The Bible says that satan's seat was located at Pergamos because the Bible teaches us that satan dwelled in that city. Why does the Bible say that satan's seat was at Pergamos, and that satan dwelled there? The Bible says that the first religion of this world emerged in Babylon. Babylon was created by satan, and through it, satan rebelled against God. In Babylon, people worshipped Ishtar as the queen of heaven, and the Babylonian religion worshipped the Sun. The Babylonian religion was the focus of all life in the kingdom of Babylon because the religion had an impact on everyone. satan's seat is where the Babylonian religion is because satan is the ruler of the Babylonian religion. Xerxes, the king of Persia, destroyed Babylon and its temples in around 487 BC. In around 480 BC, the priests of Babylon left Babylon and relocated to Asia Minor. They chose the city of Pergamos as their base. In 133 BC, Pergamos was joined to the Imperium of Rome. The priests of Babylon and their religion did not remain in Pergamos because they relocated to the city of Rome where they continued their religion. Because the Babylonian religion moved from Babylon to Pergamos, the Bible says that satan's seat was at Pergamos and that satan dwelled there.

In addition, Pergamos was the center of healing of the Greek snake god called Asclepius. The teaching of a cosmic snake also existed in Babylon. This is another example of the similarities between Pergamos and Babylon. In Pergamos, people believed that snakes carried the healing power of the snake god. In fact, the doctrine in Pergamos was satanic deception, i.e. a Babylonian doctrine of a cosmic snake - currently known by the name "kundalini force" or "kundalini energy"; this force/energy has an impact on people in extreme charismatic circles, and leads them astray.

Rev 2:14 But I have a few things against thee, because thou hast there them that hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balac to cast a stumblingblock before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed unto idols, and to commit fornication.

Balaam tempted Israelites to eat things sacrificed unto idols and to commit fornication.

Num 31:16 Behold, these caused the children of Israel, through the counsel of Balaam, to commit trespass against the LORD in the matter of Peor, and there was a plague among the congregation of the LORD.

Num 24:25 And Balaam rose up, and went and returned to his place: and Balak also went his way.

Num 25:
1 ¶ And Israel abode in Shittim, and the people began to commit whoredom with the daughters of Moab.
2 And they called the people unto the sacrifices of their gods: and the people did eat, and bowed down to their gods.
3 And Israel joined himself unto Baalpeor: and the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel.

The people of Israel transgressed and started to serve the idols of the Moabites and Midians. This was not only whoredom with the Moabites because the people of Israel also transgressed to make sacrifices to the idols of the Moabites, to eat food sacrificed to idols, to worship idols and to commit whoredom with the daughters of Moab. In very many cases in the Old or New Covenant, it is so that when the people of God transgressed or transgress to worship idols, the outcome of that is both physical and spiritual fornication. In spiritual fornication, people are spiritually connected to demonic spirits, and this leads them to commit fleshly sexual sins.

The spirit of the Babylonian religion existed in the church of Pergamos, and also a range of other (different religions and beliefs) ways and forms of idol worship that emerged from it. That is why demonic spirits lured some members of the church of Pergamos to commit physical and spiritual fornication. The same risk also prevails in this day and age because if and when believers get lost, assuming that miracles and doctrines by demonic spirits are done by God and that they are Biblical doctrine, their hearts are polluted by spiritual fornication, and it may also result in physical fornication.

The works and doctrine of the Nicolaitans

Rev 2:
15 So hast thou also them that hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitans, which thing I hate.
16 Repent; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth.

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

When we read verses 14 and 15 of Chapter 2 of Revelation, we can see that the doctrine of the Nicolaitans is the same thing as the doctrine of Balaam, i.e. things sacrificed unto idols, and committing fornication. Jesus says that he hates the works of the Nicolaitans. Why does Jesus particularly say that he hates the works of the Nicolaitans? Is the hatred only because the Nicolaitans were teaching the doctrine of Balaam? Personally, I believe that Jesus' hatred towards the works of the Nicolaitans was particularly due to the doctrine of Balaam. Before we start studying why Jesus hates the works of the Nicolaitans, we should see what the Nicolaitans represented and what they taught.

