cont ILLUMINATI /SECRET SOCIETIES/FRONTS/ ANTICHRIST'S NEW WORLD ORDER


WHAT CAN PASTOR DO?

What shall we as pastors say to our flocks that contain perhaps a great number of professed Christians who are
Freemasons? Again we look to Brother Finney:

"Let them (Freemasons) have no more to do with it. Let Christian men labor with them, plead with them, and endeavor to make them see that their duty is to abandon it."

To these words of Brother Finney I can lend an "AMEN!" What can pastors do? They can receive this article into their hands, perhaps from one of their lambs, and prayerfully consider it. They can study at their library. Albert Pike, Albert Mackey, 33rd degree, Henry Wilson Coil, 33rd degree, and Arthur Edward Waite are all recognized authorities by State Grand Lodges. They may contact me or this ministry for further information. They can read an excellent sermon, "Freemasonry and Christianity" by Dr. Alva J. McClain, founder and first president of of Grace Theological Seminary.

You will find and excellent resource in a six-part series on Freemasonry which aired across the country in April and May of 1986. The series is entitled, "THE MASONIC LODGE; Behind closed doors." It is available through The John Ankerberg Show, Box 8977, Chattanooga, TN 37411 in audio or VHS cassettes as well as in written transcript form.

THE ONE THING THAT PASTORS CAN'T DO, IS NOTHING!

A pastor is accountable to God Almighty for Christ's sheep in their flock. I would never become involved in Freemasonry if a pastor had preached even the poorest of sermons against Freemasonry in my youth. If he even whispered in my ear! I spent eleven years in Masonry. I defended it to my family, my church, my colleagues. God forgive me!

Thank God my teenagers didn't swallow my line. One went and educated himself and both of them prayed, one for four years, and one for two years, that I might be set free from the abomination of the cult of Freemasonry. The day came when a Christian brother and former Mason, had the courage to risk our friendship. He opened up his Masonic bible and shared the Light as he there had found it in Jesus, the Light of the World. That Light showed the light of Freemasonry to be darkness and deception. Each verse he shared brought out Masonic debris like "Salvation by Works" from the closets of my life. With the living room of my life now cluttered with the false doctrines of Freemasonry, I renounced it that very day! I will never forget the joy in the voices of my children as I told them over the phone! I will never forget the tears on my mother's cheeks as she exclaimed, "Another prayer answered! One more to go before I die!" Yes, and the joyous embrace of my obedient wife!

WE MUST RENOUNCE IT

In the year after I renounced Freemasonry, I personally sat with each Mason in my congregation and shared my testimony. Most defended the Fraternity. Some even began a campaign against their pastor. So be it! "Greater is He that is in me than he that is in the world!" Some left their positions of authority in the church without ever being asked. On October 13, 1985 I delivered a sermon entitled, "Mixing Oil With Water, Christianity & Freemasonry." That light exposed the darkness of Masonry and unrenouncing Masons still in positions of authority fled in shame. In their place God sent new people literally from across this country to take up the slack. Finances that were threatened by these Masonic families, instead, increased by 40%! The pledging units increased by 25%! Pastor, stand for God and He will bless!

I thank God for Bible-believing pastors. If you are one, know that in love I say to you, "Pastor, you preach the Word with me! Yes, there will be opposition. In the world you will have tribulation, said Jesus, but be of good cheer because I have overcome the world."

Preach boldly as we are instructed in Acts 18:9, Col. 1:28, 2 Tim. 4:2-5, Heb. 2:11. Know that there will be rewards for any persecution that you may face as recorded in James 1:3, 12.

Pastor, did you know that Freemasonry will not permit the Name of Jesus to be used in any regular and well governed Lodge? Did you know that when they use a passage such as 1 Pet. 2:5 or 2 Thes. 3:6, they delete the phrase that includes the name of our blessed and only Saviour, Jesus Christ? That is not just an oversight, as reference to it states (*slight, but necessary modifications have been made). Would you call deleting Jesus Christ a "slight" or "necessary" modification? No! No Christian should! 1 John 2:22-23 says "Who is a liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ? He is Antichrist who denies the Father and the Son. Whoever denies the Son does not have the Father either; he who acknowledges the Son has the Father also." Read also 1 John 4:2 in relation to this same thought.

Pastor, Hosea 4:6 declares, "My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I also will reject you from being priest for Me; Because you have forgotten the law of your God, I also will forget your children."

LET NONE PERISH

As fellow pastors, we must agree that we do not want to see anyone perish. Certainly, not the lambs in our own flock! Labor with me. As I share with you, 433 men have renounced Masonry and are living more productive Christian lives. They discovered that the "friendships" of the Lodge were based on a Masonic bond and not upon genuine friendship. In every instance they found Christians coming forward who had held back from fellowship with them, not knowing how to confront their Christian brother in his error. Without exception, they have confessed that their present friends are more genuine and more fulfilling to their lives than what they thought they had in the fraternity.

