Revelation 19:10
And I fell at his feet to worship him. And he said unto me, See thou do it not: I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus: worship God: for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.
Study Note
Study Note
The angel's refusal to accept John's worship — 'Do not do that; I am a fellow servant with you and your brothers who hold to the testimony of Jesus. Worship God' — is the Apocalypse's most explicit anti-worship instruction, with a parallel in Revelation 22:8–9. The identification of 'the testimony of Jesus' with 'the spirit of prophecy' (hē gar martyria Iēsou estin to pneuma tēs prophēteias) is theologically rich: all genuine prophecy bears witness to Jesus, making christocentric testimony the criterion for prophetic validity. The angelic insistence on being a 'fellow servant' with prophets and with those who hold Jesus's testimony places angels and believers on the same side of the fundamental worship boundary — both are worshippers, not objects of worship. The verse has been cited in debates about the proper honor of angels and saints in Christian devotional practice.
Other Translations
And I fell down before his feet to worship him. And he saith unto me, See thou do it not: I am a fellow-servant with thee and with thy brethren that hold the testimony of Jesus: worship God: for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.
and I fell before his feet, to bow before him, and he saith to me, `See--not! fellow servant of thee am I, and of thy brethren, those having the testimony of Jesus; bow before God, for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of the prophecy.'
And I went on my face before his feet to give him worship. And he said to me, See you do it not: I am a brother-servant with you and with your brothers who keep the witness of Jesus: give worship to God: for the witness of Jesus is the spirit of the prophet's word.
Cross References
For thou shalt worship no other god: for the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God:
But the Lord, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt with great power and a stretched out …
So shall the king greatly desire thy beauty: for he is thy Lord; and worship thou him.
Bless the Lord, ye his angels, that excel in strength, that do his commandments, hearkening unto the voice of his …
Bless ye the Lord, all ye his hosts; ye ministers of his, that do his pleasure.
A fiery stream issued and came forth from before him: thousand thousands ministered unto him, and ten thousand times ten …
Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, …
And, behold, there cometh one of the rulers of the synagogue, Jairus by name; and when he saw him, he …
For a certain woman, whose young daughter had an unclean spirit, heard of him, and came and fell at his …
And the angel answering said unto him, I am Gabriel, that stand in the presence of God; and am sent …