Those placing a value on revelation recognize it is a communication of true knowledge by God. Anyone referring to revelation usually references one of two types: personal and public. Personal revelation is generally understood to be those insights received through study, visions, or reflection on personal beliefs and convictions. It may also result from spiritual wisdom imparted by celestial beings to selected God-knowing individuals. Individuals receiving such wisdom are often transformed, becoming leaders in the advancement of humankind’s understanding of morality, philosophy, and spirit realities. In the sixth century BC, the insights of several spiritual teachers scattered throughout the globe resulted in a spiritual awakening. For example, in Babylon, during the time of the Hebrew captivity, the second Isaiah eclipsed the nationalistic Yahweh by his inspiring portrayal of the majesty and universal omnipotence of the supreme Yahweh, God of love, and ruler of the universe. In India, the insights of the spiritual teacher Siddhartha Gautama were eventually categorized into the “Four Noble Truths” - one of the fundamental teachings of Buddhism. In China, Confucius compiled wise sayings of ancient philosophers that helped replace magic with morality, and establish a respect for ancestral conduct that is still venerated today. Over one thousand years later, Muhammad Ibn ‘Abdullāh founded the religion of Islam - the revelations which he purportedly received until his death form the verses of the Qur’an.
Personal insights can be meaningful to scores of individuals or people of like mind, but they may not contain enough creative and spiritual impetus or universal values to advance religious unity, or uplift society or nations. Why? It is possible for people of all faiths to effect cooperation on the basis of unity of ideals and purposes - love, respect, tolerance, forgiveness, mercy, human rights, peace, brotherhood, and freedom are the fundamental ideals exalted by all religions. However, to advance collective peace requires that we understand where each religious perspective fits into the Big Picture of Existence, and this necessitates that we expand the truth in our beliefs - that we expand our concept of God. This brings us to public revelation.
Public or epochal revelation is the technique that helps us to sort and sift “. . . the errors of evolution from the truths of spirit acquirement” which would otherwise take us ages upon ages of time to do. The purpose of epochal revelation is to advance human wisdom and alleviate confusion.
I came across The Urantia Book, a text that claims to be an epochal revelation at a time when I was looking for answers to fill-in the missing pieces in my spiritual understanding. I approached the tome with caution, but as I reconciled my beliefs with this revelatory knowledge, I realized that it expanded upon virtually all gospels. Also, I could not deny the personal transformation that it was effecting. My book, Heaven Is Not the Last Stop, documents this journey of reconciliation. Through this process I gained a deeper appreciation of public revelation, and it is these insights that I am sharing with you in this blog.
Public revelation progressively reveals God to all of humankind and assists them in the long journey of knowing and finding God, and becoming Godlike. It is imparted by celestial beings to expand the factual and philosophical accuracy of humanity’s religious worldviews , enabling decisions and actions to increasingly generate the spiritual power necessary to transform societies.
Revelation has been operative in our world since deep prehistoric times, with epochal revelation imparted as humanity developed the capacity to assimilate spiritual information. With the passage of time these revelations commingled with the beliefs and practices of the era, influencing creation of the world’s major religions. But belief systems evolve as they appropriate philosophies and practices of other belief systems. For example, the functional levels of Deity are well depicted in Hinduism but underwent further changes in response to Buddhism, Jainism, and later Islam and Christianity. The revealed teachings of the Seven Master Spirits are best represented in the Zoroastrian concept of the seven supreme gods, which had a major impact on the later Levantine religions including Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.
Current understanding of public revelation reflects the limited understanding of humanity’s concept of God. For example, those who perceive God as synonymous with Jesus Christ, tend to believe that public revelation ended with his bestowal on Earth and with the New Testament. Similarly, those who ignore or reject the personality of God, call God an impersonal “reality,” and relegate him to such things as “nature” and “the universe.” When matter, energy, and consciousness are perceived as one ongoing and unfolding process that connects us all, that which is revealed about the nature of reality through the discoveries of science, becomes public revelation.
World conditions confirm that existing religious worldviews are unable to sustain a growing spiritual nature or foster a reasoning that is increasingly more objective, inclusive, moral, loving, and selfless. For example, the Christian perspective mentioned above promotes intolerance and divisiveness, and also obscures the saving message Jesus brought for all humanity. The perspective that ignores or rejects a personal God tends to foster a solipsistic attitude (”My mind is all that there is”), nurturing a sense of entitlement - a lack of obligation to anything but the whims of oneself.
Confusion in our religious understanding arises when information is not clear, incomplete, or erroneous. While we may not recognize this confusion, it is often reflected in the quality of our decisions and actions: the Muslim extremist who becomes a suicide bomber thinking it pleases Allah, or the Christians who kill abortion doctors because they feel God has called them to protect the defenseless. The greater the accuracy of our religious worldview, the more sound, compassionate, selfless, and effective our decisions and actions become.
I discovered that the fifth and latest epochal revelation found in The Urantia Book, validates the truths in all religions; it then synthesizes and expands them to create a more logical and consistent philosophic concept of the universe. This unbroken explanation of both science and religion harmonizes the mind and satisfies the spirit in a unique way. Such an enlightened philosophy provides an intelligent explanation of the nature and content of religious experience that can serve as a springboard for the further advancement of humanity and our religious institutions.
There is a challenge facing each of us: Are we willing to move beyond our skepticism and explore our beliefs in the light of the latest epochal revelation . . . to discover higher meanings and values to live by? As I wrote Heaven Is Not the Last Stop over many years, I gained a deeper appreciation of what it means to be a true member of the family of God. This achievement accomplished one person at a time and manifested in our society as growing peace and progress, will bring clarity to our understanding of public revelation and testify to its value in the generations to come. Soon after my book is published I will be giving web seminars on different topics to assist those picking up the challenge in their own reconciliation process. Keep checking my website www.heavenisnotthelaststop.com for seminar schedules.
