Paper 35 Overview: The Local Universe Sons of God

This paper examines the four orders of Sons created within the local universe through the collaborative creative acts of the Creator Son and the Universe Mother Spirit: the Melchizedeks, Vorondadeks, Lanonandeks, and Life Carrier Sons. Unlike the Paradise-origin Sons described in previous papers, these local universe Sons constitute the administrative framework and functional leadership of Nebadon, serving at various hierarchical levels from constellation governance to planetary administration. The paper delineates their origins, attributes, responsibilities, and the specialized worlds associated with their training and administrative functions.

Each order possesses distinctive characteristics suited to their cosmic responsibilities: Melchizedeks embody versatility, wisdom, and self-governance; Vorondadeks exemplify stability, reliability, and judicious administration; Lanonandeks demonstrate adaptive leadership tailored to evolutionary worlds, albeit with greater susceptibility to error; and Life Carriers (described more fully in the following paper) represent specialized expertise in life implantation and development. Together, these Sons form an intricately designed administrative structure that extends the sovereignty of the Creator Son throughout Nebadon while providing essential services for both universe management and the progression of ascending mortals through experiential education and training.

The Sons of God previously introduced have Paradise origins, representing direct extensions of the divine Rulers of universal domains. In Nebadon, there exists only one Creator Son of the first Paradise order: Michael, the universe father and sovereign. Of the second order, the Avonal or Magisterial Sons, Nebadon possesses its full complement of 1,062, each equally effective and powerful in their planetary bestowals as was the Creator and Master Son on Urantia. The third order of Trinity-origin Sons do not register in a local universe, though Nebadon hosts between fifteen and twenty thousand Trinity Teacher Sons, exclusive of 9,642 creature-trinitized assistants of record.

The Sons considered in this paper originate within the local universe itself, created through the collaborative efforts of a Paradise Creator Son and the complemental Universe Mother Spirit. The narrative enumerates four orders of local universe sonship: Melchizedek Sons, Vorondadek Sons, Lanonandek Sons, and Life Carrier Sons. While the Triune Paradise Deity functions in creating the Michaels, Avonals, and Daynals, the dual Deity of the local universe, the Son and the Spirit, functions in creating the first three orders of local Sons. Having achieved this threefold expression, they collaborate with the next level of God the Sevenfold to produce the versatile Life Carriers, a unique and original form of universe life to be examined in the subsequent paper.

After establishing personal aids such as the Bright and Morning Star and other administrative personalities according to divine purpose and creative plans, the Creator Son and Creative Spirit enter a novel form of creative union. The personality offspring resulting from this partnership is the original Melchizedek, the Father Melchizedek, a unique being who subsequently collaborates with the Creator Son and Creative Spirit to bring into existence the entire Melchizedek order. This creative pattern establishes a precedent wherein one of the order's own members participates in generating others of the same classification.

In Nebadon's administrative structure, the Father Melchizedek functions as the first executive associate of Gabriel, the Bright and Morning Star, with a clear delineation of responsibilities: Gabriel addresses universe policies while Melchizedek manages practical procedures. Gabriel presides over regularly constituted tribunals and councils, whereas Melchizedek oversees special commissions and advisory bodies. Their complementary roles necessitate that they never simultaneously absent themselves from Salvington, as the Father Melchizedek assumes chief executive functions during Gabriel's absence. The Melchizedeks of Nebadon were all created within a single millennial period by the Creator Son and Creative Spirit in liaison with the Father Melchizedek. As an order wherein one of their own participated in their creation, Melchizedeks possess partial self-origin attributes, qualifying them for a supernal type of self-government, including the election of their administrative chief every seven standard years, while the Father Melchizedek retains certain inherent coparental prerogatives.

The Father Melchizedek occasionally designates individuals from his order to function as special Life Carriers to midsonite worlds, a planetary type not previously revealed on Urantia. While Melchizedeks primarily operate within the local universe, they may serve as witnesses before superuniverse tribunals or as special ambassadors between universes within the same superuniverse. The original or first-born Melchizedek of each universe maintains the freedom to travel to neighboring universes or Paradise on missions pertaining to the interests and duties of his order.

