Let’s try another topic, expanding or jumping off the “now what” topic after reading Part IV: After reading the entire Urantia Book, what is your suggested world plan for healing the world as Jesus desires, or so as you understand? I plan to learn from responses here.
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Heal the world?
22 posts · 5 participants · started Jul 4, 2024, 12:51 PM
Hi Mark,
You gave a great answer to this question in your prior topic about after reading Part IV.
“Mind is a wonderful gift to use. Now, if we can attract more people to Jesus’ model we will see real movement to world peace. Surely, Michael came to Urantia with a planetary and Universe <em style=”font-weight: inherit;”>plan and it seems most pleasant in my soul to assume He desires for us to work his plan! His only true command, offered at the last supper, seems so right: 180:1.1 “And I give you this new commandment: That you love one another even as I have loved you.” The entire section 1, The New Commandment, is most appropriate for all true Jesus followers. Imagine the settled in light and life results!!!!!
On the other hand while Michael is the Prince of Peace, he said this to his followers about peace:
52:6.1 The bestowal Son is the Prince of Peace. He arrives with the message, “Peace on earth and good will among men.” On normal worlds this is a dispensation of world-wide peace; the nations no more learn war. But such salutary influences did not attend the coming of your bestowal Son, Christ Michael. Urantia is not proceeding in the normal order. Your world is out of step in the planetary procession. Your Master, when on earth, warned his disciples that his advent would not bring the usual reign of peace on Urantia. He distinctly told them that there would be “wars and rumors of wars,” and that nation would rise against nation. At another time he said, “Think not that I have come to bring peace upon earth.”
I think ages upon ages will pass and tens of thousands of generations of the human race will come and go on earth while we inch toward world peace. World peace is inevitable. Michael knew, and we now know, Urantia is not proceeding in the normal order. Nevertheless, I wonder whether we can discern Urantia’s current trend by looking into the following so-called normal or average developmental stages, along physical, intellectual, and social lines, starting off with a benign Planetary Prince.
50:5.3 Under the benign rule of a Planetary Prince, augmented by the Material Sons and punctuated by the periodic missions of the Paradise Sons, the mortal races on an average world of time and space will successively pass through the following seven developmental epochs:
1. The nutrition epoch. The prehuman creatures and the dawn races of primitive man are chiefly concerned with food problems. These evolving beings spend their waking hours either in seeking food or in fighting, offensively or defensively. The food quest is paramount in the minds of these early ancestors of subsequent civilization.
2. The security age. Just as soon as the primitive hunter can spare any time from the search for food, he turns this leisure to augmenting his security. More and more attention is devoted to the technique of war. Homes are fortified, and the clans are solidified by mutual fear and by the inculcation of hate for foreign groups. Self-preservation is a pursuit which always follows self-maintenance.
3. The material-comfort era. After food problems have been partially solved and some degree of security has been attained, the additional leisure is utilized to promote personal comfort. Luxury vies with necessity in occupying the center of the stage of human activities. Such an age is all too often characterized by tyranny, intolerance, gluttony, and drunkenness. The weaker elements of the races incline towards excesses and brutality. Gradually these pleasure-seeking weaklings are subjugated by the more strong and truth-loving elements of the advancing civilization.
4. The quest for knowledge and wisdom. Food, security, pleasure, and leisure provide the foundation for the development of culture and the spread of knowledge. The effort to execute knowledge results in wisdom, and when a culture has learned how to profit and improve by experience, civilization has really arrived. Food, security, and material comfort still dominate society, but many forward-looking individuals are hungering for knowledge and thirsting for wisdom. Every child is provided an opportunity to learn by doing; education is the watchword of these ages.
5. The epoch of philosophy and brotherhood. When mortals learn to think and begin to profit by experience, they become philosophical — they start out to reason within themselves and to exercise discriminative judgment. The society of this age becomes ethical, and the mortals of such an era are truly becoming moral beings. Wise moral beings are capable of establishing human brotherhood on such a progressing world. Ethical and moral beings can learn how to live in accordance with the golden rule.
6. The age of spiritual striving. When evolving mortals have passed through the physical, intellectual, and social stages of development, sooner or later they attain those levels of personal insight which impel them to seek for spiritual satisfactions and cosmic understandings. Religion is completing the ascent from the emotional domains of fear and superstition to the high levels of cosmic wisdom and personal spiritual experience. Education aspires to the attainment of meanings, and culture grasps at cosmic relationships and true values. Such evolving mortals are genuinely cultured, truly educated, and exquisitely God-knowing.
7. The era of light and life. This is the flowering of the successive ages of physical security, intellectual expansion, social culture, and spiritual achievement. These human accomplishments are now blended, associated, and co-ordinated in cosmic unity and unselfish service. Within the limitations of finite nature and material endowments there are no bounds set upon the possibilities of evolutionary attainment by the advancing generations who successively live upon these supernal and settled worlds of time and space.
By my way of thinking the progress of civilized peacemaking is bound up by many strengths and weaknesses of the people who want it. I hope we’re going forward.
Nice post Mara. We are only 100 generations from Pentacost. I think the next 100 generations may move humanity well into epoch #5 described above.
The Urantia Papers tell us that the worst of the age of materism was over in the 20th century and we are “now quivering on the very brink of one of its most amazing and enthralling epochs of social readjustment, moral quickening, and spiritual enlightenment.”
