© 2007 David Kantor
© 2007 The Urantia Book Fellowship
. . . no God-knowing mortal can ever be lonely in his journey through the cosmos, for he knows that the Father walks beside him each step of the way, while the very way that he is traversing is the presence of the Supreme. [UB 117:6.27]
. . . where the spirit of God teaches and leads the soul of man, there in reality is the kingdom of heaven. [UB 137:8.9]
In the preface to his book, A Study of the Master Universe, Bill Sadler comments, “The Urantia Book is not written like a textbook; it is written more like a symphony. Wonderful themes of concept and movements of unfolding truth appear and reappear as the long story unfolds. Some of the Papers in the book are not so easy to understand; the movements of the harmonics of truth are more complex; the melody is not so easy to grasp.”
Clearly we derive a great deal of spiritual insight when we engage in prayerful, worshipful reading of the book. But we also seek clarity of concept. We appreciate that our ability to disseminate the book effectively is increased as we gain intellectual understanding— as is our ability to reduce the amount of error in our decisions and actions. We understand that the illumination of spiritual insight is directed by the Adjuster and the Spirit of Truth as they function “amid and upon the ideas, ideals, insights, and spirit strivings of the evolving sons of God.” [UB 101:1.3] And we know that we directly assist the efforts of our Adjusters when we enhance this inner environment of “ideas, ideals, insights, and spirit strivings.”
Bill Sadler also commented that, “In order to seek to achieve an intellectual grasp of the teachings of the book, we are faced with the problem of dissecting it and then of reconstructing its facts in more or less of the conventional order of a textbook.”
However, dissecting and reconstructing the text for detailed study is not a simple matter. Tools such as the Folio Views program and the Topical Index are a great help. But while they help us to study specific topics, they provide minimal help in the task of integrating our discoveries into a coherent conceptual structure encompassing the whole. A diagram or outline of the entire text showing the relationships between its many cosmological constructs would be very helpful, but where do we begin? Which topics are primary and which ones subordinate?
The basis for the study outline to be proposed here is a belief that the fifth epochal revelation is an illumination and intellectual expansion of the core of the fourth epochal revelation—Jesus’ gospel of the kingdom; that The Urantia Book’s presentation of the Supreme is an expanded presentation of Jesus’ gospel of the kingdom; that the religion of Jesus is experiential participation in the actualization of the Supreme; that the ‘kingdom of heaven’ is the term Jesus used in reference to phenomena associated with emerging Supremacy—and that these are the primary elements of the fifth epochal revelation.
In Paper [UB 170:1.14] the authors refer to “centuries of confusion regarding the meaning of the term, ‘kingdom of heaven.’ The primary concepts of The Urantia Book provide clarification of this confusion. To support this view of The Urantia Book, we will begin by reviewing the objectives of the present dispensation—the dispensation of the Spirit of Truth. We will then do a comparison of Jesus’ teachings about the emergence of the kingdom with the book’s teachings about the actualization of the Supreme. This will lead us to the development of an outline for progressive study and some reflections on the implications this model holds for dissemination.
There is an intriguing similarity between teachings about the kingdom of heaven and the nature of the actualizing Supreme. They both deal with the means by which we begin “to live according to the trend of the universes . . . following the pathway of Supremacy to the attainment of the Universal Father”—the religion of Jesus. [UB 118:10.16]
Consider this description of the religion of Jesus:
To material, evolutionary, finite creatures, a life predicated on the living of the Father’s will leads directly to the attainment of spirit supremacy in the personality arena and brings such creatures one step nearer the comprehension of the Father-Infinite. Such a Father life is one predicated on truth, sensitive to beauty, and dominated by goodness. Such a God-knowing person is inwardly illuminated by worship and outwardly devoted to the wholehearted service of the universal brotherhood of all personalities, a service ministry which is filled with mercy and motivated by love, while all these life qualities are unified in the evolving personality on ever-ascending levels of cosmic wisdom, self-realization, God-finding, and Father worship. [UB 106:9.12]
Is this from Part IV? No. It is taken from Paper 106, “Universe Levels of Reality” and is found in a section titled, “Existential Infinite Unification.” Are the authors referring here to a person living in the kingdom, or a person who is participating in the evolution of the Supreme? The fact is that the two are inseparable and are simply different ways of describing the same process of spiritualization.
