Prologue: The Final Day of Bacteria in a Cylinder
Scientists conduct an experiment. They place a single bacterium in a transparent cylinder. This bacterium doubles every day. After 30 days, the cylinder will be full.
Question: On which day is the cylinder half full?
For 29 days, everything seems fine. The cylinder is still half empty. "There's plenty of space," they think. But in just one day—on day 30—the cylinder becomes completely full, and all bacteria die. This is how exponential growth works. Until the final moment, everything appears normal. Then, once a certain threshold is crossed, change explodes.
We are living in an unprecedented era in human history. Population, debt, technology, natural disasters, pandemics, climate change—all of these are following exponential curves, simultaneously racing toward multiple tipping points. Like many rivers converging toward a single waterfall.
In 1972, MIT's research team behind The Limits to Growth used computer simulations to predict that human civilization would experience synchronous failure in the early-to-mid 21st century. Fifty years later, a 2023 recalibration study by Nebel et al. reached a stunning conclusion: "Interconnected collapse will occur between 2024 and 2030."
This is not mere pessimism. The data speaks. And remarkably, over 100 years ago, a Korean spiritual tradition—Jeungsando—not only pinpointed this exact timeframe but also foresaw its unfolding in detail.
We are now standing at day 29 of the bacteria experiment.
Chapter 1: Six Exponential Curves
The end of civilization's summer season—what Jeungsando calls the conclusion of the Early Heaven (Seoncheon, 先天) era of mutual conflict—is characterized by all growth curves shooting nearly vertical before simultaneously breaking through multiple critical points. Each critical point is predictable and measurable. However, when all these critical points arrive at once, it becomes more than just a sum of crises. It becomes a transition to an entirely new world—a singularity.
The Great Acceleration: The Simultaneous Explosion Since 1950
Earth system scientists call this phenomenon "The Great Acceleration." Around 1950, nearly all indicators of human activity and Earth systems began to surge simultaneously in a hockey stick curve—a quasi-exponential form. The Great Acceleration captures 24 key indicators divided into two categories:
Socio-Economic Indicators (12)
- Population, GDP, foreign direct investment
- Urbanization, energy consumption, fertilizer use
- Large dams, water use, paper production
- Transportation (automobiles, aviation), telecommunications, tourism
Earth System Indicators (12)
- Carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide
- Ozone-depleting substances, surface temperature, ocean acidification
- Marine fish capture, shrimp aquaculture, nitrogen and phosphorus cycles
- Tropical forest loss, cropland expansion, terrestrial biodiversity loss
The striking point is that these 24 curves did not move independently—they all accelerated simultaneously around 1950, in the same shape (hockey stick), at the same time. As if an invisible force was pulling all curves upward together. This is why scientists designate our era as the "Anthropocene"—a new geological epoch in which humans dominate Earth systems. And this Great Acceleration continues today. More precisely, it is racing toward its terminus.
The following are six core exponential curves currently in progress. They are all part of the Great Acceleration and simultaneously demonstrate its endpoint—the concurrent arrival of multiple tipping points.
1. Global Debt: Toward 100% of GDP
As of 2025, global government debt has reached $111 trillion, representing 94.7% of global GDP. The IMF projects that if current trends continue, this ratio will surpass 100% by 2030. Even more shocking is the acceleration of debt. U.S. M2 money supply recorded an unprecedented 26.9% annual growth rate between 2020~2022—the highest since 1959.
Critical Point: When debt/GDP ratio exceeds 90-100%, risk of fiscal crisis surges
2. Natural Disasters: A 10-Fold Increase Over 50 Years
According to the Institute for Economics and Peace's 2020 Ecological Threat Register, natural disaster frequency has increased tenfold over the past half-century. Hydrometeorological disasters numbered around 100 annually in 1980 but have exceeded 300 per year since 2000. Nine of the ten years with the most natural disasters occurred within the last decade.
