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            Urantia Book Paper 119 The Bestowals Of Christ Michael
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                      ... The Bestowals Of Christ Michael
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                  Paper 119 The Bestowals Of Christ Michael

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Introduction

CHIEF of the Evening Stars of Nebadon, I am assigned to Urantia by Gabriel on
the mission of revealing the story of the seven bestowals of the Universe
Sovereign, Michael of Nebadon, and my name is Gavalia. In making this
presentation, I will adhere strictly to the limitations imposed by my
commission.

The attribute of bestowal is inherent in the Paradise Sons of the Universal
Father. In their desire to come close to the life experiences of their
subordinate living creatures, the various orders of the Paradise Sons are
reflecting the divine nature of their Paradise parents. The Eternal Son of the
Paradise Trinity led the way in this practice, having seven times bestowed
himself upon the seven circuits of Havona during the times of the ascension of
Grandfanda and the first of the pilgrims from time and space. And the Eternal
Son continues to bestow himself upon the local universes of space in the
persons of his representatives, the Michael and Avonal Sons.

When the Eternal Son bestows a Creator Son upon a projected local universe,
that Creator Son assumes full responsibility for the completion, control, and
composure of that new universe, including the solemn oath to the eternal
Trinity not to assume full sovereignty of the new creation until his seven
creature bestowals shall have been successfully completed and certified by the
Ancients of Days of the superuniverse of jurisdiction. This obligation is
assumed by every Michael Son who volunteers to go out from Paradise to engage
in universe organization and creation.

The purpose of these creature incarnations is to enable such Creators to become
wise, sympathetic, just, and understanding sovereigns. These divine Sons are
innately just, but they become understandingly merciful as a result of these
successive bestowal experiences; they are naturally merciful, but these
experiences make them merciful in new and additional ways. These bestowals are
the last steps in their education and training for the sublime tasks of ruling
the local universes in divine righteousness and by just judgment.

Though numerous incidental benefits accrue to the various worlds, systems, and
constellations, as well as to the different orders of universe intelligences
affected and benefited by these bestowals, still they are primarily designed to
complete the personal training and universe education of a Creator Son himself.
These bestowals are not essential to the wise, just, and efficient management
of a local universe, but they are absolutely necessary to a fair, merciful, and
understanding administration of such a creation, teeming with its varied forms
of life and its myriads of intelligent but imperfect creatures.

The Michael Sons begin their work of universe organization with a full and just
sympathy for the various orders of beings whom they have created. They

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have vast stores of mercy for all these differing creatures, even pity for
those who err and flounder in the selfish mire of their own production. But
such endowments of justice and righteousness will not suffice in the estimate
of the Ancients of Days. These triune rulers of the superuniverses will never
certify a Creator Son as Universe Sovereign until he has really acquired the
viewpoint of his own creatures by actual experience in the environment of their
existence and as these very creatures themselves. In this way such Sons become
intelligent and understanding rulers; they come to know the various groups over
which they rule and exercise universe authority. By living experience they
possess themselves of practical mercy, fair judgment, and the patience born of
experiential creature existence.

The local universe of Nebadon is now ruled by a Creator Son who has completed
his service of bestowal; he reigns in just and merciful supremacy over all the
vast realms of his evolving and perfecting universe. Michael of Nebadon is the
611,121st bestowal of the Eternal Son upon the universes of time and space, and
he began the organization of your local universe about four hundred billion
years ago. Michael made ready for his first bestowal adventure about the time
Urantia was taking on its present form, one billion years ago. His bestowals
have occurred about one hundred and fifty million years apart, the last taking
place on Urantia nineteen hundred years ago. I will now proceed to unfold the
nature and character of these bestowals as fully as my commission permits.

1. THE FIRST BESTOWAL

It was a solemn occasion on Salvington almost one billion years ago when the
assembled directors and chiefs of the universe of Nebadon heard Michael
announce that his elder brother, Immanuel, would presently assume authority in
Nebadon while he (Michael) would be absent on an unexplained mission. No other
announcement was made about this transaction except that the farewell broadcast
to the Constellation Fathers, among other instructions, said: "And for this
period I place you under the care and keeping of Immanuel while I go to do the
bidding of my Paradise Father."

