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                 Urantia Book Paper 53 The Lucifer Rebellion
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                        Paper 53 The Lucifer Rebellion

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Introduction

LUCIFER was a brilliant primary Lanonandek Son of Nebadon. He had experienced
service in many systems, had been a high counselor of his group, and was
distinguished for wisdom, sagacity, and efficiency. Lucifer was number 37 of
his order, and when commissioned by the Melchizedeks, he was designated as one
of the one hundred most able and brilliant personalities in more than seven
hundred thousand of his kind. From such a magnificent beginning, through evil
and error, he embraced sin and now is numbered as one of three System
Sovereigns in Nebadon who have succumbed to the urge of self and surrendered to
the sophistry of spurious personal liberty--rejection of universe allegiance
and disregard of fraternal obligations, blindness to cosmic relationships.

In the universe of Nebadon, the domain of Christ Michael, there are ten
thousand systems of inhabited worlds. In all the history of Lanonandek Sons, in
all their work throughout these thousands of systems and at the universe
headquarters, only three System Sovereigns have ever been found in contempt of
the government of the Creator Son.

1. THE LEADERS OF REBELLION

Lucifer was not an ascendant being; he was a created Son of the local universe,
and of him it was said: "You were perfect in all your ways from the day you
were created till unrighteousness was found in you." Many times had he been in
counsel with the Most Highs of Edentia. And Lucifer reigned "upon the holy
mountain of God," the administrative mount of Jerusem, for he was the chief
executive of a great system of 607 inhabited worlds.

Lucifer was a magnificent being, a brilliant personality; he stood next to the
Most High Fathers of the constellations in the direct line of universe
authority. Notwithstanding Lucifer's transgression, subordinate intelligences
refrained from showing him disrespect and disdain prior to Michael's bestowal
on Urantia. Even the archangel of Michael, at the time of Moses' resurrection,
"did not bring against him an accusing judgment but simply said, `the Judge
rebuke you.'" Judgment in such matters belongs to the Ancients of Days, the
rulers of the superuniverse.

Lucifer is now the fallen and deposed Sovereign of Satania. Self-contemplation
is most disastrous, even to the exalted personalities of the celestial world.
Of Lucifer it was said: "Your heart was lifted up because of your beauty; you
corrupted your wisdom because of your brightness." Your olden prophet saw his
sad estate when he wrote: "How are you fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of
the morning! How are you cast down, you who dared to confuse the worlds!"

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Very little was heard of Lucifer on Urantia owing to the fact that he assigned
his first lieutenant, Satan, to advocate his cause on your planet. Satan was a
member of the same primary group of Lanonandeks but had never functioned as a
System Sovereign; he entered fully into the Lucifer insurrection. The "devil"
is none other than Caligastia, the deposed Planetary Prince of Urantia and a
Son of the secondary order of Lanonandeks. At the time Michael was on Urantia
in the flesh, Lucifer, Satan, and Caligastia were leagued together to effect
the miscarriage of his bestowal mission. But they signally failed.

Abaddon was the chief of the staff of Caligastia. He followed his master into
rebellion and has ever since acted as chief executive of the Urantia rebels.
Beelzebub was the leader of the disloyal midway creatures who allied themselves
with the forces of the traitorous Caligastia.

The dragon eventually became the symbolic representation of all these evil
personages. Upon the triumph of Michael, "Gabriel came down from Salvington and
bound the dragon (all the rebel leaders) for an age." Of the Jerusem seraphic
rebels it is written: "And the angels who kept not their first estate but left
their own habitation, he has reserved in sure chains of darkness to the
judgment of the great day."

2. THE CAUSES OF REBELLION

Lucifer and his first assistant, Satan, had reigned on Jerusem for more than
five hundred thousand years when in their hearts they began to array themselves
against the Universal Father and his then vicegerent Son, Michael.

