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Spiritual Advice and Guidance Blog: Urantia Book



Wednesday, August 19, 2009

Without associating with any religious sect can a soul which is knowledgeable in science and history make it to the higher realms?

Q: Without associating with any religious sect can a soul which is knowledgeable in science and history make it to the higher realms? Can relatives here on earth pray for a sleeping survivor to move him straight to the mansions?

A: Just as God is no respecter of persons, neither is God respecter of earthly religions -- there's none that's "better" in God's eyes than another. Whichever religious sect is most meaningful to you, or none at all, should be perfectly fine.

I presume by "soul" you're meaning "person" -- the soul is the transportation vehicle to the mansion worlds for the personality and life experiences of the person who has died and has no relationship to science or history, which are mindal activities. What's important to make it "to the higher realms" is spiritual development through spirit-led decisions as a mortal. The faintest flicker of faith is all that's really required for a soul to reach those higher realms after death.

And yes, certainly the relatives or acquaintances or even complete strangers can pray for those who've departed. It won't move them along any faster, for again since God is no respecter of persons... either those who are prayed after or those who are not. It's the decision of the angels how rapidly one is moved from the sleeping survivor condition to incarnation on mansion world number one -- the length of time between death and resurrection is of no real consequence. Sleeping survivors are generally resurrected as a group at the end of an age, or at a dispensational roll-call, such as occurred following the resurrection of Jesus from the tomb. He took a great many souls to heaven all at once.

May I recommend that if you're not already signed up that you consider subscribing to the Quote of the Day. It's a free service from our site that offers a daily quote from the incomparable teachings of the marvelous Urantia Book with an audio clip and a beautiful and inspiring image, a great way to start one's day as well as to begin to understand the teachings of the book. To subscribe click on the Quote of the Day link on the left side of our home page and follow the instructions.

Best wishes, and thank you for your question. I hope that the reply has been meaningful.

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Friday, May 29, 2009

The Urantia Book says Jesus was not in a physical body after his resurrection - how then did he break bread?

Q: The UB says Jesus was not in a physical body after his resurrection - how then did he break bread? Did he also eat? The Bible says he did.

A:Thanks for writing with this interesting question.

I am going to start with a few passages from Paper 189 The Resurrection. This way, we'll all understand better the nature of the resurrected form of Jesus. However, I suggest a complete reading of this paper for the best understanding of what happened that day:

"...at two minutes past three o'clock, this Sunday morning, April 9, A.D. 30, the resurrected morontia form and personality of Jesus of Nazareth came forth from the tomb."

"...the body of flesh in which he had lived and wrought on earth for almost thirty-six years was still lying there in the sepulchre niche, undisturbed and wrapped in the linen sheet, just as it had been laid to rest by Joseph and his associates on Friday afternoon. ..the body which they were guarding was now a discarded outer covering which had no further connection with the delivered and resurrected morontia personality of Jesus.

(Note: To find out exactly what happened to Jesus' physical body, please go here.)

"...On Friday he laid down his life as a mortal of the realm; on Sunday morning he took it up again as a morontia being of the system of Satania in Norlatiadek.

"...He did come forth from this tomb of Joseph in the very likeness of the morontia personalities of those who, as resurrected morontia ascendant beings, emerge from the resurrection halls of the first mansion world of this local system of Satania.

When Jesus resurrected from the tomb, he was in a physical form, but he was not visible to everyone. His body was made from "morontia" material, which is the next form which all mortals will assume upon resurrection after death. He only made his presence known to certain people, and he could appear and disappear at will. Perhaps you'll remember his meeting with Mary Magdalene at the tomb; she did not at first recognize him, as he was very changed, but as soon as he spoke, she instantly knew it was the Master.

This seems to be a good place to explain why it was that Jesus appeared in this form. This is revealed material that can only be found in The Urantia Book, as far as I know, but it makes perfect sense when you see the whole story.

As part of Jesus' mission to Urantia, he was required to assume the form of all creatures of his vast universe. You can read all about these various bestowals, seven in all, and the reasons for his mission here.

Jesus' seventh and final bestowal was as the babe of Bethlehem, Jesus of Nazareth, who grew up as a mortal of the realm, just as all mortals do. And Jesus died as a mortal of the realm as well, although his death was particularly brutal and violent - not the same as most humans - but still, he did die a "natural" death, as would any mortal. While he was here in physical form, he revealed the Father to mortals and established the kingdom of heaven in the hearts of mankind, which was a most important part of his overall mission to our universe.

