And I, John, [was] he who heard and saw these things. And when I heard and saw, I fell down to do homage before the feet of the angel who shewed me these things.
At the end of the book John names himself as the man who heard and saw it all. Then, overwhelmed by what he has seen, he falls at the angel's feet. His impulse to worship was right. Its object was wrong. What the angel says next settles who may receive worship and who may not.
The writer signs the book with his own name, and commentators see no puzzle over who he is.
The name John occurs five times (Rev. 1:1, 4, 9; Rev. 21:2; Rev. 22:8), three times at the beginning and twice near the close of the book... It seems foolish to raise any question about the John of Revelation. There is only one John. The Christian heart turns at once to the beloved apostle, the disciple whom Jesus loved. There was only one such person, and without doubt God granted him these visions and messages. John is the writer of the book.
Commentators give two explanations. The first looks at what John was seeing.
When John heard and saw these things, he fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who showed them. He had done so before (Rev. 19:10). The greatness of the vision may have led him to think that it was Christ Himself taking that form. But the angel corrects him at once... instead of being the Lord and an object of worship, the angel was the fellow-servant of John, and of John's brothers the prophets.
The other traces it to the voice John had just been listening to.
Remember that the Lord Himself had spoken in person through the angel. John may have been so absorbed with this one voice, "Behold, I am coming soon," that for the moment he forgot the messenger through whom He had spoken. But even if that is so, it could not be allowed.
The failure came at the peak of his devotion, not away from it.
This warns us of the mistakes that the holiest of men can make when they are most caught up with heavenly things. John falls at the angel's feet to worship him. But the angel refuses it. He claims no higher title than fellow-servant with John himself, with his brothers the prophets, and with all who keep the words of this book. And he adds, "Worship God" — worship, that is, no creature.
There is a further danger. The messenger God uses can come between a person and the Lord.
John tells us that he saw and heard these things, and the effect was overwhelming... Again we find this honoured man at the angel's feet, worshipping that bright messenger who had shown him these things. Again the honoured messenger came between him and the Lord. He makes an idol of the instrument. He worships the creature, though he did it without knowing.
The refusal is instant, and it puts the angel in the same rank as the reader.
The impulse to worship was doubtless right, though falling at the feet of the angelic messenger was wrong. The angel refused it at once, for he took the place of a servant only, and in that respect stood on a level with John, or the prophets, or indeed with all who obey the word of God. Worship belongs to God alone. No holy angel will accept it, though it is the dearest desire of Satan, the great fallen angel, as Matthew 4:9 shows.
The angel carried God's message, but that gave him no claim to worship. Earlier in the book John fell at other feet, and there his worship found a welcome.
Though the angel has brought God's message, John must not treat him as God. He is John's fellow-servant, a dependent creature, but one who keeps the truth which God has given. John must worship only God (v. 9). In Revelation 1:17 John lies at the feet of the Lord Jesus, and there the Lord fully receives his worship, for Christ is God. But no creature must dare to accept such worship.
Why record a failure at all? One suggestion is that others were already doing the same thing.
It is all the more striking, with this on record, that the worship of angels crept into the Church so early — long before this book was written. (See Colossians 2) So it is possible that John's mistake, made twice, was recorded to condemn a widespread practice, and also to teach plainly that no beings, however exalted, must ever come between God and the souls of His people.
- Signed. John names himself as the one who heard and saw, putting the weight of an eyewitness behind the whole book.
- Overwhelmed. Glory misdirected him. Either he took the angel for Christ, or the voice so gripped him that he forgot the messenger.
- Repeated. He had done this once before. The holiest people can stumble when they are most caught up with heaven.
- Refused. The angel claims no title higher than fellow-servant. He stands with John, the prophets, and everyone who keeps this book.
- Redirected. Worship stops at no creature and rests only on God — and Christ, who received John's worship, is God.
And he says to me, See [thou do it] not. I am thy fellow-bondman, and [the fellow-bondman] of thy brethren the prophets, and of those who keep the words of this book. Do homage to God.
Why would John do this at all? One writer suggests what lay behind it.
When John heard and saw these things, he fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who showed them to him. He had done so before (Revelation 19:10). Perhaps the splendour of the vision led him to think it was Christ Himself taking that form. But the angel corrects him at once.
Another writer gives a different reason.
Once before, the visions had so overwhelmed John that he fell down to worship the angel (Revelation 19:10). It may surprise us that he did again what was forbidden then. But remember: the Lord Himself had spoken in person through the angel. John may have been so absorbed with that one voice — "Behold, I am coming soon" — that he forgot for the moment the messenger through whom the Lord had spoken.
The angel refuses at once. One writer explains what made the moment so tempting, and why angels never allow it.
John had heard wonderful words and seen marvellous visions. The glory and dignity of the speaker added to them. In John's eyes this gave the angel a right to be worshipped. But the most exalted of God's creatures themselves worship God. No angel, however high his standing, would accept divine worship... angels are very jealous to maintain the rights of God and of Christ... Creature worship is a sin against God, an affront to the Majesty of the Lord of hosts.
Some read the phrase as though the angel counted himself among the prophets. One writer works through the grammar to show the real sense.
This is commonly taken as if the angel had the testimony of Jesus, and was himself one of the prophets. But it seems to me the sense is simply this: "I am only a fellow servant of you, and of your brothers the prophets." The words pair you with the prophets, not the angel with the prophets.
The angel names a third group alongside John and the prophets: those who keep the words of this book. That places ordinary obedience in remarkable company.
The impulse to worship was doubtless right, though falling at the feet of the angelic messenger was wrong. The angel rejected this at once. He took the place of a servant only. In that respect he stood on a level with John, or the prophets, or indeed with all who take the place of obedience to the word of God. God alone must be worshipped. No holy angel will accept it, though it is the dearest desire of Satan, the great fallen angel, as Matthew 4:9 shows.
Here the angel stops John. Earlier, at the feet of Jesus, nothing stopped him. The difference is not John's posture but who stands before him.
The angel is John's fellow servant, a dependent creature, but one who keeps the truth which God has given. John must worship only God. In Revelation 1:17 John falls at the feet of the Lord Jesus, and there Christ fully receives his worship, for Christ is God. But no creature must dare to accept such adoration.
Why does the mistake appear twice in the book? The same writer points to a practice that had already taken root among Christians.
The angel takes the opportunity to declare his own true character. He presses home the truth that worship is due to God alone. With this on record, it is all the more remarkable that the worship of angels crept into the Church so early — long before this book was even written (see Colossians 2). So John's mistake, made twice, may well be on record to condemn a widespread practice. It also gives plain instruction: no beings, however exalted, must ever be allowed to come between God and the souls of His people.
- Awe misfires. John aims his worship at the wrong object, perhaps mistaking the messenger's glory for Christ Himself.
- Servant, not sovereign. The angel claims no title higher than fellow servant. The grammar links John with the prophets, not the angel with them.
- Level ground. The angel serves alongside everyone who keeps the words of this book. Obedience puts an ordinary believer in the same company as prophets and angels.
- One rule, two outcomes. A holy angel refuses worship at once. Satan longs for it. Christ receives it, and that shows who He is.
- A standing warning. John's mistake is on record twice. Angel worship had already entered the Church, and the answer has not changed: worship God.