© 2009 Chris Ragetly
© 2009 Association Francophone des Lecteurs du Livre d'Urantia
| Indefinite Pronouns | Le Lien Urantien — Issue 49 — Winter 2009 | God, the Consumer of Universal Destiny |
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. (UB 111:7.1)
Uncertainty in security is the essence of the adventure in Paradise. This sentence requires study. Security is the indestructible rock that represents our status as sons of the Universal Father, in whom we rely in all the circumstances of life, whether pleasant or unpleasant, for our trust is eternal with this powerful, wise and loving Father. As events unfold during our ascension into the universal mansions of the universes of time, to have certainty about these future events would be a definite handicap with regard to our possibilities of adaptation to the realization of our potentials. As citizens of the universe, we already have the certainty of being citizens of this splendid and eternal universe, and our uncertainty in our inexperience as young citizens can only sharpen our curiosity to move forward and always seek to discover new horizons.
“As to my message and the teaching of my disciples, you should judge them by their fruits. If we proclaim to you the truths of the spirit, the spirit will witness in your hearts that our message is genuine. Concerning the kingdom and your assurance of acceptance by the heavenly Father, let me ask what father among you who is a worthy and kindhearted father would keep his son in anxiety or suspense regarding his status in the family or his place of security in the affections of his father’s heart? Do you earth fathers take pleasure in torturing your children with uncertainty about their place of abiding love in your human hearts? Neither does your Father in heaven leave his faith children of the spirit in doubtful uncertainty as to their position in the kingdom. If you receive God as your Father, then indeed and in truth are you the sons of God. And if you are sons, then are you secure in the position and standing of all that concerns eternal and divine sonship. If you believe my words, you thereby believe in Him who sent me, and by thus believing in the Father, you have made your status in heavenly citizenship sure. If you do the will of the Father in heaven, you shall never fail in the attainment of the eternal life of progress in the divine kingdom. (UB 142:5.2)
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 blunder 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. (UB 39:5.9)
“Uncertainty is the secret of satisfaction in continuity,” is a truth that is only acquired little by little as the experiences we go through are transformed into a solid foundation, giving our life meaning in this continuity that is our evolutionary progression.
God upholds “all things by the word of his power.” And when new worlds are born, he “sends forth his Sons and they are created.” God not only creates, but he “preserves them all.” God constantly upholds all things material and all beings spiritual. The universes are eternally stable. There is stability in the midst of apparent instability. There is an underlying order and security in the midst of the energy upheavals and the physical cataclysms of the starry realms. (UB 4:1.5)
We should not be frightened by the cataclysms that are manifesting in the observable universe today.
“And even you, Thomas, fail to comprehend what I have been saying. Have I not all this time taught you that your connection with the kingdom is spiritual and individual, wholly a matter of personal experience in the spirit by the faith-realization that you are a son of God? What more shall I say? The downfall of nations, the crash of empires, the destruction of the unbelieving Jews, the end of an age, even the end of the world, what have these things to do with one who believes this gospel, and who has hid his life in the surety of the eternal kingdom? You who are God-knowing and gospel-believing have already received the assurances of eternal life. Since your lives have been lived in the spirit and for the Father, nothing can be of serious concern to you. Kingdom builders, the accredited citizens of the heavenly worlds, are not to be disturbed by temporal upheavals or perturbed by terrestrial cataclysms. What does it matter to you who believe this gospel of the kingdom if nations overturn, the age ends, or all things visible crash, since you know that your life is the gift of the Son, and that it is eternally secure in the Father? Having lived the temporal life by faith and having yielded the fruits of the spirit as the righteousness of loving service for your fellows, you can confidently look forward to the next step in the eternal career with the same survival faith that has carried you through your first and earthly adventure in sonship with God. (UB 176:3.2)
On first thought it might appear that Urantia and its associated isolated worlds are most unfortunate in being deprived of the beneficent presence and influence of such superhuman personalities as a Planetary Prince and a Material Son and Daughter. But isolation of these spheres affords their races a unique opportunity for the exercise of faith and for the development of a peculiar quality of confidence in cosmic reliability which is not dependent on sight or any other material consideration. It may turn out, eventually, that mortal creatures hailing from the worlds quarantined in consequence of rebellion are extremely fortunate. We have discovered that such ascenders are very early intrusted with numerous special assignments to cosmic undertakings where unquestioned faith and sublime confidence are essential to achievement. (UB 50:7.1)
It may eventually happen that human creatures from worlds quarantined by rebellion are extremely fortunate. We have discovered that these ascenders are given many special assignments in cosmic enterprises at an early age where unquestioned faith and sublime confidence are essential for success.