Consider Paper 117, “God the Supreme,” as the cosmological apex of the book’s spiritual teachings. The first paragraph in this paper places Jesus’ teaching about seeking the Father’s will into a cosmic context that is extensively developed in other parts of the text. This entire paper may be understood as Jesus’ gospel of the kingdom expanded to become the conceptual basis for a revelation of the Supreme; it describes the cosmological background for the religion of Jesus. The entire remainder of the book is explanatory and supportive detail.
Paper 170, “The Kingdom of Heaven,” articulates the same spiritual perspective as Paper 117 in the context of Jesus’ teachings. A brief history of how these ideas developed in our world subsequent to the premature and catastrophic termination of his bestowal is also given. Beginning at [UB 170:5.1] and continuing to the end of the paper the revelators provide what they describe as “a prophetic forecast of the kingdom as it may evolve in the age to come.” This describes what is to be accomplished in the course of the present dispensation, a task which inevitably will be accelerated by the expanded understanding of the kingdom provided by the fifth epochal revelation’s discussion of Supremacy.
It seems critical that humanity grasp the basic concept of the kingdom. The revelators have articulated it in three different ways, perhaps to appeal to different types of minds. First, there is the narrative of the life and teachings of Jesus in Part IV and his gospel of the kingdom. Second, there is the book’s development of the theological cosmology of Supremacy. Third, one can gain insight into the nature of these realities by reading descriptions of evolutionary processes contained in Parts II and Parts III. Each of these approaches provides insight into the cosmic drama of experiential evolutionary processes, as well as the means of mortal participation.
At [UB 115:7.7] the revelators note, “The Supreme Being cannot be fully appreciated without taking into consideration source, function, and destiny: relationship to the originating Trinity, the universe of activity, and the Trinity Ultimate of immediate destiny.” This statement describes the conceptual boundaries within which the religion of Jesus and its associated cosmological theology are developed in The Urantia Book.
Dispensations can be understood as “universe frames” within which specific programs of planetary ministry are carried out. They are administrative contexts through which progressive spiritual evolution is managed in the universes. A dispensation is inaugurated through the visitation of a bestowal Son and ends when the new potentials revealed in conjunction with the work of the bestowal Son have been sufficiently actualized to provide a conceptual foundation for the next dispensation.
Dispensations provide administrative contexts within which planetary development takes place. An entire group of seraphim, the epochal angels, “. . . are intrusted with the oversight and direction of the affairs of each generation as they are designed to fit into the mosaic of the age in which they occur.” [UB 114:6.5]
Dispensations are tools for celestial management of mortal orientation to the ascension career. Dispensations provide a context in which the appearance of specific meanings and values along with their actualization in personality interactions is cultivated by various agencies of celestial ministry.
Dispensations are tools for managing planetary support services. Planetary administration and spiritual support services are structured to work within the context of the goals and objectives of a particular dispensation—the actualization of the potentials contained within the scope of the associated revelation.
Dispensations are tools for synchronizing the administrative affairs of different worlds associated with the ascension scheme. Rehabilitation programs, social mechanisms, educational programs, planetary and local system administration procedures all need to be planned, created, and put in place in readiness for new groups of pilgrims arriving from the evolutionary planets in conjunction with transitions from one dispensation to the next.
On Urantia, Michael inaugurated the dispensation of the bestowed Spirit of Truth, a “. . .new dispensation wherein the enslaved individual emerges from the bondage of ceremonialism and selfishness into the spiritual joy of the brotherhood and fellowship of the liberated faith sons of the living God.” [UB 179:5.2] The Urantia Book is a feature of this dispensation of the Spirit of Truth, “. . .a dispensation of mercy and salvation for all nations,” [UB 136:1.3] the so-called “Christian dispensation.” [UB 195:8.13]
Consider some of the spiritual forces influencing our world and their relationship to the present dispensation.
. . .the Spirit of Truth came to help the believer to witness to the realities of Jesus’ teachings and his life as he lived it in the flesh. . . . [UB 194:2.6]
The Spirit of Truth “is designed to live in man and, for each new generation, to restate the Jesus message so that every new group of mortals to appear upon the face of the earth shall have a new and up-to-date version of the gospel. . . ” [UB 194:2.1]
The Spirit of Truth “. . . was bestowed for the purpose of qualifying believers more effectively to preach the gospel of the kingdom. . .” [UB 194:3.5]
Though the Spirit of Truth is poured out upon all flesh, this spirit of the Son is almost wholly limited in function and power by man’s personal reception of that which constitutes the sum and substance of the mission of the bestowal Son. [UB 34:5.5]
In addition to the Spirit of Truth, other important celestial agencies have their work structured relative to the objectives of the current dispensation.