After sending this farewell broadcast, Michael appeared on the dispatching
field of Salvington, just as on many previous occasions when preparing for
departure to Uversa or Paradise except that he came alone. He concluded his
statement of departure with these words: "I leave you but for a short season.
Many of you, I know, would go with me, but whither I go you cannot come. That
which I am about to do, you cannot do. I go to do the will of the Paradise
Deities, and when I have finished my mission and have acquired this experience,
I will return to my place among you." And having thus spoken, Michael of
Nebadon vanished from the sight of all those assembled and did not reappear for
twenty years of standard time. In all Salvington, only the Divine Minister and
Immanuel knew what was taking place, and the Union of Days shared his secret
only with the chief executive of the universe, Gabriel, the Bright and Morning
Star.

All the inhabitants of Salvington and those dwelling on the constellation and
system headquarters worlds assembled about their respective receiving stations
for universe intelligence, hoping to get some word of the mission and
whereabouts of the Creator Son. Not until the third day after Michael's
departure was any message of possible significance received. On this day a
communication was

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registered on Salvington from the Melchizedek sphere, the headquarters of that
order in Nebadon, which simply recorded this extraordinary and
never-before-heard-of transaction: "At noon today there appeared on the
receiving field of this world a strange Melchizedek Son, not of our number but
wholly like our order. He was accompanied by a solitary omniaphim who bore
credentials from Uversa and presented orders addressed to our chief, derived
from the Ancients of Days and concurred in by Immanuel of Salvington, directing
that this new Melchizedek Son be received into our order and assigned to the
emergency service of the Melchizedeks of Nebadon. And it has been so ordered;
it has been done."

And this is about all that appears on the records of Salvington regarding the
first Michael bestowal. Nothing more appears until after one hundred years of
Urantia time, when there was recorded the fact of Michael's return and
unannounced resumption of the direction of universe affairs. But a strange
record is to be found on the Melchizedek world, a recital of the service of
this unique Melchizedek Son of the emergency corps of that age. This record is
preserved in a simple temple which now occupies the foreground of the home of
the Father Melchizedek, and it comprises the narration of the service of this
transitory Melchizedek Son in connection with his assignment to twenty-four
missions of universe emergency. And this record, which I have so recently
reviewed, ends thus:

"And at noon on this day, without previous announcement and witnessed by only
three of our brotherhood, this visiting Son of our order disappeared from our
world as he came, accompanied only by a solitary omniaphim; and this record is
now closed with the certification that this visitor lived as a Melchizedek, in
the likeness of a Melchizedek he worked as a Melchizedek, and he faithfully
performed all of his assignments as an emergency Son of our order. By universal
consent he has become chief of Melchizedeks, having earned our love and
adoration by his matchless wisdom, supreme love, and superb devotion to duty.
He loved us, understood us, and served with us, and forever we are his loyal
and devoted fellow Melchizedeks, for this stranger on our world has now
eternally become a universe minister of Melchizedek nature."

And that is all I am permitted to tell you of the first bestowal of Michael.
We, of course, fully understand that this strange Melchizedek who so
mysteriously served with the Melchizedeks a billion years ago was none other
than the incarnated Michael on the mission of his first bestowal. The records
do not specifically state that this unique and efficient Melchizedek was
Michael, but it is universally believed that he was. Probably the actual
statement of that fact cannot be found outside of the records of Sonarington,
and the records of that secret world are not open to us. Only on this sacred
world of the divine Sons are the mysteries of incarnation and bestowal fully
known. We all know of the facts of the Michael bestowals, but we do not
understand how they are effected. We do not know how the ruler of a universe,
the creator of the Melchizedeks, can so suddenly and mysteriously become one of
their number and, as one of them, live among them and work as a Melchizedek Son
for one hundred years. But it so happened.

2. THE SECOND BESTOWAL

For almost one hundred and fifty million years after the Melchizedek bestowal
of Michael, all went well in the universe of Nebadon, when trouble began

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to brew in system 11 of constellation 37. This trouble involved a
misunderstanding by a Lanonandek Son, a System Sovereign, which had been
adjudicated by the Constellation Fathers and approved by the Faithful of Days,
the Paradise counselor to that constellation, but the protesting System
Sovereign was not fully reconciled to the verdict. After more than one hundred
years of dissatisfaction he led his associates in one of the most widespread
and disastrous rebellions against the sovereignty of the Creator Son ever
instigated in the universe of Nebadon, a rebellion long since adjudicated and
ended by the action of the Ancients of Days on Uversa.

