© 1990 Madeline Noordzy
© 1990 ANZURA, Australia & New Zealand Urantia Association
Some of our readers might have received a letter recently addressed to “My Urantia brothers and sisters” and signed by “E-3 or Elijah the Third”.
I must admit that when I first read this letter and the two pamphlets which were included with it, I thought: “Another nut!”
However, true to the habit which eventually led me to The URANTIA Book, the habit of keeping an open mind to new information, no matter where it comes from, I decided to share this letter with the other members of our lunchtime study group. We may or may not have been guided, but we took the decision, after some discussion, to put some money together, purchase “the Graceland tapes” and find out what this “Elijah the Third” had to say.
Once I had listened to the tapes, I asked the members of the Tuesday night study group if they were willing to also be open-minded and share the experience. Although some of them were at first a bit reluctant, to their credit, I must say they all did.
Although these “Graceland tapes” bring some pretty startling information, the whole group of ten agrees that it all makes sense and the longer we think about it, the more we come to believe that it very well could be the truth. Let’s imagine for one moment that it is. Would it then be wise to plug up our ears and stick our head in the sand?
On UB 51:2.3 of The URANTIA Book, a Secondary Lanonandek Son of the Reserve Corps says:
“If some physical catastrophe should doom the planetary residence of an evolving race, the Melchizedeks and the Life Carriers would install the technique of dematerialization for all survivors, and by seraphic transport these beings would be carried away to the new world prepared for their continuing existence. The evolution of a human race, once initiated on a world of space, must proceed quite independently of the physical survival of that planet…” UB 51:2.3
Did he put that sentence there just for decoration? Surely not! Working within the limits of his revelatory mandate, that was probably all he was allowed to say on the subject.
But why tell us at all unless he knew that such an evacuation could be in store for this planet?
“In the affairs of men’s hearts the Universal Father may not always have his way; but in the conduct and destiny of a planet the divine plan prevails; the eternal purpose of wisdom and love triumphs”. (UB 3:5.3)
On UB 46:8.3 an Archangel of Nebadon says:
“But ere long, the adjudication of Lucifer and his associates will restore the Satania system to the Norlatiadek constellation, and subsequently, Urantia and the other isolated spheres will be restored to the Satania circuits, and again will such worlds enjoy the privileges of interplanetary communication and intersystem communion”. UB 46:8.3
(Listen to tape 3 — Welcome to the Cosmos.)
In the past, apocalyptic forecasts have instilled fear into the minds of people. But these ‘Graceland tapes’, far from instilling fear, give us hope, that God does not forsake us in our darkest hour. They don’t instruct us to walk around in sackcloth and repent, but not to do anything else than what we are already doing, and that is have faith in our Father. Could we, like Job of old, be in for the faith-test supreme? Why did the archangels establish their divisional headquarters here? On page 408 we find:
“It is this unusual fact that soon arrests the attention of extra-Nebadon student visitors”. (UB 37:3.3)
On the next page (UB 37:3.4) they ask us:
“Do you grasp the significance of the fact that your lowly and confused planet has become a divisional headquarters for the universe administration and direction of certain archangel activities having to do with the Paradise ascension scheme?” UB 37:3.4
Could it be, among other things, for the next roll call and to herald the beginning of a new, the fifth epoch?
“Remember that the order of progressive evolution is subjected to sudden and unexpected periodical changes in both the material and the spiritual worlds.” (UB 170:4.14)
Or could it have to do with “the silence” that tape 3 Welcome to the Cosmos — talks about. This is the period of approximately 27 years when mortal ascenders of 10,000 universe systems will get a chance to visit the bestowal world, Urantia, the world that blew itself up, as the ultimate grim reminder that “The wages of sin is death”.
Elijah the Third says that Urantia will go through a major purging. Taking the state of affairs our world is in, it is not altogether such an unbelievable possibility, is it? Do you ever get the feeling that we need some pretty drastic purging to get us out of the mess we’re in? If that is to happen, wouldn’t Michael, who is our loving universe father, send somebody to warn us, just like he warned his apostles about the destruction of Jerusalem?
If all this is about to happen, then I would rather be warned about it. What a blunder on our part it would be to have been warned but not to have listened.
