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The 5th Epochal Revelation
-The Urantia Papers
PAPER 33
ADMINISTRATION OF THE LOCAL UNIVERSE
33:0.1
WHILE the Universal Father most certainly rules over his
vast creation, he functions in a local universe
administration through the person of the Creator Son.
The Father does not otherwise personally function in the
administrative affairs of a local universe. These
matters are intrusted to the Creator Son and to the
local universe Mother Spirit and to their manifold
children. The plans, policies, and administrative acts
of the local universe are formed and executed by this
Son, who, in conjunction with his Spirit associate,
delegates executive power to Gabriel and jurisdictional
authority to the Constellation Fathers, System
Sovereigns, and Planetary Princes.
1. MICHAEL OF NEBADON
33:1.1
Our Creator Son is the personification of the 611,121st
original concept of infinite identity of simultaneous
origin in the Universal Father and the Eternal Son. The
Michael of Nebadon is the "only-begotten Son"
personalizing this 611,121st universal concept of
divinity and infinity. His headquarters is in the
threefold mansion of light on Salvington. And this
dwelling is so ordered because Michael has experienced
the living of all three phases of intelligent creature
existence: spiritual, morontial, and material. Because
of the name associated with his seventh and final
bestowal on Urantia, he is sometimes spoken of as Christ
Michael.
33:1.2
Our Creator Son is not the Eternal Son, the existential
Paradise associate of the Universal Father and the
Infinite Spirit. Michael of Nebadon is not a member of
the Paradise Trinity. Nevertheless our Master Son
possesses in his realm all of the divine attributes and
powers that the Eternal Son himself would manifest were
he actually to be present on Salvington and functioning
in Nebadon. Michael possesses even additional power and
authority, for he not only personifies the Eternal Son
but also fully represents and actually embodies the
personality presence of the Universal Father to and in
this local universe. He even represents the Father-Son.
These relationships constitute a Creator Son the most
powerful, versatile, and influential of all divine
beings who are capable of direct administration of
evolutionary universes and of personality contact with
immature creature beings.
33:1.3
Our Creator Son exerts the same spiritual drawing power,
spirit gravity, from the headquarters of the local
universe that the Eternal Son of Paradise would exert if
he were personally present on Salvington, and
more; this
Universe Son is also the personification of the
Universal Father to the universe of Nebadon. Creator
Sons are personality centers for the spiritual forces of
the Paradise Father-Son. Creator Sons are the final
power-personality focalizations of the mighty time-space
attributes of God the Sevenfold.
33:1.4
The Creator Son is the vicegerent personalization of the
Universal Father, the divinity co-ordinate of the
Eternal Son, and the creative associate of the Infinite
Spirit. To our universe and all its inhabited worlds the
Sovereign Son is, to all practical intents and purposes,
God. He personifies all of the Paradise Deities which
evolving mortals can discerningly comprehend. This Son
and his Spirit associate are your creator parents. To
you, Michael, the Creator Son, is the supreme
personality; to you, the Eternal Son is supersupreme --
an infinite Deity personality.
33:1.5
In the person of the Creator Son we have a ruler and
divine parent who is just as mighty, efficient, and
beneficent as would be the Universal Father and the
Eternal Son if both were present on Salvington and
engaged in the administration of the affairs of the
universe of Nebadon.
2. THE SOVEREIGN OF NEBADON
33:2.1
Observation of Creator Sons discloses that some resemble
more the Father, some the Son, while others are a blend
of both their infinite parents. Our Creator Son very
definitely manifests traits and attributes which more
resemble the Eternal Son.
33:2.2
Michael elected to organize this local universe, and
herein he now reigns supreme. His personal power is
limited by the pre-existent gravity circuits centering
at Paradise and by the reservation on the part of the
Ancients of Days of the superuniverse government of all
final executive judgments regarding the extinction of
personality. Personality is the sole bestowal of the
Father, but the Creator Sons, with the approval of the
Eternal Son, do initiate new creature designs, and with
the working co-operation of their Spirit associates they
may attempt new transformations of energy-matter.
33:2.3
Michael is the personification of the Paradise
Father-Son to and in the local universe of Nebadon;
therefore, when the Creative Mother Spirit, the local
universe representation of the Infinite Spirit,
subordinated herself to Christ Michael upon the return
from his final bestowal on Urantia, the Master Son
thereby acquired jurisdiction over "all power in heaven
and on earth."