This rebel System Sovereign, Lutentia, reigned supreme on his headquarters
planet for more than twenty years of standard Nebadon time; whereupon, the Most
Highs, with approval from Uversa, ordered his segregation and requisitioned the
Salvington rulers for the designation of a new System Sovereign to assume
direction of that strife-torn and confused system of inhabited worlds.

Simultaneously with the reception of this request on Salvington, Michael
initiated the second of those extraordinary proclamations of intention to be
absent from the universe headquarters for the purpose of "doing the bidding of
my Paradise Father," promising to "return in due season" and concentrating all
authority in the hands of his Paradise brother, Immanuel, the Union of Days.

And then, by the same technique observed at the time of his departure in
connection with the Melchizedek bestowal, Michael again took leave of his
headquarters sphere. Three days after this unexplained leave-taking there
appeared among the reserve corps of the primary Lanonandek Sons of Nebadon, a
new and unknown member. This new Son appeared at noon, unannounced and
accompanied by a lone tertiaphim who bore credentials from the Uversa Ancients
of Days, certified by Immanuel of Salvington, directing that this new Son be
assigned to system 11 of constellation 37 as the successor of the deposed
Lutentia and with full authority as acting System Sovereign pending the
appointment of a new sovereign.

For more than seventeen years of universe time this strange and unknown
temporary ruler administered the affairs and wisely adjudicated the
difficulties of this confused and demoralized local system. No System Sovereign
was ever more ardently loved or more widespreadly honored and respected. In
justice and mercy this new ruler set the turbulent system in order while he
painstakingly ministered to all his subjects, even offering his rebellious
predecessor the privilege of sharing the system throne of authority if he would
only apologize to Immanuel for his indiscretions. But Lutentia spurned these
overtures of mercy, well knowing that this new and strange System Sovereign was
none other than Michael, the very universe ruler whom he had so recently
defied. But millions of his misguided and deluded followers accepted the
forgiveness of this new ruler, known in that age as the Savior Sovereign of the
system of Palonia.

And then came that eventful day on which there arrived the newly appointed
System Sovereign, designated by the universe authorities as the permanent
successor of the deposed Lutentia, and all Palonia mourned the departure of the
most noble and the most benign system ruler that Nebadon had ever known. He was
beloved by all the system and adored by his fellows of all groups of the
Lanonandek Sons. His departure was not unceremonious; a great celebration was
arranged when he left the system headquarters. Even his erring predecessor sent
this message: "Just and righteous are you in all your ways. While I con-

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tinue in rejection of the Paradise rule, I am compelled to confess that you are
a just and merciful administrator."

And then did this transient ruler of a rebellious system take leave of the
planet of his short administrative sojourn, while on the third day thereafter
Michael appeared on Salvington and resumed the direction of the universe of
Nebadon. There soon followed the third Uversa proclamation of the advancing
jurisdiction of the sovereignty and authority of Michael. The first
proclamation was made at the time of his arrival in Nebadon, the second was
issued soon after the completion of the Melchizedek bestowal, and now the third
follows upon the termination of the second or Lanonandek mission.

3. THE THIRD BESTOWAL

The supreme council on Salvington had just finished the consideration of the
call of the Life Carriers on planet 217 in system 87 in constellation 61 for
the dispatch to their assistance of a Material Son. Now this planet was
situated in a system of inhabited worlds where another System Sovereign had
gone astray, the second such rebellion in all Nebadon up to that time.

Upon the request of Michael, action on the petition of the Life Carriers of
this planet was deferred pending its consideration by Immanuel and his report
thereon. This was an irregular procedure, and I well remember how we all
anticipated something unusual, and we were not long held in suspense. Michael
proceeded to place universe direction in the hands of Immanuel, while he
intrusted command of the celestial forces to Gabriel, and having thus disposed
of his administrative responsibilities, he took leave of the Universe Mother
Spirit and vanished from the dispatching field of Salvington precisely as he
had done on two previous occasions.

