Behind Freemasonry
Part 2 of 8
By
Lt. Col. Gordon "Jack" Mohr,
This chapter appeared as a pamphlet titled FREEMASONRY - WHAT IS IT? It appeared in print in November 1980, and was authorized by the Most Worshipful Grand Lodge of A.F. & A.M. of the Commonwealth of Virginia. It has subsequent printings in 1982, 1984, and 1986 and was accepted by the Supreme Council, 33 o Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite, Southern Jurisdiction, USA (Mother Supreme Council of the World).
On other words, what you are about to read, comes right "from
the horse's mouth." In this chapter, you will discover what Masons say
about themselves. In following chapters, we will discover what MASONRY
is really all about.
FREEMASONRY - WHAT IS IT?
Freemasonry means many things to many people. This is true not only of the person who is not a Mason, but applies to Masons themselves. Some of those who have been members of the Masonic Craft for many years are afraid to mention even the things which almost everyone knows about the fraternity. Others among us are convinced that FREEMASONRY is a secret society and that they, as members, are forbidden to talk about it to others whom they do not know to be Masons. Most of this is far from the truth and a word of explanation concerning this Fraternal organization may not be amiss. FREEMASONRY IS A FRATERNITY. (Keep in mind that this is what FREEMASONIC LEADERS SAY Masonry is all about).
FREEMASONRY is the oldest, and by far, the largest fraternal order in
the world. Its lodges stretch around the globe and, like the British Empire,
it might well be said that the sun never sets on the Masonic Lodge. Fraternity
means an association of friends and brothers, and that is exactly
what Freemasonry is - a society of friends and brothers. It is not a benefit society in the sense that one becomes a member of it because of the insurance benefits which he may receive or which may insure to his family at his death. It is not an eleemosynary institution (a charitable institution), founded to collect and disburse charity or founded on the giving of alms.
It is not a secret society in that its Temples are openly marked and
almost everyone in the community knows where they are located. The Grand
Lodge publishes a list of the members of every lodge in Virginia. Many
of the lodges have individual bulletins which carry the names of officers
and of members as well. Thus it is, ii' the strictest sense of the world,
a society with secrets and these are limited to its obligation, its modes
of recognition, and is the Tiller which guards the Lodge from intrusion.
FREEMASONRY'S MEMBERSHIP
Membership, because it is a fraternity, is limited to men. He who would become a member must meet certain recognized requirements - high standards of character and reputation. It does not require that its members subscribe to any particular creed, or belong to any particular church. Church membership does not keep one out of or secure him admission into any Masonic Lodge. The profession of a belief in God and in a future life are the sole religious requirements.
No one is excluded because of his membership in a particular church.
There are, however, a few denominations which do not allow their members
to become Masons, in some instances the mistaken impression had gone abroad
that Freemasonry refuses admission to those who are members of certain
denominations. It is the the church, rather than Freemasonry, that denies
that membership.
HOW DOES ONE BECOME A FREEMASON?
Many men do not understand the process of acquiring membership in a Masonic Lodge. No one is ever invited to become a Mason or to join a Lodge. Though all morally good men would be welcomed in any Masonic Lodge, the man himself must first ask some Mason about becoming a member. Once he has done so, the requested Mason will secure an application blank, called by our Lodges a petition, and he has taken the first step. He must have two Masons who know him to sign his petition, vouching for his character and his qualifications. He must also receive the unanimous ballot of the members of the Lodge to which he applies for the degrees, who are present when his petition is voted on.
Having passed this ballot, the candidate receives his first of three degrees which make up the symbolism of the Craft Lodge. This is designated The Degrees of Entered Apprentice. The second degree is designated The Degree of Fellow Craft, and the third degree is the Degree of Master Mason. Each degree is a separate entity and one is always an Entered Apprentice when he sits in a lodge on the First Degree of Masonry, no matter what his Masonic status may be. Each of these degrees has certain rights and privileges but all of the rights and privileges are attained only after the degree is received.
