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KCOverviewAs far as we can tell, time has passed approximately five times as fast in the Millennial Kingdom than in our timeline; they are roughly 100 to 150 solar orbits into their 1000-year intended light cone. Planetography survey Of note, there are no zone boundaries in the Millennial Kingdom; with the exception of somewhat limited miracles brought about by Divine will, and the "water canopy" atmospheric phenomenon, physics operates much as it did pre-Event. The entire planet has been flattened; Jerusalem occupies the highest plateau in the world, at an altitude of approximately 350 meters over sea level. The general shape of existing land masses has not been altered on a wide scale. A "water canopy" exists approximately at the Karman line to shield the ground from UV rays and block sight of the stars. This canopy also prevents satellite radio communications from functioning - there may simply not be any satellites in the Millennial Kingdom. The sun and moon remain visible through the canopy and are in fact bright enough that, combined with the canopy's diffusing effect, there is no nighttime; the clear sky is always varying shades of blue, never dark. Politics and psychohistory survey Jesus and a number of Biblical figure constitute a global government under which various nation-states seem to exist (Indonesia, a renamed Egypt, and France are confirmed). These figures operate from a rebuilt Jerusalem and seldom leave the city, instead ruling by edict from a central location. The population is stratified into two main groups; the "glorifieds", those who were Raptured or died in a state of Jesus-allegiance during the Tribulation, and the "naturals", those who survived the Tribulation with their original body and their descendants. The former are recognizable by flawless skin, clamped serotonin pump, asexuality, inability to reproduce, and lack of aging. The latter enjoy extended lifespans (projected to approximately 1100 solar orbits at best) and slowed aging. The age of majority for naturals is set at 100 (biological 20 or so using pre-Event metabolic rates; roughly end of puberty), at which point any naturals who have not declared Jesus-allegiance are Divinely executed by heart failure. This gives three sociological groups to the two physical groups. Punishment for actions such as participating in rave parties is dealt with by arrest, deportation to Israel, and "audiences" with magistrates such as the Apostles, followed by counseling sessions; more serious offences are occasionally dealt with by Divine lightning strike. Note that attempted harm on a glorified citizen is almost certain to initiate a lightning strike; also note that arrest/deportation/counseling is considered by the ruling governments at least in Jerusalem and France to be warranted for actions that are specifically not "actual crimes", indicating that such enforcement actions are seen more as ways to discipline children. We have confirmation that in Osaze (former Egypt) naturals under the age of 100 had been allotted political rights, and that this is understood to be an exceptional situation. This has likely been reverted after the renaming. Economics survey The economic system of this new global kingdom is difficult to quantify; while multiple currencies exist, they are pegged to one another at parity, and the Christian majority practices a meta-moderated gift economy, with Jesus as the moderator: goods are offered for free, traded at market value, or refused trade according to responses to prayer requests. It is however known that black markets exist, and by extension, regular markets must exist. Tech level survey Cell-phone skull implants are common and easily obtainable, but not mandatory. Interestingly, while glorified bodies are more or less immune to harm, glorified citizens may sport these implants, suggesting that some technique or ritual allows for surgery on a glorified body. No IP geolocation exists. Digital telecom capabilities are notably superior to those in our timeline due to the enhanced feasibility of wired infrastructure, but not much faster or more ubiquitous than pre-Event. With a few exceptions (said cell phone implants, and some incremental advancements in jet propulsion) technology seems to be at a standstill, although there is mention of missionary teams initiating technological advances, this takes place in drought-stricken Egypt/Osaze, therefore they likely relate to water conservation (wind traps and so on). People, both glorified and natural, are Divinely imbued with the knowledge of basic crafts (carpentry, farming...) at a classical-antiquity level, and the desire to ply them. This may either complement or replace interest in other fields. Technologically advanced goods are rare but not scarce due to low demand, and built with durability in mind. The lack of satellite communications is obviated by a sturdily built wired infrastructure, the lack of geographical obstacles, the high radio reflectivity of the water canopy, and a global LORAN-D positioning system for air and sea shipping. Most natural disasters such as droughts are Divinely ordained. Great storms roll across the endless plains, but shipmasters (sea or air) have been observed to request their redirection when they endanger shipping; most inhabited locations are generally minutes away from a thunderstorm, while being generally unaffected by it. Rainfall is managed to cause near-optimal crop production. Cultural survey Vegetarianism has been made universal by removing meat-eating instinct from all multicellular animals, with few exceptions for official Divine banquets and sacrifices. Ordinarily, the Deity is the only entity allowed to (indirectly) consume meat.
The Eden fertilizer has been discontinued due to obsolescence; most plant matter is nutritious to humans and animals, and all is safe to eat. This is an important cultural note in that Millennial Kingdom culture (Divine acts such as imposed droughts aside) exists in a state of post-scarcity, with rare goods such as motor vehicles simply not being particularly sought after. The uniformity of geography and climate as well as the simple desires of most of the population ensure that travel and logistical infrastructure is used under capacity; travel is discouraged, but not restricted. A standard language derived from Biblical Aramaic and Jewish Hellenistic Greek has been downloaded into the mind of every glorified and every natural who survived the Tribulation, and functions as a world language; it integrates elements American English for concepts that did not exist when the first two languages were formalized. Oddly, an exception to this is country names, which have been generally rendered in American English when following modern boundaries (This is exemplified by Egypt being renamed to Osaze; both Hellenistic Hebrew and modern Arabic names for Egypt have nothing to do with the deity Ptah, so no renaming would have been necessary otherwise). Languages other than this "Standard Hebrew" are not generally taught, although some literature has been translated. Glorified citizens are assumed to have perfect recall of any language they knew before the Event. Freedom of the press exists in most territories, including Jerusalem; views that countervail the global government are restricted by limiting their access to mass media through the managed economy, rather than by direct censorship. Similarly, Internet usage is not restricted, but dissenting websites are effectively throttled by being restricted to home hosting and the fact that not many people care to be online. On the other hand, television and broadcast radio exist and are enjoyed by much of the population. Factions There is no significant opposition other than a rather ineffectual group called The Other Light, who practice a somewhat confused form of Luciferianism. TOL is allowed to proselytise, although its adherents are automatically executed at 100. Various Christian subfactions exist, but tend to cooperate or at worst compete in a friendly manner. Other faiths are unknown. The various territorial governments are allowed to self-govern, but must in practice acquiesce to any commands from the Jerusalem government after discussions that essentially consist of the Jerusalem representative shouting down the local representative within the putative framework of a debate. (OOC NOTE: This has been gleaned from the Left Behind books and from subsequent comments by Jerry Jenkins. It is provided as a way to foster coherency for fanfic writers in the Kingdom Come setting.) |