After that, he had to experience the natural outcome of human life and death, and that was as a newly resurrected mortal, in the form that all of us mortals will assume when we die - the above-mentioned morontia form. The only difference between what Jesus experienced and what we will experience is that Jesus remained on earth to spend more time with his followers before he finally left the earth for the last time. We will not be doing that - but in all other respects, what happened to Jesus is what will happen to us when we die, except that we will be resurrected on the Mansion Worlds as morontia beings - changed, but with our personalities intact and recognizable by those of our loved ones who went there before us. Our mortal bodies will remain on earth, to turn into the dust from which they came. We learn in The Urantia Book that we will eat food of "a kingdom of living energy unknown on the material worlds"

You can read more about this unique material in Paper 48 -The Morontia Life

p542:4 (48:1.7) Paul learned of the existence of the morontia worlds and of the reality of morontia materials, for he wrote, "They have in heaven a better and more enduring substance." And these morontia materials are real, literal, even as in "the city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God." And each of these marvelous spheres is "a better country, that is, a heavenly one."

One of the resurrection appearances that Jesus made was to the two brothers at Emmaus, and on this occasion, Jesus did sit down to dinner with these two brothers. Here is a passage from that story:

"By this time they had come near to the village where these brothers dwelt. Not a word had these two men spoken since Jesus began to teach them as they walked along the way. Soon they drew up in front of their humble dwelling place, and Jesus was about to take leave of them, going on down the road, but they constrained him to come in and abide with them. They insisted that it was near nightfall, and that he tarry with them. Finally Jesus consented, and very soon after they went into the house, they sat down to eat. They gave him the bread to bless, and as he began to break and hand to them, their eyes were opened, and Cleopas recognized that their guest was the Master himself. And when he said, "It is the Master—," the morontia Jesus vanished from their sight.

Again, Jesus appeared to the apostles (his thirteenth resurrection appearance), and again, there was bread. Here is a passage from that section:

"Jesus spoke to them, saying: "Come now, all of you, to breakfast. Even the twins should sit down while I visit with you; John Mark will dress the fish." John Mark brought seven good-sized fish, which the Master put on the fire, and when they were cooked, the lad served them to the ten. Then Jesus broke the bread and handed it to John, who in turn served it to the hungry apostles. When they had all been served, Jesus bade John Mark sit down while he himself served the fish and the bread to the lad. And as they ate, Jesus visited with them and recounted their many experiences in Galilee and by this very lake. "

In this passage, we are left wondering whether Jesus actually ate the fish, but I suspect not, as his new form had no need for food of the earthly kind. But he did sit with them, he prepared the fish, and served the meal of fish and bread to John Mark. And he broke the bread with his hands. Never having had any experience with morontia materials, I cannot say how this was accomplished, but if morontia material is of a "more enduring substance," I suspect that physical material can be easily manipulated with it. So, breaking bread would not be a difficult act.

To me, it is also not a very important detail whether Jesus actually ate anything. The important feature of these stories is the fact of his resurrection, and that he did spend a considerable amount of time with many people before finally leaving Urantia for the last time. During these nineteen appearances, he reiterated his teachings, and said fond farewells to many. His resurrection from the dead after his mortal life is of particular interest to us, as it is what we can anticipate as our experience as well following our death.

Thank you for this most interesting question.

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Wednesday, January 07, 2009

What does The Urantia Book say about Judgment?

Q: Regarding dispensational resurrection, what does it mean when it refers to sleeping souls "who had not already gone onto judgment"? What does the Urantia Book say about judgment - what exactly does that mean? What happens? And does the short life of a Urantian constitute spiritual judgment?

