The Nicolaitans

“But you have this in your favour: You hate the practices of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.” Revelation 2:6
There aren’t many things that Jesus says He hates, in the Scriptures. But here is one of them: the practices of the Nicolaitans.
The word ‘Nicolaitan’ is thought to come from two Greek words, ‘niko’ meaning victory (hence Nike), or ruling over; and ‘laitan’, the laity, regular Joe Bloggs people in the church. Thus the Nicolaitans are those who seek to rule over the laity.
This isn’t something that ceased in the first century church. It is very much alive and well in churches today – and not just the more traditional churches.
Why does Jesus hate this so much? We need to understand the reason why Jesus came to earth. He came to make a way for mankind to be reconciled to God. It is significant that the veil in the temple was torn apart at the moment of His death (Matt. 27:50-51). This veil symbolised the separation that existed between God and man. It was designed to protect sinful man from God’s justice, which demanded that no sin could enter His presence. But as such, it was a barrier, because no one is without sin. Now that our sin has been covered by the blood of Christ, we can come right into God’s presence.
However, what the Nicolaitans try to do is to insert themselves as a middle-man between people and God. They set themselves up as counsellors, saying you have to come to them to ask God something, and they will pray on your behalf. They are, in effect, sewing up the veil, by creating a barrier between people and God. This is why Jesus hates what they do (note – He doesn’t hate them), because it is undoing the work that He did for all of us.