The Melchizedeks occupy a strategically significant position in the universe hierarchy as the first order of divine Sons capable of functioning directly in the ministry of mortal uplift without requiring incarnation. Their positioning at approximately the midpoint of the great personality descent, between the highest Divinity and the lowest will-endowed creature life, enables them to serve as natural intermediaries between higher divine levels and lower material forms of existence. This intermediate position grants them a unique perspective and capacity for fostering spiritual development among evolutionary beings. Seraphic orders and all forms of intelligent life find in these Sons understanding friends, sympathetic teachers, and wise counselors who bridge the divide between spiritual and material realms.

The Melchizedeks represent the first attempt at self-determination by local universe beings and exemplify the highest form of true self-government. They have developed sophisticated organizational machinery for their group administration, home-planet governance, and management of the six associated spheres and their tributary worlds. Throughout Orvonton's history, not once have these Sons betrayed their trust, establishing themselves as the paradigm and instructors of self-government to all spheres in Nebadon. All orders of intelligent beings, superiors from above and subordinates from below, unanimously praise the Melchizedek governmental structure. Within the universe family structure, the Melchizedek order assumes the responsibility of the eldest son, undertaking both routine obligations and voluntary, self-imposed duties. They maintain an autonomous intelligence organization devoted to universe surveillance, making periodic reports directly to the Creator Son, independent of information channeled through routine administrative pathways. Their impartial, observational nature earns them the complete confidence of all intelligent being classifications.

The Melchizedeks function as mobile review courts and advisory commissions, traveling in small groups to various worlds to receive suggestions, take depositions, and serve as counselors, helping to resolve significant difficulties and settle serious differences arising in evolutionary domains. These eldest Sons of the universe serve as chief aids to Gabriel in implementing the Creator Son's mandates. When a Melchizedek represents Gabriel on a remote world, he may be deputized in the sender's name and appear with the full authority of the Bright and Morning Star. This is particularly important on spheres where higher Sons have not yet manifested in creature likeness. During a Creator Son's bestowal career on an evolutionary world, he journeys alone; however, when Paradise Avonal Sons undertake bestowals, twelve Melchizedek supporters accompany them, efficiently contributing to the bestowal mission's success. These Sons minister to every aspect of planetary spiritual need and frequently guide entire worlds of advanced life to fully recognize the Creator Son and his Paradise Father.

While the Melchizedeks possess near-perfect wisdom, they are not infallible in judgment. When serving independently on planetary missions, they have occasionally erred in minor matters, making decisions their supervisors subsequently disapproved. Such judgment errors temporarily disqualify a Melchizedek until he receives corrective instruction from the Creator Son on Salvington, purging the disharmony that caused disagreement with his fellows. Following correctional rest, reinstatement occurs on the third day, though such functional misadaptations have rarely occurred in Nebadon. The Melchizedek order is not numerically expanding; their population remains stationary, though variable within each local universe, with over ten million recorded on their headquarters planet in Nebadon.

The Melchizedeks occupy a designated world near Salvington called Melchizedek, which serves as the pilot sphere for the Salvington circuit of seventy primary spheres. Each primary world is encircled by six tributary spheres dedicated to specialized activities, creating an impressive complex of 490 worlds often collectively referred to as the Melchizedek University. Ascending mortals from all constellations in Nebadon undergo training on these 490 worlds to attain residential status on Salvington, though this educational process represents merely one facet of the multitudinous activities occurring on this architectural sphere cluster.

The 490 spheres of the Salvington circuit are organized into ten groups, each containing seven primary and forty-two tributary spheres, with each group supervised by a major order of universe life. The Melchizedeks oversee the first group, which includes the pilot world and the six primary spheres in the encircling planetary procession. These seven Melchizedek worlds serve specific functions: the pilot world houses the Melchizedek Sons; the second world focuses on physical-life schools and living energy laboratories; the third addresses morontia life; the fourth initiates spirit life; the fifth facilitates mid-spirit life; the sixth advances spirit life; and the seventh encompasses the domain of coordinated and supreme self-realization. Each primary sphere's six tributary worlds are devoted to activities germane to that sphere's work.

