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REV 13:8
WAS OUR LORD SLAIN FROM THE CREATION OF THE WORLD OR WERE THE NAMES OF BELIEVERS WRITTEN IN THE BOOK OF LIFE AT THAT TIME?
[Rev 13:8]:
"All inhabitants of the earth will worship the beast - all whose names have not been written in the book of life belonging to the Lamb that was slain - from the creation of the world."
"Kai proskunesousin ......auto pantes oi ...katoikountes
"And shall do homage to it.......all.......who dwell
epi tes ges .....on ...........ou gegraptai
on .the earth of whom not have been written
ta ..onomata en te ..biblo tes zoes tou ....arniou
the names ....in .the book of ..life ..of the lamb
esphagmenon apo ...........kataboles .............kosmou."
slain ...............from [the] founding ..[of the] world."
"From the founding of the world" = Since word order is NOT so structured in ancient koine Greek as it is in English, this phrase may modify "written in the book of life from the creation of the world" or "belonging to the Lamb that was slain from the creation of the world" in accordance with the original Greek text. So in order to decide which is the correct interpretation, one must refer to clear passages on the matter. Such passages rule out the phrase modifying "belonging to the Lamb that was slain [from the creation of the world]" since the Lamb, Jesus Christ, (Jn 1:29; 1 Cor 5:7), was slain once for all time at calvary during His historical incarnation period as the Messiah, and therefore not before the foundation of the world since it was for one time only:
[Heb 7:27; 9:28; 10:10]:
(v. 7:27) "Unlike the other high priests, He [Jesus Christ, (v. 24)] does not need to offer sacrifices day after day, first for His own sins, and then for the sins of the people. He sacrificed for their sins once for all when He offered Himself."
(9:28) "So Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people; and He will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for Him."
(10:10) "And by that will, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all."
Furthermore, the names were written in the Book of Life before the founding of the world as implied in the following passages on this subject:
[Ex 32:31-33]:
(v. 31) "Then Moses returned to the LORD, and said, 'Alas, this people has committed a great sin, and they have made a god of gold for themselves.
(v. 32) But now, if Thou wilt forgive their sin - and if not, please blot me [Moses] out from Thy book which Thou has written!
(v. 33) And the LORD said to Moses, 'Whoever has sinned against Me, I will blot him out of My book."
[Ps 69:27-28]:
(v. 27) "Do Thou [God] add iniquity to their iniquity [refers to David's adversaries who are persecuting him, (v. 19)],
And may they not come into Thy righteousness.
[David is crying out to God that he wishes that his adversaries which are persecuting him mercilessly not be credited with the righteousness of God - which enables them to have eternal life in heaven. He goes on to say this in a another way which includes the doctrine of the Book of Life]:
(v. 28) May they be blotted out of the book of life, and may they not be recorded with the righteous."
[since they were requested by David to never be credited with the righteousness of God, (v. 27), which is by faith alone in the coming Messiah, Jesus Christ, alone, (cp Gen 15:5-6); then their names would be blotted out of the Book of Life]
This is certainly supported by the doctrines of election and predestination in which God has chosen individuals before the "creation of the world" tochoose to believe in Christ as Savior and thus be saved and as a result be declared holy and blameless in His sight:
[Eph 1:4]:
(v. 4) "For He [God the Father, (v. 3a)] chose us [believers, (v. 1)] in Him [i.e., to be in Christ - to be saved, (v. 3b)] before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in His sight."
So Rev 13:8 can best be rendered as it has been in the NAS translation:
[Rev 13:8 NAS]:
"And all who dwell on the earth will worship him, [the Antichrist, v. 4], everyone whose name has not been written from the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb Who has been slain."