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NOTE: This article or series has not been updated recently. As such, it may possibly contain some outdated information, and/or ideas and beliefs which I no longer embrace, or which have changed to some degree.



As I concluded in part three, if we are faithful to preach the full counsel of God, without compromise, and without any degree of political correctness, we will be persecuted, just as Christ's true Church has been persecuted since the First Century. Below are some more verses which support this point:

"Now about that time Herod the king stretched forth his hands to vex certain of the church. And he killed James the brother of John with the sword. And because he saw it pleased the Jews, he proceeded further to take Peter also. (Then were the days of unleavened bread.) And when he had apprehended him, he put him in prison, and delivered him to four quaternions of soldiers to keep him; intending after Easter to bring him forth to the people."


"And when her masters saw that the hope of their gains was gone, they caught Paul and Silas, and drew them into the marketplace unto the rulers, And brought them to the magistrates, saying, These men, being Jews, do exceedingly trouble our city, And teach customs, which are not lawful for us to receive, neither to observe, being Romans. And the multitude rose up together against them: and the magistrates rent off their clothes, and commanded to beat them. And when they had laid many stripes upon them, they cast them into prison, charging the jailor to keep them safely: Who, having received such a charge, thrust them into the inner prison, and made their feet fast in the stocks."


"For we have found this man a pestilent fellow, and a mover of sedition among all the Jews throughout the world, and a ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes:"


"I verily thought with myself, that I ought to do many things contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth. Which thing I also did in Jerusalem: and many of the saints did I shut up in prison, having received authority from the chief priests; and when they were put to death, I gave my voice against them. And I punished them oft in every synagogue, and compelled them to blaspheme; and being exceedingly mad against them, I persecuted them even unto strange cities."


"For I think that God hath set forth us the apostles last, as it were appointed to death: for we are made a spectacle unto the world, and to angels, and to men. We are fools for Christ's sake, but ye are wise in Christ; we are weak, but ye are strong; ye are honourable, but we are despised. Even unto this present hour we both hunger, and thirst, and are naked, and are buffeted, and have no certain dwellingplace; And labour, working with our own hands: being reviled, we bless; being persecuted, we suffer it: Being defamed, we intreat: we are made as the filth of the world, and are the offscouring of all things unto this day."


"But in all things approving ourselves as the ministers of God, in much patience, in afflictions, in necessities, in distresses, In stripes, in imprisonments, in tumults, in labours, in watchings, in fastings;"


"Are they ministers of Christ? (I speak as a fool) I am more; in labours more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequent, in deaths oft. Of the Jews five times received I forty stripes save one. Thrice was I beaten with rods, once was I stoned, thrice I suffered shipwreck, a night and a day I have been in the deep; In journeyings often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils by mine own countrymen, in perils by the heathen, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren; In weariness and painfulness, in watchings often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness."


"If we suffer, we shall also reign with him: if we deny him, he also will deny us:"


"Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution."


"I know thy works, and where thou dwellest, even where Satan's seat is: and thou holdest fast my name, and hast not denied my faith, even in those days wherein Antipas was my faithful martyr, who was slain among you, where Satan dwelleth."


"And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held: And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth? And white robes were given unto every one of them; and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellowservants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled."


"And I heard the angel of the waters say, Thou art righteous, O Lord, which art, and wast, and shalt be, because thou hast judged thus. For they have shed the blood of saints and prophets, and thou hast given them blood to drink; for they are worthy."


"And in her [spiritual Babylon] was found the blood of prophets, and of saints, and of all that were slain upon the earth."


"And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years."


