"THE FOUNDATION(S) OF THE EARTH" IN THE BIBLE

This common (approximately 20 times) phrase appears throughout the Bible, where it is often used as a marker of time. Thus, we have at least four places in the Old Testament where the laying of the foundations of the earth is said to occur soon after the stretching out of the heavens (Isaiah 51:13,16; Jeremiah 31:37; Zechariah 12:1), obvious references to the early verses of Genesis 1. This was said to have occurred “in the beginning” (Hebrews 1:10) or “long ago” (Psalm 102:25).

Then we run into some slightly contradictory passages concerning the durability of this foundation. Psalm 104:5 states that it “shall never be shaken,” and Micah 6:2 alludes to the “enduring foundations of the earth.” But then the Psalmist turns around and states that the foundations trembled and shook when God became angry (Psalm 18:7; 82:5). In addition, we read in II Samuel 22:16 that “the foundations of the world were laid bare at the rebuke of the LORD.” Of course, those particular passages are not meant to be read literally and are obviously hyperbolic.

But the most intriguing passages in this regard are those which talk about things that happened before, during, and after the setting of the earth's foundation.

    Proverbs 8:29 reads as follows: “When he [i.e. God] marked out the foundations of the earth, then I [i.e. Wisdom] was beside him, like a master worker.”

    Then the author of Hebrews begins in 9:26 quoting from Psalm 95:11 – “I swore they shall not enter my rest” and adds “for his works were finished at the foundation of the world.”

Next are those verses that talk about things happening “since (or beginning with) the foundation of the world.” Luke 11:50 mentions “the blood of prophets shed since the foundation of the world” beginning with Abel. In a similar mode, Hebrews 9:26 (felt by a number of scholars to have been written by Luke also) compares the one-time sacrifice for sin by Christ on the cross with the yearly sacrifice brought by the high priest for the sins of the people. He shows the superiority of Christ's sacrifice by saying that otherwise “he would have had to suffer again and again since the foundation of the world.”

The most mysterious references, however, are to things which actually happened before the foundation of the earth.

    John 17:24 says that God loved Christ before the foundation of the world.

    Ladd points to the many places in the NT where the pre-existence of Christ is taught, most prominently in the poetic prologue to John's Gospel. Ladd references Proverbs 8:29 above in order to point to the similarities between Wisdom and the Word (Logos). He concludes by citing two apocryphal texts: “However, wisdom is never called the word of God, even though she came forth from the mouth of the Most High (Sir. 24:3) and wisdom is placed in parallelism to the word in the Wisdom of Solomon (9:1-2).”

    Ephesians 1:4-5 – “...he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. He destined us for adoption...”

    Marcus Barth discusses this passage in some depth, starting with the statement: “There are six distinctive reasons why Ephesians cannot be considered the charter for the eternal predestination of one part of mankind for bliss, the other for hell, and a seventh reason which by itself is decisive.” I will hardly do justice to Barth's reasoning here, but his statement rests on factors such as the following:

        a. There is a general adoring, rather than calculating or speculative, tone to the passage.

        b. The election of men is not an impersonal issue for God but a strictly personal one.

        c. The author is dependent on Old Testament statements about election.

        d. This election is not a hidden mystery.

        e. This election is concerned with historical deeds by men in time.

        f. Election is “not a pillow to sleep on, but a stronghold in times of temptation and trials.”

        g. Finally, “The formula 'in Christ' denotes the concentration, summation, revelation, and execution of God's own decision in one person, that is, the Messiah upon whom the Jews had set their hope (1:12).”

The last category of such references is to things that happened “from the foundation of the world.” To my naïve mind, there doesn't seem to be much difference here between “since” and “from” the foundation of the world. And in actuality, the Greek word translated by those two prepositions is exactly the same, 'apo. Here is how some commentators weigh in on these particular passages:

    Isaiah 40:21 – “Have you not known? Have you not heard?...Have you not understood from the foundations of the earth?”

    Oswalt notes that 'from' (min) is missing in the final line but understood to be carried over from the previous line. “Although the prophet does not specify which beginning he means, the following colon seems to make clear that it is the beginning of all things; foundations of the earth refers to the beginnings of the earth and envisions a time when the world was not. What he is saying is that careful thought about the origins of the world must point to a creator beyond the cosmos itself.”

    Matthew 13:35 – “This was to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet, 'I will open my mouth in parables. I will utter what has been hidden since the foundation of the world.'” This approximately renders Psalm 78:2, which however ends with “from of old” instead.

