What does it mean for Christ to have been slain before the creation of the world? The book of Revelation describes Jesus as "slain before the foundations of the earth":


  All inhabitants of the earth will worship the beast--all whose names have not been written in the book of life belonging to the Lamb that was slain from the creation of the world. (Revelation 13:8, NIV)


What does this mean? The "angel of the Lord" who appeared to Moses is Jesus, as I understand the following verses:


  Moses said to God, "Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, 'The God of your fathers has sent me to you,' and they ask me, 'What is his name?' Then what shall I tell them?" God said to Moses, "I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: 'I AM has sent me to you.'" (Exodus 3:13&ndash;14, NIV)


In addition, Numbers 29:13 indicates that Jesus didn't have a human body before the foundation of the earth:


  God is not a man, that he should lie, nor a son of man, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill? (Numbers 29:13, NIV)


What does it mean for Christ to have been slain before the creation of the world?
Notice the reading of the King James Version: 


  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.


Modern Translations read differently:


  Revelation 13:8 (ESV) and all who dwell on 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.
  
  Revelation 13:8 (NLT) And all the people who belong to this world
  worshiped the beast. They are the ones whose names were not written
  in the Book of Life before the world was made--the Book that
  belongs to the Lamb who was slaughtered.
  
  Revelation 13:8 (NASB) 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.


It seems that modern translations show that the Lamb was not slain before the foundation of the world.