And, as might have been expected, on the third day thereafter there appeared,
unannounced, on the headquarters world of system 87 in constellation 61, a
strange Material Son, accompanied by a lone seconaphim, accredited by the
Uversa Ancients of Days, and certified by Immanuel of Salvington. Immediately
the acting System Sovereign appointed this new and mysterious Material Son
acting Planetary Prince of world 217, and this designation was at once
confirmed by the Most Highs of constellation 61.

Thus did this unique Material Son begin his difficult career on a quarantined
world of secession and rebellion, located in a beleaguered system without any
direct communication with the outside universe, working alone for one whole
generation of planetary time. This emergency Material Son effected the
repentance and reclamation of the defaulting Planetary Prince and his entire
staff and witnessed the restoration of the planet to the loyal service of the
Paradise rule as established in the local universes. In due time a Material Son
and Daughter arrived on this rejuvenated and redeemed world, and when they had
been duly installed as visible planetary rulers, the transitory or emergency
Planetary Prince took formal leave, disappearing at noon one day. On the third
day thereafter, Michael appeared in his accustomed place on Salvington, and
very soon the superuniverse broadcasts carried the fourth proclamation of the
Ancients of Days announcing the further advancement of the sovereignty of
Michael in Nebadon.

I regret that I do not have permission to narrate the patience, fortitude, and
skill with which this Material Son met the trying situations on this confused

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planet. The reclamation of this isolated world is one of the most beautifully
touching chapters in the annals of salvation throughout Nebadon. By the end of
this mission it had become evident to all Nebadon as to why their beloved ruler
chose to engage in these repeated bestowals in the likeness of some subordinate
order of intelligent being.

The bestowals of Michael as a Melchizedek Son, then as a Lanonandek Son, and
next as a Material Son are all equally mysterious and beyond explanation. In
each instance he appeared suddenly and as a fully developed individual of the
bestowal group. The mystery of such incarnations will never be known except to
those who have access to the inner circle of the records on the sacred sphere
of Sonarington.

Never, since this marvelous bestowal as the Planetary Prince of a world in
isolation and rebellion, have any of the Material Sons or Daughters in Nebadon
been tempted to complain of their assignments or to find fault with the
difficulties of their planetary missions. For all time the Material Sons know
that in the Creator Son of the universe they have an understanding sovereign
and a sympathetic friend, one who has in "all points been tried and tested,"
even as they must also be tried and tested.

Each of these missions was followed by an age of increasing service and loyalty
among all celestial intelligences of universe origin, while each succeeding
bestowal age was characterized by advancement and improvement in all methods of
universe administration and in all techniques of government. Since this
bestowal no Material Son or Daughter has ever knowingly joined in rebellion
against Michael; they love and honor him too devotedly ever consciously to
reject him. Only through deception and sophistry have the Adams of recent times
been led astray by higher types of rebel personalities.

4. THE FOURTH BESTOWAL

It was at the end of one of the periodic millennial roll calls of Uversa that
Michael proceeded to place the government of Nebadon in the hands of Immanuel
and Gabriel; and, of course, recalling what had happened in times past
following such action, we all prepared to witness Michael's disappearance on
his fourth mission of bestowal, and we were not long kept waiting, for he
shortly went out upon the Salvington dispatching field and was lost to our
view.

On the third day after this bestowal disappearance we observed, in the universe
broadcasts to Uversa, this significant news item from the seraphic headquarters
of Nebadon: "Reporting the unannounced arrival of an unknown seraphim,
accompanied by a solitary supernaphim and Gabriel of Salvington. This
unregistered seraphim qualifies as of the Nebadon order and bears credentials
from the Uversa Ancients of Days, certified by Immanuel of Salvington. This
seraphim tests out as belonging to the supreme order of the angels of a local
universe and has already been assigned to the corps of the teaching
counselors."

Michael was absent from Salvington during this, the seraphic bestowal, for a
period of over forty standard universe years. During this time he was attached
as a seraphic teaching counselor, what you might denominate a private
secretary, to twenty-six different master teachers, functioning on twenty-two
different worlds. His last or terminal assignment was as counselor and helper

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attached to a bestowal mission of a Trinity Teacher Son on world 462 in system
84 of constellation 3 in the universe of Nebadon.