The Board of Planetary Directors “. . . is especially concerned with the supervision of those activities on this world which result from the fact that Michael here experienced his terminal bestowal.” [UB 114:2.2]
The Seraphim: Function within groups and within interpersonal relationships. Their work is oriented toward the emergence of the kingdom through the appearance of the brotherhood of man. They function within groups and within interpersonal relationships fostering sensitivity to divine values.
Thought Adjusters: “These Mystery Monitors are continually assisting in the establishment of the spiritual dominion of Michael throughout the universe of Nebadon. . . ” [UB 108:4.2]
The Thought Adjusters are the “kingdom of heaven within you.” [UB 108:6.2]
The Holy Spirit of the Universe Mother Spirit: This spiritual circuit prepares adjutant mind for reception of the Adjuster. [UB 108:2.2]
These primary spiritual forces are focused on reinforcing and illuminating the meanings and values emerging as a result of Jesus’ bestowal—the fundamental elements of the current dispensation. The Urantia Book is a feature of this dispensation. It serves the primary objectives being pursued by spiritual ministry to the planet—the establishment of the kingdom, the revelation of the nature of experiential evolutionary deity, and the attempt to mobilize mortal participation in this great cosmic adventure.
How long will the present dispensation last? Certainly not one of us can answer this question. However, there are some hints in the text that we should consider. In reference to his return, Jesus told the apostles, “. . . you should understand that, when this gospel of the kingdom shall have been proclaimed to all the world for the salvation of all peoples, and when the fullness of the age has come to pass, the Father will send you another dispensational bestowal, or else the Son of Man will return to adjudge the age.” [UB 176:2.5] This implies that the work of the next dispensation will be built upon a world-wide awareness of at least the fundamentals of Jesus’ gospel of the kingdom, an awareness which is to be achieved during the present dispensation.
Since so much of the celestial administration of our planet is oriented toward the reinforcement and support of the purposes of Michael’s bestowal, it will be helpful if we review some of those purposes.
The primary purpose of Jesus’ bestowal was to “. . . inaugurate the kingdom of heaven on earth and among men.” [UB 122:3.1]
I came into the world to reveal my Father and to establish on earth the spiritual brotherhood of the sons of God, the kingdom of heaven. [UB 153:2.4]
God is your Father, and. . . my gospel is nothing more nor less than the believing recognition of the truth that you are his son. And I am here among you in the flesh to make clear both of these ideas in my life and teachings. [UB 141:4.2]
Jesus saw in the advanced and ideal fellowship of the kingdom the achievement and fulfillment of the “will of God”. . . Having thus conceived of the kingdom as comprising the will of God, he devoted himself to the cause of its realization. [UB 196:0.8]
While these purposes of Michael’s bestowal seem very straightforward, the picture enlarges if we consider them in the context of dispensational bestowals in general. There is a theme which runs through all of the bestowal work of these Sons. The bestowal Sons are all actively involved in fostering the actualization of the Supreme.
When the bestowal Sons reveal new ways for man to find God, they are not creating these paths of divinity attainment; rather are they illuminating the everlasting highways of progression which lead through the presence of the Supreme to the person of the Paradise Father. [UB 116:4.10]
Michaels . . . are contributing to the actualization and revelation of the personality and sovereignty of God the Supreme in and to the time-space universes. [UB 20:10.4]
[Michael] has identified himself eternally with the Supreme. In this universe age he reveals the Supreme and participates in the actualization of the sovereignty of Supremacy. [UB 119:8.7]
Michael, a creator, revealed the divine love of the Creator Father for his terrestrial children. And having discovered and received this divine affection, men can aspire to reveal this love to their brethren in the flesh. Such creature affection is a true reflection of the love of the Supreme. [UB 117:1.8]
. . . Jesus explained that the kingdom of heaven was an evolutionary experience, beginning here on earth and progressing up through successive life stations to Paradise. [UB 142:7.3]
The Supreme Being “is a synthetic co-ordinator of all creature-Creator universe activities.” [UB 0:7.9]
The faith of Jesus [provided for]. . . deliverance from the limitations of self-consciousness through the attainment of the cosmic levels of the Supreme mind and by co-ordination with the attainments of all other self-conscious beings. . . the perfected oneness with Deity in and through the Supreme. . . [UB 101:6.13,15]
By this process [fostering a seeking of the Father’s will] of gradually changing man’s will and thus affecting human decisions, Michael and his associates are likewise gradually but certainly changing the entire course of human evolution, social and otherwise. UB 170:4.7
Now let’s look at some very clear parallels between teachings about the kingdom of heaven and the nature of Supremacy.
