The Urantia Book
PAPER 33
ADMINISTRATION OF THE LOCAL UNIVERSE
Presented by the Chief of the Archangels of Nebadon.
33:0.1 WHILE the Universal Father most
certainly rules over his vast creation, he functions in a local
universe administration through the person of the Creator Son.
The Father does not otherwise personally function in the
administrative affairs of a local universe. These matters are
intrusted to the Creator Son and to the local universe Mother
Spirit and to their manifold children. The plans, policies, and
administrative acts of the local universe are formed and
executed by this Son, who, in conjunction with his Spirit
associate, delegates executive power to Gabriel and
jurisdictional authority to the Constellation Fathers, System
Sovereigns, and Planetary Princes.
1. MICHAEL OF NEBADON
33:1.1 Our Creator Son is the personification
of the 611,121st original concept of infinite identity of
simultaneous origin in the Universal Father and the Eternal Son.
The Michael of Nebadon is the "only-begotten Son" personalizing
this 611,121st universal concept of divinity and infinity. His
headquarters is in the threefold mansion of light on Salvington.
And this dwelling is so ordered because Michael has experienced
the living of all three phases of intelligent creature
existence: spiritual, morontial, and material. Because of the
name associated with his seventh and final bestowal on Urantia,
he is sometimes spoken of as Christ Michael.
33:1.2 Our Creator Son is not the Eternal Son,
the existential Paradise associate of the Universal Father and
the Infinite Spirit. Michael of Nebadon is not a member of the
Paradise Trinity. Nevertheless our Master Son possesses in his
realm all of the divine attributes and powers that the Eternal
Son himself would manifest were he actually to be present on
Salvington and functioning in Nebadon. Michael possesses even
additional power and authority, for he not only personifies the
Eternal Son but also fully represents and actually embodies the
personality presence of the Universal Father to and in this
local universe. He even represents the Father-Son. These
relationships constitute a Creator Son the most powerful,
versatile, and influential of all divine beings who are capable
of direct administration of evolutionary universes and of
personality contact with immature creature beings.
33:1.3 Our Creator Son exerts the same
spiritual drawing power, spirit gravity, from the headquarters
of the local universe that the Eternal Son of Paradise would
exert if he were personally present on Salvington, and more;
this Universe Son is also the personification of the Universal
Father to the universe of Nebadon. Creator Sons are personality
centers for the spiritual forces of the Paradise Father-Son.
Creator Sons are the final power-personality focalizations of
the mighty time-space attributes of God the Sevenfold.
33:1.4 The Creator Son is the vicegerent
personalization of the Universal Father, the divinity
co-ordinate of the Eternal Son, and the creative associate of
the Infinite Spirit. To our universe and all its inhabited
worlds the Sovereign Son is, to all practical intents and
purposes, God. He personifies all of the Paradise Deities which
evolving mortals can discerningly comprehend. This Son and his
Spirit associate are your creator parents. To you, Michael, the
Creator Son, is the supreme personality; to you, the Eternal Son
is supersupreme -- an infinite Deity personality.
33:1.5 In the person of the Creator Son we
have a ruler and divine parent who is just as mighty, efficient,
and beneficent as would be the Universal Father and the Eternal
Son if both were present on Salvington and engaged in the
administration of the affairs of the universe of Nebadon.
2. THE SOVEREIGN OF NEBADON
33:2.1 Observation of Creator Sons discloses
that some resemble more the Father, some the Son, while others
are a blend of both their infinite parents. Our Creator Son very
definitely manifests traits and attributes which more resemble
the Eternal Son.
33:2.2 Michael elected to organize this local
universe, and herein he now reigns supreme. His personal power
is limited by the pre-existent gravity circuits centering at
Paradise and by the reservation on the part of the Ancients of
Days of the superuniverse government of all final executive
judgments regarding the extinction of personality. Personality
is the sole bestowal of the Father, but the Creator Sons, with
the approval of the Eternal Son, do initiate new creature
designs, and with the working co-operation of their Spirit
associates they may attempt new transformations of
energy-matter.
33:2.3 Michael is the personification of the
Paradise Father-Son to and in the local universe of Nebadon;
therefore, when the Creative Mother Spirit, the local universe
representation of the Infinite Spirit, subordinated herself to
Christ Michael upon the return from his final bestowal on
Urantia, the Master Son thereby acquired jurisdiction over "all
power in heaven and on earth."