Critical Point: Simultaneous disasters exceeding response capacity
3. Pandemics: From 2-3 Per Century to 6 in 20 Years
According to research in the Journal of Family Medicine and Primary Care, major pandemics crossing continents occurred 2-3 times per century in the past, but six major pandemics have occurred in just the last 20 years. A deadly pandemic now occurs approximately every 15 years, with this interval steadily narrowing.
Critical Point: Multiple simultaneous pandemics overwhelming health systems
4. Climate Tipping Points: 9 of 15 Already Activated
Professor Will Steffen of Australian National University warns that "nine of the 15 global climate tipping points that regulate Earth's climate state have already been activated." According to Yale E360, "The Greenland ice sheet may become irreversible at 1.5°C warming, which could occur in 2030."
Critical Point: 1.5°C warming → Cascade reaction of climate tipping points
5. Population: The First Decline in History
According to a Science journal report, IHME's new model predicts that global fertility rates could fall below replacement level (2.1) by 2030. According to the Limits to Growth model, global population will begin declining from the mid-2030s.
Critical Point: Population growth → Population decline transition (civilizational shift)
6. Technological Singularity: 2029-2045
Google futurist Ray Kurzweil predicts that artificial intelligence will reach human-level intelligence (AGI) by 2029, with the technological singularity arriving in 2045. An AIMultiple study analyzing 8,590 predictions shows that recent expert forecasts for AGI converge on 2026-2035.
Singularity: The moment AI transcends human intelligence → An unpredictable world
Chapter 2: Bacterial Curves and Falling Leaves—Nature's Revelation of Gaebyeok Time
The Bacterial Growth Curve: The Illusion of Day 29
Let's return to the bacteria experiment in the cylinder. Looking more closely:
- Day 1: 1 bacterium (occupying 0.000000001% of the cylinder)
- Day 10: 1,024 bacteria (still invisible)
- Day 20: 1,048,576 bacteria (0.1% of cylinder, "still fine")
- Day 25: 33,554,432 bacteria (3% of cylinder, "plenty of space")
- Day 28: 268,435,456 bacteria (25% of cylinder, "still room")
- Day 29: 536,870,912 bacteria (50% of cylinder, "half still remains")
- Day 30: 1,073,741,824 bacteria (cylinder full, all die)
This is the essence of exponential growth. For 97% of the time—29 days—everything seems fine. But in the last 3%—just one day—everything reverses.
Where is humanity now?
- Global debt is at day 28 (reaching 95% of GDP)
- Climate change is at dawn of day 29 (9 tipping points activated)
- Pandemic frequency is at morning of day 29 (intervals narrowing)
- AI technology is at noon of day 29 (AGI imminent)
We think "half still remains." But in reality, we are one day away from the end.
The Falling Leaves Phenomenon: Gradual Accumulation and Sudden Transition
Consider tree leaves that remain green throughout summer:
- June-August: Leaves are green, photosynthesis is active
- Early September: Nights gradually lengthen, but leaves remain green
- Mid-September: Daytime temperatures drop slightly, but trees appear unchanged
- Late September: Chlorophyll production gradually decreases, but change is slow
- Early October: Temperatures drop sharply for several days
- Mid-October: One morning, leaves suddenly cascade down
Change accumulated gradually for over three months. Yet the transition occurs in just a few days, sometimes overnight. Trees green yesterday pour out leaves this morning.
This is phase transition after crossing a critical point:
- Water is liquid up to 99°C, but at 100°C instantly vaporizes
- Ice is solid down to -1°C, but at 0°C suddenly begins melting
- Autumn leaves accumulate gradual changes for months, but fall in a single day
Gaebyeok works the same way.
The Time Structure of Gaebyeok
Sangjenim applied this natural principle equally to human society and civilization:
Summer of the Early Heaven (Mutual Conflict)
- Long period of accumulation
- Contradictions and energy build up, but outwardly appears to grow
- Days 1-29 of the bacterial curve
- Green leaves from June-September
The Moment of Autumn Gaebyeok (Transition)
- Brief but decisive time of transformation
- Everything accumulated simultaneously breaks through critical points
- Day 30 of the bacterial curve
- Leaves cascading down in October
Autumn of the Later Heaven (Harmony)
- A completely new order
- A world unpredictable by previous laws
- Civilization after the singularity
- Trees after all leaves have fallen (preparing for winter, preparing new life)
Chapter 3: Converging Critical Points—2025-2030
The striking point is that all six exponential curves reach their respective critical points in the same timeframe.
