Paper 193 Overview: Final Appearances and Ascension

Jesus made several significant morontia appearances to his followers after his resurrection, each time providing guidance and preparing them for their future mission of spreading his teachings throughout the world. These appearances occurred in various locations including Jerusalem, Sychar, Tyre, and finally on the Mount of Olives, where he ascended to the Father. During these appearances, Jesus consistently emphasized the true gospel of the kingdom—the fatherhood of God and the brotherhood of man—and instructed his followers to proclaim this message to all peoples regardless of race, tribe, or nation.

The Master's final appearance and ascension marked the completion of his earthly bestowal and his return to his position of universe sovereignty. Before departing, he warned his apostles about the dangers of isolation and encouraged them to support one another, using Judas's tragic downfall as a cautionary example. Following Jesus' ascension, Peter organized the apostles and disciples, establishing the foundation for what would become the early Christian church and selecting Matthias to replace Judas as the twelfth apostle.

The sixteenth morontia manifestation of Jesus took place on Friday, May 5, in Nicodemus' courtyard, where approximately fifty leading Jerusalem believers had gathered. When Jesus suddenly appeared, he immediately began instructing them, reminding them that he had foretold both his death and resurrection, and gently reproaching them for their surprise and disbelief when these events came to pass. He emphasized that his purpose had always been to reveal the Father in heaven to his children on earth and to demonstrate through his life how they too could become sons of God.

Jesus admonished his followers to proclaim the gospel of the kingdom—the reality of God's fatherhood and the truth of human sonship—emphasizing that this message had not changed despite his resurrection. He instructed them to preach God's love and service to humanity, explaining that what the world most needed to know was that all men are God's children and can realize this truth through faith. Jesus concluded by commissioning them to preach this gospel throughout the world, promising that the Spirit of Truth would guide them and that he would always be with them.

On the Sabbath afternoon of May 13, Jesus made his seventeenth morontia appearance to Nalda and approximately seventy-five Samaritan believers near Jacob's well in Sychar, where they regularly gathered for discussions. When Jesus suddenly appeared, he spoke about being "the resurrection and the life," explaining that this knowledge benefits believers only if they are first born of the eternal spirit and possess, through faith, the gift of eternal life. He emphasized that the gospel teaches that all people are God's children, and this good news about the heavenly Father's love must be carried to everyone throughout the world.

Jesus taught that true worship is no longer tied to specific sacred places like Gerizim or Jerusalem but can occur anywhere in spirit and truth. He explained that while salvation is God's free gift to all who accept it by faith, believers must demonstrate the fruits of spirit life in their daily actions. Jesus clarified that accepting the doctrine of God's fatherhood necessarily implies accepting human brotherhood, which requires not only loving neighbors as oneself but serving brothers as family members with the same love and service Jesus had shown them. After delivering this message, Jesus vanished, leaving the Samaritans astonished and eager to share their experience with neighboring communities.

Jesus made his eighteenth morontia appearance at Tyre on Tuesday evening, May 16, appearing as a meeting of believers was concluding. He began by explaining that knowing the Son of Man had risen from the dead brings joy because it confirms that believers will also survive mortal death. However, Jesus clarified that such survival depends on having previously been born of the spirit of truth-seeking and God-finding, emphasizing that the resurrection of the dead is not itself the gospel of the kingdom but rather a result of believing the good news.

Jesus explained that the bread and water of life are given only to those who hunger for truth and thirst for righteousness. He reminded them that his Father sent him to proclaim the salvation of sonship, and now he was sending them to preach this same message. Jesus detailed the fruits that spirit-born believers should exhibit: loving service, unselfish devotion, courageous loyalty, sincere fairness, enlightened honesty, undying hope, confiding trust, merciful ministry, unfailing goodness, forgiving tolerance, and enduring peace. He warned that professed believers who do not bear these fruits are spiritually dead, comparing them to unfruitful branches that will be cut away, and encouraged them to yield increasingly more spiritual fruit as they progress in the kingdom of God.

Early Thursday morning, May 18, Jesus made his final appearance on earth as a morontia personality to the eleven apostles as they were about to have breakfast in Mary Mark's home. He reminded them to remain in Jerusalem until he sent the Spirit of Truth, which would empower them for their worldwide mission. When Simon Zelotes asked whether Jesus would now restore the kingdom, Jesus gently corrected his persistent attachment to the idea of a material kingdom, explaining that they would receive spiritual power after the Spirit descended and would then go throughout the world preaching the gospel.