There were no peculiar or special conditions in the system of Satania which
suggested or favored rebellion. It is our belief that the idea took origin and
form in Lucifer's mind, and that he might have instigated such a rebellion no
matter where he might have been stationed. Lucifer first announced his plans to
Satan, but it required several months to corrupt the mind of his able and
brilliant associate. However, when once converted to the rebel theories, he
became a bold and earnest advocate of "self-assertion and liberty."

No one ever suggested rebellion to Lucifer. The idea of self-assertion in
opposition to the will of Michael and to the plans of the Universal Father, as
they are represented in Michael, had its origin in his own mind. His relations
with the Creator Son had been intimate and always cordial. At no time prior to
the exaltation of his own mind did Lucifer openly express dissatisfaction about
the universe administration. Notwithstanding his silence, for more than one
hundred years of standard time the Union of Days on Salvington had been
reflectivating to Uversa that all was not at peace in Lucifer's mind. This
information was also communicated to the Creator Son and the Constellation
Fathers of Norlatiadek.

Throughout this period Lucifer became increasingly critical of the entire plan
of universe administration but always professed wholehearted loyalty to the
Supreme Rulers. His first outspoken disloyalty was manifested on the occasion
of a visit of Gabriel to Jerusem just a few days before the open proclamation
of the Lucifer Declaration of Liberty. Gabriel was so profoundly impressed with
the certainty of the impending outbreak that he went direct to Edentia to
confer with the Constellation Fathers regarding the measures to be employed in
case of open rebellion.

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It is very difficult to point out the exact cause or causes which finally
culminated in the Lucifer rebellion. We are certain of only one thing, and that
is: Whatever these first beginnings were, they had their origin in Lucifer's
mind. There must have been a pride of self that nourished itself to the point
of self-deception, so that Lucifer for a time really persuaded himself that his
contemplation of rebellion was actually for the good of the system, if not of
the universe. By the time his plans had developed to the point of
disillusionment, no doubt he had gone too far for his original and
mischief-making pride to permit him to stop. At some point in this experience
he became insincere, and evil evolved into deliberate and willful sin. That
this happened is proved by the subsequent conduct of this brilliant executive.
He was long offered opportunity for repentance, but only some of his
subordinates ever accepted the proffered mercy. The Faithful of Days of
Edentia, on the request of the Constellation Fathers, in person presented the
plan of Michael for the saving of these flagrant rebels, but always was the
mercy of the Creator Son rejected and rejected with increasing contempt and
disdain.

3. THE LUCIFER MANIFESTO

Whatever the early origins of trouble in the hearts of Lucifer and Satan, the
final outbreak took form as the Lucifer Declaration of Liberty. The cause of
the rebels was stated under three heads:

1. The reality of the Universal Father. Lucifer charged that the Universal
Father did not really exist, that physical gravity and space-energy were
inherent in the universe, and that the Father was a myth invented by the
Paradise Sons to enable them to maintain the rule of the universes in the
Father's name. He denied that personality was a gift of the Universal Father.
He even intimated that the finaliters were in collusion with the Paradise Sons
to foist fraud upon all creation since they never brought back a very clear-cut
idea of the Father's actual personality as it is discernible on Paradise. He
traded on reverence as ignorance. The charge was sweeping, terrible, and
blasphemous. It was this veiled attack upon the finaliters that no doubt
influenced the ascendant citizens then on Jerusem to stand firm and remain
steadfast in resistance to all the rebel's proposals.

2. The universe government of the Creator Son--Michael. Lucifer contended that
the local systems should be autonomous. He protested against the right of
Michael, the Creator Son, to assume sovereignty of Nebadon in the name of a
hypothetical Paradise Father and require all personalities to acknowledge
allegiance to this unseen Father. He asserted that the whole plan of worship
was a clever scheme to aggrandize the Paradise Sons. He was willing to
acknowledge Michael as his Creator-father but not as his God and rightful
ruler.

Most bitterly did he attack the right of the Ancients of Days--"foreign
potentates"--to interfere in the affairs of the local systems and universes.
These rulers he denounced as tyrants and usurpers. He exhorted his followers to
believe that none of these rulers could do aught to interfere with the
operation of complete home rule if men and angels only had the courage to
assert themselves and boldly claim their rights.

