Revelation 13:8

And all that dwell on the earth shall worship him, every one whose name hath not been written from the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb that hath been slain.

Whose name hath not been written ... in the book of life ... New Testament references to the book of life are: Philippians 4:3, and Revelation 3:5; 13:8; 17:8; 20:12,15; 21:27. An Old Testament reference is Deuteronomy 32:32,33. Here the book of life is said to be "of the Lamb that hath been slain," indicating Christ as the owner of the book. The reason this is said is that, "It is through his sacrifice that life is possible (Revelation 5:9,10)."[56]

From the foundation of the world ... The ASV translation which places this phrase as a modifier of "written" is undoubtedly incorrect. The KJV is right in rendering it, "The Lamb slain from the foundation of the world."

It may be safely said that no group of translators would have come to such a decision (as that in the ASV) were it not for the statement in Revelation 17:8. The phrase in question immediately follows the Lamb that was slain, and normally one would not question the application of the phrase to that antecedent.[57]

Thus, this just happens to be a case in which the ASV translators indulged in commentary instead of translation. Caird stressed the fact that the mere fact of John's using this phrase to modify "book of life" in Revelation 17:8 is no proof at all that he could not have used it to modify "the Lamb slain" here. "That is no reason why he should not be allowed to say something complementary here.[58] Lenski also favored the KJV in this verse;[59] and Morris was emphatic: "From the foundation of the world should be taken with slain (1 Peter 1:19f) rather than with written."[60] All of God's great purpose of redemption was formulated "before the foundation of the world" (Ephesians 1:4). Many have vainly tried to get rid of this plain New Testament teaching, but as Bruce said:

Whatever be the interpretation of Genesis 1:2, it is certain that [@katabole] can mean nothing but "laying down" in the sense of "establishing" or "founding"; the phrase used in Ephesians 1:4 and in ten other New Testament passages is unambiguous and denotes the creation of the universe.[61]

[56] Robert H. Mounce, op. cit., p. 256.

[57] G. R. Beasley-Murray, op. cit., p. 214.

[58] G. B. Caird, op. cit., p. 168.

[59] R. C. H. Lenski, op. cit., p. 400.

[60] Leon Morris, op. cit., p. 169.

[61] F. F. Bruce, The Epistle to the Ephesians (Old Tappan, New Jersey: Fleming H. Revell Company, 1961), p. 28.