Revelation 22:9 - Printer Friendly

ESV: but he said to me, "You must not do that! I am a fellow servant with you and your brothers the prophets, and with those who keep the words of this book. Worship God."

NIV: But he said to me, "Don’t do that! I am a fellow servant with you and with your fellow prophets and with all who keep the words of this scroll. Worship God!"

NASB: And he *said to me, 'Do not do that; I am a fellow servant of yours and of your brothers the prophets, and of those who keep the words of this book. Worship God!'

CSB: But he said to me, "Don’t do that! I am a fellow servant with you, your brothers the prophets, and those who keep the words of this book. Worship God!"

NLT: But he said, 'No, don’t worship me. I am a servant of God, just like you and your brothers the prophets, as well as all who obey what is written in this book. Worship only God!'

KJV: Then saith he unto me, See thou do it not: for I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren the prophets, and of them which keep the sayings of this book: worship God.

NKJV: Then he said to me, “See that you do not do that. For I am your fellow servant, and of your brethren the prophets, and of those who keep the words of this book. Worship God.”

To the angel's credit, he told John he must not worship him. The angel explained that he was simply a fellow servant of God with John and his brothers in Christ, with the prophets, and with all who obey the words of Revelation. In a brief command, the angel implored John to worship God, instead. This is the second time John fell at an angel's feet and tried to worship him, and it is the second time an angel rebuked him and told him to worship God (Revelation 19:10).

Given the context, we're not sure if John fell down to worship as a spur-of-the-moment reaction, or some intentional effort. Either way, it reminds us that even God's most faithful servants can be slow learners, or prone to making hasty mistakes! The worship of angels was not uncommon in the first century. Paul rebuked the worship of angels, a sin that had crept into the Colossian church. He wrote in Colossians 2:18: "Let no one disqualify you, insisting on ascetism and worship of angels, going on about visions, puffed up without reason by his sensuous mind."

Revelation 22:6–13 moves on from the description of life in New Jerusalem (Revelation 21:9—22:5) and focuses on Jesus' return. This marks the end of John's visions of the future, returning to more immediate instructions for Christian believers; this is the epilogue to the book of Revelation. Both the beginning and closing of Revelation offer a blessing (Revelation 1:3; 22:7). Both stress the importance of keeping the prophecy being given (Revelation 1:3; 22:7). And both identify Jesus as the Alpha and Omega (Revelation 1:8; 22:13).

John sees additional images of New Jerusalem. The city's depiction stands in contrast to the ruin experienced during the tribulation, and evokes comparisons to the garden of Eden from the book of Genesis. After this, John relates several commands and messages from Jesus Christ. Among these are a dire warning not to manipulate the words of this message. Revelation, along with the canon of Scripture, ends with a benediction and prayer for Jesus to return.

This passage completes the description of New Jerusalem. Earlier chapters in Revelation described the final judgments against sin and death. Genesis chapter 3 described humanity's loss of paradise; Revelation 22 describes paradise regained. Concluding remarks by Jesus begin in verse 6 and continue through verse 20. Verse 21 records the apostle John's benediction, which marks the end of the New Testament canon.

The word ''revelation'' means ''an unveiling or disclosure.'' This writing unveils future events such as the rapture, three series of judgments that will fall on the earth during the tribulation, the emergence of the Antichrist, the persecution of Israel and her amazing revival, as well as Jesus' second coming with His saints to the earth, the judgment of Satan and his followers, and finally, the eternal state. This content, combined with the original Greek term apokalypsis, is why we now refer to an end-of-the-world scenario as ''an apocalypse.''