"All inhabitants of the earth will worship the beast—all whose names have not been written in the Lamb’s book of life, the Lamb who was slain from the creation of the world."
Revelation 13:8 (NIV)
This is an amazing verse that reveals to us our amazing God! The NIV and the KJV both attach “before the creation of the world” to the “Lamb who was slain”, whereas the ESV and the NASB attach that phrase to the writing of “the Lamb’s book of life”. In either case, the truth that is revealed is amazing!
Before God spoke and created all that is, He wrote a book, and in that book He wrote down the names of all the people that would receive eternal life through faith in His one and only Son, who is the Lamb who takes away the sin of the world! This means that God the Father, and His Son, the Eternal Word, and the Holy Spirit, planned everything out, and wrote it all down before the Father spoke and the Son (Jn 1:3, Heb 1:2) and the Spirit (Ge 1:2) created.
These verses in Revelation 4:11, Revelation 17:8 and Romans 5:6 (to note a few) completely destroy the false notion that God was caught off guard by the devil in the garden, and that He made a mistake with Israel and the Law, and that sending His Son to die was Plan C. No friend, God is not surprised by anything. He made everything, and it is only because of His will that anything exists, including Satan and the hordes of demons, and the billions of unrepentant people who clothe themselves in wickedness and turn their backs on their Creator.
Sending His Son was Plan A. It is only through His Son that we truly see the glory and character of God revealed. Through His humility, through His compassion, through His power over sickness, nature and demons, through His passion to see people turn in true repentance and receive life, through His holiness and righteousness and His life of true sacrificial love, God has fully revealed Himself to all of creation.
Oh friend, is your name written in this book of Life? If your answer is "YES, John. I know my name is in that book!", then rejoice and praise God for His grace and love for you, for He has had His eye on you before the creation of the world! If your answer is, "John, I don’t know...I just don’t know...", then friend, REPENT. Humble yourself before your Creator. Turn to Him and He will turn to you. Seek His face and He will reveal Himself, and He will testify with you that your name is written in the Lamb’s book of life!
Before God spoke and created all that is, He wrote a book, and in that book He wrote down the names of all the people that would receive eternal life through faith in His one and only Son, who is the Lamb who takes away the sin of the world! This means that God the Father, and His Son, the Eternal Word, and the Holy Spirit, planned everything out, and wrote it all down before the Father spoke and the Son (Jn 1:3, Heb 1:2) and the Spirit (Ge 1:2) created.
These verses in Revelation 4:11, Revelation 17:8 and Romans 5:6 (to note a few) completely destroy the false notion that God was caught off guard by the devil in the garden, and that He made a mistake with Israel and the Law, and that sending His Son to die was Plan C. No friend, God is not surprised by anything. He made everything, and it is only because of His will that anything exists, including Satan and the hordes of demons, and the billions of unrepentant people who clothe themselves in wickedness and turn their backs on their Creator.
Sending His Son was Plan A. It is only through His Son that we truly see the glory and character of God revealed. Through His humility, through His compassion, through His power over sickness, nature and demons, through His passion to see people turn in true repentance and receive life, through His holiness and righteousness and His life of true sacrificial love, God has fully revealed Himself to all of creation.
Oh friend, is your name written in this book of Life? If your answer is "YES, John. I know my name is in that book!", then rejoice and praise God for His grace and love for you, for He has had His eye on you before the creation of the world! If your answer is, "John, I don’t know...I just don’t know...", then friend, REPENT. Humble yourself before your Creator. Turn to Him and He will turn to you. Seek His face and He will reveal Himself, and He will testify with you that your name is written in the Lamb’s book of life!
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