Nicolaitan means a follower of Nicolas, derived from the Greek words nikos, meaning conqueror or destroyer, and laos, meaning people. The original Nicolas was a conqueror or destroyer of the people. Some consider this Nicolas to be Nimrod, the archrebel who conquered the people and established a man-made civilization shortly after the Flood. While alive, Nimrod positioned himself in the place of God, and after his death, his followers worshipped him as a divine hero, calling him Baal, meaning master or lord. Another name for Nimrod, used in Asia Minor, was Santa, which is linked to Santa Claus, a shortened form of Santa Nicholas or Saint Nicholas. Many unknowingly honor this Nicholas through customs associated with December 25, originally the Saturnalia or birthday of Nimrod, though these practices have been renamed to appear innocent. Others believe the Nicolas referenced in Revelation 2 is a different man, a proselyte from Antioch ordained as a deacon early in the church's history, who later followed Gnostic teachings, became an ascetic, and led many to adopt his new doctrine.

Nicolaitanism is a belief system that results in ungodly behavior. Christ hates it vehemently. Papers defined Nicolaitanism as the belief and practice of hierarchical government with an emphasis on tithing and using a paid ministry. This definition derives from the meaning of the word Nicolaos in Greek as conqueror of the people. Nicolaos may have nothing to do with Nicolaitan doctrine. The meaning of Nicolaos is not necessarily negative. The name has a military association not a governmental one. Nicolaos nowhere suggests any form of government. Limiting Nicolaitanism to hierarchical government is arbitrary and subjective. The Bible itself does not define Nicolaitanism. Nicolas is a Hellenist who possessed a Greek education and maintained a more liberal outlook regarding keeping the law. Nicolas is a proselyte from Antioch. The city's cosmopolitan population and material wealth provided an apt setting for cultural exchange and religious syncretism. Nicolas himself was a moral man. Though sincere and devout he came to believe that the only way to grow spiritually was to consider his body and its desires as unimportant. His fundamental doctrine appears to have been the flesh must be treated with contempt. Over the years this teaching took on a more Gnostic spin. Since the flesh is unimportant even contemptible what one does in the flesh is of no consequence. Spiritual life growth and ultimately salvation occur in the soul and since God is spirit He has no regard for the flesh. At some point in its early history Nicolaitanism evolved from an ascetic philosophy to a licentious one. The doctrine of the Nicolaitans is the same basic heresy as the doctrine of Balaam under different guises. Nicolaitanism and Balaamism are biblical symbols or representatives of the larger Gnostic antinomian influence on Christianity. This antinomian influence will remain until His return. Jesus is more concerned about the antinomian spirit the attitude of lawlessness that allows these sins to infest the church. When members of the church teach and practice that they are not obliged to keep the laws of God sin will inevitably break out vigorously. When this occurs Christians are no longer under grace but under the penalty of the law and the wrath of the Judge.

Nicolaitanism appears within the broader examination of Christ's letters to the seven churches of Revelation 2-3, letters that function as divine evaluations mixing commendation with correction for every congregation, none of which is perfect. Focusing on the church in Pergamos, Christ praises members for holding fast to His name and not denying His faith, yet criticizes them for tolerating both the doctrine of Balaam and the doctrine of the Nicolaitans, a fault also present in Ephesus. Though no one knows conclusively who the Nicolaitans were, examining Paul's letter to the Ephesians offers critical clues, since idolatry frequently accompanies illicit, sensual pleasures, and whatever is placed ahead of God is generally pursued for personal pleasure and self-fulfillment, centering on works of the flesh, vanity, pride, power, and social standing, matters Paul addresses in Ephesians. As a belief and practice influenced by Gnosticism, Nicolaitanism appears to have involved a disregard for sinful, physical behaviors because its adherents deemed such behaviors to have no value in true spirituality. If Nicolaitans believed that the physical realm means nothing and only the spirit is essential, then the central problem in Pergamos was tolerance of fleshly sins, which practitioners failed to realize would lead to less obvious spiritual sins. A modern parallel exists in the teaching that a person only needs to believe in Jesus in his heart, so that bodily conduct becomes irrelevant. Depending on the believer's personality, this perverse belief can lead to either extreme: asceticism, or self-denial, or licentiousness, or self-indulgence. This tolerance connects directly to the doctrine of Balaam, which Christ also condemns in the same passage. The original doctrine of Balaam was a satanically inspired ruse to keep God's people from entering the Promised Land, using sex to distract, entice, and entrap Israel into worshipping other gods. False teachers in Pergamos, motivated by covetousness, apparently argued that believers could maintain closer relationships with pagan culture, institutions, and religion than was proper. The word porneia, translated sexual immorality, carries both literal and metaphorical senses, referring to physical sexual relations outside marriage and to spiritual communion with other gods; here the emphasis leans toward spiritual fornication, meaning unfaithfulness toward Christ. No wonder Christ calls the church in Pergamos to repent. Just as the Angel of the LORD threatened Balaam with a drawn sword before he was ultimately killed by the sword for failing to heed the warning, Christ's command to repent should be read as a sharp, urgent demand, reflecting His hatred for disloyalty and self-indulgent practices. He will not tolerate evil, and if believers fail to repent of it, the Judge will punish them with the sword of His mouth, the same image of judgment introduced at the letter's opening. To those who do repent, Christ promises hidden manna and a white stone bearing a new name, symbols of divine forgiveness, exclusive spiritual insight, and the holy character built by the repentant overcomer.