BIBLE PROPHECY and the LAST DAYS in Continuing to Examine the Teachings of Freemasonry Alongside the Teachings of the Bible, We
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PAUL M. WILLIAMS BIBLE PROPHECY AND THE LAST DAYS [27/06/14] THE RISE OF THE CULTS – PART 32 FREEMASONRY – PART 5 HERESIES In continuing to examine the teachings of Freemasonry alongside the teachings of the Bible, we want in this teaching to develop further what was presented in the previous teaching regarding the universalistic nature of the god of Freemasonry. We have thus far seen that according to Freemasonry, the god of Freemasonry, T.G.A.O.T.U, is the generic name for the all-pervading god found in every religion: “Freemasonry, which demands the simple confession of faith, asks no questions as to what God, nor even what kind of a God. The candidate-to-be may name Him by any syllables; Freemasonry cares not. That she does not care is one of her dearest symbols, since by this very lack she teaches to all her sons that brotherhood is not in a Name, but in hearts; that men may believe in God, Jehovah or Great First Cause; in Love, Confucius, Mithra or a Cosmic Urge, and still be children of one Father, and therefore brethren in the true meaning of the word.” - Carl H. Claudy, Foreign Countries – taken from www.phoenixmasonry.org Last teaching, we had no problem disproving such a concept as it relates the Fatherhood of God and the Brotherhood of man, Masonry’s core teachings. Scriptures abound to contrary which demonstrate beyond all doubt that the God of the Bible is unique and distinct from all other gods so-called and a Father to only those who come to faith in His Son Jesus Christ thus becoming children of God, adopted sons and daughters. Yet; Masonry seeks to absorb the false gods of all religions into its own particular deity. One way that it does this can be seen in the secret name of god, revealed to the candidate being initiated into the Royal Arch degree. The Royal Arch is present in all Masonic systems. In England and Wales, the Royal Arch degree is the only degree outside Craft Masonry that is formally recognised by the United Grand Lodge of England (U.G.L.E). About a fifth of all Master Masons go onto this ancient and prestigious degree, meeting in what are known as Royal Arch Chapters which are attached to Craft Lodges. In the York Rite, a candidate that is a Master Mason may progress onto the first of three Chapters, known as the Royal Arch Chapter which confers four degrees, the fourth being that of the Royal Arch Mason degree. During the oaths and obligations in the ritual of the Royal Arch exaltation ceremony, in England and Wales, the candidate is made to swear in part as follows: “I further solemnly promise that I will not dare to pronounce the Sacred and Mysterious Name of the True and Living God Most High lightly or irreverently; nor to share it by syllables unless in the presence, and with the assistance of two or more Royal Arch Companions.” - Part of the Ritual of Royal Arch degree What you may be thinking is the Sacred and Mysterious Name of the True and Living God Most High? The candidate is later told that secret name; it is the name JAHBULON. It is worth pointing out at this stage, nowhere in the Bible can such a name be found!! From whence then comes this name? During the ritual the candidate being initiated is given a series of three lectures by each of the three Principles who govern the Royal Arch Chapter. In the First Principle’s lecture the candidate is told about the meaning of the mystical name Jahbulon. “It is a compound word and its combinations form the word Jabulon. It is in four languages- Chaldean, Hebrew, Syriac, and Egyptian. JA is the Chaldean name of God and signifies "His essence in majesty incomprehensible." It is also a Hebrew word, signifying I am and I shall be, thereby expressing the actual, future and eternal existence of the Most High. BUL is a Syriac word and signifies Lord or Powerful; it is in itself a compound word, formed of the preposition B in or on, and Ul heaven or high therefore the meaning of the word is Lord in Heaven or on High. ON is an Egyptian word signifying Father of All, and thereby expressive of the Omnipotence of the Father of All as is expressed in that well-known prayer in use amongst us beginning with "Our Father, which art in heaven." All the significations of these words may therefore be thus collected: I am and shall be; Lord in Heaven or on High; Father of All.” - Part of the Ritual of Royal Arch degree Please note: The First Principles lecture would have Masons believe