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The Kingdom of Heaven

255 posts · 11 participants · started May 9, 2017, 12:04 PM

MaraParticipant
May 10, 2017, 6:02 PM

Bonita wrote:

It seems to me that living according to God’s will means taking the time to ascertain God’s will before acting, just as Jesus did.

Yes.

Bonita wrote:

And all of this is part of living in the kingdom of heaven, which brings joy and happiness to the mind who craves to know God and be like him. The Adjusters are the kingdom of heaven within us. When we live according to God’s will, their pre-will and our free-will see eye-to-eye, and for that moment we are one . . . we’re making progress within the kingdom of heaven.

Yes. Sincerity and decisions are keys.

39:4.14 [Part II]

The keys of the kingdom of heaven are: sincerity, more sincerity, and more sincerity. All men have these keys. Men use them — advance in spirit status — by decisions, by more decisions, and by more decisions. The highest moral choice is the choice of the highest possible value, and always — in any sphere, in all of them — this is to choose to do the will of God. If man thus chooses, he is great, though he be the humblest citizen of Jerusem or even the least of mortals on Urantia.
GeneParticipant
May 10, 2017, 6:07 PM

Bonita wrote:

152:6.6 Before they left Gennesaret, Jesus instructed them regarding the miraculous feeding of the five thousand, telling them just why he engaged in this extraordinary manifestation of creative power and also assuring them that he did not thus yield to his sympathy for the multitude until he had ascertained that it was “according to the Father’s will.”

Jesus ascertained that a certain decision of his was according to the Father’s will and he did this before acting on his decision, before living it out. It seems to me that living according to God’s will means taking the time to ascertain God’s will before acting, just as Jesus did. I think this is the role of prayer, a mechanism for seeking to know God’s will. When you look at what prayer was for Jesus in the quote below, notice that he used prayer to enrich his thinking, invigorate it toward higher inclinations and clarify viewpoints. It’s obvious that the enriching, invigorating and clarifying comes from contact with God the Father within the higher mind. I think this is why TUB tells us that doing God’s will is simply sharing the inner life with him. The inner life is where we ADJUST our thinking according to his will, and we do it through prayer.

P2088:5, 196:0.10 “To him prayer was a sincere expression of spiritual attitude, a declaration of soul loyalty, a recital of personal devotion, an expression of thanksgiving, an avoidance of emotional tension, a prevention of conflict, an exaltation of intellection, an ennoblement of desire, a vindication of moral decision, an enrichment of thought, an invigoration of higher inclinations, a consecration of impulse, a clarification of viewpoint, a declaration of faith, a transcendental surrender of will, a sublime assertion of confidence, a revelation of courage, the proclamation of discovery, a confession of supreme devotion, the validation of consecration, a technique for the adjustment of difficulties, and the mighty mobilization of the combined soul powers to withstand all human tendencies toward selfishness, evil, and sin. He lived just such a life of prayerful consecration to the doing of his Father’s will and ended his life triumphantly with just such a prayer. The secret of his unparalleled religious life was this consciousness of the presence of God; and he attained it by intelligent prayer and sincere worship — unbroken communion with God — and not by leadings, voices, visions, or extraordinary religious practices.”

And all of this is part of living in the kingdom of heaven, which brings joy and happiness to the mind who craves to know God and be like him. The Adjusters are the kingdom of heaven within us. When we live according to God’s will, their pre-will and our free-will see eye-to-eye, and for that moment we are one . . . we’re making progress within the kingdom of heaven.

108:6.2 No matter what the previous status of the inhabitants of a world, subsequent to the bestowal of a divine Son and after the bestowal of the Spirit of Truth upon all humans, the Adjusters flock to such a world to indwell the minds of all normal will creatures. Following the completion of the mission of a Paradise bestowal Son, these Monitors truly become the “kingdom of heaven within you.” Through the bestowal of the divine gifts the Father makes the closest possible approach to sin and evil, for it is literally true that the Adjuster must coexist in the mortal mind even in the very midst of human unrighteousness. The indwelling Adjusters are particularly tormented by those thoughts which are purely sordid and selfish; they are distressed by irreverence for that which is beautiful and divine, and they are virtually thwarted in their work by many of man’s foolish animal fears and childish anxieties.