He contended that the executioners of the Ancients of Days could be debarred
from functioning in the local systems if the native beings would only

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assert their independence. He maintained that immortality was inherent in the
system personalities, that resurrection was natural and automatic, and that all
beings would live eternally except for the arbitrary and unjust acts of the
executioners of the Ancients of Days.

3. The attack upon the universal plan of ascendant mortal training. Lucifer
maintained that far too much time and energy were expended upon the scheme of
so thoroughly training ascending mortals in the principles of universe
administration, principles which he alleged were unethical and unsound. He
protested against the agelong program for preparing the mortals of space for
some unknown destiny and pointed to the presence of the finaliter corps on
Jerusem as proof that these mortals had spent ages of preparation for some
destiny of pure fiction. With derision he pointed out that the finaliters had
encountered a destiny no more glorious than to be returned to humble spheres
similar to those of their origin. He intimated that they had been debauched by
overmuch discipline and prolonged training, and that they were in reality
traitors to their mortal fellows since they were now co-operating with the
scheme of enslaving all creation to the fictions of a mythical eternal destiny
for ascending mortals. He advocated that ascenders should enjoy the liberty of
individual self-determination. He challenged and condemned the entire plan of
mortal ascension as sponsored by the Paradise Sons of God and supported by the
Infinite Spirit.

And it was with such a Declaration of Liberty that Lucifer launched his orgy of
darkness and death.

4. OUTBREAK OF THE REBELLION

The Lucifer manifesto was issued at the annual conclave of Satania on the sea
of glass, in the presence of the assembled hosts of Jerusem, on the last day of
the year, about two hundred thousand years ago, Urantia time. Satan proclaimed
that worship could be accorded the universal forces--physical, intellectual,
and spiritual--but that allegiance could be acknowledged only to the actual and
present ruler, Lucifer, the "friend of men and angels" and the "God of
liberty."

Self-assertion was the battle cry of the Lucifer rebellion. One of his chief
arguments was that, if self-government was good and right for the Melchizedeks
and other groups, it was equally good for all orders of intelligence. He was
bold and persistent in the advocacy of the "equality of mind" and "the
brotherhood of intelligence." He maintained that all government should be
limited to the local planets and their voluntary confederation into the local
systems. All other supervision he disallowed. He promised the Planetary Princes
that they should rule the worlds as supreme executives. He denounced the
location of legislative activities on the constellation headquarters and the
conduct of judicial affairs on the universe capital. He contended that all
these functions of government should be concentrated on the system capitals and
proceeded to set up his own legislative assembly and organized his own
tribunals under the jurisdiction of Satan. And he directed that the princes on
the apostate worlds do the same.

The entire administrative cabinet of Lucifer went over in a body and were sworn
in publicly as the officers of the administration of the new head of "the
liberated worlds and systems."

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While there had been two previous rebellions in Nebadon, they were in distant
constellations. Lucifer held that these insurrections were unsuccessful because
the majority of the intelligences failed to follow their leaders. He contended
that "majorities rule," that "mind is infallible." The freedom allowed him by
the universe rulers apparently sustained many of his nefarious contentions. He
defied all his superiors; yet they apparently took no note of his doings. He
was given a free hand to prosecute his seductive plan without let or hindrance.

All the merciful delays of justice Lucifer pointed to as evidence of the
inability of the government of the Paradise Sons to stop the rebellion. He
would openly defy and arrogantly challenge Michael, Immanuel, and the Ancients
of Days and then point to the fact that no action ensued as positive evidence
of the impotency of the universe and the superuniverse governments.

Gabriel was personally present throughout all these disloyal proceedings and
only announced that he would, in due time, speak for Michael, and that all
beings would be left free and unmolested in their choice; that the "government
of the Sons for the Father desired only that loyalty and devotion which was
voluntary, wholehearted, and sophistry-proof."