Our situation of isolation offers us a unique opportunity to develop our confidence in cosmic security and to exercise our faith. This situation of quarantine as a result of rebellion is in some way a test, and offers us the opportunity to show “what stuff” we are made of. Material considerations do not prevent us from believing without seeing. Unquestioned faith and sublime confidence are essential for success, and it is this sublime confidence in security that will enable us to continue beyond Urantia to accomplish our work throughout the universes.
It was over two years of system time from the beginning of the “war in heaven” until the installation of Lucifer’s successor. But at last the new Sovereign came, landing on the sea of glass with his staff. I was among the reserves mobilized on Edentia by Gabriel, and I well remember the first message of Lanaforge to the Constellation Father of Norlatiadek. It read: “Not a single Jerusem citizen was lost. Every ascendant mortal survived the fiery trial and emerged from the crucial test triumphant and altogether victorious.” And on to Salvington, Uversa, and Paradise went this message of assurance that the survival experience of mortal ascension is the greatest security against rebellion and the surest safeguard against sin. This noble Jerusem band of faithful mortals numbered just 187,432,811. (UB 53:7.12)
During Lucifer’s rebellion, none of the mortals with Jerusem citizen status fell into Lucifer’s trap. All of these citizens had merged with their Mystery Monitor, but there is this sentence: “…that the survival experience of mortal ascension is the best safeguard against sin,.” This survival experience must undoubtedly be very impressive, since in itself it constitutes the greatest security against rebellion, but it should be noted that during Lucifer’s rebellion there were among the ascenders of the first mansion worlds “many personalities who fell” before their fusion with their Adjuster. So be vigilant.
The Son of Man was confident of success, and he knew that his triumph on your world would forever settle the status of his agelong enemies, not only in Satania but also in the other two systems where sin had entered. There was survival for mortals and security for angels when your Master, in reply to the Lucifer proposals, calmly and with divine assurance replied, “Get you behind me, Satan.” That was, in principle, the real end of the Lucifer rebellion. True, the Uversa tribunals have not yet rendered the executive decision regarding the appeal of Gabriel praying for the destruction of the rebels, but such a decree will, no doubt, be forthcoming in the fullness of time since the first step in the hearing of this case has already been taken. (UB 53:8.4)
Our chances of survival have therefore been strengthened since Michael of Nebadon, during his seventh bestowal, replied to Satan: “Get behind me, Satan.” What exactly does “Our chances of survival are strengthened at the same time as the security of the angels” mean? We must not forget that this bestowal was Michael’s seventh and last, and that it gave him full and absolute authority in his universe; we can therefore consider that this full authority strengthens his beneficial influence with angels and mortals, strengthens our chances of survival and strengthens the security of the angels.
Whatever the difficulties evolutionary mortals may encounter in their efforts to understand the Lucifer rebellion, it should be clear to all reflective thinkers that the technique of dealing with the rebels is a vindication of divine love. The loving mercy extended to the rebels does seem to have involved many innocent beings in trials and tribulations, but all these distraught personalities may securely depend upon the all-wise Judges to adjudicate their destinies in mercy as well as justice. (UB 54:6.1)
Another security we can rely on is that represented by the infinitely wise Judges who are charged with watching over us in all circumstances. And when we have to be judged we can be sure of being judged with complete objectivity and even with mercy.
Jesus portrayed the profound surety of the God-knowing mortal when he said: “To a God-knowing kingdom believer, what does it matter if all things earthly crash?” Temporal securities are vulnerable, but spiritual sureties are impregnable. When the flood tides of human adversity, selfishness, cruelty, hate, malice, and jealousy beat about the mortal soul, you may rest in the assurance that there is one inner bastion, the citadel of the spirit, which is absolutely unassailable; at least this is true of every human being who has dedicated the keeping of his soul to the indwelling spirit of the eternal God. (UB 100:2.7)
The man who knows God is in profound security and Jesus depicts this security in the underlined sentence above. This is spiritual security which is invulnerable, because it is found in this inner bastion, this citadel of the spirit which is absolutely impregnable. It is enough to entrust one’s soul to the care of our Mystery Monitor.
There is a sense of security, associated with the realization of triumphing glory, resident in the consciousness of the religionist who has grasped the reality of the Supreme, and who pursues the goal of the Ultimate. (UB 100:6.7)
This is the correlation of the previous passage, that is, once we know God and have entrusted our safety to his keeping, it follows that the reality of the Supreme becomes comprehensible to us, that we realize that our evolution and experiences are with and in the Supreme, since our experiences are the experiences of the Supreme, who otherwise could not exist as an experiential Deity. This is another way of understanding what cosmic citizenship means.
