What you say about #3 being not scriptural, but it is. It appears to be a reference to Matthew 24:38"
38For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, " As well as Paul's reference to men worshipping themselves.
The apostle John did not devote himself to the pleasures of the body. That is what is being quoted below that I reject.
3.
For the doctrine which he taught was this: that the kingdom of Christ will be an earthly one. And as he was himself devoted to the pleasures of the body and altogether sensual in his nature, he dreamed that that kingdom would consist in those things which he desired, namely, in the delights of the belly and of sexual passion; that is to say, in eating and drinking and marrying, and in festivals and sacrifices and the slaying of victims, under the guise of which he thought he could indulge his appetites with a better grace. [2341]
Since the apostle John had written this below which is the opposite of what was written above;
1 John 2:15 Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.
17 And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.
18 Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time.
19 They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us.
20 But ye have an unction from the Holy One, and ye know all things.
21 I have not written unto you because ye know not the truth, but because ye know it, and that no lie is of the truth.
26 These things have I written unto you concerning them that seduce you.
27 But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him.
28 And now, little children, abide in him; that, when he shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before him at his coming.
29 If ye know that he is righteous, ye know that every one that doeth righteousness is born of him.
Then the apostle John could not have written that Apocalypse of John.
So it is not about a reference to Matthew 24:38 or what Paul was referring to when it i a testimony about the author of the Apocalypse of John indulging in those works of the flesh which cannot be the apostle John at all..
Apparently according to this information, the cult of the Nicolaitanes had grown and was existing during the time of the Church founders at 100-200 A.D. You don't have to believe this if you don't want to. It reminds me of what Jesus says to the first Church of Ephesus. That you have tried those who say they are Apostles, and are not, and have found them to be liars.
Interestingly in Revelation 2:6, the message is again the Nicolataines. Also, the next church is Smyrna, which Irenaeus of Smyrna is said to have been born.
I believe the apostle John had written the Book of Revelation before Paul had written the second epistles to the Corinthians since Paul mentioned the apostle John "indirectly" in regards to that Book of Revelation.
2 Corinthians 12:1 It is not expedient for me doubtless to glory. I will come to visions and revelations of the Lord.
2 I knew a man in Christ above fourteen years ago, (whether in the body, I cannot tell; or whether out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth
such an one caught up to the third heaven.
3 And I knew such a man, (whether in the body, or out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth
4 How that he was caught up into paradise, and heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter.
I have no doubt that the cult of the Nicolaitanes had existed during that time but that does not validate their claim to be followers of Nicholas of the scriptural reference or affirm that His disciples had engaged in sexual immorality right after the ascension of Christ by permission by Nichloas with Nicholas' wife. Since that is a lie about what had happened after His ascension, then their affiliation with that Nicholas in the scripture has to be a lie also. One can discern that they are only making that claim to lie in justifying their sexual immorality as if one that was with Christ would teach it as such but no..
Unto the angel of the church of Ephesus write; These things saith he that holdeth the seven stars in his right hand, who walketh in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks;
2 I know thy works, and thy labour, and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them which are evil: and thou hast tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars:
3 And hast borne, and hast patience, and for my name's sake hast laboured, and hast not fainted.
4 Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love.
5 Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent.
6 But this thou hast, that thou hatest the deeds of the Nicolaitanes, which I also hate.
7 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God.
8 And unto the angel of the church in Smyrna write; These things saith the first and the last, which was dead, and is alive;
9 I know thy works, and tribulation, and poverty, (but thou art rich) and I know the blasphemy of them which say they are Jews, and are not, but are the synagogue of Satan.
10 Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.
11 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death.
Yet again, more about waking up and staying watchful.
I agree. I have been led away from watching some entertainment and warned in dreams and otherwise what is not okay for me to watch nor love for entertainment like the recent Star Trek series. There is an underlying theme of the pride of man in what he has accomplished in space travels running underneath all that. Indeed, that grandiose entry theme at the appearance of the Enterprise on screen even in the old series is like .. "look at us now".
I used to work at Wal-Mart and all that "respect for the individual" and open door policy is a sham while store managers and personnel and cash office associates work to devalue associates of their rightful pay and even deny them their sales bonus check. Sam Walton is dead and probably hooked up to a turbine spinning in his grave, powering up the West Coast as they do not suffer from brown outs any more < ----- sarcasm FYI
As if paying 3% below average, 4% average, and 5% average for yearly raises to some associates and not the original 6% average & 8 % above average, plus having another sale of paying associates by 25 cents below average, 30 cents average, ad 35 cents above average at the same time and in the same store...
Proverbs 11:1A false balance is abomination to the Lord: but a just weight is his delight.
I overheard personnel were boasting about a store manager in another supercenter in the next state over was making $ 75,000 plus his salary. Made it sound like he beat the store manager I was serving.
The love of money is the root of all evil, but we as believers are not to resist this evil but suffer being defrauded.
James 5:1Go to now, ye rich men, weep and howl for your miseries that shall come upon you.
2 Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are motheaten.
3 Your gold and silver is cankered; and the rust of them shall be a witness against you, and shall eat your flesh as it were fire. Ye have heaped treasure together for the last days.
4 Behold, the hire of the labourers who have reaped down your fields, which is of you kept back by fraud, crieth: and the cries of them which have reaped are entered into the ears of the Lord of sabaoth.
5 Ye have lived in pleasure on the earth, and been wanton; ye have nourished your hearts, as in a day of slaughter.
6 Ye have condemned and killed the just; and he doth not resist you.
7 Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain.
8 Be ye also patient; stablish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh.
9 Grudge not one against another, brethren, lest ye be condemned: behold, the judge standeth before the door.
10 Take, my brethren, the prophets, who have spoken in the name of the Lord, for an example of suffering affliction, and of patience.
11 Behold, we count them happy which endure. Ye have heard of the patience of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord; that the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy.
1 Peter 2:18 Servants, be subject to your masters with all fear; not only to the good and gentle, but also to the froward.
19 For this is thankworthy, if a man for conscience toward God endure grief, suffering wrongfully.
20 For what glory is it, if, when ye be buffeted for your faults, ye shall take it patiently? but if, when ye do well, and suffer for it, ye take it patiently, this is acceptable with God.
21 For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps:
22 Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth:
23 Who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously:
24 Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.
25 For ye were as sheep going astray; but are now returned unto the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls.
I thank the Father in Jesus's name that He is talking care of me regardless of suffering being defrauded in more ways than one. In a Democratic store where they claim they support LGBTQ + ideologies, I doubt they are even respecting them to do right by them in their pay and bonus checks. Such is the state of sinful man. They get worse and worse and only Jesus Christ can save sinners from their sins and to give them eternal life too.
No matter how good a chain store may have started out in, no matter the entertainment, nor matter the government, evil people will always push the boundaries of what to get away with while destroying the good in the future of anything.
Thanks again for sharing.
May God bless you & keep you. May He shine His face upon you & give you His peace.
Signs of the times indeed as I need His help to be watchful and discerning, especially in entertainment so as to not love any of it, even though it tempts me in my imagination, but I would not want to live in a world that denies the reality of Him.