that the difference in the three syllables is one only of language and words which in essence refer to the same being whose name is merely expressed in different languages. However, upon closer inspection one finds that not to be the case at all! The Church of Scotland’s doctrinal report took strong objection to the given interpretation and meaning of the name given in the lecture by the First Principle, stating: 'To those who are unfamiliar with the original languages, the use made of what purport to be Hebrew and other Ancient Near-Eastern words must seem impressive and doubtless the use of Hebrew letters scattered across the documents adds to the sense of mystery. Much of it, however, is linguistic nonsense which anyone with a minimum knowledge of Hebrew can immediately recognise as such. For example, the explanation of the mysterious compound name JA-BUL-ON in Lecture 3 of the Supreme Grand Royal Arch Chapter of Scotland as being the name of God in three (or four) different languages is totally unjustified. JA is not Chaldean for "I am", nor is it the Hebrew for "I shall be". BUL is not the Syriac word for "Lord" or "Powerful" nor is it a compound word made up of the preposition "in" or "on" plus "Heaven" or "On High". Nor is "ON" an Egyptian word meaning "Father". To conclude, therefore, that this name means "I am and shall be Lord in Heaven on High, the Powerful, the Father of all" is wholly misleading. Furthermore, when Hebrew letters are scattered round the divine triangle the explanations given to them are such that their inaccuracy should be evident to anyone with an elementary knowledge of Hebrew' - Church of Scotland doctrinal report Rather…it has been suggested by many who have attempted to research into this topic that the name Jahbulon represents a hybrid name composing of three particular and distinct deities. In the 1980’s, Stephen Knight, an English journalist and author, wrote a book titled ‘The Brotherhood’. He wrote the book as a journalist as an extended piece of journalism that was both factual and accurate as best as humanly could be possible. Knight came to the conclusion that the name Jahbulon denoted a specific supernatural being – a common deity composed of three particular personalities fused into a trinity. He identified JAH with Jahweh of the Hebrews; BUL with Baal, the ancient fertility God of the Canaanites and On with Osiris, the Ancient Egyptian god of the underworld. If this is the case, once again we see the fusion of pagan gods with the true God. Yahweh in the Old Testament strictly condemned the worshipping of Baal; indeed the Northern Kingdom of Israel were judged by God and taken into captivity at the hand of the Assyrians in 722 BC for that very reason!! “16And they left all the commandments of the LORD their God, and made them molten images, even two calves, and made a grove, and worshipped all the host of heaven, and served Baal. 17And they caused their sons and their daughters to pass through the fire, and used divination and enchantments, and sold themselves to do evil in the sight of the LORD, to provoke him to anger. 18Therefore the LORD was very angry with Israel, and removed them out of his sight: there was none left but the tribe of Judah only.” (2Ki 17:16-18) What business then has a Christian, naming this blasphemous name which seeks to join the God the Bible with the wicked and base gods of the surrounding heathen nations? Howard E. Vos, in his book “An Introduction to Archaeology”, leaves the reader with no doubt whatsoever of the compatibility of Baal with Yahweh: "One may question that those ancient enemies of Israel were as evil as the Bible claims that they were, but even a superficial glance at Canaanite religion alone ably demonstrates their iniquity. Base sex worship was prevalent, and religious prostitution even commanded; human sacrifice was common; and it was a frequent practice--in an effort to placate their gods--to kill young children and bury them in the foundations of a house or public building at the time of construction: Joshua 6:26 "In his days did Hiel the Bethelite build Jericho: he laid the foundation thereof in Abiram his firstborn..." - Howard E. Vos, An Introduction To Bible Archaeology, p. 17-19 – taken from www.bible-history.com Masonic Doctrine of Salvation We have given much attention in this series on Freemasonry to the Masonic doctrine concerning the Fatherhood of God and the Brotherhood of Man. There is however a third belief that we have thus far not touched on that is also central to the teachings of Freemasonry, namely the Immortality of the Soul.