Episode:Our Local System of Inhabited Worlds—Headquarters (Part 4)
Spornagia are the only creatures in all the universe of Nebadon who experience any sort of reincarnation. They are only reactive to the first five of the adjutant mind-spirits; they are not responsive to the spirits of worship and wisdom. But the five-adjutant mind equivalates to a totality or sixth reality level, and it is this factor which persists as an experiential identity.
Keywords: Urantia, Spornagia, Circles of the Ascending Mortals, Courtesy Colonies, Finaliters
Opening thought: Said Jesus: “Much of man’s sorrow is born of the disappointment of his ambitions and the wounding of his pride. Although men owe a duty to themselves to make the best of their lives on earth, having thus sincerely exerted themselves, they should cheerfully accept their lot...” [149:5.3]
Closing thought: The scale of the cosmos is huge. There's so much space. Space between the worlds. Space between the circles on Jerusem. It's humbling, but we're always given all we need. When you were young, recall how much space your middle school had on day #1.
Note: Justin Armstrong joined this episode as an ongoing co-host. Our approach to co-hosting becomes rotational now, excluding Chris who is always one co-host.
Summary by Brad
On skipping over the law of God
We spent almost half the show discussing a crucial topic: the law of God and its place relative to the love of God. What sparked this conversation? All these legalistic words peppered throughout Paper 47 like administrative, adjudicational, and juridicial. Maybe you've read Paper 47 a dozen times, but had you ever noticed how much Jerusem's actual physical layout favors orderliness and lawfulness? This author had not. I've read this book since I was a kid, and I'd never noticed until now.
The authors of the 5th ER assume you take God seriously as you read this book. They assume you're a religionist who knows salvation must be chosen and that once in the kingdom, God requires that you bear much fruit.
And yet it's a popular, enduring false orthodoxy among readers of The Urantia Book that the love of God overpowers His law somehow and exists outside of His law somehow. That salvation has no requirements, no prerequisites, and is automatic. There's only one lonely place in The Urantia Papers that articulates that perverse view of the cosmos. Here's a hint: Paper 53. Actually, Lucifer said that. Have you fallen for "salvation is automatic?" Possibly. Don't be so sure you haven't. Do you love to say say "I'm spiritual but not religious?" Well, maybe that's innocuous but all too often people who say this are trying to avoid a moral (law) basis for their concept of the love of God.
But here's the thing: we can't really know God at all unless we know these three: the fact of God, the law of God, and the love of God. [16:9.1]. All three. Fact, law, love. You cannot skip over law. The law of God is the basis for the love of God. There is no religion apart from a moral basis.
Even a primitive religionist you might see today is still a real religionist. They take God seriously. They haven't lost sight of the law of God even as they sit there reading about Jesus and all this talk about God's love in their Bible. This primitive religionist takes the law seriously; they know something is required of them and that salvation must be chosen. And in that law they find the liberty that is in the law of God. They may not have much philosophic attainment, but at least first they are a genuine religionist. They have a basic concept first; the details will follow in time as they grow in the kingdom of God.
Strangely, someone who skips the law of God isn't even as advanced as a primitive religionist. They've adopted some kind of... pre-primitive view, despite convincing themselves they're rather sophisticated. One of these pre-primitivists would think that the laws of man are all that they need. Or perhaps they might say that "what the science is saying" (godless science) has displaced what God once said. That there's no need for that old-fashioned law of God stuff.
Be not deceived, brothers and sisters. Righteousness—your conformity with the cosmos—is the only basis for a real relationship with the God of love. Any other notion is at best confused, at worst a willful attempt to receive blessings without faith submission. A notion like this, if persistent in it even after you know better, is dangerous ground. You're presuming upon mercy. It puts at stake your ongoing-ness in the universe—your salvation, your eternal life.
On starting now, not waiting for the afterlife
Many might conclude that an angel would never rebel because they're surrounded by so much beauty in the worlds on high. They'd never follow Lucifer! They could just look around and exclaim, "Look how beautiful it is! God must exist!" Sorry, but The Urantia Papers don't support this view at all. The revelators flatly tell us angels did rebel! If you take the 5th ER to be what it claims, a conclusion like this is absurd and you need to back up and find your illogical assumption that set you up for that conclusion.