33:2.4
This subordination of the Divine Ministers to the
Creator Sons of the local universes constitutes these
Master Sons the personal repositories of the finitely
manifestable divinity of the Father, Son, and Spirit,
while the creature-bestowal experiences of the Michaels
qualify them to portray the experiential divinity of the
Supreme Being. No other beings in the universes have
thus personally exhausted the potentials of present
finite experience, and no other beings in the universes
possess such qualifications for solitary sovereignty.
33:2.5
Although Michael's headquarters is officially located on
Salvington, the capital of Nebadon, he spends much of
his time visiting the constellation and system
headquarters and even the individual planets.
Periodically he journeys to Paradise and often to
Uversa, where he counsels with the Ancients of Days.
When he is away from Salvington, his place is assumed by
Gabriel, who then functions as regent of the universe of
Nebadon.
3. THE UNIVERSE SON AND SPIRIT
33:3.1
While pervading all the universes of time and space, the
Infinite Spirit functions from the headquarters of each
local universe as a specialized focalization acquiring
full personality qualities by the technique of creative
co-operation with the Creator Son. As concerns a local
universe, the administrative authority of a Creator Son
is supreme; the Infinite Spirit, as the Divine Minister,
is wholly co-operative though perfectly co-ordinate.
33:3.2
The Universe Mother Spirit of Salvington, the associate
of Michael in the control and administration of Nebadon,
is of the sixth group of Supreme Spirits, being the
611,121st of that order. She volunteered to accompany
Michael on the occasion of his liberation from Paradise
obligations and has ever since functioned with him in
creating and governing his universe.
33:3.3
The Master Creator Son is the personal sovereign of his
universe, but in all the details of its management the
Universe Spirit is codirector with the Son. While the
Spirit ever acknowledges the Son as sovereign and ruler,
the Son always accords the Spirit a co-ordinate position
and equality of authority in all the affairs of the
realm. In all his work of love and life bestowal the
Creator Son is always and ever perfectly sustained and
ably assisted by the all-wise and ever-faithful Universe
Spirit and by all of her diversified retinue of angelic
personalities. Such a Divine Minister is in reality the
mother of spirits and spirit personalities, the
ever-present and all-wise adviser of the Creator Son, a
faithful and true manifestation of the Paradise Infinite
Spirit.
33:3.4
The Son functions as a father in his local universe. The
Spirit, as mortal creatures would understand, enacts the
role of a mother, always assisting the Son and being
everlastingly indispensable to the administration of the
universe. In the face of insurrection only the Son and
his associated Sons can function as deliverers. Never
can the Spirit undertake to contest rebellion or defend
authority, but ever does the Spirit sustain the Son in
all of everything he may be required to experience in
his efforts to stabilize government and uphold authority
on worlds tainted with evil or dominated by sin. Only a
Son can retrieve the work of their joint creation, but
no Son could hope for final success without the
incessant co-operation of the Divine Minister and her
vast assemblage of spirit helpers, the daughters of God,
who so faithfully and valiantly struggle for the welfare
of mortal men and the glory of their divine parents.
33:3.5
Upon the completion of the Creator Son's seventh and
final creature bestowal, the uncertainties of periodic
isolation terminate for the Divine Minister, and the
Son's universe helper becomes forever settled in surety
and control. It is at the enthronement of the Creator
Son as a Master Son, at the jubilee of jubilees, that
the Universe Spirit, before the assembled hosts, first
makes public and universal acknowledgment of
subordination to the Son, pledging fidelity and
obedience. This event occurred in Nebadon at the time of
Michael's return to Salvington after the Urantian
bestowal. Never before this momentous occasion did the
Universe Spirit acknowledge subordination to the
Universe Son, and not until after this voluntary
relinquishment of power and authority by the Spirit
could it be truthfully proclaimed of the Son that "all
power in heaven and on earth has been committed to his
hand."
33:3.6
After this pledge of subordination by the Creative
Mother Spirit, Michael of Nebadon nobly acknowledged his
eternal dependence on his Spirit companion, constituting
the Spirit coruler of his universe domains and requiring
all their creatures to pledge themselves in loyalty to
the Spirit as they had to the Son; and there issued and
went forth the final "Proclamation of Equality." Though
he was the sovereign of this local universe, the Son
published to the worlds the fact of the Spirit's
equality with him in all endowments of personality and
attributes of divine character. And this becomes the
transcendent pattern for the family organization and
government of even the lowly creatures of the worlds of
space. This is, in deed and in truth, the high ideal of
the family and the human institution of voluntary
marriage.