But if a mind allows itself to become adulterated by its own sordid, irreverent, foolish, childish and selfish thoughts, there can be no kingdom of heaven within that person. The more people there are like this the worse off the world is. Without the Adjuster civilization would revert to primitive times when man was just crawling out of the trees and learning to speak. I can’t imagine it. It’s too horrific. And it’s even more foolish and childish when people blame the devil for adulterating their minds . . . nothing like scapegoating to identify a non-kingdom dweller!

109:4.4 The indwelling Adjusters have in no small measure co-operated with other spiritual influences in transforming and humanizing the descendants of the primitive men of olden ages. If the Adjusters indwelling the minds of the inhabitants of Urantia were to be withdrawn, the world would slowly return to many of the scenes and practices of the men of primitive times; the divine Monitors are one of the real potentials of advancing civilization.

curious: do you think the Kingdom is a result of mind ministry or part of mind ministry?

how many times is mind mentioned when discussing and quoting this topic.
MaraParticipant
May 10, 2017, 6:31 PM

Gene wrote:

curious: do you think the Kingdom is a result of mind ministry or part of mind ministry?

I know you are addressing Bonita, but I have a reference ready to illuminate your question.

155:6.13 While the mind is not the seat of the spiritual nature, it is indeed the gateway thereto.

111:1.4 But into your hands, subject to your own decisions, has been given mind, and it is by mind that you live or die. It is within this mind and with this mind that you make those moral decisions which enable you to achieve Adjusterlikeness, and that is Godlikeness.

111:1.3 Material mind is the arena in which human personalities live, are self-conscious, make decisions, choose God or forsake him, eternalize or destroy themselves.
BonitaParticipant
May 10, 2017, 7:09 PM

Gene wrote: . . . curious: do you think the Kingdom is a result of mind ministry or part of mind ministry?

Both really. The kingdom of heaven within us is the Adjuster, the spirit nucleus of our personalities. The kingdom of heaven is exclusively spiritual. However, we become conscious of this kingdom with our minds. Mind is the intermediary between the physical and the spiritual parts of our selfhood. Mind ministry always urges us toward spirit and mind is where we actually experience spirit, so the two are inseparable in practice. It’s only possible to separate them in theory.
BradlyParticipant
May 10, 2017, 10:52 PM
I find the 5 forms of the Kingdom utilized by Jesus to be connected in progressive maturity and the Golden Rule, don’t you?

I mean the first kingdom is the one within – the mindal abode of the Spirit and the Soul.

The second is the family of mortal believers but the second cannot be entered without the first.

Which leads to the third – the family of all creatures of personality and free will which includes those from time and space but also those of Paradise which can hardly be entered or even understood until the second kingdom is entered and served by the believer.

I think it fascinating to consider that in God’s Kingdom, experiential wisdom is acquired both by the upward progression of ascenders and the downward thrust of Divinity by descenders – the mechanism of evolutionary perfecting in time and space with the Supreme being the ultimate expression of both ascenders and descenders!!! WOW!

And in a way, the Supreme is an expression of the fourth and fifth kingdom….which happens world by world but also system by system and local universe by local universe….all ascenders and descenders are working in service to this totality upliftment and realization and actualization of potential.

But it is the first kingdom that is the ultimate extension of the down thrust – God imparting himself into every mortal mind that gives birth to a soul!! How symmetrical!! = )

"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."
GeneParticipant
May 11, 2017, 2:22 PM
Can’t help but wonder why it was so difficult for the apostles to comprehend a spiritual Kingdom and forget about the king David kingdom concept? The master was there with them personally, pounding it into their heads.

it don’t seem to me that things have changed much over the centuries.

most christians beliefs remain intrenched it the Judo-Christian belief that something like this will come to pass.

TUB makes it easy enough to comprehend a spiritual kingdom without the person of Jesus to give instruction.
MaraParticipant
May 11, 2017, 3:17 PM

Gene wrote:

Can’t help but wonder why it was so difficult for the apostles to comprehend a spiritual Kingdom and forget about the king David kingdom concept? The master was there with them personally, pounding it into their heads.

There are reasons why it was hard for them to comprehend a *spiritual kingdom*. One factor relates to the history of the Roman Empire in the fact that provincial Palestine, the home of the Jews, was occupied by Roman soldiers under the rule of a second-rate Roman governor – Pilate. We are informed that “. . . the Jews refused to learn that their world mission was spiritual, not political.” The Jews believed they were chosen people. They were looking for a king to save them. Even in modern times people are looking for Jesus to swoop down and cure all our political, social, economic and material/worldly problems.