That sounds like epoch #6 described above.
I think planetary evolutionary progress is now accelerating by the downward pressure from above and within each person from the gifts of the Son’s Spirit and the God Fragment we all now enjoy.
I think all that each of us can do is to be properly motivated by the universal morality and idealism of spiritized beings in God’s friendly universe.
We must each express our morality and idealism and motives and priorities according to our experiential wisdom and best efforts.
Whatever I should do or might choose to do is not the same as others should or might choose. Collectively, we benefit most by the unique and individualistic choices by each Kingdom believer.
Therefore, there are no prescribed or best or universal or specific strategies or tactics to agree on.
My “plan” is to trust God’s plan as designed and implemented by Michael and the Most Highs. Our world is well managed by the best of experts. Let us fear not and let God.
Have you heard the one about mortals plan and the gods laugh?!
"Live loyally today—grow—and tomorrow will attend to itself. The quickest way for a tadpole to become a frog is to live loyally each moment as a tadpole."
Step 1, according the Midwayers:
195:8.12 (2082.4) Secular social and political optimism is an illusion. Without God, neither freedom and liberty, nor property and wealth will lead to peace.
Richard E Warren
195:8.12 (2082.4) Secular social and political optimism is an illusion. Without God, neither freedom and liberty, nor property and wealth will lead to peace.
Additionally,
134:6.9 World peace cannot be maintained by treaties, diplomacy, foreign policies, alliances, balances of power, or any other type of makeshift juggling with the sovereignties of nationalism. World law must come into being and must be enforced by world government — the sovereignty of all mankind.I was encouraged when the EU was established. By my way of thinking, world government is far in the distant future.
In your mind visualize a map of the world. Which of the epoch/s I mentioned above do you think prevail now? Bradly wrote that we are “. . . well into epoch #5 described above.” I am inclined to think we are in many ways still in 3. The material-comfort era and 4. The quest for knowledge and wisdom.
The world population is over 8 billion and ever rising. One projection says that by 2150 global population will be 256 billion. Of the current population, a tiny percentage of people are effective and wise leaders.
81:6.37 13. Effective and wise leadership. In civilization much, very much, depends on an enthusiastic and effective load-pulling spirit. Ten men are of little more value than one in lifting a great load unless they lift together — all at the same moment. And such teamwork — social co-operation — is dependent on leadership. The cultural civilizations of the past and the present have been based upon the intelligent co-operation of the citizenry with wise and progressive leaders; and until man evolves to higher levels, civilization will continue to be dependent on wise and vigorous leadership.81:6.42 Leadership is vital to progress. Wisdom, insight, and foresight are indispensable to the endurance of nations. Civilization is never really jeopardized until able leadership begins to vanish. And the quantity of such wise leadership has never exceeded one per cent of the population.But civilizations are not stable because they are not cosmic. 16:9.5 ” Civilizations come and go, but science, morality, and religion always survive the crash.”195:8.10 Without God, without religion, scientific secularism can never co-ordinate its forces, harmonize its divergent and rivalrous interests, races, and nationalisms. This secularistic human society, notwithstanding its unparalleled materialistic achievement, is slowly disintegrating. The chief cohesive force resisting this disintegration of antagonism is nationalism. And nationalism is the chief barrier to world peace.The Urantia Papers tell us that the worst of the age of materism was over in the 20th century and we are “now quivering on the very brink of one of its most amazing and enthralling epochs of social readjustment, moral quickening, and spiritual enlightenment.”
The revelators use the words secular and humanistic in the same sentence here.
195:8.3At the time of this revelation, the prevailing intellectual and philosophical climate of both European and American life is decidedly secular — humanistic. For three hundred years Western thinking has been progressively secularized. Religion has become more and more a nominal influence, largely a ritualistic exercise. The majority of professed Christians of Western civilization are unwittingly actual secularists.
Does that mean a majority of professed Christians of Western civilization are unwittingly actual humanists? In context are those words synonymous? Doesn’t humanistic imply or assert non-religious viewpoints? I hope you do not think that I am going off topic. I am thinking about how to heal the world. And is the topic about the whole world or just part?
Moving to other thoughts relative to your topic Mark, I bring forward references to our unseen helpers who labor for the advancement of progress on our world. This includes the ministry of many seraphim assigned here. The first group to recall are the social architects
39:3.4 3. Social Architects. From the individual planets up through the morontia training worlds, these seraphim labor to enhance all sincere social contacts and to further the social evolution of universe creatures. These are the angels who seek to divest the associations of intelligent beings of all artificiality while endeavoring to facilitate the interassociation of will creatures on a basis of real self-understanding and genuine mutual appreciation.
Social architects do everything within their province and power to bring together suitable individuals that they may constitute efficient and agreeable working groups on earth; and sometimes such groups have found themselves reassociated on the mansion worlds for continued fruitful service. But not always do these seraphim attain their ends; not always are they able to bring together those who would form the most ideal group to achieve a given purpose or to accomplish a certain task; under these conditions they must utilize the best of the material available.
These angels continue their ministry on the mansion and higher morontia worlds. They are concerned with any undertaking having to do with progress on the morontia worlds and which concerns three or more persons. Two beings are regarded as operating on the mating, complemental, or partnership basis, but when three or more are grouped for service, they constitute a social problem and therefore fall within the jurisdiction of the social architects. These efficient seraphim are organized in seventy divisions on Edentia, and these divisions minister on the seventy morontia progress worlds encircling the headquarters sphere.
