But the baptism is no magical performance, for it promises escape only to the seriously repentant; at the same time it is no merely symbolical act in the modern sense; it is
rather a «sign» in the antique meaning of the word, which guarantees the
mysterious union of the symbolical act, now occurring, with the future
event which the symbolical act prophesies.
This ultimately leads Joe to discover that the
events that have taken place aren't really natural disasters, but
rather a giant cover - up of
mysterious creatures that could potentially destroy the world as we know it.