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THE COMING OF THE SONS OF GOD

As given to Judy Tuttle:  

The veil has been torn aside. It is no longer the advent of the Antichrist. He is here, now, amongst you, sitting gleefully upon his throne. It is time for the Sons of God to come together. This period will be very intense , but short, ending in the year 2000. You will witness *evil* the likes of which your mind could never possibly conceive. It is not necessary to make physical preparation. You will be surrounded by a cloak of spiritual tranquility and love. Fear not! This has been your purpose. You have our love and protection. "We will foster and conserve the higher spiritual types."  

Obviously, the message speaks to human mortals who are the sons of God, and not to celestial beings who are the Sons of God. I shall discuss this peculiar form of capitalization.  

I come, now, to one of the most intriguing, puzzling , and crucial Commentaries in the Urantia Revelation, Paper 176, Tuesday Evening On Mount Olivet.  

As it was stated:  

Page 1915:  

Of all the discourses which the Master gave his apostles, none ever became so confused in their minds as this one, given this Tuesday evening on the Mount of Olives, regarding the twofold subject of the destruction of Jerusalem and his own second coming. There was, therefore, little agreement between the subsequent written accounts based on the memories of what the Master said on this extraordinary occasion. Consequently, when the records were left blank concerning much that was said that Tuesday evening, there grew up many traditions; and very early in the second century a Jewish apocalyptic about the Messiah written by one Selta, who was attached to the court of the Emperor Caligula, was bodily copied into the Matthew Gospel and subsequently added (in part) to the Mark and Luke records. It was in these writings of Selta that the parable of the ten virgins appeared. No part of the gospel
record ever suffered such confusing misconstruction as this evening's teaching. But the Apostle John never became thus confused.  

To borrow the words, of all the discourses in the Urantia Papers none is so confusing as this. It is confusing for the same reasons as Jesus' original remarks. This Paper deals with a two-fold subject: the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD, and his second coming. But it does not openly delineate the demarcation between the two. Jesus' remarks of events associated with his second coming are intertwined with the events of 70 AD, but the Paper does not clearly tell us which remarks are associated with which event.  

The reason is simple. Both events involve the destruction of Jerusalem -- one in 70 AD, and the other now, at the end of the age. Both events require the escape of God's people if they are to avoid destruction. Jesus' warning of escape was directed to both periods. But Jesus was hampered in clarity because he did not want to force human decisions. He could not be explicit and permit human mortals to make choices based on their love for him.  

If we examine the historical text we find that the parable of the ten virgins occurs in the beginning of Matthew 25. This chapter also contains a man-made dissertation on the Judgment attached at the end of the Chapter.  

Between these two portions of the Selta apocalyptic occurs the parable of the talents. This was part of the Tuesday evening discourse, and is found almost verbatim on page 1917. Contrary to the implied remarks in the Urantia Papers, Chapter 25 finds no direct parallel in the other gospels, except for this parable of the talents. In Luke 19:12-26 the word "pounds" replaces "talents." The Matthew record attests to the parable as part of the context of the Tuesday evening discourse. In Luke this parable is given a different setting, as part of a statement made when Jesus was entering Jerusalem for the final week.  

The historical record of the Tuesday evening discourse on the Mount of Olives is contained in Matthew 24, with parallels in Mark 13 and Luke 21. These chapters contain virtually all of the historic memory of the discourse. They are composed again almost verbatim of the answers to Nathaniel and Andrew in the separate paragraphs on pages 1912 and 1913, plus other material not contained in the Papers. While the gospel record was left blank concerning some of the remarks by Jesus that Tuesday evening other, concrete, information Jesus gave about events associated with his second coming are included in the gospel record but omitted in the Urantia Papers.  

As I shall show, the differences between the biblical text and the Urantia Papers were intentionally misleading to prevent premature recognition and understanding by the residents of this world.  

