Preface
The righteous saints and the angels are venerated not as gods, but as friends of God. They are venerated not in and of themselves, but because of their participation in God, because of the grace of God dwelling in them (article: man is the temple of God). According to Scripture, honor is to be given not only to God; people bow not only to God; God Himself called us to seek the glory that comes from God; God promised to glorify the righteous and did glorify them; and the Church, following God, glorifies the holy friends of God.
God sends His grace through the saints both during their lifetime and through their dead bodies (2 Kin. 13:21), personal belongings (Act. 19:12) and images (Act. 5:15-16), and therefore all of these are also venerated. More in the corresponding articles:
Honor May Be Given Not Only to God
Honor to God
“A son honors his father, and a servant his master. If then I am the Father, where is My honor? And if I am a Master, where is My reverence?” (Mal. 1:6)
To the Priest
“Fear the Lord and honor the priest, and give him his portion, as you have been commanded” (Sir. 7:31)
To Godly Christians
“I am glad about the coming of Stephanas, Fortunatus, and Achaicus, for what was lacking on your part they supplied. For they refreshed my spirit and yours. Therefore acknowledge such men” (1 Cor. 16:17-18) (Greek: ἐπιγινώσκετε — “recognize, give due regard”)
To Wives
“Husbands, likewise, dwell with them with understanding, giving honor to the wife, as to the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life, that your prayers may not be hindered” (1 Pet. 3:7)
To Father and Mother
“Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long upon the land which the LORD your God is giving you” (Ex. 20:12)
To the Elderly
“You shall rise before the gray headed and honor the presence of an old man, and fear your God: I am the LORD” (Lev. 19:32)
To Widows
“Honor widows who are really widows” (1 Tim. 5:3)
To the State Authorities
“Fear God. Honor the king” (1 Pet. 2:17)
“Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God. <...> Render therefore to all their due: taxes to whom taxes are due, customs to whom customs, fear to whom fear, honor to whom honor” (Rom. 13:1,7)
To All
“Honor all people. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the king” (1 Pet. 2:17)
“Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another” (Rom. 12:10)
Bowing to the Saints
The second commandment of the Decalogue (Ex. 20:4-5; Deut. 5:8-9) forbids the worship of false gods (idols). False gods are not really gods; their divinity is invented, it is fantasy, a lie.
The saints really exist; they are friends of God, and they are not worshiped as gods. Bowing to the saints is an expression of respect for them as friends of God, as servants of God (angels), as the Mother of God. Such bows to angels, people and objects are found in the Bible and are not idolatry, because idolatry is the worship of false gods, the worship of a lie. The righteous constantly bow to people as people, to angels as angels, to prophets as prophets, to objects as objects. In all these cases they bow to them not as to gods.
Bowing to God in the Form of Angels
God appeared, but the three angels are not God as He really is, not what He is even before the creation of the world. That is, this is an image (in Greek — εἰκόνα [icon]) of God, and Abraham bows before an icon of God:
“Then the LORD appeared to him [IN THE FORM OF AN IMAGE] (Greek: θεὸς — God; Hebrew: יְהוָ֔ה — Yahweh) by the terebinth trees of Mamre, as he was sitting in the tent door in the heat of the day. So he lifted his eyes and looked, and behold, three men were standing by him; and when he saw them, he ran from the tent door to meet them, and bowed himself to the ground” (Gen. 18:1-2)
Bowing to an Angel
“So He said, ‘No, but as Commander of the army of the LORD I have now come.’ And Joshua fell on his face to the earth and worshiped, and said to Him, ‘What does my Lord say to His servant?’” (Josh. 5:14)
Bowing to a Prophet
“Now when the sons of the prophets who were from Jericho saw him, they said, ‘The spirit of Elijah rests on Elisha.’ And they came to meet him, and bowed to the ground before him” (2 Kin. 2:15)
Bowing to the Temple
“But as for me, I will come into Your house in the multitude of Your mercy; in fear of You I will worship toward Your holy temple” (Ps. 5:7) (Greek: προσκυνήσω πρὸς ναὸν ἅγιόν σου — “I will bow down toward Your holy temple”)
Bowing to God’s Footstool (the Temple)
“Exalt the LORD our God, and worship at His footstool (pedestal, a stand for the feet — note) — He is holy” (Ps. 99:5) (Greek: προσκυνεῖτε τῷ ὑποποδίῳ τῶν ποδῶν αὐτοῦ, ὅτι ἅγιός ἐστιν — “bow down to the footstool of His feet, for He is holy”)
“Let us go into His tabernacle; let us worship at His footstool” (Ps. 132:7)
Bowing Before the Ark of the Covenant
“Then Joshua tore his clothes, and fell to the earth on his face before the ark of the LORD until evening, he and the elders of Israel; and they put dust on their heads” (Josh. 7:6)
Bowing to a Staff
To a staff: “Then he said, ‘Swear to me.’ And he swore to him. So Israel bowed himself on the head of the bed” (Gen. 47:31). In the LXX translation — to the staff (Greek: προσεκύνησεν Ισραηλ ἐπὶ τὸ ἄκρον τῆς ῥάβδου αὐτοῦ — “Israel bowed down upon the top of his staff”; also Heb. 11:21)
More examples: https://bibleox.com/ru/ru/w/поклоны (in Russian)
Why in Revelation the Angel Commands to Worship Not Himself, but God
In the vision of the Apostle John, God is visibly present nearby, so it would be strange in such a situation to show reverence to an angel, as if he were the most important one there. In this case the angel calls to worship God:
“And I fell at his feet to worship him. But he said to me, ‘See that you do not do that! I am your fellow servant, and of your brethren who have the testimony of Jesus. Worship God! For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy’” (Rev. 19:10)
“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’” (Rev. 22:9)
On another occasion, an angel accepts a bow from the prophet Joshua the son of Nun:
“So He said, ‘No, but as Commander of the army of the LORD I have now come.’ And Joshua fell on his face to the earth and worshiped, and said to Him, ‘What does my Lord say to His servant?’” (Josh. 5:14)
The Saints Will Be in Honor
“But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay, some for honor and some for dishonor. Therefore if anyone cleanses himself from the latter, he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified and useful for the Master, prepared for every good work” (2 Tim. 2:20-21)
“but glory, honor, and peace to everyone who works what is good, to the Jew first and also to the Greek” (Rom. 2:10)
The Lord Promised to Glorify the Righteous
“for those who honor Me I will honor, and those who despise Me shall be lightly esteemed” (1 Sam. 2:30) (Greek: τοὺς δοξάζοντάς με δοξάσω — “those who glorify Me I will glorify”)
“If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also. If anyone serves Me, him My Father will honor” (John. 12:26)
“I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; <...> And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one” (John. 17:20,22)
“For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son <…> Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified” (Rom. 8:29-30)
Glorification takes place, among other things, through the fulfillment of prayers and through deeds:
“And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything in My name, I will do it” (John. 14:13-14)
And in the end it is still the Father who is glorified, though in the Son, that is, the Son is glorified too.
Seeking Glory from God
“How can you believe, who receive honor from one another, and do not seek the honor that comes from the only God?” (John. 5:44) (Greek: δόξαν — “glory”)
“But in accordance with your hardness and your impenitent heart you are treasuring up for yourself wrath in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God, who ‘will render to each one according to his deeds’: eternal life to those who by patient continuance in doing good seek for glory, honor, and immortality; but to those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness — indignation and wrath” (Rom. 2:5-8)
The Glory of the Saints
“For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings” (Heb. 2:10)
“But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord” (2 Cor. 3:18)
“tribulation and anguish, on every soul of man who does evil, of the Jew first and also of the Greek; but glory, honor, and peace to everyone who works what is good, to the Jew first and also to the Greek” (Rom. 2:9-10)
“And He has exalted the horn of His people, the praise of all His saints — of the children of Israel, a people near to Him. Praise the LORD!” (Ps. 148:14)
The Church Will Glorify the Righteous
“Let us now sing the praises of famous men, our ancestors in their generations. The Lord apportioned to them great glory, his majesty from the beginning” (Sir. 44:1-2)
“But these also were godly men, whose righteous deeds have not been forgotten; their wealth will remain with their descendants, and their inheritance with their children’s children. Their descendants stand by the covenants; their children also, for their sake. Their offspring will continue forever, and their glory will never be blotted out. Their bodies are buried in peace, but their name lives on generation after generation. The assembly declares their wisdom, and the congregation proclaims their praise” (Sir. 44:10-15) (Greek: τὸν ἔπαινον ἐξαγγέλλει ἐκκλησία — “the church proclaims their praise”)
The Need Not to Forget the Deeds and Faith of Those Who Came Before Us, and to Imitate Them
“Remember your leaders, those who spoke the word of God to you; consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith” (Heb. 13:7)
“Therefore I urge you, imitate me” (1 Cor. 4:16)
“Brothers and sisters, join in imitating me, and observe those who live according to the example you have in us” (Phil. 3:17)
Longing for Life Among the Saints
“O my soul, you have said to the LORD, ‘You are my Lord, my goodness is nothing apart from You.’ As for the saints who are on the earth, ‘They are the excellent ones, in whom is all my delight’” (Ps. 16:2-3)
The Apocalyptic Beast Will Blaspheme the Saints
The Beast Will Blaspheme Those Who Dwell in Heaven
“Then he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme His name, His tabernacle, and those who dwell in heaven” (Rev. 13:6)
The Souls of the Righteous and the Angels Live in Heaven
“But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, to an innumerable company of angels, to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are registered in heaven, to God the Judge of all, to the spirits of just men made perfect” (Heb. 12:22-23)
Criticism
How Does the Church Know Who Is a Saint? Do People Not Decide for God?
See the answer in the section of “Prayers to the Saints”
God Will Not Give His Glory to Anyone
“I am the LORD, that is My name; and My glory I will not give to another, nor My praise to carved images” (Isa. 42:8)
This is about carved images, that is, about false gods. Many quotes showing that God Himself glorifies people are given above.