Jesus emphasized the importance of love and trust among the apostles, noting that Judas was no longer with them because his love grew cold and he refused to trust his brethren. The Master quoted scripture about the dangers of isolation and the benefits of friendship, reminding them how he had sent them out two by two and never remained alone for long periods even when communing with the Father. He encouraged them to trust and confide in one another, especially since he was about to leave them alone in the world. After speaking, Jesus led them to the Mount of Olives for his farewell, a journey they made in complete silence.

In the first part of Jesus' farewell message, he referred to Judas's tragic fate as a warning about the dangers of social and fraternal isolation. The Master's remarks, combined with the insights gained over subsequent centuries, reveal that Judas went wrong primarily because he was a markedly isolated personality who shut himself away from normal social interactions and persistently refused to confide in his fellow apostles. This tendency toward isolation alone might not have been fatal, but Judas compounded the problem by failing to grow in love and spiritual grace while harboring grudges and fostering psychological enemies like revenge and the desire to "get even" for perceived disappointments.

This unfortunate combination of personality traits and mental tendencies ultimately destroyed a well-intentioned man who couldn't overcome these internal struggles through love, faith, and trust. Unlike Thomas and Nathaniel, who had similar tendencies toward suspicion and individualism but learned to love and trust their brothers more over time, Judas consistently refused to confide in his companions. When emotionally overwhelmed, instead of seeking counsel from his spiritual brothers, he turned to unspiritual relatives or acquaintances who were indifferent or even hostile to the kingdom's progress. The paper outlines specific weaknesses that contributed to Judas's defeat: his isolated nature, inability to handle thwarting, lack of healthy coping strategies for disappointment, tendency to hold grudges, dishonesty toward life situations, and refusal to discuss personal problems with those who truly loved him.

At nearly half past seven on Thursday morning, May 18, Jesus arrived with his eleven silent and somewhat bewildered apostles on the western slope of Mount Olivet. From this location, about two-thirds of the way up the mountain, they could look out over Jerusalem and down upon Gethsemane as Jesus prepared to bid them farewell before leaving Urantia. Without being directed, the apostles knelt in a circle around their Master, who offered his final words of guidance and encouragement.

Jesus instructed them to remain in Jerusalem until they were endowed with power from on high, explaining that he was about to ascend to his Father and that soon they would send the Spirit of Truth into the world. When this Spirit arrived, the apostles were to begin proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom, starting in Jerusalem and extending to the uttermost parts of the world. He encouraged them to love men with the same love he had shown them and to serve their fellow mortals as he had served them, demonstrating through their spiritual fruits that man is truly a son of God and that all men are brothers.

After delivering this message, the morontia Master vanished from their sight in a manner no different from his other disappearances during the forty days of his morontia career on Urantia. The record explains that Jesus went to Edentia by way of Jerusem, where the Most Highs, under observation of the Paradise Son, released him from the morontia state and returned him through spirit channels to his status of Paradise sonship and supreme sovereignty on Salvington. The ascension occurred at approximately 7:45 that morning, as Jesus disappeared to begin his ascent to the right hand of his Father to receive formal confirmation of his completed sovereignty over the universe of Nebadon.

Following Peter's instructions, John Mark and others summoned the leading disciples to gather at Mary Mark's home. By 10:30 that morning, approximately 120 foremost followers of Jesus living in Jerusalem had assembled to hear about the Master's farewell message and ascension. Among those present were Mary, the mother of Jesus, who had returned to Jerusalem with John Zebedee, and James, the brother of Jesus. This represented the first conference of the Master's disciples called after the conclusion of his planetary career.

Peter took responsibility for speaking on behalf of the apostles, delivering a moving report about their final meeting with Jesus and describing his farewell and ascension. The impact of Peter's account was profound, creating an atmosphere unlike any previous gathering. After his emotional presentation, which lasted just under an hour, Peter explained that they had decided to select a successor to Judas Iscariot and announced a brief recess to allow the apostles to decide between the two candidates who had been proposed: Matthias and Justus. The eleven apostles then went downstairs and agreed to cast lots to determine Judas's replacement, with the lot falling to Matthias, who was duly inducted and appointed treasurer, though he would play a relatively minor role in the apostles' subsequent activities.