Paper 189 Overview: The Resurrection

After Jesus' burial on Friday afternoon, the chief archangel of Nebadon convened a council to consider the resurrection of Jesus. These celestial beings were informed by Gabriel that they could do nothing to facilitate the resurrection, as Michael (Jesus) had the power to take up his life again according to his own determination. The Personalized Adjuster of Jesus, who commanded the celestial hosts on Urantia, explained that Jesus was experiencing the mortal transition from physical life to morontia existence, a journey all mortal creatures must undergo. The Adjuster confirmed that Jesus would undertake this resurrection through his own inherent power, not through the assistance of any created beings.

The resurrection occurred precisely at 3:02 a.m. on Sunday, April 9, when Jesus emerged from the tomb in his morontia form while his physical body remained undisturbed within. Following his resurrection, Jesus greeted Gabriel, instructed him to continue managing universe affairs, and initiated a series of morontia experiences. Meanwhile, his material body was respectfully dissolved by the archangels, creating the "empty tomb" that became fundamental to the apostles' belief in the resurrection. Though the disciples struggled initially to accept the reality of Jesus' resurrection, over the following weeks, he appeared to numerous followers in his morontia form, providing tangible evidence of his triumph over death.

Shortly after Jesus' burial on Friday afternoon, the chief archangel of Nebadon assembled his council to discuss a potential technique for restoring Jesus to life. These assembled sons of the local universe soon concluded that the creature could do nothing to facilitate the Creator's resurrection. Gabriel instructed them that since Michael had willingly laid down his life, he also possessed the power to take it up again through his own determination. Following this council's adjournment, Jesus' Personalized Adjuster, who commanded the celestial hosts on Urantia, addressed the anxious watchers about the unfolding events.

The Personalized Adjuster explained to the celestial beings that they could not assist Jesus in his return to life. He clarified that Jesus had experienced mortal death and was now transitioning from physical life to morontia existence, having already completed his spirit transit at the time the Adjuster separated from his personality. The Creator-father had chosen to experience every aspect of mortal existence from birth through natural death to resurrection into morontia life. The Adjuster emphasized that while celestial beings typically assist ordinary creatures through these transitions, they could not participate in the Creator's self-resurrection, as Jesus possessed the inherent power to restore himself through direct command of the Paradise Father.

At 2:45 Sunday morning, seven unidentified Paradise personalities arrived at Jesus' tomb and positioned themselves around it. At precisely 3:02 a.m., the resurrected morontia form of Jesus emerged from the tomb while his physical body remained undisturbed inside, still wrapped in burial linens. The stone blocking the entrance remained unmoved, Pilate's seal unbroken, and the guards continued their vigil, completely unaware that the object of their watch had risen to a higher form of existence. Jesus had transitioned to a morontia state - an intermediate phase between material and spiritual existence.

The revelators emphasize that no creature from this universe or any other participated in this morontia resurrection. Only the seven Paradise personalities were present to witness the event, but they took no active part in it. Jesus laid down his mortal life on Friday and reclaimed it as a morontia being on Sunday, demonstrating that he possessed the power to resurrect himself. The morontia form he adopted resembled those of ascending mortals who emerge from the resurrection halls on the first mansion world of the local system. After his resurrection, Jesus first greeted Gabriel, instructed him regarding universe affairs, and began experiencing morontia existence - a transition state that all mortals experience on their ascension journey to spirit status.

After Jesus' resurrection, the chief of archangels approached Gabriel requesting custody of Jesus' physical remains. The archangel sought permission not to dematerialize the body through their usual techniques but rather to accelerate the time process for its dissolution. He explained that while celestial beings had witnessed the Sovereign living and dying on Urantia, they wished to be spared witnessing the slow decay of his human form. After Gabriel consulted with the senior Most High of Edentia, permission was granted to dispose of Jesus' physical remains.

The archangel chief summoned his fellows and the Urantia midwayers to take possession of Jesus' body. While the morontia form could easily escape the sealed tomb, the physical body required the midwayers to roll away the stones from the tomb entrance. When the Jewish guards and Roman soldiers witnessed the huge stone moving apparently by itself in the dim morning light, they fled in terror. The Jewish leaders, rather than punishing the guards who abandoned their post, bribed them and the Roman soldiers to claim that Jesus' disciples had stolen his body while they slept. The celestial beings provided Jesus' physical body with a special and unique dissolution, returning "dust to dust" without the normal delays of decay and decomposition.

