946. Verse 9. And he saith unto me, See thou do it not; for I am thy fellow-servant, and of thy brethren the prophets, and of them that keep the words of this book; adore God, signifies that the angels of heaven are not to be adored and invoked, because nothing Divine belongs to them, but that they are associated with men as brethren with brethren, with those who are in the doctrine of the New Jerusalem, and do its precepts, and that the Lord alone is to be adored in consociation with them. By what the angel here speaks with John, nearly the same is signified as by what he spoke to him above (chapter 19), where are these things: "And I fell down before the angel's feet to adore him. And he said unto me, See thou do it not; I am thy fellow-servant, and of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus; adore God" (verse 10). That the like is signified by these words may be seen above (n. 818), with this difference, that it is now said, "the fellow-servant of thy brethren the prophets, and of them which keep the words of this book"; and by "brethren the prophets" are signified they who are in the doctrine of the New Jerusalem, and by "them which keep the words of this book," are signified they who observe and do the precepts of that doctrine, which are now manifested by the Lord, see above (n. 944).