If you have Masons in the membership of Christ's church, you, as pastor, need to become educated and confront them in love. I was delivered from my love of Freemasonry and left with an abiding love for Masons. I pray daily for their release from the cult of Freemasonry. With prayer, preparation, and sharing, they will come out of either Freemasonry or the Church.

DWIGHT L. MOODY SPEAKS OUT

Dwight L. Moody said, "I do not see how any Christian, most of all a Christian minister, can go into these secret lodges with unbelievers. They say they can have more influence for good: but I say they can have more influence for good by staying out of them, and reproving their evil deeds. Abraham had more influence for good in Sodom than Lot had."

For this, D. L. Moody was challenged, "If you talk this way, you will drive all the members of secret societies out of your meetings and out of our churches."

To this the bold pastor proclaimed, "But what if I did? Better men will take their places. Give them the truth anyway, and if they would rather leave their churches than their lodges, the sooner they get out of the churches, the better. I would rather have ten members who are separated from the world than a thousand such members. Better one with God than a thousand without Him."

WHAT'S A PASTOR TO DO REGARDING FREEMASONRY?

- Pray for guidance and direction.

- Study about Freemasonry together with your Bible.

- Write down your thoughts.

- Share them with Masons when you're sure enough not to be deceived by their uninformed or misinformed tales.

- Proclaim from your pulpit the dangers of the double walk of a Christian in Freemasonry. Let your flock know again that they cannot serve two masters, nor can they have any other God before them. (Masonry permits any and every god at
the altar.)

If you are a pastor, thank you for listening and may God bless you as you serve Him and your flock for the glory of God. If you are a layman, your pastor needs your support and your help. Pray for your Pastor; then share this article. Continue to pray with expectation for your pastor and be ready to assist your pastor in proclaiming the Truth and setting free the oppressed.

Highly recommended Christian site that exposes the Satanic nature of Freemasonry: 'Cutting Edge' articles about the dangers of Freemasonry

Official Catholic teaching concerning Freemasonry has historically condemned Freemasonry, though in recent years, Catholic Freemasons have been granted unusual exceptions, countering historic and official Vatican stance against it, which is stunning evidence of the influence of dark forces within the Vatican or possibly a secret dualism (even pantheism) at the highest levels of Catholicism? What is increasingly present in Catholic teachings are many of the extreme beliefs of the Jesuits, which are pantheistic (now "New Age") at the very least, as even mainline Catholic teachers dangerously believe that "God is present in all things."
Edmund Paris wrote a book that thoroughly documents the cunning and prowess of the Jesuits. He attributes the instigation of the world wars, and even the writing of 'Mein Kampf' to the Jesuits. Hitler himself stated, "I learned much from the Order of the Jesuits. Until now, there has never been anything more grandiose, on the earth, than the hierarchical organization of the Catholic church. I transferred much of this organization into my own party." Hitler, Mussolini, and Franco were all groomed and brought into power by the Jesuits and Catholic organizations. At the close of WWII, Catholics who knew what the Vatican had done, accused Pope Pius the XII of "having blood on his hands." The Jesuit's sworn, military mission to the Pope, (his primary weapon of counter-reformation) is to destroy or control all of Protestantism, and all countries not loyal to the Vatican. The charges against the Jesuits (Illuminati) are so dark and so unbelievable that most people won't even consider the heavy documentation and historical evidence against them for fear of being accused of religious hatred and bigotry. Another, more recent book by Eric Phelps he named 'Vatican Assassins', also documents the machinations of the Jesuits.

The vow that Jesuits must take remained a secret for centuries but has been revealed by former Jesuits. The "vow" makes their evil mission crystal clear; that they are bound to prosecute warfare (covert) against any government or ruler that does not obey the edicts of the pope. This vow has been silently expanded to include anyone who is a threat to the Jesuits and their agendas as well. The extreme oaths supposedly taken by the Knights of Malta, Knights of Columbus, the Jesuits and Illuminati, seem extremely similar in origination.