Domain Critical Point Period Source
| Civilization System Collapse | 2024-2030 | Limits to Growth (2023) |
| Debt Surpassing 100% of GDP | 2030 | IMF Fiscal Monitor |
| Climate Tipping Cascade | 2030 (1.5°C) | Yale E360 / OECD |
| Population Decline Begins | 2030-2040 | IHME / Science |
| Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) | 2029 | Kurzweil (2024) |
| Peak Food/Industrial Production | Mid-2020s | LtG Recalibration |
All curves are converging on 2025-2030.
The Terminus of the Great Acceleration
The Great Acceleration that began in 1950 has lasted 75 years. During those 75 years, all curves soared skyward. GDP increased, population grew, technology advanced, energy consumption exploded.
However, exponential growth inevitably encounters physical limits. Just as bacteria in a cylinder meet the limit of space on day 30, the Great Acceleration is meeting the limits of planet Earth.
What the table above shows is the terminus of the Great Acceleration:
- Debt reaches a level that can no longer be repaid
- Climate reaches irreversible tipping points
- Population reaches the transition point from growth to decline
- Technology reaches a singularity beyond human control
Just as all curves started simultaneously (1950), all curves are simultaneously reaching their limits (2025-2030). This is not coincidence. It is because they are one system.
What does this mean?
Crossing one critical point is a crisis. It might be manageable. However, crossing six critical points simultaneously is a singularity. The entire system transitions to a completely different state.
To use an analogy:
- Leaves falling from one tree = a single crisis
- Leaves falling simultaneously from an entire forest = seasonal transition = Gaebyeok
We are standing at the moment when leaves are about to fall simultaneously from the entire forest.
Chapter 4: The Time Map of the Dojeon
Remarkably, over 100 years ago, Sangjenim (the Supreme God who descended to Korea) pinpointed this exact timeframe. The verses in the Dojeon (道典, The Canonical Scripture), in poetic form and through the twelve earthly branches (十二地支), foresaw not only the timing of Gaebyeok but also its unfolding in detail.
The following is from Dojeon 5:408 and its interpretation:
七八年間古國城은 畵中天地一餠成
For seven-eight years, this fortress of an ancient land
is heaven and earth in a painting, like a delectable morsel of rice cake.
黑衣飜北風千里하고 白日頃西夜五更
A black coat flutters in the north; the tempest blows one thousand ri.
A white sun sinks in the west; night has grown deep.
東起靑雲空有影하고 南來赤豹忽無聲
A blue cloud rises in the east, bringing forth the holy spirit culture of immortals.
A red leopard of the south suddenly goes silent.
虎兎龍蛇相會日에 無辜人民萬一生
At the time when the tiger, rabbit, dragon, and snake meet,
among the world's people, though they are blameless, only one in ten thousand survives.
— Dojeon 5:408
黑衣飜北: The Black Wind from the North
「A black coat flutters in the north; the tempest blows one thousand ri」
This verse foresees a great upheaval arising from the northern region of Russia. The "black coat" symbolizes the dark shadow of war; "the tempest blows one thousand ri" indicates its influence spreading worldwide.
In February 2022, Russia's invasion of Ukraine precisely fulfilled this prophecy. That "black wind" did not remain confined to the battlefield:
- Energy price surge → Triggering global inflation
- Grain export blockade → Global food crisis
- NATO expansion → Entrenchment of a new Cold War
- Nuclear war threats → Amplifying worldwide anxiety
Just as the verse states, "the tempest blows one thousand ri"—the war from the north shook the global economy, politics, and society.
白日頃西: The Twilight of the West
「A white sun sinks in the west; night has grown deep」
"The sun sinking in the west" symbolizes the decline of Western civilization. "Night has grown deep (夜五更)" suggests that this decline has already entered an irreversible stage.