A: The quote that you referenced is from a section titled The Dispensational Resurrection, which describes the mass resurrection that took place following Jesus' resurrection from the tomb. The specific quote is here:

The circuit of the archangels then operated for the first time from Urantia. Gabriel and the archangel hosts moved to the place of the spiritual polarity of the planet; and when Gabriel gave the signal, there flashed to the first of the system mansion worlds the voice of Gabriel, saying: "By the mandate of Michael, let the dead of a Urantia dispensation rise!" Then all the survivors of the human races of Urantia who had fallen asleep since the days of Adam, and who had not already gone on to judgment, appeared in the resurrection halls of mansonia in readiness for morontia investiture. p2024:4(189:3.2)

When Gabriel referred to "the dead of a Urantia dispensation," he was referring to these very souls who were now being resurrected - those who had died, but who had been asleep since the days of Adam - a long time for some of them - over 35,000 years. When some people die, they are not resurrected in three days' time, but instead, they stay peacefully asleep, awaiting just such a time as this one described, a dispensational resurrection, in order to move forward.

You can read more about sleeping survivors HERE

Whether a person was resurrected in three days, or whether they may sleep for thousands of years, they still eventually are resurrected on Mansonia, there to begin their "real life, the ascending life."

As for "judgment," here are a couple of quotes from Jesus:

"... Do you not perceive that, when each of you is called to lay down his life struggle and pass through the portal of death, you stand in the immediate presence of judgment, and that you are face to face with the facts of a new dispensation of service in the eternal plan of the infinite Father? What the whole world must face as a literal fact at the end of an age, you, as individuals, must each most certainly face as a personal experience when you reach the end of your natural life and thereby pass on to be confronted with the conditions and demands inherent in the next revelation of the eternal progression of the Father's kingdom." p1915:4(176:2.7)

"Mankind can appropriately be divided into many classes in accordance with differing qualifications, as they may be viewed physically, mentally, socially, vocationally, or morally, but as these different classes of mortals appear before the judgment bar of God, they stand on an equal footing; God is truly no respecter of persons." p1468:3 (133:0.3)

I am not aware of any place in The Urantia Book that describes an actual process by which mortals are judged. Perhaps the judgment is inherent in the fact of survival itself. The Urantia Book says that we gain nothing from resurrection, save the experience of survival...

It could be that your idea of this mortal life being itself a "judgment," is on the right track. One can, in this life, decide to survive. One can have only a "faint flicker of faith" in such a resurrection, and we are told that this is the only requirement for survival after death. "All who will may come."

There may possibly be circumstances where a resurrected mortal may be in conflict about survival, or perhaps their dedication is lacking, or for some other reason, their life is reviewed and judgment is made as to whether they are fit to continue. But I would imagine that the majority of mortals are adjudged to be "fit," to survive the death experience.

We have such a limited understanding of the meaning of life and what's in store for us during the Paradise adventure while we're here that it seems unlikely that we are able to make a knowledgeable decision whether to continue or not, so that decision will most likely occur on the mansion worlds. But, if during this earth life, the person has not exhibited even the smallest flicker of faith and has not produced a soul that can be resurrected then there is no "person" to be resurrected and their existence would cease at mortal death.

Thanks for this really good question ...

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Friday, October 17, 2008

What Happens to a Child Who Dies in the Womb?

Q: What happens to a child who dies in the womb?

A: According
to the teachings of The Urantia Book, life begins at conception. Any
child who dies between conception and about the age of 5 is resurrected
into the probationary nursery where it awaits the arrival of either one
or both of its parents when it then begins life on the mansion worlds.
You may be interested in reading these sections of the book:

Paper
47 -- The Seven Mansion Worlds -- which describes the
probationary nursery

Paper
49 Section 6
-- Terrestrial Escape -- Paragraphs 11-14 also
discuss the probationary nursery.

You can also do a search of The Urantia Book on our site for the
probationary nursery.

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Friday, March 14, 2008

What is your belief about reincarnation and those intuitives/sensitives that promote past life readings?

Q: What is your belief about reincarnation and those intuitives/sensitives that promote past life readings?