Recall Jesus’ description of five phases of the kingdom: [UB 170:4.1]: Jesus noted no less than five phases, or epochs, of the kingdom, and they were:
These “phases of the kingdom” describe the repercussions of the progressive and increasing dominance of the Supreme. “. . . as creature mind ascends to the perfection of divinity attainment through perfected integration with spirit. . . the Supreme consequently emerges as an actual unifier of all these universe phenomena. . . ” [UB 118:10.8]
Consider the following teachings about the kingdom and the Supreme.
The kingdom is best understood in terms of family relationships; the kingdom is a divine family. [UB 142:7.4]; [UB 149:6.8]
. . . to his apostles he always taught the kingdom as embracing man’s personal experience in relation to his fellows on earth and to the Father in heaven. Concerning the kingdom, his last word always was, ‘The kingdom is within you’. [UB 170:1.13]
The kingdom of heaven is synonymous with divine sonship. [UB 144:4.3]
The kingdom is “the brotherhood of God’s reign in the hearts of men.” [UB 170:4.1]
If you truly desire to find God, you cannot help having born in your minds the consciousness of the Supreme. As God is your divine Father, so is the Supreme your divine Mother, in whom you are nurtured throughout your lives as universe creatures. . . . [UB 117:6.2]
The morontia soul of an evolving mortal is really the son of the Adjuster action of the Universal Father and the child of the cosmic reaction of the Supreme Being, the Universal Mother. [UB 117:6.5]
The dominance of spirit, which is existential on absolute levels, becomes an evolutionary experience on finite levels and in the seven superuniverses. And this experience is shared alike by all, from mortal man to the Supreme Being. All strive, personally strive, in the achievement; all participate, personally participate, in the destiny. [UB 116:6.8]
He described the most basic phase of the kingdom as, “The kingdom of God in this world, the supreme desire to do the will of God, the unselfish love of man which yields the good fruits of improved ethical and moral conduct.” [UB 170:2.18]
Jesus . . . proclaimed that the kingdom is the will of his heavenly Father dominant and transcendent in the heart of the believer. . . [UB 170:5.19]
The gospel of the kingdom is “. . . the supreme desire to do the Father’s will coupled with the supreme joy of the faith realization of sonship with God. . .” [UB 178:1.11]
The kingdom of God in this world [is]. . . the supreme desire to do the will of God. [UB 170:2.16]
To the extent that we do the will of God in whatever universe station we may have our existence, in that measure the almighty potential of the Supreme becomes one step more actual. . . God the Supreme is becoming the highest finite manifestation of the total will of God. [UB 117:0.1]
If all grand universers should ever relatively achieve the full living of the will of God, then would the time-space creations be settled in light and life, and then would the Almighty, the deity potential of Supremacy, become factual in the emergence of the divine personality of God the Supreme. [UB 117:0.2]
In the fourth epochal revelation, Jesus taught the importance of relationships with our fellows in our earth lives: “Jesus . . . always taught the kingdom as embracing man’s personal experience in relation to his fellows on earth and to the Father in heaven.” [UB 170:1.13]
The Fatherhood of God and the brotherhood of man is the heart of the gospel.