Never, throughout the seven years of this assignment, was this Trinity Teacher
Son wholly persuaded as to the identity of his seraphic associate. True, all
seraphim during that age were regarded with peculiar interest and scrutiny.
Full well we all knew that our beloved Sovereign was abroad in the universe,
disguised as a seraphim, but never could we be certain of his identity. Never
was he positively identified until the time of his attachment to the bestowal
mission of this Trinity Teacher Son. But always throughout this era were the
supreme seraphim regarded with special solicitude, lest any of us should find
that we had unawares been host to the Sovereign of the universe on a mission of
creature bestowal. And so it has become forever true, concerning angels, that
their Creator and Ruler has been "in all points tried and tested in the
likeness of seraphic personality."

As these successive bestowals partook increasingly of the nature of the lower
forms of universe life, Gabriel became more and more an associate of these
incarnation adventures, functioning as the universe liaison between the
bestowed Michael and the acting universe ruler, Immanuel.

Now has Michael passed through the bestowal experience of three orders of his
created universe Sons: the Melchizedeks, the Lanonandeks, and the Material
Sons. Next he condescends to personalize in the likeness of angelic life as a
supreme seraphim before turning his attention to the various phases of the
ascending careers of his lowest form of will creatures, the evolutionary
mortals of time and space.

5. THE FIFTH BESTOWAL

A little over three hundred million years ago, as time is reckoned on Urantia,
we witnessed another of those transfers of universe authority to Immanuel and
observed the preparations of Michael for departure. This occasion was different
from the previous ones in that he announced that his destination was Uversa,
headquarters of the superuniverse of Orvonton. In due time our Sovereign
departed, but the broadcasts of the superuniverse never made mention of
Michael's arrival at the courts of the Ancients of Days. Shortly after his
departure from Salvington there did appear in the Uversa broadcasts this
significant statement: "There arrived today an unannounced and unnumbered
ascendant pilgrim of mortal origin from the universe of Nebadon, certified by
Immanuel of Salvington and accompanied by Gabriel of Nebadon. This unidentified
being presents the status of a true spirit and has been received into our
fellowship."

If you should visit Uversa today, you would hear the recounting of the days
when Eventod sojourned there, this particular and unknown pilgrim of time and
space being known on Uversa by that name. And this ascending mortal, at least a
superb personality in the exact likeness of the spirit stage of the ascending
mortals, lived and functioned on Uversa for a period of eleven years of
Orvonton standard time. This being received the assignments and performed the
duties of a spirit mortal in common with his fellows from the various local
universes of Orvonton. In "all points he was tested and tried, even as his
fellows," and on all occasions he proved worthy of the confidence and trust of
his superiors, while he unfailingly commanded the respect and loyal admiration
of his fellow spirits.

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On Salvington we followed the career of this spirit pilgrim with consummate
interest, knowing full well, by the presence of Gabriel, that this unassuming
and unnumbered pilgrim spirit was none other than the bestowed ruler of our
local universe. This first appearance of Michael incarnated in the role of one
stage of mortal evolution was an event which thrilled and enthralled all
Nebadon. We had heard of such things but now we beheld them. He appeared on
Uversa as a fully developed and perfectly trained spirit mortal and, as such,
continued his career up to the occasion of the advancement of a group of
ascending mortals to Havona; whereupon he held converse with the Ancients of
Days and immediately, in the company of Gabriel, took sudden and unceremonious
leave of Uversa, appearing shortly thereafter in his accustomed place on
Salvington.

Not until the completion of this bestowal did it finally dawn upon us that
Michael was probably going to incarnate in the likeness of his various orders
of universe personalities, from the highest Melchizedeks right on down to the
mortals of flesh and blood on the evolutionary worlds of time and space. About
this time the Melchizedek colleges began to teach the probability of Michael's
sometime incarnating as a mortal of the flesh, and there occurred much
speculation as to the possible technique of such an inexplicable bestowal. That
Michael had in person performed in the role of an ascending mortal lent new and
added interest to the whole scheme of creature progression all the way up
through both the local universe and the superuniverse.

Still, the technique of these successive bestowals remained a mystery. Even
Gabriel confesses that he does not comprehend the method whereby this Paradise
Son and universe Creator could, at will, assume the personality and live the
life of one of his own subordinate creatures.