Freemasonry is completely incompatible with biblical Christianity. View this conclusive and revealing expose on secret Masonic practices, oaths and vows, the taking of which are heretical for Christians to participate in let alone take. If link does not appear, here is the address for the video: http://www.hickoryhammockbaptist.org/mason/dvdmason.html

Only after creating my own general hypothesis about the true nature and origin of the Illuminati, Freemasonry and most of their lackey organizations and fronts, could I then find documentation confirming my hypothesis and then make a conclusion of spiritual discernment. I have found several damning quotes from the seminal practitioners of Freemasonry and other related cults. The most important page of confirmation concerning this comes from cuttingedge ministries. The origin of Freemasonry is rooted in the ancient "mystery religions." Freemasonry is an amalgamation of many ancient occult religions and disciplines. Two major strains (like diseases) studied and applied in the highest ranks of Freemasonry is Rosicucianism and the Kabbalah. I mentioned this earlier but now have found a major document of confirmation that has many quotes from major Masonic leaders. Kabballism (probably practiced in tandem within Rosicucianism for nearly 3000 years) is the perverse use of the Old Testament and the Talmud. The confirmation link makes the same discernment that I came to concerning the Jews and others who practice this perverse mixture of the Bible and the occult. I believe that these mystery religions are the same ones practiced by the Sanhedrin who wanted Christ crucified. The practice of the Kabballah is not just done by certain Jews but by the most powerful, elite secret societies, which I theorize is the powerful group that Jesus called the "synagogue of Satan." NO- I am not saying that all Jews are of that ilk but those who practice Kabballah are in highest rebellion against the True God of the Bible. It is possible that there is a non-occult version of it that I am not aware of but extreme Kabballists are known to practice witchcraft and many, if not all of the dark arts.

This occult conspiracy that is now in the process of completely taking over America (and the world aka: the government of the Antichrist) overtly through its Marxist / leftist wing of their cabal, was originally conceived by occultic "Illuminists" led by a Jesuit priest, Dr. Adam Weishaupt, right after the time when the Jesuits had been "suppressed" (dissolved) by their own pope because of their evil machinations. A former occultist, now powerful servant of Jesus, Pastor David Meyer, has crystal clear discernment and insight into their history, genesis and powerful satanic goals for mankind:

"five men went into a cave near Ingolstadt, Bavaria, on May 1st, 1776. It was Dr. Adam Weishaupt, who with four other men, met in the cave at the behest of the Rothschild banking cartel to bring forth a conspiratorial plan to take over the world and present it one day to their god Lucifer. In that cave, these five men consulted with an invisible force that they called the controlling unknown. This gave them the plan to recruit members of their new organization, which would become known as the Illuminati. They would conceal themselves by hiding in the high levels of the Masonic Lodge until they could foment revolutions and three world wars until their objective was achieved. There is much more to this story. When five men gather secretly in the realm of occultism, they represent the five points of the pentacle, a five-pointed star. Those five points are earth, wind, fire, water, and spirit." Pastor David Meyer's Last Trumpet Newsletter

This is an absolutely critical insight that explains why by the end of the 18th century, Masonic lodges in America were being infiltrated and repossessed by the satanic force that originally created its seemingly altruistic "orders." The Jesuits were forced to morph into the ultimate evil underground secret society with goals of regaining control of the Catholic Church and the world. This also explains how many of our founding fathers who had been Freemasons had become Masons prior to the satanic "Illuminization" of the lodges, which became supercharged with occultic ideals and goals after great men like Washington had been members. Yes, it is possible to be used by God and yet be deeply flawed. (Obviously many of our founding fathers also owned slaves- though they claimed to disapprove of it.) Freemasonry went from being a fairly innocuous (yet highly influential and powerful) secret society (Freemasonry has NEVER been an appropriate association for a Christian to join even prior to it being "Illuminized") to becoming a front for the evil works of the Jesuits (This is my opinion/ analysis/ spiritual discernment of their history, though several brave scholars have exposed and share much of the same assessment. Remember that Satan often appears as an "angel of Light." I mention this because the Jesuits and Freemasons also perform many "good works" but it is a front that they must portray in order to cover their profoundly evil works. A genuine study of the history of the last several centuries, implicates the Jesuits and Freemasonry in all sorts of skulldugery. These secret societies are so powerful that they control the major "accepted" publications, text book publishers and the media in order to squelch any "mainstream" criticism or exposure of their cabal. People such as I are marginalized as being "conspiracy kooks" and most of the deceived and brainwashed populace (including the majority of Christians) agree with them!

Researchers and prophetic ministers like David Meyer and myself, are either liars, lunatics or brave, godly discerners who are willing to lay down our lives and reputations in order to warn any one who might have ears to listen.

The following is an article from www.myfortress.org
(posted here because link was dead/ no copyright indicated)

Masonic Lodge: Freemasons

"I do not see how any Christian, most of all a Christian minister, can go into these lodges with unbelievers. They say they can have more influence for good, but I say they can have more influence for good by staying out of them and then reproving their evil deeds. You can never reform anything by unequally yoking yourself with ungodly men. True reformers separate themselves from the world. But, some say to me, if you talk that way you will drive all the members of secret societies out of your meetings and out of your churches. But what if I did? Better men will take their places. Give them the truth anyway and if they would rather leave their churches than their lodges, the sooner they get out of the churches the better. I would rather have ten members who are separated from the world than a thousand such members. Come out from the lodge. Better one with God than a thousand without Him. We must walk with God and if only one or two go with us, it is all right. Do not let down the standard to suit men who love their secret lodges or have some darling sin they will not give up." Dwight L. Moody