After he has received each of the degrees, the candidate must commit
to memory a catechism covering the degree received. He must be examined
in open Lodge and prove his right to be advanced thereby. This serves a
useful purpose,t for it assures the Fraternity that each will
know himself to be a Mason and be able to recognize others of the Craft
by their manner of speaking. He will be enabled by such knowledge to visit
other Lodges where he is not known and must be examined to prove his right
to be admitted.
FREEMASONRY'S ORIGIN
Freemasonry is ancient, having existed in some form for so long that many serious students have differed as to the time and place of its origin. There is evidence of a basic type of craft association which antedate the Christian era. It survived various transitions which took place. during the Middle Ages. It was during this period that the word FREE was prefixed to the word MASON, because these builders were one of the very few classes of persons allowed to travel from country to country and to practice the builder's art wheresoever they went. It was these companies of Masons who constructed the beautiful cathedrals and other stately structures which dot the plains of Europe and the English countryside. These men differed in the main from others of the working crafts because they, possessing knowledge and skills not found elsewhere, were free men rather than bond servants.
Until the Sixteenth Century Masons were strictly an operative craft, bound together by the close ties found in the constructive guilds of the day. Early in the Seventeenth Century, men of prominence were admitted, not as craftsmen, for they were not skilled in the builders art, but rather as patrons. Gradually these men came to be known as "ACCEPTED MASONS." Thus, by the time the Seventeenth Century came to its end these ACCEPTED or SPECULATIVE MASONS were predominate in many of the older Lodges of Freemasonry. Today the Masonic Lodge is termed SPECULATIVE because its emphasis is on the moral philosophy which is its foundation, rather than the operative art of the Sixteenth and earlier centuries. The tools of the stonemason are used to symbolize moral virtues rather than build cathedrals.
THE GRAND LODGE SYSTEM
On June 24, 1717, St. John the Baptist Day, the members of four old Lodges in London, met together in Grand
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ASSEMBLY TO FORM THE GRAND LODGE of England. That this was a SPECULATIVE LODGE is evidenced by the election of one styled ANTHONY SAYER, GENTLEMAN as Grand Master. All modern Freemasonry traces its beginning under the Grand Lodge system of Government.
FREEMASONS came to America about the third decade of the Eighteenth Century when Lodges were established in New York, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, Virginia, South Carolina and Georgia. American Freemasons can take pride in the part which members of this Fraternity have played in the history of this country.
Many of the signers of the Declaration of Independence were Masons and the same statement is true of those who signed the Constitution of the United States. Famous men such as George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, Paul Revere, Lafayette, James Monroe and others whose names awaken memories of the founders of our country. Since our country's beginning, thirteen Presidents have been Masons.
Masons have also won laurels in other fields of endeavor and we find
them prominent in government, in science, in sports, in entertainment,
and finally in man's newest field, that of space exploration with Wally
Schirra, Gordon Cooper, Virgil Grissom, and "Buz" Aidrin, all bound by
the mystic tie of Freemasonry.
FREEMASONRY - WHAT IS IT
It has a different connotation in different situations. Someone has written that Freemasonry is honesty in business; that it is fairness in work; courtesy in society; compassion for the sick and unfortunate; forgiveness for the penitent; love for our fellow man and reverence for God.
Yes it is all of these, but it is more, for Freemasonry is a philosophy to live by, the shadow of a mighty rock in a weary land.
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WE HAVE SEEN WHAT FREEMASONIC LEADERS SAY ABOUT FREEMASONRY, NOW LET'S
TAKE A CLOSE LOOK AT WHAT IT REALLY IS. THEN YOU BE THE JUDGE AS TO WHETHER
IT IS GOOD FOR AMERICA OR NOT!
