Paper 52 Overview: Planetary Mortal Epochs

From the beginning of life on an evolutionary planet until it reaches the final era of light and life, there are seven distinct epochs of human development determined by the missions of divine Sons. These epochs generally follow a consistent order on most inhabited worlds, beginning with primitive humans and progressing through various stages of development under the guidance of different orders of celestial beings. Each epoch brings increased spiritual insight, social advancement, and intellectual growth to the mortal inhabitants.

The Paper provides a detailed explanation of how normal worlds progress through these epochs, while noting that Urantia (earth) has deviated from this standard pattern due to rebellion and other complications. The descriptions of these successive stages provide insight into both the divine plan for planetary evolution and how Urantia's unusual history has affected human development on this world. Understanding these epochs helps explain humanity's current status and potential future development as the planet moves toward higher levels of civilization and spiritual enlightenment.

From the beginning of life on an evolutionary planet until it reaches the era of light and life, there appear at least seven epochs of human existence determined by the planetary missions of the divine Sons. These successive ages appear in a consistent order on average inhabited worlds: Pre-Planetary Prince Man, Post-Planetary Prince Man, Post-Adamic Man, Post-Magisterial Son Man, Post-Bestowal Son Man, Post-Teacher Son Man, and finally, The Era of Light and Life. This sequence represents the divine plan for planetary development and spiritual progress.

When worlds in space become physically suitable for life, they are registered by the Life Carriers, who are then dispatched to initiate life on these planets. The period from life initiation to the emergence of humans is designated as the prehuman era, which precedes the seven mortal epochs discussed in this narrative. This preliminary stage sets the foundation for all subsequent human development.

From the time humans first become capable of choosing to worship the Creator until the arrival of the Planetary Prince, these early will creatures are known as primitive men. There are six basic types or races of primitive humans who appear in sequence according to spectrum colors, beginning with the red race. The duration of this early evolutionary period varies significantly between worlds, ranging from 150,000 years to over one million years of Urantia time. Around the time that primitive humans develop simple language, the evolutionary races of color—red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and indigo—begin to appear.

Primitive humans are formidable hunters and warriors, living in an age governed by physical survival of the fittest and tribal social organization. During early racial struggles, some evolutionary races are completely eliminated on many worlds, as happened on Urantia, with survivors typically later blending with the violet Adamic peoples. Despite the brutal and bloody nature of this epoch, which differs significantly on normal worlds compared to Urantia's unusually prolonged struggles, the achievements of primitive humans represent an impressive chapter in evolutionary history. Within 100,000 years after humans achieve upright posture, the Planetary Prince usually arrives, dispatched by the System Sovereign after Life Carriers report that will is functioning in primitive society.

With the arrival of the Planetary Prince, a new dispensation begins as government appears on earth and the advanced tribal era is attained. Under normal conditions, mortals achieve a high state of civilization during this age, though Urantia races struggled longer in barbarism due to the effects of rebellion. The average length of this dispensation is approximately 500,000 years, though this varies between worlds. During this period, the planet is established in the system circuits and receives a full quota of seraphic and celestial helpers, while Thought Adjusters come in increasing numbers.

When the Planetary Prince arrives, the primitive religion of fear and ignorance prevails, but the prince and his staff make the first revelations of higher truth and universe organization. Religion progresses through both gradual revelation and evolutionary growth during this time. This dispensation witnesses a spiritual dawn as different races develop specialized systems of religious and philosophical thought. Despite the prince not being "the Prince of Peace," racial struggles and tribal wars decrease in frequency and severity during this age. The greatest social achievement of this epoch is the emergence of family life, accompanied by the realization of sex equality, the development of agriculture, and the purification of the races.

When evolutionary life has reached its highest possible biological development and primitive humans have ascended as far as possible up the biologic scale, a Material Son and Daughter appear on the planet, dispatched by the System Sovereign. Thought Adjusters are increasingly bestowed upon post-Adamic humans, and by the end of this age, the planet possesses its full quota of celestial ministers. The primary purpose of the Adamic regime is to influence evolving humans to complete the transition from hunter-herder civilization to agriculture and horticulture, later supplemented by urban and industrial developments. Ten thousand years of this dispensation is sufficient to produce remarkable transformations on a world.

This age typically witnesses the completion of the elimination of unfit individuals and further purification of racial strains, as defective bestial tendencies are nearly eliminated from the reproducing populations. The Adamic progeny never directly mate with evolutionary races but instead implement a race-improvement project over generations. The gift of Adamic life plasm to mortal races results in immediate intellectual enhancement and accelerated spiritual progress, often accompanied by physical improvements. This post-Adamic dispensation is typically an age of great invention, energy control, and mechanical development. By the end of this period on a normal planet, the races are practically blended, and representative government begins to replace monarchial forms, while languages gradually unify under the tongue of the violet people.