33:3.7
The Son and the Spirit now preside over the universe
much as a father and mother watch over, and minister to,
their family of sons and daughters. It is not altogether
out of place to refer to the Universe Spirit as the
creative companion of the Creator Son and to regard the
creatures of the realms as their sons and daughters -- a
grand and glorious family but one of untold
responsibilities and endless watchcare.
33:3.8
The Son initiates the creation of certain of the
universe children, while the Spirit is solely
responsible for bringing into existence the numerous
orders of spirit personalities who minister and serve
under the direction and guidance of this selfsame Mother
Spirit. In the creation of other types of universe
personalities, both the Son and the Spirit function
together, and in no creative act does the one do aught
without the counsel and approval of the other.
4. GABRIEL -- THE CHIEF EXECUTIVE
33:4.1
The Bright and Morning Star is the personalization of
the first concept of identity and ideal of personality
conceived by the Creator Son and the local universe
manifestation of the Infinite Spirit. Going back to the
early days of the local universe, before the union of
the Creator Son and the Mother Spirit in the bonds of
creative association, back to the times before the
beginning of the creation of their versatile family of
sons and daughters, the first conjoint act of this early
and free association of these two divine persons results
in the creation of the highest spirit personality of the
Son and the Spirit, the Bright and Morning Star.
33:4.2
Only one such being of wisdom and majesty is brought
forth in each local universe. The Universal Father and
the Eternal Son can, in fact do, create an unlimited
number of Sons in divinity equal to themselves; but such
Sons, in union with the Daughters of the Infinite
Spirit, can create only one Bright and Morning Star in
each universe, a being like themselves and partaking
freely of their combined natures but not of their
creative prerogatives. Gabriel of Salvington is like the
Universe Son in divinity of nature though considerably
limited in the attributes of Deity.
33:4.3
This first-born of the parents of a new universe is a
unique personality possessing many wonderful traits not
visibly present in either ancestor, a being of
unprecedented versatility and unimagined brilliance.
This supernal personality embraces the divine will of
the Son combined with the creative imagination of the
Spirit. The thoughts and acts of the Bright and Morning
Star will ever be fully representative of both the
Creator Son and the Creative Spirit. Such a being is
also capable of a broad understanding of, and
sympathetic contact with, both the spiritual seraphic
hosts and the material evolutionary will creatures.
33:4.4
The Bright and Morning Star is not a creator, but he is
a marvelous administrator, being the personal
administrative representative of the Creator Son. Aside
from creation and life impartation the Son and the
Spirit never confer upon important universe procedures
without Gabriel's presence.
33:4.5
Gabriel of Salvington is the chief executive of the
universe of Nebadon and the arbiter of all executive
appeals respecting its administration. This universe
executive was created fully endowed for his work, but he
has gained experience with the growth and evolution of
our local creation.
33:4.6
Gabriel is the chief officer of execution for
superuniverse mandates relating to nonpersonal affairs
in the local universe. Most matters pertaining to mass
judgment and dispensational resurrections, adjudicated
by the Ancients of Days, are also delegated to Gabriel
and his staff for execution. Gabriel is thus the
combined chief executive of both the super- and the
local universe rulers. He has at his command an able
corps of administrative assistants, created for their
special work, who are unrevealed to evolutionary
mortals. In addition to these assistants, Gabriel may
employ any and all of the orders of celestial beings
functioning in Nebadon, and he is also the commander in
chief of "the armies of heaven" -- the celestial hosts.
33:4.7
Gabriel and his staff are not teachers; they are
administrators. They were never known to depart from
their regular work except when Michael was incarnated on
a creature bestowal. During such bestowals Gabriel was
ever attendant on the will of the incarnated Son, and
with the collaboration of the Union of Days, he became
the actual director of universe affairs during the later
bestowals. Gabriel has been closely identified with the
history and development of Urantia ever since the mortal
bestowal of Michael.
33:4.8
Aside from meeting Gabriel on the bestowal worlds and at
the times of general- and special-resurrection roll
calls, mortals will seldom encounter him as they ascend
through the local universe until they are inducted into
the administrative work of the local creation. As
administrators, of whatever order or degree, you will
come under the direction of Gabriel.
