The Melchizedeks are the directors of that large corps of instructors—partially spiritualized will creatures and others—who function so acceptably on Jerusem and its associated worlds but especially on the seven mansion worlds. These are the detention planets, where those mortals who fail to achieve fusion with their indwelling Adjusters during the life in the flesh are rehabilitated in transient form to receive further help and to enjoy extended opportunity for continuing their strivings for spiritual attainment, those very efforts which were prematurely interrupted by death. Or if, for any other reason of hereditary handicap, unfavorable environment, or conspiracy of circumstances, this soul attainment was not completed, no matter what the reason, all who are true of purpose and worthy in spirit find themselves, as themselves, present on the continuing planets, where they must learn to master the essentials of the eternal career, to possess themselves of traits which they could not, or did not, acquire during the lifetime in the flesh.
The Brilliant Evening Stars (and their unnamed co-ordinates) frequently serve as teachers in the various educational enterprises of the universe, including those sponsored by the Melchizedeks. Also do the Trinity Teacher Sons collaborate, and they impart the touches of Paradise perfection to these progressive training schools. But all these activities are not exclusively devoted to the advancement of ascending mortals; many are equally occupied with the progressive training of the native spirit personalities of Nebadon.
The Melchizedek Sons conduct upward of thirty different educational centers on Jerusem. These training schools begin with the college of self-evaluation and end with the schools of Jerusem citizenship, wherein the Material Sons and Daughters join with the Melchizedeks and others in their supreme effort to qualify the mortal survivors for the assumption of the high responsibilities of representative government. The entire universe is organized and administered on the representative plan. Representative government is the divine ideal of self-government among nonperfect beings.
Every one hundred years of universe time each system selects its ten representatives to sit in the constellation legislature. They are chosen by the Jerusem council of one thousand, an elective body charged with the duty of representing the system groups in all such delegated or appointive matters. All representatives or other delegates are selected by the council of one thousand electors, and they must be graduates of the highest school of the Melchizedek College of Administration, as also are all of those who constitute this group of one thousand electors. This school is fostered by the Melchizedeks, latterly assisted by the finaliters.
There are many elective bodies on Jerusem, and they are voted into authority from time to time by three orders of citizenship—the Material Sons and Daughters, the seraphim and their associates, including midway creatures, and the ascending mortals. To receive nomination for representative honor a candidate must have gained requisite recognition from the Melchizedek schools of administration.
Suffrage is universal on Jerusem among these three groups of citizenship, but the vote is differentially cast in accordance with the recognized and duly registered personal possession of mota—morontia wisdom. The vote cast at a Jerusem election by any one personality has a value ranging from one up to one thousand. Jerusem citizens are thus classified in accordance with their mota achievement.
From time to time Jerusem citizens present themselves to the Melchizedek examiners, who certify to their attainment of morontia wisdom. Then they go before the examining corps of the Brilliant Evening Stars or their designates, who ascertain the degree of spirit insight. Next they appear in the presence of the four and twenty counselors and their associates, who pass upon their status of experiential attainment of socialization. These three factors are then carried to the citizenship registrars of representative government, who quickly compute the mota status and assign suffrage qualifications in accordance therewith.
Under the supervision of the Melchizedeks the ascending mortals, especially those who are tardy in their personality unification on the new morontia levels, are taken in hand by the Material Sons and are given intensive training designed to rectify such deficiencies. No ascending mortal leaves the system headquarters for the more extensive and varied socialization career of the constellation until these Material Sons certify to the achievement of mota personality—an individuality combining the completed mortal existence in experiential association with the budding morontia career, both being duly blended by the spiritual overcontrol of the Thought Adjuster.
[Presented by a Melchizedek of temporary assignment on Urantia. ] ~ The Urantia Book, (45:7.1)
The seven mansion worlds are in the charge of the morontia supervisors and the Melchizedeks. ~ The Urantia Book, (47:0.4)
From the resurrection halls you proceed to the Melchizedek sector, where you are assigned permanent residence. ~ The Urantia Book, (47:3.6)
Melchizedeks Control Their Own Visibility--and Mortal Dematerialization, If Needed
The controllers and transformers of planetary assignment are also able to collaborate with angels and other orders of celestial beings in rendering these latter personalities visible to mortal creatures. On special occasions the seraphic helpers and even the Melchizedeks can and do make themselves visible to the inhabitants of the evolutionary worlds. The principal reason for bringing mortal ascenders from the system capital as a part of the staff of the Planetary Prince is to facilitate communication with the inhabitants of the realm. ~ The Urantia Book, (50:2.7)
While there is this dematerializing technique for preparing the Adams for transit from Jerusem to the evolutionary worlds, there is no equivalent method for taking them away from such worlds unless the entire planet is to be emptied, in which event emergency installation of the dematerialization technique is made for the entire salvable population. If some physical catastrophe should doom the planetary residence of an evolving race, the Melchizedeks and the Life Carriers would install the technique of dematerialization for all survivors, and by seraphic transport these beings would be carried away to the new world prepared for their continuing existence. The evolution of a human race, once initiated on a world of space, must proceed quite independently of the physical survival of that planet, but during the evolutionary ages it is not otherwise intended that a Planetary Adam or Eve shall leave their chosen world. ~ The Urantia Book, (51:2.3)
Melchizedeks, Adam and Eve, And The Garden of Eden
THE CULTURAL DECADENCE and spiritual poverty resulting from the Caligastia downfall and consequent social confusion had little effect on the physical or biologic status of the Urantia peoples. Organic evolution proceeded apace, quite regardless of the cultural and moral setback which so swiftly followed the disaffection of Caligastia and Daligastia. And there came a time in the planetary history, almost forty thousand years ago, when the Life Carriers on duty took note that, from a purely biologic standpoint, the developmental progress of the Urantia races was nearing its apex. The Melchizedek receivers, concurring in this opinion, readily agreed to join the Life Carriers in a petition to the Most Highs of Edentia asking that Urantia be inspected with a view to authorizing the dispatch of biologic uplifters, a Material Son and Daughter. ~ The Urantia Book, (73:0.1)
The "tree of the knowledge of good and evil" may be a figure of speech, a symbolic designation covering a multitude of human experiences, but the "tree of life" was not a myth; it was real and for a long time was present on Urantia. When the Most Highs of Edentia approved the commission of Caligastia as Planetary Prince of Urantia and those of the one hundred Jerusem citizens as his administrative staff, they sent to the planet, by the Melchizedeks, a shrub of Edentia, and this plant grew to be the tree of life on Urantia. This form of nonintelligent life is native to the constellation headquarters spheres, being also found on the headquarters worlds of the local and superuniverses as well as on the Havona spheres, but not on the system capitals. ~ The Urantia Book, (73:6.3)
The Melchizedeks counseled Adam not to initiate the program of racial uplift and blending until his own family had numbered one-half million.