Recall also these passages about Urantia’s unseen planetary help.
114:0.1 THE Most Highs rule in the kingdoms of men through many celestial forces and agencies but chiefly through the ministry of seraphim.
At noon today the roll call of planetary angels, guardians, and others on Urantia was 501,234,619 pairs of seraphim. There were assigned to my command two hundred seraphic hosts — 597,196,800 pairs of seraphim, or 1,194,393,600 individual angels. The registry, however, shows 1,002,469,238 individuals; it follows therefore that 191,924,362 angels were absent from this world on transport, messenger, and death duty. (On Urantia there are about the same number of cherubim as seraphim, and they are similarly organized.)
Seraphim and their associated cherubim have much to do with the details of the superhuman government of a planet, especially of worlds which have been isolated by rebellion. The angels, ably assisted by the midwayers, function on Urantia as the actual supermaterial ministers who execute the mandates of the resident governor general and all his associates and subordinates. Seraphim as a class are occupied with many assignments other than those of personal and group guardianship.
I am guessing that as world population increases, so also does the number of personal and group guardians increase. Just a guess. For comparison to the current estimate of world population, the population in 1940 was, give or take, 2.3 billion. I looked at a chart that estimated world population in 1960 to be about 3 billion.
Along with the ministry of seraphim, we have the ministry of the Holy Spirit. 8:5.3 Adjusters have flocked to Urantia since Pentecost. The Spirit of Truth is upon us since Pentecost. The Son of Man terminated the Lucifer rebellion. A dispensational resurrection was inaugurated back then, “. . . the third of the planetary roll calls” on Urantia. “The circuit of the archangels then operated for the first time from Urantia.” Our Creator Son resumed universe jurisdiction as a Master Son, a Master Michael. 21:5.8 And among other things, a new and unseen government of planetary supervison was established. I’m sure I didn’t mention all the unseen and unrecognized help provided our world to promote God’s plans and purposes.
The unseen and unrecognized ministry of those assigned to help us, as you put it Mark “heal the world”, is without end the way I see it. They carry out their assignments, their missions. Maybe this is what Bradly refers to when he says in part “. . . progress is now accelerating by the downward pressure from above . . . .” I think it is a pretty big deal for them to get assigned to Urantia. Just guessing. I see it as a gift to us, a blessing without measure by any means of measurement we humans have.
But here is one human problem to consider.
195:9.6 Primitive man lived a life of superstitious bondage to religious fear. Modern, civilized men dread the thought of falling under the dominance of strong religious convictions. Thinking man has always feared to be held by a religion. When a strong and moving religion threatens to dominate him, he invariably tries to rationalize, traditionalize, and institutionalize it, thereby hoping to gain control of it. By such procedure, even a revealed religion becomes man-made and man-dominated. Modern men and women of intelligence evade the religion of Jesus because of their fears of what it will do to them — and with them. And all such fears are well founded. The religion of Jesus does, indeed, dominate and transform its believers, demanding that men dedicate their lives to seeking for a knowledge of the will of the Father.
Yes Mara, indeed so! I agree that the personal Deity Connections of Adjutants, Cosmic Mind, Holy Spirit, and the Deity Gravity Circuits were super sized and energized by the Son’s Spirit of Truth and the flood of Adjusters 100 generations ago!!
The effects were enormous! I think universe and planetary progress also gains mass, momentum, and acceleration over time by the sheer number of souls and universal gains in experiential wisdom of all the children of time and the evolutionary maturation and power of the Supreme.
Also, we must remember the enormous evolutionary power progression in Nebadon when our Creator Son was elevated to Master Son status. Immediately Nebadon transitioned into a significantly greater equilibrium of stability and accelerated potentials of universe Light and Life.
52:6.7 (598.2)5. Spiritual insight. The brotherhood of man is, after all, predicated on the recognition of the fatherhood of God. The quickest way to realize the brotherhood of man on Urantia is to effect the spiritual transformation of present-day humanity. The only technique for accelerating the natural trend of social evolution is that of applying spiritual pressure from above, thus augmenting moral insight while enhancing the soul capacity of every mortal to understand and love every other mortal. Mutual understanding and fraternal love are transcendent civilizers and mighty factors in the world-wide realization of the brotherhood of man.
92:0.5 (1003.5) The co-ordinate functioning of these three divine ministrations is quite sufficient to initiate and prosecute the growth of evolutionary religion. These influences are later augmented by Thought Adjusters, seraphim, and the Spirit of Truth, all of which accelerate the rate of religious development. These agencies have long functioned on Urantia, and they will continue here as long as this planet remains an inhabited sphere. Much of the potential of these divine agencies has never yet had opportunity for expression; much will be revealed in the ages to come as mortal religion ascends, level by level, toward the supernal heights of morontia value and spirit truth.
Mara – I did not say we ARE ALREADY “well into epoch #5″….I posted above:
“We are only 100 generations from Pentacost. I think the next 100 generations may move humanity well into epoch #5 described above.”
"Live loyally today—grow—and tomorrow will attend to itself. The quickest way for a tadpole to become a frog is to live loyally each moment as a tadpole."