The pilot world Melchizedek functions as the common meeting ground for all beings engaged in educating and spiritualizing ascending mortals of time and space. For ascenders, this world likely represents the most fascinating place in all Nebadon, where they receive initiation into the disciplines and spirit progression of the Salvington educational system—an experience that leaves an indelible impression even after reaching Paradise. Ascending mortals maintain residence on the Melchizedek world while pursuing training on the six encircling planets of specialized education, a methodology maintained throughout their sojourn on all seventy cultural worlds of the Salvington circuit. The six tributary satellites of the Melchizedek sphere focus on specialized phases of study for ascending mortals: reviewing initial planetary life experiences; examining mansion world experiences; studying local system headquarters activities; reviewing constellation tributary world experiences; analyzing constellation headquarters sojourns; and correlating these five epochs to achieve experiential coordination before entering Melchizedek primary schools of universe training.

The Melchizedek home world houses both schools of universe administration and spiritual wisdom, alongside institutions dedicated to specific research areas including energy, matter, organization, communication, records, ethics, and comparative creature existence. The Melchizedek College of Spiritual Endowment facilitates cooperation among all Sons of God, including Paradise orders, with Melchizedek and seraphic teachers in training evangels of destiny who proclaim spiritual liberty and divine sonship throughout the universe. This particular educational institution exclusively serves Nebadon, accepting no student visitors from other realms. The highest course in universe administration, offered by the Melchizedeks on their home world, occurs at the College of High Ethics under the original Father Melchizedek's presidency. While Nebadon ranks relatively low among universes in spiritual achievement and ethical development, its administrative challenges have transformed the universe into a vast clinical training ground, attracting student visitors and observers from other realms and making the Melchizedek educational institutions renowned throughout Splandon.

A highly specialized branch of Melchizedek activities involves the supervision of ascending mortals' progressive morontia career. While patient seraphic ministers and relatively advanced ascended mortals conduct much of this training, the entire educational enterprise remains under the general oversight of Melchizedeks in association with Trinity Teacher Sons. This comprehensive educational system ensures ascending beings receive proper preparation for subsequent universe experiences.

Beyond their educational responsibilities, the Melchizedek orders primarily function within the vast educational system and experiential training regime of the local universe, but they also undertake unique assignments during unusual circumstances. In an evolving universe eventually encompassing approximately ten million inhabited worlds, extraordinary situations inevitably arise, and Melchizedeks stand ready to respond to such contingencies. On Edentia, the constellation headquarters, they are known as emergency Sons, prepared to address exigencies of physical, intellectual, or spiritual nature occurring on planets, in systems, in constellations, or throughout the universe. When the Creator Son's plan faces implementation challenges, Melchizedeks promptly intervene to provide assistance, though they are rarely summoned to function during sinful rebellion, such as occurred in Satania.

Melchizedeks typically respond first to emergencies on worlds inhabited by will creatures, occasionally serving as temporary custodians on wayward planets as receivers of defaulting planetary governments. During planetary crises, these Sons fulfill various unique capacities and can make themselves visible to mortal beings when circumstances warrant. Seven times in Nebadon's history, a Melchizedek has incarnated in mortal flesh likeness, and on numerous occasions, these Sons have appeared resembling other universe creature orders. They truly represent versatile, volunteer emergency ministers to all universe intelligence orders and to worlds and systems throughout Nebadon. The Melchizedek who lived on Urantia during Abraham's time was locally designated as the Prince of Salem, presiding over a small colony of truth seekers. He voluntarily incarnated with approval from the planet's Melchizedek receivers, who feared the possible extinction of spiritual light during that period of increasing darkness, successfully preserving truth and transmitting it to Abraham and his associates.

