Paper 33 Overview: Administration of the Local Universe

This Paper examines the administrative structure of the local universe of Nebadon, detailing how authority flows from the Universal Father through the Creator Son Michael and his associates. It describes the relationship between Michael and the Universe Mother Spirit as a divine partnership that provides parental guidance to their universe. The Paper details the various administrative roles, including Gabriel as chief executive, Immanuel as Trinity ambassador, and the judicial and legislative functions that govern Nebadon's affairs.

The administration combines elements of parental oversight, executive management, judicial wisdom, and advisory councils working in harmony. Each level of authority from Michael down to the Planetary Princes has specific responsibilities for different aspects of universe management. This administrative structure ensures that while Michael holds sovereign authority, the actual governance involves many beings working together to maintain order and foster spiritual progress throughout Nebadon.

The Universal Father maintains supreme rule over his vast creation, but delegates the administration of local universes to Creator Sons. Rather than personally managing the administrative affairs of a local universe, the Father entrusts these matters to the Creator Son, the local universe Mother Spirit, and their diverse children. This delegation of authority creates a structured administrative system throughout the universe.

The Creator Son, working with his Spirit associate, establishes the plans and policies for the local universe and implements them through a hierarchical structure. Executive power is delegated to Gabriel, while jurisdictional authority extends through Constellation Fathers, System Sovereigns, and down to Planetary Princes. Each level of administration has its own specific responsibilities and authority within the greater organizational structure of Nebadon.

Michael of Nebadon personifies the 611,121st original concept of infinite identity jointly conceived by the Universal Father and Eternal Son. His headquarters on Salvington features a three-part mansion of light, designed to reflect his experience with all three phases of intelligent existence: spiritual, morontial, and material. Michael is sometimes referred to as Christ Michael due to his name association with his seventh and final bestowal on Urantia.

Though Michael is not the Eternal Son who exists on Paradise as part of the Trinity, within Nebadon he possesses all divine attributes and powers that the Eternal Son would manifest if present. Michael's authority is extensive, as he represents both the Universal Father and the Eternal Son to this local universe. This dual representation makes him extraordinarily powerful and influential, capable of directly administering evolutionary universes and maintaining personal contact with creature beings. To the inhabitants of Nebadon, Michael functions effectively as God for all practical purposes.

Creator Sons exhibit varying traits of their divine parents, with some resembling the Father more, others the Son, and some displaying blended characteristics. Michael of Nebadon manifests qualities that more closely resemble the Eternal Son in his divine nature. Michael chose to organize this local universe of Nebadon and now reigns as its supreme authority, though his power has certain limitations imposed by pre-existing Paradise gravity circuits and the authority of the Ancients of Days over final personality extinction judgments.

As the personification of the Paradise Father-Son in Nebadon, Michael gained full jurisdiction over "all power in heaven and on earth" when the Creative Mother Spirit subordinated herself to him following his final bestowal on Urantia. This combination of Creator-bestowal experience and Creative Spirit partnership makes Michael uniquely qualified for sovereign authority. Though headquartered on Salvington, Michael frequently travels throughout his universe, visiting constellation and system headquarters and even individual planets. During his absences, Gabriel functions as regent of Nebadon.

The Infinite Spirit functions in each local universe as a specialized manifestation that achieves full personality through creative cooperation with the Creator Son. In a local universe's administrative structure, the Creator Son holds supreme authority while the Infinite Spirit, as the Divine Minister, functions as a fully cooperative and coordinated partner rather than a subordinate.

The Universe Mother Spirit of Salvington belongs to the sixth group of Supreme Spirits and is the 611,121st of that order. She volunteered to accompany Michael when he was released from Paradise obligations and has collaborated with him in creating and governing Nebadon. While the Spirit acknowledges the Son as sovereign ruler, the Son grants the Spirit complete equality in all universe affairs. After Michael completed his seventh and final bestowal, the Universe Spirit publicly acknowledged subordination to the Son, and in response, Michael declared the Spirit co-ruler of his universe, establishing a divine family pattern that serves as the ideal model for the mortal family and voluntary marriage.

