It was crucial to continue in obedience on their way to the Promised Land in order to not be disqualified from their inheritance (1 Corinthians 9:24 thru 10:12). As the children of Israel discovered, the promise alone wasn’t enough. Paul uses them as an example for Christ followers today in 1 Corinthians 10:1-15, warning us that we too can lose our way, who is Christ. Most died before receiving what had been promised because of rebellion against God's leading, causing them to lose their way (Hebrews 3-4).
The picture of this is revealed in the destruction of the children of Israel in the wilderness on their way to the Promised Land of their inheritance after being set free from Egypt, the house of bondage. She appears to be in an inebriated state of ecstasy knowing that she has destroyed them through her seduction. Rather than the saints being covered with the blood of Jesus, their blood now covers her. The Mother of Harlotry who is sitting on a scarlet beast is described by John as being drunk with the blood of the saints (Rev. Having been deceived, they are walking in agreement with the devil while under the false presumption they are walking with God. Those who have received the distinguishing mark of the beast are of one mind (forehead) and purpose (the right hand they are under his authority) with him. In regards to receiving the mark of the beast the Bible speaks of (see Revelation 13:16-18, 14:9-11), you could refuse to receive a chip or stamp of some sort on or in your physical body and still go to hell if you have rejected Jesus as your Lord and Savior. It will be either that of Christ or of the devil whose counterfeit religious system is referred to as Babylon, a system of spiritual harlotry. The forehead represents the one whose mind we have been given through walking in agreement with. It’s interesting that the Greek for forehead, metopon, is taken from the word meta which is defined as “in the midst of, amid, denoting association, union, accompaniment.” This all speaks of the one with whom we are joined, who we have fellowship with and are, therefore, like-minded.
And I saw another angel ascending from the rising of the sun, having the seal of the living God and he cried out with a loud voice to the four angels to whom it was granted to harm the earth and the sea, saying, “Do not harm the earth or the sea or the trees until we have sealed the bond-servants of our God on their foreheads.” And I heard the number of those who were sealed, one hundred and forty-four thousand sealed from every tribe of the sons of Israel. This same group is referred to earlier by John in Revelation 7:1-4 Īfter this I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back the four winds of the earth, so that no wind would blow on the earth or on the sea or on any tree. Revelation 14:1 speaks of a group of 144,000 who have the name of the Lamb, and of His Father written on their foreheads. Is this a literal mark? Personally, I don’t believe so. In Revelation 17 a woman is described as having on her forehead the name of “BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.” In Revelation 13:6, her deceived children of harlotry have also received her mark on their foreheads (Rev.