WISDOM
Throughout the history
of our world a recurring general theme is evident. Humankind and its leadership
first flourish through God’s grace. They then subsequently become
self-satisfied and fall away from His precepts. Having become separated from
God, we are also separated from the source of all wisdom. The result is the
downfall of whatever was built and accomplished. This is the underlying theme
behind the fall of ancient Israel, the fall of Adam & Eve, and the collapse
of the tower of Babel. This will also be the theme of the unraveling of America
in specific and modern civilization in general.
The Urantia Book tells us that
the later prophets (Isaiah through Malachi) were more accurate than the earlier
prophets such as Samuel. The Urantia Book also explains that the prophets’
understanding of God’s motives and nature was conditioned by the cultural
beliefs of their respective times. The prophets therefore confused, at times,
God’s holiness and righteousness for anger, God’s farseeing wisdom for
retribution, and His intense concern for the welfare of His children for
jealousy.
As always, then, we must work
with truth and error side by side, and use the generously bestowed wisdom and
information made available to us through The Urantia Book. Suffice it to say,
for now, that the foundation of prophetic Old Testament scripture rests
squarely on the shoulders of Melchizedek. He already knew the future of Israel
and he collaborated with the psalmists, prophets, and servants of God to
foretell, very accurately, the future history of Israel. Also, we will come to
understand the evolution of meaning that scripture attaches to the word
"Israel," which ultimately means all those who desire to do the
Father’s will. This foretold history is a demonstration of the omniscience of
God and his complete mastery of the universe, which He has created.
The second paragraph of
4Q541.9 describes the corrupt social and political scene found at the time of
Jesus’ death, near the end of an
age in 70 AD (Roman
war). This corrupted sociopolitical scene of lying, violence and confusion can
refer to any end of an age time period, as it is the
same for all ends of ages: i.e. the destruction of Jerusalem and the First Temple
in 587 B.C., the destruction of Jerusalem and the Second Temple A.D. 70, and
today; the end of the dispensation of the "gentiles/Christians" (as
well as the end of the larger age of the Adamic default and the temporary
Sovereignty of Man). Human ages end because the weeds eventually overgrow the
good seed. This happens because there is no one to pluck up the weeds along the
way. Only a divine leadership can have the
authority and wisdom to do this consistently and effectively over long periods
of time. Not
only man, but even most lower orders of divine beings are incapable of
self-governance as is discussed in The Urantia Book.
Amos 3 :7 Indeed, the Lord God does nothing
Without having revealed His purpose
To His servants the prophets.
A lion has roared,
Who can but fear?
The Lord God has spoken,
Who can but prophesy?
Melchizedek tells us through
Amos that God "does nothing without having revealed His purposes"
through His servants the prophets. In this regard, today is no different than
yesterday. God will again reveal His plans to those who will
listen. The calamities that befall a nation are the direct result of the
spiritual and moral degeneracy that exists. When a people and their leaders
separate themselves from God to pursue their own gain, they also separate
themselves from the source
of all
wisdom and prudence. Our
selfish acts carry the seed of their own destruction just as night follows day.
The warp and woof of reality is justice and mercy. One can go against this
grain but the friction generated burns up the result.
Isaiah 29:12 Act stupid and be
stupefied!
Act blind and be blinded!
(They are drunk, but not from wine,
They stagger, but not from liquor.)
For the Lord has spread over you
A spirit of deep sleep,
And has shut your eyes, the (false) prophets,
And covered your heads, the seers;
So that all prophecy has been to
you
Like the words of a sealed document.
Isaiah 29:11 If it is handed to
one who can read and he is asked to read it,
he will say, "I can’t, because it is sealed;" and if the document
is handed to one who cannot read and he is asked to read it, he
will say, "I can’t read."
My (Isaiah’s) Lord said:
Because that people has approached [Me] with its mouth
And honored Me with its lips,
But has kept its heart far from Me,
And its worship of Me has been
A commandment of men, learned by rote—
Truly, I shall further baffle that people
With bafflement upon bafflement;
And the wisdom of
its wise shall fail,
And the prudence of its prudent shall vanish.
Those who unknowingly bring
about God’s prophecy will be totally oblivious to that prophecy. When we turn
away from God, we also turn away from the source of all wisdom and knowledge.
