Meredith Sprunger's Synopsis of The Urantia Book
Synopsis of Paper 37
PERSONALITIES OF THE LOCAL UNIVERSE
1. The Bright and Morning Star of our universe is known as Gabriel of Salvington. He is the chief executive of all Nebadon…The Brilliant Evening Stars—These brilliant creatures were planned by the Melchizedeks and were then brought into being by the Creator Son and the Creative Spirit. They serve in many capacities but chiefly as liaison officers of Gabriel, the local universe chief executive…The Brilliant Evening Stars are a unique twofold order, embracing some of created dignity and others of attained service.
2. The head. of these superangels is Gavalia, the first‑born of this order in Nebadon. Since the return of Christ Michael from his triumphant bestowal on Urantia, Gavalia has been assigned to the ascendant mortal ministry, and for the last nineteen hundred Urantia years his associate, Galantia, has maintained headquarters on Jerusem, where he spends about half of his time.
3. They are not extensively assigned on missions pertaining to the ascendant career of mortals, but when thus commissioned, they never function alone. They always work in pairs—one a created being, the other an ascendant Evening Star. One of the high duties of the Evening Star is to accompany the Avonal bestowal Sons on their planetary missions, even as Gabriel accompanied Michael on his Urantia bestowal.
4. During recent times these superangels have been closely identified with the local universe work of the Corps of the Finality, and they have long been associated. with the Teacher Sons.
5. Archangels are the offspring of the Creator Son and the Universe Mother Spirit. They are the highest type of high spirit being produced in large numbers in a local universe .Archangels are one of the few groups of local universe personalities who are not normally under the jurisdiction of Gabriel. They are not in any manner concerned with the routine administration of the universe, being dedicated to the work of creature survival and to the furtherance of the ascending career of the mortals of time and space.
6. The archangel corps of Nebadon is directed by the first‑born of this order, and in more recent times a divisional headquarters of the archangels has been maintained on Urantia. It is this unusual fact that soon arrests the attention of extras‑Nebadon student visitors. Among their early observations of intrauniverse transactions is the discovery that many ascendant activities of the Brilliant Evening Stars are directed from the capital of a local system, Satania. On further examination they discover that certain archangel activities are directed from a small and apparently insignificant inhabited world called Urantia. And then ensues the revelation of Michael's bestowal on Urantia and their immediately quickened interest in you and. your lowly sphere.
Do you grasp the significance of the fact that your lowly and confused planet has become a divisional headquarters for the universe administration and direction of certain archangel activities having to do with the Paradise ascension scheme? This undoubtedly presages the future concentration of other ascendant activities on the bestowal world of Michael and lends a tremendous and solemn import to the Master's personal promise, "I will come again."
7. A corps of one hundred accompanies every Paradise bestowal Son to an inhabited world... Two senior archangels are always assigned as the personal aids of a Paradise Avonal on all planetary missions...The roll call of a dispensation termination is promulgated by an attendant archangel. This is the archangel of the resurrection, sometimes referred to as the "archangel of Michael."
8. The seventh group of the encircling Salvington worlds, with their associated satellites, is assigned to the archangels. Sphere number one and all of its six tributary satellites are occupied by the personality record keepers. This enormous corps of recorders busy themselves with keeping straight the record of each mortal of time from the moment of birth up through the universe career until such an individual either leaves Salvington for the superuniverse regime or is "blotted out of recorded existence" by the mandate of the Ancients of Days.
9. The Most High Assistants are a group of volunteering beings, of origin outside the local universe, who are temporarily assigned as central and superuniverse representatives to, or observers of, the local creations.
10. The High Commissioners are Spirit‑fused ascendant mortals ...On the mansion worlds you will meet and fraternize with these Spirit‑fused mortals as they ascend the Paradise path with you as far as Salvington, where they stop...Not being Adjuster fused., they never become finaliters, but they do eventually become enrolled in the local universe Corps of Perfection.
11. The High Commissioners begin their service on the planets as race commissioners. In this capacity they interpret the viewpoints and portray the needs of the various human races...We invariably find these commissioners in all the tribunals of justice, from the lowest to the highest ...Whenever fairness and justice require an understanding of how a contemplated policy or procedure would affect the evolutionary races of time, these commissioners are at hand to present their recommendations; they are always present to speak for those who cannot be present to speak for themselves.
