In the English Version, the eighth verse reads, "and all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him (the Beast) whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world." This is generally taken to mean that "the Lamb was slain from the foundation the world" - slain in the typical sacrifices of the Mosaic law. However this may be, the phrase "from the foundation of the world" in this place does not refer to the slaying of the Lamb, but to the writing of certain names in the Book of Life. This is evident from the parallel passage in ch. 17:8, "and they that dwell on the earth shall wonder whose names were not written in the Book of Life from the foundation of the world." This is expository of the former on this point. The Book of Life is essentially that of the Lamb slain; for there is no book registering names for eternal life, that has not been sprinkled with the blood of Jesus. The slain Lamb's Book of Life is the Book of the Abrahamic Covenant, dedicated with the blood of Jesus, the Mediator of the New Covenant; and in this Book their names are not written who are ignorant of the promises, and, therefore, faithless of the Gospel preached to Abraham, and afterwards in the name of Jesus Christ. These worshippers and wonderers are "alienated from the life of the Deity through the ignorance that is in them" (Eph. 4:18). The slain Lamb's Book of Life, whose first page was written at the foundation of the world in the days of Moses, promises the incorruptible, undefiled, and unfading inheritance reserved in the heavens to those, and to such only, "who are kept by the power of Deity (the gospel of the kingdom Rom. 1:16) through faith, for the salvation ready to be revealed in the last time" (1 Pet. 1:4,5); or "at the appearing (the apocalypse) of Jesus Christ-ver. 7. The promise is in thee, Abraham, and in thy Seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed;" and "all the land which thou seest to thee will I give it, and to thy Seed,for ever" (Gen. 12:3,7; 13:15). This is a promise of eternal life and of an eternal inheritance to Abraham and his Seed; for they must be made incorruptible and immortal to enable them to possess a country "for ever." Nor can any sane person be in doubt as to what country is promised to Abraham and his Seed for ever; for it is plainly and expressly stated to be the land Abraham saw with his eyes when he was seventy-five years old - the land lying between the Mediterranean and the Euphrates, at present a province of the Draco-Ottoman empire.

Now, Moses and Paul teach that the Seed connected with the father of the faithful in the promise, was to be manifested in the line of Isaac; and that the said Seed was to be the personal and mystical Christ; or the One Body, whose head is Jesus and the Father; in other words, Jesus Christ. "To Abraham and to the Christ," says Paul, "were the promises made, and confirmed 430 years before the Mosaic law was given." He then states that when "the faith came;" that is, when the truth was manifested through the slaying of the Lamb of the Deity, men and women became the children of Deity by obedience to it; for the faith was made known to all nations for obedience of faith (Rom. 16:26; 1:5). Believers became children of the Deity by this obedience; for, he says, "Ye are all children of Deity in Christ Jesus through the faith. " But, if they were not in Christ, though they might be believers, they were not His children; but mere worshippers of the Beast in the times of the Beast. Those believers only are "in Christ Jesus" who have entered into that heavenly state "through the faith;" or through the way pointed out in the one faith. This way is indicated in the words of Paul, who tells the believer of the truth by what process he may become a son of Deity; how he may get into Christ, and by consequence, be Christ's brother; and, therefore, a son of Abraham in the highest sense; an heir of the Deity, a joint-heir with Christ; and thereby entitled to the eternal life and inheritance promised to Abraham 430 years "before the foundation of the world". His words are, "As many as have been immersed into Christ have put on Christ; and if ye be Christ's, then are ye the Seed of Abraham, and Heirs according to the promise" (Gal. 3:26-29; Rom. 8:17).

This is the Covenant of life in Christ confirmed by his blood, and styled Apocalyptically, "the Book of the life of the Lamb slain." Every one who can prove Scripturally that he is in Christ, and, therefore of Abraham's Seed, thereby demonstrates that his name has been written in that book from the foundation of the world. For, "known unto the Deity are all his works from the beginning of the world" (Acts 15:13). If any one be a son of Deity he is one of "his works;" for says Paul to the sons of Deity in Ephesus, "we are his workmanship created in Christ Jesus for good works" (ch. 2:10). Then every one of his children was known to Him by name when he laid the foundation of the aion and kosmos (both rendered world in the English Version) in the Abrahamic Covenant. To deny it, would be to say that the Deity did not know all his works from the beginning. But he did know them; and, therefore, it is said in the verse before us of the dwellers on the earth in contrast with the dwellers in the heaven, of "whom there has not been written from the foundation of the world the names in the book of the life of the Lamb that had been slain." The sentence resting upon these is "Depart from me, ye cursed that work iniquity; I never knew you" (Matt. 7:21-23; 25:41). Such are the wonderers after the Beast of all clerical orders, and names, and denominations of blasphemy, of which his body politic is full (Apo 17:3). Thus, "whosoever is not found written in the Book of Life is cast into the Lake of Fire, in which the Beast and False-Prophet powers are to be destroyed by the all-conquering saints (ch. 19:20; 20:15; Matt. 25:41).