The Bright and Morning Star represents the first concept of identity and ideal of personality conceived by the Creator Son and the local manifestation of the Infinite Spirit. This first joint creative act between the Creator Son and Mother Spirit, before their creation of sons and daughters, resulted in the highest spirit personality of their union. Only one such magnificent being is created in each local universe.

Gabriel of Salvington shares the Universe Son's divine nature, though with more limited deity attributes. Unlike his parents, Gabriel is not a creator but serves as an exceptional administrator and the Creator Son's personal representative. As Nebadon's chief executive, Gabriel handles all administrative appeals and executes superuniverse mandates regarding non-personal affairs. He commands "the armies of heaven" and employs all celestial beings functioning in Nebadon. Gabriel only departed from his regular administrative duties during Michael's incarnations on creature bestowals, when he directed universe affairs in the incarnated Son's absence.

The administration by Trinity-origin personalities ends at the superuniverse level, with local universes characterized by the dual father-mother supervision of the Creator Son and Divine Minister. However, each local universe benefits from the presence of certain personalities from Paradise and the central universe. In Nebadon, this Paradise group is led by Immanuel of Salvington, the Union of Days and ambassador of the Paradise Trinity.

Immanuel, number 611,121 of the sixth order of Supreme Trinity Personalities, possesses sublime dignity yet refuses worship from all living creatures. He holds the distinction of being the only being in Nebadon who has never acknowledged subordination to Michael. Immanuel serves as an advisor to Michael but only offers counsel when requested. He is not subject to the local universe government's jurisdiction and exercises no direct authority except in supervising the Faithfuls of Days who serve at constellation headquarters. These Trinity representatives never offer unsolicited advice to the universe rulers.

Gabriel functions as Nebadon's chief executive and actual administrator, ensuring the universe operates smoothly even during Michael's absences from Salvington. When Michael travels elsewhere, as during his recent mission to Paradise for a gathering of Orvonton Master Sons, Gabriel serves as universe regent, seeking counsel from Immanuel on significant problems. The Father Melchizedek acts as Gabriel's first assistant and assumes responsibilities when Gabriel is away.

The administrative structure distributes specific responsibilities among different levels of universe government. System administrations focus primarily on the physical status and biological problems of their worlds. Constellation governments concentrate on social and governmental conditions, working toward unification and stabilization. Higher universe rulers devote more attention to the spiritual status of the realms. The universe maintains communication through broadcasts from Salvington to all constellation headquarters, system headquarters, and individual planets, with a standardized time system to coordinate activities throughout Nebadon.

Michael, as Master Son, focuses primarily on three functions: creation, sustenance, and ministry, and does not participate in judicial work. The principle that creators should not judge their creatures is firmly established, reserving this function for beings with high training and actual creature experience. Gabriel oversees the entire judicial system of Nebadon, with the high courts on Salvington handling universe-wide issues and appeals from system tribunals.

The universe courts operate through seventy branches functioning in seven divisions of ten sections each. Each court is led by two judges: one who comes from a perfected order of beings and one who has advanced through experience as an evolving creature. These courts have limited jurisdiction, as cases involving eternal life or death must be referred to Orvonton's tribunals, and cases involving Sons of God or readmission of isolated systems require superuniverse concurrence. Within their jurisdiction, Salvington's courts are final and supreme, with no further appeal possible. Despite occasional appearances of unfairness in human judgments on Urantia, the universe ultimately provides just and merciful treatment to all.

Salvington, as Nebadon's headquarters, lacks true legislative bodies and primarily focuses on judicial functions. The actual legislative assemblies of the local universe operate from the one hundred constellation headquarters, while systems concentrate on executive and administrative responsibilities. The System Sovereigns and their associates enforce the legislative mandates from constellation rulers and execute judgments from the universe's high courts.

Although formal legislation doesn't occur at the universe headquarters, Salvington hosts various advisory and research assemblies that function according to their specific purposes. Some of these groups are permanent, while others disband after completing their objectives. The supreme council includes three representatives from each system and seven from each constellation, though isolated systems cannot have representatives but may send observers. The presidents of the one hundred councils of supreme sanction constitute Gabriel's immediate working cabinet. While these high councils lack direct authority to enforce their recommendations, their findings become binding when issued as rulings by Nebadon courts or enacted by constellation legislatures.