    “Matthew's rendering of Psalm78:2 reinforces the hidden nature of mystery to outsiders or to those who lack 'eyes to see' and 'ears to hear.'They are simply unable to grasp unveiled revelation. The quotation also corresponds to the temporary hiddenness of the mystery. God has, in eternity past ('since the foundation of the world'), planned that the kingdom ought to be introduced in an inaugurated stage and not only consummated form, though he did not divulge it clearly until the coming of Jesus.” (Beale and Gladd)

    Matthew 25:34 – “Then the King will say to those at his right hand. 'Come, O blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.”

    France explains, “This new status is not an afterthought but the culmination of God's purpose from them 'since the foundation of the world.'... As with other such apparently deterministic language in the NT, it is possible to read 'for you' here in either a more general or a more personal sense. Traditional Calvinism has favored the more rigorous, personal interpretation which concludes that the identity of the individuals who will enjoy these blessings is already decreed before they are born. Others have understood the 'you' to refer to the class of the saved as a whole: God has prepared this kingship for those who will prove to be worthy of it, but who those people will be remains to be discovered on the basis of their response to the gospel and to the will of God.”

    Revelation 13:8; 17:8 – These seemingly parallel passages talk about “those whose name has not been written from the foundation of the world in the Lamb's book of life” being condemned at the Last Judgment. The interpretation of 13:8 is the most problematic due to the uncertainty of how to interpret the Greek. This can best be shown first by considering how various English interpretations deal with the phrase “from the foundation of the world,” that is, whether they connect it with the writing of the names or with the Lamb being slain.

        1. Associating the phrase with “written” are RSV, TEV, NRSV, NEB, and The Message.

        2. Associating it with “slain” are KJV and J.B. Phillips

        3. NIV opts for “slain” but gives “written” as an alternative possibility.

        4. NASB chooses a preferred association with “written” but alternatively says that it may refer to “slain” instead.

        5. The Living Bible similarly prefers “written” but attaches a footnote mentioning “slain” with the added comment: “That is, regarded as slain in the eternal plan and knowledge of God.” This comment, with others below, seems to adequately answer Walvoord's objection that Jesus “was not crucified when the world was created.” Below are some additional scholarly comments concerning these passages in Revelation.

    Morris takes the phrase to modify 'slain' rather than 'written,' saying: “It is in the capacity of the slain Lamb that Christ brings salvation. Either way God's eternal power is in view and is contrasted with the fleeting might of the powers of evil.”

    Mounce: “The problem in the immediate verse is not the meaning of the phrase but its place in the sentence. Was it the writing of believers' names or the death of the Lamb which dates from the foundation of the world. The RSV and many of the newer translations follow the first alternative.The faithful are guarded by their election...This is said to have taken place at the foundation of the world...It is better in this case to follow the order of the Greek syntax and read, 'the Lamb that hath been slain from the foundation of the world.' That is, the death of Christ was a redemptive sacrifice decreed in the counsels of eternity.”

    Bruce opts for the phrase to be read in conjunction with “written,” not “slain.” He cites as support Revelation 3:5; 17:8; and 20:12,15.

    Beasley-Murray: “The reference of the words from the foundation of the world is uncertain: they can be linked with the slaying of the Lamb...or with the writing of the saint's names in the book of life...Both are equally true; for the former cf. 1 Pet. 1:19,20, for the latter Eph. 1:4. The difficulty is settled for most by an appeal to [Rev.] 17:8, where almost identical language is used, connecting the phrase with the writing in the book [of life]. Nevertheless the word order is decidedly against this interpretation, unless it were true that the book [of Revelation] as we have it is a translation from John's original writing [supposedly in Aramaic].”

    Walvoord says that “the words 'from the Creation of the world' seem...to relate to the time in eternity past when the names were written in the book of life...13:8 probably means simply that those who are saved had their names written in the book of life in eternity past in anticipation of the death of Christ on the cross for them and that they will never be erased [cf. Revelation 3:5 and 22:19].”

    Beale: “The last phrase, “from the foundation of the world,” might explain the death of Christ was decreed before time began...Or it might affirm a decree of reprobation that took place before creation: ...The former translation is viable because the statement about the Lamb's death is immediately followed by the precreation temporal expression. And it is unlikely that the concluding temporal clause goes with 'written,' since twelve words separate them...But 13:8 may refer to the same decree as 17:8...But if that is the case here in 13:8, why is the temporal phrase separated from the clause it modifies? It is so that a further description may be given to 'the book of life.' 'Of the Lamb who was slain' is a genitive of possession, or it could also identify the Lamb as the source of the 'life' associated with the 'book' (the genitive functions likewise in 21:27).”

Beale's final words on the subject serve as a good way to end this discussion: “This conclusion stands regardless of how the syntactical problem is solved. Because the book of life is unreservedly ascribed to Christ, the salvation of all, implicitly including OT saints, is represented as depending on the one redemptive act of Christ.”