Welcome to Thus Say the Prophets!
The Revelation of Y'shua the Anointed:
A Study into the Noahide Nazarene Way
By Ben Ruach ha Kodesh (John of AllFaith) © 9.16.09 (3.15.08)
Chapter Two: Part 1
Go to the index page for: The Revelation of Y'shua the Anointed
The Seven Periods of the Church
In the second and third chapters of the Revelation of Y'shua the Anointed we learn that the Way, the Movement begun by Master Y'shua, would be replaced by the Universal Church and pass through seven distinct periods of time before finally being rejected by God and man. This information is presented using seven local assemblies as metaphor. These seven assemblies or "churches" existed in the cities referenced, but the prophetic meaning is deeper, signifying the future of the Way and its falling away from the God of Israel. We are currently living in the seventh and final of these church periods as we will see in the next chapter. As we continue with our verse by verse study of the Revelation we will examine each of the Seven Church periods and their approximate dates. These dates are given only as markers. The distinguishing traits of each period bleeds over into the others in the continuous flow of time. This list should not therefore be taken as giving exact dates for the periods they reference. In this presentation the Master addresses those who hold true to his Way. Hopefully this includes you.
Much of this information is difficult to hear however as the Beast will soon rise it is vital that those Believers of sincere faith understand these things. I invite your comments.
The Church of Ephesus:
70 CE - 170 CE: As the Jews, including the followers of Y'shua the Anointed, were expelled from Zion (as the Master predicted in Matthew 24) the followers of the Way spread throughout the Empire. Wherever they went they shared the Gospel (Good News) of Y'shua among the people and many entered into the Noahide Nazarene Way. However as time passed they also confronted progressively stiff opposition from the Roman Pagans who regarded the Way as a serious threat.
In time the persecutions and depredations they faced became horrendous and many were forced to go underground. As we go through these two chapters examining how the Way of Y'shua became the Church of Rome we will do well to bear this in mind. These were generally good people facing extreme circumstances and as Fox's Book of Martyrs makes clear, millions of Believers throughout the Church Age met these challenges with admirable faith and courage. In my opinion all sincere Believers today should read the exploits recorded in Fox's Book of Martyrs to prepare themselves for what is coming soon.
As time passed and the Believers found themselves increasingly isolated, some of them began embracing regional non-Abrahamic doctrines, sometimes out of necessity, sometimes out of genuine lack of scriptural knowledge. They did this for many reasons. For instance some, having lost their homes and finding themselves dispersed throughout the world, universally hated, began to compromise their beliefs and accept doctrines never taught by the Master nor the Hebrew Scriptures he honored. By such compromises they eased their sense of isolation and found limited acceptance from the Pagan public among whom they lived. As more and more Pagans converted to the Way their traditions came with them. The Way lacked clear leadership and many who claimed to be emissaries or teachers of the Way had ulterior motives or simply lacked true knowledge.
Then there were those Way intellectuals and opportunists who gave themselves over to the error of Balaam and intentionally sold out the Movement for a few pieces of silver and a bit of clout with the Roman authorities.
However during this period most of the Believers remained true for the most part. As we are told:
Revelation 2:1 "To the angel of the assembly [i.e. prophetic church period] in Ephesus write: "He who holds the seven stars in his right hand, he who walks among the seven golden menorahs [candelabra] says these things:
2:2 "I know your works and your toil and perseverance, and that you can't tolerate evil men and have tested those who call themselves emissaries but are not, and found them to be false. 2:3 You have perseverance and have endured for my name's sake, and have not grown weary. 2:4 But I have this against you, that you left your first love. 2:5 Remember therefore from where you have fallen, and repent and do the first works; or else I am coming to you swiftly, and will move your menorah out of its place, unless you repent. 2:6 But this you have, that you hate the works of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. 2:7 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the assemblies. To him who overcomes I will give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the Paradise of my God.
During this first church period there were still many devout followers of the Way and they were struggling to maintain the true faith of the Master's reformed Jewish movement. Others however were claiming to be emissaries (apostolos or apostles in this sense means delegates, representatives etc.) of the Master when in fact they were introducing foreign doctrines and leading the Believers astray. Chief among these heretics were the Nicolaitanes (Nicolaitans or Nicolaites) who we encounter here for the first time.
