In the past several blog posts we’ve learned that humanism and its modern incarnation secular humanism is but a repackaging of Satan’s original lie told to Adam and Eve in Eden. That lie promised mankind that if they eat of the tree of the “knowledge of good and evil” their eyes would be “opened” and they would become gods. To simplify then, “humanism” is the belief that mankind is on the evolutionary path to Godhood. According to the humanist, we, not Yahweh, are the masters of our own destiny.
In the last two blog posts Conspiracies of the Harlot (Part I & II) we explored Freemasonry, one of the most influential proponents of secular humanism over the past several centuries. As I’ve tried to make clear in these articles, Masonry is but one of the many faces of Mystery Babylon. The reason we’ve looked at Masonry is that it has been extremely successful in promoting secular humanism in America and the consequences have profoundly detrimental to our Judeo-Christian heritage.
Since Biblical times one of the characteristics of every false religious systems has been its idolatry, (the worship of a person, place, or thing, instead of Yahweh, the living God of the Bible). In the Bible, Israel was expressly forbidden to make or worship idols. YHWH was so concerned with idolatry that when the law was given to Moses, He made the following prohibition:
Thou shalt have no other gods before me. Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I YHWH thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments. – Exodus 20:3-6
After Eden
Getting back to Eden for a moment we see historically speaking that as an outgrowth of the original Edenic lie, mankind in their presumptuous pride decided they could worship the works of their own hands. Over the centuries that pride metastasized into the worship of self. According to today’s secular humanists we are all gods in the making. The apostle Paul in his epistle to the Romans explained the dangers of this belief.
Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,
And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things. God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves: Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen. – Romans 1:21-25
One of the intriguing aspects of mankind’s 6000 plus years of idolatry is that since Eden there has been a consistency with which the humanist has used symbols to represent their rebellion against Yahweh. In the next couple of blog posts I’d like to look at a few of these symbols that represent the original Edenic lie. Keep in mind here that not all symbols have idolatrous origins or meaning but for some reason Satan and those who subscribe to his world view often use the same symbols to testify to their humanist pride. Often these symbols are monumental and some times they are more subtle. They have one thing in common, though, these symbols and their meaning can be traced back to Eden and the serpent’s original lie. Here are a few examples we’ll be exploring:
- The serpent
- The open eye
- The light
The Serpent
To the occult humanists, the serpent is the hero in the Edenic tale. To them Lucifer was simply providing mankind with information which YHWH was unjustly trying to withhold, information which was meant to keep mankind from reaching their full potential as gods. Here is how two of Masonry’s most respected historians and philosophers explain Lucifer:
“Lucifer, the Light-bearer! Strange and mysterious name to give to the Spirit of Darkness! Lucifer, the Son of the Morning! Is it he who bears the Light, and with its splendors intolerable, blinds feeble, sensual, or selfish souls? Doubt it not!” (33 degree Freemason Albert Pike, Morals and Dogma p. 321)
“The day has come when Fellow Craftsman must know and apply their knowledge. The lost key to their grade is the mastery of emotion , which places the energy of the universe at their disposal. Man can only expect to be entrusted with great power by proving his ability to use it constructively and selflessly. When the Mason learns that the key to the warrior on the block is the proper application of the dynamo of living power, he has learned the mystery of his Craft.
The seething energies of Lucifer are in his hands, and before he may step onward and upward, he must prove his ability to properly apply energy. (33 degree Freemason Manly P. Hall, The lost Keys of Freemasonry p. 48)
According to Pike and Hall, it is Lucifer who provides the light which leads mankind “onward and upward”. This journey, to the humanist Freemason, ends with mankind’s deification or in other words, man becomes God.
“When later he (the Mason) is given Light, it means really that he is taught the principles of Occultism.” (Masonic Symbolism and the Mystic Way, Arthur H. Ward p.149-150)
“Freemasonry has taught each man can, by himself work out his own conception of God and thereby achieve salvation” (Freemasonry: Its Aims and Ideals by J. S. M. Ward, p. 187)
“Man is God in the making” (Manley P. Hall , Lost Keys of Freemasonry p. 92)
“the true Mason raises himself by degrees until he reaches heaven” (from the 28th degree lecture)
In his book the Lost Keys of Freemasonry, accompanying the following picture, Mr. Hall explains to his reader that the Mason becomes the “capstone” of the Universal Temple. To really appreciate the blasphemous nature of the following remarks, keep in mind that Yeshua describes himself as the “head” of the corner or capstone which the builders rejected. To the Mason, mans own efforts, not Yeshua, is the means by which mankind attains salvation. Indeed the Masonic builder rejects Yeshua as the head corner stone and pridefully stands in His stead.
