What are the…
Nicolaitanes

also known as: Nicolaitans

The church at Ephesus (Revelation 2:6) is commended for hating the “deeds” of the Nicolaitanes, and the church of Pergamos is blamed for having members who hold their “doctrines” (Rev. 2:15).

They were seemingly a class of professing Christians, who sought to introduce into the church a false freedom or licentiousness, thus abusing Paul’s doctrine of grace (compare 2 Peter 2:15, 16, 19), and were probably identical with those who held the doctrine of Balaam, Revelation 2:14.

But I have a few things against you, that you have there some who hold the teaching of Balaam, who kept teaching Balak to put a stumbling block before the sons of Israel, to eat things sacrificed to idols and to commit sexual immorality. —Rev. 2:14