Following the creation of personal aids and the versatile Melchizedek group, the Creator Son and local universe Creative Spirit conceptualized and brought into existence the second major order of universe sonship, the Vorondadeks. These Sons are generally recognized as Constellation Fathers because a Son of this order invariably presides over each constellation government in every local universe. While the number of Vorondadeks varies between local universes, Nebadon's recorded population stands at precisely one million. Like their Melchizedek counterparts, Vorondadeks possess no reproductive capabilities, and no method exists for increasing their numbers.

The Vorondadeks function largely as a self-governing body with significant self-determination capacities similar to the Melchizedeks, though they operate within a narrower range of activities. While they cannot match their Melchizedek brethren in brilliant versatility, they compensate with enhanced reliability and efficiency as rulers and administrators. Though they may not equal their subordinate Lanonandek System Sovereigns in administrative skill, they surpass all universe sonship orders in purpose stability and judgment divinity. Their decisions and rulings consistently align with divine sonship principles and harmonize with the Creator Son's policies, though they have occasionally been cited for error before the Creator Son, and their technical decisions have sometimes been reversed upon appeal to superior universe tribunals. Nevertheless, these Sons rarely err, and not once in Nebadon's history has a Vorondadek engaged in rebellion or contempt toward universe government.

The Vorondadeks' service in local universes encompasses extensive and varied responsibilities. They function as ambassadors to other universes and as consuls representing constellations within their native universe. Among all local universe sonship orders, they most frequently receive full delegation of sovereign powers for addressing critical universe situations. On spiritually isolated worlds, those suffering planetary isolation through rebellion and default, an observer Vorondadek typically maintains presence pending restoration of normal status. In certain emergencies, this Most High observer may exercise absolute and arbitrary authority over all celestial beings assigned to that planet. Salvington records confirm that Vorondadeks have occasionally exercised such authority as Most High regents, even on inhabited worlds untouched by rebellion. Often, a group of twelve or more Vorondadek Sons convenes as a high review and appeal court for special cases involving planetary or system status, though their work primarily involves legislative functions inherent to constellation governments. Consequently, Vorondadek Sons have become the historians of local universes, intimately familiar with the political struggles and social upheavals of inhabited worlds.

A minimum of three Vorondadeks are assigned to govern each of the one hundred constellations comprising a local universe. The Creator Son selects these Sons, and Gabriel commissions them as the Most Highs of the constellations for service during one dekamillennium—10,000 standard years, approximately 50,000 Urantia years. The ruling triumvirate consists of a reigning Most High, the Constellation Father, with senior and junior associates. At each administrative transition, the senior associate assumes governmental leadership, the junior associate adopts senior responsibilities, and unassigned Vorondadeks residing on Salvington nominate a candidate to become the new junior associate. This rotation system ensures that each Most High ruler serves a total of three dekamillenniums (approximately 150,000 Urantia years) in constellation leadership positions under the current policy.

The one hundred Constellation Fathers, the actual presiding heads of constellation governments, constitute the Creator Son's supreme advisory cabinet. This council convenes frequently at universe headquarters with deliberations unlimited in scope but primarily focused on constellation welfare and local universe administrative unification. When a Constellation Father attends duties at universe headquarters, which occurs regularly, the senior associate becomes acting constellation director. The senior associate normally oversees spiritual affairs, while the junior associate personally manages the constellation's physical welfare. However, no major policy implementation occurs within a constellation unless all three Most Highs unanimously agree on all execution details.

The Constellation Most Highs access the complete mechanism of spirit intelligence and communication channels. They maintain perfect communication with their Salvington superiors and their direct subordinates, the System Sovereigns. They regularly convene councils with these System Sovereigns to deliberate constellation conditions. The Most Highs surround themselves with counselor corps that vary in number and personnel according to constellation headquarters attendance and local requirements. During stressful periods, they may request and promptly receive additional Vorondadek Sons to assist with administrative responsibilities. Norlatiadek, Urantia's constellation, currently operates under twelve Vorondadek Sons' administration.

