Second Advent

Second Advent is an unrecognised proto-state that occupies large parts of Texas and several territories of the United States (US) through political and military control. It split off from the ultra-fundamentalist Church of Christ Embattled (CCE) in 2036 and evolved into a doomsday cult with a combination of religious and secular motifs to its apocalypticism.

It is estimated that Second Advent has between 5.5 and 6 million members in Texas and the US, and an unknown number of international members. The United Nations (UN) has rejected Second Advent’s claim to statehood and classified it as a terrorist organisation responsible for committing human rights abuses, genocide, and ecocide.

In 2049, Second Advent began a campaign of violence across the US in response to the assassination of Xu Shaoyong, proclaiming that John Patmos was responsible for the attack.

HistoryPermalink

FoundingPermalink

Though its origins remain a matter of debate, most historians agree that Second Advent was formed in September 2036 by a faction of the Church of Christ Embattled (CCE). This ultra-fundamentalist Baptist church was founded in San Antonio, Texas in 2033 and practiced an apocalyptic dogma focused on hastening the return of Christ in order to fulfil the rest of the Messianic prophecy. With a membership of 145 by 2036, the CCE advocated “the punishing of violators of the law of God” and repeatedly targeted BIPOC and LGBTQ+ individuals, holding them responsible for “keeping this world in thrall to Satan.”

During the United States (US)-wide super summer of 2036, almost half of the CCE’s parishioners succumbed to primary amoebic meningoencephalitis (PAM) due to a waterborne infection from the free-living amoeba Naegleria fowleri. ^[1] Refusing aid from San Antonio’s mayor, CCE founder Arnold Boxer hailed the PAM infections as “divine discipline,” proclaiming his belief that he had been deliberately spared by God to “bring about the Second Advent of Christ” and citing other impacts and effects of anthropogenic climate change as evidence that “the Storm is upon us.”

In early 2037, Boxer’s warnings of a storm and other perceived codes in his language prompted QAnon to rally around Second Advent under the assumption that it was a sting operation enacted by former US President Donald Trump. ^[2] Online chatter associated with QAnon tags indicated that its adherents began to attribute the Messianic prophecy to Trump, whom they believed had faked his death in 2023 to covertly prepare for his return to power.

This led to QAnon organising Second Advent “chapters” in other US states, often backed by supportive elements of various hate groups and militias, including the Proud Boys and the boogaloo movement. ^[3] To coordinate its rallies and recruitment efforts, Second Advent made use of Sovereign, which contributed to the platform’s shutdown in October 2037. In 2038, QAnon groups in other countries latched onto the Second Advent name and mission, leading to an influx of international followers.

In February 2039, it was revealed that US Army Lieutenant General Brian Friedberg, who was commander of Camp Stanley in Texas, had been organising training exercises in survivalist urban combat with the explicit goal of “preparing for the Second Advent.” After he was relieved of his command, Friedberg introduced his training programmes to Second Advent followers and encouraged active-duty members and veterans of the armed forces to join him, leading some observers to describe Second Advent as a paramilitary organisation. ^[4]

Opposition to colloidsPermalink

In December 2039, the US announced that it would work with the World Health Organisation (WHO) for the distribution of medical colloids as part of international contact tracing efforts to contain the spread of Cariappa-Muren disease (CMD). In response, Boxer condemned colloids as the mark of the beast and called for the murder of Xu Shaoyong, whom he proclaimed to be the Antichrist. Boxer’s opposition to colloids in the context of mitigating the CMD pandemic attracted various anti-vaxxer communities to Second Advent, and the WHO’s partnership with Zhupao drew support to the cult from white supremacist, TERM, and ethnonationalist groups. ^[5]

In January 2040, Second Advent started a campaign to intercept shipments of colloids coming into the US, often using military hardware as a show of force or posing as private contractors hired to protect the transports. Many of the intercepted shipments were subsequently destroyed, though some were sold back to the US or on the illicit market as a means of additional funding for Second Advent’s activities. In June 2040, the Department of Justice (DOJ) called the actions of Second Advent “examples of domestic terrorism” and announced a series of charges, which led to Second Advent followers firebombing five Texas field offices of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).