When the gospel records, as we have received them, were put together Jerusalem had already been destroyed. There was no need to accent Jesus' remarks concerning that first destruction. Rather, those remarks were then interpreted as pertaining solely to the destruction at the time of his second coming. This reinterpretation was inspired by the dramatic images Jesus had invoked about both destructions. In later review by the apostles and disciples, they came to believe that Jesus must have meant the end of the age. Thus, their confusion was really instigated by the way Jesus framed his remarks.

Isador prepared his Matthew manuscript in 71 AD. Luke's manuscript was created in 82 AD. Mark's Gospel was completed near the end of A.D. 68 but the record was considerably changed, with numerous passages taken out and some later matter added at the end to replace the latter one fifth of the original gospel, which was lost from the first manuscript before it was ever copied. Thus, Mark's manuscript lost the record of the Tuesday evening discourse, which was later added mostly from the Matthew account.  

Even more, John was not thus confused because his gospel was prepared late in the century, long after the destructions, and after his revelations on the Isle of Patmos. The "apocalyptic" remarks by Jesus from the Tuesday evening discourse were avoided by John for several reasons. His gospel concentrated on Jesus as the God-man, he wanted to refocus the record as presented in the other gospels, and he had the events of the second coming revealed to him in replete detail. He had already covered that ground in his Apocalypse.

Furthermore, the statement that there was "little agreement between the subsequent written accounts" is not attested by the gospel record. They agree remarkably well with one another, and with the statements found in the Urantia Papers. Although some differences exist this statement is truly misleading.  

Why, then, did the Urantia Papers treat this crucially important subject this way?  

It did so for two reasons. First, the Revelation had to get through the hands of William Sadler and the members of the Forum. If Paper 176 had explicitly addressed events associated with the second coming it probably would have frightened off Sadler and the Forum members to the point of disbelief. Remember, nuclear weapons had not yet been invented when the Jesus Papers were given in 1935. Therefore, remarks about the use of those weapons would have been unbelievable. Modern attitudes do not credit "apocalyptic" world judgments. Second, it wanted to sidetrack doubters and disbelievers. Those doubters and disbelievers make up a large mass of the present Urantia community. Thus, the doubters and disbelievers would take the remarks about Selta's apocalyptic, and the "little agreement among the gospels," and extrapolate them onto the entire biblical record as a deduction that all apocalyptic is man made, and that the gospel record is unreliable. This conclusion follows modern godless theology now rampant among much of mainline Christianity, and the scholarly world.  

Only those with their hearts centered on God are willing to accept predictions of world judgments -- and make decisions based on that acceptance.  

Note how "apocalyptic" is handled by the Urantia Papers on page 1915:  

"But what is the significance of this teaching having to do with the coming of the Sons of God? Do you not perceive that, when each of you is called to lay down his life struggle and pass through the portal of death, you stand in the immediate presence of judgment, and that you are face to face with the facts of a new dispensation of service in the eternal plan of the infinite Father? What the whole world must face as a literal fact at the end of an age, you, as individuals, must each most certainly face as a personal experience when you reach the end of your natural life and thereby pass on to be confronted with the conditions and demands inherent in the next revelation of the eternal progression of the Father's kingdom."  

What the whole world must face as a literal fact at the end of an age is judgment. Cataclysmic events are associated with that judgment. The present world age, and this godless social order, will experience death.  

But beware! This godless philosophy of human society will lead only to unrest, animosity, unhappiness, war, and world-wide disaster.  

From that judgment and social death this world will pass on to be confronted with the conditions and demands inherent in the next revelation of the eternal progression of the Father's kingdom.  

This new and oncoming social order will not settle down complacently for a millennium.  

A new social order will be born. This present social order is doomed.  

But what has the significance of Jesus' teaching about his second coming have to do with the coming of the Sons of God?  

I puzzled over this remark, and the reason Judy gave her message with the same capitalization of the Sons of God. Who are these Sons? Did the Urantia passage intend to mean divine Sons, or did it mean mortal Sons?  