The instructions given Adam by the Melchizedeks implied that he was to establish racial, continental, and divisional headquarters to be in the charge of his immediate sons and daughters, while he and Eve were to divide their time among these various world capitals as advisers and co-ordinators of the world-wide ministry of biologic uplift, intellectual advancement, and moral rehabilitation. ~ The Urantia Book, (73:7.3)
From the Melchizedeks, and their associates, Adam and Eve learned more about the details of the Caligastia rebellion and the result of that upheaval upon the world's progress. And it was, on the whole, a disheartening story, this long recital of the mismanagement of world affairs. They learned all the facts regarding the utter collapse of the Caligastia scheme for accelerating the process of social evolution. They also arrived at a full realization of the folly of attempting to achieve planetary advancement independently of the divine plan of progression ~ The Urantia Book, (74:3.3)
For almost seven years after Adam's arrival the Melchizedek receivers remained on duty, but the time finally came when they turned the administration of world affairs over to Adam and returned to Jerusem.
The farewell of the receivers occupied the whole of a day, and during the evening the individual Melchizedeks gave Adam and Eve their parting advice and best wishes. Adam had several times requested his advisers to remain on earth with him, but always were these petitions denied. The time had come when the Material Sons must assume full responsibility for the conduct of world affairs. And so, at midnight, the seraphic transports of Satania left the planet with fourteen beings for Jerusem, the translation of Van and Amadon occurring simultaneously with the departure of the twelve Melchizedeks. ~ The Urantia Book, (74:5.1)
It was farthest from Eve's intention ever to do anything which would militate against Adam's plans or jeopardize their planetary trust. Knowing the tendency of woman to look upon immediate results rather than to plan farsightedly for more remote effects, the Melchizedeks, before departing, had especially enjoined Eve as to the peculiar dangers besetting their isolated position on the planet and had in particular warned her never to stray from the side of her mate, that is, to attempt no personal or secret methods of furthering their mutual undertakings. ~ The Urantia Book, (75:2.4)
Time passed, but Adam was not certain of the nature of their offense until seventy days after the default of Eve, when the Melchizedek receivers returned to Urantia and assumed jurisdiction over world affairs. And then he knew they had failed. ~ The Urantia Book, (75:5.8)
When Adam learned that the Nodites were on the march, he sought the counsel of the Melchizedeks, but they refused to advise him, only telling him to do as he thought best and promising their friendly co-operation, as far as possible, in any course he might decide upon. The Melchizedeks had been forbidden to interfere with the personal plans of Adam and Eve. ~ The Urantia Book,(75:6.1)
Melchizedeks and The Urantia Papers:
Melchizedeks are authors of 31 of the Urantia Papers:
- Paper 38. Mistering Spirits of the Local Universe
- Paper 39. The Seraphic Hosts
- Paper 43. The Constellations
- Paper 45. The Local System Administration
- Paper 49. The Inhabited Worlds
- Paper 53. The Lucifer Rebellion
- Paper 56. Universal Unity
- Paper 66. The Planetary Prince of Urantia
- Paper 67. The Planetary Rebellion
- Paper 68. The Dawn of Civilization
- Paper 69. Primitive Human Institutions
- Paper 70. The Evolution of Human Government
- Paper 71. Development of the State
- Paper 72. Government on a Neighboring Planet
- Paper 90. Shamanism—Medicine Men and Priests
- Paper 92. The Later Evolution of Religion
- Paper 93. Machiventa Melchizedek
- Paper 94. The Melchizedek Teachings in the Orient
- Paper 95. The Melchizedek Teachings in the Levant
- Paper 96. Yahweh—God of the Hebrews
- Paper 97. Evolution of the God Concept among the Hebrews
- Paper 98. The Melchizedek Teachings in the Occident
- Paper 99. The Social Problems of Religion
- Paper 100. Religion in Human Experience
- Paper 101. The Real Nature of Religion
- Paper 102. The Foundations of Religious Faith
- Paper 103. The Reality of Religious Experience
- Paper 104. Growth of the Trinity Concept
- Paper 105. Deity and Reality
- Paper 106. Universe Levels of Reality
- Paper 120. The Bestowal of Michael on Urantia
Four of the Melchizedek authors of the Urantia Papers are named:
- Paper 43. The Constellations. Malavatia Melchizedek
- Paper 53. The Lucifer Rebellion. Manovandet Melchizedek
- Paper 56. Universal Unity. Machiventa Melchizedek
- Paper 120. The Bestowal of Michael on Urantia. Mantutia Melchizedek
- Part IV, The Life and Teachings of Jesus, was sponsored by a commission of twelve Urantia midwayers acting under the supervision of a Melchizedek revelatory director.