Our planet, which is called Urantia in the universe records, has not always been without a leader. Five hundred thousand years ago our planetary prince, Caligastia, arrived to take over leadership of this planet and to guide its inhabitants toward a fuller understanding of themselves, the nature of God and His creation.[1] While Caligastia is invisible to mortals, he brought with him one hundred physical beings similar in appearance to our ancestors and who were therefore able to interact with the mortals of the realm who had been evolving for about five hundred thousand years at that time.[2]
The staff of the planetary prince proclaimed seven commandments that were the law for three hundred thousand years; these were: you shall serve only the Father of all, you shall respect the superhuman associates of the planetary prince, you shall not lie when called before judges, you shall not kill, you shall not steal, you shall not touch your friend’s wife, you shall respect your parents and the elders of the tribe.[3] For three hundred thousand years events proceeded normally and our ancestors were guided gradually into a higher civilization.
The rebellion
Caligastia’s superior in the local government was a brilliant being. After passing through the universe training schools his boss was ranked number 37 out of more than seven hundred thousand similar beings.[4] He subsequently became the sovereign of our local system, which will include about a thousand inhabited planets when it is complete. More than two hundred thousand years ago he went into open rebellion against higher authority. Caligastia’s boss was Lucifer whose assistant was Satan. Caligastia joined the Lucifer rebellion against the universe government; this event was a disaster for the nascent civilization on our planet.
Lucifer is relatively unknown on Earth because he sent his assistant, Satan, to the various planets to persuade their Planetary Princes to join the rebellion. Of the more than six hundred inhabited planets in our local system at that time, thirty seven went into rebellion. While this is only a small portion, the havoc caused by this betrayal was devastating on the affected planets. Lucifer, with his assistant Satan, brought a very real evil into the lives of billions upon billions of beings. And while we have been unnecessarily exposed to this evil, we still have the free will to spiritually rise above it and chose a better life, even an eternal life, for ourselves.
The rebellion was declared about two hundred thousand years ago and the charges were blasphemous. The first charge was that God does not exist, that the natural forces were inherent in the universe.[5] The second charge was that the local systems should rule themselves without interference from the universe government.[6] Lucifer declared that resurrection was automatic and that everyone would live forever were it not for interference by higher authorities. He urged his followers to believe that if men and angels had courage and asserted themselves, they could have complete home rule.[7] The final charge was that too much time was wasted training ascendant mortals, beings like us after survival of death.[8]
Self-assertion was his rallying cry;[9] he declared each of us must assert our rights and seek our own personal liberty. This doctrine of selfishness and greed has appeal even to some in our own times.
There is no error greater than that species of self-deception which leads intelligent beings to crave the exercise of power over other beings for the purpose of depriving these persons of their natural liberties. The golden rule of human fairness cries out against all such fraud, unfairness, selfishness, and unrighteousness. Only true and genuine liberty is compatible with the reign of love and the ministry of mercy. (Urantia Book 614.3)
Compromise with evil
Once the rebellion took place, the entire system was isolated so the rebellion could not spread any further. This included all interplanetary communications within the system as well.[10] If the rebels cannot exchange messages outside of their planets, or outside the system, then it cannot spread further.
Before this rebellion our planet had made progress, the light of truth was being gradually introduced. But as a result of Caligastia’s betrayal, his joining this rebellion against universe authority, the cultural gains that had occurred since his arrival were lost and the consequences are still being felt by all of us today. An understanding of this betrayal is necessary for us to comprehend the problems of our existence on our native sphere.[11] His betrayal precipitated world-wide confusion and robbed all subsequent generations of the moral assistance which a well-ordered society would have provided. (Urantia Book 382.4)
Even though the progress of society has been greatly altered by this rebellion we as individuals have not been jeopardized. No person is ever made to suffer vital spiritual deprivation because of the sin of another. Sin is wholly personal as to moral guilt or spiritual consequences, notwithstanding its far-flung repercussions in administrative, intellectual, and social domains. (Urantia Book761.6) Each of us makes our own moral decisions. Our external environment may be drastically altered by the actions of others but our internal reality, what we choose to do and become within, is entirely under our own control.
When we make the slightest compromise with evil, when we make the slightest assertion of our own rights over those of others, this constitutes falseness. Evil may reside in the smallest of decisions and if we follow these small decisions we could be heading into falseness or possibly worse. Caligastia chose to follow Lucifer in open rebellion; Caligastia thought God’s plan could be improved upon and the result was total disaster.
Further reading
“Light of Truth: Anticipating the Triumph of Righteousness”