Let’s try another topic, expanding or jumping off the “now what” topic after reading Part IV: After reading the entire Urantia Book, what is your suggested world plan for healing the world as Jesus desires, or so as you understand? I plan to learn from responses here.
So Mark…I wonder what you mean by “healing the world as Jesus desires”? Do you have a quote for us to reference and context for the question?
Like 7 trillion other evolutionary spheres of mortal life, the struggle from trees and caves to Light and Life is slow and progressive with many failures and much human suffering along the way, from origin to planetary destiny.
Do you mean the additional deprivations and suffering of our world due to rebellion and default?
How does, might, or can any tadpole heal a world???
Isn’t our planetary destiny secure and our planetary leadership fully in charge of that monumental and enduring need for healing ministry?
Isn’t it enough for each of us to minister to those loved ones and strangers we encounter who need that kindness and generosity and mercy ministry we can each provide as we pass by?
The “world plan” is already well determined and assignments given to the celestial hosts and in full operation. Perhaps the best us tadpoles can do is help as we can with the spiritualization and experiential wisdom we have gained and are inspired to share with others in loving service.
Perhaps all we might do or must do is follow where the Spirit leads and do unto others as we wish done for ourselves? I think that’s enough of a plan for those who trust in God’s friendly universe and those charged with its planning and operational management.
Obviously, there is already a “plan” at work.
We have only to do whatever we do as the Spirit leads us and inspires us to express that truth, beauty, and goodness we experience.
34:7.2 (382.2)Evolutionary mortals inhabiting normal worlds of spiritual progress do not experience the acute conflicts between the spirit and the flesh which characterize the present-day Urantia races. But even on the most ideal planets, pre-Adamic man must put forth positive efforts to ascend from the purely animalistic plane of existence up through successive levels of increasingly intellectual meanings and higher spiritual values.
34:7.3 (382.3)The mortals of a normal world do not experience constant warfare between their physical and spiritual natures. They are confronted with the necessity of climbing up from the animal levels of existence to the higher planes of spiritual living, but this ascent is more like undergoing an educational training when compared with the intense conflicts of Urantia mortals in this realm of the divergent material and spiritual natures.
34:7.4 (382.4)The Urantia peoples are suffering the consequences of a double deprivation of help in this task of progressive planetary spiritual attainment. The Caligastia upheaval precipitated world-wide confusion and robbed all subsequent generations of the moral assistance which a well-ordered society would have provided. But even more disastrous was the Adamic default in that it deprived the races of that superior type of physical nature which would have been more consonant with spiritual aspirations.
34:7.5 (382.5)Urantia mortals are compelled to undergo such marked struggling between the spirit and the flesh because their remote ancestors were not more fully Adamized by the Edenic bestowal. It was the divine plan that the mortal races of Urantia should have had physical natures more naturally spirit responsive.
34:7.6 (382.6)Notwithstanding this double disaster to man’s nature and his environment, present-day mortals would experience less of this apparent warfare between the flesh and the spirit if they would enter the spirit kingdom, wherein the faith sons of God enjoy comparative deliverance from the slave-bondage of the flesh in the enlightened and liberating service of wholehearted devotion to doing the will of the Father in heaven. Jesus showed mankind the new way of mortal living whereby human beings may very largely escape the dire consequences of the Caligastic rebellion and most effectively compensate for the deprivations resulting from the Adamic default. “The spirit of the life of Christ Jesus has made us free from the law of animal living and the temptations of evil and sin.” “This is the victory that overcomes the flesh, even your faith.”
34:7.7 (383.1) Those God-knowing men and women who have been born of the Spirit experience no more conflict with their mortal natures than do the inhabitants of the most normal of worlds, planets which have never been tainted with sin nor touched by rebellion. Faith sons work on intellectual levels and live on spiritual planes far above the conflicts produced by unrestrained or unnatural physical desires. The normal urges of animal beings and the natural appetites and impulses of the physical nature are not in conflict with even the highest spiritual attainment except in the minds of ignorant, mistaught, or unfortunately overconscientious persons.
34:7.8 (383.2)Having started out on the way of life everlasting, having accepted the assignment and received your orders to advance, do not fear the dangers of human forgetfulness and mortal inconstancy, do not be troubled with doubts of failure or by perplexing confusion, do not falter and question your status and standing, for in every dark hour, at every crossroad in the forward struggle, the Spirit of Truth will always speak, saying, “This is the way.”
"Live loyally today—grow—and tomorrow will attend to itself. The quickest way for a tadpole to become a frog is to live loyally each moment as a tadpole."
Hello my dear friends,
I would like to make a small contribution towards answering Mark’s question: “After reading the entire Urantia Book, what is your suggested world plan for healing the world as Jesus desires, or so as you understand?”
I believe the UB addresses this question with great clarity.
Thank you to Mara and Bradly for helping us to see what is happening on our planet at a celestial, invisible level to promote healing, peace, and true liberty. I would like to focus on what we as faith children of God can do to cooperate with these benevolent spiritual forces.
Let me start with this hypothetical statement from Paper 100:
Love is infectious, and when human devotion is intelligent and wise, love is more catching than hate. But only genuine and unselfish love is truly contagious. If each mortal could only become a focus of dynamic affection, this benign virus of love would soon pervade the sentimental emotion-stream of humanity to such an extent that all civilization would be encompassed by love, and that would be the realization of the brotherhood of man. (1098.3) 100:4.6
Moving forward, Jesus makes a remarkable and hope-inspiring prediction which involves “genuine and unselfish love”.