33:2.4 This subordination of the Divine
Ministers to the Creator Sons of the local universes constitutes
these Master Sons the personal repositories of the finitely
manifestable divinity of the Father, Son, and Spirit, while the
creature-bestowal experiences of the Michaels qualify them to
portray the experiential divinity of the Supreme Being. No other
beings in the universes have thus personally exhausted the
potentials of present finite experience, and no other beings in
the universes possess such qualifications for solitary
sovereignty.
33:2.5 Although Michael's headquarters is
officially located on Salvington, the capital of Nebadon, he
spends much of his time visiting the constellation and system
headquarters and even the individual planets. Periodically he
journeys to Paradise and often to Uversa, where he counsels with
the Ancients of Days. When he is away from Salvington, his place
is assumed by Gabriel, who then functions as regent of the
universe of Nebadon.
3. THE UNIVERSE SON AND SPIRIT
33:3.1 While pervading all the universes of
time and space, the Infinite Spirit functions from the
headquarters of each local universe as a specialized
focalization acquiring full personality qualities by the
technique of creative co-operation with the Creator Son. As
concerns a local universe, the administrative authority of a
Creator Son is supreme; the Infinite Spirit, as the Divine
Minister, is wholly co-operative though perfectly co-ordinate.
33:3.2 The Universe Mother Spirit of
Salvington, the associate of Michael in the control and
administration of Nebadon, is of the sixth group of Supreme
Spirits, being the 611,121st of that order. She volunteered to
accompany Michael on the occasion of his liberation from
Paradise obligations and has ever since functioned with him in
creating and governing his universe.
33:3.3 The Master Creator Son is the personal
sovereign of his universe, but in all the details of its
management the Universe Spirit is codirector with the Son. While
the Spirit ever acknowledges the Son as sovereign and ruler, the
Son always accords the Spirit a co-ordinate position and
equality of authority in all the affairs of the realm. In all
his work of love and life bestowal the Creator Son is always and
ever perfectly sustained and ably assisted by the all-wise and
ever-faithful Universe Spirit and by all of her diversified
retinue of angelic personalities. Such a Divine Minister is in
reality the mother of spirits and spirit personalities, the
ever-present and all-wise adviser of the Creator Son, a faithful
and true manifestation of the Paradise Infinite Spirit.
33:3.4 The Son functions as a father in his
local universe. The Spirit, as mortal creatures would
understand, enacts the role of a mother, always assisting the
Son and being everlastingly indispensable to the administration
of the universe. In the face of insurrection only the Son and
his associated Sons can function as deliverers. Never can the
Spirit undertake to contest rebellion or defend authority, but
ever does the Spirit sustain the Son in all of everything he may
be required to experience in his efforts to stabilize government
and uphold authority on worlds tainted with evil or dominated by
sin. Only a Son can retrieve the work of their joint creation,
but no Son could hope for final success without the incessant
co-operation of the Divine Minister and her vast assemblage of
spirit helpers, the daughters of God, who so faithfully and
valiantly struggle for the welfare of mortal men and the glory
of their divine parents.
33:3.5 Upon the completion of the Creator
Son's seventh and final creature bestowal, the uncertainties of
periodic isolation terminate for the Divine Minister, and the
Son's universe helper becomes forever settled in surety and
control. It is at the enthronement of the Creator Son as a
Master Son, at the jubilee of jubilees, that the Universe
Spirit, before the assembled hosts, first makes public and
universal acknowledgment of subordination to the Son, pledging
fidelity and obedience. This event occurred in Nebadon at the
time of Michael's return to Salvington after the Urantian
bestowal. Never before this momentous occasion did the Universe
Spirit acknowledge subordination to the Universe Son, and not
until after this voluntary relinquishment of power and authority
by the Spirit could it be truthfully proclaimed of the Son that
"all power in heaven and on earth has been committed to his
hand."
33:3.6 After this pledge of subordination by
the Creative Mother Spirit, Michael of Nebadon nobly
acknowledged his eternal dependence on his Spirit companion,
constituting the Spirit coruler of his universe domains and
requiring all their creatures to pledge themselves in loyalty to
the Spirit as they had to the Son; and there issued and went
forth the final "Proclamation of Equality." Though he was the
sovereign of this local universe, the Son published to the
worlds the fact of the Spirit's equality with him in all
endowments of personality and attributes of divine character.