I did a rough count of divine Sons and mortals sons within the Urantia Papers.  

Part I: divine 57, mortal 11.

Part II: divine 23, mortal 20. (Of the 20, 18 were references to Ascending sons.)

Part III: divine 3, mortal 6.

Part IV: divine 4, mortal 67.  

You can see that the number of references to divine Sons becomes fewer with each Part, while the number of references to mortal sons becomes highly prominent in Part IV.

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We know from his personal testimony that William Sadler had the responsibility to capitalize and punctuate the Urantia text. While his methodical thoroughness was outstanding, he was not perfect, and may have misinterpreted the significance of the "sons" designation.  

Was there any confusion over capitalization? Yes. On page 419 the phrases "sons of God" and "daughters of God" are used for celestial beings. Here the words are not capitalized but, for consistency, should have been.

Most often the divine Sons are identified with a conditioning word, such as Paradise Sons of God, Creator Sons, and so on. Rarely is the phrase "Sons of God" used in divine designation without those additional words. One of those occurs on page 1566.  

Therefore, we cannot use technical text criteria to determine the reference of the "Sons" of page 1915.  

Why was the plural used? If Jesus returns to judge the age, and the reference was to him, the designation should have been in the singular. Was the phrase intended to imply that more than one divine Son will be engaged in the coming judgment? Such a possibility certainly exists.  

Page 598.

 Again we find Urantia out of  step with its sister spheres in that your Jesus has  promised to return. That promise he will certainly fulfill,  but no one knows whether his second coming will precede or  follow the appearances of Magisterial or Teacher Sons on  Urantia.  

Page 1919:

We most positively believe that Michael will again come in person to Urantia, but we have not the slightest idea as to when or in what manner he may choose to come. Will his second advent on earth be timed to occur in connection with the terminal judgment of this present age, either with or without the associated appearance of a Magisterial Son? Will he come in connection with the termination of some subsequent Urantian age? Will he come unannounced and as an isolated event? We do not know. Only one thing we are certain of, that is, when he does return, all the world will likely know about it, for he must come as the supreme ruler of a universe and not as the obscure babe of Bethlehem. But if every eye is to behold him, and if only spiritual eyes are to discern his presence, then must his advent be long deferred.  

Or was an "s" attached to the word "Sons" by accident? We know from study of the several changes made to the text by the Urantia Foundation that such errors crept in. Therefore, we cannot rule out such possibility.  

Or is it possible that these "Sons" are human mortals, and not divine personalities? Is it possible that when Sadler capitalized this word he misunderstood the designation as divine, where it was intended to be mortal?  

Furthermore, in this Paper, when reference is made to Jesus or his return, it is always as the "Son of Man" (9 times) and never as the "Son of God." The phrase "son of God" is used twice in this Paper for human mortals. The phrase "sons of God" is used one other place in this Paper for human mortals.  

The arguments are strong that the reference is to human mortals, and not to divine Sons.  

The passage can be weighed against either criteria.  

If the latter, this designation agrees with the capitalization in Judy's message. And it casts an altogether different light on our imminent service.  

If these"Sons of God" are mortal then their "coming" is associated with his second coming and the end of the age.  

Now the context of this paragraph takes on a different meaning.  

It is a direct statement to those of us who are the "Sons of God" in these last days of the earth age. The sentence immediately following is a direct application to us:  

"Do you not perceive that, when each of you is called to lay down his life struggle and pass through the portal of death, you stand in the immediate presence of judgment, and that you are face to face with the facts of a new dispensation of service in the eternal plan of the infinite Father?"

Our service will demand that we accept the condition of laying down our life in ministration to our brothers and sisters on this planet as part of these events at the close of the age.  

Judy's message is a call for all those of us who are devoted to Jesus, to become more serious about the service he has ordained for us. Our term of service is about to begin.  