Love is the greatest of all spirit realities. Truth is a liberating revelation, but love is the supreme relationship. And no matter what blunders your fellow men make in their world management of today, in an age to come the gospel which I declare to you will rule this very world. The ultimate goal of human progress is the reverent recognition of the fatherhood of God and the loving materialization of the brotherhood of man. (1608.1) 143:1.4
How comforting it is to know that one day, the gospel of Jesus “will rule this very world”.
He reiterates this prediction by describing a time when his followers, through their “persistent preaching of this gospel of the kingdom” would usher in an era in which “all nations” would experience “a new and unbelievable liberation, intellectual freedom, and religious liberty.”
So long as the rulers of earthly governments seek to exercise the authority of religious dictators, you who believe this gospel can expect only trouble, persecution, and even death. But the very light which you bear to the world, and even the very manner in which you will suffer and die for this gospel of the kingdom, will, in themselves, eventually enlighten the whole world and result in the gradual divorcement of politics and religion. The persistent preaching of this gospel of the kingdom will some day bring to all nations a new and unbelievable liberation, intellectual freedom, and religious liberty. (1930.6) 178:1.9
Then, following his resurrection, Jesus reveals to his followers how they would make this prediction a reality by revealing “the divine love, not merely with words, but in your daily living.”
“Peace be upon you. For a full week have I tarried that I might appear again when you were all present to hear once more the commission to go into all the world and preach this gospel of the kingdom…. As I have revealed the Father, so shall you reveal the divine love, not merely with words, but in your daily living. I send you forth, not to love the souls of men, but rather to love men. You are not merely to proclaim the joys of heaven but also to exhibit in your daily experience these spirit realities of the divine life since you already have eternal life, as the gift of God, through faith..….Your mission to the world is founded on the fact that I lived a God-revealing life among you; on the truth that you and all other men are the sons of God; and it shall consist in the life which you will live among men — the actual and living experience of loving men and serving them, even as I have loved and served you. Let faith reveal your light to the world; let the revelation of truth open the eyes blinded by tradition; let your loving service effectually destroy the prejudice engendered by ignorance. By so drawing close to your fellow men in understanding sympathy and with unselfish devotion, you will lead them into a saving knowledge of the Father’s love.” (2043.1) 191:5.3
The following passages simply reinforce this amazing prediction.
“Peace be upon you. That which my Father sent me into the world to establish belongs not to a race, a nation, nor to a special group of teachers or preachers. This gospel of the kingdom belongs to both Jew and gentile, to rich and poor, to free and bond, to male and female, even to the little children. And you are all to proclaim this gospel of love and truth by the lives which you live in the flesh. You shall love one another with a new and startling affection, even as I have loved you. You will serve mankind with a new and amazing devotion, even as I have served you. And when men see you so love them, and when they behold how fervently you serve them, they will perceive that you have become faith-fellows of the kingdom of heaven, and they will follow after the Spirit of Truth which they see in your lives, to the finding of eternal salvation. (2044.3) 191:6.2
And, sooner or later, these concealed truths of the fatherhood of God and the brotherhood of men will emerge to effectually transform the civilization of all mankind. (2061.6) 194:2.8
The great hope of Urantia lies in the possibility of a new revelation of Jesus with a new and enlarged presentation of his saving message which would spiritually unite in loving service the numerous families of his present-day professed followers. 195:10.16 (2086.2)
What an extraordinary and never-to-be-repeated privilege we have been given to work in close cooperation with these heavenly powers to bring about a better world on our way to light and life!
Mara – I did not say we ARE ALREADY “well into epoch #5″….I posted above: “We are only 100 generations from Pentacost. I think the next 100 generations may move humanity well into epoch #5 described above.”]
[Thanls Bradly. I did make a mistake there.]
We are privileged to have been born during the early decades of the revelation. I, too, feel the weight of it Julian, as an individual faith-son, as an individual lighted candle on our world. In the scheme of things Urantia is in rehab.
2:3.6 The rule of the Creator Sons in the local universes is one of creation and spiritualization. These Sons devote themselves to the effective execution of the Paradise plan of progressive mortal ascension, to the rehabilitation of rebels and wrong thinkers . . . .7:4.7 [. . .] Thus do the Deities effectively co-operate in the work of creation, control, evolution, revelation, and ministration — and if required, in restoration and rehabilitation.The first “…comprehensive plan for far-reaching world welfare was promulgated to the mortals of earth…” with the arrival of Machiventa Melchizedek. A plan was in the works.76:5.6 [Part III]The supermaterial government of Urantia, under the direction of the Melchizedeks, continued, but direct physical contact with the evolutionary races had been severed. From the distant days of the arrival of the corporeal staff of the Planetary Prince, down through the times of Van and Amadon to the arrival of Adam and Eve, physical representatives of the universe government had been stationed on the planet. But with the Adamic default this regime, extending over a period of more than four hundred and fifty thousand years, came to an end. In the spiritual spheres, angelic helpers continued to struggle in conjunction with the Thought Adjusters, both working heroically for the salvage of the individual; but no comprehensive plan for far-reaching world welfare was promulgated to the mortals of earth until the arrival of Melchizedek, in the times of Abraham, who, with the power, patience, and authority of a Son of God, did lay the foundations for the further uplift and spiritual rehabilitation of unfortunate Urantia.Machiventa got the ball rolling regarding the foundations of world uplift and rehab. I am astonished we are only +/- 2,000 years out from Pentecost and not even 75 years out from the publication of the UB..For the individual, “The Master’s love implies rehabilitation, eternal survival. It is altogether proper to speak of salvation as redemption if you mean this eternal rehabilitation.” 188:5.2In my approach to your question Mark, I started out with a glimpse of so-called average or normal world developmental stages for a point of comparison and discussion. I am trying to glean understanding from a wider view of our past, according to the book. It is so interesting to me.
