"and all who dwell on earth will worship it, every one whose name has not been written before the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb that was slain." Rev 13:8 RSV, also ESV
A. T. Robertson, "Hath not been written (ου γεγραπτα). Perfect passive indicative of γραφω, permanent state, stands written." * permanent state, stands written as in Rev. 3:5 shows NOT to be blotted out.
Thayer's, "to commit to writing (things not to be forgotten), write dozen, record: Rev 1:19 (γράψον ἅ εἶδες); Rev 10:4; γράφειν εἰς βιβλίον, Rev 1:11; ἐπί τό βιβλίον τῆς ζωῆς, Rev 17:8; γεγραμμένων ἐν τῷ βιβλίῳ (or τῇ βίβλῳ), ἐν τοῖς βιβλίοις, Rev 13:8" * "things not to be forgotten", a solid promise.
The verse properly in English reads "written before the foundation of the world", rather than "slain from the foundation of the world", as follows -
"All doubt is removed by a passage strictly parallel, ch. Revelation 17:8 . The Apocalypse often makes mention of the Lamb slain: it never adds, from the foundation of the world; nor indeed was He slain from the foundation of the world: Hebrews 9:26 . They who allege that He was thus slain in the Divine decree, in a like sense will say that He was born, raised from the dead, and ascended into heaven, from the foundation of the world." Johann Albrecht Bengel
"From the foundation of the world," is the New Testament mode of representing what took place in the remote past, before time, as measured in the periods of this world, had existence." JUSTIN A. SMITH, D. D., IN CONSULTATION WITH JAMES ROBINSON BOISE, Ph. D., D. D., LL. D. (1884)
"A comparison of all the passages in which this phrase occurs would seem to show, that it signifies past time indefinitely, as if we should say, "before all time," or, " from all past time," or from the ages of old, as in Rom. xvi. 25, referred to above. The truths of the gospel had remained a mystery, or been kept secret from the foundation of the world, or all past time; Matt. xiii. 35 : the kingdom had been prepared for the believers from the foundation of the world, or all past time ; Matt. xxv. 34 : the blood of all the prophets shed from the foundation of the world was to be required of that generation of the Jews which slew Christ ; Luke xi. 50 ; i. e., the blood of all that had been slain ; for Matthew has it, " all the righteous blood shed upon the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel, unto the blood of Zacharias, son of Barachias, whom ye slew between the temple and the altar ;" Matt, xxiii. 35 : Jesus was loved of the Father before the foundation of the world ; John xvii. 24 : and believers were chosen in him before the foundation of the world ; Eph. i. 4 ; that is, before time begun, in the eternal councils of the Father. In Heb. iv. 3, the works of God, at the creation, are said to have been from the foundation of the world : and if it had been necessary for Christ, like the high priest, to have been sacrificed every year, then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world, Heb. ix. 26, or from the beginning. Christ was a Lamb, without spot or blemish, preordained before the foundation of the world, i. e., before all time, in the eternal councils of the Father ; 1 Pet. i. 20 ; and this is the precise phraseology employed in the Apocalypse, and which Peter seems almost to have quoted from it ; Rev. xiii. 8. See, also, xvii. 8. These are all the passages in the New Testament in which the phrase apo or pro kataboles kosmou occurs . The word katabole (foundation) occurs in one other connection only, Heb. xi. 11." Thomas Whittemore, (1800-1861)
"All people living on earth will worship it, except those whose names were written before the creation of the world in the book of the living which belongs to the Lamb that was killed." Rev 13:8 GNB92
"That beast was once alive, but lives no longer; it is about to come up from the abyss and will go off to be destroyed. The people living on earth whose names have not been written before the creation of the world in the book of the living, will all be amazed as they look at the beast. It was once alive; now it no longer lives, but it will reappear." Rev 17:8 GNB92
Baker's New Testament Commentary on Revelation 3:5 -
“'I will never erase his name from the book of life.' Here is a promise that is worded in strongly negative terms to assure faithful Christians in Sardis. It assures them that they are absolutely safe and secure. Their names have been recorded in the book of life and will never be erased. Elsewhere God testifies to his people, 'See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands' (Isa_49:16). He is inseparably linked to them, for they are the apple of his eye (Deu_32:10; Psa_17:8; Zec_2:8). John reveals that the names inscribed in this book of life were recorded from the foundation of the earth (Rev_17:8)."