To learn more about persecution against the Christian Church, please consider reading such articles as "Civil Disobedience and Christian Persecution". As we have now seen, one world religionists do not embrace the Great Commission of Christ's Gospel. Based on my friend's comments, the Freemasons -- and other spiritual unity organizations and religions -- embrace a false gospel which promotes the belief that we should come together as fraternal brothers -- in spite of our religious differences -- for the sake of maintaining friendship and peace. On the surface, it seems like a very wonderful idea. However, in reality, it is a devilish ploy which neutralizes Christians and the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It de-emphasizes the importance of warning the wicked of their wicked ways, and of trying to win nonbelievers to Christ. In fact, it makes doing so unpopular. As we saw in part two, Christians are not permitted to share their faith in a Masonic Lodge.

Another aspect of Freemasonry which my friend mentioned that he likes is the fact that, as fraternal brothers, Freemasons are always willing to lend each other a helping hand. No one will deny that this is an admirable quality. Furthermore, as many of my readers will know, this very same lesson is taught by Jesus in His Parable of the Good Samaritan. However, as I told my friend, anyone can perform good deeds for others; but if they reject Christ, then anything they do to assist others really amounts to nothing more than self-righteous works. As the following verses reveal, our works certainly do not save any of us, because we are all sinners in the sight of God:

"But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away."


"If thou, LORD, shouldest mark iniquities, O Lord, who shall stand?"


"But who may abide the day of his coming? and who shall stand when he appeareth? for he is like a refiner's fire, and like fullers' soap:"


"As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one . . . For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;"


"Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;"


"For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast."


According to my friend, if an individual wishes to understand all of the secrets and rituals which are performed by the Freemasons, he should simply read the Bible, because they are supposedly contained therein. He also stated that Freemasonry is not really a religion, although he admitted that there are religious aspects to parts of their rituals and prayers. I am not exactly certain what he meant by that, being as I am not familiar with the practices of Freemasonry. Nevertheless, it is apparent that the Freemasons do engage in certain rituals and practices -- or traditions -- which were never mandated by Jesus or any of the Apostles. Furthermore, you may recall that in part three, we learned that the Apostle Paul warned the Disciples to beware of the traditions of the world which are contrary to the doctrines of Christ, as we see here:

"Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ."


"And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power: That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God."


In fact, if you are familiar with the Gospels, you will know that when it came to the Scribes and the Pharisees, Jesus did the very same thing. He sternly warned His followers to beware of the doctrines and traditions of the religionists which contradicted and nullified the Word of God. Consider the following verses:

"In the mean time, when there were gathered together an innumerable multitude of people, insomuch that they trode one upon another, he began to say unto his disciples first of all, Beware ye of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy."


"Then Jesus said unto them, Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees. And they reasoned among themselves, saying, It is because we have taken no bread. Which when Jesus perceived, he said unto them, O ye of little faith, why reason ye among yourselves, because ye have brought no bread? Do ye not yet understand, neither remember the five loaves of the five thousand, and how many baskets ye took up? Neither the seven loaves of the four thousand, and how many baskets ye took up? How is it that ye do not understand that I spake it not to you concerning bread, that ye should beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees? Then understood they how that he bade them not beware of the leaven of bread, but of the doctrine of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees."


"Then came to Jesus scribes and Pharisees, which were of Jerusalem, saying, Why do thy disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? for they wash not their hands when they eat bread. But he answered and said unto them, Why do ye also transgress the commandment of God by your tradition? For God commanded, saying, Honour thy father and mother: and, He that curseth father or mother, let him die the death. But ye say, Whosoever shall say to his father or his mother, It is a gift, by whatsoever thou mightest be profited by me; And honour not his father or his mother, he shall be free. Thus have ye made the commandment of God of none effect by your tradition."


"He answered and said unto them, Well hath Esaias prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written, This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me. Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men, as the washing of pots and cups: and many other such like things ye do. And he said unto them, Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition. For Moses said, Honour thy father and thy mother; and, Whoso curseth father or mother, let him die the death: But ye say, If a man shall say to his father or mother, It is Corban, that is to say, a gift, by whatsoever thou mightest be profited by me; he shall be free. And ye suffer him no more to do ought for his father or his mother; Making the word of God of none effect through your tradition, which ye have delivered: and many such like things do ye."


