Paper 38 Overview: Ministering Spirits of the Local Universe

The ministering spirits of a local universe comprise several angelic orders, with seraphim being the primary focus of this paper. These angels, created by the Universe Mother Spirit, function as essential helpers and guides throughout the evolutionary journey of mortals. Seraphim are organized in a structured hierarchy and work alongside cherubim, sanobim, and midway creatures to bridge the gap between material and spiritual realms.

Their service extends from the lowest evolutionary worlds to the highest spiritual spheres, and they perform countless tasks related to mortal welfare and spiritual progress. While similar in design across the universes, these beings have distinct personalities and functions, with some even having the potential to evolve to higher statuses through dedicated service and divine embrace.

There are three distinct orders of personalities originating from the Infinite Spirit, as referenced by the apostle who wrote about Jesus going to heaven with "angels and authorities and powers being made subject to him." In this hierarchy, angels function as the ministering spirits of time, authorities serve as messenger hosts of space, and powers represent the higher personalities of the Infinite Spirit.

The seraphim, along with cherubim and sanobim, constitute the angelic corps of a local universe, similar to how supernaphim serve in the central universe and seconaphim in a superuniverse. These angelic beings display remarkable uniformity in design across all seven superuniverses, representing the most standardized of all spirit personalities and forming the corps of skilled and common ministers in local creations.

Seraphim are created by the Universe Mother Spirit in uniform batches of 41,472 at a time, a process that began after the creation of the "pattern angels" and certain angelic archetypes in Nebadon's early history. The Creator Son and the universe representation of the Infinite Spirit collaborate to create various Sons and universe personalities, after which the Son engages in creating Material Sons while the Universe Mother Spirit begins her solitary effort at spirit reproduction, leading to the seraphic hosts.

These angelic orders emerge during the planning for mortal will creature evolution, with their creation dating from the time when the Universe Mother Spirit attained relative personality, before becoming the coordinate of the Master Son. Prior to this development, Nebadon temporarily borrowed seraphim from neighboring universes, but now the periodic creation of seraphim continues as part of the ongoing development of this growing and perfecting universe.

Angels lack material bodies but exist as definite and discrete spirit beings who can perceive mortals in their physical form without requiring transformers or translators. They comprehend human life, share in non-sensuous emotions and sentiments, and appreciate human efforts in music, art, and humor while being fully aware of mankind's moral struggles and spiritual difficulties.

Though seraphim are affectionate and sympathetic beings, they do not experience sexual emotions and resemble what humans will become on the mansion worlds where there is neither marriage nor death. Angels possess remarkable abilities beyond human understanding, such as automatically knowing facts that would require tremendous calculations for mortals, yet they do not serve as judges or accusers of humanity, nor should they be worshipped, being only slightly ahead of mortals in the scale of existence.

In this paper, the term "angel" is specifically limited to seraphim and associated beings created by the Universe Mother Spirit who are involved with mortal survival plans. Six other orders of related beings serve in the local universe – the unrevealed angels – who are never called seraphim or referred to as ministering spirits.

These unrevealed angelic groups are entirely occupied with administrative and other affairs of Nebadon, engaging in activities that have no connection to the progressive spiritual ascent and perfection attainment of evolutionary mortals. Their functions remain separate from the seraphic missions that support human development and Paradise ascension.

The ninth group of seven primary spheres in the Salvington circuit consists of the seraphic worlds, each with six tributary satellites housing specialized schools for all phases of seraphic training. While seraphim can access all forty-nine worlds in this sphere group, they exclusively occupy only the first cluster of seven worlds, with the remaining six clusters used by the six unrevealed angelic orders.

On these magnificent realms characterized by beauty and vastness, each seraphim has a real home where they live in pairs. Though not male and female like Material Sons or mortal races, seraphim function as negative and positive pairs, typically requiring two angels to accomplish a task, though they can work alone when not encircuited and don't always need their complements when stationary.

Seraphim spend their first millennium as noncommissioned observers on Salvington and its associated school worlds, followed by a second millennium on the seraphic worlds of the Salvington circuit. Their central training school is presided over by the first one hundred thousand Nebadon seraphim, with the original first-born angel of the local universe leading them, while the Melchizedeks play a significant role in educating all local universe angels.

After completing this training phase, seraphim are organized into conventional groups and units of angelic organization and assigned to one of the constellations, though not yet commissioned as ministering spirits. They begin their service as observers on the lowest evolutionary worlds, then return to headquarters worlds for advanced studies before being assigned to a local system, where they complete their training and receive their commission as ministering spirits of time.

After their second millennium at seraphic headquarters, seraphim are organized under chiefs into groups of twelve pairs (24 seraphim), with twelve such groups constituting a company of 144 pairs (288 seraphim) led by a leader. The organizational structure continues with twelve companies forming a battalion, twelve battalions creating a seraphic unit, and twelve units making a legion of 248,832 pairs or 497,664 individual seraphim – the force Jesus referred to in Gethsemane.

The hierarchical structure extends further with twelve legions comprising a host of nearly six million individual seraphim, and twelve such hosts forming the largest operating organization of seraphim – an angelic army of over 71 million individuals. These armies are directed by the Brilliant Evening Stars or Gabriel's lieutenants, with Gabriel himself serving as "supreme commander of the armies of heaven" and chief executive of Nebadon's Sovereign.

In all essential qualities, cherubim and sanobim resemble seraphim, though they have different origins and sometimes different destinies. These wonderfully intelligent, marvelously efficient, and touchingly affectionate beings represent the lowest order of angels, making them closer to the more progressive types of human beings on evolutionary worlds.

Cherubim and sanobim function in pairs, with the cherubim being the positive, senior, or controlling personality, and the sanobim serving as the negative or complementary being. Each type has limited solitary capabilities, making them usually serve in pairs as faithful and efficient assistants to all seven orders of seraphim, though they don't accompany seraphim beyond the local universe boundaries.

There are three major classes of cherubim and sanobim with different evolutionary potentials. The first category, ascension candidates, shows brilliance and potential to achieve full seraphic standing through application and experience, despite not being inherently equal to seraphim at the outset.

The second group, mid-phase cherubim, has inherently limited ascension potential, with most remaining at their original level, though some gifted individuals may achieve limited seraphic service. The third class, morontia cherubim or "fourth creatures," maintains quasi-material characteristics and will continue as cherubim and sanobim alongside many mid-phase members until the complete factualization of the Supreme Being.

Midway creatures have a threefold classification: they are properly categorized with ascending Sons of God, factually grouped with permanent citizenship orders, and functionally associated with ministering spirits of time due to their close work with angelic hosts. These unique beings appear on most inhabited worlds, particularly on decimal or life-experiment planets like Urantia, and come in two types – primary and secondary.

Primary midwayers are the more spiritual group derived from the modified ascendant-mortal staffs of Planetary Princes, with exactly 50,000 serving on any planet with their ministry. Secondary midwayers, more material in nature, vary in numbers but average about 50,000 per world and originate through at least 24 different techniques involving the planetary Adams and Eves or their progeny, with Urantia's secondary midwayers having an unusual and extraordinary origin.