12th December 2016 — John

Free Masons

“What is Free Masonry and what do Free Masons believe?”

Please note – by this article, we are not claiming that all who are involved in Freemasonry are cultists, or that all Freemasons believe all the items mentioned below. What we are saying is this – Freemasonry at its core is not a Christian organization. There are many Christians who have left Freemasonry after discovering what it is truly all about. Read belowEx Masons for Jesus. There are also good and godly men, true believers in Christ who are Freemasons. It is our contention that this is because they do not truly understand Freemasonry. Each person should pray for wisdom and discernment from the Lord as to whether to be involved with Freemasonry. This article was reviewed and approved for accuracy by a former Worshipful Master of a Blue Lodge.…

Freemasonry teaches that there is one God and men of all religions worship that one God using a variety of different names. In a Masonic Lodge, all join in corporate prayer to the Great Architect of the Universe, (GAOTU).…Freemasonry, Eastern Star, and other similar “secret” organizations appear to be harmless fellowship gatherings. Many of them appear to promote belief in God. However, upon closer examination, we find that the only belief requirement is not that one must believe in the True and Living God, but rather, that one must believe in the existence of a "Supreme Being", which includes the "gods" of Islam, Hinduism, or any other world religion. The unbiblical and anti-Christian beliefs and practices of this organization are partially hidden beneath an outward appearance of a supposed compatibility with the Christian faith. The following is a comparison of what the Bible says with the “official” position of Freemasonry:……Salvation from Sin:……The Bible's View: Jesus became the sinner's sacrifice before God when He shed His blood and died as the propitiation (payment) for the sins of all those who would ever believe (Ephesians 2:8-9, Romans 5:8, John 3:16).……Mason's View: The very process of joining the Lodge requires Christians to ignore the exclusivity of Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. According to Freemasonry, a person will be saved and go to heaven as a result of his good works and personal self-improvement.…

…The View of the Bible:……The Bible's View: The supernatural and plenary inspiration of the Scriptures-that they are inerrant and that their teachings and authority are absolute, supreme, and final. The Bible is the Word of God ( 2 Timothey 3:16, 1 Thessalonians 2:13).……Mason's View: The Bible is only one of several "Volume(s) of Sacred Law," all of which are deemed to be equally important in Freemasonry. The Bible is an important book, only as far as those members who claim to be Christians are concerned, just as the Koran is important to Muslims. The Bible is not considered to be the exclusive Word of God, nor is it considered to be God's sole revelation of himself to humankind; but only one of many religious sourcebooks. It is a good guide for morality. The Bible is used primarily as a symbol of God's will, which can also be captured in other sacred texts, like the Koran or Rig Vedas.……The Doctrine of God:……The Bible's View: There is one God. The various names of God refer to the God of Israel and reveal certain attributes of God. To worship other gods or to call upon other deities is idolatry (Exodus 20:3). Paul spoke of idolatry as a heinous sin ( 1 Corinthians 10:14) and John said that idolaters will perish in hell (Revelation 21:8).……Mason's View: All members must believe in a deity. Different religions (Christianity, Judaism, Islam, etc.) acknowledge the same God, only call Him different names. Freemasonry invites people of all faiths, even 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.……The Doctrine of Jesus and the Trinity:……The Bible's View: Jesus was God in human form (Matthew 1:18-24, John 1:1). Jesus is the second person of the trinity (Matthew 28:19, Mark 1:9-11). While on earth, He was fully human (Mark 4:38, Matthew 4:2) and fully divine ( John 20:28, John 1:1-2, Acts 4:10-12). Christians should pray in Jesus' name and proclaim Him before others, regardless of offense to non-Christians ( John 14:13-14, 1 John 2:23, Acts 4:18-20).……Mason's View: There is no exclusivity in Jesus Christ or the Triune God who is the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; therefore there is no doctrine of the deity of Jesus Christ. It is deemed to be un-Masonic to invoke the name of Jesus when praying, or mention His name in the Lodge. Suggesting that Jesus is the only way to God contradicts the principle of tolerance. The name of Jesus has been omitted from biblical verses that are used in Masonic rituals. Jesus is on the same level as other religious leaders.……Human Nature and Sin:……The Bible's View: All humans are born with a sinful nature, are totally depraved, and need a Savior from sin (Romans 3:23, Romans 5:12, Psalm 51:5, Ephesians 2:1). The Bible denies that because of the Fall, humanity has within itself the capacity for moral perfection

