made to drink into one Spirit.  For in fact the body is not one member but many. If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I am not of the body,” is it therefore not of the body?  And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I am not of the body,” is it therefore not of the body?  If the whole body were an eye, where would be the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where would be the smelling?  But now God has set the members, each one of them, in the body just as He pleased.  And if they were all one member, where would the body be? But now indeed there are many members, yet one body.  And the eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you”; nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.”  No, much rather, those members of the body which seem to be weaker are necessary.  And those members of the body which we think to be less honourable, on these we bestow greater honour; and our unpresentable parts have greater modesty,  but our presentable parts have no need. But God composed the body, having given greater honour to that part which lacks it,  that there should be no schism in the body, but that the members should have the same care for one another.  And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; or if one member is honoured, all the members rejoice with it. Now you are the body of Christ, and members individually.  And God has appointed these in the church: first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, administrations, varieties of tongues.  Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Are all workers of miracles?  Do all have gifts of healings? Do all speak with tongues? Do all interpret?  But earnestly desire the best gifts. And yet I show you a more excellent way. Translating the Greek words of 1 Corinthians 12:28   English Word Used in Bible Greek Word Concordance Number Actual Meaning of the Greek Word God theos 2316 Elohim (God) Appointed tithemi 5087 Placed Church ekklesia 1577 Called out Apostles apostolos 652 Messenger or a sent one Prophets prophetes 4396 Foreteller or an inspired speaker. This means someone who is sent by God with a divine message. Teachers didaskalos 1320 An instructor who teaches the things of God and the duties of man. Miracles dunamis 1411 Workers of miracles Gifts charisma 5486 Spiritual gift Healing iama 2386 Healing Helps antilempsis 484 Helps/helpers Administrations kubernesis 2941 To guide Varieties genos 1085 Diverse (race) Tongue glossa 1100 Languages Corrected Translation of 1 Corinthians 12:28 “For Elohim has placed among the called out people, first messengers, after them, inspired speakers, after them instructors, after them workers of miracles, after them spiritual gifts of healing and helpers, and guides, and diverse languages.” When we read 1 Corinthians chapter 12 in its context, we understand that all of the messengers work as one to bring people into the body of the Messiah. Everyone is to look after each other and help each other. 1 Corinthians 12:28 is not talking about a hierarchy; it is talking about the gifts that Elohim gives to “His servants” so that they can support other members of the body and thus we all become one in the body of the Messiah. What did Elohim teach about serving His people? We can understand from the study of scriptures that Elohim did not create a hierarchy where men will be ruled by men. All of these ideologies came from the father and founder of a hierarchical form of government, and that was Nimrod. In today’s modern-day version of Christianity, ministers behave like tyrants who abuse their power under the banner of “I am appointed by God” and end up as abusive ministers who disfellowship those who do not conform to their manmade laws and standards. They rule their congregations like they are “god” and like to say, “You do what we tell you to do as we are appointed by God”. Let us now look at the scriptures and see the issues that God has with ministers who under the banner of shepherds were ruling over God’s people unjustly in the Tanakh (Old Testament) and in the Messianic writings (New Testament). “Woe to the shepherds who destroy and scatter the sheep of My pasture! says YHWH.  Therefore thus says the YHWH God of Israel against the shepherds who feed My people: You have scattered My flock, driven them away, and not attended to them. Behold, I will attend to you for the evil of your doings says YHWH” (Jeremiah 23:1-2). We can see in Jeremiah 23:1-2 that these shepherds (modern-day ministers, pastors, evangelists, prophets, priests, pope, bishops) were not doing their duty of being a servant. They were ruling over God’s people unjustly and not attending to their needs. They were only attending to their needs. That is, as long as these modern-day ministers have food to eat and a house to live in, that is all that matters to them. What did Elohim tell to these ministers? He will take revenge on these unrighteous ministers for the evil that they do to God’s sheep (God’s people). “For both prophet and priest are profane; Yes, in My house I have found their wickedness, says YHWH. Therefore their way shall be to them Like slippery ways; In the darkness they shall be driven on And fall in them; For I will bring disaster on them, The year of their punishment, says YHWH. And I have seen folly in the prophets of Samaria: They prophesied by Baal and caused My people Israel to err” (Jeremiah 23:11-13). In Jeremiah 23:11-13, we can see that YHWH is accusing both priests and prophets for being profane. The reason is that they are telling wrong things to the children of Israel and are causing them to sin. This is the same issue we have with modern-day ministers and evangelists. Their teachings are totally contrary to the inspired scriptures. As long as you are part of their social club, you are safe. The moment you start questioning their teachings, you are marked to be disfellowshipped. YHWH then says in Jeremiah 23:16, “Do not listen to the words of the prophets who prophesy to you, they lead you astray. They speak a vision of their own heart, not from the mouth of YHWH”. In Jeremiah 23:16, God is telling people, “Do not follow these false prophets, they say that they are sent by me (God), but they are not from me (God)”. Then