All prophetic figures in religion talk indirectly, in metaphor.

Connect 9 out of 10 dots, to not be directly in danger.

Science fiction allows that kind of parallel too.

9 out of 10 dots connected allows you to dance with it, to sense it, so later you can have just a single piece fall into place in the listener's mind and go "oh wait, maybe I've been looking at it upside down."