Revelation 2:15 is a warning that the church in Pergamum had some members who were holding to a false teaching called the teaching of the Nicolaitans. The verse is not describing a single sin but a set of ideas that were gaining a foothold inside the congregation, and Jesus names them as a serious concern. The words come from the risen Christ, who speaks through the apostle John in the book of Revelation, and they are addressed to the church in the city of Pergamum in western Asia Minor.
So you also have some who hold to the teaching of the Nicolaitans likewise.
Revelation 2:15 (WEB)
What Revelation 2:15 Means
The phrase “you also have some” tells you that the problem was not the whole congregation but a group within it. Jesus is not condemning everyone in Pergamum. He is pointing to people who had accepted a particular teaching and were living by it. The word “likewise” links this group to the teaching of Balaam mentioned in the verse just before, showing that Jesus saw the two as similar in kind.
The verse does not spell out in detail what the Nicolaitan teaching was. Early church writers linked it with compromise between Christian faith and the pagan culture around them, especially in matters of eating food offered to idols and of sexual behavior. Because the text itself gives so little detail, it is wise to be cautious about claiming more than the verse states. What it does clearly say is that Jesus regarded this teaching as dangerous and that it needed to be opposed.
The Context of Revelation 2:15
The book of Revelation was written by John, who was exiled on the island of Patmos, and it was sent to seven churches in the province of Asia. Its opening chapters contain letters from the risen Christ to each congregation, and each letter follows a similar pattern of praise, complaint, and call to faithfulness. The letter to Pergamum praises the church for holding firmly to Jesus’ name even when a faithful believer named Antipas was killed in the city.
Just before verse 15, Jesus warns about the teaching of Balaam, and just after it he calls the church to repent and promises to fight against those who refuse. This setting shows that the Nicolaitan teaching was being placed in a line of false influence that had troubled Israel’s history. Seeing the verse within this sequence helps you read it as part of a pastoral warning rather than as a stand-alone accusation.
Key Phrases in Revelation 2:15
Revelation 2:16
Repent therefore, or else I am coming to you quickly, and I will make war against them with the sword of my mouth.
(WEB)
The very next verse calls the church to repent, showing that Jesus pairs his warning about false teaching with a clear invitation to change direction. Reading it alongside verse 15 keeps the warning from becoming hopeless.
Jude 1:3
Beloved, while I was very eager to write to you about our common salvation, I was constrained to write to you exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints.
(WEB)
Jude urges believers to contend earnestly for the faith that was once delivered to the saints. This connects closely with Revelation 2:15, because both call Christians to guard the truth against teaching that would weaken it.
A Short Prayer From Revelation 2:15
Lord Jesus, you know where I live and what I hold to in my heart. Give me a clear mind to recognize teaching that pulls me away from you, and a loving spirit to speak the truth when I see others drifting. Keep me faithful to your name even when it is costly, and help me to repent quickly whenever I have followed a path that dishonors you. Thank you that your warnings come from a heart that wants us back. Amen.