On normal and loyal planets, this age begins with the mortal races blended and biologically fit, with no race or color problems because all nations are literally of one blood. The brotherhood of man flourishes as nations learn to live in peace and tranquility, with the world standing on the eve of great intellectual development. When an evolutionary world becomes thus prepared for the magisterial age, one of the high order of Avonal Sons from Paradise appears on a magisterial mission, while the Planetary Prince and Material Sons originate from the local universe.

When Paradise Avonals come on magisterial missions, they are always incarnated, though they do not experience birth or death as humans do, and may live for generations as rulers on certain planets. Each new dispensation extends the horizon of revealed religion, with Magisterial Sons explaining the affairs of the local universe and its tributaries. After their initial visit, the races soon achieve economic liberation, requiring only about two and a half hours of daily work to sustain independence. This age witnesses further racial purification, the development of self-government, and increasingly widespread indwelling of mortals by Thought Adjusters, though fusion Adjusters are not yet universally bestowed until later dispensations.

When a certain standard of intellectual and spiritual development is attained on an inhabited world, a Paradise bestowal Son always arrives. On normal worlds, he does not appear until the races have ascended to the highest levels of intellectual development and ethical attainment, but on Urantia, the bestowal Son, Christ Michael, appeared at the close of the Adamic dispensation, which is not the usual order of events. When worlds have become ready for spiritualization, the bestowal Son arrives and lives among the people, establishing the "new and living way" as an incarnation of Paradise truth in mortal flesh.

Upon the resurrection of a bestowal Son after yielding up his incarnated life, he ascends to the Universal Father, receives confirmation of his successful mission, and returns to the Creator Son at the local universe headquarters. The bestowal Avonal and Creator Michael then send their joint spirit, the Spirit of Truth, to the bestowal world, accompanied by the Universal Mother Spirit's participation and the bestowal edict of Thought Adjusters. The post-bestowal Son age may extend from ten to one hundred thousand years, during which human character undergoes tremendous transformations. Disease and delinquency are virtually solved, degeneracy is largely eliminated, and the average lifespan reaches the equivalent of three hundred Urantia years, while an entirely new order of society emerges.

The bestowal Son is the Prince of Peace who arrives with the message, "Peace on earth and good will among men." On normal worlds, this dispensation brings worldwide peace as nations no longer learn war, but these beneficial influences did not accompany the coming of Christ Michael to Urantia. Your world is out of step with the normal planetary progression, and your Master warned his disciples that his advent would not bring the usual reign of peace, explicitly telling them there would be "wars and rumors of wars" and that nations would rise against one another.

Even on normal evolutionary worlds, the realization of worldwide brotherhood is not an easy accomplishment, but on a confused and disordered planet like Urantia, such achievement requires a much longer time and greater effort. Religious revelation is essential for the realization of brotherhood on your world. While Jesus showed the way to immediate spiritual brotherhood, social brotherhood depends on achieving personal transformations and planetary adjustments including: social fraternity through travel and communication, intellectual cross-fertilization through the exchange of ideas, ethical awakening to recognize the immorality of intolerance, political wisdom to substitute civilized adjudication for war, and spiritual insight to understand that brotherhood comes from recognizing the fatherhood of God.

The next Sons to arrive on average evolutionary worlds are the Trinity Teacher Sons, divine Sons of the Paradise Trinity. Once again, Urantia is out of sequence with sister spheres, as Jesus has promised to return, though no one knows whether his second coming will precede or follow the appearances of Magisterial or Teacher Sons on your world. The Teacher Sons come in groups to spiritualizing worlds, with a planetary Teacher Son assisted by seventy primary Sons, twelve secondary Sons, and three of the highest order of Daynals. They remain on the world long enough to transition it from evolutionary ages to the era of light and life—at least one thousand years and often considerably longer.

During this dispensation, truth revelation extends to the central universe and Paradise, and the races become highly spiritual. Educational, economic, and administrative systems undergo radical transformations as the kingdom of heaven appears on earth. Many mortals are translated directly from among the living during this era, and as Trinity Teacher Sons progress in their work, spiritual allegiance becomes increasingly universal. Natural death becomes less frequent as Adjusters increasingly fuse with their subjects during physical life. Life during this era is pleasant and profitable, with degeneracy and antisocial elements virtually eliminated. The average lifespan approaches five hundred Urantia years, and reproductive rates are intelligently controlled, while representative government gradually gives way to individual self-control as the golden age approaches.