People who lived after the era of the early church, such as Irenaeus (around 120-202 AD), said that the word "Nicolaitan" originates from Nicolas who was one of the seven church servants in the early church (Acts 6:5). Some say that Nicolas gave up his faith and founded the sect of the Nicolaitans. This is only an assumption, not certain - the Bible does not teach that Nicolas gave up his faith or that he founded a sect of his own. Irenaeus said that the doctrines of the Nicolaitans consisted of lawlessness and wild sexual intercourse with women, and eating things sacrificed unto idols. Tertullian (about 155-230 AD) said that the Nicolaitans were a Gnostic sect.

Some teach that the name “Nicolaitan” is a metaphor that is equal to the Balaamites because of nikos, i.e. the Greek word for “victory” and laos, i.e. the Greek word for “people”, which would correspond to the Hebrew word “Bilam” (“Balaam”) which means “destruction of people” and "not of the people". According to this doctrine, the Nicolaitans were Balaamites, i.e. destroyers of men because they committed fornication and worshipped idols.

The Greek word for “Nicolaitan” is nikolaites, which means “the destruction of men”, the “conquering men” or “reigning over men”. I believe that the word “Nicolaitan” equals “Balaamite” even if the Nicolaitans would have been led by a man called “Nicolas” because verses 14 and 15 in Chapter 2 of Revelation considers the doctrine of Balaam to be equal to the works of the Nicolaitans. The word “Nicolaitan” gives us a hint of this being activity through which people are reigned over and they are made subordinate to victory and power. The word “bileam” (“bilam” in Hebrew stems from the word “bal” for “no” and “am” for “people”. Chapter 2 of Revelation says that satan’s seat is located at Pergamos - the seat being there means that the people in that particular city engaged in the first religion in the world, i.e. the Babylonian religion, which included Sun worship. The same chapter also teaches us of the doctrine of Balaam, which made Israel bow down to (to worship) the idols of the Moabites. The Moabites worshipped the sun god and the Sun, among other things.

The works of the Nicolaitans were physical and spiritual fornication, which also included the doctrines of Balaam, and the doctrines and Sun worship of the Babylonian religion. In addition, the word “Nicolaitan” stems from the words nikos for “victory” and laos for “people”. The word nikolaites means “destruction of people” and “to conquer over people” and “to reign over the people” which means that among the Nicolaitans, there was a doctrine according to which the people had to obey and were made subordinate to a false priesthood and leadership. When we study the cult and religion (sun worship, and worshipping the queen of heaven) originating from Babylon, we can see that one of its main traits were its priests who controlled people, reigned over them through religion and made people subordinate to believing and worshipping the sun god and other idols. The word “Nicolaitan” (nikolaites) gives us a clear hint of reigning over people through religious doctrines and works.

Lord Jesus commanded the church of Pergamos to repent, which means that those subordinate to and involved in the works and doctrines of the Nicolaitans were to repent and the church also was to remove those from among the church, who refused to repent of the works and doctrine of the Nicolaitans.

2 Ki 23:5 And he put down the idolatrous priests, whom the kings of Judah had ordained to burn incense in the high places in the cities of Judah, and in the places round about Jerusalem; them also that burned incense unto Baal, to the sun, and to the moon, and to the planets, and to all the host of heaven.

The Bible teaches us that Baal worship also included Sun worship, etc. According to the Bible, Balaam led Israel to be unfaithful towards the Lord, and as a consequence, the people of Israel started to engage in sexual sins with the daughters of Moab and to worship and bow down to the idols of the Moabites who worshipped Baal and the Sun. Archaeologists found an engraving in Jordan in 1967. The engraving dates back to approximately 700 BC. It has been assumed that the site is the main place where people engaged in “holy” temple prostitution. The engraving says this:

1 Scroll of [Ba]laam [son of Beo]r, the man seeing the gods; behold, the gods came to him at night, and [spoke to] him 2 according to these words, and they said to [Balaa]m son of Beor thus: “The last flame has appeared; a fire for judgment has appeared.”3 And Balaam arose in the morning, [2] days, [...] [ ], and cou[ld not eat], and he wept 4 abundantly. And his people came up to him and they [said] to Balaam son of Beor: “Why are you fasting and why are you weeping?” And he 5 said to them: “Sit! [1] I'll show you what the Sh[addayin] [2] are [. . . . . . . . . . . . .], and come, consider the doings of the gods.” 6 The gods have gathered together, and the Shaddayin have held an assembly, and they have said to Sh[ama]sh[3]: ‘Sew up, close the sky with your cloud! [Let] darkness be there, and not bright7ness, shadow and not radiance; For you'll strike terror [with the cl]oud of darkness, and do not make noise ever but [instead??] the passer, b- 8 -at, eagle, and peli[can], vultures, ostrich, st[ork], young of falcons, owl, chicks of heron, dove, bird-of-prey, 9 pigeon and sparrow. [every bird of the s]kies ... [on earth?] below where the stick led the ewes, hares have eaten 10 [tog]ether [fr]eely….’”

