“From that moment many of His disciples turned back and no longer accompanied Him. Therefore Jesus said to the Twelve, “You don’t want to go away too, do you? ” Simon Peter answered, “Lord, who will we go to? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and know that You are the Holy One of God! ” Jesus replied to them, “Didn’t I choose you, the Twelve? Yet one of you is the Devil! ” ‭‭John‬ ‭6:66-70‬ ‭HCSB

‬‬Jesus’ target just got a few rings smaller!

“After coming down with them, He stood on a level place with a large crowd of His disciples and a great number of people from all Judea and Jerusalem and from the seacoast of Tyre and Sidon.”

‭‭Luke‬ ‭6:17‬ ‭HCSB‬‬

https://bible.com/bible/72/luk.6.17.HCSB

“After six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John and led them up on a high mountain by themselves to be alone. He was transformed in front of them,”

‭‭Mark‬ ‭9:2‬ ‭HCSB‬‬

https://bible.com/bible/72/mrk.9.2.HCSB

“A second time He asked him, “Simon, son of John, do you love Me? ” “Yes, Lord,” he said to Him, “You know that I love You.” “Shepherd My sheep,” He told him.”

‭‭John‬ ‭21:16‬ ‭HCSB‬‬

https://bible.com/bible/72/jhn.21.16.HCSB

Jesus had a great following of people in his outer ring which has many people but very little impact. They were mostly after the free food Jesus could provide. The next ring contained the 70 disciples that Jesus sent out two by two before Him. This ring had fewer people but had a greater impact from Jesus. These two rings are the ones that are leaving Him in John 6. The next ring is the 12 followed by a ring of three and finally just Peter being the focus person of Jesus’ ministry. It is to the 12 that Jesus turns and asks are you too leaving? But it is Peter who stands up and declares you are the One who has eternal life! 

Does Jesus hold eternal life in my life? Or am I just after the free meals Jesus provides? If Jesus is eternal life then I will seek His flesh and blood.

“Anyone who eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day, because My flesh is real food and My blood is real drink. The one who eats My flesh and drinks My blood lives in Me, and I in him.”

‭‭John‬ ‭6:54-56‬ ‭HCSB‬‬

https://bible.com/bible/72/jhn.6.56.HCSB

I find it interesting that John 6:66 talk about many disciples falling away from Jesus just as the Mark of the Beast is going to cause many people to fall away from God.

“He deceives those who live on the earth because of the signs that he is permitted to perform on behalf of the beast, telling those who live on the earth to make an image of the beast who had the sword wound and yet lived. He was permitted to give a spirit to the image of the beast, so that the image of the beast could both speak and cause whoever would not worship the image of the beast to be killed. And he requires everyone — small and great, rich and poor, free and slave — to be given a mark on his right hand or on his forehead, so that no one can buy or sell unless he has the mark: the beast’s name or the number of his name. Here is wisdom: The one who has understanding must calculate the number of the beast, because it is the number of a man. His number is 666.”

‭‭Revelation‬ ‭13:14-18‬ ‭HCSB‬‬

https://bible.com/bible/72/rev.13.18.HCSB

“A sound of an uproar from the city! A voice from the temple — the voice of the Lord, paying back His enemies what they deserve!”

‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭66:6‬ ‭HCSB‬‬

https://bible.com/bible/72/isa.66.6.HCSB

“He turned the sea into dry land, and they crossed the river on foot. There we rejoiced in Him.”

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭66:6‬ ‭HCSB‬‬

https://bible.com/bible/72/psa.66.6.HCSB

The mark of the beast is bad for those who take it but for those who do not take it is a good time to be trusting in God.