Angels are susceptible to an atheistic sophistry. To us, we look around and we don't see spirit, so we reason it must be innately God-supported, even if mystically so. The problem with angels? Up on high, spirit is as common up there as matter is to us down here. Angels might take spirit for granted just like we might take matter for granted.
It appears it has been revealed to us that faith is neither easy nor automatic in the afterlife, despite popular thoughts to the contrary. We at SoS suggest we get a solid start now, here, in this world where we must have faith almost wholly without seeing. Don't wait for the afterlife. It's not complicated. It's the same as it's ever been: trust in God and salvation through faith. But this doesn't come naturally to the animal-origin self. It must be chosen.
And if you do this, if you get a real faith grasp, no matter how faint, you will see it amplify your trust! And you'll see it lead you to experiencing a peace that passes all understanding.
46:5 The Jerusem Circles (cont'd)
We are up from the humus (that's what human means). Dirt we are, and to keep us from becoming dirt again the afterlife is designed as a rigorous, but encouraging environment. Our entire universe career is a career of service (work), not blissed-out visions of heaven visionaries have had over the centures (or like Star Trek's Nexus for you Trekkies).
Regarding the fifth group of these circles, we began the reading at minute 55 talking about the gigantic "working model" of the constellation headquarters, located at the center of one of these circles on Jerusem. Why build something this awesome? We think it's that encouragement thing. The afterlife is so rigorous and demanding that we need to be enticed forward with awesome, inspiring beauty. Beyond gigantic diorama models and temples, even the activities on high are designed to help us not fail in survival. Social intercourse, group entertainment, and divine worship are artful combinations on high of service, study, and relaxation. At least until we reach Havona, we must frequently be reminded that this whole ascension thing is worth the trouble.
Then the sixth of these groups of circles, for the courtesy colonies. Cross-referencing with [30:3]'s list of courtesy colonies, we logically deduced who must occupy each of these 7 circles. This is where you'd find those run-of-the-mill ascending pilgrims (those not otherwise specially "assigned"). They're in circle number 7 of this 6th group of circles.
Finally the seventh of these groups of circles. We puzzled over the gigantic sealed-off silent temple at the center of these circles of the finaliters. A temple that only Michael of Nebadon himself can unseal. Another enticement to help inspire us upward? It seems so.
46:6 The Executive-Administrative Squares
This short section lists ten divisions of administrative departments that comprise these squares. Nothing complicated there, right? Well, yes: echoing a pattern from Havona, there's a 1,000-fold individuality within each division, and each of those 1,000 squares is "immense." And as ascenders, yes, we must come up to speed on all the details going on in these squares. And remember: this is all still at the local system level; we aren't even at the constellation yet.
46:7 The Rectangles—The Spornagia
Ah! It's easy to read this section sentimentally, as we learn about lovely, fuzzy little spornagia animals. But have you considered this? Spornagia are animals; they have neither souls nor personalities. Yet they are original and artistic. It appears that some of the highest things we call "human" here are performed on high by animals. What a wet blanket. We have a lot to learn about what it means to be truly human. This is not to make us feel lousy. It's just a reminder to aim higher than anyone has ever thought about aiming before.
This is all driven in the spornagia by the mind of the Creative Mother Spirit. Spornagia show a high level of adjutant mind function we can't imagine here on Earth. If you ever wanted to anthropomorphize an animal, the spornagia would be the ones. They are described as "faithful".
46:8 The Jerusem Triangles
Very little is revealed about these triangles, where affairs pertaining strictly to Jerusem are handled. Instead, this short section mostly reflects on the Lucifer rebellion. The paper ends with a reminder of the law of God. "Rulers are merciful and patient, but the law of deliberately nourished evil is universally and unerringly executed." Choose this day whom you will serve.
Notes by Brad
- Perhaps the 1,000 rectangles might be arranged radially around the central spornagia headquarters, like some giant daisy.
- Spornagia live 200,000 to 250,000 of our years ("standard years" are Nebadon years) and literally reincarnate--they get new bodies constructed for them periodically.
- All of these executive functions are fully viewable by everyone. Even the structures are transparent, just to drive home the point.
- Remember that all 100 elements are stable (not radioactive) on Jerusem, and are abundant.
- Can you imagine a building constructed of Curium? Me neither, but I'll bet it's beautiful.