5
- A FORMER HIGH RANKING MASON LOOKS AT
FREEMASONIC SYMBOLISM
From here on, we will get into the heart of FREEMASONRY, and there will be many of the Masonic members of the lower orders who will be furious by what they will believe to be a senseless expose of their Lodge and a revelation of its secrets. But the high ranking Mason who reads this, although he will be furious over it, will recognize the truth, even though he refuses to admit it. If I reach only one member of FREEMASONRY with the truth, the effort taken to write this book will be worth it. It is not written as a means of hurting any good person, but to expose a very present danger to those of us who are White Christians who love our country. This chapter will come from a brochure I received from J. Edward Decker, Jr., who works with an organization called FREE THE MASONS MINISTRIES. You can contact him at P.O. Box 1077, Issaquah, WA 98027. He would be most interested in corresponding with members of the Masonic Lodge, who may be concerned with what they have seen happen within their Lodge.
The question of the Christian stand regarding Freemasonry seems to confront our ministry at every turn
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lately, because I have seen the exact parallels of the Masonic legends and rituals carried throughout the "mysteries" of Mormonism and have studied deeply into Masonic origins, purposes and doctrines.
In doing so, I have had to come to grips with the sad fact that the esoteric doctrines of Freemasonry separate it, just as unequivocally as do those of Mormonism, from the Christian theology. This holds true of every branch of Masonry, from the Shriners to the Blue Lodge, the Eastern Star, the Demolay, Job's Daughters and the Rainbow Girls! It holds true for the Scottish rite or the York rite!
I realize this will cause offense to many Masons, and for that I am truly sorry. But I would rather that the Masons be offended at me and then be resorted to true fellowship with Jesus Christ than to remain silent any longer.
This word of warning is not to the Masonic Fraternity at large, but to those Masons who claim to be both Masons and Christians.
A recent newspaper insert, called FREEMASONRY - A WAY OF LIFE! appeared in many metropolitan areas. It pictured Freemasonry as a family-centered, fraternal, benevolent organization, as "American as apple pie!"
Not only does this article demonstrate the strength of Freemasonry among our political leaders (Both past and present), but makes much of its use of the Holy Bible and its foundational belief in God. Masonry has a strong representation in Christian denominations throughout the world. In many churches we visit, we find Masons involved as deacons, elders, board members, and even pastors.
Their claim and the claim of every Mason to the outside world is that Masonry and Christianity are totally compatible. They tell me that religion is the experience of relating to God, and Masonry the experience of relating to
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mankind. While separate, they can and do naturally coexist.
The article mentioned above explains its "religious" position this way. Masonry is NOT a religion in any sense of the word, yet it is religious. Church membership is not a requirement, yet membership in ANY is no bar to admission. There is nothing in the requirements of Masonry to prevent a Catholic, a Mohammedan, a Jew, a Buddhist, a Protestant, a Mormon, or any member of any religion from becoming a member.
On the surface, this might seem quite reasonable. I find no offense in being involved in social, civic and benevolent activities with people of other religious backgrounds
But when it comes to my own personal worship of God, and His revelation to me of His Word, there are some very clear guidelines.
If Freemasonry is truly what it professes publicly, then "Bravo!" It is a welcomed 'fellowship! If it is being deceptive, then it should be exposed. It is that simple.
Let's see what Masonry TRULY teaches within its closed doors, through its own published documents. No "anti-Masonic" publications will be cited in explaining the TRUE Masonic theological position.
The key document from which I quote is the most readily available and universally approved doctrinal book of Freemasonry, MORALS AND DOGMA OF THE ANCIENT AND ACCEPTED SCOTTISH RITE OF FREEMASONRY, by Albert Pike, Grand Commander (1859-1891). Its title page states that it was prepared for the "Supreme Council of the 33 o and Published by its Authority." Originally published in 1871, I will use the 1966 edition. Except where other sources are noted, I cite page numbers only when using this work. Emphasis within parenthesis are my own.