The archaeological finding reveals that Balaam worshipped a sun god called Shamash. Gilgamesh, a book from Babylon, covers the blessing of Shamash. The word “Shamash” means “the Sun”. There have been arguments for and against in regard to whether the above text is about Shamash or not. However, the finding is clearly linked to the sun god who was to shut out light by means of darkness. The finding tells us that Balaam was the son of Peor who worshipped idols. The Bible says that Balaam was the son of Peor who led the people of Israel to worship the idols of the Moabites who worshipped the sun. Both the above finding and the Bible show that Balaam engaged in sun worship. In Revelation, Lord Jesus considers the works of the Nicolaitans to be equal with the doctrine of Balaam so we can also say that the doctrine of the Nicolaitans included sun worship as well as physical and spiritual fornication.

The Roman Catholic Church has inherited the Babylonian religion, and the church openly shows emblems and symbols related to sun worship. St. Peter’s square in the Vatican has a large, eight-spoked sun wheel which is a pagan symbol. In the centre of the wheel, there is a large obelisk which Caesar Caligula brought from Heliopolis to Rome. Obelisks were also used in sun worship. In the middle of St. Peter’s square, there also is a small four-spoked sun wheel which is of the same shape and type as an altar of stone, depicting Hasor, in the temple of Baal. Shamash was a Mesopotamian sun god who was worshipped in Accadia, Assyria and Babylon. This cult of sun worship included the sacrificing of drinks to an idol called Shamash. In the Eucharist (Holy Communion) of the Roman Catholic Church, the attendees carry a symbol of the Sun and again and again sacrifice Jesus in the sacrifice of wine and bread.

The Babylonian sun god cult also included priests who reigned over the people through religion and made them subordinate through it. The Catholic church teaches that its priests work through the sacrament of matrimony in the person of Christ, which means that according to the doctrine of the Catholic church, Catholic priests have the authority to operate in the power and person of Christ Himself (Catholic Catechism 1548, 1563). The word “Nicolaitan” gives us a hint of there being - among the Nicolaitans - a doctrine and the idea of leadership through which the church was made subordinate and were forced to accept the teachings of the leaders. The Greek word nikolaites (Nicolaite) means: “one that reigns over people, conqueror of the people, destroyer of people and one that subdues people. The word nikolaites is from nikos (“victory”, “to be victorious” and laos (“people”).

Based on everything stated above, we can say that the Nicolaitans engaged in sun worship, and their leaders reigned over and forced the church to share the beliefs of the leaders and to believe in their teachings.

1 Pet 5:
1 ¶ The elders which are among you I exhort, who am also an elder, and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed:
2 Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind;
3 Neither as being lords over God’s heritage, but being ensamples to the flock.
4 And when the chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away.

The Bible teaches us that church leaders, i.e. elders, shall not reign over the church as lords. In addition, the Bible says that we should examine everything which also means that the church shall examine the teachings of church leaders by comparing them to the Bible. Reigning over churches through one or more leaders is not right as it leads the church away from being subordinate to the chief Shepherd, i.e. Lord Jesus, to be subordinate to men and to be under the dominion of men.

Lord Jesus hated the works of the Nicolaitans because they taught the doctrines of Balaam (sun worship, physical and spiritual fornication) and took the place of the chief Shepherd (Lord Jesus) by themselves leading the church, controlling and reigning over the church. The Nicolaitans also engaged in false priesthood and leadership, which is the most clearly shown in the Roman Catholic Church, but it also has an impact among believers where one man leads the church and is higher than the elders. In that way, one man takes the place of the chief Shepherd (Lord Jesus). The works and doctrines of the Nicolaitans are based in the satanic Babylonian religion which Lord Jesus hates because it is the mother of all religions and deceptions.

Petri Paavola from Finland

References:
Raamattu 33/38
Biblia 1776
King James Version 1769
Katolinen katekismus 2005
jewishchristianlit.com/Texts/ANEproph/aneBalaam
ancienthistory.about.com/od/cgodsandgoddesses/a/chemosh
newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Shamash
cbn.com/700club/seat-satan-ancient-pergamum