The book reveals so much information, for example, about how our world was created, peopled and lovingly supervised. You know a world plan is being prosecuted, but we don’t get to see very much of it, if anything at all. I say this as one agondonter to another. Were it not for this book, I would not have a clue about the help we have, here and now, to advance this world. Without the book I would see the world as an impossible mess of tangled religious, social, political, economic and national strivings with no hope of anything getting better. Even with the book, I think it will take longer to heal the world than some people think.
Mara, you have given the question good thought as have several others. Mind is a wonderful gift to use. All responses are valuable.
When thinking of situations and challenges, any kind, I often wonder what I would do if in charge or possessed broad influence. What would I do if I was: president, CEO, captain, the doctor, the police detective assigned to a case, a father for a problematic child, or in any situation requiring my decisions (group, family, corporation, nation, etc) and people depended on leadership. This is the intent of the question posted here: suggested plan for the world. I wondered what would be my plan if in charge. It is humbling and I have no plan!!! Hence, the need to learn from other thinkers.
The UB authors do offer their hints and instructions. We just need to think, discuss at international scale to find the right world leader who knows the essence of UB teachings, whether acquired directly or by others’ sharing. My question was posted to help the thinking process. It is the direction of movement that is most important. My small bit of comprehension I share with anyone locally whose ear is open and listening because I know of Thought Adjusters and trust them. I trust them to share at their kitchen table, at work, gatherings, bars, beaches, via books and letters, or whatever. That is my plan: to share while trusting Adjusters and the Seraphim who want human leaders to step up and work the Master’s Plan. Keeping divine ideas alive in the human mind is the right motive.
The size of one’s influence circle varies in humanity. Mine is small, but I want the big ideas Jesus modeled to move progressively around the world. Keeping him in front of us is the right Lantern of Life!
I suggest caution here…I am unfamiliar with “the Master’s Plan” in reference to the UB.
Text references? Seems you are naming something that I should have heard of but never have… in the Papers anyway.
To what “Plan” are you referring or referencing?
The evolutionary destiny of every world is clearly articulated and assured and certain. The evolutionary “plan” requires flexibility and strategic responses and tactical Plan B’s by the celestial hosts. Lots of them.
Hmmm….sounds like a tadpole’s impatience to me. Is there some doubt or uncertainty about our planetary destiny?
“Healing the world”? “Master’s Plan”? What is the source of these?
The Urantia Papers are a light of Divine Assurance about the absolute destiny of planetary and universe outcomes. Do mortals need some plan for healing or saving our world? Really? Is that the message of the Revelation?
Isn’t the pursuit of personal spiritization by caring and sharing our assurance of God’s friendly universe and paternal affection for the children of time “the plan”?
Be responsive to the Deity Connections we all are blessed with and share the joy and assurances of that reality perspective with others. Our part is simple enough. Trust God.
No need to plan or heal the world. The world is in good hands. Isn’t sharing the good news of God’s affection for the children of creation enough of a “plan” for tadpoles, no matter our circle of influence? And do our anxieties and uncertainties somehow help others?
I am not uncertain about our world. Or my connection to God or God’s purpose or plan or power.
Personally, I am very confused by the topic, as I was by the “now what” discussion.
Perhaps it’s just me? Uncertainty is the doorway to adventures. We must face all uncertainties with the vigorous and unshakable confidence of true faith children and the joy of the Divine Assurance from the Deity Connections we all share in common.
Or such is my understanding of the Papers.
39:5.7 (437.6)4. The Spirits of Trust. Suspicion is the inherent reaction of primitive men; the survival struggles of the early ages do not naturally breed trust. Trust is a new human acquisition brought about by the ministry of these planetary seraphim of the Adamic regime. It is their mission to inculcate trust into the minds of evolving men. The Gods are very trustful; the Universal Father is willing freely to trust himself—the Adjuster—to man’s association.
39:5.8 (438.1)This entire group of seraphim was transferred to the new regime after the Adamic miscarriage, and they have ever since continued their labors on Urantia. And they have not been wholly unsuccessful since a civilization is now evolving which embodies much of their ideals of confidence and trust.
39:5.9 (438.2)In the more advanced planetary ages these seraphim enhance man’s appreciation of the truth that uncertainty is the secret of contented continuity. They help the mortal philosophers to realize that, when ignorance is essential to success, it would be a colossal blund heighten man’s taste for the sweetness of uncertainty, for the romance and charm of the indefinite and unknown future. er for the creature to know the future. They heighten man’s taste for the sweetness of uncertainty, for the romance and charm of the indefinite and unknown future.