Insofar as actual rituals are concerned, in the Gospels, we discover that the Lord called particular attention to the Passover meal, or Seder, as it is known to the Jews. As you may know, the Passover meal was celebrated by the Jews as a means to remember their sudden deliverance out of the land of Egypt. It involved sacrificing a lamb, marking their door posts with the blood of the lamb, and eating the lamb along with unleavened bread and bitter herbs. As many of you will know, and as I explain in such articles as "The Lamb of God Was a Goat" and "The Blood Atonement: In Jesus' Own Words", this Jewish tradition was a foreshadow of what Jesus would one day do when He offered up His own body on the Cross, as the Lamb of God, and the only worthy and valid Sacrifice for our sins. Today, this memorial dinner has been transformed into the Eucharist -- or Communion -- in the Christian churches.

I am also troubled by my friend's use of the word "secrets". As I mention in "Money-Making Bible Hucksters and Mammon" and "2012: New Age Deception and Psychobabble", claiming to know some profound truth or to possess some hidden knowledge is a gimmick which is often used by a number of deceivers. In the case of certain authors I have encountered on the Internet -- including certain Christian writers -- they will endeavor to attract gullible souls to their lairs by teasing and enticing them, and purposely piquing their curiosity, by offering them small morsels of their book which supposedly reveals things which have never been revealed to the world before. However, if one desires to read the whole book, he must first take the bait and send in some money. I find this practice on the part of Christian writers to be both dishonest, reproachable, and contrary to the Scriptures.

This same technique of relying upon enticement to attract new recruits is used by the Kabbalists, the Freemasons, and other so-called "secret societies". Even the Roman Catholic Church resorts to surrounding some of its practices and doctrines in mystery, such as the so-called secrets of Fatima. Dangerous cults are also notorious for employing this very same method in order to attract new members to themselves. In each case, they claim to possess some secret knowledge, or some esoteric wisdom, or some mystical power which is only meant for the "chosen few". In order to be deemed worthy of the society or cult's "ultimate truths" and the powers which they supposedly possess, one must undergo certain initiation rites, as well as advance one level at a time.

As I mention in "Coming Your Way Soon: A New World Order!", it has long been said that organizations like the Freemasons will purposely mislead people, including their own lower-level initiates, so that they think that they are learning the truth regarding the esoteric doctrines and secrets of their group, when in fact, the organization is purposely leading them away from the truth concerning themselves, until such time when the organization's leaders feel that the initiate has sufficiently progressed, and is truly ready for, and in some perverted way, worthy of their closely-guarded secrets. Please beware of this subtle tactic!

In stark contrast to the attempts by these so-called "secret societies" to closely guard their beliefs and practices, the Bible teaches us to freely and openly share the truth of the Scriptures, as is plainly evident by the following verses:

"Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. Wherefore do ye spend money for that which is not bread? and your labour for that which satisfieth not? hearken diligently unto me, and eat ye that which is good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness."


". . . freely ye have received, freely give . . . Fear them not therefore: for there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; and hid, that shall not be known. What I tell you in darkness, that speak ye in light: and what ye hear in the ear, that preach ye upon the housetops."


"And he said unto them, Is a candle brought to be put under a bushel, or under a bed? and not to be set on a candlestick? For there is nothing hid, which shall not be manifested; neither was any thing kept secret, but that it should come abroad."


"For there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; neither hid, that shall not be known. Therefore whatsoever ye have spoken in darkness shall be heard in the light; and that which ye have spoken in the ear in closets shall be proclaimed upon the housetops."


"Jesus answered him, I spake openly to the world; I ever taught in the synagogue, and in the temple, whither the Jews always resort; and in secret have I said nothing."


"For he [Apollos] mightily convinced the Jews, and that publickly, shewing by the scriptures that Jesus was Christ."