Freemason Teachings:

1) When the candidate is going through the initiation ceremony, he is made to stand before the Worshipful Master and say something like: "I am lost in darkness, and I am seeking the light of Freemasonry." This is the case even for the Christian who has already been delivered from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of light--Christ's kingdom (Ephesians 5:8-11)
2) When the candidate is going through the initiation ceremony, he is made to swear a horrible blood oath, saying, "Binding myself under no less penalty that that of having my thraot cut across, mt tongue torn out by its roots, and my body buried in the rough sands of the sea, at lowwater mark, where the tide ebbs and flows twice in twenty-four hours, should I ever knowingly violate this my Entered Apprentice obligation. No Christian has any business taking oaths that speak of cutting the throat or tearing out his tongue if he gives away the secrets of the Lodge (Leviticus 5:4-6).

3) The candidate is taught that the Bible is not God's only revelation to humankind, but it is simply one of the many holy books that contain religious and moral truth. The Bible is said to be just a symbol of God's will. Other "revelatory" books include the Hindu Vedas and the Muslim Koran. This is an outrage to the on true God, who has given us all the truth He desires us to have in the Bible (Timothy 3:16, 2 Peter 1:21).

4) The candidate is taught that Jews, Christians, Hindus, Muslims, and those of and other faiths are all worshiping the same god using different names. God is said to be "the nameless one of a hundred names." This is so despite the fact that Christianity teaches a triune concept of God, Islam denies the Trinity and says that God cannot have a son, and Hinduism involves virtually millions of gods.

5) God's true name is said to be Jabulon- a name that associates the God of the Bible with Baal and Orsiris, ancient pagen deities. Baal worship in particular is the epitome of evil idol worship in the ancient world and involved such things as ritual prosititution (Judges 2:17, Hosea 4:13-14), self-mutilation (1 Kings 18:28), and the sacrificing (ritual murder) of the little children (Jermiah 19:4-5).

6) Freemasonary has strong connections to the ancient mystery religions, and often cites such false gods as Isis, Serpis, Osiris, Re, Apis, Thoth, Phtha, Hermes, Orpheus, and Horus. These are the very gods that the true God Yahweh condemned and judged through the hand of Moses (Exodus 7-12).

7) Jesus is viewed not as God but rather as a good, moral teacher. His name is systematically stripped from prayers and from Scripture verses cited within the Masonic Lodge. By contrast, the Bible not only asserts the absolute deity of Christ (John 1:1, 8:58;. 19:30, 20:28; Colossians 2:9), but tells us we should always pray in the name of Christ (John 16:24). Further, Christ Himself affirmed, "If any one is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his glory and the glory of the Father and the holy angels" (Luke 9:26). To ignore Christ is to do so at our own peril.

8) Man is viewed as not being sinful or born into the world with original sin. Rather, mankind is viewed as basically good with a few imperfections. This is so despite the fact that Scripture says man is fallen in sin and even his good acts are like filthy rags before God (Isaiah 64:6; 53:5-6; Romans 3:23; 5:12).

9) Man is said to be saved not by trusting in Christ but by engaging in good works and chartiable acs. This flatly goes against the clear teaching of Scripture (John 3:16; Acts 16:31; Romans 3:20-22; Ephesians 2:8,9).

10) Masonry makes no mention of the future judgment or the reality of hell, thus implying that all Masons will end up in heaven. Jesus taught that those who reject Him will suffer in hell for eternity (Matthew 25:46; 5:29-30; Luke 16:23; 2 Peter 2:4; Revelation 20:13-15).

11) Masonary involves various forms of occultism in its literature and rituals- including Kabbalism, Rosicrucianism, and alchemy. Scripture, by contrast, absolutely condemns all forms of occultism as detestable to God (Deuteronomy 18:10-12; Leviticus 19:31; Jeremiah 27:9; Micah 5-12).

In view of how all these doctrines go against what God's Word reveals about these issues, it is obvious that the right decision for a Mason is to leave the Masonic Lodge. To not leave amounts to living in apostasy.

Christian author Walton Hannah writes, "I am firmly convinced that for a Christian to pledge himself to a religious (or even, to avoid begging the question, to a quasi-religious) organization which offers prayer and worship to God which deliberately excludes the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, in whose name only salvation to be found, is apostatic." He notes that this is something that the early Christians in the first century would have never succumbed to. "Christians in those days were willing to face death rather than cast a few grains of incense to the Emperor or other deities."

Ron Rhodes, Reasoning From The Scriptires With Masons


Is Freemasonry A Religion?

"Every Masonic Lodge is a temple of religion, and its teachings are instructions in ... the universal, eternal, immutable religion...."