103:8.5 (1140.5)The certainty of the God-knowing religionist should not be disturbed by the uncertainty of the doubting materialist; rather should the uncertainty of the unbeliever be mightily challenged by the profound faith and unshakable certainty of the experiential believer.
111:7.1 (1223.3) Uncertainty with security is the essence of the Paradise adventure—uncertainty in time and in mind, uncertainty as to the events of the unfolding Paradise ascent; security in spirit and in eternity, security in the unqualified trust of the creature son in the divine compassion and infinite love of the Universal Father; uncertainty as an inexperienced citizen of the universe; security as an ascending son in the universe mansions of an all-powerful, all-wise, and all-loving Father.
Thanks to Julian for the text posted about what we are to do:
Peace be upon you. That which my Father sent me into the world to establish belongs not to a race, a nation, nor to a special group of teachers or preachers. This gospel of the kingdom belongs to both Jew and gentile, to rich and poor, to free and bond, to male and female, even to the little children. And you are all to proclaim this gospel of love and truth by the lives which you live in the flesh. You shall love one another with a new and startling affection, even as I have loved you. You will serve mankind with a new and amazing devotion, even as I have served you. And when men see you so love them, and when they behold how fervently you serve them, they will perceive that you have become faith-fellows of the kingdom of heaven, and they will follow after the Spirit of Truth which they see in your lives, to the finding of eternal salvation. (2044.3) 191:6.2
"Live loyally today—grow—and tomorrow will attend to itself. The quickest way for a tadpole to become a frog is to live loyally each moment as a tadpole."
I’m moving along with my thoughts on the topic by suggesting a different angle of approach. What dispensation do you think we are in? Here is a clue from the discussion of Post-Adamic Man.
52:3.6 […] Much of the material progress of a world occurs during this time of the inauguration of the development of the physical sciences, just such an epoch as Urantia is now experiencing. Your world is a full dispensation and more behind the average planetary schedule.
The revelators tell us this 2,000 years after the fact of the achievement of Michael’s seventh bestowal mission. Where are we now? More than one dispensation behind? So they say. Does this mean that some areas of Urantia are still in the Pre-Adamic dispensation? Or do you count the 5th Epochal Revelation as also a new dispensation on Urantia? And if the fifth epochal initiated a new dispensation, does that mean we are still in the Pre-Bestowal Son dispensation?
While you are thinking about my previous questions, I’d like to share what the book says of Urantia’s Post-Bestowal Son Age for review. (Incidentally, only four orders of sonship have visited Urantia. 51:3.9 )
52:6.1 The bestowal Son is the Prince of Peace. He arrives with the message, “Peace on earth and good will among men.” On normal worlds this is a dispensation of world-wide peace; the nations no more learn war. But such salutary influences did not attend the coming of your bestowal Son, Christ Michael. Urantia is not proceeding in the normal order. Your world is out of step in the planetary procession. Your Master, when on earth, warned his disciples that his advent would not bring the usual reign of peace on Urantia. He distinctly told them that there would be “wars and rumors of wars,” and that nation would rise against nation. At another time he said, “Think not that I have come to bring peace upon earth.”
Even on normal evolutionary worlds the realization of the world-wide brotherhood of man is not an easy accomplishment. On a confused and disordered planet like Urantia such an achievement requires a much longer time and necessitates far greater effort. Unaided social evolution can hardly achieve such happy results on a spiritually isolated sphere. Religious revelation is essential to the realization of brotherhood on Urantia. While Jesus has shown the way to the immediate attainment of spiritual brotherhood, the realization of social brotherhood on your world depends much on the achievement of the following personal transformations and planetary adjustments:
1. Social fraternity.
2. Intellectual cross-fertilization.
3. Ethical awakening.
4. Political wisdom.
5. Spiritual insight.
These categories of personal and group achievements toward social brotherhood are impossible to effect without God and his field workers – us and the supermaterial beings and influences around us, according to his divine design.
I’m moving along with my thoughts on the topic by suggesting a different angle of approach. What dispensation do you think we are in? Here is a clue from the discussion of Post-Adamic Man.
52:3.6 […] Much of the material progress of a world occurs during this time of the inauguration of the development of the physical sciences, just such an epoch as Urantia is now experiencing. Your world is a full dispensation and more behind the average planetary schedule.
The revelators tell us this 2,000 years after the fact of the achievement of Michael’s seventh bestowal mission. Where are we now? More than one dispensation behind? So they say. Does this mean that some areas of Urantia are still in the Pre-Adamic dispensation? Or do you count the 5th Epochal Revelation as also a new dispensation on Urantia? And if the fifth epochal initiated a new dispensation, does that mean we are still in the Pre-Bestowal Son dispensation?
Bradly here: We must be in the Post Bestowal Epoch since we now enjoy the Son’s Spirit of Truth and flood of Adjusters. The UB, as an Epochal Revelation, is not the beginning of a new Mortal Epoch (both the UB and the incarnation of Machiventa Melchizedek were responsive and compensatory Revelations of Epochal significance, but neither is considered one of the Planetary Mortal Epochs as outlined in Paper 52).
The Post Son Bestowal Mortal Epoch, which only began 2000 years ago, lasts 10,000 – 100,000 years.
52:5.8 (596.6)The postbestowal Son age may extend from ten thousand to a hundred thousand years…..