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CUSTODIAN OF TRUTH
(Masonry) . "The custodial and depository (since Enoch) of the great philosophical and religious truths, unknown to the world at large, and handed down from age to age by an unbroken current of tradition, embodied in symbols, emblems and allegories" (pg. 210). (This seems almost identical to what TALMUDIC JUDAISM teaches and what Jesus criti-cized the Pharisees of when He accused them of "Making the commandments of God of none effect by their traditions" [Matt. 15:6] -ED).
"Masonry is, in every sense of the word, except one, and that its least philosophical, an eminently religious institution - that it is indebted solely to the religious element which it contains for its origin and for its continued existence and that without this religious element it would scarcely be worth cultivation by the wise and good.
"Freemasonry is NOT Christianity nor a substitute for it ... But
the religion of Masonry is not sectarian. It admits men of every creed
within its hospitable bosom, rejecting none and approving none for his
particular faith... Masonry, then, is, indeed, a religious institution;
and on this ground mainly, if not alone, should the religious Mason defend
it."1
THE FOUNDATION OF RELIGION
"It (Masonry) is the universal, eternal, immutable religion, such as
God planted in the heart of universal humanity. No creed has ever been
long-lived that was not built on this foundation. It is the base and they
are the superstructure" (pg. 219).
TEMPLE OF RELIGION
"Every Masonic Temple is a Temple of Religion, and its teachings are
instruction in religion" (pg. 213).
Notes:-
1. Albert G. Mackey, Encyclopedia of Freemasonry, Revised Edition (1921) pp. 618-619.
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BUDDHA THE FIRST LEGISLATURE
"The first Masonic legislator whose memory is preserved for us by history,
was Buddha, who, about a thousand years before the Christian era, reformed
the religion of Manous" (pg. 277).
REVERENCES ALL REFORMERS
"It (Masonry) reverences all the great reformers. It sees in Moses,
the lawgiver of the Jews (there were no people called Jews until 750 years
after the time of Moses, see 2 Kings 16:6), where they first appeared in
Scripture - ED.), in Confucius and Zoroaster, in Jesus of Nazareth, and
in the Arabian Iconoclast, great teachers of morality and eminent reformers
if no more; and allows every brother of the order to assign to each such
higher and even divine characteristics as his creed and truth requires"
(pg. 525).
NOT CREED - BOUND
"The true Mason is not creed-bound. He realizes with the divine illumination
of his lodge that as a Mason his religion must be universal: Christ, Buddha,
or Mohammed, the name means little, for he recognizes only the light and
not the bearer. ("No man cometh unto the Father but by me," Jesus said,
and we read in 1 John 2:23 - "Whosoever denieth the Son (Jesus)
hath not the Father..." -ED.) He worships at every shrine, bows before
every altar, whether in temple, mosque or cathedral, realizing with his
truer understanding the oneness of all spiritual truth."2
THE BAALIM
"Masonry, around whose altars the Christian, Hebrew, the Moslem, the Brahmin, the followers of Confucius and Zoroaster, can assemble as brethren and unite in prayer to one God who is above ALL the Baalim, leaves it to each of
Notes:-
2. Manly P. Hall, 33o, The Lost Keys of Freemasonry, p.65.
its initiates to look for the foundation of his faith and hope to the written scriptures of his own religion" (pg. 226).
The word "Baalim" is simply defined as "false god or idol." The Masonic
author has included the God of the Christian in this category.
THE SURFACE OF ALL GOOD
"Everything good in nature comes from OSIRIS -order, harmony, and the favorable temperature of the seasons and celestial periods" (pg. 476).
Osiris was the ancient Egyptian god whose annual death and resurrection personified the self-renewing vitality and fertility of nature. "The All Seeing Eye" is a Masonic representation of Osiris.
