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2-16. According to the 5th Epochal Revelation how does the UB explain about Easter Sunday?

According to The Urantia Book (the 5th Epochal Revelation), Easter Sunday—the day commemorating Jesus' resurrection—is explained as the Sunday morning when Jesus underwent his morontia resurrection (a transition from mortal flesh to a higher morontia form of existence), occurring at approximately 3:02 a.m. on April 9, A.D. 30 (Julian calendar date).This event is detailed in Paper 189: The Resurrection, which provides a precise, eyewitness-like account from celestial perspectives, distinguishing it from traditional Christian interpretations while affirming the core fact of resurrection on the first day of the week after crucifixion.

Key Details from the Revelation

• Timeline and date:
  • Jesus was crucified and buried on Friday afternoon, April 7, A.D. 30.
  • His resurrection (morontia transit) occurred early Sunday morning, April 9, A.D. 30, at "two minutes past three o’clock" (3:02 a.m.).
  • Quote from Paper 189:1.1:
    "At ten minutes before three, intense vibrations of commingled material and morontia activities began to issue from Joseph’s new tomb, and at two minutes past three o’clock, this Sunday morning, April 9, A.D. 30, the resurrected morontia form and personality of Jesus of Nazareth came forth from the tomb."
• Nature of the resurrection:
  • It was a morontia resurrection (a midway stage between material and spiritual existence), not a revival of the physical body.
  • The material body remained in the tomb, undisturbed, wrapped in linen, with the stone unmoved, Pilate's seal unbroken, and guards still on duty—none aware of the event.
  • Immediately after the morontia Jesus emerged, the archangels of Nebadon requested and received permission from Christ Michael (Jesus) to take custody of the material remains. They then sped up natural processes (eliminating the time factor in disintegration) so that the physical body was instantaneously reduced to dust inside the undisturbed wrappings. This explains why the tomb was found empty: the material body had not been resurrected or stolen—it had been deliberately and instantaneously returned to dust by celestial authority to prevent any possibility of relic worship or misunderstanding. Jesus now lives as Jesus of morontia, and the material body of his flesh lies there no more—it has returned to the elements of the earth.
  • Quote from Paper 189:1.4:
    "On Friday he laid down his life as a mortal of the realm; on Sunday morning he took it up again as a morontia being of the system of Satania in Norlatiadek... He now lives as Jesus of morontia, and... the material body of his flesh lies there undisturbed in the tomb." (The subsequent disintegration by the archangels accounts for its complete absence when the tomb was later opened.)
• Events on resurrection Sunday:
  • This was the day of discovery of the empty tomb by Mary Magdalene and others (early morning, after the stone was later rolled away by celestial action).
  • It marked the beginning of Jesus' morontia appearances to mortals (first to Mary Magdalene, then others, including apostles). Jesus appeared 19 times after his death in this morontia form, each time made visible to human eyes by the creative powers of our older universe brothers and sisters (the Creative Spirit and associated celestial personalities).
  • The apostles spent much of the day in fear and confusion in the upper room (Paper 191 describes "Resurrection Sunday" as a terrible day for them).
  • It also involved a dispensational resurrection of many sleeping survivors (a planetary "roll call" releasing faithful souls to mansion world progress).
• Relation to traditional Easter:
  • The book aligns with the biblical "first day of the week" (Sunday) resurrection but provides a specific historical date (April 9, A.D. 30) and mechanistic explanation (morontia transit via inherent power, followed by instantaneous disintegration of the material body).
  • It does not tie the date to later Christian calendar calculations (e.g., movable Easter based on lunar cycles) but presents it as a fixed historical event.
  • The physical body was not resuscitated but discarded as a "discarded outer covering" through accelerated natural processes, emphasizing spiritual triumph over material death.

This portrayal underscores Jesus' voluntary death and self-powered return to higher existence, confirming victory over death and initiating his post-bestowal ministry. It serves as proof of survival beyond physical death for all mortals who follow the Father's will.

For the full narrative, refer to Paper 189 ("The Resurrection") and Paper 191 ("Appearances to the Apostles")

Full text is on spiritualfamily.net or urantia.org or urantiabook.org or truthbook.org and UAI.