We are "blind and blinded," "stupid and stupefied." To many
of us, living religion is crystallized into "a commandment of men, learned
by rote." We pay lip service to God but have no living connection to Him.
What we say and what we do are two different things. Since God, and only God,
is the source of love and life, we, like the living branch of a vine, become
cut off and withered by our separation from Him.
God calls His servant My chosen one. This provides a link to a Dead Sea
Scroll fragment, which describes a chosen
one who reveals God’s
truths and wisdom at the end of the age. In his youth he will be like…a man who
knows nothing until the time when he knows the three Books. And then he will
acquire wisdom and learn understanding… vision to come to him on his knees. And
with his father and his ancestors…life and old age. Council and prudence will
be with him, and he will know the secrets of man. His wisdom will reach all the
peoples, and he will know the secrets of all the living. And all their designs
against him will come to nothing, and his rule over the living will be great.
His designs will succeed, for he is the Elect of God. His birth and the breath
of his spirit…and his designs will be forever…
The intellectual elite of our
world appears daily in newspapers and on our televisions. They are the
"experts" who write the books about marriage, although they are
divorced three times. They tell us how to bring up our children, and yet their
own children rebel against them. They know everything about anything, and there
is no doubt about it. Ask if they believe in God and somber tones cover the
smirk and smile. And yet, the
question of God is the essential question of all philosophy, all ideologies,
and all human understanding.
If this most essential question were on a test, it would count for ninety-nine
percent of the grade and the remaining one percent of the test would directly
depend on the answer to the first. If you are wrong about God, then you are
wrong about very much else as well. Yet the intellectual and political elite
are all confirmed in the opinion that "religion is the opiate of the masses."
Those who won’t say this in public believe it in private, as their very actions
and behavior betray them. If our leaders are wrong about the first question,
what hope do we have for a peaceful world guided by wisdom. My answer for that
is zero. What do you think? Many of us deny or question the existence of the
very One who gave us existence. If this were true, we would probably be in
great shape. But it isn’t and we aren’t. Establishing purpose and meaning to
life without God is like establishing a solar system without the sun. In both
situations, planets or people fly apart. Success requires more than good
intentions. It requires wisdom and truth.
"People are more important
than decalogues, rules, proscriptions, or regulations." The Humanist
Manifesto II proclaims the establishment of the brotherhood of humankind.
Unfortunately, they do not know that "you cannot establish the
brotherhood of
man without the Fatherhood of God."
(UB) Simple, basic, everyday truth, unappreciated by the closed minds of man.
Truth is so very valuable because it can be lived successfully.(UB) Why have so
few found such wisdom? Can we find if we do not seek? Do we seek if we are not
thirsty for truth? Are we thirsty if we are still satisfied with our own
deceptions? Blessed are the meek, for they are not self-satisfied. They are
still open to the light of truth. Love reigns over judgment and wisdom
reigns over ignorance.
The future always comes
in through the minority. The
last battle won, "conventional wisdom" is one step from the scrap
heap. We fear and resist change, no matter what its content. Nearly
all-conventional wisdom today is wrong! Wrong about science, wrong about
politics, wrong about people, wrong about philosophy, wrong about religion and
wrong about most anything else we can think of. Our leaders, our intellectuals
and our so-called elite will have the same constant refrain right up to the
hour when they are removed from their power and prestige.
1Enoch To the righteous and wise
shall be given books
of joy, of integrity,
104:10 and of great wisdom. To them shall books be given, in which they
shall believe;
104:11 And in which they shall rejoice. And all the righteous will be
rewarded, who from these (books) shall acquire the knowledge
of every upright path.
104A: 1 In those days, saith the Lord, they (the elect) shall call to the
children of the earth and make them listen to their wisdom.
Show them that you are their leaders…Rejoice, children of
integrity, in the truth.
The Urantia Book teaches us that
it is our perceptions of God that change and that
God is eternal and unchanging. When we are at the beginning of our development
we fear the great and powerful God, but as we develop, we begin to understand
that God’s true motive towards us is one of love. Our fear evolves through awe,
reverence, and appreciation, and finally to love. "Fear is the
beginning of wisdom, but love is at its end."
Jer 8:5 They (the people) cling
to deceit,
They refuse to return…
They do not speak honestly…
They all persist in their wayward course…
My people pay no heed…
Assuredly, for naught has the pen labored,
For naught the scribes!