The Fifth Watch (五更) is 3-5 AM, when night is deepest. Western civilization is now passing through that "deepest night":
- United States: Federal debt $38 trillion, 125% of GDP
- Europe: Energy crisis, industrial hollowing out, population decline
- Western democracy: Polarization, populism, weakening governance capacity
- Dollar hegemony: BRICS de-dollarization accelerating
The sun of Western civilization, which dominated the world for 500 years, is setting. This is not a mere economic cycle but a civilizational transition.
東起靑雲: The Life Force Rising from the East
「A blue cloud rises in the east, bringing forth the holy spirit culture of immortals」
The "blue cloud from the east" symbolizes the force that saves life. Blue (靑) represents spring, life, and the Wood (木) energy. "Bringing forth the holy spirit culture" means this life-saving force has not yet revealed its form but waits, preparing for its time. In Jeungsando, this is interpreted as the energy of dao practitioners (道人) who recover their divine nature through Taeeulju and Sicheonjuju mantra meditation. The force to save people worldwide during the Gaebyeok period is being prepared in the East.
When the sun of the West sets, a new light is being prepared in the East. This is not a simple hegemonic shift between East and West, but the energy opening a fundamentally different dimension of civilization—the Later Heaven Harmonious Earthly Paradise.
南來赤豹: The Red Leopard from the South
「A red leopard of the south suddenly goes silent」
The "red leopard from the south" symbolizes a deadly epidemic, particularly smallpox (時痘, Sidu). Red (赤) represents fire, heat (熱), and the Fire (火) energy, suggesting a disease accompanied by high fever. The leopard is a stealthy and lethal predator. The key expression is "suddenly goes silent." The energy of this disease is now quietly waiting for its time. Though not yet fully revealed, it will break out massively at a specific moment, causing tremendous casualties.
Throughout the Dojeon, Sangjenim repeatedly stated: "For a time in the future, there will be no smallpox, but when the time arrives, smallpox will erupt. Understand that when it does so, the catastrophic disease is imminent." Smallpox was declared "eradicated" by WHO in 1980, but the prophecy is that it will re-emerge in a new form during the Gaebyeok period.
虎兎龍蛇相會日: The Critical Four Years (2022-2025)
「At the time when the tiger, rabbit, dragon, and snake meet, among the world's people, though they are blameless, only one in ten thousand survives」
Converting the earthly branches (寅卯辰巳) to years:
Earthly Branch Year Major Events
| 寅 (Tiger) | 2022 | Russia-Ukraine War begins, M2 reaches all-time peak |
| 卯 (Rabbit) | 2023 | Israel-Hamas War, AI technology explosion |
| 辰 (Dragon) | 2024 | Highest global temperatures, 9 climate tipping points activated |
| 巳 (Snake) | 2025 | Debt surpasses 95% of GDP, polycrisis intensifies |
After these four years (2022-2025) "meet"—that is, after this period of accumulation passes—"among the world's people, though they are blameless, only one in ten thousand survives" (無辜人民萬一生)—the full-scale Gaebyeok situation unfolds.
This is days 25-29 of the bacterial curve. Outwardly, "it still seems fine," but internally, all energy is accumulating toward the critical point.
巳午未開明: The Time When Gaebyeok Becomes Manifest to All (2025-2027)
「日正巳午未 開明」
The sun crosses the meridian in the hours of the Snake, Horse, and Sheep,
and my dao and the tides of the world are brightly revealed.
— Dojeon 5:362
Converting the hours (巳午未) to years:
- 巳年 (Snake): 2025
- 午年 (Horse): 2026
- 未年 (Sheep): 2027
"開明 (Gaemyeong)" means "brightly revealed." Like the sun crossing the meridian at noon (正午)—the brightest time of day—during these three years (2025-2027), everyone will know that Gaebyeok is unfolding in the world. It is a time when it can no longer be hidden or denied.
This is the transition from day 29 to day 30 of the bacterial curve:
- 2025 (morning of day 29): "The cylinder is half full. Still okay, right?"
- 2026 (evening of day 29): "Wait? The bacteria are suddenly multiplying too fast?"