(Morals and Dogma of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry, by Albert Pike, Washington D.C., 1958, pp. 213, 219.)


"[Masonry is] ... the custodian and depository (since Enoch) of the great philosophical and religious truths, unknown to the world at large...."

(Morals and Dogma of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry, by Albert Pike, Washington D.C., 1958, p. 210.)


"Without this religious element it would scarcely be worthy of cultivation by the wise and good...."
(An Encyclopedia of Freemasonry, by Albert G. Mackey, 1921, pp. 618-619.)


"The difference between a Lodge and a church is one of degree and not of kind."
(Coil, Masonic Encyclopedia, p. 512; cf Lyndon Ellis, Blinded By the Lie, p. 42)

"A religious service to commit the body of a deceased brother to the dust whence it came and to speed the liberated spirit back to the Great Source of Light. Many Freemasons make this flight with no other guarantee of a safe landing than their belief in the religion of Freemasonry."
(New York: Macoy Publishing & Masonic Supply Co., 1961, pg 512)


"There he stands (outside) our portals, on the threshold of this new Masonic life, in darkness, helplessness, and ignorance. Having been wandering amid the errors and covered only with the pollutions of the outer and profane world, he comes inquiringly to our doors, seeking the new birth, and asking a withdrawal of the veil which conceals divine truth from his uninitiated sight."
(Albert Mackey, A Manual of the Lodge (New York: Charles Merrill, 1870) 20)

"Every Masonic lodge is a temple of religion, and its teachings are instructions in religion... this is true religion revealed to the ancient patriarchs; which masonry has taught for many centuries, and which it will continue to teach as long as time endures."
(Albert Pike, Morals And Dogma, Pg. 213-214)

"The religion, then, masonry, is pure theism..."
(Albert Mackey, A Lexicon Of Freemasonry, Pg. 402)

"I consider freemasonry is a significantly organized school of mysticism to be entitled to be called a religion...Freemasonry... taught that each man can, by himself, work out his own conception of god and thereby achieve salvation..."
(J.S.M. Ward, Freemasonry: Its Aims & Ideals, Pg.185)

"I boldly avere that freemasonry is a religion, yet it no way conflicts with any other religion, unless that religion holds that no one outside its portals can be saved."
(J.S.M. Ward, Freemasonry: Its Aims & Ideals, Pg.187)

"The religion of Masonry is cosmopolitan, universal...."
(Albert G. Mackey, An Encyclopedia of Freemasonry and Its Kindred Sciences, vol. 1 (Chicago: Masonic History Company, 1921), 301)

"Masonry...is the universal, eternal, immutable religion...." (Albert Pike, 219)


"Everything in Masonry has reference to God, implies God, speaks of God, points and leads to God. Not a degree, not a symbol, not an obligation, not a lecture, not a charge but finds its meaning and derives its beauty from God the Great Architect, in whose temple all Masons are workmen." (Joseph Fort Newton, The Religion of Masonry (Richmond: Macoy, 1969), 58-59)

Their god Is The god Of Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, etc. "God is known as "the nameless one of a hundred names." (Henry Wilson Coil, "A Comprehensive View of Freemasonry," Richmond: Macoy Publishing, 1973, p. 192.)

"For Masonry knows, what so many forget, that religions are many, but religion is one...therefore, it [Masonry] invites to its altar men of all faiths, knowing that, if they use different names for 'the nameless one of a hundred names,' they are yet praying to the one God and Father of all." (Joseph Fort Newton, "The Great Light in Masonry" (title of the section containing: "The Words of a Great Masonic Divine: The Bible and Freemasonry," in The Holy Bible: The Great Light in Masonry (Nashville: A. J. Holman, 1940)

"God is equally present with the pious Hindu in the temple, the Jew in the synagogue, the Mohammedan in the mosque, and the Christian in the church. (Albert Mackey, "Mackey's Revised Encyclopedia of Freemasonry," Richmond: Macoy Publishing, 1966, 1:409-410.)

"Freemasonry is not Christianity ... it admits men of every creed within its hospitable bosom...." (An Encyclopedia of Freemasonry, by Albert G. Mackey, 1921, pp. 618-619.)

"[Freemasonry] reverences all the great reformers. It sees in Moses, the Lawgiver of the Jews, 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 character as his creed and truth require." (Morals and Dogma of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry, by Albert Pike, Washington D.C., 1958, pp. 277, 525.)

