Paper 33 Overview: Administration of the Local Universe

This Paper explains how the local universe of Nebadon is run. The Universal Father gives authority to the Creator Son, Michael, and the Universe Mother Spirit. They work together as parents to organize and manage the universe with help from many other spirit beings.

Michael of Nebadon is our Creator Son who has great power and authority in our universe. He works with Gabriel, who manages daily operations, and many other helpers who each have special jobs. The local universe has courts, councils, and many systems that help it run smoothly and fairly.

The Universal Father rules his vast creation, but in a local universe, he works through the Creator Son. The Father does not personally handle the administrative affairs of a local universe. These responsibilities are given to the Creator Son and the Universe Mother Spirit and their many children.

The Creator Son and the Spirit create plans and policies for the local universe. They give executive power to Gabriel and give authority to the Constellation Fathers, System Sovereigns, and Planetary Princes. These beings help manage different parts of the universe.

Michael of Nebadon is the personification of the 611,121st concept of divinity from the Universal Father and Eternal Son. His headquarters is on Salvington in a three-part mansion of light because he has experienced all three phases of existence: spiritual, morontial, and material. Because of his final bestowal on Urantia, he is sometimes called Christ Michael.

Michael is a Creator Son from Paradise, but he is not the Eternal Son who remains at the center of all creation. Still, Michael has all the divine qualities and powers needed to rule our local universe. He represents both the Universal Father and the Eternal Son in Nebadon, making him very powerful and able to personally guide and care for all beings here.

Some Creator Sons resemble the Father more, some the Son more, and others show traits of both. Our Creator Son, Michael, shows more qualities of the Eternal Son. Michael chose to organize this local universe and now rules it completely, though his power has some limits set by Paradise and the Ancients of Days.

Michael represents the Paradise Father-Son to the universe of Nebadon. When the Creative Mother Spirit chose to serve under Michael after his final bestowal on Urantia, he gained full authority over "all power in heaven and on earth." Michael spends time at his headquarters on Salvington but also visits constellation and system headquarters and even individual planets. When he is away, Gabriel takes his place as ruler.

The Infinite Spirit works from the headquarters of each local universe as a specialized presence, becoming a full personality by working with the Creator Son. In a local universe, the Creator Son has supreme authority, and the Infinite Spirit, as the Divine Minister, fully cooperates with him while being equal in status.

The Universe Mother Spirit of Salvington belongs to the sixth group of Supreme Spirits. She chose to accompany Michael when he left Paradise and has worked with him ever since to create and govern their universe. While the Spirit acknowledges the Son as ruler, the Son treats the Spirit as an equal partner in all universe matters. The Spirit supports the Son with wisdom and her many angel helpers.

The Bright and Morning Star is the first concept of identity and ideal of personality created by the Creator Son and the local universe form of the Infinite Spirit. Before the Creator Son and Mother Spirit began creating their family of sons and daughters, their first joint act created the highest spirit personality of the Son and Spirit, the Bright and Morning Star.

Gabriel of Salvington is like the Universe Son in his divine nature but is more limited in divine qualities. He is not a creator but an excellent administrator who represents the Creator Son. Gabriel is the chief executive of Nebadon and decides all administrative appeals about its management. He was created fully prepared for his work but has gained experience as our local creation has grown and evolved.

The administration by beings created by the Trinity ends with the government of the superuniverses. Local universes have dual leadership, with the Creator Son as father and the Divine Minister as mother. Every local universe also has representatives from Paradise and the central universe, led by the Paradise Trinity ambassador to Nebadon, Immanuel of Salvington.

Immanuel is a being of great dignity who refuses worship from all living creatures. He is the only personality in Nebadon who has never acknowledged Michael as his superior. He acts as an advisor to Michael but only gives advice when asked. Immanuel is not under the authority of the local universe government and only supervises the Faithfuls of Days who serve at constellation headquarters.

Gabriel is the chief executive and actual administrator of Nebadon. When Michael is away from Salvington, it does not affect the smooth operation of universe affairs. During Michael's absence, like his recent trip to Paradise for a meeting of Master Sons, Gabriel acts as the ruler of the universe and seeks advice from Immanuel of Salvington on major problems.

The Father Melchizedek is Gabriel's first assistant and takes over when Gabriel is away from Salvington. Different parts of the universe administration have special responsibilities. System governments focus on the physical well-being of living beings and biological issues. Constellation rulers pay special attention to social and governmental conditions. Higher universe rulers focus more on the spiritual status of the realms.

Michael, the Master Son, mainly focuses on three things: creation, sustenance, and ministry. He does not take part in the judicial work of the universe. Creators never judge their creatures because this job belongs to beings with high training and actual creature experience.

Gabriel supervises the entire judicial system of Nebadon. The high courts on Salvington handle universe-wide problems and appeals from system courts. There are seventy branches of these courts working in seven divisions of ten sections each. Each court has two judges: one with a perfect background and one with experience of ascending from lower life forms.

On Salvington, the headquarters of Nebadon, there are no true lawmaking bodies. The universe headquarters worlds mostly handle judgment cases. The legislative assemblies of the local universe are located at the headquarters of the one hundred constellations. The systems mainly handle the executive and administrative work of the local creations.

While no true legislation happens at the universe headquarters, there are various advisory and research groups on Salvington that operate according to their purpose. Some are permanent, while others disband after achieving their goal. The supreme council of the local universe has three members from each system and seven from each constellation. Isolated systems cannot have representatives but can send observers to study the council's discussions.