12. The Nebadon educational system is jointly administered by the Trinity Teacher sons and the Melchizedek teaching corps, but much of the work designed to effect its maintenance and. upbuilding is carried on by the Celestial Overseers. These beings are a recruited corps embracing all types of individuals connected with the scheme of educating and training the ascending mortals.
13. The entire universe is one vast school. The methods employed in many of the higher schools are beyond. the human concept of the art of teaching truth, but this is the keynote of the whole educational system: character acquired by enlightened experience ..Fundamentally, the Nebadon educational system provides for your assignment to a task and then affords you opportunity to receive instruction as to the Idea and divine method of best performing that task... The divine plan of education provides for the intimate association of work and instruction.
14. Andovontia is the name of the secondary Universe Circuit Supervisor stationed in our local universe. He is concerned. only with spirit and morontia circuits, not with those under the jurisdiction of the power directors. It was he who isolated Urantia at the time of the Caligastia betrayal of the planet during the testing seasons of the Lucifer rebellion, In sending greetings to the mortals of Urantia, he expresses pleasure in the anticipation of your sometime restoration to the universe circuits of his supervision.
15. As with the super‑ and central universes, the local universe has its orders of permanent citizenship. These include the following created types:
1. Susatia.
2. Univitatia.
3. Material Sons.
4. Midway Creatures.
These natives of the local creation, together with the Spirit‑fused ascenders and the spironga (who are otherwise classified), constitute a relatively permanent citizenship.
16. When a creative liaison between the Creator Son and the universe representative of the Infinite Spirit, the Universe Mother Spirit, has completed its cycle ...then does the Creator Son personalize in dual form his last concept of being...In and of himself he then creates the beautiful and superb Sons and Daughters of the material order of universe sonship. This is the origin of the original Adam and Eve of each local system of Nebadon.
17. On Urantia the midway ministers are in reality the actual custodians of the planet; they are, practically speaking, the citizens of Urantia. Mortals ...are born, live, die, and, pass on to other worlds of evolutionary progression. Even the super‑human beings who serve on the planets as celestial ministers are of transient assignment... Throughout all of this never‑ceasing changing and shifting, the midway creatures remain on the planet uninterruptedly carrying on their work.
18. As Urantia has its midwayers, Jerusem has the Material Sons and Daughters; Edentia has the univitatia, while the citizens of Salvington are two‑fold, the created susatia and the evolved Spirit‑fused mortals... the Uversa headquarters spheres are continuously fostered by an amazing group of beings known as the abandonters...Even Havona has its native beings, and the central Isle at Light and Life is the home of the various groups of Paradise Citizens.
19.The various Nebadon types of life are much too numerous to be catalogued in this Synopsis of Paper, but there are two unusual orders...that my be mentioned. The Spironga are the spirit offspring of the Bright and Morning Star and the Father Melchizedek...They are the spirit helpers of the local universe, executing the routine spirit tasks of Nebadon. The Spornagia…They are devoted to the care and culture of the material phases of these headquarters worlds, from Jerusem to Salvington. Spornagia are neither spirits nor persons; they are an animal order of existence, but if you could see them, you would agree that they seem to be perfect animals.
20. Always there is attached to the universe service a corps of ascending mortals, including the glorified midway creatures ..From each level of achievement these advancing mortals reach back and down to extend a helping band to their fellows who follow them in the upward climb. Such mortals of temporary sojourn on Salvington are assigned on requisition to practically all corps of celestial personalities as helpers, students, observers, and teachers.
21. Enough of the life and administration of this universe in being herewith portrayed to afford the mortal mind a grasp of the reality and grandeur of the survival existence. Further experience in your advancing careers will increasingly reveal these interesting and charming beings.
Discussion Questions
1. Why do you think we are given information about the vast number of beings serving in our local universe?
2. What might be the use of the Brilliant Evening Stars’ use of a spirit force independent of their personal presence?
3. What is the significance of having a divisional headquarters of archangel activities on Urantia?
4. What do you think is the purpose of keeping records of each person from birth to leaving Salvington?
5. In terms of personal satisfaction, how would you compare spirit-fused and Adjuster-fused mortals?
6. Is the intensive and extensive education of the universe threatening or comforting?
7. What do you think will happen to the permanent citizens of the local universe when the universe is settled in light and life?
A Service of
The Urantia Book Fellowship