"The Bible, with all the allegories it contains, expresses, in an incomplete manner only, the religious science of the Hebrews." (A. Pike, Morals and Dogma (Charlestown: Southern Jurisdiction of the US, Supreme Council of the 33rd Degree, 1958) 744)

"[The Mason] must declare his faith in a Supreme Being before he may be initiated. But note that he is not required to say, then or ever, what God. He may name him as he will, think of him as he pleases; make him impersonal law or personal and anthropomorphic; Freemasonry cares not...God, Great Architect of the Universe, Grand Artificer, Grand Master of the Grand Lodge Above, Jehovah, Allah, Buddha, Vishnu, Shiva, or Great Geometer." (Carl H. Claudy, Introduction to Freemasonry, vol. 2 (Washington: The Temple, 1984)

Southern Baptist Convention and Freemasonry
In 1993, the Southern Baptist Convention published a Report on Freemasonry. They concluded that they will not forbid its members from being members of a Masonic Lodge even though they admited that many teachings of Freemasonry are not compatible with christianity. This is tragic, how in the world could this happen?

Below is the unorthodox teachings of Freemasonry that the Southern Baptist Convention found in its report:
"The prevalent use of offensive concepts, titles, and terms such as Worshipful Master for the leader of the lodge; references to their buildings as mosques, shrines, or temples; and the use of words such as Abaddon and Jah-Bul-On, the so-called god. to many, these terms are not only offensive but sacralegious...

The use of archaic, offensive rituals and so-called bloody oaths or obligations, among these being that entered that promised Entered Apprentice...

The reference to the Bible placed on the altar of the lodge as the furniture of the lodge, comparing it to the square and compass rather than giving it the supreme place in the lodge...

The implication that salvation may be attained by one's good works, implicit in the statement found in some Masonic writings that Masonry is continually reminded of that purity of life and conduct which is necessary to obtain admittance in the Celestial Lodge Above where the Supreme Architect of the Universe presides...

The refusal of most lodges to admit for membership African-Americans."
("A Report on Freemasonry," Home Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention, 1993)

Amazingly, the Southern Baptist Convention still thinks that it is ok for a Christian to be a member of Freemasonry!

"In light of the fact that many tenets and teachings of Freemasonry are not compatible with Christianity and Southern Baptist doctrine, while others are compatible with Christianity and Southern Baptist doctrine, we therefore recommend that consistent with our denomination's deep convictions regarding the priesthood of the believer and the autonomy of the local church, membership in a Masonic Order be a matter of personal conscience. Therefore, we exhort Southern Baptists to prayerfully and carefully evaluate Freemasonry in the light of the Lordship of Christ, the teachings of the Scripture, and the findings of this report, as led by the Holy Spirit of God." ("A Report on Freemasonry," Home Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention, 1993)

This report by the Southern Baptist Convention basically served as an endorsement for Freemasonry:
"Because of your support, the vote of the Southern Baptist Convention is a historic and positive turning point for Freemasonary. Basically, it is a vitalization of our Faternity by America's largest Protestant denomination after nearly a year of thorough, scholarly study. At the same time, it is a call renewed effort on the part of all Freemasons today to re-engerize our Faternity and move forward to fulfilling its mission as the world's foremost proponent of Brotherhood of Man under the Fatherhood of God."
(The Scottish Rite Journal, A Masonic Periodical, Reasoning From The Scriptures With Masons, Ron Rhodes)

What Have Other Denominations Concluded?
"An ungodly brotherhood of satanic darkness...there is an inherent incompatibility between Masonry and the Christian faith...there is a great danger that the Christian Mason may find himself compromising his allegiance to Jesus....total obedience to Christ precludes joining any organisation such as the Masonic movement which seems to demand a whole-hearted allegiance to itself, and at the same time refuses to divulge all that is involved in that allegiance prior to joining...The initiate is required to commit himself to Masonry in a way that a Christian should only commit himself to Christ""
(The Baptist Union of Scotland, 1965)

"Masonry amounts to idolatry." (Lutheren Missouri Synod, 1959)

"Masonry is a religious institution and as such is definitely anti-Christian." (Presbyterian General Assembly, Rochester, 1942)

"There is a great danger that the Christian who becomes a Freemason will find himself comprising his Christian beliefs. Methodists should not become Masons." (Methodist General Assembly, London, 1985)

"All organisations, whether secret and oath-bound or open, which are either avowedly religious, or practise the forms of religion, without confessing as a matter of principle the Triune God and Jesus Christ as the Son of God come in the flesh and our Saviour from sin... are anti-Christian." (The Lutheran Church of Australia, Doctrinal Statements and Theological Opinions, 1956)

"There is an inherent incompatibility between Freemasonry and the Christian faith. Also that commitment within the movement is inconsistent with a Christian's commitment to Jesus Christ as Lord." (The Baptist Union of Great Britain and Ireland, 1988)

"Freemasonry transgresses the first three Commandments by its use of titles and attributes of God not revealed in Scripture." (The Presbyterian Church of Queensland, The Lodge and Presbyterianism, 1987: 20)


What The Bible Says:

"Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? And what communion hath light with darkness? And what concord hath Christ with Belial? Or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? For ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be
their God, and they shall be my people. Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you. And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty."
2 Corinthians 6:14-18

"And when they had kindled a fire in the midst of the hall, and were set down together, Peter sat down among them." Luke 22:55

"Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them. For they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly; and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple." Romans 16:17-18

"Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son. If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither bid him God speed: For he that biddeth him God speed is partaker of his evil deeds."
2 John 9-11

"Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners." 1 Corinthians 15:33

"Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? Whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God." James 4:4

"Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him." 1 John 2:15

"And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God."
Romans 12:2

"Now it came to pass, when they had heard the law, that they separated from Israel all the mixed multitude." Nehemiah 13:3

"Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will shew thee." Genesis 12:1

"If any man teach otherwise, and consent not to wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which is according to godliness; He is proud, knowing nothing, but doting about questions and strifes of words, whereof cometh envy, strife, railings, evil surmisings, Perverse disputings of men of corrupt minds, and destitute of the truth, supposing that gain is godliness: from such withdraw thyself."
1 Timothy 6:3-5

"This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away." 2 Timothy 3:1-5

"Then they came to Zerubbabel, and to the chief of the fathers, and said unto them, Let us build with you: for we seek your God, as ye do; and we do sacrifice unto him since the days of Esarhaddon king of Assur, which brought us up hither. But Zerubbabel, and Jeshua, and the rest of the chief of the fathers of Israel, said unto them, Ye have nothing to do with us to build an house unto our God; but we ourselves together will build unto the LORD God of Israel, as king Cyrus the king of Persia hath commanded us."
Ezra 4:2-3

"And the rest of the people, the priests, the Levites, the porters, the singers, the Nethinims, and all they that had separated themselves from the people of the lands unto the law of God, their wives, their sons, and their daughters, every one having knowledge, and having understanding...And that we would not give our daughters unto the people of the land, not take their daughters for our sons."
Nehemiah 10:28, 30

"Depart ye, depart ye, go ye out from thence, touch no unclean thing; go ye out of the midst of her; be ye clean, that bear the vessels of the LORD." Isaiah 52:11

"Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart: for I am called by thy name, O LORD God of hosts. I sat not in the assembly of the mockers, nor rejoiced; I sat alone because of thy hand: for thou hast filled me with indignation." Jeremiah 15:16-17

"Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful." Psalm 1:1

"Take fast hold of instruction; let her not go: keep her; for she is thy life. Enter not into the path of the wicked, and go not in the way of evil men. Avoid it, pass not by it, turn from it, and pass away." Proverbs 4:13-15

"And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues."
Revelation 18:4

"And he spake unto the congregation, saying, Depart, I pray you, from the tents of these wicked men, and touch nothing of their's, lest ye be consumed in all their sins."
Numbers 16:26

"Ephraim, he hath mixed himself among the people; Ephraim is a cake not turned." Hosea 7:8

"They did not destroy the nations, concerning whom the LORD commanded them: But were mingled among the heathen, and learned their works. And they served their idols: which were a snare unto them."
Psalm 106:34-36

"When the LORD thy God shall bring thee into the land whither thou goest to possess it, and hath cast out many nations before thee, the Hittites, and the Girgashites, and the Amorites, and the Canaanites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites, seven nations greater and mightier than thou; And when the LORD thy God shall deliver them before thee; thou shalt smite them, and utterly destroy them; thou shalt make no covenant with them, nor shew mercy unto them: Neither shalt thou make marriages with them; thy daughter thou shalt not give unto his son, nor his daughter shalt thou take unto thy son. For they will turn away thy son from following me, that they may serve other gods: so will the anger of the LORD be kindled against you, and destroy thee suddenly. But thus shall ye deal with them; ye shall destroy their altars, and break down their images, and cut down their groves, and burn their graven images with fire. For thou art an holy people unto the LORD thy God: the LORD thy God hath chosen thee to be a special people unto himself, above all people that are upon the face of the earth. The LORD did not set his love upon you, nor choose you, because ye were more in number than any people; for ye were the fewest of all people: But because the LORD loved you, and because he would keep the oath which he had sworn unto your fathers, hath the LORD brought you out with a mighty hand, and redeemed you out of the house of bondmen, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt. Know therefore that the LORD thy God, he is God, the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations; And repayeth them that hate him to their face, to destroy them: he will not be slack to him that hateth him, he will repay him to his face. Thou shalt therefore keep the commandments, and the statutes, and the judgments, which I command thee this day, to do them."
Deuteronomy 7:1-11