“In this picture is concealed the allegory of the Lost Word. The Master Mason, having completed his labors, becomes a worker on a higher plane than the one in which the ordinary builder is permitted to work. The Master Mason becomes the capstone of the Universal Temple.”
Now contrast the masonic view of mankind’s advancement to Godhood with the apostles Paul’s view of mankind’s destiny in Christ:
Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God; And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone; In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord: In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit. – Ephesians 2:19-22
Finally let’s compare Pike’s view of the Serpent with the apostle John’s description found in Revelation 12:
And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him. – Revelation 12:9
“The true name of Satan, the Kabalists say, is that of Yahweh [sic] reversed; for Satan is not a black good, but the negation of God. The Devil is the personification of Atheism or Idolatry. For the Initiates, [Masons] this is not a Person, but a Force, created for good, but which may serve for evil. It is the instrument of Liberty or Free Will. They represent this Force, which presides over the physical generation, under the mythologic and horned form of the God Pan; thence came the he-goat of the Sabbat, brother of the Ancient Serpent, and the Light-bearer or Phosphor, of which the poets have made the false Lucifer of the Legend.” (Albert Pike, Morals and Dogma p. 102 )
Interesting isn’t it that Pike sees Masonry as worshiping a “force”. Reminiscent of the “god” mentioned in Daniel 11 isn’t it?
Neither shall he regard the God of his fathers, nor the desire of women, nor regard any god: for he shall magnify himself above all. But in his estate shall he honour the God of forces: and a god whom his fathers knew not shall he honour with gold, and silver, and with precious stones, and pleasant things. – Daniel 11:37-38 37
The Open Eye of Enlightenment
In the picture illustrated by Mr. Hall (above) notice the alter sitting on top of the pyramid. You see a point within the circle and the holy fire. To many Mason’s and other occultists the point within the circle represents the eye of enlightenment which harkens back to Lucifer’s lie to Adam and Eve. To some Masons the point within the circle is also an occult representation of the “Force which presides over the physical generation”, in other words the male/female principle of reproduction. The fire represents the “light” by which mankind is guided to godhood.
You’ll also find that sometimes the circle is represented by a serpent eating its tail as exemplified in the 33 Degree Jewel of Freemasonry pictured on the left. Again these symbols have origins in the account of Genesis where the serpent promises Eve that by eating of the fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (enlightenment) their eyes would be open and they would become gods. (evolutionary enlightenment)
Another example of this symbolism is found in the tripartite moto from the French Revolution and its associate symbolism. Liberté, égalité, fraternité (liberty, equality, fraternity) The symbol on the right was a common form. Notice the eye of enlightenment and serpent eating its tail.
The First Cornerstone
To some, these quotes by Pike and Hall are dismissed as outliers. Just the thoughts of some fringe characters of the masonic brotherhood who tried to bring a more occult meaning to the traditions and philosophy of Masonry. But let me share with you a bit of Americana which confirms the Masonic traditions associated with the enlightenment Lucifer offered Adam and Eve.
On Wednesday, September 18, 1793, a Masonic procession led by George Washington laid the corner stone of the US Capitol building. The following newspaper advertisement invited members of the Masonic brotherhood:
The Capitol is in progression—the southeast is yet kept vacant that [the] cornerstone is to be laid with the assistance of the brotherhood [on] the 18th Inst. Those of the craft however dispersed are requested to join the work. The solemnity is expected to equal the occasion. (aoc.gov/first-cornerstone)
According to the official government website, Architect on the Capitol at aoc.gov/first-cornerstone:
“The Plate was handed to Washington, who stepped down into the foundation trench, laid the plate on the ground, and lowered the cornerstone onto it. With the president were Joseph Clark and three “worshipful masters” bearing the corn, wine, and oil used to consecrate the stone. Chanting accompanied Washington’s ascent from the trench.”
One of the most fascinating aspects of this ceremony is what was inscribed on the plate which George Washington and his Masonic brethren buried under the first corner stone. Architect on the Capitol.gov provides us with the inscription on the plate:
This South East corner stone, of the Capitol of the United States of America in the City of Washington, was laid on the 18th day of September, in the thirteenth year of American Independence, in the first year of the second term of the Presidency of George Washington, whose virtues in the civil administration of his country have been as conspicuous and beneficial, as his Military valor and prudence have been useful in establishing her liberties, and in the year of Masonry 5793, by the Grand Lodge of Maryland, several lodges under its jurisdiction, and Lodge 22, from Alexandria, Virginia.