On July 3rd 2040, the governor of Texas, Andrew Bost, declared a statewide martial law and deployed the National Guard, despite reports that many units had been infiltrated by Second Advent or were sympathetic to its cause. The increasing range of flashpoints across Texas overstretched the National Guard deployments and allowed Second Advent to seize control of San Antonio, with many residents fleeing their homes to find shelter in neighbouring counties. ^[6]

In September 2040, Boxer announced that he would order hostilities in all US states ceased in exchange for a seat on the Republican side of the Texas House of Representatives. Governor Bost initially balked at Boxer’s demand but acquiesced at the direction of the DOJ. On September 17th 2040, Boxer was officially sworn in as a state representative. ^[7]

Texan secessionPermalink

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Boxer’s term in the House was most notorious for the heavily armed Second Advent escorts that accompanied him to and from the Texas State Capitol and patrolled the entrance while he was inside. He frequently clashed with other representatives, consistently ignored House rules and parliamentary procedures, and made “vile threats” when he was called out on Second Advent’s reported human rights abuses in San Antonio. ^[8] According to his colleagues, Boxer “pushed non-pertinent legislative issues that never made it to the floor” and “mostly went on long rants about the end times.”

When China requested an emergency special session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) to propose the international adoption of G6 in November 2040, Boxer held a 43-minute speech to denounce “the works of the Antichrist” and warned of “dire consequences” if the US supported China’s proposal. Boxer’s threat of violence was seen as the reason for the US opposing an assembly vote at the UNGA session’s second sitting on December 11th 2040.

When the US voted in favour of adopting Resolution ES-13/6 on February 11th 2041, Boxer called for “the liberation of Texas to reassert its status as an independent nation under God” and ordered Second Advent to “storm the Capitol.” Within minutes of Boxer’s order, several Second Advent militias converged on the Texas State Capitol and occupied it. ^[9] Police forces were quickly overwhelmed and the National Guard was delayed in mobilising, allowing the militias to entrench themselves in the building. Governor Bost, who was captured before he could be evacuated, was executed while other representatives were kept as hostages.

After a three-day standoff that left 78 dead and caused severe fire damage to the Capitol, the US capitulated to Second Advent and drew up terms for granting Texas the status of self-governing territory in exchange for “the unmolested passage of any individual or group wishing to leave Texas and enter the United States.” ^[10] In response, Second Advent declared itself “the sole governing authority in the independent nation of Texas” and relocated its capital to San Antonio. ^[11]

Campaign against G6Permalink

As Second Advent intensified its occupation of Texas and called for its US chapters to disrupt the deployment of G6 under the G666 brand, United Nations Secretary-General (UNSG) Maria Cardoso called an emergency meeting of the Security Council in March 2041 to discuss a response. Due to opposition from the US and China, the meeting was adjourned without agreeing on a joint statement. Further attempts to come to a council resolution on the matter of Second Advent have met with similar results. ^[12]

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In January 2042, Boxer died of an undisclosed illness rumoured to be CMD due to his increasingly erratic behaviour in the months leading up to his death. After a mourning period, Second Advent hosted an online leadership election in which more than 2.6 million members participated.

On February 1st 2042, John Patmos was elected leader of Second Advent with 72% of the vote. Though a relative unknown compared to the other candidates, Patmos had been mentioned by Boxer as “a saviour of God’s Promised America” due to his financial ties to Second Advent, which caused him to be celebrated as a foundational figure ahead of the election. ^[13]

On February 11th 2042, Patmos livestreamed a three-hour sermon in which he denounced the use of G6 and colloids, quoted heavily from the Book of Revelation, and promised “delivery from the final Storm.” Following the sermon, Second Advent intensified its physical and cyberattacks against G6 infrastructure in the US, including the bombings of G6 hubs and the kidnapping of Omnius personnel.

When US authorities attributed some of these attacks to Five of Swords (FoS), the group issued a message through Vessel which stated: not_us.we/want/to_end/G6_but/not_like_this. FoS has since launched multiple crowdsourced investigations of Second Advent, with most information about the cult’s inner workings originating from these probes as well as multiple undercover operations.

Final StormPermalink

On October 3rd 2049, Second Advent began to incite violence across the US in response to the assassination of Xu, resulting in 308 deaths and the destruction of G6 hubs in Indiana and Washington.

Second Advent adherents have proclaimed Patmos as the perpetrator of the assassination, calling it “a righteous action against the Antichrist that heralds the final Storm.” There has been no reaction from Patmos to confirm or deny his involvement in the assassination, or to intervene in the violence being enacted in his name.

On October 6th 2049, US President Thurston Pollard declared a nation-wide state of emergency in response to the campaign of violence enacted by Second Advent.

IdeologyPermalink

Second Advent rejects the labels of a doomsday cult and a terrorist organisation, referring to itself as a “congregation” in its official communications. Its ideology has been described as “a self-contradictory, self-reinforcing, ever-evolving quagmire of prophecies, conspiracy theories, and mass delusions that’s impossible to discredit or argue against.” It is primarily centred around a great battle, commonly referred to as the Storm, that is either coming soon or currently being fought, with anthropogenic climate change as a recurring justification for enacting violence.

See alsoPermalink

• United States
• John Patmos

ReferencesPermalink