A. T. Robertson, "Hath not been written (ου γεγραπτα). Perfect passive indicative of γραφω, permanent state, stands written." * permanent state, stands written as in Rev. 3:5 shows NOT to be blotted out.
Thayer's, "to commit to writing (things not to be forgotten), write dozen, record: Rev 1:19 (γράψον ἅ εἶδες); Rev 10:4; γράφειν εἰς βιβλίον, Rev 1:11; ἐπί τό βιβλίον τῆς ζωῆς, Rev 17:8; γεγραμμένων ἐν τῷ βιβλίῳ (or τῇ βίβλῳ), ἐν τοῖς βιβλίοις, Rev 13:8" * "things not to be forgotten", a solid promise.
The verse properly in English reads "written before the foundation of the world", rather than "slain from the foundation of the world", as follows -
"All doubt is removed by a passage strictly parallel, ch. Revelation 17:8 . The Apocalypse often makes mention of the Lamb slain: it never adds, from the foundation of the world; nor indeed was He slain from the foundation of the world: Hebrews 9:26 . They who allege that He was thus slain in the Divine decree, in a like sense will say that He was born, raised from the dead, and ascended into heaven, from the foundation of the world." Johann Albrecht Bengel
"From the foundation of the world," is the New Testament mode of representing what took place in the remote past, before time, as measured in the periods of this world, had existence." JUSTIN A. SMITH, D. D., IN CONSULTATION WITH JAMES ROBINSON BOISE, Ph. D., D. D., LL. D. (1884)
"A comparison of all the passages in which this phrase occurs would seem to show, that it signifies past time indefinitely, as if we should say, "before all time," or, " from all past time," or from the ages of old, as in Rom. xvi. 25, referred to above. The truths of the gospel had remained a mystery, or been kept secret from the foundation of the world, or all past time; Matt. xiii. 35 : the kingdom had been prepared for the believers from the foundation of the world, or all past time ; Matt. xxv. 34 : the blood of all the prophets shed from the foundation of the world was to be required of that generation of the Jews which slew Christ ; Luke xi. 50 ; i. e., the blood of all that had been slain ; for Matthew has it, " all the righteous blood shed upon the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel, unto the blood of Zacharias, son of Barachias, whom ye slew between the temple and the altar ;" Matt, xxiii. 35 : Jesus was loved of the Father before the foundation of the world ; John xvii. 24 : and believers were chosen in him before the foundation of the world ; Eph. i. 4 ; that is, before time begun, in the eternal councils of the Father. In Heb. iv. 3, the works of God, at the creation, are said to have been from the foundation of the world : and if it had been necessary for Christ, like the high priest, to have been sacrificed every year, then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world, Heb. ix. 26, or from the beginning. Christ was a Lamb, without spot or blemish, preordained before the foundation of the world, i. e., before all time, in the eternal councils of the Father ; 1 Pet. i. 20 ; and this is the precise phraseology employed in the Apocalypse, and which Peter seems almost to have quoted from it ; Rev. xiii. 8. See, also, xvii. 8. These are all the passages in the New Testament in which the phrase apo or pro kataboles kosmou occurs . The word katabole (foundation) occurs in one other connection only, Heb. xi. 11." Thomas Whittemore, (1800-1861)
"All people living on earth will worship it, except those whose names were written before the creation of the world in the book of the living which belongs to the Lamb that was killed." Rev 13:8 GNB92
"That beast was once alive, but lives no longer; it is about to come up from the abyss and will go off to be destroyed. The people living on earth whose names have not been written before the creation of the world in the book of the living, will all be amazed as they look at the beast. It was once alive; now it no longer lives, but it will reappear." Rev 17:8 GNB92
Baker's New Testament Commentary on Revelation 3:5 -
“'I will never erase his name from the book of life.' Here is a promise that is worded in strongly negative terms to assure faithful Christians in Sardis. It assures them that they are absolutely safe and secure. Their names have been recorded in the book of life and will never be erased. Elsewhere God testifies to his people, 'See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands' (Isa_49:16). He is inseparably linked to them, for they are the apple of his eye (Deu_32:10; Psa_17:8; Zec_2:8). John reveals that the names inscribed in this book of life were recorded from the foundation of the earth (Rev_17:8)."
