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THE NICOLAITANS
by J. H. Allen
(author of Judah's Sceptre and Joseph's Birthright)
When our Lord Jesus Christ
walked among men, He taught His disciples to beware of the leaven of the
Pharisees, whom He denounced as hypocrites. With them He classed the chief
priests and officials of the temple, together with the recognized teachers,
(scribes, or "professors" Ferrar Fenton
Translation) in the Synagogues. He declared they had so corrupted the truth
of God, which they were supposed to preach, with the doctrines and ordinances
of men, that the truth, as originally given, was no longer with them. That
which these blind leaders of the blind were giving forth as truth of God was
making their converts twofold more the children of hell than they were before
accepting the [schi]ism by
these corrupt teachers.
Therefore, as a warning to those
who were joining themselves to Him, the Lord said that these non-spiritual
men made long prayers for a "pretense," a public "show"
which, while having a form of humility, was for the purpose only of being
seen of men. What these men really loved were the highest seats in the Synagogues; the
uppermost rooms at the public feasts; the greetings they received in the
market places from truly humble and sincere men, whom they hoped would esteem
them as superiors, and who addressed them as Rabbi, Rabbi, my master, my
master. But our Lord commanded: "Be not ye called Rabbi: for one is your
Master, even Christ; and all ye are brethren .... Neither be ye called masters: for one is your Master, even Christ.
But he that is greatest among you shall be your servant," (Matthew
23:8-11).
This was a double command for a
double purpose:
1) Do not allow men who are your
brethren in Christ, and who compose the assembly of God, to call you Master,
for One alone is your Master.
2) Do not allow yourself to
become possessed with such a carnal spirit that you want men who belong to
the body of Christ to call you "Master." Also, added to the
carnal desire to be "uppermost" in the eyes of the Lord's people,
these leaders were charged with extortion and accused of devouring the homes
of widows, and of excess. Jesus accused them of being hypocrites who aspired
to be regarded as dignitaries of the congregations of the Most High God. Such
conditions as described exist only in the assemblies across whose ethical
portals, before the God of Holiness, has been written the name, "Ichabod" -- the glory of the Lord has departed. The
word "excess," as used above, means the carnal abuse of lawful
things; things lawful and right carried to extremes. For it is true that
there is a legal and God approved honor given to certain selected ones:
"We beseech you, brethren, to know them which labour
among you, and are over you in the Lord, and admonish you; and to esteem them
very highly in love for their work's sake. And be at peace among
yourselves," (I Thessalonians 5:12-13).
"Let the elders that rule well [guide; lead; preside well] be counted
worthy of double honor, especially they who labour
in the word and doctrine," (I Timothy 5:17). Why guide and lead, instead of rule? Because those who
are over us in the Lord are shepherds who must lead and guide, but not
dominate. Rule is arbitrary government, and the Church may be "subject
to Christ" only. "One is your Master, even Christ."
The following Divine instruction is from one of the inspired Spirit-filled
elders: "The elders which are among you exhort,
who am also an elder, and a witness of the sufferings of Christ,
and also a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed. Feed the flock of
God which is among you, taking the oversight [not rulership]
thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a
ready mind; Neither as being lords over God's heritage, but being ensamples
to the flock," (I Peter 5:1-3).
The "blind guides"
would say, but not do. The Divinely anointed elder will both say and do, and
thus be an example to the flock, whom the people will love and esteem very
highly for his work's sake, and who in his heart will never desire to be lord
over the heritage of his Master. It is this aspiration on the part of men to
become lords over God's heritage that God hates. "The doctrine of the Nicolaitanes" is just what the word Nicolaitanes itself declares.
Proof:
1) In the book of the revelation
of Jesus Christ, it is both "the deeds" and "the
doctrine" of those in the two "churches" specified (Revelation
2:6, 15). The Lord demands repentance on the part of those who hold and
practice these things and He threatens drastic punishment if they do not obey
Him: "Repent; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will fight
against them with the sword of my mouth," (Revelation 2:16).