All I Can Do Is Put My Hand In My Father’s Hand And Trust That His Love For us will win in the end.
And if it doesn’t happen, it hasn’t hurt me to have listened. For now, I like to keep an open mind on the whole thing and get on with my life.
What do I mean with an open mind? I mean giving a person a fair hearing and feeling humble enough to admit that there are more things between heaven and earth than I know about. Just because certain information doesn’t fit into my past experiences or concept frames, doesn’t mean it cannot be so.
Should we let an intellectual decision prevent us from giving our spirit a chance to respond at a deeper level?
Don’t worry, I’ve still got my feet firmly planted on the ground, and you can expect your next Six-O-Six in the mail in approximately two months time, full of more stimulating and thought-provoking articles!
All I can do is put my hand in my Father’s hand and trust that His love for us will win in the end.
It has been interesting to observe that other readers in Australia had pre-conceived ideas about the tapes as soon as they knew what the subject was and chose to condemn them as “utter rubbish” before even listening to them. Of course that is their prerogative.
I know that none of the people in our group for one moment regretted having listened to them. They all agreed — it was a beautiful message of faith, hope and love. But then truth is relative. Even if these tapes contain some error, every teacher has some of the truth, none have all of it. Not even The URANTIA Book. Isn’t revelation always progressive?
So often I have in the past witnessed the frustration of URANTIA Book readers with the attitude of fundamentalists of certain Christian denominations, who, because the Bible says that nothing is to be added, close their minds to the light of new truths. I certainly don’t want to turn into a URANTIA Book fundamentalist.
The URANTIA Book for instance says that communications with the dead are not allowed in this dispensation. Yet evidence seems to be piling up that messages are being send from the beyond. In cases like that I just like to keep an open mind on the matter. Maybe we’ve moved into a new dispensation where it is allowed. Who knows?
I have asked permission from Elijah Ministry to copy the pamphlets, which are included with this issue of Six-O-Six (Australian readers only).
If any of our readers decide to order the tapes from Elijah Ministry, Six-O-Six would be interested to hear your opinion after having listened to them. The information is startling enough to grant it some space in our newsletter, I feel. True to its reputation of showing neither fear nor favour, Six-O-Six would like to throw this open to discussion, even though only one other newsletter, amongst the ones that I receive, has chosen to mention it so far. Dick Bain gives some comments in the Summer/Fall 1990 issue of “COSMIC REFLECTIONS” and he obviously had not listened to the tapes.
He is inadvertently confirming Elijah the Third to be a real prophet when he says: “When a real prophet comes, he or she will not appeal to our fear, but rather to our faith. This prophet will not exhort us to prepare for Armageddon, but rather to establish a faith relationship with our spiritual Father, and to be in brotherhood with all of our spiritual brothers and sisters, just as Jesus did. And the Spirit of Truth will testify to our spirits — 'This is a true and faithful son of God.”
Had he listened he would have realized that E-3 is doing just that.
However, Dick has a valid point when he says: “Yes, the prophets of doom could do some harm. People outside of the URANTIA movement could get the idea that this is what the book and the movement are all about. It would be very unfortunate if misrepresentations of the book or the movement were aired by the media. Also, new students of the book could become confused about what the book really teaches.”
E-3 denies he is a prophet of doom. On his first introductory tape — ‘A Message From God’ — Elijah says: “I’m only the messenger of divine insight. The job of this prophet is to bring certainty and inner confidence despite this very uncertain and upset world.” In his book ‘The End of the World! and the Coming Bestowal Son’, published in 1986, Joe Pope wrote: “The only readers who see the end of the world as a ”negative“ concept are those who are so materialistic that they can’t see the far better earth that emerges from this cosmic metamorphosing cocoon.”
“He who does not dare to look at an ‘untruth’, also cannot see the truth”.
What happened between the time in 1986 when Joe Pope published his book and 1990, when as Elijah the Third he came forth as the prophet of ‘The End Times’? I do realize that anyone can dig up quotes from The URANTIA Book or the Bible to back up the point he is trying to make, and that likewise others will be able to find quotes to contradict it.
