John 17:24 (KJV)

Father, I will that they …whom thou hast given me…may behold my glory…for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world.

·        Jesus is talking with the Father, saying that the Father loved Jesus before the foundation of the world,  before Genesis 1:1

·        The saved people in this verse were given to Jesus after he started his public ministry on the earth, not before the foundation of the world.  Jesus is willing that they may behold His glory in the future.

Ephesians 1:4 (KJV)

According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:

Most people read this as:

God chose us before the foundation of the world to be saved and to be in him.  And those whom He didn’t choose before the foundation of the world to be saved, can’t be saved. 

This is not true, because: 

We couldn’t get in Him before the foundation of the world.  We weren’t even yet born of the flesh.  First, we must be born in the flesh,  from Adam and Eve,  from the foundation of the world. We could only get in Christ after the spiritual body of Christ, the church, was formed.

We are placed into Christ only after we are:

·        first born into the world,

·        and then later,

·        at the moment when we trust only Christ to take us to Heaven, and are born again

·        We get in Him, in Christ.

We were not born again before the foundation of the world.  So we couldn’t be in him before the foundation of the world.

Jesus didn’t choose who will be saved and who will not be saved before the foundation of the world.

2 Peter 3:9 (KJV)

The Lord is … not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

Revelation 22:17 (KJV)

And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.

So, everyone has an opportunity to get in Him, in Christ, but only after they are born into this world, and only when they trust only Jesus to take them to Heaven, not before the foundation of the world.

The next verse explains this more clearly:

Ephesians 1:5 (KJV)

Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will,

Jesus predestinated before the foundation of the world that all whosoever get in him will be adopted as children by Jesus Christ.  People get in him when they are born again, not before the foundation of the world.

Presdestination works like this:

We predestinate that we will build our home on June 1^st.

We predestinate that our house will be finished August 30^th.

We predestinate that we will build our kitchen on the South East corner.

We predestinate that we will build our guest bedroom on the North West corner.

We predestinate that whosoever comes into our house after August 30^th will eat in the kitchen in the South East corner of the house.

We predestinate that whosoever comes into our house after August 30^th to spend the night will sleep in the North West corner of the house.

We predestinated this before the foundation of the house was laid.

We predestinated this before whosoever came to our house.

We may not know who will come into our house before the foundation of the house is built.  But we predestinate before the foundation is laid that whosoever will come, will come into our house after it is finished and eat in the kitchen in the South East corner and sleep in the North West corner.

And we are opening the invitation to whosoever will come.

But they must come in. 

They may choose not to come in.

If they choose not to come in, then they will not eat in the kitchen, nor sleep in the bedroom.

That doesn’t destroy our predestination. That doesn’t destroy our purpose and grace.

We may also foreknow some people who will come into our house.

Even some we will invite ahead of time.

But, they must come in.

They may choose not to come in.

If they choose not to come in then, they will not eat in the kitchen, nor sleep in the bedroom.

That doesn’t destroy our predestination. That doesn’t destroy our purpose and grace.

Romans 8:29 (KJV)

For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.

Before the foundation of the world, Jesus predestinated that whosoever will get in Him after the church (his spiritual body) is formed after the cross, will be conformed to the image of his Son (at the Rapture). 

But, Jesus, before the foundation of the world had foreknowledge, and could foresee the future. He could see who would eventually get in Him.

But, they still had to get in Him later. 

The offer to whosoever will  is a legitimate offer to everyone who has ever been born, and whoever will be born. 

2 Peter 3:9 (KJV)

The Lord is … not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

Revelation 22:17 (KJV)

… And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.

Just because some don’t get saved doesn’t destroy the legitimate offer from the Lord,  anyone could, can, get saved, the offer is legitimate. 

It’s just that Jesus has foreknowledge, and can see ahead who will.

Romans 8:28 (KJV)

And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

Matthew 22:14 (KJV)

For many are called, but few are chosen.

God gave everyone free will, and predestinated that whosoever will …

Revelation 22:17 (KJV)

And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.

And God called…

Revelation 22:17 (KJV)

And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.

1 John 2:2 (KJV)

And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.

Romans 8:30 (KJV)

Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.

Jesus then called, whosoever will,  come and take of the water of life freely. Trust Him to take you to Heaven.  You can go to Heaven, because He justified you at Calvary, and will glorify you at the rapture.

2 Tim 1:9 Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began,

Before the world began, God had a purpose, and gave us His grace in Jesus Christ, that whosoever will….

Trust Him, He will place you into the family of God, in Christ, eternally secure.

1 Peter 1:19 (KJV)

But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:

1 Peter 1:20 (KJV)

Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you,

Jesus was foreordained before the foundation of the world to be manifested in these last times on the earth (about 2000 years ago) to shed his precious blood to wash us from our sins.

The Book Of Life

The term book of life is only used 8 times in the whole bible

Philippians 4:3 (KJV)

…those women which laboured with me in the gospel, with Clement also, and with other my fellow labourers, whose names are in the book of life.

Here, Paul names saved people whose names are written in the book of life.

Revelation 3:5 (KJV)

He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels.

This verse says that it is possible for God to blot out the name of someone who is already in the book of life.