And this becomes the transcendent pattern for the family
organization and government of even the lowly creatures of the
worlds of space. This is, in deed and in truth, the high ideal
of the family and the human institution of voluntary marriage.
33:3.7 The Son and the Spirit now preside over
the universe much as a father and mother watch over, and
minister to, their family of sons and daughters. It is not
altogether out of place to refer to the Universe Spirit as the
creative companion of the Creator Son and to regard the
creatures of the realms as their sons and daughters -- a grand
and glorious family but one of untold responsibilities and
endless watchcare.
33:3.8 The Son initiates the creation of
certain of the universe children, while the Spirit is solely
responsible for bringing into existence the numerous orders of
spirit personalities who minister and serve under the direction
and guidance of this selfsame Mother Spirit. In the creation of
other types of universe personalities, both the Son and the
Spirit function together, and in no creative act does the one do
aught without the counsel and approval of the other.
4. GABRIEL -- THE CHIEF EXECUTIVE
33:4.1 The Bright and Morning Star is the
personalization of the first concept of identity and ideal of
personality conceived by the Creator Son and the local universe
manifestation of the Infinite Spirit. Going back to the early
days of the local universe, before the union of the Creator Son
and the Mother Spirit in the bonds of creative association, back
to the times before the beginning of the creation of their
versatile family of sons and daughters, the first conjoint act
of this early and free association of these two divine persons
results in the creation of the highest spirit personality of the
Son and the Spirit, the Bright and Morning Star.
33:4.2 Only one such being of wisdom and
majesty is brought forth in each local universe. The Universal
Father and the Eternal Son can, in fact do, create an unlimited
number of Sons in divinity equal to themselves; but such Sons,
in union with the Daughters of the Infinite Spirit, can create
only one Bright and Morning Star in each universe, a being like
themselves and partaking freely of their combined natures but
not of their creative prerogatives. Gabriel of Salvington is
like the Universe Son in divinity of nature though considerably
limited in the attributes of Deity.
33:4.3 This first-born of the parents of a new
universe is a unique personality possessing many wonderful
traits not visibly present in either ancestor, a being of
unprecedented versatility and unimagined brilliance. This
supernal personality embraces the divine will of the Son
combined with the creative imagination of the Spirit. The
thoughts and acts of the Bright and Morning Star will ever be
fully representative of both the Creator Son and the Creative
Spirit. Such a being is also capable of a broad understanding
of, and sympathetic contact with, both the spiritual seraphic
hosts and the material evolutionary will creatures.
33:4.4 The Bright and Morning Star is not a
creator, but he is a marvelous administrator, being the personal
administrative representative of the Creator Son. Aside from
creation and life impartation the Son and the Spirit never
confer upon important universe procedures without Gabriel's
presence.
33:4.5 Gabriel of Salvington is the chief
executive of the universe of Nebadon and the arbiter of all
executive appeals respecting its administration. This universe
executive was created fully endowed for his work, but he has
gained experience with the growth and evolution of our local
creation.
33:4.6 Gabriel is the chief officer of
execution for superuniverse mandates relating to nonpersonal
affairs in the local universe. Most matters pertaining to mass
judgment and dispensational resurrections, adjudicated by the
Ancients of Days, are also delegated to Gabriel and his staff
for execution. Gabriel is thus the combined chief executive of
both the super- and the local universe rulers. He has at his
command an able corps of administrative assistants, created for
their special work, who are unrevealed to evolutionary mortals.
In addition to these assistants, Gabriel may employ any and all
of the orders of celestial beings functioning in Nebadon, and he
is also the commander in chief of "the armies of heaven" -- the
celestial hosts.
33:4.7 Gabriel and his staff are not teachers;
they are administrators. They were never known to depart from
their regular work except when Michael was incarnated on a
creature bestowal. During such bestowals Gabriel was ever
attendant on the will of the incarnated Son, and with the
collaboration of the Union of Days, he became the actual
director of universe affairs during the later bestowals. Gabriel
has been closely identified with the history and development of
Urantia ever since the mortal bestowal of Michael.
33:4.8 Aside from meeting Gabriel on the
bestowal worlds and at the times of general- and
special-resurrection roll calls, mortals will seldom encounter
him as they ascend through the local universe until they are
inducted into the administrative work of the local creation. As
administrators, of whatever order or degree, you will come under
the direction of Gabriel.