The second group of seven worlds in the seventy primary spheres circuit surrounding Salvington comprises the Vorondadek planets. Each sphere, accompanied by six encircling satellites, is dedicated to a specialized phase of Vorondadek activities. On these forty-nine realms, ascending mortals attain their pinnacle education regarding universe legislation. Having previously observed legislative assemblies functioning on constellation headquarters worlds, ascending mortals now participate in enacting actual general legislation for the local universe under senior Vorondadek tutelage. Such legislative enactments aim to coordinate the varied pronouncements from the autonomous legislative assemblies of the one hundred constellations.

The instruction provided in the Vorondadek schools surpasses even that available on Uversa. This progressive training extends from the first sphere, with supplemental work on its six satellites, through the remaining six primary spheres and their associated satellite groups. Ascending pilgrims encounter numerous novel activities on these worlds of study and practical work. While the revelators are not forbidden to disclose these new and unanticipated pursuits, they express difficulty in conveying these supernal activities to material minds. They lack words to communicate these meanings and acknowledge that no analogous human engagements exist to illustrate these new occupations of ascending mortals studying on these forty-nine worlds. Additionally, many other activities unrelated to the ascendant regime are centered on these Vorondadek worlds within the Salvington circuit.

After creating the Vorondadeks, the Creator Son and Universe Mother Spirit collaborated to bring forth the third order of universe sonship, the Lanonandeks. Although these Sons perform various tasks related to system administrations, they are best recognized as System Sovereigns, the rulers of local systems, and as Planetary Princes, the administrative heads of inhabited worlds. Being a later and lower order of sonship creation regarding divinity levels, these beings were required to complete training courses on the Melchizedek worlds before beginning service. They constituted the first students in the Melchizedek University and underwent classification and certification by their Melchizedek teachers and examiners according to ability, personality, and attainment.

The universe of Nebadon began with exactly twelve million Lanonandeks. After passing through the Melchizedek sphere, final tests divided them into three classes: Primary Lanonandeks (709,841), designated as System Sovereigns and assistants to constellation supreme councils and higher administrative work counselors; Secondary Lanonandeks (10,234,601), assigned as Planetary Princes and to that order's reserves; and Tertiary Lanonandeks (1,055,558), who function as subordinate assistants, messengers, custodians, commissioners, observers, and miscellaneous system and world duty prosecutors. Unlike evolutionary beings, these Sons cannot progress between groups; once tested and classified after Melchizedek training, they serve continuously in their assigned rank. Additionally, these Sons do not reproduce, maintaining a stationary universal population.

In rounded figures, Salvington classifies the Lanonandek order as follows: 100,000 Universe Coordinators and Constellation Counselors; 600,000 System Sovereigns and Assistants; 10,000,000 Planetary Princes and Reserves; 400,000 Messenger Corps; 100,000 Custodians and Recorders; and 800,000 Reserve Corps. Since Lanonandeks rank somewhat lower in sonship order than Melchizedeks and Vorondadeks, they provide greater service in universe subordinate units by more closely approaching the intelligent races' lower creatures. However, they face greater risk of deviating from acceptable universe government techniques. These Lanonandeks, particularly the primary order, demonstrate the greatest ability and versatility among all local universe administrators, exceeded in executive capacity only by Gabriel and his unrevealed associates.

The Lanonandeks serve as continuous planetary rulers and rotating system sovereigns. Currently, such a Son governs on Jerusem, the headquarters of Urantia's local inhabited worlds system. System Sovereigns rule in commissions of two or three at each system headquarters of inhabited worlds. Every dekamillennium, the Constellation Father designates one commissioner as chief, though this leadership transition remains entirely optional for constellation rulers. System governments rarely experience sudden personnel changes unless some tragedy occurs.

