Every year I anticipate John Piper's message at the Passion Conference in early January. And this year in Atlanta he preached on Revelation chapter 13 in a message titled "The Beast, the Book, and the Beauty of the Lamb." It is worth listening to the entire message. But here's a clip from Revelation 13, 8 where Pastor John explains that the slaying of the Lamb of God was planned before the universe existed.

Mind-boggling. Here's John Piper to explain. In verse 8 we have now arrived at our first point on the journey and our roadmap, namely in eternity past, and we see it in the phrase "before the foundation of the world." Are you with me? We are now before the foundation of the world.

So let's read it again. What happened there? All who dwell on the earth will worship it, everyone whose name has not been written before the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who was slain. There is a book before the foundation of the world, and the book has a name.

And the name of the book is the book of the life of the Lamb who was slain. Which means that in the mind of the author of this book, the Lamb is slain. It is as good as done, and the author of this book is God. The slaying of the Lamb of God was the plan of God before the universe.

You with me? Is that in the verse? The slaying of the Lamb of God was the plan before the universe existed. The slaying of the Lamb of God was the plan before history existed. The slaying of the Lamb of God was the plan before sin existed. If Satan, together with Adam and Eve, thought when he brought sin into the world that he was wrecking God's plan, he's a fool.

He didn't wreck it, he set it up. Because it was the plan that there be a slain Lamb before the foundation of the world. Now we're going to go back to verse 8, there's lots more there, but we're taking our first tour first, and now we're going to go to the end of history, into eternity future.

We're going to go to chapter 5, verses 9 and 10, and see what they're singing about there. It's all over now, history's over. This little footnote called passion is over. And now we're going to listen to the song of heaven. And they sang a new song, "Worthy are you to take the scroll." Now why?

Why would they say he's worthy? "Worthy are you to take the scroll, because you were slain." That's why we're going to sing. That's what we're going to say about the worth of the Lamb forever. You were slain and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and tongue and people and nation, and have made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they will reign on the earth.

That's what we're going to sing. We're going to sing bloody songs forever. Because the center of everything, it is the central song of the universe, is the slain Lamb. It is the plan from eternity. It is the song for eternity. Yes, it is. Chapter 5, verse 12, "Worthy is the Lamb who was slain to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing because he was slain." Or chapter 17, verse 10, "Great multitudes without number saying, 'Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne and to the Lamb.'" So the slain Lamb is the song of the universe forever.

That's what Revelation shows us in all of his strangeness. So in eternity past, the plan. A Lamb will be slain. In eternity future, a song. He was slain and he is infinitely worthy because of it. Amen. I love that clip. And you'll want to listen to the full message for yourself.

It's titled, "The Beast, the Book, and the Beauty of the Lamb" on Revelation chapter 13, verses 1 to 10, preached on January 3rd at Passion 2016 in Atlanta, Georgia. The message, audio, and video can be found online at DesiringGod.org, of course. Well, when it comes to giving 10% of my income to a church, my tithe, can I split the money and give, say, 5% to my church and 5% to a non-profit Christian ministry?

That is the question on the table tomorrow for Pastor John. I'm your host Tony Reinke. I'll see you then. "The Beast, the Book, and the Beauty of the Lamb"