With God all things are possible. Look what happened to Paul of Tarsus on the way to Damascus. Did Joe really have a genuine vision? Is he bringing a new revelation? We will all have to decide that for ourselves. There is a Persian proverb that goes something like this: “He who does not dare to look at an ‘untruth’, also cannot see the truth”.
“Jesus had an unerring ability for the recognition of truth, and truth he never hesitated to embrace, no matter from what source it appeared to emanate.” (UB 126:3.8)
On UB 170:5.19 it is mentioned that “Sooner or later another and greater John the Baptist is due to arise …”
When he comes, how are we going to recognise him? Are we in the true Urantia fashion going to stone him to death, throw him in front of the lions, crucify him or just shoot him down before we even have heard what he has to say? If we are to determine whether this is a genuine prophet or a “mind at mischief” as Dr Sadler called it, shouldn’t we check him out first? Or have people cried “wolf” once too often?
It is understandable that after Vern Grimsley, “the prophet of the West” as some call him, people have become very cautious with predictions about the future.
If Elijah the Third is a true prophet, and there are people with that God-given gift, he will prove himself, for he won’t seek self- aggrandizement, but will be a true server in the Father’s kingdom. If not, then time will expose him as a fraud. We haven’t got long to wait.
In 1986 Joe Pope, alias Elijah the Third, was very aware of the risks he was taking by predicting a date, for he wrote; “The only problem with ”When?" is that it’s a minefield! Throughout the last two thousand years more people’s evangelistic careers and reputations have been shattered on the anvil of having predicted a precise date for the end of the world, when the hammer of that day came down.
To use another metaphor, I intend to do nothing but just barely touch my toes into this troubled water of picking a date for the eschaton.
One cannot deny that his message is very compelling. One person, who is not a URANTIA Book reader, wrote to me after listening to the introductory tape ‘A Message from God’: “I must tell you that at no time did I feel fear, scepticism nor doubt, and in my conversation with God, I told Him that I would accept whatever He felt I deserved. I believed that God will not judge us for our religious beliefs, but for our faith in Him. So when this was confirmed in the leaflet and the tape, it was very reassuring … a great peace descended over me … It is the best news I have ever heard in my whole life, and no amount of reading nor people knocking on my door would have achieved this same result. I feel it is too fantastic not to be true. No human being could ever have made this up. Also the fact that the writer and speaker is not from any particular religion convinces me that it is true. Some of the things I heard fitted in with what you have told me in the past. We have nothing to lose and everything to gain in believing it is true”
“Urantia is now quivering on the very brink of one of its most amazing and enthralling epochs of social readjustment, moral quickening and spiritual enlightenment.” (UB 195:9.2)
If the book says that, shouldn’t we at least listen? Can we afford not to?
Let’s have a closer look at that sentence again.
‘Urantia’ (that’s us, the sentimental shrine of all Nebadon, the name of our universe)
‘is now’ (written in 1934)
‘quivering’ (seems to imply trembling with great hopes and expectations)
‘on the very brink’ (something sudden, a cut-off point)
‘of one of its most amazing’ (evacuation to an emergency planet would certainly be that!)
‘and enthralling epochs’ (the dictionary defines ‘enthral’ as to hold spellbound, enchant, captivate)
‘of social readjustment’ (listen to tape 2 ‘This Is The Life’)
‘moral quickening’ (it certainly would make us pull up our socks!)
‘and spiritual enlightenment’ (no half measures this time!)
I cannot help but get the feeling that the Midwayers who wrote this (remember they are permanent residents here) are pretty excited about some future event not too far away. They’re not exactly saying: “Sit down guys and have another cup of tea while you’re waiting,” are they?
Albert Einstein once said: “A man of true learning gains something from every encounter he has, but the sceptic remains ignorant for all time”. Which would you rather be?
I’m not asking anyone to believe all this. All I’m saying is, keep an open mind and let the Spirit of Truth do its own work.
Madeline Noordzy
Melbourne
Note: For anyone who likes to explore this a bit further, I recommend they read Joe Pope’s book ‘The End Of The World! And The Coming Bestowal Son’. The address is: Joe Pope, P.O. Box 65839 Stn.F Vancouver, B.C. V5N 5 L 3 Canada.