by Mike Bennett

Revelation 13:8 describes a time when an unholy leader of an evil empire will rule much of the world. Both the leader and the government he rules are called “the beast” (Revelation 13:1-7).

All will worship “the beast” except those who have repented of their sins and been written in the Book of Life. They will obey God no matter the personal cost and will then inherit eternal life in God’s Kingdom.

The Bible clearly identifies the Lamb as Jesus Christ. John the Baptist called Him “the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29), and the apostle Paul compared Christ with the Passover lamb “sacrificed for us” (1 Corinthians 5:7).

By His sacrifice, Jesus Christ made it possible for people to be forgiven and then written in the Book of Life. In that way it is His book. But what does it mean He was “slain from the foundation of the world”?

The Bible tells us God “calls those things which do not exist as though they did” (Romans 4:17). In other words, God’s plans are so sure that it is as if they had already happened. So, when the One who became Jesus Christ volunteered to die for our sins from the foundation of the world, it was as if He had already been slain.

Jesus also described other things that were planned “from the foundation of the world,” and they are just as sure. “Then the King will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world’” (Matthew 25:34).

To study related biblical material, see our articles “Sacrifice of Jesus” and “The Book of Life.”