121:2.8[Part IV]

The secret of the survival of Palestine, the kingdom of the Jews, as a semi-independent state was wrapped up in the foreign policy of the Roman government, which desired to maintain control of the Palestinian highway of travel between Syria and Egypt as well as the western terminals of the caravan routes between the Orient and the Occident. Rome did not wish any power to arise in the Levant which might curb her future expansion in these regions. The policy of intrigue which had for its object the pitting of Seleucid Syria and Ptolemaic Egypt against each other necessitated fostering Palestine as a separate and independent state. Roman policy, the degeneration of Egypt, and the progressive weakening of the Seleucids before the rising power of Parthia, explain why it was that for several generations a small and unpowerful group of Jews was able to maintain its independence against both Seleucidae to the north and Ptolemies to the south. This fortuitous liberty and independence of the political rule of surrounding and more powerful peoples the Jews attributed to the fact that they were the “chosen people,” to the direct interposition of Yahweh. Such an attitude of racial superiority made it all the harder for them to endure Roman suzerainty when it finally fell upon their land. But even in that sad hour the Jews refused to learn that their world mission was spiritual, not political.

IMHO
BradlyParticipant
May 11, 2017, 3:36 PM
I also wonder about the power of the Son’s Spirit which was released later than the times the Apostles spent with Jesus. Perhaps this inner light and voice of truth completely opens the mind to new concepts and perspective as to the inner kingdom and the spirit kingdom? I think the Apostles were just so culturally saturated by traditions of concept and expectation it was difficult to even understand such a thing as a spiritual kingdom. The nature and results of free will itself and the dual natures were only budding philosophies at the time. I think Ganid and some of the Greeks captured the concepts better than the Jewish commoners who had been well managed by the priesthood for a long, long time.

I am reminded how Jesus always sought to add the new, rather than subtract the old when delivering truth. But when the new so directly contradicts the old, it takes time to comprehend and appreciate the new. The morontial resurrection and the gift of the Spirit of Truth opened a few eyes no doubt!! = )

"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."
GeneParticipant
May 11, 2017, 3:53 PM

Mara wrote:

Gene wrote:

Can’t help but wonder why it was so difficult for the apostles to comprehend a spiritual Kingdom and forget about the king David kingdom concept? The master was there with them personally, pounding it into their heads.

There are reasons why it was hard for them to comprehend a *spiritual kingdom*. One factor relates to the history of the Roman Empire in the fact that provincial Palestine, the home of the Jews, was occupied by Roman soldiers under the rule of a second-rate Roman governor – Pilate. We are informed that “. . . the Jews refused to learn that their world mission was spiritual, not political.” The Jews believed they were chosen people. They were looking for a king to save them. Even in modern times people are looking for Jesus to swoop down and cure all our political, social, economic problems.

121:2.8[Part IV]

The secret of the survival of Palestine, the kingdom of the Jews, as a semi-independent state was wrapped up in the foreign policy of the Roman government, which desired to maintain control of the Palestinian highway of travel between Syria and Egypt as well as the western terminals of the caravan routes between the Orient and the Occident. Rome did not wish any power to arise in the Levant which might curb her future expansion in these regions. The policy of intrigue which had for its object the pitting of Seleucid Syria and Ptolemaic Egypt against each other necessitated fostering Palestine as a separate and independent state. Roman policy, the degeneration of Egypt, and the progressive weakening of the Seleucids before the rising power of Parthia, explain why it was that for several generations a small and unpowerful group of Jews was able to maintain its independence against both Seleucidae to the north and Ptolemies to the south. This fortuitous liberty and independence of the political rule of surrounding and more powerful peoples the Jews attributed to the fact that they were the “chosen people,” to the direct interposition of Yahweh. Such an attitude of racial superiority made it all the harder for them to endure Roman suzerainty when it finally fell upon their land. But even in that sad hour the Jews refused to learn that their world mission was spiritual, not political.

IMHO

i think this may be why jesus’ life and teachings needed to be restated.

The Romans are gone but everything else remains.

Jesus stated that the Kingdom would come with power after he ascended to the the Father. The lust for political power can’t compete with this spirit of truth but it’s a very long process.
BonitaParticipant
May 11, 2017, 4:13 PM
Bradly wrote: I find the 5 forms of the Kingdom utilized by Jesus to be connected in progressive maturity and the Golden Rule, don’t you?