5. THE TRINITY AMBASSADORS
33:5.1
The administration of Trinity-origin personalities ends
with the government of the superuniverses. The local
universes are characterized by dual supervision, the
beginning of the father-mother concept. The universe
father is the Creator Son; the universe mother is the
Divine Minister, the local universe Creative Spirit.
Every local universe is, however, blessed with the
presence of certain personalities from the central
universe and Paradise. At the head of this Paradise
group in Nebadon is the ambassador of the Paradise
Trinity -- Immanuel of Salvington -- the Union of Days
assigned to the local universe of Nebadon. In a certain
sense this high Trinity Son is also the personal
representative of the Universal Father to the court of
the Creator Son; hence his name, Immanuel.
33:5.2
Immanuel of Salvington, number 611,121 of the sixth
order of Supreme Trinity Personalities, is a being of
sublime dignity and of such superb condescension that he
refuses the worship and adoration of all living
creatures. He bears the distinction of being the only
personality in all Nebadon who has never acknowledged
subordination to his brother Michael. He functions as
adviser to the Sovereign Son but gives counsel only on
request. In the absence of the Creator Son he might
preside over any high universe council but would not
otherwise participate in the executive affairs of the
universe except as requested.
33:5.3
This ambassador of Paradise to Nebadon is not subject to
the jurisdiction of the local universe government.
Neither does he exercise authoritative jurisdiction in
the executive affairs of an evolving local universe
except in the supervision of his liaison brethren, the
Faithfuls of Days, serving on the headquarters of the
constellations.
33:5.4
The Faithfuls of Days, like the Union of Days, never
proffer advice or offer assistance to the constellation
rulers unless it is asked for. These Paradise
ambassadors to the constellations represent the final
personal presence of the Stationary Sons of the Trinity
functioning in advisory roles in the local universes.
Constellations are more closely related to the
superuniverse administration than local systems, which
are administered exclusively by personalities native to
the local universe.
6. GENERAL ADMINISTRATION
33:6.1
Gabriel is the chief executive and actual administrator
of Nebadon. Michael's absence from Salvington in no way
interferes with the orderly conduct of universe affairs.
During the absence of Michael, as recently on the
mission of reunion of Orvonton Master Sons on Paradise,
Gabriel is the regent of the universe. At such times
Gabriel always seeks the counsel of Immanuel of
Salvington regarding all major problems.
33:6.2
The Father Melchizedek is Gabriel's first assistant.
When the Bright and Morning Star is absent from
Salvington, his responsibilities are assumed by this
original Melchizedek Son.
33:6.3
The various subadministrations of the universe have
assigned to them certain special domains of
responsibility. While, in general, a system government
looks after the welfare of its planets, it is more
particularly concerned with the physical status of
living beings, with biologic problems. In turn, the
constellation rulers pay especial attention to the
social and governmental conditions prevailing on the
different planets and systems. A constellation
government is chiefly exercised over unification and
stabilization. Still higher up, the universe rulers are
more occupied with the spiritual status of the realms.
33:6.4
Ambassadors are appointed by judicial decree and
represent universes to other universes. Consuls are
representatives of constellations to one another and to
the universe headquarters; they are appointed by
legislative decree and function only within the confines
of the local universe. Observers are commissioned by
executive decree of a System Sovereign to represent that
system to other systems and at the constellation
capital, and they, too, function only within the
confines of the local universe.
33:6.5
From Salvington, broadcasts are simultaneously directed
to the constellation headquarters, the system
headquarters, and to individual planets. All higher
orders of celestial beings are able to utilize this
service for communication with their fellows scattered
throughout the universe. The universe broadcast is
extended to all inhabited worlds regardless of their
spiritual status. Planetary intercommunication is denied
only those worlds under spiritual quarantine.
33:6.6
Constellation broadcasts are periodically sent out from
the headquarters of the constellation by the chief of
the Constellation Fathers.
33:6.7
Chronology is reckoned, computed, and rectified by a
special group of beings on Salvington. The standard day
of Nebadon is equal to eighteen days and six hours of
Urantia time, plus two and one-half minutes. The Nebadon
year consists of a segment of the time of universe swing
in relation to the Uversa circuit and is equal to one
hundred days of standard universe time, about five years
of Urantia time.
33:6.8
Nebadon time, broadcast from Salvington, is the standard
for all constellations and systems in this local
universe. Each constellation conducts its affairs by
Nebadon time, but the systems maintain their own
chronology, as do the individual planets.