Lucifer was permitted fully to establish and thoroughly to organize his rebel
government before Gabriel made any effort to contest the right of secession or
to counterwork the rebel propaganda. But the Constellation Fathers immediately
confined the action of these disloyal personalities to the system of Satania.
Nevertheless, this period of delay was a time of great trial and testing to the
loyal beings of all Satania. All was chaotic for a few years, and there was
great confusion on the mansion worlds.

5. NATURE OF THE CONFLICT

Upon the outbreak of the Satania rebellion, Michael took counsel of his
Paradise brother, Immanuel. Following this momentous conference, Michael
announced that he would pursue the same policy which had characterized his
dealings with similar upheavals in the past, an attitude of noninterference.

At the time of this rebellion and the two which preceded it there was no
absolute and personal sovereign authority in the universe of Nebadon. Michael
ruled by divine right, as vicegerent of the Universal Father, but not yet in
his own personal right. He had not completed his bestowal career; he had not
yet been vested with "all power in heaven and on earth."

From the outbreak of rebellion to the day of his enthronement as sovereign
ruler of Nebadon, Michael never interfered with the rebel forces of Lucifer;
they were allowed to run a free course for almost two hundred thousand years of
Urantia time. Christ Michael now has ample power and authority to deal
promptly, even summarily, with such outbreaks of disloyalty, but we doubt that
this sovereign authority would lead him to act differently if another such
upheaval should occur.

Since Michael elected to remain aloof from the actual warfare of the Lucifer
rebellion, Gabriel called his personal staff together on Edentia and, in
counsel with the Most Highs, elected to assume command of the loyal hosts of
Satania. Michael remained on Salvington while Gabriel proceeded to Jerusem, and
establishing himself on the sphere dedicated to the Father--the same Universal

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Father whose personality Lucifer and Satan had questioned--in the presence of
the forgathered hosts of loyal personalities, he displayed the banner of
Michael, the material emblem of the Trinity government of all creation, the
three azure blue concentric circles on a white background.

The Lucifer emblem was a banner of white with one red circle, in the center of
which a black solid circle appeared.

"There was war in heaven; Michael's commander and his angels fought against the
dragon (Lucifer, Satan, and the apostate princes); and the dragon and his
rebellious angels fought but prevailed not." This "war in heaven" was not a
physical battle as such a conflict might be conceived on Urantia. In the early
days of the struggle Lucifer held forth continuously in the planetary
amphitheater. Gabriel conducted an unceasing exposure of the rebel sophistries
from his headquarters taken up near at hand. The various personalities present
on the sphere who were in doubt as to their attitude would journey back and
forth between these discussions until they arrived at a final decision.

But this war in heaven was very terrible and very real. While displaying none
of the barbarities so characteristic of physical warfare on the immature
worlds, this conflict was far more deadly; material life is in jeopardy in
material combat, but the war in heaven was fought in terms of life eternal.

6. A LOYAL SERAPHIC COMMANDER

There were many noble and inspiring acts of devotion and loyalty which were
performed by numerous personalities during the interim between the outbreak of
hostilities and the arrival of the new system ruler and his staff. But the most
thrilling of all these daring feats of devotion was the courageous conduct of
Manotia, the second in command of the Satania headquarters' seraphim.

At the outbreak of rebellion on Jerusem the head of the seraphic hosts joined
the Lucifer cause. This no doubt explains why such a large number of the fourth
order, the system administrator seraphim, went astray. The seraphic leader was
spiritually blinded by the brilliant personality of Lucifer; his charming ways
fascinated the lower orders of celestial beings. They simply could not
comprehend that it was possible for such a dazzling personality to go wrong.

Not long since, in describing the experiences associated with the onset of the
Lucifer rebellion, Manotia said: "But my most exhilarating moment was the
thrilling adventure connected with the Lucifer rebellion when, as second
seraphic commander, I refused to participate in the projected insult to
Michael; and the powerful rebels sought my destruction by means of the liaison
forces they had arranged. There was a tremendous upheaval on Jerusem, but not a
single loyal seraphim was harmed.

