Paper 27 Overview: Ministry of the Primary Supernaphim

The primary supernaphim represent the highest order of angelic beings serving directly on Paradise as the supernal servants of the Deities. These perfect beings have never strayed from their assigned duties and function in seven specialized orders of service: Conductors of Worship, Masters of Philosophy, Custodians of Knowledge, Directors of Conduct, Interpreters of Ethics, Chiefs of Assignment, and Instigators of Rest. Their ministries are primarily focused on Paradise but occasionally extend to the greater universe, particularly in worlds recovering from rebellion.

Primary supernaphim play a crucial role in the final stages of mortal ascension to Paradise. Ascending pilgrims, upon reaching Paradise, receive training from these angels in reverse order, beginning with the Instigators of Rest and culminating with the Conductors of Worship. This comprehensive training prepares ascenders for their eternal careers as finaliters, ensuring they have mastered all aspects of Paradise existence including rest, assignment, ethics, conduct, knowledge, philosophy, and worship before embarking on their eternal service.

Primary supernaphim are described as the supernal servants of the Deities on Paradise who have maintained perfect fidelity since their creation. These magnificent beings represent the epitome of perfection but are neither absonite nor absolute in nature. Being of the essence of perfection, these children of the Infinite Spirit can function interchangeably across their manifold duties, though they rarely operate outside Paradise except during millennial gatherings in the central universe.

Primary supernaphim are assigned to command seraphic hosts on worlds that have experienced rebellion, such as Urantia. When a Paradise Son completes a bestowal mission on such a world and returns to Paradise, a primary supernaphim is designated to lead the ministering spirits on that reclaimed sphere. These supernaphim function in seven distinct orders of service, and they primarily minister to ascendant pilgrims only after these travelers have actually attained Paradise residence, at which point they undergo training under these angels in reverse order from their listing, beginning with the Instigators of Rest and concluding with the Conductors of Worship.

The Instigators of Rest serve as inspectors from Paradise who travel to the inner circuit of Havona, collaborating with their colleagues, the secondary supernaphim, to prepare time pilgrims for eternity. These angels represent the final instructors who prepare space pilgrims for their introduction to eternity, beginning their work on the final attainment circle of the central universe and continuing through the last transition sleep that graduates a creature from time into eternity. Their function bridges the finite experience with the eternal reality of Paradise.

Rest exists in seven distinct forms ranging from physical sleep to spiritual worship. These forms include the rest of sleep and play in lower life forms, the rest of discovery in higher beings, the rest of worship in the highest spirit personalities, the recharging of physical or spiritual energy, transit sleep during passage between spheres, and the transformative sleep of metamorphosis when moving between life stages. The final metamorphic sleep is particularly significant as it allows creatures of time and space to traverse the boundaries of the temporal and spatial to attain residential status in the timeless abodes of Paradise, with the Instigators of Rest being essential to this transcending metamorphosis just as seraphim are essential to mortal survival of death.

This group is designated by the chief supernaphim, known as "the original pattern angel," to oversee the organization of all three orders of supernaphim: primary, secondary, and tertiary. The supernaphim function as a completely self-governing and self-regulating body, with only the first angel of Paradise, their mutual chief, presiding over these spirit personalities. The Chiefs of Assignment play a significant role in the activities of glorified mortal residents of Paradise before their admission to the Corps of the Finality.

When mortal ascenders attain Paradise, their social relationships involve much more than contact with divine beings and fellow glorified mortals. They must also interact with over three thousand different orders of Paradise Citizens, various groups of Transcendentalers, and numerous other types of Paradise inhabitants, both permanent and transient. After sustained contact with these mighty intellects, ascenders find it refreshing to visit with angelic beings, as they remind mortals of the seraphim with whom they had such long association during their ascent through the universes of time and space.

As beings ascend higher in the scale of life, universe ethics becomes increasingly important. Ethical awareness fundamentally involves recognizing the rights inherent in the existence of all other individuals. Spiritual ethics transcends mortal and even morontia concepts of personal and group relationships, reaching toward a more comprehensive understanding of universal interconnectedness and responsibility.