The purpose of religion is not to satisfy curiosity about God but rather to afford intellectual constancy and philosophic security, to stabilize and enrich human living by blending the mortal with the divine, the partial with the perfect, man and God. It is through religious experience that man’s concepts of ideality are endowed with reality. (UB 101:10.5)
To try to transform human concepts into reality as we ideally conceive them, is one of the advantages of a religious life based on the security of our sonship with God. It is to blend the mortal with the divine, the partial with the perfect, man with God. But I do not think that this accomplishment can be made in its fullness until a mortal becomes part of the Body of the Finality.
After a long sojourn on circuit number two the subjects of disappointment are examined by the councils of perfection sitting on the pilot world of this circle and are certified as having passed the Havona test; and this, so far as nonspiritual status is concerned, grants them the same standing in the universes of time as if they had actually succeeded in the Deity adventure. The spirit of such candidates was wholly acceptable; their failure was inherent in some phase of the technique of approach or in some part of their experiential background. (UB 26:10.3)
This is the second circuit of Havona. The pilgrim who reaches this stage has finished with evolutionary uncertainties, and must undoubtedly look back with a sort of nostalgia towards the experiences of the past, because from now on, it is the uncertainties of eternity that he will have to face, the eternal adventure.
“The Supreme Spirit shall bear witness with your spirits that you are truly the children of God. And if you are the sons of God, then have you been born of the spirit of God; and whosoever has been born of the spirit has in himself the power to overcome all doubt, and this is the victory that overcomes all uncertainty, even your faith. (UB 142:5.3)
And then long into the night Jesus propounded to his apostles the truth that it was their faith that made them secure in the kingdom of the present and the future, and not their affliction of soul nor fasting of body. He exhorted the apostles at least to live up to the ideas of the prophet of old and expressed the hope that they would progress far beyond even the ideals of Isaiah and the older prophets. His last words that night were: “Grow in grace by means of that living faith which grasps the fact that you are the sons of God while at the same time it recognizes every man as a brother.” (UB 147:8.5)
Ensuring our security in the kingdom in the present and future is the manifestation of our faith.
While the religion of authority may impart a present feeling of settled security, you pay for such a transient satisfaction the price of the loss of your spiritual freedom and religious liberty. My Father does not require of you as the price of entering the kingdom of heaven that you should force yourself to subscribe to a belief in things which are spiritually repugnant, unholy, and untruthful. It is not required of you that your own sense of mercy, justice, and truth should be outraged by submission to an outworn system of religious forms and ceremonies. The religion of the spirit leaves you forever free to follow the truth wherever the leadings of the spirit may take you. And who can judge—perhaps this spirit may have something to impart to this generation which other generations have refused to hear? (UB 155:6.5)
The peace of Jesus is, then, the peace and assurance of a son who fully believes that his career for time and eternity is safely and wholly in the care and keeping of an all-wise, all-loving, and all-powerful spirit Father. And this is, indeed, a peace which passes the understanding of mortal mind, but which can be enjoyed to the full by the believing human heart. (UB 181:1.10)
When we talk about the human heart and its emotions and feelings, it is of course a metaphor, but this term “human heart” represents for us the self, the self, finally something that represents our true self, our loyalty and our purest sincerity.
ABOUT one o’clock, as the one hundred and twenty believers were engaged in prayer, they all became aware of a strange presence in the room. At the same time these disciples all became conscious of a new and profound sense of spiritual joy, security, and confidence. This new consciousness of spiritual strength was immediately followed by a strong urge to go out and publicly proclaim the gospel of the kingdom and the good news that Jesus had risen from the dead. (UB 194:0.1)
The Master’s entire life was consistently conditioned by this living faith, this sublime religious experience. This spiritual attitude wholly dominated his thinking and feeling, his believing and praying, his teaching and preaching. This personal faith of a son in the certainty and security of the guidance and protection of the heavenly Father imparted to his unique life a profound endowment of spiritual reality. And yet, despite this very deep consciousness of close relationship with divinity, this Galilean, God’s Galilean, when addressed as Good Teacher, instantly replied, “Why do you call me good?” When we stand confronted by such splendid self-forgetfulness, we begin to understand how the Universal Father found it possible so fully to manifest himself to him and reveal himself through him to the mortals of the realms. (UB 196:0.9)
The Hebrews had a religion of moral sublimity; the Greeks evolved a religion of beauty; Paul and his conferees founded a religion of faith, hope, and charity. Jesus revealed and exemplified a religion of love: security in the Father’s love, with joy and satisfaction consequent upon sharing this love in the service of the human brotherhood. (UB 196:3.19)
CMR
| Indefinite Pronouns | Le Lien Urantien — Issue 49 — Winter 2009 | God, the Consumer of Universal Destiny |