Who Are The Nicolaitans?
What is the meaning of Revelation 2:6?
Revelation 2:6
Who are the Nicolaitans mentioned in Revelation 2:6? Little seems to be known about these Nicolaitans and there has been much speculation about who they were. Does it seem odd that we would need to come up with so much conjecture on something God hates?
But this thou hast, that thou hatest the deeds of the Nicolaitanes, which I also hate. KJV
Strong words. Since God hates the Nicolaitan deeds, it seems like a pertinent question to understand who they were (or are). Perhaps we could learn a little something from the commendation Christ gave to the Church of Ephesus.
James
But before answering that question, another may be more appropriate at this point. Who was James? No, not James the apostle, but King James, the one who commissioned the translation of The Bible in 1604, which was completed in 1611. Yeah, this may seem to generate more questions than answers, but have patience.
King James had what all those in control tend to have – what Saint Augustine called “libido dominandi”, the lust for power. King James already had supremacy over the English empire, but he also wanted to maintain and increase it. Any idea that would limit or diminish that power must be destroyed, hidden or twisted. What ideas did the Bible teach that would effectively diminish or eliminate his “authority”?
Many are unaware of The Bible’s teachings on power, especially in the church. King James recognized the wealth of biblical ideas which would have been detrimental to his authority. His endeavor to “translate” The Bible could now present these ideas into the English language as his “divine right”.
This was nothing new. When Constantine (emperor of Rome from 306 to 337) recognized the encroaching influence of Christianity as a threat to his empire, he quickly adopted and incorporated (syncretized) the most superficial of Christianity’s teachings into the Roman pagan faith (which had been whoring with the state of Rome for centuries). This “church” is today known as the Catholic [Universal] Church.
King James was clever enough to see the benefit of the same for the British empire. Hence, his effort to frame the Christian faith in his favor by “translating” The Bible into English. Let’s take a look at this “translation” (and most western versions which have been derived from it) to see how it benefited King James and his power.
Transferred Vs Translated
The word “Nicolaitans” was transferred (not translated) from the Greek word “Nikolaitës”. It is actually a compound of three separate Greek words:
- NIKOS: ruling, a conquest, victory, triumph, dominance of others
- LAOS: the people, laity
- TON: The
So, if we actually translate “Nicolaitans”, we have “ruling over the people”. And if we replace “the Nicolaitans” with this translation in Revelation 2:6, we end up with:
But this thou hast, that thou hatest the deeds of [ruling over the people], which I also hate.
Slightly more descriptive and revealing, is it not? How would King James (and many other “translators” or “scribeds”) have responded to this? Well, obviously, he would have wanted the translators to ‘hide’ it in some way. Maybe by converting the original Greek word into a meaningless “proper” English word. So, we can see, a deed of what is called a “translation” was done by the ruler King James, itself is an example of what God hates.
Power of “The Church”?
Now, let’s take a look at another verse that was allowed to slip through:
To the elders among you, I appeal as a fellow elder and a witness of Christ’s sufferings who also will share in the glory to be revealed: Be shepherds of God’s flock that is under your care, watching over them—not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be; not pursuing dishonest gain, but eager to serve; not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock.
Why did King James allow this verse? Throughout history, there has always been something of a battle between church and state. However, both have recognized their need for the other to help maintain their power. Sometimes the state is on top. At other times the religion of the day rules. This verse seems to focus on the limits of church power. That could only benefit King James.
Another Way
Let’s look at another verse:
But Jesus called them to him and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. It shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be your slave, even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
From this verse, and many others, we can see that it is the clear teaching of Christ that attempting to rule other peoples’ lives is contrary to His way of life.
Does this mean that we are to rebel against the kingdoms of this world?
Jesus said, “My kingdom is not of this world [age]. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jewish leaders. But now my kingdom is from another place [age].”
So, we see that the way the governments of this world (age) rule, as well as corporations and other power-possessing organizations and individuals, is contrary to God’s way of life. Yet, God allows it. Why? Because Satan is the “God of this age”, 2 Corinthians 4:4 NIV. Though the kingdoms of this world/age do not represent God and His way of life, God currently allows them to exist and to rule over us.
However…
“It It shall not be so among you”. We are not to seek to rule over others in God’s church and neither should we allow others to come between us and God in matters of our faith.
Notice:
For what we preach is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake. For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ. But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.
Jesus is our Lord and He exemplified a different way of life:
“…just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
How Long?
Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.”
In fact, Christ has already been “crowned with glory and honor”, Hebrews 2:9. If Jesus was given all authority, why does He still allow the world to continue as it does?
In the future:
The seventh angel sounded his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, which said: “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Messiah, and he will reign for ever and ever.”
And:
And I saw an angel coming down out of heaven, having the key to the Abyss and holding in his hand a great chain. He seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil, or Satan, and bound him for a thousand years. He threw him into the Abyss, and locked and sealed it over him, to keep him from deceiving the nations anymore until the thousand years were ended. After that, he must be set free for a short time.
God has a plan. He is allowing Satan to continue to sway this world for a time. But we are called out of this world to be a part of a different kingdom. One in which Jesus Christ is the head. The gospel (good news) includes the message of the eventual end of this world’s system and the ushering in of God’s way of life. However, apparently, we first have some lessons to learn.
Individual Application?
One final thought on Revelation 2:6: It was directed to the church in Ephesus, the first of the seven churches listed in Revelation 2 & 3. There are four theological views on how to take these letters to the churches:
- Purely contemporary: the letters to the churches reflected the actual conditions of those particular churches at the time of their writing.
- Historical chronological development (church ages): the letters reflect the condition of the church at large as it would develop throughout history, concluding in the return of Christ.
- All churches throughout the church age: the letters reflect warnings to all churches throughout the church age as potential pitfalls for which we should be on guard.
- Personal development: as those who have the spirit of God compose the Church of God, the letters are intended to walk each individual Christian through potential hazards in our spiritual journey.
There may be additional ways of viewing the seven churches, but it is not necessary for us to merely pick one view. All may be correct, without any contradiction.
So, if we take the personal development view and apply it to our own lives, we can not even begin the journey as long as we look to men, instead of God, to show us how to live our lives, including those who claim to represent God. Where are you in that journey?
