There's a wonderful verse in the Book of Revelation...
'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.' [Revelation 13:8, KJV]
This is a marvelous verse! The Lamb slain, FROM THE FOUNDATION OF THE WORLD.
Now that's a quantum verse...and we know from Hebrews 4:3 that His works were finished from the foundation of the world.
But wait...let's look at it in the New American Standard Version.
'All who dwell on the earth will worship Him, everyone whose name has not been written from the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who has been slain.' [Revelation 13:8, NASB]
Wow.
Now I'm no Greek scholar, I just look things up. As wonderful as this verse is in the KJV, it is equally wonderful, yet different, in the NASB.
Why? Because it confirms that our names are written in the book of life FROM THE FOUNDATION OF THE WORLD!
This second translation confirms not only Hebrews 4:3, but Ephesians 1 as well.
'Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him.' [Ephesians 1:3,4]
He knew us before the world was formed! He chose us, with a definite purpose in mind.
Consider Romans 8:
'For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren; and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified.' [Ephesians 8:29,30]
Predestined...decreed from eternity, appointed beforehand.
For what? To be conformed to the image of Jesus, to be His divine brethren, to be called, justified and glorified.
Hallelujah!
'He PREDESTINED us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved.'In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace which He lavished on us.'In all wisdom and insight He made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His kind intention which He purposed in Him with a view to an administration suitable to the fullness of the times, that is, the summing up of all things in Christ, things in the heavens and things on the earth.'In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, having been PREDESTINED according to His purpose Who works all things after the counsel of His will, to the end that we who were the first to hope in Christ would be to the praise of His glory.' [Ephesians 1:5-12]
The Father planned for you, planned for you to be born again of Him—of His seed, His Word—from the foundation of the world!
'...for you have been born again not of seed which is perishable but imperishable, that is, through the living and enduring word of God.' [1 Peter 1:23]
Think about it.