(1John 1:8-10, Romans 1:18-25).……Mason's View: Through symbols and emblems, Masons teach that man is not sinful, just "rude and imperfect by nature". Human beings are able to improve their character and behavior in various ways, including acts of charity, moral living, and voluntary performance of civic duty. Humanity possesses the ability of moving from imperfection toward total perfection. Moral and spiritual perfection lies within men and women.……When a Christian takes the oath of Freemasonry, he is swearing to the following doctrines that God has pronounced false and sinful:……1. That salvation can be gained by man's good works.…2. That Jesus is just one of many equally revered prophets.…3. That they will remain silent in the Lodge and not talk of Christ.…4. That they are approaching the Lodge in spiritual darkness and ignorance, when the Bible says Christians are already in the light, children of the light, and are indwelt by the Light of the World-Jesus Christ.…5. By demanding that Christians take the Masonic oath, Masonry leads Christians into blasphemy and taking the name of the Lord in vain.…6. Masonry teaches that its G.A.O.T.U. [Great Architect of the Universe see note below], whom Masonry believes is the true God of the universe, is representative of all gods in all religions.…7. Masonry makes Christians take a universalist approach in their prayers, demanding a "generic" name be used so as not to offend non-believers who are Masonic "brothers".…8. By swearing the Masonic oath and participating in the doctrines of the Lodge, Christians are perpetuating a false gospel to other Lodge members, who look only to Masonry's plan of salvation to get to heaven. By their very membership in such a syncretistic type organization, they have severely compromised their witnessing as Christians.…9. By taking the Masonic obligation, the Christian is agreeing to allow the pollution of his mind, spirit, and body by those who serve false gods and believe false doctrines.……As you can see, Masonry denies and contradicts the clear teaching of Scripture and numerous issues. Masonry also requires people to engage in activities which the Bible condemns. As a result, a Christian should not be a member of any secret society or organization that has any connection with Freemasonry.

Christopher Haffner wrote Workman Unashamed, The Testimony of a Christian Freemason. Haffner correctly espoused Masonic teaching when he wrote:

Imagine a men's club

Suppose that a group of pagans got together and decided that they wanted to form a men's club and each man independently decided that he wanted to start every meeting with a prayer to his demon god. They could all agree to this, but they would have a rough time selecting a name which all could embrace. Hindus would want to worship Vishnu, and of course, the men of other pagan religions would want to worship their demon god by the name they commonly use. They could not agree to use the name for the demon god of any one pagan religion without favoring one religion over another. Additionally, if they choose to use an obviously pagan name for the object of worship, they will have a hard time getting even immature Christians to join the club and join in worship with them. (And that is exactly what the demons would want.) If they choose a neutral name, such as the Sovereign Grand Creator of the Universe, and open all of their prayers in his name, all of the pagans can be satisfied. But are they now worshipping the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God of the Bible? No, they are still worshipping demons.

Now consider the situation if a Christian were to walk into a Hindu temple and take part in the worship service, assuming that he was worshipping Jesus, by joining in corporate prayer to Vishnu. Would the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob be willing to accept worship in this manner? The answer is found in Paul’s first letter to the church at Corinth. Paul wrote:

“. . . the sacrifices of pagans are offered to demons, not to God, and I do not want you to be participants with demons. You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons too; you cannot have a part in both the Lord's table and the table of demons. Are we trying to arouse the Lord's jealousy? Are we stronger than he?” 1 Corinthians 10:20-22

Now consider the situation if the Hindus agree to change the name which they use from Vishnu to Sovereign Grand Creator of the Universe. Even if they are able to agree to change the name that they use to identify their demon, elements of pagan worship rituals, such as circumambulation, remain. With a substitute name for the demon, would it then be acceptable for a Christian to participate in the Hindu ceremony of worship? What if the Hindus decide that when a man who calls himself a Christian officiates at the services, they will allow him to close prayers to Vishnu in Jesus’ name. Would that make it “Christian?” If over time, the number of men who claimed to be Christians increased and the number of Hindus decreased, until finally there were no more men who professed to be Hindu taking part in the Hindu rituals of worship, would it then be “Christian?”