"Upon the default of my immediate superior it devolved upon me to assume
command of the angelic hosts of Jerusem as the titular director of the confused
seraphic affairs of the system. I was morally upheld by the Melchizedeks, ably
assisted by a majority of the Material Sons, deserted by a tremendous group of
my own order, but magnificently supported by the ascendant mortals on Jerusem.

"Having been automatically thrown out of the constellation circuits by the
secession of Lucifer, we were dependent on the loyalty of our intelligence
corps, who forwarded calls for help to Edentia from the near-by system of
Rantulia; and we found that the kingdom of order, the intellect of loyalty, and
the spirit

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of truth were inherently triumphant over rebellion, self-assertion, and
so-called personal liberty; we were able to carry on until the arrival of the
new System Sovereign, the worthy successor of Lucifer. And immediately
thereafter I was assigned to the corps of the Melchizedek receivership of
Urantia, assuming jurisdiction over the loyal seraphic orders on the world of
the traitorous Caligastia, who had proclaimed his sphere a member of the newly
projected system of `liberated worlds and emancipated personalities' proposed
in the infamous Declaration of Liberty issued by Lucifer in his call to the
`liberty-loving, freethinking, and forward-looking intelligences of the
misruled and maladministered worlds of Satania.'"

This angel is still in service on Urantia, functioning as associate chief of
seraphim.

7. HISTORY OF THE REBELLION

The Lucifer rebellion was system wide. Thirty-seven seceding Planetary Princes
swung their world administrations largely to the side of the archrebel. Only on
Panoptia did the Planetary Prince fail to carry his people with him. On this
world, under the guidance of the Melchizedeks, the people rallied to the
support of Michael. Ellanora, a young woman of that mortal realm, grasped the
leadership of the human races, and not a single soul on that strife-torn world
enlisted under the Lucifer banner. And ever since have these loyal Panoptians
served on the seventh Jerusem transition world as the caretakers and builders
on the Father's sphere and its surrounding seven detention worlds. The
Panoptians not only act as the literal custodians of these worlds, but they
also execute the personal orders of Michael for the embellishment of these
spheres for some future and unknown use. They do this work as they tarry en
route to Edentia.

Throughout this period Caligastia was advocating the cause of Lucifer on
Urantia. The Melchizedeks ably opposed the apostate Planetary Prince, but the
sophistries of unbridled liberty and the delusions of self-assertion had every
opportunity for deceiving the primitive peoples of a young and undeveloped
world.

All secession propaganda had to be carried on by personal effort because the
broadcast service and all other avenues of interplanetary communication were
suspended by the action of the system circuit supervisors. Upon the actual
outbreak of the insurrection the entire system of Satania was isolated in both
the constellation and the universe circuits. During this time all incoming and
outgoing messages were dispatched by seraphic agents and Solitary Messengers.
The circuits to the fallen worlds were also cut off, so that Lucifer could not
utilize this avenue for the furtherance of his nefarious scheme. And these
circuits will not be restored so long as the archrebel lives within the
confines of Satania.

This was a Lanonandek rebellion. The higher orders of local universe sonship
did not join the Lucifer secession, although a few of the Life Carriers
stationed on the rebel planets were somewhat influenced by the rebellion of the
disloyal princes. None of the Trinitized Sons went astray. The Melchizedeks,
archangels, and the Brilliant Evening Stars were all loyal to Michael and, with
Gabriel, valiantly contended for the Father's will and the Son's rule.

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No beings of Paradise origin were involved in disloyalty. Together with the
Solitary Messengers they took up headquarters on the world of the Spirit and
remained under the leadership of the Faithful of Days of Edentia. None of the
conciliators apostatized, nor did a single one of the Celestial Recorders go
astray. But a heavy toll was taken of the Morontia Companions and the Mansion
World Teachers.

Of the supreme order of seraphim, not an angel was lost, but a considerable
group of the next order, the superior, were deceived and ensnared. Likewise a
few of the third or supervisor order of angels were misled. But the terrible
breakdown came in the fourth group, the administrator angels, those seraphim
who are normally assigned to the duties of the system capitals. Manotia saved
almost two thirds of them, but slightly over one third followed their chief
into the rebel ranks. One third of all the Jerusem cherubim attached to the
administrator angels were lost with their disloyal seraphim.