33:6.9
The day in Satania, as reckoned on Jerusem, is a little
less (1 hour, 4 minutes, 15 seconds) than three days of
Urantia time. These times are generally known as
Salvington or universe time, and Satania or system time.
Standard time is universe time.
7. THE COURTS OF NEBADON
33:7.1
The Master Son, Michael, is supremely concerned with but
three things: creation, sustenance, and ministry. He
does not personally participate in the judicial work of
the universe. Creators never sit in judgment on their
creatures; that is the exclusive function of creatures
of high training and actual creature experience.
33:7.2
The entire judicial mechanism of Nebadon is under the
supervision of Gabriel. The high courts, located on
Salvington, are occupied with problems of general
universe import and with the appellate cases coming up
from the system tribunals. There are seventy branches of
these universe courts, and they function in seven
divisions of ten sections each. In all matters of
adjudication there presides a dual magistracy consisting
of one judge of perfection antecedents and one
magistrate of ascendant experience.
33:7.3
As regards jurisdiction, the local universe courts are
limited in the following matters:
33:7.4
1. The administration of the local universe is concerned
with creation, evolution, maintenance, and ministry. The
universe tribunals are, therefore, denied the right to
pass upon those cases involving the question of eternal
life and death. This has no reference to natural death
as it obtains on Urantia, but if the question of the
right of continued existence, life eternal, comes up for
adjudication, it must be referred to the tribunals of
Orvonton, and if decided adversely to the individual,
all sentences of extinction are carried out upon the
orders, and through the agencies, of the rulers of the
supergovernment.
33:7.5
2. The default or defection of any of the Local Universe
Sons of God which jeopardizes their status and authority
as Sons is never adjudicated in the tribunals of a Son;
such a misunderstanding would be immediately carried to
the superuniverse courts.
33:7.6
3. The question of the readmission of any constituent
part of a local universe -- such as a local system -- to
the fellowship of full spiritual status in the local
creation subsequent to spiritual isolation must be
concurred in by the high assembly of the superuniverse.
33:7.7
In all other matters the courts of Salvington are final
and supreme. There is no appeal and no escape from their
decisions and decrees.
33:7.8
However unfairly human contentions may sometimes appear
to be adjudicated on Urantia, in the universe justice
and divine equity do prevail. You are living in a
well-ordered universe, and sooner or later you may
depend upon being dealt with justly, even mercifully.
8. THE LEGISLATIVE AND EXECUTIVE FUNCTIONS
33:8.1
On Salvington, the headquarters of Nebadon, there are no
true legislative bodies. The universe headquarters
worlds are concerned largely with adjudication. The
legislative assemblies of the local universe are located
on the headquarters of the one hundred constellations.
The systems are chiefly concerned with the executive and
administrative work of the local creations. The System
Sovereigns and their associates enforce the legislative
mandates of the constellation rulers and execute the
judicial decrees of the high courts of the universe.
33:8.2
While true legislation is not enacted at the universe
headquarters, there do function on Salvington a variety
of advisory and research assemblies, variously
constituted and conducted in accordance with their scope
and purpose. Some are permanent; others disband upon the
accomplishment of their objective.
33:8.3
The supreme
council of the local universe is made up of three
members from each system and seven representatives from
each constellation. Systems in isolation do not have
representation in this assembly, but they are permitted
to send observers who attend and study all its
deliberations.
33:8.4
The one hundred
councils of supreme sanction are also situated on
Salvington. The presidents of these councils constitute
the immediate working cabinet of Gabriel.
33:8.5
All findings of the high universe advisory councils are
referred either to the Salvington judicial bodies or to
the legislative assemblies of the constellations. These
high councils are without authority or power to enforce
their recommendations. If their advice is founded on the
fundamental laws of the universe, then will the Nebadon
courts issue rulings of execution; but if their
recommendations have to do with local or emergency
conditions, they must pass down to the legislative
assemblies of the constellation for deliberative
enactment and then to the system authorities for
execution. These high councils are, in reality, the
universe superlegislatures, but they function without
the authority of enactment and without the power of
execution.
33:8.6
While we speak of universe administration in terms of
"courts" and "assemblies," it should be understood that
these spiritual transactions are very different from the
more primitive and material activities of Urantia which
bear corresponding names.
33:8.7
Presented by the Chief of the Archangels of Nebadon.
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