we read in Jeremiah 23:21, “I did not send these prophets, yet they ran. I have not spoken to them, yet they prophesied”. God’s people were facing the same problem even in the time of Jeremiah. They were all being deceived by false prophets/priests. This is the same situation we have in this generation. Jeremiah the prophet, a man sent by God, has a stern warning for today’s ministers and evangelists who claim to be appointed by God, but are not, and are appointed by men. Read the whole chapter of Jeremiah 23 to find out the judgement pronounced on modern-day ministers by YHWH. Ezekiel the prophet was inspired by YHWH to tell a message to the shepherds of Israel who claim they are appointed by God. “Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Yisrael, prophesy against the shepherds of Yisrael, prophesy and say to them, Thus said the Master YHWH to the shepherds, ‘Woe to the shepherds of Yisrael who have been feeding themselves! Should not the shepherds feed the flock?’” (Ezekiel 34:2). Ezekiel 34:2 is a slap on the face of modern-day ministers and evangelists. That is why when they (today’s ministers) come to Ezekiel chapter 34 they skip that chapter, because they know that God is talking about them. We have a big problem with verse 2. It says, “Should not the shepherds feed the flock?” When was the last time the minister in your congregation asked you, “Do you have food to eat, do you need any sort of financial help from me, how can I help you to get you a job, and how can I serve you”? You will not hear this from your minister. Why? Because as long as they get fed, and they have a house to live in, that is all that counts. We strongly recommend you to read the full chapter of Ezekiel 34, as this is the judgment pronounced by God on the modern-day evangelists and ministers. We need to ask the question, what did Yehoshua HaMashiach tell his disciples when they serve His people?  Matthew 20: 25 to 28 is an instruction that God gave to all of His true disciples on not to practice a Nicolaitan hierarchy and to be true servants. “Yehoshua HaMashiach (Jesus Christ) called them near and said, you know that the rulers of the nations are masters over them, and those who are great exercise authority over them. But it shall be not be so among you, but whoever wishes to become great among you, let him be your servant, even as the Son of Adam did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many”. Is your priest, minister, evangelist ready to be your servant? Can they come and help you in your home? We all know the answer to this question! They want you to serve them, because they have exalted themselves with great titles that it is a shame for them to do a servant’s job. The ministers and evangelists have made their church members slaves so that they can serve them and their exalted positions of authority and power in the church, and what have the ministers produced in return? They have produced zero spiritual fruits and have done nothing in perfecting the saints. One thing that they have mastered or have a PhD is in creating a hierarchy of Nicolaitans and twisting and perverting God's scriptures. The apostle Peter in 1 Peter 5 wrote on how members of the body of the Messiah need to look after each other. His instructions were specifically for the elders (modern-day ministers and evangelists) who were teaching God’s people. Let us now read 1 Peter 5: “Therefore, as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Messiah, and also a sharer of the esteem that is to be revealed, I appeal to the elders among you. Shepherd the flock of Elohim which is among you, serving as overseers, not by compulsion but voluntarily, not out of greed for filthy gain, but eagerly, Neither as being masters over those entrusted you, but being examples of the flock” (1 Peter 5:1-3). So what should God’s true shepherds do? They must serve the flock and should not rule over them. The word “masters” used here comes from the Greek word “katakurieuo”, concordance number 2634. The actual meaning in Greek is to bring under one’s power or exercise authority over someone. We now have a big problem here. How many church ministers/evangelists do you know who do not exercise authority over their congregation? The problem we have in today’s churches is that people love to rule over others. That is why they automatically become a Nicolaitan, because they love to do what their Father Nimrod did.   One would have to ask the question, so who has to lead God’s people? How can church leaders not be the head of man and lead them to the truth? Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 11 verse 3 declares, “And I wish you to know that the head of every man is the Messiah, and the head of woman is the man, and the head of Messiah is Elohim”. So who should we follow? We must follow the Messiah who by the power of the Holy Spirit will lead us to the truth. This begs the question, why did Apostle Paul did not mention church leaders in this verse? If there was a hierarchical rule, then the above verse should have stated the head of every man is the church leaders. Paul here is making it clear   that man is accountable to God, along with his additional accountability, when man takes a wife. God the Father and Yehoshua HaMashiach are the creators and have all authority. Man and woman are the creation, and are accountable to their creators. There is no place for any other authority or a chain of command as of a hierarchical ministry to come between God and man. God only permits ministers to be helpers if they have truly qualified themselves to be helpers in these God creator and man creation relationships; otherwise they will be judged severely. Playing religion, church and ruling over God’s people that is seen in all churches is like a spiritual epidemic infection. It eventually spreads without notice, until one day you realise that you have spiritual tumours in your whole body. This eventually leads you to the path of destruction and death. The spirit of Nimrod and religious deception is alive and well, and thriving in this end-time generation. The final question that you need to ask yourself is, do you want to be part of this religious system or are you willing to come out of it and follow the Messiah? What is the master plan of the father of Nicolaitans? Nimrod is the father and founder of Nicolaitans whose sole purpose in life was to enslave people and take them away from God. He was a mighty hunter who was in the face of Yahweh.  