A: Thank you for this timely and interesting question. The Urantia Book has the following to say about reincarnation:

p953:4((86:4.5)) The primitive doctrine of survival after death was not necessarily a belief in immortality. Beings who could not count over twenty could hardly conceive of infinity and eternity; they rather thought of recurring incarnations.

p953:5((86:4.6)) This idea of reincarnation originated in the observance of hereditary and trait resemblance of offspring to ancestors. The custom of naming children after grandparents and other ancestors was due to belief in reincarnation. Some later-day races believed that man died from three to seven times. .

p1029:1((94:2.3)) The undue concentration on self led certainly to a fear of the nonevolutionary perpetuation of self in an endless round of successive incarnations as man, beast, or weeds. And of all the contaminating beliefs which could have become fastened upon what may have been an emerging monotheism, none was so stultifying as this belief in transmigration—the doctrine of the reincarnation of souls—which came from the Dravidian Deccan. This belief in the weary and monotonous round of repeated transmigrations robbed struggling mortals of their long-cherished hope of finding that deliverance and spiritual advancement in death which had been a part of the earlier Vedic faith.

p1811:5((164:3.4)) The older Jewish teachers, together with Plato, Philo, and many of the Essenes, tolerated the theory that men may reap in one incarnation what they have sown in a previous existence; thus in one life they were believed to be expiating the sins committed in preceding lives. The Master found it difficult to make men believe that their souls had not had previous existences.

You can see from these quotes that reincarnation is not a belief that is fostered in the teachings of The Urantia Book, nor in the teachings of Jesus. However, it is a theory that many seeking souls adopt as a way of explaining survival of the self, as well as karma, the idea of reaping what we sow.

I was a believer in reincarnation at one point in my life, but I now much prefer the idea of "resurrection" of the immortal soul as presented in The Urantia Book:

p533:5((47:3.7)) On mansion world number one (or another in case of advanced status) you will resume your intellectual training and spiritual development at the exact level whereon they were interrupted by death. Between the time of planetary death or translation and resurrection on the mansion world, mortal man gains absolutely nothing aside from experiencing the fact of survival. You begin over there right where you leave off down here.

This teaching relieves any fears I may have had about having to return to this planet over and over again as the result of some past sins - which to me, is a very depressing thought. Having to endure, all over again, a complete mortal life until I "get it right," seems terribly unappealing to me.

Given the sheer size and magnitude of the inhabited universe presented in The Urantia Book, it seems highly unlikely to me that we would be doomed to such a circular existence focused on only this little ball of dirt in space. Rather, we can look forward to resurrection on new worlds, with new challenges, and new opportunities for atoning for our shortcomings. The watchword of the universe is "progress." Personally, I see nothing progressive about reincarnation.

I am however, interested in the phenomena of the intuitives that you mention, and I notice that many people seem to gain a great deal of comfort from these "readings." I am sure that they believe in what they are doing, as well as do the people who seek them out, but to me, it is only a curiosity, and nowhere near reality. I don't consider it sinful or bad, just misguided and pointless. From the Urantia Book:

p159:6((14:5.10)) Love of adventure, curiosity, and dread of monotony—these traits inherent in evolving human nature—were not put there just to aggravate and annoy you during your short sojourn on earth, but rather to suggest to you that death is only the beginning of an endless career of adventure, an everlasting life of anticipation, an eternal voyage of discovery.

Finally, as to the karmic idea, The Urantia Book has an interesting quote about reaping and sowing:

p431:2((39:2.13)) When you finish your earthly career, your body remains on this planet...You "sow a mortal body" in the grave; you "reap a morontia form" on the mansion worlds.

(NB: "Morontia" is a term designating a stage of existence which is between material and spiritual - a transition state between being entirely mortal, and entirely spiritual - ed.)

The Urantia Book teaches us that this new life vehicle will be a faithful reflection of the true inner person, so that the spiritual progress, or lack thereof, will be reflected in this new form. This is an intriguing concept, and to me, is a good reason continue to do all I can to progress spiritually...hey, I want to look good in my new life!!!

I would like to invite you to take a look at our flash movies - in particular, "After You Die," which is a beautiful. three-minute presentation about this very subject of life after death, and what we can expect when we experience our resurrection.

And if you have not done so, please susbscribe to Quote of the Day, a free service of Truthbook.com. You'll receive a daily quote from The Urantia Book to uplift and inspire you.

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Thursday, October 26, 2006

Our son had not yet found God before he died. Do you think he will become a sleeping survivor?

Q: We recently lost our 21 year-old son. He was a good person, but he had not really found God. Given his young age, do you think that he will become a sleeping survivor?


A: So sorry to hear of your loss -- the loss of a child must be even more poignant than the loss of a spouse.

