“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 that belongs to the Lamb who was slaughtered before the world was made.” Revelation 13:8
Just as the entire world is under the political domination of the beast, so all the world except the saints will worship him. Those worshiping the beast are the unsaved of both Jews and Gentiles in contrast to saved Jews and Gentiles whose names are written in the book of life. “But don’t rejoice because evil spirits obey you; rejoice because your names are registered in heaven.” (Luke10:20) How will all who dwell on the earth worship him? It will probably be after the pattern of the worship demanded by the Roman Emperors in the days of the early church. There were times in the early church when all residents in the empire were required to burn a pinch of incense before a statue of Caesar and say, Caesar is Lord. Christians refused to do this and were persecuted because of it. The Romans saw it as an act of political allegiance, but the Christians rightly saw it as an act of religious worship. After the great and terrible totalitarian rulers of the 20th Century (Lenin, Stalin, Hitler, Mao), it isn’t hard to imagine a dominating world leader demanding such a declaration of allegiance, tantamount to worship. The beast will tell them exactly what they want to hear. He gives them short term prosperity and security. Those who dwell on the earth do not have a covenantal relationship with the sacrificial Lamb, Jesus Christ
The Lamb slain from the foundation of the world: This deeply meaningful title for Jesus reminds us that God’s plan of redemption was set in place before He even created the beings who would be redeemed. God wasn’t surprised by the fall of Adam or any other evidence of the fallen nature of man. God isn’t making it up as He goes along. It is all going according to plan. The Antichrist can never take away the salvation of the elect. The eternal registry of the elect will never be altered; nor will truly saved people worship the Antichrist in the days of his rule.”