RRD, I have a question here about the use of proskuneo in Rev. 3.9, which I know you can easily answer.
Rev. 3:9 does not say Jesus will make them bow down and worship the saints. The inference is that they will bow down "in the presence of the saints" to worship Jesus.
Look up the word translated "before" and you will find it often meant the action was done in the presence of someone, rather than to that someone.
Behold, I give of the synagogue of Satan, of those who say they are Jews, and they are not, but lie. Behold, I will make them to come and worship before your feet, and to know that I have loved you. -- Revelation 3:9, World English
The Greek word rendered "before" is a form of the Greek word often transliterated as "Enopion." (Strong's #1799).
http://www.biblestudytools.com/Lexicons/Greek/grk.cgi?number=1799There is only one other instance in the Bible where I have found that this word appears with a form of the word proskuneo, and that is in Luke 4:7, where Satan said to Jesus:
If you therefore will worship before [Strong's #1799] me, it will all be yours. (World English)
I highly doubt that Satan was asking Jesus to worship God in his presence. Satan meant for Jesus to worship Satan, bowing before Satan in worship. Likewise, I have no doubt that this is what is meant in Revelation 3:9. There is no indication that in Revelation 3:9 that Jesus was saying the Jews would bow down to himself in the presence of the saints.
The Hebrew word that appears to correspond to this usage of the Greek "Enopion" is often transliterated as "Paniym". (Strong's Hebrew #6440)
http://www.biblestudytools.com/Lexicons/Hebrew/heb.cgi?number=06440The Hebrew word usually rendered by the Greek proskuneo is often transliterated as "Shachah" (Strong's Hebrew #7812).
http://www.biblestudytools.com/Lexicons/OldTestamentHebrew/heb.cgi?number=07812The two words are rarely used together in the Old Testament, but the combination can be found a few times.
Now, behold, I have brought the first of the fruit of the ground, which you, Yahweh, have given me. You shall set it down before Yahweh your God, and worship (Strong's #7812) before (Strong's #6440) Yahweh your God: -- Deuteronomy 26:10.
One would certainly not say that this is speaking of worshiping, or bowing down to, any other than Yahweh whom they were to bow down "before".
The next instance I have found is 1 Samuel 1:19:
They rose up in the morning early, and worshiped (Strong's #7812) before (Strong's #6440) Yahweh, and returned, and came to their house to Ramah: and Elkanah knew Hannah his wife; and Yahweh remembered her.
Again, bowing "before" Yahweh is used to mean that the worship was directed toward Yahweh.
Now it happened, after that Amaziah was come from the slaughter of the Edomites, that he brought the gods of the children of Seir, and set them up to be his gods, and bowed down (Strong's #7812) himself before (Strong's #6440) them, and burned incense to them. -- 2 Chronicles 25:14.
Is this to be read that Amaziah was only bowing in the presence of these idols, and that his worship was being given to these idols?
Psalm 22:27 All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to Yahweh. All the relatives of the nations shall
worship before you.
Psalm 22:28 For the kingdom is Yahweh's. He is the ruler over the nations.
Psalm 22:29 All the rich ones of the earth shall eat and worship. All those who go down to the dust shall
bow before him, Even he who can't keep his soul alive.
Here we have the two words used in combination twice, and that in giving worship to, before, Yahweh.
Psalm 86:9 All nations you have made will come and
worship before you, Lord. They shall glorify your name.
I have only found two instances (From Genesis to the Psalms) where the combination is used in which the worship spoken of is in reference to God, but in the presence of an altar:
But if you tell me, We trust in Yahweh our God; isn't that he whose high places and whose altars Hezekiah has taken away, and has said to Judah and to Jerusalem, You shall worship before this altar in Jerusalem? -- 2 Kings 18:22.
Has not the same Hezekiah taken away his high places and his altars, and commanded Judah and Jerusalem, saying, You shall worship before one altar, and on it shall you burn incense? -- 2 Chronicles 32:12.
It is obvious that this is not speaking of worshiping the altar itself, but rather that by means of the sacrifices offered on the altar, the worship goes to Yahweh. There is nothing in Revelation 3:9, however, that gives any indication that the saints are being used as such an altar.
I have searched from Genesis to Psalms; I believe that this is enough to establish the point: To bow "before" does indeed usually mean to offer obeisance to the one(s) before whom the obeisance offered is "before".
Nevertheless, there is also another proof in that Revelation 3:9 is an indirect quote from Isaiah 60:14:
The sons of those who afflicted you shall come bending to you; and all those who despised you shall bow themselves down at the soles of your feet; and they shall call you The city of Yahweh, The Zion of the Holy One of Israel. -- Isaiah 60:14, World English.
It should be obvious that the worship is being given to Jerusalem by those who had despised Jerusalem. Likewise, the antitypical city of God, made up of the saints, receive worship from those who, in effect, had despised her.
See:
http://godandson.reslight.net/?p=279