I also think our world experiences multiple stages of evolutionary progress as described in Paper 52, with 3 Mortal Epochs in progression at the same time and at different velocities in different parts of the planet.
This is likely true on every evolutionary sphere but is especially so and exaggerated on Urantia due to the “double deprivation” of rebellion and default.
34:7.4 (382.4)The Urantia peoples are suffering the consequences of a double deprivation of help in this task of progressive planetary spiritual attainment. The Caligastia upheaval precipitated world-wide confusion and robbed all subsequent generations of the moral assistance which a well-ordered society would have provided. But even more disastrous was the Adamic default in that it deprived the races of that superior type of physical nature which would have been more consonant with spiritual aspirations.
Me here: The good news is each and every tadpole can find personal Light and Life within their brief time here.
Please note that Mortal Epochs and Epochal Revelations and Dispensations are 3 distinct and separate events which are all related to planetary evolutionary progress but not at all the same. I believe Dispensation has to do strictly with the roll calls and those can occur within/during or at the termination/inauguration of one of the 7 Mortal Epochs.
101:4.3 (1109.4)Truth is always a revelation: autorevelation when it emerges as a result of the work of the indwelling Adjuster; epochal revelation when it is presented by the function of some other celestial agency, group, or personality.
52:0.1 (589.1)FROM the inception of life on an evolutionary planet to the time of its final flowering in the era of light and life, there appear upon the stage of world action at least seven epochs of human life. These successive ages are determined by the planetary missions of the divine Sons, and on an average inhabited world these epochs appear in the following order:
52:0.2 (589.2)1. Pre-Planetary Prince Man.
52:0.3 (589.3)2. Post-Planetary Prince Man.
52:0.4 (589.4)3. Post-Adamic Man.
52:0.5 (589.5)4. Post-Magisterial Son Man.
52:0.6 (589.6)5. Post-Bestowal Son Man.
52:0.7 (589.7)6. Post-Teacher Son Man.
52:0.8 (589.8)7. The Era of Light and Life.
"Live loyally today—grow—and tomorrow will attend to itself. The quickest way for a tadpole to become a frog is to live loyally each moment as a tadpole."
52:0.1 (589.1)FROM the inception of life on an evolutionary planet to the time of its final flowering in the era of light and life, there appear upon the stage of world action at least seven epochs of human life. These successive ages are determined by the planetary missions of the divine Sons, and on an average inhabited world these epochs appear in the following order:
1. Pre-Planetary Prince Man.
2. Post-Planetary Prince Man.
3. Post-Adamic Man.
4. Post-Magisterial Son Man.
5. Post-Bestowal Son Man.
6. Post-Teacher Son Man.
7. The Era of Light and Life.
Very good.
. . . multiple stages of evolutionary progress as described in Paper 52, with 3 Mortal Epochs in progression at the same time and at different velocities in different parts of the planet.
I agree with your comment above. In Paper 52, and at some length, they discuss Urantia’s current situation of world affairs, as provided in the section on Post-Planetary Prince Man. You can easily see in these references where the world now lags as compared to a normal world. Also notice how the words epoch, dispensation and age are used. To me they seem to be interchangeable.
52:2.1 With the arrival of the Planetary Prince a new dispensation begins. Government appears on earth, and the advanced tribal epoch is attained. Great social strides are made during a few thousand years of this regime. Under normal conditions mortals attain a high state of civilization during this age. They do not struggle so long in barbarism as did the Urantia races. But life on an inhabited world is so changed by rebellion that you can have little or no idea of such a regime on a normal planet.
. . . Each dispensation, each mortal epoch, receives an enlarged presentation of spiritual truth and religious ethics. The evolution of the religious capacity of receptivity in the inhabitants of a world largely determines their rate of spiritual advancement and the extent of religious revelation.
. . . This dispensation witnesses a spiritual dawn, and the different races and their various tribes tend to develop specialized systems of religious and philosophic thought. There uniformly run through all of these racial religions two strains: the early fears of primitive men and the later revelations of the Planetary Prince. In some respects Urantians do not seem to have wholly emerged from this stage of planetary evolution. As you pursue this study, you will the more clearly discern how far your world departs from the average course of evolutionary progress and development.
. . . But the Planetary Prince is not “the Prince of Peace.” Racial struggles and tribal wars continue over into this dispensation but with diminishing frequency and severity. This is the great age of racial dispersion, and it culminates in a period of intense nationalism. Color is the basis of tribal and national groupings, and the different races often develop separate languages. Each expanding group of mortals tends to seek isolation. This segregation is favored by the existence of many languages. Before the unification of the several races their relentless warfare sometimes results in the obliteration of whole peoples; the orange and green men are particularly subject to such extinction.
. . . This is the dispensation of the realization of sex equality. On some planets the male may rule the female; on others the reverse prevails. During this age normal worlds establish full equality of the sexes, this being preliminary to the fuller realization of the ideals of home life. This is the dawn of the golden age of the home. The idea of tribal rule gradually gives way to the dual concept of national life and family life.
52:2.10 One of the great achievements of the age of the prince is this restriction of the multiplication of mentally defective and socially unfit individuals. Long before the times of the arrival of the second Sons, the Adams, most worlds seriously address themselves to the tasks of race purification, something which the Urantia peoples have not even yet seriously undertaken.