May I offer an interpretation of Urantia Book teachings? Although not so specifically stated, it can be interpreted that children are inescapably linked to the mind currents of both parents from the moment of conception until they reach an age of self-determination, which is about 16, and from that point on they become true individuals. They also receive their Thought Adjuster, their contact with the Holy Spirit, connection with the Spirit of Truth, and the birth of their soul at about age 6. Outward appearances don't indicate what is going on within the mind and soul of any individual whether child or adult.

It's also my interpretation that it requires extraordinary effort here to make sure that one doesn't arrive at the mansion worlds -- I believe the major sorting occurs there after the deficiencies we live with here have been corrected and only then an informed decision about personal survival can be made.

As for myself, I have no concern or worry whether I will arrive on Mansion World One three days after I die here or whether it happens at the next dispensation, however long that takes. We're not in a race, it's a process where time is no longer of any consequence. So I'd be just as happy being a sleeping survivor as I would to be resurrected on the third day -- the time lapse will seem to be the same in either case to my perceptions.

So, my answer for you would be that there is no way for us here to determine what the immediate outcome for your son's journey to Paradise happens to be -- think the best, see him happy and embarking on the mansion world career, pray for your own peace and understanding.

Best wishes,
Larry Watkins (continued...)

Along with Larry, who sent you a letter yesterday, I also want to offer my sincere condolences on the loss of your child.

Your concern for your son's welfare in the afterlife mirrors the concern you likely had for him in his physical life. Now that he is gone from your sight, you continue to hope the best for him, and that you will be seeing him again, sooner than later.You want him to be happy, safe, and protected.

All of us desire the best for our children, and I think that when we read in the Urantia Book about the experiences of the sleeping survivor vs those who resurrect in three days, we automatically hope that we and our loved ones are among the latter group.

One reason may be that we don't want to wait any longer than is necessary to resume our lives in the "better world" to come. And we want our loved ones close - not separated by 1000 years.

I hear in your question a real concern that you and your son may have to postpone your reunion when once you reach the shores of the first Mansion World, if there is a possibility that you will be in different progressing groups.

I don't suppose that any one of us is guaranteed a short sleep of death, or a long one. These are things that we can only speculate about, but I would surely trust in God on this one, and try not to worry. No matter what the conditions of your son's existence right now, he is safe, he is protected, and his resurrection is sure, as is yours.

At some future time, you will reunite with your beloved child. Whether it is sooner or later, it IS certain. For all we really know, he may already be happily progressing and waiting for your someday arrival.

You say that your son was a good person, though he had not really found God. It sounds like he may have been looking, in any event. Jesus said: "My Father responds to even the faintest flicker of faith." It may comfort you to imagine that in his innermost heart, that flicker was present in your son, known only to God.

As Larry has pointed out, time becomes far less of a concern once we leave this time-limited planet, and the sleep of death, whether it is three days or 1000 years will not be a concern to us, no matter where we find ourselves. Those who sleep long will always be protected and safe. The time of reunion is sure, and you can rely on the goodness of God to make it all work out well.

Again, I am sorry for this loss in your life. I can only imagine the effect on your lives.

God bless you.

Sincerely,
MaryJo
Truthbook.com

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Tuesday, March 14, 2006

Was it God's plan for Jesus to be crucified?

Q: Was it God's plan for Jesus to be crucified? Is it the blood of Christ that saved us, or was it the resurrection?

A: It was man's plan that Jesus be crucified - God didn't set it up or intervene nor did Jesus; they let the circumstances unfold and play out much as they have done throughout history. Of course God or Jesus could alter the plans of men but divine intervention seldom is employed to interfere in the choices made by free will creatures. Additional examples of the non interference by deity into the affairs of men are the loss of our mission of our planetary prince and the loss of the influence of Adam and Eve. God could have fixed them, but God doesn't interfere.

The blood of Jesus is no different from the blood in your body - what's remarkable about the shedding of Jesus' blood is that by allowing himself to be murdered he exhibited divine love for his creatures, friend and enemy alike, and in so doing planted the seeds for a great world wide religion of love and hope to spring up around his life, death, and teachings.

Jesus' resurrection gave proof that there is life after death and gave hope of better things to come to earth bound mortals. It didn't take a blood sacrifice to appease God so that we can enter an everlasting spiritual existence. We are saved by our desire to do God's will, by having even a small flicker of faith that there is more to existence than what meets the eye - one doesn't have to be Christian or believe in Jesus for salvation.

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