The kingdom is the realization and acknowledgement of God’s rule within the hearts of men. [UB 141:2.1]
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]
The God-knowing believer increasingly experiences the ecstasy and grandeur of spiritual socialization on a universe scale citizenship on high in association with the eternal realization of the divine destiny of perfection attainment. [UB 184:4.6]
The fifth epochal revelation illuminates the implications of cosmic citizenship in its teachings about our relationships within the evolving Supreme:
You mortals now living on Urantia who may aspire to Paradise attainment and finaliter status should understand that such a destiny is only realizable because you are in and of the Supreme, hence are participants in the cycle of the growth of the Supreme. [UB 117:2.5]
The temporal relation of man to the Supreme is the foundation for cosmic morality, the universal sensitivity to, and acceptance of, duty. This is a morality which transcends the temporal sense of relative right and wrong; it is a morality directly predicated on the self-conscious creature’s appreciation of experiential obligation to experiential Deity. [UB 117:4.8]
You can consciously augment Adjuster harmony by. . . joyful acceptance of cosmic citizenship—honest recognition of your progressive obligations to the Supreme Being, awareness of the interdependence of evolutionary man and evolving Deity. This is the birth of cosmic morality and the dawning realization of universal duty. [UB 110:3.10]
Experiential relationship to the Supreme Being is synonymous with universe citizenship. [UB 110:6.16]
Consider the following quotes together: The kingdom of heaven “. . . is a spiritual relationship between God and man.” [UB 134:4.2];
The Supreme “. . . is the personification of Creator-creature experience.” [UB 117:1.1]
And these: “. . . where the spirit of God teaches and leads the soul of man, there in reality is the kingdom of heaven.” [UB 137:8.9] The Supreme “. . . is the great avenue through which finite creatures pass inward in their quest of their Father, who is love.” [UB 117:6.3]
As well as these:
Jesus portrayed the second phase of the kingdom as “. . . The kingdom of God in heaven, the goal of mortal believers, the estate wherein the love for God is perfected, and wherein the will of God is done more divinely.” [UB 170:2.19]
With man, the eventual fusion and resultant oneness with the indwelling Adjuster—the personality synthesis of man and the essence of God—constitute him, in potential, a living part of the Supreme and insure for such a onetime mortal being the eternal birthright of the endless pursuit of finality of universe service for and with the Supreme. [UB 101:6.6]
Obedience to the will of the Father, yielding the fruits of the spirit in one’s personal life, is the law of the kingdom. [UB 142:1.5]
The fruits of the spirit are the substance of the Supreme as he is realizable in human experience. [UB 117:6.17]
The kingdom of God is in the hearts of men, and when this kingdom becomes actual in the heart of every individual on a world, then God’s rule has become actual on that planet; and this is the attained sovereignty of the Supreme Being. [UB 118:10.17]
In the coming kingdom, . . . concern yourselves only with doing the will of the Father who is in heaven. [UB 137:1.6]
To the extent that we do the will of God in whatever universe station we may have our existence, in that measure the almighty potential of the Supreme becomes one step more actual. . . And God the Supreme is becoming the highest finite manifestation of the total will of God. [UB 117:0.1]
Jesus tried to get his followers to use “the will of God” rather than “the kingdom of God” as a designator, but was unsuccessful. [UB 170:2.11]
. . . the kingdom is the will of the heavenly Father dominant and transcendent in the heart of the believer. . . [UB 170:5.19]
If all grand universers should ever relatively achieve the full living of the will of God, then would the time-space creations be settled in light and life, and then would the Almighty, the deity potential of Supremacy, become factual in the emergence of the divine personality of God the Supreme. [UB 117:0.2]
Jesus taught a living religion that impelled its believers to engage in the doing of loving service. [UB 170:3.8]
“In time you mortals may begin the revelation of the Supreme to your fellows, and increasingly may you augment this revelation as you ascend Paradiseward.” [UB 56:8.4]
The gospel of the kingdom is concerned with the love of the Father and the service of his children on earth. [UB 193:0.4]
Bear in mind, all that God the Father and his Paradise Sons do for us, we in turn and in spirit have the opportunity to do for and in the emerging Supreme Being. The experience of love, joy, and service in the universe is mutual. [UB 56:8.3]