"And how I kept back nothing that was profitable unto you, but have shewed you, and have taught you publickly, and from house to house,"


"He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?"


"And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely."


"And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely."


As I mention in "2012: New Age Deception and Psychobabble", I am not particularly informed when it comes to Freemasonry. However, from my limited research in this area, I have come to learn that there exists a strong relationship between the history of the American government, Washington, D.C. and the Freemasons. It is an established fact that some of the most famous individuals who have been associated with the United States government -- beginning with its very first president, George Washington -- were known members of the Freemasons. In fact, I first mentioned the Washington-Freemason connection to the members of the now-defunct EDGE Mailing List back in 2004.

As most of my American readers will know, there is a cable television network called C-SPAN; or the Cable-Satellite Public Affairs Network. This network is mainly dedicated to political news and developments which occur in the nation's capital. It also offers other public affairs programs.

While some people may find the station boring, at least one person was smart enough to record a particular event which occurred some time prior to 2004. I seem to recall that the event may have occurred during the 225th anniversary of the founding of the United States. What was unique about this recorded event -- which I downloaded from the Internet -- is that it involved a ceremony which was being performed by the Freemasons in Washington, DC. Not being a Freemason myself, I did not understand it all. However, I do clearly recall that the ceremony was very symbolic in nature, and that it employed certain objects which are a central part of Freemasonry, such as the square and compass. At the time, it seemed strange to me that C-SPAN would broadcast the event. However, I arrived at the conclusion that this ritual was probably only meant to be understood by Freemasons who may have been watching it on their television sets.

My interest in the Freemasons was further piqued when some time later, a member of the EDGE Mailing List informed me that his father was deeply involved with Freemasonry. This person -- who was a Christian -- was very concerned about it, because, according to him, he was familiar with some of the inner workings and beliefs of the Freemasons. One thing which he told me at that time -- which is something I have heard before -- is that similar to other occult organizations, as initiates graduate to the higher levels of Freemasonry, they are taught that Lucifer is the real god, while Jesus Christ is supposedly the usurper.

Seven years ago while conducting research for "Gargoyles: Satan Loves Church Buildings!", I discovered some additional information regarding the Freemasons which, at first glance, would seem to confirm the above point. The name Albert Pike is well known to Freemasons. Mr. Pike was elected Sovereign Grand Commander of the Scottish Rite's Southern Jurisdiction in 1859; a post which he held for thirty-two years until his death in 1891. He is particularly known for his widely-read book "Morals and Dogma of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry". Following is a quote which has been attributed to Albert Pike. It was included in an 1894 French publication by Abel Claren de la Rive called "The Woman and Child in Universal Freemasonry". This quote is supposedly instructions by Pike to the twenty-three Supreme Councils of the World, and is dated July 14, 1889:

----- Begin Quote -----

"That which we must say to the world is that we worship a god, but it is the god that one adores without superstition. To you, Sovereign Grand Inspectors General, we say this, that you may repeat it to the brethren of the 32nd, 31st and 30th degrees: The masonic Religion should be, by all of us initiates of the higher degrees, maintained in the Purity of the Luciferian doctrine. If Lucifer were not God, 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 being necessary for light to serve as its foil as the pedestal is necessary to the statue, and the brake to the locomotive . . .

Thus, the doctrine of Satanism is a heresy, and the true and pure philosophical religion is the belief in Lucifer, the equal of Adonay; but Lucifer, God of Light and God of Good, is struggling for humanity against Adonay, the God of Darkness and Evil."

----- End Quote -----

As I said, at first glance, the above quote would seem to confirm that Luciferian worship is actually at the center of Freemasonry. However, as I continued my research, I likewise discovered that a lot of questions surround the character of Abel Claren de la Rive. You see, de la Rive had strong ties to the Roman Catholic Church, which itself was very strongly opposed to Freemasonry. Furthermore, the above quote has also been associated with another person of questionable character by the name of Léo Taxil, which was the pen name of French writer Marie Joseph Gabriel Antoine Jogand-Pagès. In contrast to Abel Claren de la Rive, Léo Taxil was very much against Roman Catholicism. Thus, he wrote a series of anti-Catholic books which -- depending on who you want to believe -- were filled with many libelous and fictitious statements regarding the Roman Catholic Church leadership.

