When I was still a member of the Roman Catholic
Church I recognized two distinct categories of people and these were the
priests and the laymen. The priest was a custodian of the Word of God and even
absolved the Papists of their sins. When I was still among the Papists I did
not question the hierarchical religious priesthood since I never knew much
about the Bible in the first place. Later on when I started studying the Word
of God I discovered that a special class of priests was not mentioned in the
New Testament. The priests are mentioned as a special category separate from
the rest of the congregation only in the Old Testament. The Priests were chosen
from the tribe of Levi and were the direct descendants of Aaron (Exodus 29:29).
The Priests of the Old Testament had various duties including offering
sacrifices, keeping the light burning in the temple, blowing the war trumpets,
mediating cases and instructing the people in the law. The one scripture that
summarizes their main duty states that, "For every high priest taken from
among men is ordained for men in things pertaining to God, that he may offer
both gifts and sacrifices for sins" (Hebrews 5:1). This shows us that
since men could not reach God directly in the Old Testament they had to pass
through the priest who would offer a sacrifice that would cover the sins of the
transgressors.
Throughout the New Testament, in the early church no
mention is made of a special order of priests distinguished from the rest of
the body of Christ. The root of this priestly fiasco is mentioned in Revelation
where Jesus spoke about one of the doctrines that he hated most, "So hast
thou also them that hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitans, which thing I
hate" (Revelation 2:15). The doctrines of the Nicolaitans can be derived
from the meaning of the Greek word “Nikolaiton” which means victory over the
common people or victory over the laity. The word also means destruction of the
people. This was a dangerous doctrine that resulted into the abominable deeds
of the Nicolaitans which Jesus firmly said He also hates (Revelation 2:6).
"John Gill's Exposition of the Entire
Bible" states that the doctrine of the Nicolaitans seems to design the
doctrines of the church of Rome, which in this period took place; which forbid
marriage to the priests, and recommended celibacy and virginity to others also;
which were the source of all uncleanness and abominable lusts; for which
pardons and indulgences were given, and, in process of time, brothel houses
were set up, and licensed and encouraged by authority. The doctrines of the
Nicolaitans included the destruction of the laity through denying them an
opportunity to study the Bible for themselves and limiting their Biblical
knowledge to what they heard from the seclusive and mysterious Priestly order.
The Nicolaitans also mixed several pagan rites with the Christian ceremonies.
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