We were given words of reassurance:  

Page 448:  

It is a solemn and supernal fact that such lowly and  material creatures as Urantia human beings are the sons of God, faith children of the Highest. "Behold, what manner of  love the Father has bestowed upon us that we should be  called the sons of God." "As many as received him, to them  gave he the power to recognize that they are the sons of  God." While "it does not yet appear what you shall be,"  even now "you are the faith sons of God"; "for you have not  received the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you have  received the spirit of sonship, whereby you cry, 'our  Father.'" Spoke the prophet of old in the name of the  eternal God: "Even to them will I give in my house a place  and a name better than sons; I will give them an  everlasting name, one that shall not be cut off." "And  because you are sons, God has sent forth the spirit of his  Son into your hearts."  

The quotations are from 1 John 3:1, John 1:12, 1 John 3:2, Rom 8:15, Isa 56:4, Gal 4:6.  

Even though the evil one is now amongst us, in our midst, we are impervious to him.  

Page 610:  

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."  

The quotation is from 1 John 5:18.  

Note that this armor is for the faith sons of God. It does not extend to those who have given, or may give, themselves to this contemptible fallen Son.  

Page 1454:  

 "I will no longer be satisfied to believe that God is  the Father of all my people; I will henceforth believe that  he is also my Father. Always will I try to worship God with  the help of the Spirit of Truth, which is my helper when I  have become really God-knowing. But first of all I am going  to practice worshiping God by learning how to do the will  of God on earth; that is. I am going to do my best to treat  each of my fellow mortals just as I think God would like to  have him treated. And when we live this sort of a life in  the flesh, we may ask many things of God, and he will give  us the desire of our hearts that we may be the better  prepared to serve our fellows. And all of this loving
service of the children of God enlarges our capacity to  receive and experience the joys of heaven, the high pleasures of the ministry of the spirit of heaven.  

Always, to the end of our days, with the utmost that our hearts can express, the greatest worship of God on earth is learning how to do the will of God. Service to our mortal brothers and sisters will enlarge our capacity to join joyfully in the heavenly throng of the celestial sons of God. When we meet obstacles in our imminent service he will be at our side, to give the support we will sorely need at this time of great human testing and trial.  

If his will means the sacrifice of our lives to that service, then that should be our determination. The "Sons of God" will be individuals who are wholly dedicated to God, and who are willing to give themselves in service to their fellow mortals, regardless of the personal cost.  

In previous communiques I mentioned how we have been scattered around the country, in lonely isolation from one another. God has prepared us for a service which is imminent and which may be solitary.  

Page 1608:  

 The service of the kingdom  on earth will call for all the courageous manhood that you  and your coworkers can muster. Many of you will be put to  death for your loyalty to the gospel of this kingdom. It is  easy to die in the line of physical battle when your  courage is strengthened by the presence of your fighting  comrades, but it requires a higher and more profound form  of human courage and devotion calmly and all alone to lay  down your life for the love of a truth enshrined in your  mortal heart.  

Now we can understand the meaning of these revelations which offered such puzzlement in our time of learning.  

The "coming together" does not necessarily mean physical assembly, but coming together in one spirit, with focus on one central purpose.  

How should we best heed God's call? How should we execute our service? These are choices which belong to each of us alone. We are not building a formal religious group. God is calling us to specific tasks. He is at the helm of this service, not man.  

But we all feel such a deep need to converse about these things, to share with one another, to find solace in the face of the loneliness of this call.  

We are those who have dedicated ourselves to God. We were forecast in several historic revelations, as well as in The Urantia Papers.  

In the next part I shall compare revelation, as recorded from the past, and as given to us in these wonderful Papers. We shall find that important revelations were not left blank in the historical record, but that they tell us the context of our service. While the Urantia Papers address these issues from a different perspective, raising our vision above the dire warnings from the past, the historic record is crucially important to our understanding.

 
 
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