I think he was talking about planetary epochs, but individuals do go through similar phases as they pass through the psychic circles. I don’t think they line up with the five phases or epochs described in 170:4 all that well though . . . at least without using poetic license. The list begins with the kingdom of heaven as a present reality here on earth (at hand) and the rest describe our future hope, what will eventually happen within the kingdom of heaven here on earth if we attempt to live it. (Which apparently we haven’t seriously tried yet.)

#1 is the inauguration of the kingdom of heaven within, when a person actually enters in a relationship with God. #2 is the social ramifications of more and more people entering the kingdom of heaven. #3 includes all superhuman people along with human people working together. #4 is the beginning of a new social order, the dawning of light and life where humans and superhumans partner in creating a more spiritual society. #5 is settlement into light and life.

I think a better list of what happens within the individual soul once it enters the kingdom of heaven is from 170:2 which explains the NEW life we lead as kingdom dwellers. Here’s a summary list:
- new courage to hope for eternal life
- augmented spiritual power
- new confidence
- consolation for all men (and women)
- new standard of moral values
- new ethical yardsticks
- new ideal society
- glorification of spiritual realities
- new endowment of moral value
- new endowment of divine dignity
- new meanings
- recognition of a noble destiny
- recognition of a far-reaching divine purpose to be fulfilled in the future
I don’t think it’s a coincidence that Jesus called his Spirit of Truth the NEW teacher who comes to make all things NEW and live his life ANEW through us. Michael’s Spirit of Truth is the king of the kingdom, the shower of the way, the leading light who interprets all relationships and directs the loving contact between persons. He also happens to be the vine and the door. I guess he’s it!
BonitaParticipant
May 11, 2017, 6:36 PM

Gene wrote: TUB makes it easy enough to comprehend a spiritual kingdom without the person of Jesus to give instruction.

I disagree. Comprehension of TUB is entirely facilitated by the person of Jesus giving constant instruction inside your head.

0:12.13 We are fully cognizant of the difficulties of our assignment; we recognize the impossibility of fully translating the language of the concepts of divinity and eternity into the symbols of the language of the finite concepts of the mortal mind. But we know that there dwells within the human mind a fragment of God, and that there sojourns with the human soul the Spirit of Truth; and we further know that these spirit forces conspire to enable material man to grasp the reality of spiritual values and to comprehend the philosophy of universe meanings. But even more certainly we know that these spirits of the Divine Presence are able to assist man in the spiritual appropriation of all truth contributory to the enhancement of the ever-progressing reality of personal religious experience — God-consciousness.
GeneParticipant
May 11, 2017, 7:04 PM

Bonita wrote:

Gene wrote: TUB makes it easy enough to comprehend a spiritual kingdom without the person of Jesus to give instruction.

I disagree. Comprehension of TUB is entirely facilitated by the person of Jesus giving constant instruction inside your head.

0:12.13 We are fully cognizant of the difficulties of our assignment; we recognize the impossibility of fully translating the language of the concepts of divinity and eternity into the symbols of the language of the finite concepts of the mortal mind. But we know that there dwells within the human mind a fragment of God, and that there sojourns with the human soul the Spirit of Truth; and we further know that these spirit forces conspire to enable material man to grasp the reality of spiritual values and to comprehend the philosophy of universe meanings. But even more certainly we know that these spirits of the Divine Presence are able to assist man in the spiritual appropriation of all truth contributory to the enhancement of the ever-progressing reality of personal religious experience — God-consciousness.

the Jesus inside my head giving constant instructions: there is a divine plan, a big picture as to how the kingdom will manifest over a very long period of time that is difficult to come to grips with
BonitaParticipant
May 12, 2017, 12:51 PM

Mara wrote: There are reasons why it was hard for them to comprehend a *spiritual kingdom*. One factor relates to the history of the Roman Empire in the fact that provincial Palestine, the home of the Jews, was occupied by Roman soldiers under the rule of a second-rate Roman governor – Pilate. We are informed that “. . . the Jews refused to learn that their world mission was spiritual, not political.” The Jews believed they were chosen people. They were looking for a king to save them. Even in modern times people are looking for Jesus to swoop down and cure all our political, social, economic and material/worldly problems.