Of the planetary angelic helpers, those assigned to the Material Sons, about
one third were deceived, and almost ten per cent of the transition ministers
were ensnared. In symbol John saw this when he wrote of the great red dragon,
saying: "And his tail drew a third part of the stars of heaven and cast them
down in darkness."

The greatest loss occurred in the angelic ranks, but most of the lower orders
of intelligence were involved in disloyalty. Of the 681,217 Material Sons lost
in Satania, ninety-five per cent were casualties of the Lucifer rebellion.
Large numbers of midway creatures were lost on those individual planets whose
Planetary Princes joined the Lucifer cause.

In many respects this rebellion was the most widespread and disastrous of all
such occurrences in Nebadon. More personalities were involved in this
insurrection than in both of the others. And it is to their everlasting
dishonor that the emissaries of Lucifer and Satan spared not the
infant-training schools on the finaliter cultural planet but rather sought to
corrupt these developing minds in mercy salvaged from the evolutionary worlds.

The ascending mortals were vulnerable, but they withstood the sophistries of
rebellion better than the lower spirits. While many on the lower mansion
worlds, those who had not attained final fusion with their Adjusters, fell, it
is recorded to the glory of the wisdom of the ascension scheme that not a
single member of the Satania ascendant citizenship resident on Jerusem
participated in the Lucifer rebellion.

Hour by hour and day by day the broadcast stations of all Nebadon were thronged
by the anxious watchers of every imaginable class of celestial intelligence,
who intently perused the bulletins of the Satania rebellion and rejoiced as the
reports continuously narrated the unswerving loyalty of the ascending mortals
who, under their Melchizedek leadership, successfully withstood the combined
and protracted efforts of all the subtle evil forces which so swiftly gathered
around the banners of secession and sin.

It was over two years of system time from the beginning of the "war in heaven"
until the installation of Lucifer's successor. But at last the new Sovereign
came, landing on the sea of glass with his staff. I was among the reserves
mobilized on Edentia by Gabriel, and I well remember the first message of
Lanaforge to the Constellation Father of Norlatiadek. It read: "Not a single
Jerusem citizen was lost. Every ascendant mortal survived the fiery trial and
emerged

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from the crucial test triumphant and altogether victorious." And on to
Salvington, Uversa, and Paradise went this message of assurance that the
survival experience of mortal ascension is the greatest security against
rebellion and the surest safeguard against sin. This noble Jerusem band of
faithful mortals numbered just 187,432,811.

With the arrival of Lanaforge the archrebels were dethroned and shorn of all
governing powers, though they were permitted freely to go about Jerusem, the
morontia spheres, and even to the individual inhabited worlds. They continued
their deceptive and seductive efforts to confuse and mislead the minds of men
and angels. But as concerned their work on the administrative mount of Jerusem,
"their place was found no more."

While Lucifer was deprived of all administrative authority in Satania, there
then existed no local universe power nor tribunal which could detain or destroy
this wicked rebel; at that time Michael was not a sovereign ruler. The Ancients
of Days sustained the Constellation Fathers in their seizure of the system
government, but they have never handed down any subsequent decisions in the
many appeals still pending with regard to the present status and future
disposition of Lucifer, Satan, and their associates.

Thus were these archrebels allowed to roam the entire system to seek further
penetration for their doctrines of discontent and self-assertion. But in almost
two hundred thousand Urantia years they have been unable to deceive another
world. No Satania worlds have been lost since the fall of the thirty-seven, not
even those younger worlds peopled since that day of rebellion.

8. THE SON OF MAN ON URANTIA

Lucifer and Satan freely roamed the Satania system until the completion of the
bestowal mission of Michael on Urantia. They were last on your world together
during the time of their combined assault upon the Son of Man.