6. THE SIXTH BESTOWAL

Now that all Salvington was familiar with the preliminaries of an impending
bestowal, Michael called the sojourners on the headquarters planet together
and, for the first time, unfolded the remainder of the incarnation plan,
announcing that he was soon to leave Salvington for the purpose of assuming the
career of a morontia mortal at the courts of the Most High Fathers on the
headquarters planet of the fifth constellation. And then we heard for the first
time the announcement that his seventh and final bestowal would be made on some
evolutionary world in the likeness of mortal flesh.

Before leaving Salvington for the sixth bestowal, Michael addressed the
assembled inhabitants of the sphere and departed in full view of everyone,
accompanied by a lone seraphim and the Bright and Morning Star of Nebadon.
While the direction of the universe had again been intrusted to Immanuel, there
was a wider distribution of administrative responsibilities.

Michael appeared on the headquarters of constellation five as a full-fledged
morontia mortal of ascending status. I regret that I am forbidden to reveal the
details of this unnumbered morontia mortal's career, for it was one of the most
extraordinary and amazing epochs in Michael's bestowal experience, not even
excepting his dramatic and tragic sojourn on Urantia. But among the many
restrictions imposed upon me in accepting this commission is one which forbids
my undertaking to unfold the details of this wonderful career of Michael as the
morontia mortal of Endantum.

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When Michael returned from this morontia bestowal, it was apparent to all of us
that our Creator had become a fellow creature, that the Universe Sovereign was
also the friend and sympathetic helper of even the lowest form of created
intelligence in his realms. We had noted this progressive acquirement of the
creature's viewpoint in universe administration before this, for it had been
gradually appearing, but it became more apparent after the completion of the
morontia mortal bestowal, even still more so after his return from the career
of the carpenter's son on Urantia.

We were informed in advance by Gabriel of the time of Michael's release from
the morontia bestowal, and accordingly we arranged a suitable reception on
Salvington. Millions upon millions of beings were assembled from the
constellation headquarters worlds of Nebadon, and a majority of the sojourners
on the worlds adjacent to Salvington were gathered together to welcome him back
to the rulership of his universe. In response to our many addresses of welcome
and expressions of appreciation of a Sovereign so vitally interested in his
creatures, he only replied: "I have simply been about my Father's business. I
am only doing the pleasure of the Paradise Sons who love and crave to
understand their creatures."

But from that day down to the hour when Michael embarked upon his Urantia
adventure as the Son of Man, all Nebadon continued to discuss the many exploits
of their Sovereign Ruler as he functioned on Endantum as the bestowal
incarnation of a morontia mortal of evolutionary ascension, being in all points
tested like his fellows assembled from the material worlds of the entire
constellation of his sojourn.

7. THE SEVENTH AND FINAL BESTOWAL

For tens of thousands of years we all looked forward to the seventh and final
bestowal of Michael. Gabriel had taught us that this terminal bestowal would be
made in the likeness of mortal flesh, but we were wholly ignorant of the time,
place, and manner of this culminating adventure.

The public announcement that Michael had selected Urantia as the theater for
his final bestowal was made shortly after we learned about the default of Adam
and Eve. And thus, for more than thirty-five thousand years, your world
occupied a very conspicuous place in the councils of the entire universe. There
was no secrecy (aside from the incarnation mystery) connected with any step in
the Urantia bestowal. From first to last, up to the final and triumphant return
of Michael to Salvington as supreme Universe Sovereign, there was the fullest
universe publicity of all that transpired on your small but highly honored
world.

While we believed that this would be the method, we never knew, until the time
of the event itself, that Michael would appear on earth as a helpless infant of
the realm. Theretofore had he always appeared as a fully developed individual
of the personality group of the bestowal selection, and it was a thrilling
announcement which was broadcast from Salvington telling that the babe of
Bethlehem had been born on Urantia.

We then not only realized that our Creator and friend was taking the most
precarious step in all his career, apparently risking his position and
authority on this bestowal as a helpless infant, but we also understood that
his experience

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in this final and mortal bestowal would eternally enthrone him as the
undisputed and supreme sovereign of the universe of Nebadon. For a third of a
century of earth time all eyes in all parts of this local universe were focused
on Urantia. All intelligences realized that the last bestowal was in progress,
and as we had long known of the Lucifer rebellion in Satania and of the
Caligastia disaffection on Urantia, we well understood the intensity of the
struggle which would ensue when our ruler condescended to incarnate on Urantia
in the humble form and likeness of mortal flesh.

