Verse by Verse

Hello. I'm Joel Meeker, and this is verse by verse, a short podcast that explores the insights and lessons of the inspired word of Today, we're looking at Revelation chapter 13 verse 8. It says, all who dwell on the earth will worship him whose names have not been written in the book of life of the lamb slain from the foundation of the world. There is much to unpack in this verse. The context here is a great and terrible world dictator who will rule the earth just before the return of Jesus Christ.

He's called a few verses earlier the beast, meaning the animal. All the people in the world will obey him, even worship him, except for those who are written in the book of life of the lamb who was slain from the foundation of the world. But what does that mean exactly? Jesus Christ is many times called the lamb of god. But what does Jesus have to do with the wooly, cuddly baby sheep?

Lambs figure prominently in the bible. Sheep represented a major source of wealth in the ancient world. Their wool could be made into durable clothing and other textiles. Mutton was a favorite part of the diet, and lamb was the most delicate meat of all. Lambs are inoffensive, gentle.

They don't even defend themselves when attacked. They were often offered as sacrifices to god. They were the best that people had to give. When god delivered the Israelites from slavery in Egypt, the final of the 10 plagues that caused the Egyptians to free them was the death of all the firstborn in the land. To protect the Israelites, god instituted the Passover.

He told them to kill a lamb for the Passover supper and brush some of the blood on their door frames. The blood caused the angel of death to pass over the house, thus protecting the inhabitants. This was symbolic of what the death of Jesus would accomplish later. To understand this, we need some background. The bible says in Romans 623 that the wages of sin is death, but the gift of god is eternal life.

It says in Romans chapter 3 verse 23 that all have sinned. So every human being has a death penalty awaiting. No one can receive the gift of eternal life that god wants to give unless the wages of sin are paid. This is what the sacrifice of Jesus made possible. He lived a perfect life without sin, so he didn't deserve death.

But he accepted to die so that the penalty of sin could be paid for all humanity. In first Peter chapter 1 verses 18 and 19, it says, you were not redeemed with corruptible things like silver or gold from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ as of a lamb without blemish and without spot. Redeemed means bought back. We've been bought back from our sins through the blood of Christ. God the father accepts the death of Jesus Christ in our place so that the penalty of our sins is paid, and this opens the way for us to receive God's free gift of eternal life.

This is why Jesus is called the lamb of God. His blood spilled for us causes the penalty of death to pass over us. Well, how was Jesus, the lamb, slain from the foundation of the world? There was always god's plan that if human beings sinned, even just one human being, Jesus would shed his blood to redeem that person from death. So at the foundation of this world or age, that was when Adam and Eve sinned in the Garden of Eden, that was the beginning, it was preordained from that moment on that in god's chosen time, the lamb of god would die.

One last thing. What is the book of life of the lamb? Well, the book of life, also called god's book mentioned several times in the bible, is the list of those whom god has qualified to receive his gift of eternal life. These are people who have been called by god, who've accepted his spiritual call to obedience through baptism, and who have persevered in that righteous way. All this is necessary to escape the deception of the animalistic world dictator yet to come in the time of the end.

Do you want to be in the lamb's book of life? The bible tells you what to do. Our article, the book of life, can help you on your way. All who dwell on the earth will worship him whose names have not been written in the book of life of the lamb, slain from the foundation of the world.

Verse by Verse is a companion podcast to the daily bible verse blog, which you can find on the Life, Hope, and Truth Learning Center. Check out the show notes for more.