What does Rev 3:9 “I will make them come and worship before your feet” mean?
In the letters to the seven churches in Revelation chapters 2 and 3, it is written concerning the church in Philadelphia, that God will make those who are of the synagogue of Satan worship before your feet.
Rev 3:9 Indeed I will make those of the synagogue of Satan, who say they are Jews and are not, but lie—indeed I will make them come and worship [proskuneo] before your feet, and to know that I have loved you.
What does this mean?
The Greek word translated worship is proskuneo, means worship. It’s the same word used to describe worship of God.
Mat 4:10 Then Jesus said to him, “Away with you, Satan! For it is written, ‘YOU SHALL WORSHIP [proskuneo] THE LORD YOUR GOD, AND HIM ONLY YOU SHALL SERVE.’ “
Who will those of the synagogue of Satan worship? God or the resurrected saints from the church in Philadelphia? The only type of worship that the Bible approves is worship of God. Throughout the Bible God commands us to worship Him and not to worship false gods (which is idolatry). Powerful angelic beings are not to be worshipped. In the verse previous to the one we just read in Mat 4:10, the devil wanted to be worshiped.
Mat 4:9 And he said to Him, “All these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship [proskuneo] me.”
Jesus refused because it is written you shall only worship the Lord your God. That means not even righteous angels are to be worshipped. We have an example of that in the last chapter of Revelation.
Rev 22:8 Now I, John, saw and heard these things. And when I heard and saw, I fell down to worship before the feet of the angel who showed me these things.
Rev 22:9 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.”
Clearly those of the synagogue of Satan will worship God, and not any resurrected saints. But what then does Rev 3:9 mean?
It is instructive to note that the language in Rev 22:8 is similar but slightly different to that of Rev 3:9. John “fell down to worship before the feet of the angel”, but those of the synagogue of Satan do not “fall down” to worship before their feet. In other words, their worship is not directed to the resurrected saints. It will of course be directed to God. The phrase “at the feet” was used by the apostle Paul to describe being taught. He was brought up “at the feet of Gamaliel, taught according to the law”.
Act 22:3 “I am indeed a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia, but brought up in this city at the feet of Gamaliel, taught according to the strictness of our fathers’ law, and was zealous toward God as you all are today.
Rev 3:9 is saying a similar thing. God will make those of the synagogue of Satan learn about God and how to worship God at the feet of the resurrected saints; they will be taught by the resurrected saints.