MASONRY CONCEALS ITS TRUTHS
"Masonry, like all the religions, all the Mysteries, hermeticism and Alchemy, CONCEALS its secrets from all except the Adepts and Sages, or the Elect, and uses false explanations and misrepresentations of its symbols to mislead those who deserve to be misled; to conceal Truth, which it call Light, from them, and to draw them away from it. (Compare this statement, with the one made previearey by the Masonic authority who stated, "Masonry is not secret - ED)
Truth is not for those who are unworthy, or unable to receive it, or
would pervert it" (pp. 105-106).
THE BLUE LODGE TO BE DECEIVED!
"The Blue Lodge Degrees are but the outer court of the Temple. Part of the symbols are displayed to the Initiate, but
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he is intentionally misled by false interpretations. It is not intended that he shall understand them, but it is intended that he shall imagine he understands them" (pg. 819).
(Remember now, this information comes from one of the most famous Masonic
Leaders of modern times and is a plain admission that the Lodge deliberately
misleads the men who are in the lower orders - ED.)
WORSHIPFUL MASTER - THE SOURCE OF LIGHT
"Worshipful Master: The Head and Chief ofled" Lodge, the Source of Light,
of Knowledge and the instruction in Masonry. He personifies the Sublime
Art of Masonry and is the Spokesman thereof."3
OBEDIENCE THE FIRST RULE
"The first duty of every Mason is to obey the Mandate of the Master
... The order must at once be obeyed; its character and its consequences
may be matters of subsequent inquiry. The Masonic rule of obedience is
like the nautical, imperative 'Obey order, even if you break owners."'4
THE INCOMPREHENSIBLE BIBLE!
"The teachers, even of Christianity, are, in general, the most ignorant
of the true meaning of that which they teach. There is no book of which
so little is known as the Bible. To most who read it, it is as incomprehensible
as the Sohar" (pg. 105).
THE INCOMPLETE BIBLE
"All truly dogmatic religions have issued from the Kabalah and return to it.
(Jewish occult books found in the
Notes:-
3. Arthur Waite, A New Encyclopedia of Freemasonry (1970) p. xxiv.
4. Mackey, Encyclopedia of Freemasonry, p.525.
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Talmud - ED.) Everything scientific and grand in the religious dreams of the Illumaniti, Jacob Boehme, Swedenborg, Saint-Martin, and others, is borrowed from the Kabalah; all the Masonic associations owe to it their secrets and their symbols.
"The Kabahal alone consecrates the Alliance of the Universal Reason and the Divine Word.
"The Bible with all the allegories it contains, expresses, in an incomplete and veiled manner only, the religious science of the Hebrews. The doctrine of Moses and the Prophets, identical at bottom with that of the ancient Egyptians, also had its outward meaning and veils.
"The Hebrew books were written only to recall to memory the traditions; and they were written in symbols unintelligent to the profane ... thus was a second Bible born, unknown to, or rather uncomprehended by, the Christians; a collection, they say, of monstrous absurdities.
"One is filled with admiration, on penetrating into the Sanctuary of
the Kabalah, at seeing the doctrine so logical, so simple and at the same
time so absolute" (pp. 744 -745). (The "KABALAH" is a book of ancient Jewish
mysticism and magic.)
DEITIES OF MASONRY (THE ENERGIES OF LUCIFER)
"When the Mason learns that the Key to the warrior on the block is the
proper application of the dynamo of living power, he has learned the Mystery
of his Craft. The seething energies of LUCIFER are in his hands and before
he may step onward and upward, he must prove his ability to properly apply
(this) energy.5
LUCIFER IS GOD!
"That which we must say to the crowd is - We worship a god, but it is
the god that one adores without superstition.
Notes:
5. Manly P. Hall, Lost Keys of Freemasonry, p.48.
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"To you, Sovereign Grand Inspectors General, we say this, that you may repeat it to the Brethren of the 32nd, 31st, and 30tho - The Masonic Religion should be, by all of us initiates of the high degrees, maintained in the purity of the LUCIFERIAN DOCTRINE
"If Lucifer were not God, would Adonay (the God of the Christians) whose deeds prove his cruelty, perfidy and hatred of man, barbarism and repulsion of science, would Adonay and His priests, calumniate him?