- 2027 (day 30): "The cylinder is full!"
News headlines, lived reality, all indicators will begin saying "something has fundamentally changed." This is precisely "Gaemyeong"—the time when all under heaven recognize that multiple critical points have been crossed simultaneously.
Chapter 5: The Unfolding of Gaebyeok—After Late 2027: Passing Through the Singularity
Sangjenim ascended in 1909. Approximately 40 years later, in 1950, the Great Acceleration began. One generation (40 years) after Sangjenim's ascension, human civilization entered unprecedented exponential growth.
And in 2025, exactly 75 years have passed since the start of the Great Acceleration. The 75-year Great Acceleration was the final three generations in which the Early Heaven civilization raced toward its end.
Category When the Great Acceleration Began (1950) At the Terminus of the Great Acceleration (2025)
| Global Population | 2.5 billion | 8 billion (3.2x) |
| Global GDP | $9 trillion | $110 trillion (12x) |
| CO₂ Concentration | 310 ppm | 425 ppm (37% increase) |
| Average Temperature Rise | +0.1°C | +1.4°C (14x) |
Over 75 years, everything exploded exponentially. And now all those curves are simultaneously reaching critical points.
After late 2027, the destructive energies accumulated until then will surpass critical mass and burst forth simultaneously at an overwhelming scale. This is not simply multiple crises occurring at once. It is passing through a singularity:
- Unpredictable by existing laws
- Irreversible
- Transition to a completely new world
- Change accelerating exponentially
南來赤豹 Breaks Out: The Mysterious Disease Tribulation
The "red leopard from the south"—the mysterious disease—that has been quietly waiting for its time will break out massively. In the Dojeon, this is also called "Sidu(時痘)," which is not simply a recurrence of smallpox but the disease of the times—a total disease born of that era.
When this mysterious disease rages, "among the world's people, though they are blameless, only one in ten thousand survives"—the situation becomes reality.
This is the moment when leaves cascade down. Just as leaves that remained green all summer fall completely in just a few days, civilization systems that endured until then collapse rapidly.
東起靑雲 Manifests: Uitong-seongeop (Sacred Healing Mission)
"The blue cloud rising from the east"—the life-saving force that has long "brought forth the holy spirit culture" while waiting for its time—finally reveals its form.
In Jeungsando, this is called uitong-seongeop (醫統聖業). Uitong signifies the salvation and unification of the world through healing during the three-year tribulation of the mysterious disease of the Autumn Gaebyeok. When the world falls into chaos due to the mysterious disease, dao practitioners who have recovered their divine nature through sacred meditation methods undertake the holy work of saving people.
In the years of the Dragon and Snake, a holy sage emerges, and in the years of the Horse and Sheep, bliss fills every house. — Dojeon 5:362
- In the years of Dragon-Snake (2024-2025), a holy sage emerges
- In and after the years of Horse-Sheep (2026-2027), bliss (樂堂堂) begins to overflow—the joy of the new world
Unity Through Chaos: The New World After the Singularity
The process of Gaebyeok is not simple. Along with the mysterious disease tribulation, a global conflict that could be called World War III occurs.
However, at the extreme point of this chaos—while passing through the singularity—Jeungsando practitioners who save the world's people through uitong become the protagonists opening the new world—the Later Heaven Harmonious Earthly Paradise.
This is precisely what "unifying the world" means. It is not unification through force or power, but unification through saving people.
This is like trees preparing for winter after all leaves have fallen—a completely new order—a world that could not be predicted by previous laws—opens.
Chapter 6: 75 Years of the Great Acceleration, and Its Terminus
One more remarkable fact exists. Sangjenim ascended in 1909. Approximately 40 years later, in 1950, the Great Acceleration began. One generation (40 years) after Sangjenim's ascension, human civilization entered unprecedented exponential growth.
And in 2025, exactly 75 years have passed since the start of the Great Acceleration:
- 75 years = 3 × 25 years = One generation (25 years) × 3 generations
- 75 years = The final stage of the Early Heaven
In Eastern philosophy, 3 (三) is the number of completion. The Three Ultimates (三極), the Three Spirits (三神), Heaven-Earth-Humanity (天地人). The 75-year Great Acceleration was the final three generations in which Early Heaven civilization raced toward its end.