Joshua ben Joseph, the Jewish baby, was conceived and was born into the world
just as all other babies before and since except that this particular baby was
the incarnation of Michael of Nebadon, a divine Son of Paradise and the creator
of all this local universe of things and beings. And this mystery of the
incarnation of Deity within the human form of Jesus, otherwise of natural
origin on the world, will forever remain unsolved. Even in eternity you will
never know the technique and method of the incarnation of the Creator in the
form and likeness of his creatures. That is the secret of Sonarington, and such
mysteries are the exclusive possession of those divine Sons who have passed
through the bestowal experience.

Certain wise men of earth knew of Michael's impending arrival. Through the
contacts of one world with another, these wise men of spiritual insight learned
of the forthcoming bestowal of Michael on Urantia. And the seraphim did,
through the midway creatures, make announcement to a group of Chaldean priests
whose leader was Ardnon. These men of God visited the newborn child in the
manger. The only supernatural event associated with the birth of Jesus was this
announcement to Ardnon and his associates by the seraphim of former attachment
to Adam and Eve in the first garden.

Jesus' human parents were average people of their day and generation, and this
incarnated Son of God was thus born of woman and was reared in the ordinary
manner of the children of that race and age.

The story of Michael's sojourn on Urantia, the narrative of the mortal bestowal
of the Creator Son on your world, is a matter beyond the scope and purpose of
this narrative.

8. MICHAEL'S POSTBESTOWAL STATUS

After Michael's final and successful bestowal on Urantia he was not only
accepted by the Ancients of Days as sovereign ruler of Nebadon, but he was also
recognized by the Universal Father as the established director of the local
universe of his own creation. Upon his return to Salvington this Michael, the
Son of Man and the Son of God, was proclaimed the settled ruler of Nebadon.
From Uversa came the eighth proclamation of Michael's sovereignty, while from
Paradise came the joint pronouncement of the Universal Father and the Eternal
Son constituting this union of God and man sole head of the universe and
directing the Union of Days stationed on Salvington to signify his intention of
withdrawing to Paradise. The Faithfuls of Days on the constellation
headquarters were also instructed to retire from the councils of the Most
Highs. But Michael would not consent to the withdrawal of the Trinity Sons of
counsel and co-operation. He assembled them on Salvington and personally
requested them forever to remain on duty in Nebadon. They signified their
desire to comply

                               top of page - 1318

with this request to their directors on Paradise, and shortly thereafter there
were issued those mandates of Paradise divorcement which forever attached these
Sons of the central universe to the court of Michael of Nebadon.

It required almost one billion years of Urantia time to complete the bestowal
career of Michael and to effect the final establishment of his supreme
authority in the universe of his own creation. Michael was born a creator,
educated an administrator, trained an executive, but he was required to earn
his sovereignty by experience. And thus has your little world become known
throughout all Nebadon as the arena wherein Michael completed the experience
which is required of every Paradise Creator Son before he is given unlimited
control and direction of the universe of his own making. As you ascend the
local universe, you will learn more about the ideals of the personalities
concerned in Michael's previous bestowals.

In completing his creature bestowals, Michael was not only establishing his own
sovereignty but also was augmenting the evolving sovereignty of God the
Supreme. In the course of these bestowals the Creator Son not only engaged in a
descending exploration of the various natures of creature personality, but he
also achieved the revelation of the variously diversified wills of the Paradise
Deities, whose synthetic unity, as revealed by the Supreme Creators, is
revelatory of the will of the Supreme Being.

These various will aspects of the Deities are eternally personalized in the
differing natures of the Seven Master Spirits, and each of Michael's bestowals
was peculiarly revelatory of one of these divinity manifestations. On his
Melchizedek bestowal he manifested the united will of the Father, Son, and
Spirit, on his Lanonandek bestowal the will of the Father and the Son; on the
Adamic bestowal he revealed the will of the Father and the Spirit, on the
seraphic bestowal the will of the Son and the Spirit; on the Uversa mortal
bestowal he portrayed the will of the Conjoint Actor, on the morontia mortal
bestowal the will of the Eternal Son; and on the Urantia material bestowal he
lived the will of the Universal Father, even as a mortal of flesh and blood.

