Is the following true or false?
Brothers, we do not want you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep, or to grieve like the rest of men, who have not hope. We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. According to the Lords own word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left till the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever." (1 Thessalonians 4:13-17)
The mark upon their foreheads means the mind (in the forehead) of man
The mark in their hands may be translated into doing the work of the anti-christ when he appears during that time.
The mark is not symbolic, but a literal mark placed on the forehead or on the hand:
"He required everyonesmall and great, rich and poor, free and slaveto be given a mark on the right hand or on the forehead. And no one could buy or sell anything without that mark, which was either the name of the beast or the number representing his name." (Revelation 13:16-17)
"A third angel followed them and said in a loud voice: 'If anyone worships the beast and his image and receives his mark on the forehead or on the hand, he, too, will drink of the wine of God's fury, which has been poured full strength into the cup of his wrath.'" (Revelation 14:9)
"The first angel went and poured out his bowl on the land, and ugly and painful sores broke out on the people who had the mark of the beast and worshiped his image." (Revelation 16:2)
"Then I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was given to them. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony of Jesus and because of the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received the mark on their forehead and on their hand; and they came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years." Revelation 20:4
In every instance where the word "on" is in italics and underlined, it is a literal translation of the original Greek word "epi," a primary preposition meaning "on" or "upon"
Definitions include:
The Greek "epi" is also related to the Greek "epheco" meaning to hold upon or to mark.
So not only does the text itself give no indication that those verses are to be allegorized, the original Greek itself used in the passages means a literal mark on the skin.
Thanks.
Your information is certainly reasonable.
And, there could be a different MARK OF THE BEAST.
However, in terms of function, so far, the chip implant matches the Scriptural function verses most closely.
IT would be interesting to read 300 examples each of “in” vs “on” in the Greek of that era.