How is this different from worship in the pagan men's club? Of course, the men's club would claim that their club is not a religion. Is the worship of demons through prayer made any less idolatrous by the claim that it is not a religion?

These situations accurately model the worship which takes place in Masonic Lodges today. Freemasonry teaches that there is one God and men of all religions worship that one God using a variety of different names. In a Masonic Lodge, all join in corporate prayer to the Great Architect Of The Universe, (GAOTU). “Now imagine me standing in a lodge with my head bowed in prayer between Brother Mohammed Bokhary and Brother Arjun Melwani. To neither of them is the Great Architect of the Universe perceived as the Holy Trinity. To Brother Bokhary He has been revealed as Allah; to Brother Melwani He is probably perceived as Vishnu. Since I believe that there is only one God, I am confronted with three possibilities:

They are praying to the devilwhilst I am praying to God;

They are praying to nothing, as their gods do not exist;

They are praying to the same Godas I, yet their understanding of His nature is partly incomplete (as indeed is mine–1 Cor 13:12)

It is without hesitation that I accept the third possibility.”

(Workman Unashamed, p39)

It is truly a shame that Haffner did not read and understand chapter 10 of 1st Corinthians. If he had, he would have understood that pagans worship demons, not God. Islam denies that Jesus Christ is the Unique Son of God. Rather, it declares that Jesus was only a prophet. Islamic doctrine declares that Allah, the god of Islam, does not have a son. Since the God of the Bible has a Son and Allah, the God of Islam, does not have a Son, Allah cannot be the God of the Bible. Furthermore, if Haffner had read and understood the book of 2nd John he would have understood that those who reject Jesus Christ and do not follow in His teachings do not have God. John wrote:

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)

With an understanding of this passage, it is possible to know that those who organized the paganism known as Freemasonry were not Christians. They were not continuing in the teaching of the Scriptures. Would Christians substitute the name GAOTU for God and do away with the name of Jesus so that pagans could join with them in prayer without being offended? No, Christians would have shared Jesus with the pagans so that they too might have salvation through faith in Him.

It is true that there is one God. However, all men, specifically pagans, do not worship that one God. The worshippers of Baal learned the truth on Mt.Carmel. Baal is not the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Judgment was swift on Mt.Carmel. (See 1 Kings 18:20-40.) The god of Freemasonry, the GAOTU, is also not the God of the Bible. Will God judge Masons who do not repent and continue to worship the GAOTU any differently than he judged the worshippers of Baal?

Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. (1 Cor 6:9-10)

What will Jesus tell the Mason who claims to be a Christian?

Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity. Matthew 7:21-23

By joining in pagan worship ceremonies, WE sinned against God. When we realized that the GAOTU was not the God of the Bible, we claimed the promise found in John’s first letter:

This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin. If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.

If you are a Christian who has become ensnared in Freemasonry, we urge you to confess your involvement in Freemasonry as sin and renounce, as we have.

Jesus wants to forgive you, but his forgiveness is dependant on your confession and repentance.

Ex-Masons for Jesus

We stand upon the Holy Bible as the inerrant word of God and are admonished by the words of Paul:

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. Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.

2 Corinthians 6:14 – 7:1 (KJV)

Our Ministry Vision

Ex-Masons for Jesus is an organization of Christian men and women who were once members of a Masonic Lodge or one of the affiliated Masonic organizations such as Eastern Star, DeMolay, Job’s Daughters or Rainbow Girls.

We have left Masonry because of our commitment to Jesus Christ and a realization that Masonry is not consistent with a sincere expression of the Christian faith. We have found that participation in Freemasonry interferes with a close relationship with Jesus Christ.

We seek to expose the non-Christian nature of the teachings of Freemasonry and to make ourselves available to witness and testify of our firsthand knowledge. Our purpose is to encourage others to renounce Freemasonry and through education, to prevent still others from being seduced into joining.

Is A Masonic Oath Binding?