In order to understand his (Nimrod’s) master plan, we need to go back in time and read what his plan was. The book of Jasher is considered by most Bible scholars to be an inspired book that was removed from the scriptures. The book of Jasher is talked about in the scriptures. “So the sun stood still, And the moon stopped, Till the people had revenge Upon their enemies. Is this not written in the Book of Jasher? So the sun stood still in the midst of heaven, and did not hasten to go down for about a whole day” (Joshua 10:13). “and he told them to teach the children of Judah the Song of the Bow; indeed it is written in the Book of Jasher” (2 Samuel 1:18): We need to ask the question, why was the book of Jasher removed from the scriptures? While this itself is a study paper of its own, we will discuss this vital topic when we talk about the Book of Jasher some other time. We will now look into the Book of Jasher and see the Master Plan of Nimrod. Master Plan of Nimrod -To bring the world as one and to set up a government to rule over men, the beginning of one-world government “And when Nimrod had joyfully returned from battle, after having conquered his enemies, all his brethren, together with those who knew him before, assembled to make him king over them, and they placed the regal crown upon his head (verse 39). And he (Nimrod) set over his subjects and people, princes, judges and rulers, as is the custom amongst kings (verse 40). And Nimrod dwelt in Shinar, and he reigned securely, and he fought with his enemies and he subdued them, and he prospered in all his battles, and his kingdom became very great (verse 44). And all the nations and tongues heard of his fame, and they gathered themselves to him, and they bowed down to the earth, and they brought him offerings, and he became their lord and king, and they all dwelt with him in the city at Shinar, and Nimrod reigned in the earth over all the sons of Noah, and they were all under his power and counsel” (verse 45) (The Ancient Book of Jasher by Ken Johnson, Jasher chapter 7, Page 17-18, Nimrod’s invasion begins). Nimrod’s one-world government ideology — How this will be carried from one generation to the another, until its final fulfilment. People should put their trust in men and not in God. Remove the dependence of men from God so that men can depend on men for their needs. Appoint rulers, princes and judges to rule over men. By this, man shall depend on appointed governments of that land for their needs. Build towers all throughout every generation that will replace the worship of the true God of heaven. By this way, man will start honouring and worshiping other men, deities, and idols as their god. Build high-raised towers everywhere in the world as a reminder that men rule over men and we are not ruled by God. Bring back the world under one-world government: so that man can have one government, one language, one financial monetary system, one religious system, one healthcare system, one housing system, one education system and one system to rule over all men. By this way, man will no longer depend on God for anything. Desecrate and destroy everything that God made perfect. My (Nimrod) plans should be carried from one generation to another in every walk of life (finance, housing, education, healthcare, food, religion), so that one day it shall come true in its final days. The aim of the plan is to banish the name of God forever and destroy God, so that man will not worship God anymore because He (God) destroyed our forefathers in the great flood. In conclusion, what we can say from this study paper is that God never ordained a government and this whole notion of government came from the Father of Nicolaitans, Nimrod. We need to ask ourselves whether we want to be a part this modern-day church/synagogue system before this whole system falls and burns to the ground. Judgment is coming as given in the book of Revelation to this system that has put men into slavery. That is why Revelation 18:2-5 says: “And he cried mightily with a loud voice, saying, ‘Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and has become a dwelling place of demons, a prison for every foul spirit, and a cage for every unclean and hated bird!  For all the nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth have become rich through the abundance of her luxury.’  And I heard another voice from heaven saying, ‘Come out of her, my people, lest you share in her sins, and lest you receive of her plagues.  For her sins have reached to heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities’”. Tower of Babel — Nimrod’s Master Plan (this plan would be carried from generation to generation until its final fulfilment). This painting was done by Pieter Bruegel the Elder in 1563. It is officially displayed in Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna, Austria.     Tower of Babel — Nimrod’s Master Plan Established by the European Union (official poster published by the EU) Tower of Babel — Nimrod’s Master Plan Comes True (European Union Parliament inaugurated in December 1999 in Strasbourg, France. A Central Power to bring Europe as one) Nimrod’s one-world government ideology — How this will be carried from one generation to the another, until its final fulfilment.   Hierarchy of a Religious Church — For example, Roman Catholic Church (Example of a Nicolaitan Structure)     Hierarchy of a Religious Church — For example, Church of God (Example of a Nicolaitan Structure)     We at Messianic Jews Natsarenes dedicate this study paper to our brothers and sisters who lost their faith in God because of unrighteous greedy ministers/evangelists who, over many years, destroyed the love they had in God by exercising authority over them. Be at peace, brothers and sisters. We will see you when our Righteous King and Judge Yehoshua HaMashiach returns. Links Our Beliefs Resources on Scriptures Articles on Scriptures   Experts on Scriptures (Bible/Torah) Contact Us © 2018, Messianic Jews Natsarenes. All Rights Reserved.Designed By BitraNet