This is another in a series of excerpts from The Book of Life: What the Bible Says about God’s Registry of the Redeemed from High Street Press and available at Amazon. This except comes from Chapter 4: Written from the Foundation of the World.

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Before closing this three-part study on the phrase, “written from the foundation of the world,” we still need to understand two prepositions: “from” and “before.” One or the other appears in each of the ten Scripture references to “the foundation of the world.” And the placement of the prepositions is key. (Read Part 1 and Part 2.)

From and before

As we’ve seen, the word “foundation” (katabole) appears ten times in the New Testament in the phrase, “the foundation of the world.” When the preposition “from” (apo) appears before “foundation,” it normally signifies something that occurs across time, and thus unfolds throughout human history. And when the preposition “before” (pro) precedes “foundation,” it depicts something that occurs before the creation of the world.

For example, Jesus speaks of truths hidden from the foundation of the world – that is, since the beginning of human history – but now revealed through his parables (Matt. 13:35). He tells the religious leaders of his generation they are to be held responsible for the blood of the prophets shed from the foundation of the world – that is, since the time the first prophets appeared (Luke 11:50).

And, in teaching about a future judgment day, Jesus tells the sheep at his right hand he has prepared a kingdom for them from the foundation of the world, a kingdom in which the intersection of heaven and earth, which sin destroyed, is restored, and from which the wicked are banished forever (Matt. 25:34; cf. vv. 41, 46).

The writer of Hebrews reminds us that God’s work of redemption (specifically, in providing rest) has been going on “since (apo) the foundation of the world” (Heb. 4:3). And he further stresses the significance of Christ’s death on the cross as a one-time payment for our sin debt; otherwise, like the high priest’s offering on the Day of Atonement, Jesus “would have had to suffer many times since (apo) the foundation of the world” (Heb. 9:26). 

In all these instances, apo katabole is set in the context of human history. Whatever event is being described takes place at or after creation. The consistent usage of “from the foundation of the world” in these passages suggests this was a common idiom that carried a specific meaning in early Christian circles. So, it’s reasonable to suggest John used it the same way in the book of Revelation.

However, when the Greek preposition pro (before) precedes katabole, it speaks of divine actions prior to human history – or more accurately, outside of time. We see this in Jesus’s high priestly prayer, in which he acknowledges the Father’s love for him “before (pro) the world’s foundation” (John 17:24). Paul writes that the Father chose us in Christ “before (pro) the foundation of the world” (Eph. 1:4). And Peter says of Jesus, “He was foreknown before (pro) the foundation of the world but was revealed in these last times for you” (1 Pet. 1:20).

When the book of life was written

So, what do we make of Revelation 13:8 and 17:8, in which unbelievers are said to be excluded from the book of life written “from the foundation of the world”? When, exactly, was the book of life written? While we pursue a deeper study of these two passages in future posts, we may make a few observations here. 

First, the book of life is the Lamb’s book of the redeemed, as we’ve already seen. Though Jesus is eternal and all-knowing, and thus knew us from eternity past, the book of life seems to have come into existence around the time of creation. There is no contradiction between the eternal mind of God and his authorship of the book of life, any more than there’s a conflict between the eternal councils of the Godhead and the historical context of Scripture.

Second, it appears names are both written in and erased from the book of life. We explore this further in numerous future posts. However, it seems biblically faithful to conclude the following:

• Everyone’s name initially is entered in the book of life. This may be during the days of creation, when our omniscient God records the name of every human ever to be conceived. Or it could be throughout human history as each new life comes into existence.
• Christ’s death on the cross paid the sin debt for all people, thus confirming their value to God, the depths of their depravity, and his provision for their salvation (John 3:16; 1 John 2:2). There is no reason for any name to be expunged from the book of life.
• Those who trust in Christ have their names sealed in the book of life. That is, they have God’s assurance their names will never be erased.
• Since many names are shown to be excluded from the book of life on the day of judgment (Rev. 20:11-15), there comes a point when the unrepentant wicked are blotted out. This could be at death, or even during a person’s earthly existence, when he or she has passed a point of no return (see Gen. 15:16; Matt. 23:32; 1 Thess. 2:16; Jude 4).
• Those who trample on the Son of God, regard as profane the blood of Jesus, and insult the Holy Spirit by rejecting God’s self-revelation in creation, conscience, Scripture, and the person and work of Christ, are in essence demanding that their names be erased from the book of life– a demand to which the Savior acquiesces, and over which he grieves (see Ezek. 33:11; Luke 19:41-44; Rom. 1:20; 2:12-16; 1 Tim. 2:4, 6; Tit. 2:11; Heb. 10:26-29; 2 Pet. 3:9).
• Our omniscient God has always known the names of every human being who would come into existence, as well as people’s response to his measure of grace in their lives. Thus, the book of life confirms what God foreknows but doesn’t fatalistically determine.

Finally, we must remember that the book of life is for our benefit, not God’s. He is eternal, all-knowing, all-powerful, and everywhere present; we’re none of these. So, it makes sense that God enters the name of every person into his registry of the living, and then erases the names of those who reject him. He shows us this divine record on the day of final judgment.

Next: The Book You Have Written