Known as a hoaxer, Léo Taxil's crowning hoax was his feigned conversion to the Roman Catholic faith, which he really used as a vehicle to expose the anti-Masonic fanaticism of that religion. After his supposed conversion, Taxil wrote a number of books in which he attacked Freemasonry. He also introduced a fictitious character by the name of Diana Vaughan, who was -- according to the hoax -- deeply entrenched in Freemasonry. In 1897, Taxil confessed that Vaughan was not real, that his conversion to Roman Catholicism was bogus, and that his wild revelations regarding Freemasonry were also fictitious. This became known as the Taxil Hoax. As a result, Taxil was forced to move out of Paris.

So the question remains: Is Freemasonry really steeped in the worship of Lucifer and the forces of darkness? Quite frankly, being as I don't belong to the organization, it is impossible for me to conclusively prove or disprove this point. If they are, it is a deeply-held secret. If they are not, then a lot of people are promoting a misconception regarding the group. As I have mentioned before, the Internet is a huge rumor mill which is full of deception and misinformation. For all I know, the Taxil Hoax may be true. On the other hand, it may also be disinformation which is purposely meant to confuse us so that we don't know what Freemasons really believe. The best advice that I can give to anyone is the following:

"Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world."


This issue aside, given the other points which I have talked about in this series -- namely their incompatibility with the vision and goal of the Great Commission, and the danger of compromise -- I still do not believe that it is wise for any Christian to join the organization. Their philosophy seems too aligned to a One World Religion to me. What do you think?

With these thoughts, I will bring this article to a close. It is my hope that you have found it informative, enlightening, and I pray that it has been a blessing in your life as well. If you have an account with Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr or with any other social network, I would really appreciate if you'd take the time to click or tap on the corresponding link that is found on this page. Thanks so much, and may God bless you abundantly!

For additional information and further study, you may want to refer to the list of reading resources below which were either mentioned in this article, or which contain topics which are related to this article. All of these articles are likewise located on the Bill's Bible Basics web server. To read these articles, simply click or tap on any link you see below.

For additional information and further study, you may want to refer to the list of reading resources below which were also mentioned in this series, or which are related to this series, and which are likewise located on this very same Bill's Bible Basics website.

2012: New Age Deception and Psychobabble
All Are Given a Chance, But . . .
Accusations of Antisemitism: My Personal Response
Apostasy of Oprah Winfrey: America's False Prophetess?
Are You a Burning Ember for the Lord?
Are You Clean Every Whit?
Child of the Lamb, or Child of the Goat?
Civil Disobedience and Christian Persecution
Coming Your Way Soon: A New World Order!
Christian Witnessing: Winning the Sheep and Waging the Warfare!
Gargoyles: Satan Loves Church Buildings!
Is Jesus the Only Begotten Son of God?
Is the Message of Salvation Meant for All Men?
Many Are Called, But Few Are Chosen
Modern False Prophets and Worldly Ecumenism
Money-Making Bible Hucksters and Mammon
Not Everyone is a Child of God
Roman Catholicism, Water Baptism and the Holy Trinity
So You Really Think You Are So Humble?
The Blood Atonement: In Jesus' Own Words
The Children of Light: Are You One of Us?
The Fruits of Disobedience
The Lamb of God Was a Goat!
This Little Light, Glory of the Lord and Our Bright Future
Welcome to Greater Israel, USA!
What is Wrong With Modern America?
When Sin is no Longer a Sin

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Please avail yourself of other areas of the Bill's Bible Basics website. There are many treasures for you to discover.