The Sublime Adventure – XVII. Our Local System (3 of 3)
Date Posted: August 14th, 2008
Jerusem: Our Local System Headquarters
This world is truly the heaven visualized by the majority of
present religious believers.
Physical Aspects of Jerusem
This enormous sphere have seven major capitals and seventy
minor administrative centers. “The seven sectional capitals are
concerned with diverse activities, and the System Sovereign is
present in each at least once a year.”
The Satania day is more or less equivalent to three Urantia
days. The system year consists of one hundred Jerusem days.
The energy of Jerusem is superbly controlled and expertly
administrated by the Master Physical Controllers. “The full-
light temperature is maintained at about 70 degrees Fahrenheit,
while during the period of light recession it falls to a little
lower than 50 degrees.”
There are no days and nights, no seasons of heat and cold.
Jerusem receives faint light from several near-by suns – a sort
of brilliant starlight – but is not dependant on them. Power
transformers are in charge of delivering a gentle, sifting, and
even light.
“Under such conditions of lighting, the light rays do not
seem to come from one place; they just sift out of the sky,
emanating equally from all space directions. This light is very
similar to natural sunlight except that it contains very much
less heat. Thus it will be recognized that such headquarters
worlds are not luminous in space; if Jerusem were very near
Urantia, it would not be visible.”
“This lighting of the spheres is uniformly maintained for
seventy-five percent of the Jerusem day, and then there is a
gradual recession until at the time of minimum illumination, the
light is about that of your full moon on a clear night. This is
the quiet hour for all Jerusem. Only the broadcast-receiving
stations are in operation during this period of rest and
rehabilitation.”
Physical Features of Jerusem
On Jerusem we will miss the rugged mountain ranges and the
expansive oceans of Earth. However, we will enjoy beautiful
highlands, thousands upon thousands of small lakes and enormous
areas which are preserved in a “natural state.” The grandeur of
it all is quite beyond the powers of human imagination.
There is no rainfall, storms, or blizzards on any of the
architectural worlds, “… but there is the daily precipitation
of the condensation of moisture during the time of the lowest
temperature attending the light recession.” The physical plant
life and the morontia world of living things both require
moisture.
The air is very similar to that of our planet except that
there is a third gas adapted to the respiration of the morontia
order of life.
Residential and Administrative Areas
A large part of Jerusem is designated as residential areas,
while other portions are dedicated to the administrative
functions related to the 619 inhabited planets, the 56
transitional-culture worlds, and Jerusem itself.
Often in the Book, the Revelators express their frustration
at their inability to relate to us certain things, events, and
concepts that are beyond our limited language and experience.
They will, for instance, say: “I despair to …” “This is only
a pale imitation of …” There is nothing on your world to
compare with …” “If only I could go on to …” They will at
times simply be unable to offer any kind of explanation even
though they are authorized to reveal the matter in question. The
following passage is a typical example:
“Jerusem has great buildings of both material and morontia
types, while the embellishment of the purely spiritual zones is
no less exquisite and replete. If I only had words to tell you
of the morontia counterparts of the marvelous physical equipment
of Jerusem! If I could only go on to portray the sublime
grandeur and exquisite perfection of the spiritual appointment of
this headquarters world! Your most imaginative concept of
perfection of beauty and repleteness of appointment would hardly
approach these grandeurs. And Jerusem is but the first step on
the way to the supernal perfection of Paradise beauty.”
The Jerusem Broadcasts
I largely, but not fully, understand this amazing section.
Those of you who are physicists, engineers, or are otherwise more
technically inclined, are one step ahead of me and can go to page
522 to read it in its entirety. Here I am including what I
believe are the relevant parts.
“The superuniverse and Paradise-Havona broadcasts are
received on Jerusem in liaison with Salvington and by a technique
involving the polar crystal, the sea of glass. In addition to
provisions for the reception of these extra-Nebadon
communications, there are three distinct groups of receiving
stations. These separate but tricirculars groups of stations
are adjusted to the reception of broadcasts from the local
worlds, from the constellation headquarters, and from the capital
of the local universe. All these broadcasts are automatically
displayed so as to be discernible by all types of beings present
in the central broadcast amphitheater; of all preoccupations for
an ascendant mortal on Jerusem, none is more engaging and
engrossing than that of listening in on the never-ending stream
of universe space reports.”
“The Jerusem broadcast-receiving station is encircled by an
enormous amphitheater constructed of scintillating materials
largely unknown on Urantia and seating over five billion beings –
material and morontia – besides accommodating innumerable spirit
personalities. It is the favorite diversion for all Jerusem to
spend their leisure at the broadcast station, there to learn of
the welfare and state of the universe. And this is the only
planetary activity which is not slowed down during the recession
of light.”
“… and when Paradise messages are in reception, the entire
population is assembled around the sea of glass, and the Uversa
friends add the reflectivity phenomena to the technique of the
Paradise broadcast so that everything heard becomes visible. And
it is in this manner that continual foretastes of advancing
beauty and grandeur are afforded the mortal survivors as they
journey inward on the eternal adventure.” [P519 to 523].
The Circles of the Ascending Mortals
“The central area of the circles of the ascending mortals is
occupied by a group of 619 planetary memorials representative of
the inhabited worlds of the system, and these structures
periodically undergo extensive changes. It is the privilege of
the mortals from each world to agree, from time to time, upon
certain of the alterations or additions to their planetary
memorials. Many changes are even now being made in the Urantia
structures. The center of these 619 temples is occupied by a
working model of Edentia and its many worlds of ascendant
culture. This model is forty miles in diameter and is an actual
reproduction of the Edentia system, true to the original in every
detail.” [P526].
I have included as much as I can regarding our fascinating
local system (Papers 45 & 46). I trust that what is relevant has
been described. This part of the universe is after all our
immediate destination when our sojourn on Urantia is over. The
“Heaven” our prophets have referred to over the centuries.
At long last, I am finally ready to start describing the
Seven Mansion Worlds and the Morontia Life. You have been
provided with enough preliminary explanations and new terminology
to understand what will follow. You’re ready, at least in your
mind, to embark on the sublime adventure.