This reminds me that Abner and the seventy had the best understanding of Jesus’ gospel of the kingdom of heaven than “any other group on earth”. It’s too bad he couldn’t get along with James and Paul. As it turns out, churchification can be a stumbling block to the kingdom of heaven.

166:5.6-7 During the later years of Abner and for some time thereafter, the believers at Philadelphia held more strictly to the religion of Jesus, as he lived and taught, than any other group on earth. Abner lived to be 89 years old, dying at Philadelphia on the 21st day of November, A.D. 74. And to the very end he was a faithful believer in, and teacher of, the gospel of the heavenly kingdom.
BonitaParticipant
May 12, 2017, 12:52 PM

Gene wrote:

the Jesus inside my head giving constant instructions: there is a divine plan, a big picture as to how the kingdom will manifest over a very long period of time that is difficult to come to grips with

What’s difficult to come to grips with? The big picture or Jesus in your head?
GeneParticipant
May 12, 2017, 1:27 PM
both
BonitaParticipant
May 12, 2017, 1:57 PM
134:4.2 The kingdom of heaven, the divine government, is founded on the fact of divine sovereignty – God is spirit. Since God is spirit, this kingdom is spiritual. The kingdom of heaven is neither material nor merely intellectual; it is a spiritual relationship between God and man.

I don’t know, but it seems to me that sooner or later mankind is going to have to come to grips with the idea that God lives in the mind arena, that spirit is discovered in the mind, not floating in space. Until they do, we’re just wafting as a civilization . . . no anchor, no stability . . . just chasing the next shiny object that happens to pass by . . . the ADHD of modern society.
GeneParticipant
May 12, 2017, 2:13 PM
Bonita wrote:

134:4.2 The kingdom of heaven, the divine government, is founded on the fact of divine sovereignty – God is spirit. Since God is spirit, this kingdom is spiritual. The kingdom of heaven is neither material nor merely intellectual; it is a spiritual relationship between God and man.

I don’t know, but it seems to me that sooner or later mankind is going to have to come to grips with the idea that God lives in the mind arena, that spirit is discovered in the mind, not floating in space. Until they do, we’re just wafting as a civilization . . . no anchor, no stability . . . just chasing the next shiny object that happens to pass by . . . the ADHD of modern society.

well said

and I keep telling myself to try to stay focused on that inner voice, do something positive and unselfish, have faith that doing will have a greater impact than preaching.

Cant recall the paper but Jesus was rebuking apostles about Jewish scriptures where it was obvious that these Jews could not see how the concept of God had evolved over time. They likely read the scriptures but could not see the truth until Jesus pointed out the big picture.
BonitaParticipant
May 12, 2017, 2:39 PM

Gene wrote: Cant recall the paper but Jesus was rebuking apostles about Jewish scriptures where it was obvious that these Jews could not see how the concept of God had evolved over time.

I think it was one of his discussions with Nathaniel:

159:4.5 “Nathaniel, never permit yourself for one moment to believe the Scripture records which tell you that the God of love directed your forefathers to go forth in battle to slay all their enemies — men, women, and children. Such records are the words of men, not very holy men, and they are not the word of God. The Scriptures always have, and always will, reflect the intellectual, moral, and spiritual status of those who create them. Have you not noted that the concepts of Yahweh grow in beauty and glory as the prophets make their records from Samuel to Isaiah? And you should remember that the Scriptures are intended for religious instruction and spiritual guidance. They are not the works of either historians or philosophers.
GeneParticipant
May 12, 2017, 2:48 PM

Bonita wrote:

Gene wrote: Cant recall the paper but Jesus was rebuking apostles about Jewish scriptures where it was obvious that these Jews could not see how the concept of God had evolved over time.

I think it was one of his discussions with Nathaniel:

159:4.5 “Nathaniel, never permit yourself for one moment to believe the Scripture records which tell you that the God of love directed your forefathers to go forth in battle to slay all their enemies — men, women, and children. Such records are the words of men, not very holy men, and they are not the word of God. The Scriptures always have, and always will, reflect the intellectual, moral, and spiritual status of those who create them. Have you not noted that the concepts of Yahweh grow in beauty and glory as the prophets make their records from Samuel to Isaiah? And you should remember that the Scriptures are intended for religious instruction and spiritual guidance. They are not the works of either historians or philosophers.

Yes
GeneParticipant
May 12, 2017, 3:00 PM
I found another: paper 142:3

the concept of God

a bit too large to copy paste

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