The Futility of Prophecy

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The Futility of Prophecy

Post by Welles »

Some time ago I wrote a little essay called “The Second Coming”. In it I offered two points that still seem valid. The first one was simply that no one is privy to the timeline of cosmic events although many profess to be. As a result you are better off being skeptical of all such claims. My second point, which was at the end of the essay, was more realistic yet. If we learn to practice Love before Christ’s actual return we can fully embrace the experience. I still think those are reasonable notions.

In between those two points I described what, at the time, seemed to me to be a plausible event of such magnitude that it would change the world. The idea was built out of bits and pieces of ideas, which float around and have some degree of popular acceptance, leavened with wishful thinking. In those I wove the personal experience I’ve shared in the story and associated images called “Portrait of Christ”. Well I’d like to repudiate my own theory. You see I have a new one. That’s why prophecy is futile.

Recently I’ve been exposed to a whole new set of ideas that simply feel more realistic. They have come from a variety of people who claim to be in contact with Celestial teachers. I’ve been introduced to ideas such as The Teaching Mission, The Correcting Time and my favorite set of channeled wisdom 11:11 Progress Group Messages. All these teachings use the Urantia Book as a frame of reference so I’m favorably inclined. However I still keep my skeptical filter in place unless an idea seems both intellectually and emotionally satisfying or is validated by personal experience.

My belief that the world needs a spiritual awakening is just as true today as ever before. Now I feel that this is going to be simply a practical process of progressive individual enlightenment without any great miraculous upheavals affecting the whole planet. It seems to me that there will be a prolonged period of time that is just getting started (in the slow time frame of cosmic events). More and more people will awaken to the realization that Love is the answer. While staunchly rooted materialists may have great tribulation, the transition from competition to community will be an evolution induced by necessity rather than a revolution prompted by Divine intervention.

It is a common belief that great trauma will be required to usher in this metamorphosis. I don’t believe that needs to be the case. How will it be accomplished? That is the most amazing thing of all. The world will be transformed by little acts of Love. A kindness here, a smile there, moments of shared empathy and generosity will provide the energy that fosters change. A circuit of Love will be created among us to lift our spirits from the slumber of the isolated selfishness that is rooted in our fears.

As this evolution progresses a number of Celestial beings will be incarnated in human forms to live among us and teach us prior to Christ’s return. The name of the most august of these persons is supposed to be Monjoronson. I have a problem with that. Every time I see that name my mind interprets it as Major Johnson. As soon as that happens I instantly think of Space Oddity. “This is ground control to Major Johnson…” I think I’ve lost it.

All together now, “… and that’s why prophecy is futile!”

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Re: The Futility of Prophecy

Post by overmind »

Monjoronson is a pseudonym, it's a temporary name.

It's rather obvious to some that humans would need to face great tribulation to even see the folly of the current society. People consumed with either greed or materialism react mainly to fear. When there is absolutely no choice but to create a physically and socially sustainable society, there will be far more progress in that area and direct celestial/angelic assistance would become far more helpful. The big question is when this will occur. If there were world-wide cataclysms, it could happen really soon. If the environment was relatively calm, I could see us muddling through another ten years as the world becomes more barren and populated.

Here's a fun fact. We lose about 23,000 species of plant and animal life per year thanks to deforestation. There is another estimate which is 50,000 per year. I think these estimates actually came from 2003, and deforestation (especially the rainforest kind) has increased since then.
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Re: The Futility of Prophecy

Post by Welles »

Hi Arthur :hithere

I'm not into doom. :)

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Re: The Futility of Prophecy

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Neither am I, just putting things in perspective. There is a certain window of time where the incarnation of the Magisterial Son will be necessary. Before that time, it would not be beneficial enough. After it and it will be too late. It is incredibly clear that things cannot continue the way they are now. You don't need to focus all of your attention on disheartening possibilities, but averting your eyes from big problems is also not productive. The negative aspects of society are manageable, but they are also serious.