Only if you allow it to be.

Before a candidate is given the obligation of the Entered Apprentice degree, he hears these words from the Worshipful Master:

“Mr. _______, before you can proceed further in Freemasonry, it will be necessary for you to take an Obligation appertaining to this degree. It becomes my duty as well as pleasure to inform you that there is nothing contained in the Obligation that conflicts with the duties you owe to God, your country, your neighbor, your family, or yourself. With this assurance on my part, are you willing to take the Obligation?” (Nevada ritual, circa 1984)

This same question is asked of the candidate before he proceeds with the obligation of the Fellow Craft degree, and likewise with the Master Mason degree. But how honest is this statement? According to the Written Word of God, it isn't honest at all, particularly when it comes to a conflict of duties owed to God.

Again you have heard that the ancients were told, 'You shall not make false vows, but shall fulfill your vows to the Lord.' But I say to you, make no oath at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God, or by the earth, for it is the footstool of His feet, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. Nor shall you make an oath by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black. But let you statement be 'Yes, yes', or 'No, no': and anything beyond these is of evil.; (Matthew 5:33-37)

But above all, my brethren, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or with any other oath, but let your yes be yes and your no, no; so that you may not fall under judgment. (James 5:12)

According to these New Testament passages, we are to swear no oaths at all. But let me point out in particular, one statement from the book of Matthew:

Nor shall you make an oath by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black. (Matthew 5:36)

Consider the penalties of the obligations (Nevada ritual, circa 1984):

“To all of which I do solemnly and sincerely promise and swear, without any hesitation, mental reservation, or secret evasion of mind in me whatsoever; binding myself under no less a penalty than that of having├ö├ç┬¬.

Entered Apprentice Degree: “..my throat cut across, my tongue torn out, and with my body buried in the sands of the sea at low-water mark, where the tide ebbs and flows twice in twenty-four hours, should I ever knowingly or willfully violate this, my solemn Obligation of an Entered Apprentice.”

Fellow Craft Degree: “..my left breast torn open, my heart and vitals taken thence, and with my body given as a prey to the vultures of the air, should I ever knowingly, or willfully, violate this, my solemn Obligation of a Fellow Craft.”

Master Mason Degree: “..my body severed in twain, my bowels taken thence, and with my body burned to ashes, and the ashes thereof scattered to the four winds of Heaven, that there might remain neither track, trace nor remembrance among man or Masons of so vile and perjured a wretch as I should be, should I ever knowingly or willfully violate this, my solemn Obligation of a Master Mason.”

And the ending for each of these obligations is:

“So help me, God, and make me steadfast to keep and perform the same.”

Now, the first thing that should be considered about these oaths is this: The god of the lodge, which is commonly referred to as the Great Architect Of The Universe (GAOTU), is NOT, the True and Living God, who is the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Understand full well that the GAOTU is a god that Hindus, Buddhists, and Moslems presumably have no problem at all in praying to. There is no way this could possibly be the True and Living God of the Christian faith, because at absolute best, Jesus is considered as being no more than a prophet by any of these religions I have named. Bogus god, bogus oaths.

Further, it is explained, to anyone who asks, that the penalties of the obligations are never intended to be carried out. It is said that they are only there for the express purpose of impressing upon the initiate how important it is that he keep the secrets of the lodge that are imparted to him. This classifies the penalties as being frivolous at best.

However, the challenge that is put before professing Christian members of the lodge is that the god they were swearing the oaths to is the god that is in their hearts. All right, let's give the lodge one point on this one, but only for the sake of argument, forgetting for the moment that the candidate was lied to by the Worshipful Master to begin with.

For the professing Christian who is a member of the Order, I would like to offer an answer to that challenge, based on the Written Word of God, in order to show those Masons who claim to be Christians that they are indeed living in sin by even remaining in the lodge, because of the oaths they have taken, if for no other reason.

Or if a person swears thoughtlessly with his lips to do evil or to do good, in whatever matter a man may speak thoughtlessly with an oath, and it is hidden from him, and then he comes to know it, he will be guilty in one of these.

So it shall be when he becomes guilty in one of these, that he shall confess that in which he has sinned.

He shall also bring his guilt offering to the Lord for his sin which he has committed, a female from the flock, a lamb or a goat as a sin offering. So the priest shall make atonement on his behalf for his sin. (Leviticus 5:4-6)

This is one of three examples of sins requiring a sin offering, under the Law, pertaining to a person's given testimony. This, the third example, which is given in Leviticus 5:4 pertains to being unable to fulfill a rash vow and to speaking “..thoughtlessly with an oath..”.

It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that the admittedly frivolous penalties of the obligations are rash, whether taken literally or figuratively

So, God's Written Word, in Leviticus, establishes a prohibition against false swearing and frivolous use of God's name. After all, aren't oaths such as these, additionally, but one more way of using the Lord's name in vain? It is frivolous indeed, to swear to place yourself under a penalty that the lodge readily asserts is totally without substance.

I think any reasonable “Christian” member of the lodge would have to admit that having his throat cut across, or having his left breast torn open, or having his body cut in half, would certainly constitute being at least the equivalent of changing the color of a single hair on his head. But since it has already been explained that the intent of the penalties of the obligations is strictly for the purpose of making a point, the vow is a false one, strictly forbidden by Matthew 5:33.

A Christian who takes such oaths is clearly under conviction, both in Leviticus Chapter 5 and Matthew Chapter 5.

But at the same time, the Written Word of God shows us that there is indeed a way out of that sin, and that way is Jesus Christ.

Let's concentrate, first of all, on Leviticus 5:4:

Clearly, the first step for a Christian to rid himself of the shackles of such blood oaths is to recognize them for being the frivolous or thoughtless oaths that they are, and to admit that he has indeed sworn an oath to keep certain matters secret that thus far are still not revealed to him. This has been well established, so now we move on to step #2:

Leviticus 5:5:

So it shall be when he becomes guilty in one of these, that he shall confess that in which he has sinned.

The professing Christian who is a member of the lodge must repent by confessing that he has indeed sinned in the assuming of such blood oaths..

And then, Leviticus 5:6 tells us how, under the Law, we are to offer up a sin offering in order that the priest may be able to make atonement on his behalf for his sin.

The same holds true today, but under the New Covenant, this sin offering is handled differently, and this brings us to the very heart of the Gospel:

He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf,├ö├ç┬¬ (2 Corinthians 5:21)

Our sinless Lord and Savior Jesus Christ has already taken our sins upon Himself that we might have redemption, through Him.

For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself as a ransom for all, the testimony borne at the proper time. (1 Timothy 2:5-6)

Careful and thoughtful examination of Leviticus 5:4-6 makes it seem as though it was Freemasonry that God specifically had in mind, doesn't it? You see the sin of the blood oaths you have taken, and you are given the steps to follow to erase the sin. Confess to the sin, pray for forgiveness of the sin, in the name of Jesus Christ, and for His sake.

As stated in the beginning, a Masonic oath is binding, only if you allow it to be. That is your choice. Many members of the Order will tell you how awful it would be for you to betray the oaths you have taken. The Written Word of God tells you how sinful it is that they were ever taken in the first place. Now you have to ask yourself, who is right – the members of the lodge who are trying to lay a guilt trip on you, or God, who only wants you to confess your sin so that Jesus Christ may truly become your Lord and Savior?

Members of the Order, stumbling in the darkness of the lodge want you to remain loyal and subservient to the GAOTU. God wants you to follow Him. You cannot serve two masters.

Do not be bound together with unbelievers; for what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness?

Or what harmony has Christ with Belial, or what has a believer in common with an unbeliever?

Or what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; just as God said, “I will dwell in them and walk among them; And I will be their God, and they shall be My people.

“Therefore, come out from their midst and be separate,” says the Lord. “And do not touch what is unclean; And I will welcome you.

“And I will be a father to you, And you shall be sons and daughters to Me.” Says the Lord Almighty.

(2 Corinthians 6:14-17)

Our Ministry Vision Statement of Faith

Death Burial and Resurrection in the Masonic Lodge

Why does Masonry call its god the GAOTU?

How can you quickly know that theteachings of Freemasonry are false?

Ministry to Masons Conferences – Free Tape