May 19, 2025 - Revelation 13:8 - "The Lamb Slain From the Foundation of the World"

Revelation 13:8

"And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world."

In this remarkable verse, the Spirit of God unveils a profound truth concerning Christ and the redemptive purpose of God. We are told of a Lamb — not just any lamb, but the Lamb, Christ Jesus — “slain from the foundation of the world.”

Many have misread this verse, asserting that Christ was slain before the foundation of the world, as if the cross was accomplished in eternity past. But the text does not say “before.” It says from — indicating a point in time, since the foundation was laid. This matters because it aligns with the entire testimony of Scripture regarding Christ's sacrificial work: that it was accomplished in time, upon a real cross, in real flesh, in the fullness of the time. Paul writes in Galatians 4:4, “But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law.” Yes, Christ was foreordained before the foundation of the world, as Peter declares in 1 Peter 1:20, but "was manifest in these last times for you who by him do believe in God, that raised him up from the dead, and gave him glory; that your faith and hope might be in God."

What then does it mean that He is the Lamb "slain from the foundation of the world”? It means that from the very beginning of this world’s history — from Adam’s fall and the first shedding of blood to cover sin — the purpose of God in Christ was being unfolded. The Lamb slain was set forth in type, in promise, in shadow, and in prophecy from the beginning. Abel’s acceptable sacrifice pointed to Him. The ram caught in the thicket for Isaac spoke of Him. The Passover lamb in Egypt, the daily offerings in the tabernacle — all cried out, “Behold the Lamb of God!”

Christ was ordained to be the Substitute for an elected people that God chose in eternity past, whose names have always been written in the Book of Life of the Lamb slain. That's Whose book it is. The Lamb slain. However, He is the Lamb slain from or since the foundation of the world. Only the LORD Himself could and did uphold the law in perfect obedience as the God-Man. A body was prepared for Him, since the foundation of the world, Hebrews 10:5. "Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:" (Romans 5:12). So the LORD Jesus had to come in the flesh to earn and establish the righteousness necessary to satisfy the Law and Justice of God the Father, as a Man, since the foundation of the world.

The cross was not an afterthought or a reaction to man's fall. It was God’s determined purpose from the start. Every name in the Lamb’s Book of Life was written before the foundation of the world — not merely foreseen, but foreordained in God's sovereign grace (Ephesians 1:4). However, Christ’s death was not accomplished in eternity. It was purposed from eternity and carried out in time. From the first moment of creation, the slain Lamb was central to God’s dealings with this world, when God slew the innocent victims and clothed Adam and Eve with the skins (Genesis 3:21).

Why is this important? Because it lifts our eyes from philosophical abstractions to the historical, effectual work of Christ crucified. It reminds us that our salvation is not based on speculation, but on the accomplished death of Christ in time, for His people, chosen in Him, written in His book, from the beginning. Although on the surface this verse seems simple, it is rich in typological meaning, especially when read in the light of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It depicts Christ's death by substitution and the imputation of righteousness to God’s elect. It preaches grace—from the beginning, salvation by God's initiative, through blood shed unto death, for the elect.

Let us not make His sacrifice a mere mystical figure in eternity. No — He was slain in time, on Calvary’s tree. But from the very dawn of this world, His death prefigured was central in God's purpose, and the unfolding of redemptive history. If your name is written in the Lamb’s Book of Life, it is because the slain Lamb, appointed from before the world’s foundation, came in time, bore your sins, and purchased your redemption.

Thanks be to God for the Lamb Who was slain from the foundation of the world!