While neither the texts we have today in the Bible nor external sources positively identifies this movement, we do have clear information about their beliefs that makes their identity certain. We know that this sub-sect of Way followers (from verse 14 below) held to "the error of Balaam." The error of Balaam is the merging of Judaism with other religions and their rites, thus leading them astray from the God of Israel. Typically this deception was carried out for greed and clout. Throughout the Hebrew Scriptures we see this trend as the Jews went astray and worshiped Baal, Ashtaroth and other Pagan gods. Now this trend is beginning to be seen in the assemblies of Y'shua.
The Error of Balaam
Jude 11 Woe to them! For they went in the way of Cain, and ran riotously in the error of Balaam for hire, and perished in Korah`s rebellion.
12 These are hidden rocky reefs in your love feasts when they feast with you, shepherds who without fear feed themselves; clouds without water, carried along by winds; autumn leaves without fruit, twice dead, plucked up by the roots;
13 wild waves of the sea, foaming out their own shame; wandering stars, for whom the blackness of darkness has been reserved forever.
14 To these also Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied, saying, "Behold, the Lord came with ten thousands of his holy ones,
15 to execute judgment on all, and to convict all the ungodly of all their works of ungodliness which they have done in an ungodly way, and of all the hard things which ungodly sinners have spoken against him."
That the Nicolaitan error was already being seen and opposed by the Apostles is here made clear. As the Believers met for their Sabbath "Love Feasts" these heresies were already being quietly murmured. The Nicolaitanes understood the potential the Movement had and were plotting ways to enhance its clout with Rome, the world power.
II Peter 2:1 But there also arose false prophets among the people, as among you also there will be false teachers, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, denying even the Master [despotes] who bought them, bringing on themselves swift destruction.
Just as there were false prophets among their Jewish ancestors, Peter warns, so too those who held to the error of Balaam were present within the Way assemblies of his day. He warns that their numbers were growing and would continue to do so. As this first Church Period drew to a close the error of Balaam, the Nicolaitan heresies, were advancing like dangerous reefs in the sea and threatened to sink the ship of the Way.
HaShem is the God of the whole world. There is no God aside or beside Him!
HaShem is One:
Deuteronomy 6:4 Hear, Israel: Yahweh is our God; Yahweh is one
Y'shua the Anointed taught that while the Jews hold a special relation with HaShem, there are also non-Jewish sheep in God's pastures as well:
John 10:16 I have other sheep, which are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will hear my voice. They will become one flock with one shepherd.
The Master is clear however that had come solely to call for the restoration of the House of Israel:
Matthew 15:24 But he answered, "I wasn't sent to anyone but the lost sheep of the house of Israel."
Following his resurrection from the dead however, the Master extended his ministry to the Gentiles, including the Noahides, inviting anyone and everyone who would accept to join with the "Tree of Israel" (Romans 11) and embrace his Jewish teachings and movement:
Matthew 28:19 Go, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 28:20 teaching them to observe all things that I commanded you. Behold, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Amen.
Noahide (non-Jewish followers of HaShem) followers of Y'shua the Anointed are called upon to conform to the image and beliefs of our Master (Rom 8:29). Those who embrace his reformed Jewish teachings are "grafted onto the tree of Israel" as Paul explains in some detail at Romans 11.
The Nicolaitanes however, following the error of Balaam, were separating the Believers from the Tree of Israel and leading them away from Judaism and into a religious synthesis that was the hallmark of Roman religion.
As is well known, whenever the Roman Empire conquered a people their gods were merged into the Roman pantheon. The Jews had determinedly resisted this since first encountering the Romans and thus regularly angered the Roman religious authorities. These Roman Pagans railed: How dare these Jews lift their god above the gods of Rome and its divine emperor!" The Nicolaitanes however were crafty and sought to merge the God of Israel, through the Way Movement, with Rome and thereby establish a Universal ("catholic") Church under their control and sovereign authority. Doubtless many of these Church fathers were pursuing this course with the best of intentions, seeking to expand the Way and bring salvation to the world. These words are not intended to be accusatory of the intentions of most of these men. We must ask however, at what point does all the doctrinal compromising made by the Nicolaitanes for political and religious harmony become heresy? Under their influence of their teachings the Way ceased to resemble Judaism and took on more and more Pagan-like doctrines. As one reads the writings of the various "Church Fathers" it is abundantly clear that what they were intending to do was reformulate the Way and make it more harmonious with Western philosophic and religious paradigms.
This first Church period precedes the creation of the Roman Papacy but in the Nicolaitanes we see the origins of what soon became the Universal Christian Religion.
The Church of Smyrna:
