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Prophecy
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Existential threats in Revelation
=================================

Accidental nuclear winter is merely one of many ways humanity risks
destroying itself. LLoL was struck to discover a thinly veiled list of
existential threats — tracked by 21st-century science — in the
1st-century chapter 16 of Revelation. The correspondence suggests that
human behavior at scale may be more predictable than commonly assumed,
and that the patterns driving self-destruction have been recognizable for
millennia.

.. note::

   LLoL will expand this section with the specific correspondences
   between Rev. 16 and modern existential risk categories.




Confirmations in biblical prophecy
===================================


The wipe-out prophecies received by Ancient Laodicea
----------------------------------------------------

Ancient Laodicea boasted the largest stadion in Asia Minor at the time.
It was regularly used for horse-races and other spectacles when Laodicea
likely received Revelation as a letter.

The precise wording of Rev. 14:20 in ancient Greek allows for some
ambiguity in the geometry of the 1,600 stadia described. Most commentators
conclude that this must be a river of blood about the length of Palestine,
because "stadion" was a standard length unit. They interpret the verse as
"prophetic hyperbole," since such a river of blood will never flow
literally as a unified body of liquid.

However, a generalizing use of the word "stadion" may not be appropriate
here. Laodicea was a recipient of Revelation as a letter, and there are
reasons to see Laodicea as central to much of Revelation's message.

If so, a completely different picture emerges. Not prophetic hyperbole,
but a calculated estimate of a death toll — one that offers a point
estimate as well as an implicit uncertainty range to define informative
lower and upper bounds. The approach resembles Popper's emphasis on
falsifiable predictions: the estimate could be wrong, but it aligns with
the independently extrapolated forecast of accidental nuclear winter
based on historic Cold War data.

The Ancient Greek wording says in Rev. 14:20 that blood up to horses'
bridles came "from" (*apo*) 1,600 stadia. If Laodicea and its
mathematicians were the recipients, it would be reasonable to expect that
someone there would calculate how many people's blood this represents
using their local stadion.

Any literal interpretation yields a number that represents a complete
extinction-level event for humanity. Rev. 19:21 confirms this reading.
The value of Rev. 14:20 lies in the precision of the implied estimate —
a way of communicating the scale of potential human extinction to
audiences that may struggle to distinguish billions from millions.

The overlap of the estimated 8 billion figure with today's world
population — combined with the risks of accidental nuclear winter
described above — led LLoL to search for an alternative interpretation
of this verse.

LLoL's proposal for ResearchCity, subdivided into 1,600 talent-stadia
addressing well-defined topical areas, is motivated by the hope that a
constructive, symbolic reading of these verses is possible. The
alternative — that the problems driving humanity's investment in nuclear
weapons remain unresolvable until catastrophe strikes — is the outcome
this project works to prevent.


Historical precedent: Laodicea's fate
--------------------------------------

The urgency of this reading is underscored by historical precedent.
Ancient Laodicea was destroyed as a Christian community during the reign
of Emperor Phocas (602–610 CE). And shortly after Laodicea's window of
opportunity closed, the message that Laodicea apparently did not want to
hear — that God cares for the poor and expects the same of those who
claim to follow God — found a new audience through the rise of Islam.

The destruction of Jerusalem in 70 CE offers a parallel warning: the
people of Jesus' time held what they considered theologically certain
promises — and those certainties did not protect them.

These historical patterns suggest that theological confidence without
corresponding action is not a guarantee of safety. It is a recurring
vulnerability.

.. image:: /_file/image/flyingscroll/page/laodicea-ancient-stadion-blood-calculation-biouncertainty-estimate-8-billion-dead-iv_llol_mmr3p6_2023m01d14-sent.png
   :alt: Google Earth snapshot of Ancient Laodicea with uncertainty estimates for the death toll implied by Rev. 14:20
   :width: 100pc
   :align: center
   
   
   
   

Like a Second Exodus of Biblical Proportions
--------------------------------------------

.. only:: html

   .. image:: /_file/pdf/gnp/mmv3/flyingscroll/page/poster-0-exodus-choice-intro-researchcity-great-filter-tribulation-flags-rrv1-fig16-27x36in.webp
      :alt: Poster presenting an overview of the Exodus-like choice to scale up a ResearchCity to help humanity survive its Great Filter Tribulation
      :width: 100pc
      :align: center
      :target: /_file/pdf/gnp/mmv3/flyingscroll/page/poster-0-exodus-choice-intro-researchcity-great-filter-tribulation-flags-rrv1-fig16-27x36in.pdf

.. only:: latex

   .. image:: /_file/pdf/gnp/mmv3/flyingscroll/page/poster-0-exodus-choice-intro-researchcity-great-filter-tribulation-flags-rrv1-fig16-27x36in.pdf
      :alt: Poster presenting an overview of the Exodus-like choice to scale up a ResearchCity to help humanity survive its Great Filter Tribulation
      :width: 100pc
      :align: center




Like the Last Call before the Pub closes its Bar
-------------------------------------------------

There are countless ways to summarize the calls of prophets who have been warning for millennia
about an ultimate crisis. The following poster presents a more hopeful outlook 
by combining present-day politics, the prophetic warning implied by the sinking of the Titanic 1912,
the prophetic sign-miracle reported in John 21 (the last great fishing expidition) 
and the prophetic preview of Judgement Day in Matthew 25 (where the sheep and the goats get sorted).

Note that there is a symbolic overlap between left and right in all these stories,
which people may explain any way they wish (as a wink from the Universe, purely accidental, or divine prophetic providence).


.. only:: html

   .. image:: /_file/pdf/gnp/mmv3/flyingscroll/page/poster-1-sd4-exodus-geometry-titanic-great-filter-jn21-mt25-flags-iv_llol_rrv1r0p1-27x36in.webp
      :alt: Poster presenting an overview of the geometry of the 2nd Exodus that eerily mirrors the geometry of the Titanic's encounter with the iceberg that sank it.
      :width: 100pc
      :align: center
      :target: /_file/pdf/gnp/mmv3/flyingscroll/page/poster-1-sd4-exodus-geometry-titanic-great-filter-jn21-mt25-flags-iv_llol_rrv1r0p1-27x36in.pdf

.. only:: latex

   .. image:: /_file/pdf/gnp/mmv3/flyingscroll/page/poster-1-sd4-exodus-geometry-titanic-great-filter-jn21-mt25-flags-iv_llol_rrv1r0p1-27x36in.pdf
      :alt: Poster presenting an overview of the geometry of the 2nd Exodus that eerily mirrors the geometry of the Titanic's encounter with the iceberg that sank it.
      :width: 100pc
      :align: center