The Third Article of Faith – XI. The Default of Adam and Eve
Date Posted: November 13th, 2007
At the right time, every planet receives a Material Son and Daughter – usually known on a planet as Adam and Eve. “Together with the Planetary Prince, they remain on their planet of assignment throughout the evolutionary course of such a sphere.” They act as biologic uplifters; being material they can reproduce and their children after they attain a certain number (over one million) can mate with the inhabitants of this world. Thus a planet is given a chance to benefit from their superior genetic traits. I stress again that they cannot lay with the sons and daughters of their world before a given number is attained. And this is were things went wrong on Urantia. But let me start at the beginning.
“On the inhabited worlds the Material Sons and Daughters construct their own garden homes, soon being assisted by their own children.” This garden is called the Garden of Eden.
When their arrival was announced on our planet, advanced mortals and other beings formed a committee to select a suitable site for the garden. The site selected was “…a long narrow peninsula – almost an island – projecting westward from the eastern shores of the Mediterranean Sea.” “The site chosen for the garden was probably the most beautiful spot of its kind in the world, and the climate was then ideal.” “Without and beyond, the world lay in darkness, ignorance and savagery. Eden was the one bright spot on Urantia, it was naturally a dream of loveliness, and it soon became a poem of exquisite and perfected landscape glory.”
Adam and Eve arrived on Urantia almost 38,000 years ago. Because of the rebellion they had been warned in advance that they faced a monumental task. However, these two noble souls accepted their mission.
Once formally installed, they became painfully aware of their planetary isolation. There was no Planetary Prince to receive them, but Caligastia was very much present and he made their task difficult.
These two passages from the Book are heart-rending.
It was a serious and disillusioned Son and Daughter of Jerusem who walked that night through the garden under the shining of the full moon, discussing plans for the next day.
Thus ended the first day of Adam and Eve on isolated Urantia, the confused planet of the Caligastia betrayal; and they walked and talked far into the night, their first night on earth – and it was so lonely.
These next two passages capture the ordeal of this Son and Daughter.
The “golden age” was a myth, but Eden was a fact, and the Garden civilization was actually overthrown. Adam and Eve carried on in the garden for one hundred and seventeen years when, through the impatience of Eve and the errors of judgment of Adam, they presumed to turn aside from the ordained way, speedily bringing disaster upon themselves and ruinous retardation upon the developmental progression of all Urantia.
Adam and Eve found themselves on a sphere wholly unprepared for the proclamation of the brotherhood of man, a world groping about in abject spiritual darkness and cursed with confusion worse confounded by the miscarriage of the mission of the preceding administration. Mind and morals were at a low level, and instead of beginning the task of effecting religious unity, they must begin all anew the work of converting the inhabitants to the most simple forms of religious belief. Instead of finding one language ready for adoption, they were confronted by the world-wide confusion of hundreds upon hundreds of local dialects. No Adam of the planetary service was ever set down on a more difficult world; the obstacles seemed insuperable and the problems beyond creature solution.
“Nevertheless, they courageously set about the task of solving their manifold problems.” Since they were isolated they could not seek the counsel of their Superiors. “Only indirectly, by means of the angelic orders could they communicate with any being off the planet.” This was a slow and ineffective method, a way akin for us to rely strictly on messengers to conduct our human affairs.
Without going into the details of the default, first Eve and then Adam mated with a son and daughter of Urantia. This was a departure from the divine plan that in effect brought an end to their mission.
The wily Caligastia convinced (indirectly, through another person) Eve that this was for the good of the planet. Once the deed was done, Adam sought a daughter of the realm and lay with her. This was a deliberate act. He so loved Eve that the thought of living without her on the planet was unbearable to him.
“Gabriel appeared to pronounce judgment. And this was the verdict: The Planetary Adam and Eve of Urantia are adjudged in default; they have violated the covenant of their trusteeship as the rulers of this inhabited world.”
The good news was that they were not held guilty of rebellion. However, at this point they had degraded themselves to the status of the Urantia mortals. Because they repented, and their repentance was accepted, they became eligible for admission to the ranks of the sleeping survivors of Urantia.
Adam lived for 530 years, he died of what might be termed old age. His physical mechanism simply wore out; the process of disintegration gradually gained on the process of repair, and the inevitable end came. Eve had died nineteen years previously of a weakened heart.
They did not long rest in the oblivion of the unconscious sleep of the mortals of the realm. On the third day after Adam’s death, the second following his reverent burial, the orders of Lanaforge, sustained by the acting most high of Edentia and concurred in by the Union of Days on Salvington, acting for Michael, were placed in Gabriel’s hands, directing the special roll call of the distinguished survivors of the Adamic default on Urantia. And in accordance with this mandate of special resurrection, number twenty-six of the Urantia series, Adam and Eve were repersonalized and reassembled in the resurrection halls of the mansion worlds of Satania together with 1,316 of their associates in the experience of the first garden.
Adam and Eve are now considered as ascendants citizens – sons of man. They have not yet started their ascension since they have been “…assigned membership among the four and twenty counselors who constitute the present advisory-control body of Urantia.”
With the passing of Adam and Eve, the last light was turned off and the planet was plunged into darkness. In time obscurity collided with technology and two devastating world wars set the world aflame. A third war was only averted because nuclear weapons would have resulted in total annihilation
And yet the story of our planet is not necessarily one of total bleakness.
First, we would be mistaken if we concluded that the bestowal of Adam and Eve didn’t have a positive impact. It did. This is what the Book has to say:
“While there was a miscarriage of the ideal plans for improving your native races, still, Adam’s mission was not in vain; Urantia has profited immeasurably from the gift of Adam and Eve, and among their fellows and in the councils on high their work is not reckoned as a total loss.”
Second, being born on an isolated planet has its advantage. While we dwell on Urantia, our life is hard, often filled with trials and tribulations. This is the bad news. The good news is that souls from an isolated planet invariably do better later on than those coming from planets which have not been subjected to our misfortunes.
Think about it for a moment. The inhabitants of a normal planet are asked to believe in a God who can neither be seen nor comprehended. A difficult demand at the best of time; but at least they have higher Beings at the helm of their planet. They have their Planetary Prince and his staff, and their Material Son and Daughter and their children. There is constant communications with higher Personalities to help them resolve the problems of their world. We have had no such assistance on Urantia; yet, the overwhelming majority of the planet believes in God. This is faith beyond comprehension. A testimony to the power of the Creator who can still against all odds indwells our minds.
Look at us today. We have made so much progress. Early in the ’90s the Soviet Union disintegrated; voices were raised in prayers from inside so many churches, in so many nations. God was back in their hearts. Indeed, I am sure He had never left.
Look at the grandmothers in Africa raising their AID’s orphaned grandchildren under impossible conditions.
Look how powerful and wealthy individuals are helping poorer nations. How a lot of us donate of our time and money to lighten the plight of the poor and the downtrodden.
We are a plucky species. We have survived so far. At the end, with God’s help we will prevail.