You may believe that the best answer is a slow improvement of the overall consciousness of man. On a normal planet, this is how it works. The most intelligent animal race of the realm is slowly uplifted. However, this also occurs while spirit personalities are "on the ground", as well as a Material Son and Daughter pair. Over on this planet, the most recent epochal revelation is not popular (the Urantia Book). The past epochal revelation is misunderstood (Joshua's life). The Brotherhood of Man has yet to be established. There are still wars and rumors of wars. There is much social unrest. Planetary resources are quickly being consumed. Climate change is causing more chaotic weather patterns. The population spike is still going strong. There is even a growing slave trade involving 12-30 million individuals. It is obvious that if this continues, starvation will grow along with a far greater number of poor people. With today's population, I doubt it is possible for every person to have enough resources to thrive (to have both a rich physical and spiritual experience). It's inevitably going to get worse over time if the acts of selfishness outpace acts of love. Even if that weren't the case, quality of life would still diminish for a rising population.

This is all about necessity. Humans must reorganize how they operate, or we will destroy ourselves in the future. It is clear that a society that functions using money easily leads to a love of money, so we cannot have a money-based economy the way we used to. This would be uprooting past traditions going back thousands of years. Do you think humans can do this absolutely on their own? We have a big habit of following traditional ideals. After the Black Death decimated much of Europe's population in the Middle Ages, there was a great increase in both the value of labor as and the wealth of each individual. But did this ever change their values? Empirical evidence does not seem to suggest a correlation between resource scarcity and lasting spiritual illumination. A reduction in resources by itself, including both natural resources and human resources, does not seem to produce an improvement in values. It can change technology or how resources are utilized, but I would need examples of the mores improving. I cannot think of any off the top of my head. Still, we are headed on this road of fewer resources, and although it remains one of the banes of society, this itself may not be enough. In fact, it alone may create more selfishness because of the fear of not having enough to survive or thrive. A lack of resources usually increases competition.

If we are to be awoken from our isolation, what event would have the greatest effect? The removal of the veil causing the observed isolation. I think the greatest way to spread love in the world is to have living examples of the greatest form of love people can create in themselves. That's a bit wordy, so let me explain differently. Through Joshua's life, the love of the Father was displayed to all. People began to understand divine affection more clearly, but still had the idea that it was conditional based on human behavior. This love could not be received by a sinner. Magisterial Sons in their life represent the mercy of the Son. This mercy literally creates the time necessary for individuals to change their ways in the afterlife. I believe true mercy does not largely exist in the cosmic consciousness of man...yet. In New Age circles, you see a lot of prophetic messages about the dark forces of man being imprisoned or destroyed, and that is largely because of the lack of mercy people have for those who do harm. Rarely do we hear of the oppressors being brought back into the fold, their behavior corrected. Now it does hold true that those in power who refuse to change their ways may need to be forcibly removed, but that does not mean we can properly judge them or withhold love and forgiveness. I'm going to refer to my current signature, the greatest power is the ability to love despite any obstacle.

Note that I am not saying we are going to reach the era of Light and Life quickly, that could still take another thousand years.
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Re: The Futility of Prophecy

Post by Welles »

I have a very simple philosophy of change. When one finds oneself focused on the negative elements of the world in which they live they are emotionally bound by the strictures of perceived personal limitations. It is incumbent upon those people to address the problems to which their attention is drawn and to find solutions. That will lead them to creating positive answers and be their contribution to the metamorphosis.

I feel that the most essential transformation needed on this planet is a spiritual one. To address that I'm having to uncover the personality flaws that keep me from living with an open heart. With devoted effort I will become that change. A circuit of Love will be created by the association of people who are already doing their spiritual groundwork. We will focus on the positives of truth, beauty, goodness and humor (I'm adding that one - enough of this lugubrious solemnity already). A real circuit of Love on this planet that can encompass everyone will create the equivalent of a fusion reaction of humans in partnership with Celestials. When that circuit is completed it won't be a slow, steady evolution but create a transformation rapid beyond imagining.