The wise shall be put to shame…
They reject the word of the Lord,
So their wisdom amounts to nothing.
And so, the leaders lead the
people, as the blind lead the blind. And we love to have it so! Notice
very carefully, the "wise" reject the Lord (God) and therefore their wisdom amounts to nothing.
Enoch 95:4 You shall not fear
those who trouble you;
for restoration shall
be yours; a splendid
light shall shine around
you, and the voice of tranquility shall be heard from Heaven.
Enoch 97:9 But in those days blessed shall they be, to whom the word of
wisdom is delivered; who point
out and pursue the path of the
Most High (God); who walk in the way of righteousness, and
who act not
impiously with the impious.
The ‘word of wisdom is delivered’
to the elect through
special books.
1Enoch 91:1 That which was written by Enoch. He wrote all this instruction
of wisdom for
every man of dignity,
and every judge of the earth,
for all my children who shall dwell on the earth and for subsequent
generations.
1Enoch l: 1 The word of the blessing of Enoch, how he blessed the elect and the
righteous who were to
exist in the time
of trouble. (the end of
the age
trial period)
1Enoch 1:2 From them (the angels in his vision) I (Enoch) heard all things,
that
will not take place in this generation, but in a distant generation,
which is to succeed on
account of the elect.
1Enoch 1:9 The elect
shall possess light,
joy, and peace; and they shall inherit the earth.
1Enoch 1:11 Then shall wisdom
be given to the elect,
all of whom will live and
not transgress.
1Enoch Another mystery also I point out. To the righteous and wise shall
109:10 be given
books of joy, of integrity, and of great wisdom…Who from
these (books) shall acquire the knowledge of every upright path.
A particular group of people is
being described here. So far, this group, referred to as the elect:
1. Receive books of great
wisdom, through which they are made wise
2. Acquire the knowledge of every upright path
3. Pursue and point out the path of the Most High (God)
4. Live in the latter days, the time of tribulation, in a distant generation
from Enoch.
5. Inherit the earth (after the ruling elite are deposed)
6. Are from among ‘Israel’ or Christendom of today.
Transcendence, overcomes the
paradox of duality, the experience
of the reality of the
Kingdom of heaven within allows us to identify with a higher, spiritual
reality, instead of a lower, material reality. The higher completes the lower.
And the Highest Reality, the source of all reality is God, who’s very Will is
motivated by love and guided by wisdom.
Now prophecy is true both in the context of the time of its writing and in the
time of its prophetic future fulfillment. And so, the church of Philadelphia
spoken of in Revelation
as existing in the
latter days (now) would have characteristics like the church of Philadelphia
existing at the time of John’s vision and writing. One might then expect this
congregation or church of the latter days to be a group, like Abner’s, true
to the message of Jesus (the gospel of the kingdom of heaven), and to be concerned with issues of
brotherly love such as the brotherhood of man predicated on the Fatherhood of
God. This is exactly the effect of the Urantia Book, ie; to explain and inspire
the living of the kingdom of heaven within; the true way, the true gospel of
Jesus that the apostles did not understand. The Urantia Book actually brings
into being this latter day church of Philadelphia. The Urantia Book teaches the
doing of God's Will. The elect are those who choose (elect) God's Will. Now if
we integrate these concepts from Revelation about the Church of Philadelphia with the concepts of Enoch, one could
envision a group in the latter days that:
1 is blessed with book(s) of joy
and great wisdom;
2 that give them knowledge of the way of God which they practice
and point out to others; (the choosing of God's Will)
3 that know the true message
of Jesus and are
faithful to it, (the choosing
of God's Will)
4 and have reached the enlightenment stage of brotherly love.
5 live in the latter days, the time of tribulation, in a distant generation
from
Enoch.
6 have but little worldly power, probably a small group.
7 Are found among ‘gentile’ Christians.
The crown seems to track
"the elect" which passes from Joseph to Ephraim. We have already seen
that both terms Joseph and Ephraim are used to denote Lost Israel, which has in
turn been identified with Christians. Therefore one might look for the elect
among Christians and more specifically the future remnant of the Christians.
The elect appears to be the leadership group, among the Christians, who know
and practice the "path of God," who are given books of great wisdom
(from which they learn the way of every upright path), who point out to others
the path of the Most High (God), and who are faithful to the true message of Jesus.