"In those days also saw I Jews that had married wives of Ashdod, of Ammon, and of Moab: And their children spake half in the speech of Ashdod, and could not speak in the Jews' language, but according to the language of each people. And I contended with them, and cursed them, and smote certain of them, and plucked off their hair, and made them swear by God, saying, Ye shall not give your daughters unto their sons, nor take their daughters unto your sons, or for yourselves. Did not Solomon king of Israel sin by these things? yet among many nations was there no king like him, who was beloved of his God, and God made him king over all Israel: nevertheless even him did outlandish women cause to sin. Shall we then hearken unto you to do all this great evil, to transgress against our God in marrying strange wives? And one of the sons of Joiada, the son of Eliashib the high priest, was son in law to Sanballat the Horonite: therefore I chased him from me. Remember them, O my God, because they have defiled the priesthood, and the covenant of the priesthood, and of the Levites. Thus cleansed I them from all strangers, and appointed the wards of the priests and the Levites, every one in his business; And for the wood offering, at times appointed, and for the firstfruits. Remember me, O my God, for good." Nehemiah 13:23-31

"And now, O our God, what shall we say after this? for we have forsaken thy commandments, Which thou hast commanded by thy servants the prophets, saying, The land, unto which ye go to possess it, is an unclean land with the filthiness of the people of the lands, with their abominations, which have filled it from one end to another with their uncleanness. Now therefore give not your daughters unto their sons, neither take their daughters unto your sons, nor seek their peace or their wealth for ever: that ye may be strong, and eat the good of the land, and leave it for an inheritance to your children for ever. And after all that is come upon us for our evil deeds, and for our great trespass, seeing that thou our God hast punished us less than our iniquities deserve, and hast given us such deliverance as this; Should we again break thy commandments, and join in affinity with the people of these abominations? wouldest not thou be angry with us till thou hadst consumed us, so that there should be no remnant nor escaping? O LORD God of Israel, thou art righteous: for we remain yet escaped, as it is this day: behold, we are before thee in our trespasses: for we cannot stand before thee because of this. Now when Ezra had prayed, and when he had confessed, weeping and casting himself down before the house of God, there assembled unto him out of Israel a very great congregation of men and women and children: for the people wept very sore. And Shechaniah the son of Jehiel, one of the sons of Elam, answered and said unto Ezra, We have trespassed against our God, and have taken strange wives of the people of the land: yet now there is hope in Israel concerning this thing. Now therefore let us make a covenant with our God to put away all the wives, and such as are born of them, according to the counsel of my lord, and of those that tremble at the commandment of our God; and let it be done according to the law. Arise; for this matter belongeth unto thee: we also will be with thee: be of good courage, and do it. Then arose Ezra, and made the chief priests, the Levites, and all Israel, to swear that they should do according to this word. And they sware. Then Ezra rose up from before the house of God, and went into the chamber of Johanan the son of Eliashib: and when he came thither, he did eat no bread, nor drink water: for he mourned because of the transgression of them that had been carried away. And they made proclamation throughout Judah and Jerusalem unto all the children of the captivity, that they should gather themselves together unto Jerusalem; And that whosoever would not come within three days, according to the counsel of the princes and the elders, all his substance should be forfeited, and himself separated from the congregation of those that had been carried away. Then all the men of Judah and Benjamin gathered themselves together unto Jerusalem within three days. It was the ninth month, on the twentieth day of the month; and all the people sat in the street of the house of God, trembling because of this matter, and for the great rain. And Ezra the priest stood up, and said unto them, Ye have transgressed, and have taken strange wives, to increase the trespass of Israel. Now therefore make confession unto the LORD God of your fathers, and do his pleasure: and separate yourselves from the people of the land, and from the strange wives. Then all the congregation answered and said with a loud voice, As thou hast said, so must we do. But the people are many, and it is a time of much rain, and we are not able to stand without, neither is this a work of one day or two: for we are many that have transgressed in this thing. Let now our rulers of all the congregation stand, and let all them which have taken strange wives in our cities come at appointed times, and with them the elders of every city, and the judges thereof, until the fierce wrath of our God for this matter be turned from us. Only Jonathan the son of Asahel and Jahaziah the son of Tikvah were employed about this matter: and Meshullam and Shabbethai the Levite helped them. And the children of the captivity did so. And Ezra the priest, with certain chief of the fathers, after the house of their fathers, and all of them by their names, were separated, and sat down in the first day of the tenth month to examine the matter. And they made an end with all the men that had taken strange wives by the first day of the first month."
Ezra 9:10-10:17

"Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me." John 14:6

"Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved." Acts 4:12

"For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus."
1 Timothy 2:5

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made." John 1:1-3

WHAT THE BIBLE TEACHES ABOUT FREEMASONRY
"Half a million Southern Baptists (at least) are now Masons including many Southern Baptist pastors, ministers of education, deacons, and directors of missions."

(Minutes of the General Assembly, appendix R, The Report of the Ad-Interim Committee to Study Freemasonry, 16th General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in America, 6 June 1988, 64-65)