"Yes, LUCIFER IS GOD, and unfortunately, ADONAY is also God. For the eternal law is that there is no light without shade, no beauty without ugliness, no white without black, for the absolute can only exist as two gods:. darkness is necessary for light to serve as its foil as the pedestal is necessary to the statute, and the brake to the locomotive.
"Thus, the doctrine of SATANISM is heresy; and the true and pure philosophical religion is the belief in LUCIFER, the equal of ADONAY (Christ); but LUCIFER, GOD OF LIGHT and GOD OF GOOD, is struggling for humanity against ADONAY, the God of Darkness and Evil."6
The Word of God, the Bible, clearly puts LUCIFER in his
proper place and gives God's reasons:
Notes:-
6. Instructions to tor="3 Supreme Councils of the World, Albert Pike, Grand Commander, Sovereign Pontiff of Universal Freemasonry, July 14, 1889. Recorded by A. C. De LaRive, La Femme et l'Enfant dans la Franc-Maconnerie Universelle, p.588.
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Isaiah 14:12 - 15
12 "How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How art thou cut down to the ground, which did weaken the nations!
13 For thou hast said in thine heart, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north;
14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.
15 Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit."
Masonic ritual is connected with the recovery of the "Lost Word," presumed to be the name of God - supposedly lost through the murder of the architect, Hiram Abiff, during the building of Solomon's Temple. This quest is attained during the ritual of the ROYAL ARCH DEGREE. It is here that the SACRED NAME of the DEITY OF MASONRY is revealed. That name is JAOBULON, JAO is the Greek word for JEHOVAH, BUL is a rendering of the name, BAAL, ON is the term used in the Babylonian mysteries to call upon the deity OSIRIS.
The secret ritual of the craft prints the letters J.B.O. It states: "We three do meet and agree-in peace, love and unity-the Sacred Word to keep-and never to divulge the same-until we three, or three such as we, do meet and agree." Thus, no Royal Arch Mason can pronounce the whole sacred name by himself!
What you see represented, then as the god of Freemasonry, is a three-headed monster so remote from the Christian Trinity and so blasphemous as to damn the eternal soul of anyone who would dare to pronounce its name in a ritual of worship!
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GOD OF THE MYSTIC SHRINE
The candidates for this ritual kneel at the alter of obligation with arms bound, leaning upon the top, heads bowed. There they are required to "assume a most powerful and binding oath, inseparably uniting yourself with us, and once taken, it can never be retracted or departed from."
This oath is curse enough, being four pagethe length. Its penalty includes "Having my eyeball pierced in the center with a three-edged blade."
The revelation of truth is in the candidates sealing of the oath, revealing the true nature of the masonic god of the Mystic Shrine. "...and may ALLAH the god of Arab, Moslem and Mohammedan, the GOD OF OUR FATHERS, support me to the entire fulfillment of the same, Amen, Amen, Amen. "7
Notes:-
7. The Ancient Arabic Order, Nobles of the Mystic Shrine, pp. 35-39.
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I AM THAT I AM
During the ceremonies of the ritual for the Royal Arch degree, the candidate is asked: "Brother Inspector, what are you?" and he replies: "I AM THAT I AM." Can you imagine that? When Moses asked God to name Himself, God said, "I AM THAT I AM" and He said, "Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you" (Exodus 3:14).
Tell me how a Christian can take to himself the Biblical name of God of Israel? The God of the Christian faith said:
Isaiah 44:
8 "Ye are even my witnesses! Is there a God beside me? Yea, I know not any!9 They that make a graven image are ALL of them vanity; and their delectable things shall not profit; and they are their own witnesses; they see not, nor know; that they may be ashamed."
