The Urantia Book. Urantia Foundation
in their ministry by the gracious and brilliant Paradise Citizens.
25:8.4 (283.5) Mortals come from races that are very social. The Creators well know that it is “not good for man to be alone,” and provision is accordingly made for companionship, even on Paradise.
25:8.5 (283.6) If you, as an ascendant mortal, should reach Paradise in the company of the companion or close associate of your earthly career, or if your seraphic guardian of destiny should chance to arrive with you or were waiting for you, then no permanent companion would be assigned you. But if you arrive alone, a companion will certainly welcome you as you awaken on the Isle of Light from the terminal sleep of time. Even if it is known that you will be accompanied by someone of ascendant association, temporary companions will be designated to welcome you to the eternal shores and to escort you to the reservation made ready for the reception of you and your associates. You may be certain of being warmly welcomed when you experience the resurrection into eternity on the everlasting shores of Paradise.
25:8.6 (283.7) Reception companions are assigned during the terminal days of the ascenders’ sojourn on the last circuit of Havona, and they carefully examine the records of mortal origin and eventful ascent through the worlds of space and the circles of Havona. When they greet the mortals of time, they are already well versed in the careers of these arriving pilgrims and immediately prove to be sympathetic and intriguing companions.
25:8.7 (283.8) During your prefinaliter sojourn on Paradise, if for any reason you should be temporarily separated from your associate of the ascending career—mortal or seraphic—a Paradise Companion would be forthwith assigned for counsel and companionship. When once assigned to an ascendant mortal of solitary residence on Paradise, the companion remains with this person until he either is rejoined by his ascendant associates or is duly mustered into the Corps of the Finality.
25:8.8 (284.1) Paradise Companions are assigned in order of waiting except that an ascender is never placed in the charge of a companion whose nature is unlike his superuniverse type. If a Urantia mortal were arriving on Paradise today, there would be assigned to him the first waiting companion either of origin in Orvonton or otherwise of the nature of the Seventh Master Spirit. Hence the omniaphim serve not with the ascendant creatures from the seven superuniverses.
25:8.9 (284.2) Many additional services are performed by the Paradise Companions: If an ascending mortal should reach the central universe alone and, while traversing Havona, should fail in some phase of the Deity adventure, in due course he would be remanded to the universes of time, and forthwith a call would be made to the reserves of the Paradise Companions. One of this order would be assigned to follow the defeated pilgrim, to be with him and to comfort and cheer him, and to remain with him until he returned to the central universe to resume the Paradise ascent.
25:8.10 (284.3) If an ascending pilgrim met defeat in the Deity adventure while traversing Havona in the company of an ascending seraphim, the guardian angel of the mortal career, she would elect to accompany her mortal associate. These seraphim always volunteer and are permitted to accompany their long-time mortal comrades back to the service of time and space.
25:8.11 (284.4) But not so with two closely associated mortal ascenders: If one attains God while the other temporarily fails, the successful individual invariably chooses to go back to the evolutionary creations with the disappointed personality, but this is not permitted. Instead, a call is made to the reserves of the Paradise Companions, and one of the volunteers is selected to accompany the disappointed pilgrim. A volunteer Paradise Citizen then becomes associated with the successful mortal, who tarries on the central Isle awaiting the Havona return of the defeated comrade and in the meantime teaches in certain Paradise schools, presenting the adventurous story of the evolutionary ascent.
25:8.12 (284.5) [Sponsored by One High in Authority from Uversa.]
The Urantia Book
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Paper 26
Ministering Spirits of the Central Universe
26:0.1 (285.1) SUPERNAPHIM are the ministering spirits of Paradise and the central universe; they are the highest order of the lowest group of the children of the Infinite Spirit—the angelic hosts. Such ministering spirits are to be encountered from the Isle of Paradise to the worlds of time and space. No major part of the organized and inhabited creation is without their services.
1. The Ministering Spirits
26:1.1 (285.2) Angels are the ministering-spirit associates of the evolutionary and ascending will creatures of all space; they are also the colleagues and working associates of the higher hosts of the divine personalities of the spheres. The angels of all orders are distinct personalities and are highly individualized. They all have a large capacity for appreciation of the ministrations of the reversion directors. Together with the Messenger Hosts of Space, the ministering spirits enjoy seasons of rest and change; they possess very social natures and have an associative capacity far transcending that of human beings.
26:1.2 (285.3) The ministering spirits of the grand universe are classified as follows:
26:1.3 (285.4) 1. Supernaphim.
26:1.4 (285.5) 2. Seconaphim.
26:1.5 (285.6) 3. Tertiaphim.
26:1.6 (285.7) 4. Omniaphim.
26:1.7 (285.8) 5. Seraphim.
26:1.8 (285.9) 6. Cherubim and Sanobim.
26:1.9 (285.10) 7. Midway Creatures.
26:1.10 (285.11) The individual members of the angelic orders are not altogether stationary as to personal status in the universe. Angels of certain orders may become Paradise Companions for a season; some become Celestial Recorders; others ascend to the ranks of the Technical Advisers. Certain of the cherubim may aspire to seraphic status and destiny, while evolutionary seraphim can achieve the spiritual levels of the ascending Sons of God.
26:1.11 (285.12) The seven orders of ministering spirits, as revealed, are grouped for presentation in accordance with their functions of greatest importance to ascending creatures:
26:1.12 (285.13) 1. The Ministering Spirits of the Central Universe. The three orders of supernaphim serve in the Paradise-Havona system. Primary or Paradise supernaphim are created by the Infinite Spirit. The secondary and tertiary orders, serving in Havona, are respectively the offspring of the Master Spirits and of the Spirits of the Circuits.
26:1.13 (286.1) 2. The Ministering Spirits of the Superuniverses—the seconaphim, the tertiaphim, and the omniaphim. Seconaphim, the children of the Reflective Spirits, variously serve in the seven superuniverses. Tertiaphim, of origin in the Infinite Spirit, are eventually dedicated to the liaison service of the Creator Sons and the Ancients of Days. Omniaphim are created concertedly by the Infinite Spirit and the Seven Supreme Executives, and they are the exclusive servants of the latter. The discussion of these three orders forms the subject of a succeeding narrative in this series.
26:1.14 (286.2) 3. The Ministering Spirits of the Local Universes embrace the seraphim and their assistants, the cherubim. With these offspring of a Universe Mother Spirit mortal ascenders have initial contact. The midway creatures, of nativity on the inhabited worlds, are not really of the angelic orders proper, though often functionally grouped with the ministering spirits. Their story, with an account of the seraphim and cherubim, is presented in those papers dealing with the affairs of your local universe.
26:1.15