2012-11-19-If I Had Only Known Who Jesus Was

Session

Opening

“Salve!” My greetings to you, dear brother. I am who in life was known with descriptors such as “Divinus”, “Augustus”, “Imperator” and “Caesar”; I am who in life was known as Titus Flavius Vespasianus.

Lesson

It was a custom for Roman emperors to be showered with those “accolades” by their followers and those under his service. The “divinus” descriptor was basically intended to reflect the emperor’s “superhuman” abilities and his overachieving capabilities when it comes to deeds done, in honest cases, in the name of the senate and the people of Rome. Obviously, there was nothing remotely “divine” about any of the emperors. The emperor’s followers were “awed” by his achievements, and thus he was then compared to a “divine” character, to later be remembered and worshiped in temples.

When salvation is achieved after death, then one truly comes to comprehend what “divinity” really means, when faced with the extreme grandeur of the Universal Father’s perfect domains and administration. If I only in life would have been able to put into practice even a very minute fraction of the administration and organization structure observed in the Mansion worlds and onwards, how different indeed the Roman Empire under my rule would have been! The intended efficiency of many of the administrative structure in my days was intended to make the running of an entire empire as smoothly as possible, based on efficiency and honesty in service. As you well know, there was no honesty in most of those that served in Rome, starting with the senators and even all the way down to a common citizen. The general idea was to achieve power and recognition by either gaining favor from influential people through service, through bribes, or even by murder of others in their way or the way of their benefactors. In order for an emperor to be reasonably successful, and live long enough in power, he had to often bribe the legions and the praetorian guard in order to assure their protection and commitment, as well as the populace with “bread and games” in order to prevent them from rioting and complicating matters.

Very unfortunately, nowadays you have in at least some of your governments a similar “modus operandi”, where the word “honesty” is unheard of, and power over the masses is achieved by instilling of fear and exercising over-control. In the days of Imperial Rome, power greed was the primary motivation for many an emperor, to a point where, the fear of them losing their power, and their life by the same token, they indulged in the wholesale murder of even very close members of their own families, with the very classical case of emperor Nero, who managed to exterminate his own family, thus putting a sudden stop to the reign of the JULII (members of the family of Gaius Julius Caesar) in Rome. When I reigned over the empire, I did so with the idea to make of it a strong and better one, but even that sentiment did not make me necessarily what you consider a “God-fearing” or “spiritually-inclined” mortal.

I was then very ignorant of many realities of the “Spirit” and the “Kingdom of Heaven”, and so under those circumstances I just didn’t know any better. But then, after death and resurrection, I learned about the true ruler of all there is, the “Emperor of all Creation”; the true epitome of absolute DIVINITY, LOVE and MERCY. If I only would have known more about the teachings of the “Carpenter of Galilee” during my life and truly embraced his teachings of love and mercy, what an emperor would I have made! I would have taught my sons Titus and Domitian to serve in the same way, but things were the way they were and we just couldn’t know or live any better. In your time, many have the opportunity to hear about the Galilean’s teachings, to embrace them and take them to their hearts, but they don’t and choose instead the paths of corruption, not only of their roles but also of their spirit. When it comes to mercy, that of the most powerful ruler of the ancient world cannot possibly be compared to that of the “Emperor of All Creation” the DIVINE Universal Father. An emperor’s mercy, typically displayed in the arena to vanquished gladiators, was neither great nor sincere; being shown only to keep the populace content. Again, whoever controlled the people controlled Rome and the empire. I realize now that our “mercy” was a sad mockery of what the actual sentiment should have been born of, which is love, compassion and understanding for our brethren. Needless to say, once I learned from Divinity what a true loving and compassionate ruler should have been like, I was deeply saddened and ashamed, but God’s forgiveness and our Creator Sons’ compassion and understanding made me get over those sentiments.

To lead others is a great responsibility, and so is instilling good morals and showing them, by example, the path to rightfulness, especially in the face of the temptations that men experience when presented with opportunities that could either make them rich or powerful. Do not let the important roles that you might play in leading others to “go to your head”; do not let the knowledge that comes with the job of serving the “Emperor of All Creation” to cause selfishness and self-contemplation to grow in your heart and dictate your actions, for the consequences for failing to be faithful to your “oath” to humbly and lovingly serve Him are dire indeed and your potential existence in eternity is at stake.