The completion of these seven bestowals resulted in the liberation of Michael's
supreme sovereignty and also in the creation of the possibility for the
sovereignty of the Supreme in Nebadon. On none of Michael's bestowals did he
reveal God the Supreme, but the sum total of all seven bestowals is a new
Nebadon revelation of the Supreme Being.

In the experience of descending from God to man, Michael was concomitantly
experiencing the ascent from partiality of manifestability to supremacy of
finite action and finality of the liberation of his potential for absonite
function. Michael, a Creator Son, is a time-space creator, but Michael, a
sevenfold Master Son, is a member of one of the divine corps constituting the
Trinity Ultimate.

In passing through the experience of revealing the Seven Master Spirit wills of
the Trinity, the Creator Son has passed through the experience of revealing the
will of the Supreme. In functioning as a revelator of the will of Supremacy,
Michael, together with all other Master Sons, has identified himself eternally
with the Supreme. In this universe age he reveals the Supreme and participates
in the actualization of the sovereignty of Supremacy. But in the next universe
age we believe he will be collaborating with the Supreme Being in the first
experiential Trinity for and in the universes of outer space.

                               top of page - 1319

Urantia is the sentimental shrine of all Nebadon, the chief of ten million
inhabited worlds, the mortal home of Christ Michael, sovereign of all Nebadon,
a Melchizedek minister to the realms, a system savior, an Adamic redeemer, a
seraphic fellow, an associate of ascending spirits, a morontia progressor, a
Son of Man in the likeness of mortal flesh, and the Planetary Prince of
Urantia. And your record tells the truth when it says that this same Jesus has
promised some time to return to the world of his terminal bestowal, the World
of the Cross.

[This paper, depicting the seven bestowals of Christ Michael, is the
sixty-third of a series of presentations, sponsored by numerous personalities,
narrating the history of Urantia down to the time of Michael's appearance on
earth in the likeness of mortal flesh. These papers were authorized by a
Nebadon commission of twelve acting under the direction of Mantutia
Melchizedek. We indited these narratives and put them in the English language,
by a technique authorized by our superiors, in the year A.D. 1935 of Urantia
time.]

                               top of page - 1320

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Subjects Archive The Urantia Book Urantia Book PART III: The History of Urantia
  : The Origin Of Urantia Life Establishment On Urantia The Marine-life Era On
Urantia Urantia During The Early Land-life Era The Mammalian Era On Urantia The
 Dawn Races Of Early Man The First Human Family The Evolutionary Races Of Color
   The Overcontrol Of Evolution The Planetary Prince Of Urantia The Planetary
  Rebellion The Dawn Of Civilization Primitive Human Institutions The Evolution
Of Human Government Development Of The State Government On A Neighboring Planet
  The Garden Of Eden Adam And Eve The Default Of Adam And Eve The Second Garden
The Midway Creatures The Violet Race After The Days Of Adam Andite Expansion In
 The Orient Andite Expansion In The Occident Development Of Modern Civilization
The Evolution Of Marriage The Marriage Institution Marriage And Family Life The
    Origins Of Worship Early Evolution Of Religion The Ghost Cults Fetishes,
  Charms, And Magic Sin, Sacrifice, And Atonement Shamanism--medicine Men And
   Priests The Evolution Of Prayer The Later Evolution Of Religion Machiventa
  Melchizedek The Melchizedek Teachings In The Orient The Melchizedek Teachings
In The Levant Yahweh--god Of The Hebrews Evolution Of The God Concept Among The
    Hebrews The Melchizedek Teachings In The Occident The Social Problems Of
      Religion Religion In Human Experience The Real Nature Of Religion The
  Foundations Of Religious Faith The Reality Of Religious Experience Growth Of
  The Trinity Concept Deity And Reality Universe Levels Of Reality Origin And
 Nature Of Thought Adjusters Mission And Ministry Of Thought Adjusters Relation
 Of Adjusters To Universe Creatures Relation Of Adjusters To Individual Mortals
  The Adjuster And The Soul Personality Survival Seraphic Guardians Of Destiny
  Seraphic Planetary Government The Supreme Being The Almighty Supreme God The
  Supreme Supreme And Ultimate--time And Space The Bestowals Of Christ Michael

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