Only Jehovah deserves worship. Jesus receives honour and obeisance, but
not worship. The Watchtower teaches that worshipping Jesus would be
idolatry.
Start with in the NWT — God commands angels to do 'obeisance' to Jesus. Then compare with where every creature gives the same praise to 'the One sitting on the throne AND to the Lamb.' The Lamb receives identical worship language. Then turn to where the Son of Man receives 'rulership, honour, and a kingdom' — and 'peoples and nations of every language should serve him.' The Watchtower's own 1945 edition of the NWT used 'worship' in before changing it to 'obeisance' in later editions. Even the NWT's own rendering of says God COMMANDS this — would God command something inappropriate?
The NWT uses 'worship' (proskuneo) when it's directed at Jehovah but translates the identical Greek word as 'obeisance' when directed at Jesus. The translation choice reveals a theological bias, not a linguistic one.
Proskuneo can mean obeisance or respect, not just worship.
That's true — context determines meaning. But in , Jesus receives the exact same praise formula as the Father in the same sentence. If one is worship, both are worship. And in , the Son of Man receives what every nation gives — that's worship language.
The Watchtower used to allow worship of Jesus but received new light.
That's interesting — so the Watchtower worshipped Jesus for decades and then changed. But the Bible passages didn't change. If scripture commands worship of Jesus in , doesn't the 'new light' contradict scripture?
Angels are different — of course they bow before Jesus.
But notice what happens in . When John falls down to worship an angel, the angel immediately says "Do not do that! Worship God!" Angels refuse worship. Yet Jesus never once refuses worship — not when Thomas says "My Lord and my God" (), not when the disciples worship him after walking on water (), not when the women clasp his feet and worship after the resurrection (). If Jesus is merely a created being like the angels, why doesn't he say what every faithful angel says: "Do not do that! Worship God"?
The Lamb is just a symbol — it doesn't prove Jesus is God.
In , John hears about 'the Lion of the tribe of Judah' and then sees 'a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain.' The Lion and the Lamb are the same person — Jesus — described two ways. This is not mere symbolism; it identifies Jesus as both conquering King and sacrificial offering. And this Lamb receives the exact same worship formula as the Father. : every creature gives 'blessing and honour and glory and might' to 'the One sitting on the throne AND to the Lamb' — same words, same duration (forever and ever), same recipients. If the Lamb were merely a symbol and not truly divine, then every creature in existence is committing idolatry by giving him the same worship as Jehovah.
People bowed to kings in Israel too — proskuneo doesn't prove deity.
True, Israelites bowed to kings as civil respect. But look at what people do for Jesus that they never did for any king: Thomas says 'My Lord and my God' () — no one said that to David or Solomon. Stephen prays 'Lord Jesus, receive my spirit' () — no one prayed to a king at death. Every creature in heaven and earth gives Jesus the same praise formula as the Father in the same breath (). The content of what people give Jesus — divine titles, prayer, spirit-entrusting, universal praise — goes far beyond civil respect. No king in Israel's history received anything close.
Don't use the word 'worship' aggressively. Let the texts speak. Ask them to compare the Greek word usage themselves in the Kingdom Interlinear.
Look up proskuneo in the Kingdom Interlinear Translation. Compare how it's translated when directed at Jehovah versus when directed at Jesus.