Before I became emperor, I served the previous ones the best possible way that I could based on the morals instilled in me by my parents and other people that influenced my ideals as I was growing up. Whether your example is a good and moral one or not, people will follow you if you show character and determination. When in service of God, it is your responsibility to instill the higher values of the spirit to those that need them. You must lead them down the “right path”, so that they can obtain the morals that will help them achieve salvation. Think yourself as a “tribunus laticlavius” (narrow stripe tribune / young man from the “equestrian order” in military service) in command of a legionary cohort in dangerous barbarian territory. These men are prepared to give their lives for the emperor as well as for their tribune. If the tribune is incompetent and the cohort is lost, the men that he led will be dead and, at the very least, the tribune and his family will be disgraced in the eyes of their emperor, which proved to be deadly for quite a few. Disgrace or even physical death is nothing in comparison with experiencing the “second death”, that of the spirit. If you mislead those entrusted to you, knowing what you have been revealed, and after the trust that the “Emperor of All Creation” has placed in you, and they do not achieve salvation, you will too be disgraced in His eyes and will face the ultimate punishment, that of extinction by mandate of the Ancients of Days. Carry this important warning to those that will be serving God, for even when His mercy is infinite in comparison with the one that may have been shown by a Roman emperor, it also has its limit and spiritual incompetence of the magnitude that can cause the extinction of the mortals entrusted to them for spiritual guidance will not be condoned.

I wish now to serve the “Emperor of All Creation” in a most loving, humbly and selfless way, one million times better than I would have in life should I have heeded the Galilean’s teachings of the “Kingdom of Heaven”. It never ceased to amaze us how easily Christians accepted death in the arena, how they prepared themselves to suffer such terrible deaths with the knowledge of a certain salvation and a never-ending existence in the Heavens in the presence of God. Belief and Faith are powerful indeed. I will never again fail my Emperor, and I will strive to become a better ascending mortal with every passing experience lived in the heights of glory, with every new spiritual level attained, with every small step to achieve God’s perfection. I am allowed to convey this message to you and your brethren, as an additional proof that in the end all is well, and to encourage you to serve God tirelessly, now on Urantia, and later, wherever our Emperor commands you to work in His name and for His Glory. Carry His “signum” with pride and honor in your heart through the battlefields that difficulties and turmoil that life can bring, but later prepare to celebrate His Triumph and to be crowned with the “wreath” of eternal life.

Closing

“Vale Frater!” We shall keep in touch. May the “Emperor of All Creation” continue to bestow His blessings on you and your brethren, and may His Divine Presence in you continue to inspire you to achieve greater spiritual deeds every day of your existence on Urantia, and afterward for all eternity.

Note

Historical Notes from Wikipedia: Emperor AD 69 to AD 79. Vespasian was the founder of the Flavian dynasty, which ruled the Empire for a quarter century. Vespasian was descended from a family of equestrians, who rose into the senatorial rank under the Emperors of the Julio-Claudian dynasty. Although he attained the standard succession of public offices, holding the consulship in AD 51, Vespasian became more reputed as a successful military commander, participating in the Roman invasion of Britain in 43,[4] and subjugating Judaea during the Jewish rebellion of AD 66.

[While Vespasian was preparing to besiege the city of Jerusalem during the latter campaign, emperor Nero committed suicide, plunging the empire into a year of civil war known as the Year of the Four Emperors. After the emperors Galba and Otho perished in quick succession, Vitellius became Emperor in April AD 69. In response, the armies in Egypt and Judaea declared Vespasian emperor on 1 July.

[In his bid for imperial power, Vespasian joined forces with Mucianus, the governor of Syria, and Primus, a general in Pannonia. Primus and Mucianus led the Flavian forces against Vitellius, while Vespasian gained control of Egypt. On 20 December, Vitellius was defeated, and the following day Vespasian was declared Emperor by the Roman Senate.

[Little information survives about the government during the ten years Vespasian was emperor. His reign is best known for financial reforms following the demise of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, the successful campaign against Judaea, and several ambitious construction projects, such as the Colosseum. Upon his death in 79, he was succeeded by his eldest son Titus, thus becoming the first Roman Emperor to be directly succeeded by his own son.