When System Sovereigns or assistants are recalled, selections from the order's reserves, a group larger on Edentia than average indicators suggest, fill their positions through the constellation headquarters supreme council's decisions. Supreme Lanonandek councils operate on various constellation headquarters, with the Constellation Father's senior Most High associate presiding over this body while the junior associate supervises secondary order reserves. Within their jurisdictions, System Sovereigns exercise near-sovereign authority over inhabited worlds' local affairs. Their relationship with Planetary Princes, Material Sons, and ministering spirits approaches paternal direction, with their personal authority being virtually complete. These rulers do not undergo supervision by Trinity observers from the central universe. As the local universe's executive division and custodians of legislative mandate enforcement and judicial verdict application, they represent the one position in universe administration where personal disloyalty to the Michael Son's will could most easily establish itself.

Nebadon has unfortunately experienced rebellion from over seven hundred Lanonandek Sons against universe government, precipitating confusion across several systems and numerous planets. Of this total, only three were System Sovereigns; practically all belonged to the second and third orders—Planetary Princes and tertiary Lanonandeks. The substantial number of Sons who have compromised their integrity does not indicate any creation deficiency. They could have been made divinely perfect, but were intentionally created to better understand and connect with time-space evolutionary creatures. Among all Orvonton local universes, Nebadon has, excepting Henselon, lost the greatest number of this Son order. The consensus on Uversa attributes Nebadon's administrative difficulties to the extensive personal liberty granted to these Sons in choosing and planning. While the universe Creator possesses full authority for this approach, high rulers contend that although such free-choosing Sons cause excessive early universe age troubles, the eventual gains from higher loyalty and fuller volitional service by these thoroughly tested Sons will far outweigh earlier confusion and tribulations.

When rebellion occurs on a system headquarters, a new sovereign is usually installed relatively quickly, but planetary situations differ. As material creation's component units where creature free will significantly impacts final adjudication, successor Planetary Princes may be designated for isolated worlds whose authority princes have gone astray, but they cannot assume active rulership until insurrection results are partially overcome through remedial measures implemented by Melchizedeks and other ministering personalities. Rebellion by a Planetary Prince immediately isolates his planet as local spiritual circuits are severed. Only a bestowal Son can re-establish interplanetary communication lines on such spiritually isolated worlds. A plan exists for redeeming these wayward Sons, and many have accepted this merciful provision, but they can never again function in positions where they defaulted. After rehabilitation, they receive assignments to custodial duties and physical administration departments.

The third group of seven worlds in the Salvington circuit of seventy planets, with their respective forty-two satellites, constitutes the Lanonandek cluster of administrative spheres. On these realms, experienced Lanonandeks from the ex-System Sovereign corps officiate as administrative teachers of ascending pilgrims and seraphic hosts. Evolutionary mortals observe system administrators working on system capitals but here participate in actually coordinating the administrative pronouncements of Nebadon's ten thousand local systems. These administrative schools operate under supervision from Lanonandeks with extensive experience as System Sovereigns and constellation counselors, second only to Ensa's administrative schools in quality.

While serving as ascending mortal training spheres, the Lanonandek worlds also host extensive undertakings related to the universe's normal and routine administrative operations. Throughout their Paradise journey, ascending pilgrims continue studying in practical applied knowledge schools—actual training in performing the tasks they learn. The universe educational system sponsored by the Melchizedeks demonstrates practicality, progressiveness, meaningfulness, and experiential value, encompassing training in material, intellectual, morontial, and spiritual dimensions. In connection with these administrative spheres, most salvaged Lanonandek Sons serve as planetary affairs custodians and directors. These defaulting Planetary Princes and their rebellious associates who accept rehabilitation continue serving in routine capacities, at least until the universe of Nebadon achieves settlement in light and life.

Many Lanonandek Sons in older systems have established remarkable service, administration, and spiritual achievement records. They represent a noble, faithful, and loyal group, despite their tendency to err through personal liberty fallacies and self-determination fictions. Their experience demonstrates that while free will may create initial challenges, the long-term benefits of genuine, freely chosen service outweigh the temporary disruptions caused by rebellion or error.