Nevertheless, our failings and
weaknesses also work to our good for "all things work to the good of those who
love God." And we can all bear witness to this when we look back on our hardest experiences and see the deep
changes that they have wrought within. We are smelted, purified, and refined in
the flames of affliction; flames that are appeased and regulated by the wisdom
and mercy of God. And the wide, smooth sailing sea, still not visible, is just
beyond the great rapids directly ahead.
The American Indians and many
other indigenous people already possess and use this wisdom that is so
neglected by "modern man."
1Enoch tells us further about
Age’s End:
1Enoch 1:2 From them I (Enoch) heard all things, and understand what I saw
(in a vision), that which will not take place in this generation, but in a
generation which is to succeed a distant
period, on account of the
elect (those who elect
God’s Will)
1Enoch 104:10 Another mystery I (Enoch) will point out. To the righteous and the
wise shall be given books of joy, of integrity, and of great wisdom.
To them shall books be given, in which they shall believe; and in
which they shall rejoice…in those days, saith the Lord, they shall call
to the children of the earth, and make them listen to their wisdom.
Show them that you are their leaders…
. God teaches him knowledge and
to understand His message (Isaiah 28:9) . Spirit of God
alights upon him bringing wisdom, insight, valor, devotion, reverence.
. his wisdom comes to all peoples (4Q541 DSC)
All who would come, can come. ‘Who ever does my will, let him
eat and be satisfied,’ says
the Lord (Genesis). Doing God’s will, many times requires self-sacrifice of our
goals, our desires, our pride, our anger, our grudges, our self-image, our
possessions, our money, our time, and our plans. On the surface this looks like
a "raw deal." What "idiot" would even consider it? And so,
most of us wait until we are flat on our backs, down for the count, trapped,
desperate, hopeless, and in despair before we open our eyes and see above us,
for the first time, the stars of heaven, and hear that silent voice of God, ‘follow
this way, follow this way.’ When you are flat on your back, there’s no other
choice, the "deal" looks pretty good now. The bottom of a pit is
the humble
starting place of true wisdom.
According to Enoch, the end of the
age scenario is explicitly for the spiritual progress of the elect, in order to
give them the opportunity for full growth and expression of their maturing
faith and wisdom. Only then does it make sense that when "the people of
God arise; then all will have rest from warfare." Once the main purpose is
achieved (the arising of the people of God) the destructive events are brought
to an end through the very efforts of this same people, in partnership with God
and Melchizedek.
1Enoch 6:11 Then shall wisdom be given to the
elect, all of whom shall
live, and
not again transgress by impiety or pride; but shall humble
themselves, possessing prudence, and shall not repeat
transgression.
1Enoch 48:6 In His presence he existed, and has revealed to the saints and to
the righteous by the wisdom of the Lord of spirits; for he has preserved
the lot of the righteous, because they have hated and rejected this
world of iniquity, and have detested all its works and ways, in the
name of the Lord of spirits (Jno. 17:16).
1Enoch 48:7 For in His name shall they be preserved; and His will shall be
their life. In those days shall the kings
of the earth and the mighty
men, who have gained the
world by the work of their own hands,
become humble in countenance.
1Enoch 48:10 But in the day of their (kings) trouble, rest shall be on earth.
Here the Son of man is
associated with an "unfailing fountain of righteousness and wisdom,"
exists "before the sun and stars were created," is the "light of
nations," is the hope of "those whose hearts are trouble," and
reveals the wisdom of God, the "Lord of spirits," to the righteous.
1Enoch 48A:1 Wisdom is poured
forth like water, and glory fails not before
Him for ever and ever; for potent is He in all the secrets of righteousness
(Pro. 3:13-35).
1Enoch 48A:2 But
iniquity passes away like a shadow, and possesses not a
fixed station: for the Elect one stands before the Lord of spirits; and
his glory is for ever and ever; and His power from generation to
generation (Ps. 1).
1Enoch 48A:3 With Him dwells the spirit of intellectual wisdom, the spirit of
instruction and of power, and the spirit of those who sleep in
righteousness; He shall judge secret things.
1Enoch 50:3 And in those days shall the Elect one sit upon his throne, while
every secret of
intellectual wisdom shall proceed from his mouth; for
the Lord of spirits has gifted and glorified him (Lk. 1:32-33).