2) The name, Nicolaitanes,
is a compound word which is composed of three Greek words, and which, because
of being a proper noun, is transferred instead of being translated into
English. As thus transferred, it is subject to the laws of Greek construction
in regard to ellipsis, contraction and phonetics.
3) The Greek words used in its
construction are first: "Nikos," of which
we use the English equivalents instead of the Greek letters, as we shall also
of the other two. Nikos is defined as "a
conquest; victory; triumph; the conquered; and by implication, dominancy over
the defeated." Another transferred name in which this term is used is
"Nicopolis," i.e., Niko
- conquest; polis city. Hence, the city of conquest, or city of victory. Also
"Andro" -- "nikos;"
a man of conquest, of victory.
The second term used in the name
under consideration is "laos," -- people,
another use of which is Nicolas, which is transferred and is composed of Nikoslaos and means one who is "victorious over the
people," the letter "s" being, in both words, the nominative
case ending, which is retained only at the end of the word to denote the
case, while "a" short and "o" short are contracted into
"a" long. Also, a still further transferred use of "laos" is found in the name Lao(s)diceans, compounded with dike or dice as the Greek
"k" is the equivalent English "c." Thus, in the name Laodiceans, we have laos -- "people" and dice judgment, or vengeance,
i.e., the people of my judgment, or of my vengeance. Also the Greek word la(ic)os means "laymen,"
of which laos is the root and stem, which selfsame
word, with the "o" short contracted to "i",
to which root and stem the plural definite article ton is joined to form laiton -- is a Greek phrase meaning "the
laity."
The third and last word entering
into the construction of the proper name Nicolaitanes
is ton, in which omega, the long "o", is contracted into long
"a", thus making the word "tan" which is the genitive
case plural in all the genders of the definite article the. Therefore, we
have, without the legal Greek construction, the English hyphenated word Nickos-laoston, but which, with its lawful elisions and
contractions, becomes the English name: Nicolaitanes,
the full meaning of which, in its native tongue and in its ecclesiastical
setting, is that the bishops and prelates of the Church have gained a
triumphal victory or conquest over the laiton --
the laity -- until they have been compelled to submit to the arbitrary
dominion of men who have become that thing which God hates: "Lords over
God's heritage."
The evidence of this is found in
all our common school dictionaries, among which we find the following definition
of the term "hierarchy: the power of dominion, government by
ecclesiastical rulers," to which the following is introduced in
evidence:
"If anyone shall say that
there is not in the Catholic Church a hierarchy established by the divine
ordination, consisting of bishops, presbyters and ministers, let him be
anathema, Council of Trent (trans) XXIII 6." (Century Dictionary.) In
other words, let anyone who will have the temerity to say there is not a
hierarchy, not a collection of human beings, who have been given the power,
by other men of dominion, as ecclesiastical rulers over churchmen, who are
declaredly God's heritage, let that man be accursed; i.e., let death and hell
and the devil get him. Surely, the thing in which that ecclesiastical company
is glorying is their shame!
Furthermore, Webster defines the
word "episcopal" as "the power of
government, belonging to, or invested in, bishops or prelates. Government of
the church by bishops." Also "In episcopacy, the order of bishops
is superior to the other clergy, and has exclusive power to confer
orders." In this definition it is affirmed that a certain portion of
presbyters (elders) were even "in apostolic times
superior in authority to ordinary presbyters," and also mentions the
fact that episcopacy recognizes "episcopal
rank" which is created by the institution thus governed; all of which
affirms that any church in which episcopal
government obtains is practicing the very carnal and fleshly iniquity of creating
"Superiors" in what should be a holy brotherhood. The use of this
appellation makes "inferiors" out of "brethren" who are
in the selfsame clergy. 1The approbation of "ordinary elders"
demands a "set" of elders who are superordinary,
thus creating "rank" (caste) in the otherwise Divine brotherhood,
all of which destroys holy fellowship, creates division and strife, and
fosters envy. No marvel that our Lord should hate a thing
like that, condemn it, and demand that those who are guilty shall
repent.