The kingdom is “a life of progressive righteousness and increasing joy in the perfecting service of the Father.” [UB 137:8.13]
. . . the true and inner religion of the kingdom unfailingly and increasingly tends to manifest itself in practical avenues of social service. [UB 170:3.8]
. . . you shall someday serve throughout the universes in your true characters—children of the Supreme God of experience and divine sons of the Paradise Father of all personalities. [UB 112:7.19]
The Father’s love can become real to mortal man only by passing through that man’s personality as he in turn bestows this love upon his fellows. The great circuit of love is from the Father, through sons to brothers, and hence to the Supreme. The love of the Father appears in the mortal personality by the ministry of the indwelling Adjuster. Such a God-knowing son reveals this love to his universe brethren, and this fraternal affection is the essence of the love of the Supreme. [UB 117:6.10]
Love is the rule of living within the kingdom—supreme devotion to God while loving your neighbor as yourself. [UB 142:1.4]
If you would enter the kingdom, you must have a righteousness that consists in love, mercy, and truth. [UB 140:6.3]
If you would but believe that my Father loves you with an infinite love, then you are in the kingdom of God. [UB 137:8.17]
My kingdom is founded on love, proclaimed in mercy, and established by unselfish service. [UB 155:1.2]
. . . the Supreme. . . is the great avenue through which finite creatures pass inward in their quest of their Father, who is love. [UB 117:6.3]
By faith in the fatherhood of God you may enter the kingdom of heaven, thus becoming the sons of God. [UB 142:1.3]
All soul-evolving humans are literally the evolutionary sons of God the Father and God the Mother, the Supreme Being. But until such time as mortal man becomes soul-conscious of his divine heritage, this assurance of Deity kinship must be faith realized. [UB 117:6.8]
. . . the Father’s plan. . . has predicated finite progress upon effort, creature achievement upon perseverance, and personality development upon faith. By thus ordaining the experience-evolution of the Supreme, the Father has made it possible for finite creatures to exist in the universes and, by experiential progression, sometime to attain the divinity of Supremacy. [UB 115:7.2]
Faith is the price of entrance into the kingdom of heaven. [UB 137:8.17]
Take any of the parables of Jesus which begin with the phrase, “The kingdom of heaven is like. . . ” and substitute the word “Supreme” for the word “kingdom.” You will end up with some beautiful parables such as, “The Supreme is like a grain of mustard seed. . . ” or “The Supreme is like a sweep net which was cast into the sea. . . ” or “The Supreme is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. . . ” Contemplate the implications of these parables relative to the concept of the Supreme rather than “the kingdom.”
The Thought Adjusters are also deeply engaged in fostering the evolution of the Supreme.
. . . the Adjuster is the secret of the personal realization of the reality of the existence of the Supreme. [UB 101:6.2]
The Adjusters are the will of God. . . and the Supreme Creator children of God also. . . embody that same will. [UB 108:4.2]
The passage in [UB 110:3.6-10] about cooperation with the Adjuster is both a restatement of the religion of Jesus and a guide to participation in the actualization of the Supreme. Note how the following quote parallels Jesus’ five phases of the kingdom cited above:
The first three items describe participation in the kingdom as taught by Jesus. Item number four illuminates and contextualizes the first three with the concept of Supremacy developed in The Urantia Book. Living the religion of Jesus is participation in the emergence of the kingdom and participation in the actualization of the Supreme.
. . . when an ascending mortal personality finally attunes to the divine leading of the indwelling Adjuster, then has the actuality of the Supreme become real by one more degree in the universes; then has the divinity of Supremacy advanced one more step toward cosmic realization. [UB 117:0.3]
Once we appreciate the degree to which a primary focus of The Urantia Book is an illumination and conceptual expansion of the religion of Jesus, we can begin to think about arranging the book’s contents into hierarchies of relative importance and sequences of ideas which may be progressively developed as an organized study.
In this context, it is helpful to view The Urantia Book as a classic systematic theology. A systematic theology is a literary form, much as a sonata is a musical form or a quatrain is a poetic form. A classic systematic theology has at least four major divisions.