1Enoch 90:11 Righteousness
shall be raised up from slumber;
and wisdom shall
be raised up, and conferred upon them.
1Enoch 90:15 And now, my children, I will describe and point out to you the
path of righteousness and the path of oppression.
1Enoch 90:16 I will again point them out to you, that you may know what is to
come.
1Enoch 91:1 That which was written by Enoch. He wrote all this instruction of
wisdom for every man of dignity, and every judge of the earth; for
all my children who shall dwell upon earth, and for subsequent
generations, conducting themselves uprightly and peaceably.
1Enoch 91:2 Let not
your spirit be grieved on account of the times; for the
holy, the great One, has given days to all (Jno. 14:1).
1Enoch 96:10 Erudition therefore and wisdom are not theirs. And in it shall
they
perish, together with their riches, with all their glory, and with their
honors;
Do we have the wisdom to
recognize those around us who may fill such a description? Who are they? What
are they doing? Outward appearances can be deceiving.
1Enoch 97:9 But in those days blessed shall
they be, to whom the word of
wisdom is delivered; who
point out and pursue the path of the
Most High; who walk in the way of righteousness, and who act
not impiously with the impious.
1Enoch 97:10 They shall be saved.
In 97:9, again we see those who
elect God’s will in
receipt of wisdom delivered
to them in some manner and means, possibly by the books mentioned.
1Enoch 104:10 Another mystery
also I point out. To
the righteous and the
wise shall be given books of joy, of integrity, and of great
wisdom. To them shall books be given, in which they shall
believe.
In 104:10, Enoch reads from the
"tablets of heaven" about "books of joy, great wisdom, and
integrity" which shall be given to the "righteous and wise" who
"from these" books "shall acquire the knowledge of every upright
path." Enoch is speaking here about the end of the age generation which
implies that these books are made available not until the time period of the
end of the age. 1Enoch itself may qualify as one of these books as it was only
recently (nineteenth century) made accessible after: centuries of censorship,
attempts to destroy it, and deep submergence of the text (found only in
Ethiopia and also among the Dead
Sea Scrolls). The Dead
Sea Scrolls would also qualify as a recently given
source of great wisdom and joy. Finally, of course, is The Urantia Book, which is the "mother load" of
wisdom, joy, and integrity. And it has been indeed a "gift," as
prophesied.
1Enoch 104A: 1-2 In those days, he (Enoch) says:
105:1-2 "The Lord will be patient and cause the children of the earth
to hear. Reveal it to them with your wisdom, for you are their
guides; and you are a reward upon the whole earth. Until I
and my Son are united
with them in the upright paths in
their
lifetime, and there
shall be peace unto you, rejoice you children of
truth. Amen." (Charlesworth,Pseudoepigrapha)
This important passage addresses the "children of
truth" who have received the "books of wisdom and joy" in the
previous chapter. It tells these individuals to be leaders and guides for
others who will be trying to understand what is happening in the world and in
the kingdom of heaven within and without. These "children of truth"
will be a blessing upon the whole earth especially to those who suffer in
darkness. Note carefully that these people of wisdom are united with "I
and my Son," God and Melchizedek, during their lifetime presumably when
Melchizedek arrives in person.
Emily Dickinson was a reclusive,
unknown poet who lived in the middle of the nineteenth century. She was
unpublished in her lifetime, preferring to wait for fame posthumously. Sure of
her own place in history to come, she waited for the world to discover the
beauty and wisdom of a master craftsman. Unhappy with the world’s imprisoned
word meanings, she needed but a simple lexicon to fashion her new gems, her
crystals of reflected word, glistening in light and color. Living only for
beauty, and only for truth, she haunts us today with eerily beautiful and
mysterious poetry from deep within her mind and soul.
UB 998 When the worship urge is
admonished and direct by wisdom…it
begins to develop into the phenomenon of real religion.
There is no standing
still in the Kingdom of heaven
If we do not bear the fruits of the
spirit, then we are not of the spirit. We can not praise God with our lips but
leave Him out of our lives if we do not act on
what we know. Some fruits of the spirit are love, wisdom, forbearance,
faithfulness, loyalty, perseverance, and humility.
This presenation is from the
book, “The Kingdom of Heaven is at Hand” by Edmund J. Roache, MD.