Ever since I became aware that there were other Urantia Book readers in the wider world I have bumped up against this question, what is next for the movement? Reading and writing for various internet forums I have seen lots of attempts to answer this question. I still vividly remember the first time I read an announcement of a universe mandated mission. Several people announced the start of a mission on a farm in Nova Scotia, Canada. Everyone was invited to come up and join them. I thought, wow, that is what I call remote. It would be difficult to fly up there, let alone drive all that way. I have often wondered if the mission was successful. Since then, I have read many more announcements of missions ordained from on high. The Teaching Mission being the most successful and the most controversial. It has caused me to ask this question; if it is God’s will that a new epochal revelation were to begin now, what would it look like? I figured we could look in the book at the previous revelations and see if we could make some guesses about future ones.
Dalamatia
The striking thing about the Dalamatia mission was its physical/material base. Dalamatia was the Planetary Prince’s headquarters, located somewhere in Mesopotamia (741.2). The Prince had a large staff attending him, but they and the Prince were unseen by mortals (742.5). However, the staff included 100 beings from Jerusem who inhabited material bodies and so could interact with humans (742.8). The 100 lived in a walled city that used common building practices of the time period. Their mission was to teach and train mortals in superior living and spiritual practices and send them back to teach their people. In this way they would spread advanced civil and spiritual living slowly around the planet. The unseen members of the headquarters did not interact with humans. Only the 100 had any direct contact.
I can’t help but wonder why this technique was chosen. One little mission located far from large numbers of people is going to take a long time to spread the message. And what about people who lived on different continents? The advanced ideas of Dalamatia certainly weren’t going to reach them for a long time. With an enormous staff of angels and other celestial beings, why couldn’t Caligastia use them instead of just 100 material beings? And with such a large staff they could have reached out to all human groups across the planet. Yet, The Urantia Book tells us that the way the Dalamatia mission was organized and implemented before the rebellion is the standard technique for reaching material beings with advanced living and spiritual techniques. Those humans who visited Dalamatia met with beings like themselves who urged them to live a new life. No other techniques were employed.
Van and Amadon
After the rebellion Van and 40 of the 100 remained loyal and retreated into the north. Amadon and 144 loyal human associates joined them (759.7). Van and the 40 as well as Amadon, who is described as a modified human, lived and worked for over one hundred and fifty thousand years (759.8). Their human bodies were sustained by the “technique of the tree of life in conjunction with the specialized life ministry of the Melchizedek's.” A planetary council advised Van but they were cut off from the councils of higher authorities when the planetary communications circuits were severed. Van and his human associates carried forth with fostering the development of the natural evolution of humanity (760.3).
I would like to point out how alone these people were. Van had the planetary council to speak with. But Amadon and his human associates had only the words of Van and the 40 to stand by. As far as the humans were concerned, the mission was completely material. Why didn’t a legion of angels come to the rescue? Why didn’t higher spiritual authorities rush to our world to put out the fire and limit the damage? Instead of reacting the way I would have reacted, we have the wonderful description on pages 761 and 762 of Amadon standing firm in his faith and inspiring a universe. As far as I can see, he had no more spiritual help than you or I. And that is why he stands so tall.
Adam and Eve
They were big – 8 feet tall (828.2). They were blue – actually violet but I can’t tell the difference (580.7). And they glowed – which sounds a lot like a 1950’s B movie (834.7). But when they showed up on our messed up little planet they were material (828.1). And so was their mission. In the Garden of Eden they trained humans in superior living techniques and higher theological ideas. Adam and Eve still had a planetary council to speak with. But the 12 Melchizedek receivers who did so much during the rebellion – left (833.3). They returned to Jerusem. Adam and Eve could not council with their superiors on Jerusem or Edentia (839.2). They could send and receive only indirect messages through angelic contacts (839.5). They struggled to move our backwards planet forward but stumbled after experiencing frustration and despair.
Once again one has to be struck by how alone these two were. They could speak to angels and Midwayer's, but if answers for their questions existed with anyone they existed with the higher spiritual authorities on Jerusem and Edentia. And yet only silence came from that direction. Once again easy answers did not come to Adam and Eve. God was with them in the same way God ministers to us spiritually. Yet the hard road of faith does not seem to provide any short cuts for them or for our struggling planet.
Machiventa Melchizedek
Following the failure of the Garden of Eden mission, the twelve Melchizedek receivers returned to take control of the Urantia mission (1014.2). They appeal for help to the Father Melchizedek and are told that they are on their own (1014.4). Thus, Machiventa Melchizedek came to earth to keep the truth alive. He came as a material being and launched a material mission (1015.3). He had a TA (1016.1). He was also in contact with the other Melchizedek receivers, but no other celestial authorities (1016.2). His mission to the people he came in contact with was very limited. He preached and he taught. Then he left as mysteriously as he came.