5. THE TRINITY AMBASSADORS
33:5.1 The administration of Trinity-origin
personalities ends with the government of the superuniverses.
The local universes are characterized by dual supervision, the
beginning of the father-mother concept. The universe father is
the Creator Son; the universe mother is the Divine Minister, the
local universe Creative Spirit. Every local universe is,
however, blessed with the presence of certain personalities from
the central universe and Paradise. At the head of this Paradise
group in Nebadon is the ambassador of the Paradise Trinity --
Immanuel of Salvington -- the Union of Days assigned to the
local universe of Nebadon. In a certain sense this high Trinity
Son is also the personal representative of the Universal Father
to the court of the Creator Son; hence his name, Immanuel.
33:5.2 Immanuel of Salvington, number 611,121
of the sixth order of Supreme Trinity Personalities, is a being
of sublime dignity and of such superb condescension that he
refuses the worship and adoration of all living creatures. He
bears the distinction of being the only personality in all
Nebadon who has never acknowledged subordination to his brother
Michael. He functions as adviser to the Sovereign Son but gives
counsel only on request. In the absence of the Creator Son he
might preside over any high universe council but would not
otherwise participate in the executive affairs of the universe
except as requested.
33:5.3 This ambassador of Paradise to Nebadon
is not subject to the jurisdiction of the local universe
government. Neither does he exercise authoritative jurisdiction
in the executive affairs of an evolving local universe except in
the supervision of his liaison brethren, the Faithfuls of Days,
serving on the headquarters of the constellations.
33:5.4 The Faithfuls of Days, like the Union
of Days, never proffer advice or offer assistance to the
constellation rulers unless it is asked for. These Paradise
ambassadors to the constellations represent the final personal
presence of the Stationary Sons of the Trinity functioning in
advisory roles in the local universes. Constellations are more
closely related to the superuniverse administration than local
systems, which are administered exclusively by personalities
native to the local universe.
6. GENERAL ADMINISTRATION
33:6.1 Gabriel is the chief executive and
actual administrator of Nebadon. Michael's absence from
Salvington in no way interferes with the orderly conduct of
universe affairs. During the absence of Michael, as recently on
the mission of reunion of Orvonton Master Sons on Paradise,
Gabriel is the regent of the universe. At such times Gabriel
always seeks the counsel of Immanuel of Salvington regarding all
major problems.
33:6.2 The Father Melchizedek is Gabriel's
first assistant. When the Bright and Morning Star is absent from
Salvington, his responsibilities are assumed by this original
Melchizedek Son.
33:6.3 The various subadministrations of the
universe have assigned to them certain special domains of
responsibility. While, in general, a system government looks
after the welfare of its planets, it is more particularly
concerned with the physical status of living beings, with
biologic problems. In turn, the constellation rulers pay
especial attention to the social and governmental conditions
prevailing on the different planets and systems. A constellation
government is chiefly exercised over unification and
stabilization. Still higher up, the universe rulers are more
occupied with the spiritual status of the realms.
33:6.4 Ambassadors are appointed by judicial
decree and represent universes to other universes. Consuls are
representatives of constellations to one another and to the
universe headquarters; they are appointed by legislative decree
and function only within the confines of the local universe.
Observers are commissioned by executive decree of a System
Sovereign to represent that system to other systems and at the
constellation capital, and they, too, function only within the
confines of the local universe.
33:6.5 From Salvington, broadcasts are
simultaneously directed to the constellation headquarters, the
system headquarters, and to individual planets. All higher
orders of celestial beings are able to utilize this service for
communication with their fellows scattered throughout the
universe. The universe broadcast is extended to all inhabited
worlds regardless of their spiritual status. Planetary
intercommunication is denied only those worlds under spiritual
quarantine.
33:6.6 Constellation broadcasts are
periodically sent out from the headquarters of the constellation
by the chief of the Constellation Fathers.
33:6.7 Chronology is reckoned, computed, and
rectified by a special group of beings on Salvington. The
standard day of Nebadon is equal to eighteen days and six hours
of Urantia time, plus two and one-half minutes. The Nebadon year
consists of a segment of the time of universe swing in relation
to the Uversa circuit and is equal to one hundred days of
standard universe time, about five years of Urantia time.
33:6.8 Nebadon time, broadcast from
Salvington, is the standard for all constellations and systems
in this local universe. Each constellation conducts its affairs
by Nebadon time, but the systems maintain their own chronology,
as do the individual planets.