But will they? Yes, some will
when the tribulation is on. Others, however, will stick to their
ecclesiastical crowd, vainly imagining that their boasted
"superiority" will carry them through that time of the greatest
trouble the world has ever known, or will know. They must go down with the
rest of the hosts of anti-Christ.
And yet, one of the most
unfortunate features of all this is that there are those in the Christian
Church who do not hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitanes,
but who practice "their deeds" of dominating the laity by lording
it over the Church of Jesus Christ, which should be subject only to one Divine Master. It
is often true that these have assumed this lordship because they are esteemed
very highly in love for their work's sake, but have become vainly puffed up
in their fleshly mind. Beloved, "Beware of the leaven of the
Pharisees."
Christ's attitude toward service is to be our attitudes
everyone in His fellowship: Mat 20:25-28 But
Jesus called them unto him, and said, Ye know that
the princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them, and they that are
great exercise authority upon them. 20:26 But it shall not be so among you:
but whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister; 20:27 And
whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant: 20:28 Even as the
Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his
life a ransom for many.
Notice how the Father exalted
this greatest of all Servants: Phil 2:4-11 Look not every man on his own
things, but every man also on the things of others. 2:5 Let this mind be in
you, which was also in Christ Jesus: 2:6 Who, being in the form of God, thought it
not robbery to be equal with God: 2:7 But made himself of no reputation, and
took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: 2:8
And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient
unto death, even the death of the cross. 2:9 Wherefore God also hath highly
exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: 2:10 That at the
name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in
earth, and things under the earth; 2:11 And that every tongue should confess
that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
By contrast, who was the first
despot? Satan the Devil. He was created to serve as the prodigy of Yehovah 2 -- to serve like the pre-incarnate Christ
will, see Isa 11:1+, etc. Isa
14:12-19 How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken
the nations! 14:13 For thou hast said in thine
heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of
God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the
north: 14:14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be
like the most High. 14:15 Yet
thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of
the pit. 14:16 They that see thee shall narrowly look upon thee, and consider
thee, saying, Is this the man that made the earth to tremble, that did shake
kingdoms; 14:17 That made the world as a wilderness, and destroyed the cities
thereof; that opened not the house of his prisoners? 14:18 All the kings of the nations, even all of them, lie in
glory, every one in his own house. 14:19 But thou art cast out of thy grave
like an abominable branch, and as the raiment of those that are slain, thrust
through with a sword, that go down to the stones of the pit; as a carcass
trodden under feet.
Note how the process took place
-- the motive that developed and the "MO" Satan used:
Ezek 28:14-19 Thou art the
anointed cherub that COVERETH2; and I have set thee so: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God [government] ; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the
stones of fire [morning stars]. 28:15 Thou wast
perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast
created, till iniquity was found in thee. 28:16 By the multitude of thy
merchandise they have filled the midst of thee with violence, and thou hast
sinned: therefore I will cast thee as profane out of the mountain of God: and
I will destroy thee, O covering cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire.
28:17 Thine heart was lifted up because of thy
beauty, thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness: I will
cast thee to the ground, I will lay thee before kings, that they may behold
thee. 28:18 Thou HAST DEFILED THY SANCTUARIES BY THE MULTITUDE OF THINE
INIQUITIES, by the iniquity of thy traffic; therefore will I bring forth a
fire from the midst of thee, it shall devour thee, and I will bring thee to
ashes upon the earth in the sight of all them that behold thee. 28:19 All
they that know thee among the people shall be astonished at thee: thou shalt be a terror, and never shalt
thou be any more.
1. The Father and Christ
are God, and thus our Superiors, we are ALL brethren, see Mt 23:8-11, again.
Also, each saint is a Spirit filled "priest" of God, see 1 Pet
2:9-10 But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a
peculiar people; that ye should show forth the praises of him who hath called
you out of darkness into his marvelous light: 2:10 Which in time past were
not a people, but are now the people of God....
2. Col 1:16 For by him were all
things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible,
whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all
things were created by him, and for him.... + Eph 6:12 For we wrestle not
against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against
the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in
high places.
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