·        This verse says He that overcometh.  This must refer to someone in the tribulation who overcomes, meaning the beast, by not taking his mark, and enduring to the 2^nd Coming of Jesus Christ without taking the mark. 

·        The Christian in the body of Christ is already an overcomer, by grace through faith in the blood of Jesus, at Calvary, and is eternally secure.  He doesn’t have to overcome the beast because he will be raptured out before the beast is revealed.

1 John 4:4 (KJV)

Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them…

1 John 5:4 (KJV)

For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.

Revelation 13:8 (KJV)

And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.

·        This verse says that there are names which are not written in the book of life.

·        In the context of the verse, in the tribulation, some people on the earth are worshipping him, the beast, and their names are not written in the book of life.  God must have blotted their names out when they took the mark of the beast, and worshipped him.

Revelation 16:2 (KJV)

… there fell a noisome and grievous sore upon the men which had the mark of the beast, and upon them which worshipped his image.

Revelation 19:20 (KJV)

… he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image...

·        The lamb slain from the foundation of the world refers to a lamb slain from the foundation of the world, not before the foundation of the world.

At the foundation of the world, God made coats of skins :

Genesis 3:21 (KJV) 

Unto Adam also and to his wife did the LORD God make coats of skins, and clothed them.

This is the lamb slain from the foundation of the world.  It was a type  in Prophecy of Jesus coming at Calvary, as the Lamb of God, to be slain for our sins. Coats of skins were taken from a lamb which God provided, and which God slew, and shed the blood of the lamb of God, and clothed Adam and Eve.

 And it is also the start to fulfilling in type, as a picture, the prophecy that Peter referred to in:

1 Peter 1:19 (KJV)

But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:

1 Peter 1:20 (KJV)

Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you,

So, God foreordained before the foundation of the world that Jesus would be (future) manifest in the last times (almost 2000 years ago) and be as of a lamb and shed the precious blood of Christ to wash us from our sins.  This prophecy was fulfilled at Calvary.

Revelation 17:8 (KJV)

The beast that thou sawest was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition: 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, when they behold the beast that was, and is not, and yet is.

Again, here are people whose names were not written in the book of life.   Notice that the context is again the beast, the anti-Christ, in the tribulation. Notice the verse does not say names were written in the book of life before the foundation of the world, but from the foundation of the world.  Comparing scripture with scripture,  notice that the scripture says the same thing (from the foundation of the world) in:

Revelation 13:8 (KJV)

And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.

17:8,

 names were not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world

            seems to infer that from the foundation of the world some names are written in the book of life, or contrary-wise, some were not.  This verse says that these names were not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world.  That would be true if they were written into the book of life when these people were born of the flesh, not from the foundation of the world.  It would still fit if, and when, God blotted their names out of the book of life because they took the mark, and worshipped the image of the beast.  This interpretation fits all the scriptures.

People’s names are entered into the book of life when they are born into the world in the flesh by their parents.

Their names are entered, beginning with Adam and Eve, from the foundation of the world, and this entering continues whenever new people are born into the world in the flesh.

Jesus foreknew who would be saved and who wouldn’t, so he wrote those names who He knew would be saved into the book of life from the foundation of the world.  Those who He knew wouldn’t be saved He didn’t write into the book of life from the foundation of the world.

The only flaw in this alternative is, how then could he blot out the names from the book of life if they were not written there from the foundation of the world?  The only way Jesus could blot them out is if they had been written there from the foundation of the world to begin with.  And if they were written in there from the foundation of the world because Jesus knew they would be saved, how could He then blot them out later?  He couldn’t.

So the conclusion that fits is:

Revelation 20:12 (KJV)

And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.

Proof:

 Revelation 20:15 (KJV)

And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.

Here, at the Great White Throne Judgment, plainly, those who are not written in the book of life are not saved, and are cast into the lake of fire.

Only saved people whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life shall enter into the new earth.

Revelation 21:27 (KJV)

And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb's book of life.

Only saved people will be allowed in the new earth.

Revelation 22:19 (KJV)

And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.

This clearly says that God can take away someone’s part out of the book of life.

So, how do we reconcile this?

Clearly,

·        God loved Jesus, and foreordained before the foundation of the world that Jesus would be made manifest, and be slain as the lamb of God, and shed his precious blood at Calvary to wash us from our sins.

·       God predestinated before the foundation of the world that all who get in Christ will be adopted as children and conformed to the image of His Son at the rapture.

·        God foreknew who would get in Christ.

·        God foreknew before the foundation of the world who would be written in the book of life.  But the names were not written in the book of life until they were written in the Lamb’s book of life from the foundation of the world, beginning with Adam and Eve. 

·        Every time someone gets born into the world in the flesh, his name is written in the Lamb’s book of life.

·        God blots some people’s names out of the lamb’s book of life.

·        People who die Lost, God blots their names out of the lamb’s book of life at their death.

·        People who take the mark of the beast in the tribulation, God blots their names out of the lamb’s book of life before they die.

·        At the Great White Throne Judgment, those whose names are not found in the lamb’s book of life are cast into the lake of fire.

·        Those who get in Christ by grace through faith in His substitutionary blood atonement at Calvary are saved eternally, and their names are continually saved in the Lamb’s book of life forever.

·        God can not blot out a born again Christian’s name from the Lamb’s book of life.