Shortly after 4:30 Sunday morning, Gabriel summoned the archangels to prepare for the general resurrection marking the end of the Adamic dispensation on Urantia. When the host of seraphim and cherubim were properly formed, the morontia Michael appeared before Gabriel and authorized the resurrection to begin. Gabriel and the archangel hosts moved to the spiritual polarity of the planet, and at Gabriel's signal, the voice of Gabriel was transmitted to the first mansion world, saying: "By the mandate of Michael, let the dead of a Urantia dispensation rise!" At that moment, all the survivors of human races who had died since Adam's time and had not already been judged appeared in the resurrection halls of mansonia, ready for morontia investiture.

This marked the third planetary roll call or complete dispensational resurrection in Urantia's history. The first occurred when the Planetary Prince arrived, the second during Adam's time, and this third one signalized Jesus' morontia resurrection and mortal transit. Following the dispensational resurrection, the Personalized Adjuster of Jesus relinquished authority over the celestial hosts on Urantia and departed for Salvington to register with Immanuel the completion of Michael's mortal transit. Most celestial beings not required for duty on Urantia also departed, while Gabriel remained with the morontia Jesus. This account of Jesus' resurrection represents what actually occurred, free from the limitations of partial human vision and understanding.

While the ten apostles remained secluded at Elijah Mark's home, five women set out for Jesus' tomb shortly before three o'clock Sunday morning. They carried embalming lotions and additional bandages, intending to more thoroughly prepare Jesus' body for burial. The group included Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of the Alpheus twins, Salome the mother of the Zebedee brothers, Joanna the wife of Chuza, and Susanna the daughter of Ezra. Upon reaching the tomb around 3:30 a.m., they were surprised to find the stone rolled away from the entrance, having just discussed during their journey who might help them with this task.

As the women stood trembling with fear, Mary Magdalene ventured into the sepulchre and discovered Jesus' body was gone, though the burial cloths remained neatly arranged. She cried out in alarm, causing the other women to flee in terror toward the Damascus gate. Realizing they had abandoned Mary, Joanna convinced them to return. When they reunited with Mary, she excitedly exclaimed, "He is not there—they have taken him away!" All five women entered the tomb to confirm it was empty, then sat near the entrance discussing the situation. They were puzzled that while the body was gone, the grave cloths remained so carefully arranged, making it difficult to believe the body had been moved to another location.

As the women pondered this mystery in the early dawn, they noticed a silent stranger nearby. Mary Magdalene, thinking he was the garden's caretaker, asked where Jesus' body had been taken. When the stranger spoke and called Mary by name, they recognized the voice of their Master. Jesus advised them not to touch him as he was not as they had known him in the flesh, and instructed them to tell his apostles, especially Peter, that he had risen and they had spoken with him. The women hurried back to inform the apostles, but the men initially dismissed their account as a vision. Peter and John, however, ran to the tomb to investigate for themselves, with John arriving first but Peter being the first to enter.

As Peter and John raced toward Golgotha, Peter vacillated between fear and hope, having just remembered Jesus' promise to rise on the third day. John, the younger and swifter of the two, reached the tomb first and waited at the entrance. When Peter arrived, he immediately entered the tomb, with John following afterward. Both men observed that the tomb was indeed empty and the grave cloths were arranged in a peculiar manner. They sat down outside on a stone to contemplate what they had witnessed, unable to clearly understand what had transpired.

Peter initially suggested that enemies had stolen the body, perhaps bribing the guards, but John questioned this theory, noting the orderly condition of the tomb and the carefully arranged burial cloths. As they continued their discussion, Mary Magdalene returned to the tomb, weeping. She had initially believed in Jesus' resurrection when she first saw the empty tomb, but became despondent when the apostles refused to believe her account. While Peter and John were present, Jesus appeared again to Mary, encouraging her not to doubt but to believe what she had seen and heard. He instructed her once more to tell the apostles of his resurrection and his intention to meet them in Galilee. When Mary returned to share this second encounter, the apostles ceased their ridicule, now filled with fear and apprehension as Peter and John confirmed the empty tomb.