Ethics has been thoroughly taught and adequately learned by time pilgrims during their long ascent to Paradise. Throughout this inward journey from the birth worlds of space, ascenders continuously add more groups to their expanding circle of universe associates. Each new group encountered adds another level of ethics to be understood and followed. By the time mortals reach Paradise, they need assistance interpreting their extensive ethical knowledge as they face the extraordinary task of establishing relationships with so many new beings. The Interpreters of Ethics provide invaluable assistance during the period between attaining residential status and formal induction into the Corps of Mortal Finaliters, helping ascenders navigate relationships with Paradise Citizens, creature-trinitized sons, and numerous unrevealed residents of the Paradise-Havona system.

Having already received thorough instruction in the ethics of Paradise relationships, ascending mortals find it helpful to receive counsel from the superaphic Directors of Conduct. These beings teach new Paradise members about the proper conduct of the high beings who reside on the central Isle of Light and Life. This guidance is not about meaningless formalities or artificial castes but rather about the inherent proprieties of Paradise existence.

Harmony is the keynote of the central universe, and detectable order prevails on Paradise. Proper conduct is essential for progressing from knowledge through philosophy to the spiritual heights of spontaneous worship. There exists a divine technique for approaching Divinity, and while pilgrims receive the spirit of this approach in Havona, the final refinements of their training can only be applied after reaching Paradise. All Paradise conduct is completely spontaneous, natural, and free, yet there remains a proper and perfect way of doing things on the eternal Isle. The Directors of Conduct serve as glorified teachers and guides, primarily helping new mortal residents navigate the almost endless array of new situations and unfamiliar customs they encounter.

The superaphic Custodians of Knowledge function as "living epistles" that can be read by all Paradise dwellers. They embody divine records—living books of real knowledge with eternal truth imprinted on the tablets of divine life and supreme surety. The facts of the universes are inherently recorded in these angels, making it impossible for any falsehood to gain lodgment in their minds. These perfect repositories hold the complete truth of eternity and the intelligence of time.

These custodians conduct informal courses of instruction for Paradise residents, but their primary function is reference and verification. Any Paradise visitor can have at their side the living repository of whatever fact or truth they wish to know. At the northern extremity of Paradise are the living finders of knowledge who can direct individuals to the appropriate custodian holding the desired information. This system allows beings to communicate directly with living intelligence rather than consulting written records. The knowledge available through these custodians encompasses the vast network of recording angels throughout the universes, offering a living accumulation distinct from the formal records of Paradise that constitute the cumulative summary of universal history.

Beyond the supreme satisfaction of worship, the exhilaration of philosophy represents one of Paradise's greatest joys. Even at the highest levels of ascension, countless mysteries remain that demand philosophical exploration and resolution. The master philosophers of Paradise delight in guiding the minds of residents in the stimulating pursuit of solving universal problems and understanding cosmic realities.

These superaphic masters of philosophy are the "wise men of heaven" who apply knowledge and experience in their efforts to master the unknown. At the southern extremity of Paradise, they conduct elaborate courses in seventy functional divisions of wisdom, discoursing on the plans and purposes of Infinity while coordinating experiences and organizing knowledge from all who seek their wisdom. These Paradise philosophers employ every possible teaching method, including the higher graph technique of Havona and certain Paradise methods of communication that utterly transcend mortal comprehension. One hour of instruction on Paradise would equal ten thousand years of word-memory methods used on Urantia. While philosophy can never be as definitive as knowledge and experience, listening to these primary supernaphim discourse on the unsolved problems of eternity provides a lasting satisfaction regarding these unmastered questions.

Worship represents the highest privilege and the first duty of all created intelligences. It is the conscious and joyous act of recognizing and acknowledging the truth of the intimate personal relationships between Creators and their creatures. As knowledge of the infinite character of the Gods progresses, the act of worship becomes increasingly comprehensive until it reaches the highest experiential delight and most exquisite pleasure known to created beings.

While Paradise contains designated places of worship, the entire Isle functions essentially as one vast sanctuary of divine service. Worship becomes the first and dominant passion of all who reach Paradise—a spontaneous expression that grows throughout the journey through Havona until it requires direction and control on Paradise itself. The periodic, spontaneous group expressions of supreme adoration and spiritual praise on Paradise are conducted under the leadership of a special corps of primary supernaphim. Under their direction, worship achieves the creature goal of supreme pleasure and the heights of self-expression and personal enjoyment. These Conductors of Worship teach ascending creatures how to worship effectively, enabling them to gain satisfaction in self-expression while still maintaining attention to the essential activities of the Paradise regime.