Revelation 22:9Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

The Father shows that Jesus is His own and only Son when He says, “Thou art My Son” (Ps 2:7), and, “This is My beloved Son, in Whom I am well pleased” (Mt 3:17). Therefore the angels served Him as one unlike themselves.

They worship Him not as one merely higher in glory, but as one unlike all creatures and themselves. He is the one and proper Son of the Father according to essence.

If they worshiped Him as one surpassing them in glory, then everyone lower would have to worship the one who surpasses him. But this is not so. A creature does not worship a creature. The servant worships the Master, and creation worships God.

Let us await Him, beloved brethren, our Judge and Avenger. He will avenge both the people of His Church and all the righteous from the beginning of the world.

Whoever too greatly desires vengeance for himself should consider that He Who works vengeance has not yet been avenged. In the Apocalypse, the angel of the Lord restrained John when he wished to offer him divine worship, saying, “See that you do not do this. For I am your fellow servant, and of your brethren.”

Such is the Lord Jesus. And how great is His patience, when He is worshiped in heaven and is not yet avenged on earth. Let us keep His patience before our eyes, beloved brethren, amid our trials and passions.

He also showed the blessedness of the angel who revealed the vision, for the angel did not accept his worship. Instead, he prudently referred and handed it over to the Master.

Since there is no pride in the ministering angel and no vainglory in the saint, the angel immediately tells him not to do this. The angel declares that nothing is like the Creator. He bears witness that no such honor, which befits the Lord God alone, may be given to anyone else.

What does it mean that before the coming of the Redeemer the angels accepted worship from men and were silent, but afterward avoided worship? It means that they feared to see our nature prostrate before them.

They had once despised it, but now they saw it exalted above themselves. They, as it were, do not dare despise the weakness which they honor above themselves in the King of heaven. They do not deem it unworthy to have man as their companion, since they worship the God-man.

The writer himself, John, confirms the trustworthiness of the prophecy. A similar testimony to the truth of what was written is found also in the Gospel (see Jn 19:35). Such testimony from the Lord's closest disciple and friend inspires special trust in everything written by him. John, carried away by what he saw, as before (see Rev 19:10), wished in gratitude to worship the Angel. But the Angel, as a true servant of God, wisely referred this worship to God.