© 1995 Ann Bendall
© 1995 The Brotherhood of Man Library
What a relief to discover that I will not be present at the proceedings which decide whether I survive or not. Prior to reading The Urantia Book, I believed that a dreadful ordeal awaited my death, and the life hereafter appeared to be going to commence with a terrifying process whereby I would be summoned before the judges who were faced with three choices - hell, purgatory or heaven. Admittedly, I already knew the decision, purgatory was definitely going to be my next abode. By a simple process of deduction, despite my many sins I had the utmost of faith in God being a tolerant-of-imbeciles type of parent and was convinced that He would give me a fair go because most of my sins were due to not discovering that my actions fell into that category until a post hoc analysis was undertaken. Heaven was definitely out, for I had no illusions about my status on the perfection score and Heaven was the place for perfect people who knew how to do perfect things all day every day.
Actually purgatory sounded much more appealing than heaven for this was the place where I would learn how not to commit ‘sins’ in the future, an art which I was convinced I would not acquire prior to my demise from this planet.
I was not enamored by the thought that on Judgment Day, prior to my transportation to Purgatory, I was going to be subjected to the embarrassment of my dirty linen being aired in public. However, as this was a mass trial, there were going to be millions of others going through the same ordeal at the same proceedings and, assuming they rostered the call-up on an alphabetical basis by the time they got to B maybe we had all been hardened sufficiently to the A’s list of sins that mine would be merely a monotonous repetition of those who proceeded me in the roll call. After all there were only so many types of sins that a human can commit!
It was such a relief to discover that the Bible has it all wrong. Despite the revelators saying they can’t tell us what happens when we die (UB 112:5.10), they give sufficient information on the two proceeding pages to satisfy me that I am going to be asleep throughout the whole Judgment Day process.
And whilst I while away the time on the borderland between mortal and morontia in blissful ignorance and peace, every personality associated with me prior to my death has to work flat out assuming I am going to awaken on the third day which, if Jesus’ resurrection is any indication, actually is not 72 hours but 36 hours.
Whilst one of my seraphim cuddles my baby soul, the other is required to prepare their statement of my survival character (whatever that is.) Then they have to sit down with my Thought Adjuster and compare notes. And it’s not good enough for my seraphim and my Thought Adjuster to approximate in relation to how much of value I have, they must “essentially agree in every item of their life records and recommendations.” (UB 112:4.12)
This jointly agreed-to summary of my survival character has then to be given to some Universal Censors and their reflective associates on Uversa, who are required to “confirm this data and do so without equivocation or reservation.” (UB 112:4.12)
Then it’s on to the Memory of Mercy who “is a living trial balance, a current statement of your account with the supernatural forces of the realms. These are the living records of mercy ministration which are read into the testimony of the courts of Uversa when each individual’s right to unending life comes up for adjudication.” (UB 28:6.6) It is the task of the Memory of Mercy to show that, “the saving credit established by the Sons of God has been fully and faithfully paid out in the loving ministry of the patient personalities of the Third Source and Center. But when mercy is exhausted, when the ‘memory’ thereof testifies to its depletion, then does justice prevail and righteousness decree. For mercy is not to be thrust upon those who despise it; mercy is not a gift to be trampled underfoot by the persistent rebels of time.” (UB 28:6.7)
Although I have no doubt that my credit might be very low, I have faith that all involved will decide on another challenge to their patience after which the, “Ancients of Days flash forth the mandate of advanced standing over the communication circuits to Salvington” and “the tribunals of the Sovereign of Nebadon will decree the immediate passage of the surviving soul to the resurrection halls of the mansion worlds.” (UB 112:4.12)
This is quaintly called a “without delay” (UB 112:4.13) survival process. In the meantime my seraphim, still clinging to my soul, and in anticipation of the Ancient of Days decree that I survive, generally hang around the resurrection halls of some mansion world (quite possibly the first) looking at the catalogues of appropriate morontia type bodies, so as to choose an appropriate one within which to house my soul.
At the same time my Thought Adjuster flits off to Paradise, “registers at Divinington, proceeds to the Paradise presence of the Universal Father, returns immediately, is embraced by the Personalized Adjusters of the superuniverse and local universe of assignment, receives the recognition of the chief Personalized Monitor of Divinington, and then, at once, passes into the ‘realization of identity transition’, being summoned therefrom on the third period and on the mansion world in the actual personality form made ready for the reception of the surviving soul of the earth mortal as that form has been projected by the guardian of destiny.” (UB 112:4.13)
The next thing I know is that I am waking up on a mansion world with lots of kisses and hugs with my seraphim first on the agenda. After exchanging anecdotes on the theme of “Boy, we/I thought we would not make it”, we generally wander around having a jolly good time until the axe falls and before a tribunal I go. Despite the reprieve of the non-attendance requirement at Judgment Day, the rest of the paradise ascent appears to be one court case after another. Although I am assured that the courts and tribunals up there “are very different from the more primitive and material activities of Urantia which bear corresponding names” (UB 33:8.6) and that I can “depend upon being dealt with justly, even mercifully.” I suspect that these tribunal appearances are where I learn to be “disappointment proof.”
Jesus described in the parable of the talents (UB 176:3.4) what the process will involve, stating emphatically after telling the parable that, “In the next world you will be asked to give an account of the endowments and stewardships of this world. Whether inherent talents are few or many, a just and merciful reckoning must be faced. If endowments are used only in selfish pursuits and no thought is bestowed upon the higher duty of obtaining increased yield of the fruits of the spirit, as they are manifested in the ever-expanding service of men and the worship of God, such selfish stewards must accept the consequences of their deliberate choosing.” (UB 176:3.8)
Of course the seraphic court advisers and helpers will be present, and it’s their job “to see that all charges against mortal creatures are stated in justice and adjudicated in mercy.” As my defendants their job is to be primarily mercy ministers, however this justice component worries me, for I am told that there is a decided restriction on their role which effectively is to be “the exponents and exemplification of the element of mercy inherent in divine justice—of fairness based on the knowledge of the underlying facts of personal motives and racial tendencies.” (UB 39:1.8) In other words, they can’t have any case squashed because “justice demands the adjudication of every default in the climb towards divine perfection.” (UB 39:1.8) All they can do is sit through my painful experiences and, through tribunal/court action after court action mount their defense based on my “creature nature.”
I find it somewhat unnerving to be given such a wealth of information about one court or tribunal or another all the way through the local and central universe. It’s as if the revelators want to prepare me for a future of perpetual litigation, and it is little consolation to be told that “the higher you ascend in the universe, the more certain you are to be judged by those of your own kind.” (UB 43:2.4) It’s like a juicy bone tossed to a toothless tiger.
Apparently there are a number that I am required to compulsorily attend due to myself being the focus of judgment and in addition there quite possibly will be a number of additional court actions expeditiously taken out to examine certain developmental traits undesirous of a progressive God child demonstrated by behavior which wreaks, or has the potential to, wreak havoc amongst the locals of the planet on which I currently have been let loose upon.
And so as I ignorantly trip my way through the Paradise ascent I prepare myself for the shudder of panic which will sweep me into reality as a Celestial Guardian saunters towards me carrying the decision of the prior tribunal and quite possibly a summons for the next at the same time (UB 22:8.5)
The deeds we do, the words we say,
Into still air they seem to flee,
We count them ever past;
But they shall last,—
In the dread judgment they and we shall meet.
John Keble