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Answer
Revelation 19:10 delivers a powerful message about the connection between prophecy and Jesus Christ: “The testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy” (NKJV). The book of Revelation is a prophetic book given by Jesus Christ to His servant John, «The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave to him, to show to his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel to his servant John: », (Revelation 1:1). The term revelation refers to a disclosure or the revelation of something that was previously unknown. Revelation is akin to unveiling a curtain to reveal what lies behind it or unwrapping a gift to discover its contents.
So, what is prophecy? In simple terms, prophecy is divine communication to humanity. Some prophecies may pertain to future events, while others may not. Prophets served as God’s spokespersons—they listened to God and then communicated His message to the people. Examples of prophets include Elijah, Isaiah, Moses, and Jonah.
In the context of Revelation 19:10, John witnesses the downfall of the corrupt world system known as Babylon the Great (Revelation 18). A vast multitude in heaven rejoices and praises God for this judgment (Revelation 19:1-3) and anticipates the wedding feast of the Lamb (verses 6–8). An angel instructs John, “Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb!” «And he said to me, Write, Blessed are they who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he said to me, These are the true sayings of God. », (Revelation 19:9). Upon hearing this declaration, John falls to worship.At the feet of the angel who is delivering this prophecy, John is urged to rise to his feet, as the angel identifies himself as “a fellow servant” (Revelation 19:10;cf: Colossians 2:18).
In response to John’s mistaken act of worship, the angel admonishes, “See that you do not do that! . . . Worship God! For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy” «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. », (Revelation 19:10, NKJV). It is crucial to grasp that this statement is a reaction to John’s inclination to worship the angel. Due to the structure of the clause in the original Greek language, there are three common interpretations of “the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy”:
1. Jesus embodies all prophecy, or in other words, Jesus is the central theme throughout all prophecy.
2. Every genuine prophecy testifies about Jesus. Hence, all prophecy should lead us to worship Him exclusively.
3. The message or testimony delivered by Jesus is the core of authentic prophecy. Jesus is the Word, and all prophecy reaches us only through Him, ultimately directing us to God as the origin of all genuine prophecy.
The NIV renders the angel’s statement as “It is the Spirit of prophecy who bears testimony to Jesus.” The NLT’s phrasing is “The essence of prophecy is to give a clear witness for Jesus.” Both translations’ wording leans towards the first two interpretations mentioned above. However, the third interpretation appears to align best with the context of Revelation 19:10. John is instructed not to worship the angel but only God. Since John was worshipping the angel in response to the prophecy received, the angel ensures that.John understands that Jesus is the source of the communication, and He alone is worthy of worship (cf: Luke 4:8; Acts 14:11-15).
Following the angel’s command to John, we should worship God alone. We are to worship not the messenger but the Originator of the message. While God has created many beautiful things, including angels, He alone is worthy of our praise (cf: John 17:3; 1 Timothy 1:17; 1 Timothy 6:15; 1 Samuel 7:4).