Formerly, when the Planetary Princes, the "Sons of God," were periodically
assembled, "Satan came also," claiming that he represented all of the isolated
worlds of the fallen Planetary Princes. But he has not been accorded such
liberty on Jerusem since Michael's terminal bestowal. Subsequent to their
effort to corrupt Michael when in the bestowal flesh, all sympathy for Lucifer
and Satan has perished throughout all Satania, that is, outside the isolated
worlds of sin.

The bestowal of Michael terminated the Lucifer rebellion in all Satania aside
from the planets of the apostate Planetary Princes. And this was the
significance of Jesus' personal experience, just before his death in the flesh,
when he one day exclaimed to his disciples, "And I beheld Satan fall as
lightning from heaven." He had come with Lucifer to Urantia for the last
crucial struggle.

The Son of Man was confident of success, and he knew that his triumph on your
world would forever settle the status of his agelong enemies, not only in
Satania but also in the other two systems where sin had entered. There was
survival for mortals and security for angels when your Master, in reply to the
Lucifer proposals, calmly and with divine assurance replied, "Get you behind
me, Satan." That was, in principle, the real end of the Lucifer rebellion.
True, the Uversa tribunals have not yet rendered the executive decision
regarding the

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appeal of Gabriel praying for the destruction of the rebels, but such a decree
will, no doubt, be forthcoming in the fullness of time since the first step in
the hearing of this case has already been taken.

Caligastia was recognized by the Son of Man as the technical Prince of Urantia
up to near the time of his death. Said Jesus: "Now is the judgment of this
world; now shall the prince of this world be cast down." And then still nearer
the completion of his lifework he announced, "The prince of this world is
judged." And it is this same dethroned and discredited Prince who was once
termed "God of Urantia."

The last act of Michael before leaving Urantia was to offer mercy to Caligastia
and Daligastia, but they spurned his tender proffer. Caligastia, your apostate
Planetary Prince, is still free on Urantia to prosecute his nefarious designs,
but he has absolutely no power to enter the minds of men, neither can he draw
near to their souls to tempt or corrupt them unless they really desire to be
cursed with his wicked presence.

Before the bestowal of Michael these rulers of darkness sought to maintain
their authority on Urantia, and they persistently withstood the minor and
subordinate celestial personalities. But since the day of Pentecost this
traitorous Caligastia and his equally contemptible associate, Daligastia, are
servile before the divine majesty of the Paradise Thought Adjusters and the
protective Spirit of Truth, the spirit of Michael, which has been poured out
upon all flesh.

But even so, no fallen spirit ever did have the power to invade the minds or to
harass the souls of the children of God. Neither Satan nor Caligastia could
ever touch or approach the faith sons of God; faith is an effective armor
against sin and iniquity. It is true: "He who is born of God keeps himself, and
the wicked one touches him not."

In general, when weak and dissolute mortals are supposed to be under the
influence of devils and demons, they are merely being dominated by their own
inherent and debased tendencies, being led away by their own natural
propensities. The devil has been given a great deal of credit for evil which
does not belong to him. Caligastia has been comparatively impotent since the
cross of Christ.

9. PRESENT STATUS OF THE REBELLION

Early in the days of the Lucifer rebellion, salvation was offered all rebels by
Michael. To all who would show proof of sincere repentance, he offered, upon
his attainment of complete universe sovereignty, forgiveness and reinstatement
in some form of universe service. None of the leaders accepted this merciful
proffer. But thousands of the angels and the lower orders of celestial beings,
including hundreds of the Material Sons and Daughters, accepted the mercy
proclaimed by the Panoptians and were given rehabilitation at the time of
Jesus' resurrection nineteen hundred years ago. These beings have since been
transferred to the Father's world of Jerusem, where they must be held,
technically, until the Uversa courts hand down a decision in the matter of
Gabriel vs. Lucifer. But no one doubts that, when the annihilation verdict is
issued, these repentant and salvaged personalities will be exempted from the
decree of extinction. These probationary souls now labor with the Panoptians in
the work of caring for the Father's world.

