Well, to get us on the road to prosperity you have to expect a little collateral damage. The collateral damage is minor. When Canada decided not to use a fuel additive for health and environmental reasons, a corporation sued our government for being excluded from selling its product. This is because profit is more important than the environment. The Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America are looking at taking action against Brazil because they are making cheaper, generic copies of patented AIDS drugs.
Profits are more important than health.
In those days 'salvation' was officially something provided exclusively by the Roman emperor, a result of the Pax Romana . In John's vision, those who have been washed clean in the Lamb's blood are precisely those who have refused to abide by this imperial propaganda. In Roman times there was a cult in which white-robed candidates were baptized in the blood of a bull in order to be purified and made strong. In the priestly tradition of holy war, one had to wash the enemy's blood off their clothing to achieve purity. Christians, who are washed in the blood of the lamb, are different.