Subject: The Urantia Book. April 28 2008.
Here is something from a book I read many years ago.
It just about explains everything that ever happened
on this Earth which they call Unrantia.
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THE URANTIA BOOK
PART IV - THE LIFE AND TEACHINGS OF JE--S
Page 1344
PAPER 122 - BIRTH AND INFANCY OF J--US
It will hardly be possible fully to explain the many
reasons which led to the selection of Palestine as the
land for Michael's bestowal, and especially as to just
why the family of Joseph and Mary should have been
chosen as the immediate setting for the appearance of
this Son of G-d on Urantia.
After a study of the special re****t on the status of
segregated worlds prepared by the Melchizedeks, in
counsel with Gabriel, Michael finally chose Urantia as
the planet whereon to enact his final bestowal.
Subsequent to this decision Gabriel made a personal
visit to Urantia, and, as a result of his study of
human groups and his survey of the s-iritual,
intellectual, r-cial, and geographic features of the
world and its peoples, he decided that the H-brews
possessed those relative advantages which warranted
their selection as the bestowal race. Upon Michael's
approval of this decision, Gabriel appointed and
dispatched to Urantia the Family Commission of Twelve
selected from among the higher orders of universe
personalities which was intrusted with the task of
making an investigation of Je-ish family life. When
this commission ended its labors, Gabriel was present
on Urantia and received the re****t nominating three
prospective unions as being, in the opinion of the
commission, equally favorable as bestowal families for
Michael's projected i-carnation.
From the three couples nominated, Gabriel made the
personal choice of Joseph and Mary, subsequently making
his personal appearance to Mary, at which time he
imparted to her the glad tidings that she had been
selected to become the earth mother of the bestowal
child.
"1. JOSEPH AND MARY"
Joseph, the human father of Jes-- (Joshua ben
Joseph), was a He-rew of the Heb-ews, albeit he carried
many non-Je-ish ra-ial strains which had been added to
his ancestral tree from time to time by the female
lines of his progenitors. The ancestry of the father of
J--us went back to the days of Abraham and through this
venerable patriarch to the earlier lines of inheritance
leading to the Sumerians and Nodites and, through the
southern tribes of the ancient blue man, to Andon and
Fonta.
David and Solomon were not in the direct line of
Joseph's ancestry, neither did Joseph's lineage go
directly back to Adam. Joseph's immediate ancestors
were mechanics builders, carpenters, masons, and
smiths. Joseph himself was a carpenter and later a
contractor. His family belonged to a long and
illustrious line of the nobility of the common people,
accentuated ever and anon by the appearance of unusual
individuals who had distinguished themselves in
connection with the evolution of r-ligion on Urantia.
Page 1345
Mary, the earth mother of Je--s, was a descendant of
a long line of unique ancestors embracing many of the
most remarkable women in the racial history of Urantia.
Although Mary was an average woman of her day and
generation, possessing a fairly normal temperament, she
reckoned among her ancestors such well-known women as
Annon, Tamar, Ruth, Bathsheba, Ansie, Cloa, Eve, Enta,
and Ratta.
No -ewish woman of that day had a more illustrious
lineage of common progenitors or one extending back to
more auspicious beginnings. Mary's ancestry, like
Joseph's, was characterized by the predominance of
strong but average individuals, relieved now and then
by numerous outstanding personalities in the march of
civilization and the progressive evo-ution of re-igion.
Rac-ally considered, it is hardly proper to regard Mary
as a Je-ess. In culture and belief she was a J-w, but
in hereditary endowment she was more a composite of
Syrian, Hittite, Phoenician, Greek, and Egyptian
stocks, her rac-al inheritance being more general than
that of Joseph.
Of all couples living in Palestine at about the time
of Michael's projected bestowal, Joseph and Mary
possessed the most ideal combination of widespread
ra-ial connections and superior average of personality
endowments.
It was the plan of Michael to appear on earth as an
`average' man, that the common people might understand
him and receive him; wherefore Gabriel selected just
such persons as Joseph and Mary to become the bestowal
parents.
"2. GABRIEL APPEARS TO ELIZABETH"
Jesus' lifework on Urantia was really begun by John
the Baptist. Zacharias, John's father, belonged to the
Je-ish priesthood, while his mother, Elizabeth, was a
member of the more prosperous branch of the same large
family group to which Mary the mother of --sus also
belonged. Zacharias and Elizabeth, though they had been
married many years, were childless.
