By William Cooper
This story about Jesus is based on information in The Urantia Book. I am telling it to you because I think it is important for everyone to know as much about him as they can.
Let’s start way, way back. 400 billion years ago, that is four followed by eight zeroes and it is many times longer than scientists currently think anything existed. 400 billion years ago this paradise son was the 611,121st Paradise son to leave Paradise to form and govern his own universe of 10,000,000 inhabited worlds plus suns, stars, galaxies, moons, uninhabited worlds, comets, asteroids, chemicals, elements and plants and creatures. He made all that we can sense and all that we can be, according to plans of energy organization and life implantation that he brought with him. 400 billion years, starting in empty space with nothing but the power of a Paradise Creator son, his staff, and unorganized energy. What patience, What loyalty to purpose.
Bestowal is a mysterious process whereby the Creator of a universe can at will assume the personality and share the life of one of his own subordinate creatures. The purpose of these bestowals is so that the creator will understand the creature from the view-point of the creature’s experience.
About a billion years ago our Creator son set out on the first of seven lives lived in the way he had ordained that persons of his creation must live. This first life lived as a person of his own creation was 100 years lived as a person of a very high order of nonmaterial personalities who serve as the intellectual and moral teachers and administrators of the Creator Son’s universe. While living this life, he served on 24 emergency missions and earned the adoration of this order of persons by his matchless wisdom, supreme love and superb devotion to duty.
Roughly 150 million years later he set out on his second adventure of experiencing life as persons of his creation experience it. This time as the ruler of a system of 1000 inhabited planets which its prior ruler had led into rebellion against higher authority. He ruled for about 100 years and set the system in order with justice and mercy. He was ardently loved, honored and respected. He even offered to share authority with his rebellious predecessor if he would only apologize for his indiscretions. He was the most noble and most benign system ruler that his universe had ever known. Even his predecessor, while declining to apologize, acknowledged him as just, merciful and righteous.
About 700 million years ago our universe Creator Son set forth on his third bestowal experience. This time he became a material son, an Adam. He was assigned as acting planetary prince on a planet on which his predecessor had participated in a rebellion against Michael’s authority (This was the second rebellion of a system sovereign in Nebadon.) He spent 17 standard universe years (85 of our years) living this life. He effected the repentance and reclamation of the defaulting planetary prince and his entire staff. He was so forgiving and understanding of the defaulters that since then no material son or daughter has joined in any rebellion in Nebadon. “They love and honor him too devotedly ever consciously to reject him.”
Michael’s 4th bestowal was as a seraphim. It took place about 450 million years ago and lasted for 200 of our years. He was assigned to a corps of teaching counselors. He served as an executive assistant to 26 master teachers on 22 worlds. That is about all we are told about that bestowal. But we are told elsewhere in The Urantia Book that seraphic teaching counselors are secretaries to all orders of teachers and even assist true and consecrated mortal teachers.
The 5th bestowal took place about 300 million years ago as a mortal ascender finishing up his ascension career in this super universe. He spent 44 of our years on Uversa as Eventod. Stories of Eventod’s sojourn on Uversa still circulate there. He had the confidence and trust of his superiors and the respect and loyal admiration of his fellow spirits.
Michael’s 6th bestowal was as an ascendant mortal (from the planet Endantum) at the courts of the Most High Fathers of one of his constellation headquarters worlds. The events of this bestowal are described as a wonderful career but no details are given. The narrator commented that after each bestowal Michael showed progressive acquirement of the creature’s viewpoint in universe administration. Following this bestowal it was apparent that he had become a friend and sympathetic helper of even the lowest form of created intelligence in his universe.
About 35,000 years ago, as Adam and Eve were defaulting in their mission to this planet, public announcement was made that Michael’s 7th bestowal would be made as an infant on this planet, Urantia of System Satania. The life of Jesus of Nazareth is the 7th bestowal life of Michael of Nebadon.
Jesus is a combination of God and Man. He is unique in our universe of 10,000,000 inhabited planets. He is both the son of a 14 year old woman and a 21 year old carpenter and at the same time the creator of this universe who is so just, fair and merciful that even those personalities who rebelled against his authority did not fear him. He is respected, loved and honored. In all of his bestowals Michael worked to resolve conflict and to reclaim rebels. He was acknowledged as righteous, just and merciful by a rebel system sovereign. He reclaimed a rebel planetary prince and his entire staff and restored them to authority.
My religious training led me to think in terms of a universe of one inhabited planet, one God, one son of God and the creation of everything within a very short time a few thousand years ago. This narrative expands the universe, the time span and the size and governance of the universe as well as the power of God. And it vastly increases the significance of who Jesus was. Among other achievements, he was the revelation to both God and man (on 10,000,000 inhabited planets) of the graciousness and goodness achievable by a mortal choosing to behave as God would have him behave.