                                top of page - 611

The archdeceiver has never been on Urantia since the days when he sought to
turn back Michael from the purpose to complete the bestowal and to establish
himself finally and securely as the unqualified ruler of Nebadon. Upon
Michael's becoming the settled head of the universe of Nebadon, Lucifer was
taken into custody by the agents of the Uversa Ancients of Days and has since
been a prisoner on satellite number one of the Father's group of the transition
spheres of Jerusem. And here the rulers of other worlds and systems behold the
end of the unfaithful Sovereign of Satania. Paul knew of the status of these
rebellious leaders following Michael's bestowal, for he wrote of Caligastia's
chiefs as "spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places."

Michael, upon assuming the supreme sovereignty of Nebadon, petitioned the
Ancients of Days for authority to intern all personalities concerned in the
Lucifer rebellion pending the rulings of the superuniverse tribunals in the
case of Gabriel vs. Lucifer, placed on the records of the Uversa supreme court
almost two hundred thousand years ago, as you reckon time. Concerning the
system capital group, the Ancients of Days granted the Michael petition with
but a single exception: Satan was allowed to make periodic visits to the
apostate princes on the fallen worlds until another Son of God should be
accepted by such apostate worlds, or until such time as the courts of Uversa
should begin the adjudication of the case of Gabriel vs. Lucifer.

Satan could come to Urantia because you had no Son of standing in
residence--neither Planetary Prince nor Material Son. Machiventa Melchizedek
has since been proclaimed vicegerent Planetary Prince of Urantia, and the
opening of the case of Gabriel vs. Lucifer has signalized the inauguration of
temporary planetary regimes on all the isolated worlds. It is true that Satan
did periodically visit Caligastia and others of the fallen princes right up to
the time of the presentation of these revelations, when there occurred the
first hearing of Gabriel's plea for the annihilation of the archrebels. Satan
is now unqualifiedly detained on the Jerusem prison worlds.

Since Michael's final bestowal no one in all Satania has desired to go to the
prison worlds to minister to the interned rebels. And no more beings have been
won to the deceiver's cause. For nineteen hundred years the status has been
unchanged.

We do not look for a removal of the present Satania restrictions until the
Ancients of Days make final disposition of the archrebels. The system circuits
will not be reinstated so long as Lucifer lives. Meantime, he is wholly
inactive.

The rebellion has ended on Jerusem. It ends on the fallen worlds as fast as
divine Sons arrive. We believe that all rebels who will ever accept mercy have
done so. We await the flashing broadcast that will deprive these traitors of
personality existence. We anticipate the verdict of Uversa will be announced by
the executionary broadcast which will effect the annihilation of these interned
rebels. Then will you look for their places, but they shall not be found. "And
they who know you among the worlds will be astonished at you; you have been a
terror, but never shall you be any more." And thus shall all of these unworthy
traitors "become as though they had not been." All await the Uversa decree.

But for ages the seven prison worlds of spiritual darkness in Satania have
constituted a solemn warning to all Nebadon, eloquently and effectively
proclaiming the great truth "that the way of the transgressor is hard"; "that
within

                                top of page - 612

every sin is concealed the seed of its own destruction"; that "the wages of sin
is death."

[Presented by Manovandet Melchizedek, onetime attached to the receivership of
Urantia.]

                                top of page - 613

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  Subjects Archive The Urantia Book Urantia Book PART II: The Local Universe :
The Evolution Of Local Universes Administration Of The Local Universe The Local
    Universe Mother Spirit The Local Universe Sons Of God The Life Carriers
  Personalities Of The Local Universe Ministering Spirits Of The Local Universe
   The Seraphic Hosts The Ascending Sons Of God Physical Aspects Of The Local
 Universe Energy--mind And Matter The Constellations The Celestial Artisans The
  Local System Administration The Local System Headquarters The Seven Mansion
    Worlds The Morontia Life The Inhabited Worlds The Planetary Princes The
  Planetary Adams Planetary Mortal Epochs The Lucifer Rebellion Problems Of The
        Lucifer Rebellion The Spheres Of Light And Life Universal Unity

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