Sangjenim's statement "at the time when the tiger, rabbit, dragon, and snake meet" in 2022-2025 comes 72-75 years after the start of the Great Acceleration (1950). Like days 28-29 of the bacterial experiment, it is the final moment of the 75-year Great Acceleration.
100 years ago, Eastern spiritual insight and 21st-century Western science point to the same time, the same unfolding.
Conclusion: Knowing Gaebyeok Is the Path to Survival
The Bacteria Never Knew Until the Final Moment
Let's reconsider the bacteria in the cylinder. Until day 29, they were happy:
- Day 1: "Space is infinite!"
- Day 10: "Still plenty of space"
- Day 20: "We can keep growing"
- Day 28: "Only 1/4 filled. So much room"
- Day 29 morning: "Half remains. No problem"
- Day 29 evening: "Wait? Things are suddenly speeding up?"
- Day 30: All die
They never understood the trap of exponential growth until the final moment.
However, Humans Can Know
But we are not bacteria. We can:
- Learn from history (MIT Limits to Growth)
- Analyze data (six exponential curves)
- Read the principles of Heaven and Earth (Jeungsando Dojeon)
- Understand nature's lessons (falling leaves)
MIT's Limits to Growth research team stated: "It is not a question of whether we accept or reject limits. Limits exist regardless of our acknowledgment." Western science calculated this time through the mathematics of exponential curves; Eastern tradition read this time through the principles (理法) of Heaven and Earth. The paths differed, but the destination is the same: 2025-2030, when all curves converge.
What the Dojeon Says That Science Does Not
However, the Dojeon tells us what science does not:
- The path to surviving that chaos (Taeeulju and Sicheonjuju mantra meditation)
- The path to opening the new world (Uitong-seongeop)
- Why this is happening (Transition from Early Heaven to Later Heaven)
"The blue cloud rising from the east" is even now bringing forth the holy spirit culture, casting its sacred shadow while waiting for its time. Joining that energy, recovering divine nature through Taeeulju and Sicheonjuju meditation—this is the ark for crossing the Gaebyeok period.
Where Are We Now?
- Bacterial curve: Evening of day 29
- Autumn tree: Just before leaves fall
- Water temperature: 99°C
- Gaebyeok time: 2025-2027 Gaemyeong (開明)
We are living through a total civilizational transformation in which everything is qualitatively changing. Yet very few people truly understand what this great transformation is. Now we must know Gaebyeok.
Knowing Gaebyeok is the path to survival.
Only those who know Gaebyeok can prepare for Gaebyeok,
and only those who prepare for Gaebyeok can cross it to enter the new world.
References
- Meadows, D. H., et al. (1972). The Limits to Growth. Universe Books.
- Nebel, A., et al. (2023). "Recalibration of limits to growth: An update of the World3 model." Journal of Industrial Ecology.
- Steffen, W., et al. (2015). "The trajectory of the Anthropocene: The Great Acceleration." The Anthropocene Review, 2(1), 81-98.
- Steffen, W., et al. (2018). "Trajectories of the Earth System in the Anthropocene." Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 115(33), 8252-8259.
- IMF (2025). Fiscal Monitor: Fiscal Policy under Uncertainty.
- Armstrong McKay, D. I., et al. (2022). "Exceeding 1.5°C global warming could trigger multiple climate tipping points." Science, 377(6611).
- Lenton, T. M., et al. (2023). Global Tipping Points Report. University of Exeter.
- Kurzweil, R. (2024). The Singularity Is Nearer. Viking.
- IHME (2024). "Global Fertility Rate Projections." The Lancet.
- Institute for Economics and Peace (2020). Ecological Threat Register.
- Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis (2025). "The Rise and Fall of M2." FRED Economic Data.
- Jeungsando Dojeon Editorial Committee (2003). Jeungsando Dojeon (道典). Daewon Publishing.