So the goal as I see it is not to stop the bad but create the good. Repeating gloomy and dire warnings without providing the glimmer of a solution is part of the problem. Such doom tends to keep people in the thrall of fear. It closes their hearts. Our Love is where we direct our conscious attention. Let's not invest it in fears.

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Re: The Futility of Prophecy

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I'm not suggesting for individuals to focus on issues they have no way of solving, but creating elephants in the room is also not productive either. I come from an age where just about all information that is out there can be accessed from any home. Many people in this group that grow up with the internet don't watch the news, they read it from several different sources online. I am usually up to date with important events and can filter out the unimportant, such as anything related to celebrities. This takes 20-30 minutes. It is a mix of positives and negatives. I realize that I cannot know about everything going on in the world, and I am actually happy when people abandon the biased national news on the TV. Having casual observations about a war is just as useless as talking about some scandal. Knowing that a war is going on can have value though. For me, it improves my own thirst for righteousness. I do not focus on the bad though, nor do I focus on the good. I just observe new information. What I focus on are my own actions and thoughts, so that I can be something positive in the world. If I direct my thoughts to a problem, I will think about the solution. If I direct my thoughts to something positive, I will think about its application in the world. Self-reflection is more important than focusing on outside things, but I value both.
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Re: The Futility of Prophecy

Post by Sandy »

Hello you two!
I sat about yesterday writing a post on this thread and actually posted it then withdrew it a short time later as I did not feel perhaps it was productive at least to the “nitty gritty” of the issues discussed here...Just another "cheer leader speech". LOL Still, though, I would just like to say that I have great faith in all of us...and all those thousands upon thousands of people who are waking up to themselves after the long sleep of misinformation and apathy. I have great faith in the God fragment that dwells within each of us. So, in fact, there is no problem we cannot solve on this world. What, perhaps, may make us think this is not so is the nepotism and negativity promoted by those who plan distractions to solidify and improve their positions. Now I am sounding like a conspiracy theorist :roll: but that is not exactly what I mean. I believe the human race as a whole is just starting to find its voice again...after the glitz and glitter of the entertainment revolution. We are beginning to really feel issues that exist in the world whether they affect us directly or not. (with this said there have always been those individuals who at great cost and peril have tirelessly worked in areas needing improvement all over the world and these people are real heroes! ) As we address the issues most near and dear to our hearts, and others do the same, our world will change and grow and people will get to know each other, maybe even like and respect each other as much for the differences as the similarities...Let's face it, it is our unique differences that make this world such a fascination. And another thing, often brushed aside and forgotten is something our celestial cousins marvel at... That is how Urantia's humans, as backwards as we are compared to normal worlds, can believe without seeing! We can do that can't we, if nothing else, eh? LOL So solving these problems will be a cake walk once we put our minds to it and declare that it is most important to find the solutions... not just mere band aids but real and lasting solutions...involving, well being, respect, kindness, compassion, acceptance, and those under valued, "pat on the backs," when needed. All these things contribute to the longed for end results. But as we slowly integrate these things into our attitudes and mind scapes, we are opening the door for an entirely new range of possibilities as we work together for the good of all people! I believe this with all my heart! ... Dang! looks like another "cheer leader pep talk" after all... :roll: sigh.... But anyway I just wanted you both to know that I love listening to your thoughts and conversations in this area... two great minds with big ole hearts to match. And it is this as much as anything that convinces me that we will be okay whether we face cataclysms of nature or economics or the slow progression of changing attitudes...I am convinced that my grandson, Elijah, will have a lot to look forward to and, hopefully, will in his own way, contribute to upliftment of this world, regardless of what occurs on this mortal realm. Maybe we can just take it one step at a time... and jump in where we feel enabled and inspired. :)
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Re: The Futility of Prophecy

Post by overmind »

On the bright side, this inspired me to write more poetry.
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Re: The Futility of Prophecy

Post by Sandy »

ImageHere's to the bright side! Image
:mrgreen:
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Re: The Futility of Prophecy

Post by Welles »

overmind wrote:On the bright side, this inspired me to write more poetry.

Yea! There can't be enough poetry!

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