<p>14:4 <em>These are they that were not defiled with women, for they are virgins- </em>The &quot;women&quot; are the prostitute women associated with the Babylon system. The contrast is with Babylon the whore who rides the beast system. We have not yet encountered her in Revelation; but as I have stressed so often, we do not have here a linear, chronological timeline being presented. Rather do images rotate and merge, as is typical of the apocalyptic genre.</p><p>The faithful Jewish remnant within the land will have resisted pressure to convert to Islam. Such Muslim pressure upon Jews living in the land to convert to Islam is easily imaginable. For the Koran teaches Moslems that they have a special duty to bring Jews to Islam: &quot;O children of Israel... Believe in what I have sent down to you (this Qu'ran), confirming that which is with you, the Taurat Torah... and mix not truth with falsehood&quot; (Surah 2:40-42). Indeed, much of the lengthy second Surah of the Koran is full of such demands for &quot;the children of Israel&quot; to submit to Islam. The reason given is that the Jews supposedly &quot;conceal the truth while they know it&quot; because the Torah supposedly supports Islam, although Muslims claim the Jews changed the original (Surah 2.146); and also that Mohammed was sent to the Jews but they rejected Him (Surah 2.151).</p><p><em>These are they that follow the Lamb wherever he goes</em>- Alluding to Mk. 15:41, the women who followed Jesus around Galilee in the days of popularity and mass adulation, followed Him also to the rejection and loneliness of the cross. To follow &quot;whithersoever&quot; is a challenge.&nbsp; Mk. 15:40,41 makes the point that the women who followed the Lord in fair weather times in Galilee also followed Him to the darkness of the cross: &ldquo;There were also women beholding from afar: among whom were both Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James the little and of Joses, and Salome; who, when he was in Galilee, followed him and ministered unto him&rdquo;. Mt. 13:55 makes it apparent that Mary the mother of James and Joses is clearly enough Mary the mother of Jesus- for He had brothers of those names. She had followed Him to Cana, and now, she faithfully followed Him to the cross. But Rev. 14:4 alludes to all this by saying that all the redeemed follow the Lamb wherever He goes. Thus Mary and the ministering women, following even to the cross, become typical of us all. Not only following the Lord in popularity, but also in the real and radical demands of His cross.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p><em>These were purchased from among men to be the firstfruits to God and to the Lamb</em>- The promise of greater harvest is perhaps implied in the subsequent presentation of the Gospel we meet here. At the time of the Lord's return, many others will be converted, far greater in number than those redeemed in this dispensation? Surely &quot;firstfruits&quot; implies that.</p>