Abandon Theologies

(This was written in specific response to an inquiry from a correspondent.)

I was somewhat dissatisfied with my paper on The Coming of Christ Michael. I felt something was missing but was at a loss how to describe it. A correspondent queried me about it but still I did not know how to answer. Then she sent me an email that opened the door. I really thank her for that.

Consider several elements:

The abrupt and sudden presence of Michael in a heavenly spiritual light I described as "red."

If that were an isolated unusual event, without any further attendant proceedings, what would people think? Might they indeed follow astronomers in believing that it was a display due to some celestial phenomenon, perhaps a supernova, and that any spiritual influence we might feel would merely be a psychological reaction?

Would this bring a planetary renewal, as an isolated event?

No. Some of us might feel inclined to alter our religious devotions but how would that alter the flow of world events? How would we even know that Michael had returned? Nothing in our familiar literature even comes close to describing such an event. The many traditional notions of his return are so clouded in mythology we cannot make our way through that morass. We would easily believe it was a natural event. Christians would not know what is occurring, and would follow the mainstream scientific explanations.

As far as I am aware, I am the only person who has proposed specific details for the Return of Jesus.

This is my attempt to come to grips with His Return, according to the revelations we have received, in the Bible, in the Urantia Papers, and elsewhere. In other words, I am establishing the first steps in a new profound theology. I am offering something enormous to replace grossly inadequate ideas. This should help undo the childish theories of Christianity. Of course, if Michael does not return as Revelation has informed us then my analysis is useless. So I find myself in the uniquely unusual position of being a prophet. I do not work on fiat accompli as did Paul and the other Apostles in their expositions on the life of Jesus, but on future speculation. But you can see that Christianity is filled with such speculation, about his Return, about the Millennium, and so on. This imaginative interpretation of the remarks of Jesus, as they are recorded in the New Testament, is the core of our concern. The Urantia Papers now give us a completely new framework in which to place such speculations.

But Michael does not come without extraordinary events attached to his presence. Do you think the Creator of a universe would skip around space on a lark?

God must bring, with his judgment, planetary episodes equivalent to his power and majesty. He must literally turn the world upside down if he is to rectify the damage from millennia of mismanagement and rebellion.

We can see that vast social, physical and spiritual turbulence will come with his advent. He will tear us out of our familiar modes and place us into completely unexpected and new circumstances.

Here is where the enormous disruptions in historic theology show themselves. Christian ideas are grossly incapable of devising explanations of these massive events in a comprehensive framework. Only those individuals acquainted with the Urantia Papers have sufficient knowledge to devise appropriate explanation of events.

Consider the planetary elements that require rectification on Urantia:

1. A divine Son who rebelled, and who is still free on the planet.

2. The distortions of a human genetic program from the default of Adam and Eve.

3. The godless attitudes of modern society, the members of which have lost contact with spiritual realities.

4. The strife of the nations who still desire individual predominance but who are directed by extremely immature human mortals.

5. The disruptions of planetary environment, threatening all life forms.

6. A great geophysical event to recover from the loss of many thousands of years.

You can see why he would deem it necessary to be personally involved. Where in Christian theology do you have a similar list defining the aspects of a great planetary judgment? Would you say that this list is a radical departure from traditional theologies, and that it brings startling new concepts? In other words, does this list help define a new enormous theology?

As you well know, Christian ideas about these events are all over the map. We seem to have countless pre-, mid-, and post-tribulation explanations for the Return of Jesus and the consummation of earth events. Hardly any of them are cast in the framework of planetary salvation. The narrow views seem to be merely for personal salvation. (Note the foolish ideas about a Rapture.) Christians have never been able to lift their vision to more lofty views of millions of years of continued planetary evolution - under the management of God. Christian speculations about a Millennium is as far as their ideas go.

Please note that I speak here of theologies that believe in God; I do not discuss the godless theologies that dominate the mainline churches in Christianity, including the Roman Catholic. (Yes, godless theologies.)

Please note also that we are not repeating revelation from the Urantia Papers, but are developing new theology with that source as an inspiration. Without the context of a Universe framework, as revealed to us, we would not be able to develop these ideas. The Urantia Papers gave us a framework; it is up to us to develop a fresh view of world destiny. In fact, the Urantia Papers skirt around end-time events, and leave such development to us. If we are to put any sense into this proposed theology we must integrate revelation from all manner of sources.

If you were God and you wanted to alter men's social and spiritual orientations, to wrest them from the foolish and ignorant theology of thousands of years, what would you do? Would you be able to bring dramatic and revolutionary alteration in the minds of men without serious social and spiritual events equal to that epochal transformation?

Furthermore, how would you coordinate the geophysical with the social and with the spiritual renovation you had in mind?

But you are not doing this merely to change men's minds. You are doing a complete planetary transformation and men's minds must follow.

Even more, you want to separate the wheat from the chaff. You want to remove godless minds to make way for men who are willing to give themselves to your program of rehabilitation.

From these planetary needs our Creator has programs to recover the world. A judgment by God means not only that we face the consequences of our behavior, but also that there are programs of rehabilitation. Such programs certainly would require millennia of time to complete. At some point he must start this rehabilitation process. We know from Revelation that fresh programs were started at the time of Melchizedek:

No comprehensive plan for far-reaching world welfare was promulgated to the mortals of earth until the arrival of Machiventa Melchizedek, in the times of Abraham, who, with the power, patience, and authority of a Son of God, did lay the foundations for the further uplift and spiritual rehabilitation of unfortunate Urantia.

But Melchizedek is not a Creator. He might have the power, patience, and authority of a Son of God but his authority comes from Michael. Therefore Michael must bring a context in which Melchizedek can work. A point in time has come when sudden transformations are necessary to get these transactions up and running. Michael's planetary appearance brings that sudden transformation.

That is what we now face as planetary residents.

From manifold and ubiquitous evidence through history we have seen that man cannot do this on his own. He has no idea what he should do. He does not make a good planetary caretaker. Man has no control over celestial personalities such as Caligastia and Daligastia. Neither does he have any influence over a genetic program gone completely awry. Even more, how can puny man match the gigantic world alterations coming when the planet literally turns upside down?

I shall now illustrate one phase of the theology developing out of a new planetary orientation. You will find that these are the foundations for a complete renovation of our ideas of history-destiny. I am offering you the enormous theology you want.

I shall illustrate with Caligastia. Out of the list I gave above I shall concentrate on only this one element of the planetary transformation.

A major component in a recovery from the impact of Caligastia is the mercy delay extended by our God. Michael is noted for his mercy attributes. P.1580 - §6  Michael of Nebadon is a mercy-dominated Son; compassion is his very nature. Therefore, he approached the judgment of Caligastia and Daligastia with full consideration of mercy to recover those personalities from their rebellious attitudes. But they rejected this tender proffers. P.610 - §2 The last act of Michael before leaving Urantia was to offer mercy to Caligastia and Daligastia, but they spurned his tender proffer. Hence they became subject to Michael's new plans for the world. As one final act, and to show the Universe that full mercy is extended to these divine Sons, Michael is giving them the freedom to prove who they are. In desperation they have now planned actions in defiance of him. To prove that they can operate outside his regime they have recruited a cadre of human beings. But to fashion this recruitment they had to violate basic rules of the universe. Loyal spirit beings do not invade the sanctity of human mind. They did. They were able to do this because of those human beings who could not discriminate between righteousness and apostasy. As Jesus said, John 16:3-4: And they will do this because they have not known the Father, nor me. Those human beings invited rebellious spirit personalities into their minds.