THE MASTER MASON - A GOD
IN THE MAKING
"Man, is a god in the making, and as in the mystic myths of Egypt, on the potter's wheel he is being molded. When His light shines out to lift and preserve all things, he receives the triple crown of godhood and joins that throng of MASTER MASONS who, in their robes of blue and gold, are seeking to dispel the darkness of night with the triple light of the Masonic Lodge.
"The glorious privileges of a Master Mason are in keeping with his greater
knowledge and wisdom ... For him the heavens have opened and the
Great Light has bathed him in its radiance.
The Prodigal Son, so long a wanderer in the regions of darkness, has returned to his Father's house. The voice speaks from the Heavens, its power thrilling the Master until his own being seems filled with its divinity, saying, 'This is my beloved Son, (the Master Mason) in truth becomes the spokesman of the Most High. He stands between the glowing fire of light and the world. Through him passes HYDRA, the great snake, and from its mouth pours to man the light of God."8
Friend, there is only One for whom the Father uttered those words and He wasn't a Master Mason ... nor in whom I am well pleased.' He will it ever be so. Jesus Christ is God's only mediator for me and you. Do not let any MAN ever tell you that he is, or that you may become, the spokesman for the Most High. Further, if you believe that God speaks through HYDRA, the great snake, then your god comes right out of the pit itself!
OTHER TEACHINGS AND PRACTICES. MASONS USURP THE PRIESTHOOD OF JESUS CHRIST.
In the 19th level of the Scottish Rite Freemasonry, the initiate receives the degree of GRAND PONTIFF. It is during this ritual that the candidate swears an oath of secrecy and an oath of total obedience "to any Chapter of
Notes:-
8 Manly P. Hall, The Lost Keys of Freemasonry, pp. 54, 55.
this degree to which I may belong; and the edicts, laws and mandates of the Grand Consistory of Sublime Princes and Commanders of the Royal Secret, as well as to those of the Supreme Council of the 33rdo ...."
At this time the "Thrice Puissant" anoints him with oil on the crown of his head and says: "Be thou a priest forever, after the order of Melchizedek."
AFTER RECEIVING THE PASSWORD (Emmanuel) and the sacred word (Alleluia), he is dressed in a robe of white linen and given ahcordon (ribbon or sash of honor worn across the breast) of crimson color, with 12 stars representing the 12 gates of the "new city," and the twelve signs of the Zodiac, the twelve fruits of the tree of life, the twelve tribes of Israel, and the twelve Apostles." 9
It must be pointed out that what has taken place here, is the Masonic priesthood taking upon itself the Holy Priesthood of Jesus Christ. That is a Priesthood that can be held by only One person and that one person is clearly defined in Scripture as Jesus Christ.
In chapters seven and eight of the book of Hebrews, we are told that it was ANOTHER Priest who would be raised up, not a group of priests! This Priest would be our HIGH PRIEST and would be able to save to the uttermost! He would have "endless life!" The holder of this Priesthood would be "holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens" (Heb. 7:26). This is Jesus Christ, our Holy Lord and God!
This Masonic ritual takes Christ's Holy Priesthood from Him, and the Grand Pontiff boldly puts it upon his own breast. Even the use of Biblical words fails to cover up the adding in of the "signs of the Zodiac," a direct alliance with
Notes:-
9. Scottish Rite Masonry Illustrated, "The Complete Ritual," Vol. 2, pp. 26, 27.
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the powers of darkness and a demonstration of disobedience to God's Word. (See Deut. 18:19-12). Here it says that he who "useth divination" (consulting the signs of the Zodiac to tell the future), or is an observer of times (which is an ancient description of the astrologer who deals with the Zodiac) "is an abomination unto the Lord."
Here again we see the image of biblical truth. The Priesthood of Jesus Christ is given to the deceiver, Lucifer, the true god of Masonry, who hides behind its mystery, ritual and allegory to snare its prey.
Continue on to Part 3 of 8:- The Hidden Power Behind Freemasonry
The Hidden Power of Freemasonry - Table of Contents
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