It was late in the month of June, 8 B.C., about three
months after the marriage of Joseph and Mary, that
Gabriel appeared to Elizabeth at noontide one day, just
as he later made his presence known to Mary. Said
Gabriel: "While your husband, Zacharias, stands before
the altar in Jerusalem, and while the assembled people
p-ay for the coming of a deliverer, I, Gabriel, have
come to announce that you will shortly bear a son who
shall be the forerunner of this d-vine teacher, and you
shall call your son John. He will grow up dedicated to
the Lord your Go-, and when he has come to full years,
he will gladden your heart because he will turn many
souls to -od, and he will also proclaim the coming of
the soul-he-ler of your people and the spi-it-liberator
of all mankind. Your kinswoman Mary shall be the mother
of this child of promise, and I will also appear to
her."
This vision greatly frightened Elizabeth.
After Gabriel's departure she turned this experience
over in her mind, long pondering the sayings of the
majestic visitor, but did not speak of the revelation
to anyone save her husband until her subsequent visit
with Mary in early February of the following year.
For five months, however, Elizabeth withheld her
s-cret even from her husband. Upon her disclosure of
the story of Gabriel's visit, Zacharias was very
skeptical and for weeks doubted the entire experience,
only consenting halfheartedly to believe in Gabriel's
visit to his wife when he could no longer question that
she was expectant with child.
Zacharias was very much perplexed regarding
Page 1346
the prospective motherhood of Elizabeth, but he did not
doubt the integrity of his wife, notwithstanding his
own advanced age. It was not until about six weeks
before John's birth that Zacharias, as the result of an
impressive dream, became fully convinced that Elizabeth
was to become the mother of a son of destiny, one who
was to prepare the way for the coming of the M-ssiah.
Gabriel appeared to Mary about the middle of
November, 8 B.C., while she was at work in her Nazareth
home. Later on, after Mary knew without doubt that she
was to become a mother, she persuaded Joseph to let her
journey to the City of Judah, four miles west of
Jerusalem, in the hills, to visit Elizabeth. Gabriel
had informed each of these mothers-to-be of his
appearance to the other. Naturally they were anxious to
get together, compare experiences, and talk over the
probable futures of their sons. Mary remained with her
distant cousin for three weeks.
Elizabeth did much to strengthen Mary's faith in the
vision of Gabriel, so that she returned home more fully
dedicated to the call to mother the child of destiny
whom she was so soon to present to the world as a
helpless babe, an average and normal infant of the
realm.
John was born in the City of Judah, March 25, 7 B.C.
Zacharias and Elizabeth rejoiced greatly in the
realization that a son had come to them as Gabriel had
promised, and when on the eighth day they presented the
child for cir***cision, they formally christened him
John, as they had been directed aforetime. Already had
a nephew of Zacharias departed for Nazareth, carrying
the message of Elizabeth to Mary proclaiming that a son
had been born to her and that his name was to be John.
From his earliest infancy John was judiciously
impressed by his parents with the idea that he was to
grow up to become a sp-ritual leader and rel-gious
teacher. And the soil of John's heart was ever
responsive to the sowing of such suggestive seeds. Even
as a child he was found frequently at the temple during
the seasons of his father's service, and he was
tremendously impressed with the significance of all
that he saw.
"3. GABRIEL'S ANNOUNCEMENT TO MARY"
One evening about sundown, before Joseph had returned
home, Gabriel appeared to Mary by the side of a low
stone table and, after she had recovered her composure,
said: "I come at the bidding of one who is my Master
and whom you shall love and nurture. To you, Mary, I
bring glad tidings when I announce that the conception
within you is ordained by h-aven, and that in due time
you will become the mother of a son; you shall call him
Joshua, and he shall inaugurate the kingdom of hea-en
on earth and among men.
Speak not of this matter save to Joseph and to
Elizabeth, your kinswoman, to whom I have also
appeared, and who shall presently also bear a son,
whose name shall be John, and who will prepare the way
for the message of deliverance which your son shall
proclaim to men with great power and deep conviction.
And doubt not my word, Mary, for this home has been
chosen as the mortal habitat of the child of destiny.
My benediction rests upon you, the power of the Most
Highs will strengthen you, and the Lord of all the
earth shall overshadow you."
Mary pondered this visitation sec-etly in her heart
for many weeks until of a certainty she knew she was
with child, before she dared to disclose these unusual
Page 1347
events to her husband. When Joseph heard all about
this, although he had great confidence in Mary, he was
much troubled and could not sleep for many nights. At
first Joseph had doubts about the Gabriel visitation.
Then when he became well-nigh persuaded that Mary had
really heard the voice and beheld the form of the
div-ne messenger, he was torn in mind as he pondered
how such things could be. How could the offspring of
human beings be a child of divi-e destiny? Never could
Joseph reconcile these conflicting ideas until, after
several weeks of thought, both he and Mary reached the
conclusion that they had been chosen to become the
parents of the Mes-iah, though it had hardly been the
J-wish concept that the expected deliverer was to be of
divi-e nature. Upon arriving at this momentous
conclusion, Mary hastened to depart for a visit with
Elizabeth.
Part 1.
John Winston. johnfw@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
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