33:6.9 The day in Satania, as reckoned on
Jerusem, is a little less (1 hour, 4 minutes, 15 seconds) than
three days of Urantia time. These times are generally known as
Salvington or universe time, and Satania or system time.
Standard time is universe time.
7. THE COURTS OF NEBADON
33:7.1 The Master Son, Michael, is supremely
concerned with but three things: creation, sustenance, and
ministry. He does not personally participate in the judicial
work of the universe. Creators never sit in judgment on their
creatures; that is the exclusive function of creatures of high
training and actual creature experience.
33:7.2 The entire judicial mechanism of
Nebadon is under the supervision of Gabriel. The high courts,
located on Salvington, are occupied with problems of general
universe import and with the appellate cases coming up from the
system tribunals. There are seventy branches of these universe
courts, and they function in seven divisions of ten sections
each. In all matters of adjudication there presides a dual
magistracy consisting of one judge of perfection antecedents and
one magistrate of ascendant experience.
33:7.3 As regards jurisdiction, the local
universe courts are limited in the following matters:
33:7.4 1. The administration of the local
universe is concerned with creation, evolution, maintenance, and
ministry. The universe tribunals are, therefore, denied the
right to pass upon those cases involving the question of eternal
life and death. This has no reference to natural death as it
obtains on Urantia, but if the question of the right of
continued existence, life eternal, comes up for adjudication, it
must be referred to the tribunals of Orvonton, and if decided
adversely to the individual, all sentences of extinction are
carried out upon the orders, and through the agencies, of the
rulers of the supergovernment.
33:7.5 2. The default or defection of any of
the Local Universe Sons of God which jeopardizes their status
and authority as Sons is never adjudicated in the tribunals of a
Son; such a misunderstanding would be immediately carried to the
superuniverse courts.
33:7.6 3. The question of the readmission of
any constituent part of a local universe -- such as a local
system -- to the fellowship of full spiritual status in the
local creation subsequent to spiritual isolation must be
concurred in by the high assembly of the superuniverse.
33:7.7 In all other matters the courts of
Salvington are final and supreme. There is no appeal and no
escape from their decisions and decrees.
33:7.8 However unfairly human contentions may
sometimes appear to be adjudicated on Urantia, in the universe
justice and divine equity do prevail. You are living in a
well-ordered universe, and sooner or later you may depend upon
being dealt with justly, even mercifully.
8. THE LEGISLATIVE AND EXECUTIVE FUNCTIONS
33:8.1 On Salvington, the headquarters of
Nebadon, there are no true legislative bodies. The universe
headquarters worlds are concerned largely with adjudication. The
legislative assemblies of the local universe are located on the
headquarters of the one hundred constellations. The systems are
chiefly concerned with the executive and administrative work of
the local creations. The System Sovereigns and their associates
enforce the legislative mandates of the constellation rulers and
execute the judicial decrees of the high courts of the universe.
33:8.2 While true legislation is not enacted
at the universe headquarters, there do function on Salvington a
variety of advisory and research assemblies, variously
constituted and conducted in accordance with their scope and
purpose. Some are permanent; others disband upon the
accomplishment of their objective.
33:8.3 The supreme council of the local
universe is made up of three members from each system and seven
representatives from each constellation. Systems in isolation do
not have representation in this assembly, but they are permitted
to send observers who attend and study all its deliberations.
33:8.4 The one hundred councils of supreme
sanction are also situated on Salvington. The presidents of
these councils constitute the immediate working cabinet of
Gabriel.
33:8.5 All findings of the high universe
advisory councils are referred either to the Salvington judicial
bodies or to the legislative assemblies of the constellations.
These high councils are without authority or power to enforce
their recommendations. If their advice is founded on the
fundamental laws of the universe, then will the Nebadon courts
issue rulings of execution; but if their recommendations have to
do with local or emergency conditions, they must pass down to
the legislative assemblies of the constellation for deliberative
enactment and then to the system authorities for execution.
These high councils are, in reality, the universe
superlegislatures, but they function without the authority of
enactment and without the power of execution.
33:8.6 While we speak of universe
administration in terms of "courts" and "assemblies," it should
be understood that these spiritual transactions are very
different from the more primitive and material activities of
Urantia which bear corresponding names.
33:8.7
Presented by the Chief of the Archangels of Nebadon.