These divisions and the topics they usually address are:
| ORGANIZING URANTIA BOOK CONCEPTS AS A SYSTEMATIC THEOLOGY FOR PROGRESSIVE STUDY | |
|---|---|
| 1. WHO IS JESUS? (THEOLOGY) JESUS OF NAZARETH EPOCHAL REVELATION AND DISPENSATIONS MICHAEL OF NEBADON THE LOCAL UNIVERSE THE SEVENFOLD BESTOWAL CAREER THE UNIVERSE OF UNIVERSES GOD THE SEVENFOLD THE PARADISE TRINITY EXISTENTIAL AND EXPERIENTIAL DEITY THE SEVEN ABSOLUTES OF INFINITY THE SEVENFOLD NATURE OF THE I AM THE UNIVERSAL FATHER |
2. HISTORICAL CONTEXT (ANTHROPOLOGY) GEOLOGIC EVOLUTION BIOLOGIC EVOLUTION RACIAL ANTHROPOLOGY MATTER, MIND, AND SPIRIT SOCIAL AND RELIGIOUS EVOLUTION THE LUCIFER REBELLION THE ADAMIC DEFAULT MACHIVENTA MELCHIZEDEK CONDITIONS AT THE TIME OF MICHAEL’S BESTOWAL PAPER 195—AFTER PENTECOST |
| 3. THE RELIGION OF JESUS (CHRISTOLOGY) THE UNIVERSAL FATHER PERSONALITY IN THE UNIVERSE WORSHIP AND SERVICE THE FATHER’S WILL THE GREAT COMMANDMENT COSMIC CITIZENSHIP THE QUEST FOR PERFECTION SERVICE IN ETERNITY |
4. THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN (ESCHATOLOGY) PERSONAL SPIRITUAL EXPERIENCE THE THOUGHT ADJUSTER MEANINGS AND VALUES THE SPIRIT OF TRUTH MINISTERING SPIRITS THE ASCENSION SCHEME ACTUALIZATION OF THE SUPREME ACTUALS AND POTENTIALS EVENTUATION OF THE ULTIMATE THEFIRST EXPERIENTIAL TRINITY THE QUEST FOR GOD THE ABSOLUTE SECOND EXPERIENTIAL TRINITY THE TRINITY OF TRINITIES |
Viewing The Urantia Book in this manner and categorizing its teachings along the lines of a systematic theology, we can create a well-organized approach to study. We can place each of the book’s primary elements into one of four categories. An example of using these categories and the major topics which might be included in them is shown in the above table. The topics in each of the four categories are arranged in a sequence of increasing complexity, suggesting an outline for a progressive study or workbook.
An important feature of this approach is that the Christology section—the religion of Jesus—provides an outline for the development of outreach and educational materials that do not rely on concepts and terminology unique to The Urantia Book.
It has been said that if you want people to accept a new idea, you need to make sure that 80% of what you tell them is information they already know, accept, and have positive feelings about. The authors tell us that, “The concept of Jesus is still alive in the advanced religions of the world.” [UB 170:5.17] Making The Urantia Book more relevant to truth seekers with diverse religious backgrounds could be done by finding teachings about “the kingdom” or “the Supreme” in those other religions. Such teachings should then be reinforced and illuminated with concepts from The Urantia Book where appropriate or possible. Astute and aggressive kingdom workers should be able to create parallels to the third section above from materials available in each of the world’s major religions.
This approach to dissemination has two advantages. It provides a way to make the teachings of The Urantia Book relevant to truth seekers from diverse religious backgrounds and it helps accomplish the primary objective of Jesus’ bestowal and the present dispensation—the proclamation of the kingdom and the revelation of our involvement in the evolution of experiential deity.
In this regard it is interesting to note the degree to which the synopsis of the world’s religions created by Jesus and Ganid in Paper 131 contains a liberal sprinkling of references to the Supreme— some 22 references in all. Is this a clue provided by the revelators as a suggested approach to making the gospel relevant to truth seekers with backgrounds in these diverse religions?
We began by acknowledging the challenge the The Urantia Book presents when it comes to engaging in a comprehensive study of its content. We identified the primary nature of the book as a cosmological and theological expansion of Jesus’ gospel of the kingdom. This enabled us to project an approach to study based on organizing the primary topics of the book into one of four categories along the lines of a systematic theology.
Of course, the validity of any idea such as this can be proven only by its usefulness or lack thereof when applied to the task for which it is intended. If the ideas presented herein provide even a slight advantage in study, another small step will have been taken on the endless path of discovery and service which stretches out ahead of us; a path which leads beyond the limited horizon of our mortal lives into the mists of eternity.
As the Master said to his apostles, “. . . it behooves us now to submit to the will of the Father and to go forth in humble obedience to execute his bidding on earth.” [UB 138:7.1]
David Kantor has been a student of The Urantia Book since 1968, and has served on the General Council and the Executive Committee of the Fellowship. With a professional background in technical software development, he currently manages the development of the Fellowship’s IT resources and the website at www.urantiabook.org.
“To become acquainted with one’s brothers and sisters, to know their problems and to learn to love them, is the supreme experience of living.” [UB 130:2.6]