Thomas Johnson, David Stuart and Daniel Carroll, Commissioners
Joseph Clark, R. W. G. M.—P. T.
James Hoban and Stephan Hallate, Architects
Collen Williamson, M. Mason
To those not familiar with Masonry, the date 5793 seems rather out of place on an American monument. Most are familiar with AD or its more formal Anno Domini (the year of our Lord) by which our Constitution and most other official US documents were dated at that time. So what is “the year of Masonry”?
According to Masons the “year of Masonry” is Anno Lucis which is Latin for the “year of the light”. Masonry, contrary to tradition of the time, did not date the laying of the US capitol corner stone to the year of Christ but rather dated it the first year of Adam (Based loosely upon the calculations of Ussher). According to the official Masonic version, this “year of the light” was the year God created light.
But as we know from Masonry’s own writings, “light” is the Masonic code word for knowledge or enlightenment and according to Masonic tradition it was Lucifer, the serpent who offered mankind the “light” not Yahweh the creator of this world.
Anno Lucis indeed!
For those still willing to give Masonry the benefit of the doubt, keep in mind the following words of Masonry’s most influential and respected master of the modern age. In the following quote Albert Pike explains that Masonry is a religion which withholds the truth or “light” from those unworthy to receive it.
“Masonry, like all the the Mysteries, Hermeticism and Alchemy, conceals its secrets from all except the Adepts and Sages, or the Elect, and uses false explanations and misinterpretations of its symbols to mislead those who deserve only to be misled; to conceal the Truth, which it calls Light, from them, and to draw them away from it.
Truth is not for those who are unworthy or unable to receive it, or would pervert it.”
To the unworthy, Anno Lucis is simply the “light” of Creation. To the worthy Mason, the “light” is the gnosis or knowledge offered by Lucifer, the light bearer who is working to set mankind free from the lawful constraints of Yahweh, the living God of the Bible.
I want to stress here that not all Masons understand the “religion” of Masonry. George Washington may not have even been aware of its true goals because only those who reach the highest degrees learn the true nature of the “light”. Once again I let Albert Pike explain:
“The Blue Degrees [the lower Masonic degrees] are but the court or portico (porch) of the Temple. Part of the symbols are displayed there to the initiate, but he is intentionally misled by false interpretations. It is not intended that he shall understand them; but it is intended that he shall imagine that he understands them . . . their true explication (explanation and understanding) is reserved for the Adepts, the Princes of Masonry (those of the 32nd and 33rd Degrees).” [Morals and Dogma, p. 819.]
Lest you think the light that Masonry traces back to Genesis is just some modern occult invention without any relevance to the Old Testament account, consider the word serpent as found in the New Testament.
In Revelation 12 where the serpent is described as another name for Satan, the Greek word for serpent is ophis. Ophis in turn comes from the Greek root word optanomai which means to “look at or behold” or in other words to see. Finally in keeping with the Genesis theme the New Testament word for eye is ophthalmos which also comes from the root Optanomai.
Fascinating, isn’t it? Both serpent and eye have a common origin in the roots of the Greek language, and those common roots remind the reader of the Genesis account were the serpent promised our early ancestors that their eyes would be opened and they would be as gods.
Masonry in America
In closing this part of Symbols of the Harlot I believe it is important to clarify Masonry’s place in American history. Yes, Masonry profoundly influenced America’s founding but up until the mid 20th century our Judeo-Christian heritage held it’s own against the secular humanist influences of Masonry and other purveyors of this religion. It was only after the Supreme Court of the United States was pack with a majority of Masons during 1941-1971 (who were sympathetic to secular humanism as explained here) that our Judeo-Christian heritage was banished from public life and secular humanism became the official state religion of the USA.
To quote the French Premier Andre Tardeiu once again:
“Masonry does not explain everything; yet, if we leave it out of account, the history of our times is unintelligible.”
In Part II of Symbols of the Harlot we’ll look at a few more iconic American symbols which many of you are familiar with. These too we will trace back to their origins in the religion of Mystery Babylon. I think you will be surprise at how boldly the secular humanist ideal has been extolled in American iconography.
In the meantime be sure to check out the other articles in this series.
The Mystery Babylon Series
Part I The Mother of Harlots
Part II The Religion of the Harlot
Part III Babylon and the Harlot
Part IV Conspiracies of the Harlot – Part I
Part V Conspiracies of the Harlot – Part II
Part VI Symbols of the Harlot – Part I
Part VII Symbols of the Harlot – Part II
Part VIII Symbols of the Harlot – Part III
