“Avoiding Many Antichrists: The Dangers of Secret Societies”
June 5, 2005 1John 4:1-6 (2:18-23; 2Jn 7-11)
Abundant Error: False Prophets, Deceivers, Antichrists
Recently I saw an exciting movie with an Indiana Jones-like plot. There were good actors, action that ranged over the Northern Hemisphere, intrigue involving documents of national significance, and suspense that kept you watching to the very last scene. Just one flaw: an oath-bound secret society figured very prominently in the plot, so much so that the movie almost comes across as a recruiting tool! The movie is called National Treasure starring Nicolas Cage. The invisible treasure map is located on the back of the American Declaration of Independence. And the secret society is the Freemasons. The masonic crest, all-seeing eye, and unfinished pyramid are symbols that are strategically visible and would make an inquisitive person want to find out more.
Not long after seeing that movie, the local Anglican church rededicated its cornerstone on the occasion of the 150th anniversary of the Grand Lodge of Canada. The North Huron Masons attended their annual Divine Worship Service; it turns out the priest also serves as chaplain of the North Huron Masonic District. Our local newspaper devoted most of a page to coverage of the event, complete with an impressive photo of Masons parading to the event. Apparently both the cornerstones of the Anglican church here and of Knox Presbyterian in Brussels were laid originally ‘with Masonic Honours’. The publicity makes one ask, Exactly who are these enthusiastic but orderly apron-bearing gentlemen? Are they part of something that can legitimately be classed as “Christian”?
As the years went by following Jesus’ resurrection and Christianity spread, diverse and sometimes off-track teachings crept in. The apostles warned believers to be on their guard against heresy that polluted the purity and power of the original proclamation about Jesus. John’s first letter, written toward the end of the first century, seems to warn against Gnosticism in particular. Gnosticism comes from the Greek verb “to know”: adherents to such religion claimed a secret enlightenment or awareness, based on mysterious teaching. For instance, Gnostics often held that matter is evil, so salvation consists of escape from the body through special ‘knowing’. This obviously conflicted with the Christian concept of God-in-flesh, the doctrine of the incarnation. So Gnostic teachers twisted Christian truth: some claimed Jesus only seemed to have a human body; others, that the divine Christ joined the human Jesus at baptism then left His body before He actually died. Weird. This dualism between goodness of spirit and badness of body led to either asceticism - treating the body harshly; or licentiousness, casting off moral restraint, arguing that it’s matter that’s evil not the breaking of God’s law, hence pushing the moral limits in the flesh really didn’t count.
So John warns in 4:1 that “many false prophets have gone out into the world”. The “spirit of the antichrist” is active (4:3); in fact, in 2:18 he states that “even now many antichrists have come”. In his second letter (2Jn 7) he warns “Many deceivers...have gone out into the world.Any such person is the deceiver and the antichrist.” Some were “running ahead” and not continuing in the teaching of Christ (2Jn 9).
John’s concerned that his readers “know the truth” rather than being led astray by lies. That’s really the core of the matter - knowing the truth. What’s the fact of the matter? If Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life (Jn 14:6), Christians need to base their approach to life on what’s really real. We don’t want to waste our life by basing it on lies or fairy tales. We need to know for real.
Today, as in John’s time, many cults abound, many worldviews and philosophies vie for our allegiance. Some have been around for many years, such as Freemasonry or Christian Science or the Jehovah’s Witnesses; others are as recent as Tom Harpur’s latest book. Even in our part of Huron Country there have been sects within Christianity that got off track into strange teaching, resulting in people getting hurt or disillusioned. What are some key indicators by which we can tell if something’s bona fide truth, or just an invention, or lie from the devil?
Litmus Test for the Truth
John writes in v1, “Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God...” The apostles’ writings suggest three main areas we can test to see if a philosophy jives with the truth of sound Christian teaching. Think of the sound that old serpent, the Deceiver, makes – SSS...Three S’s: Son, Scripture, Saved.
First, Son: vv2-3 say, “This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God.” Also 2Jn 1:7, “Many deceivers, who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh, have gone out into the world. Any such person is the deceiver and the antichrist.” So, what’s it teaching about Jesus? Did He really live on earth in a fully human form, and really die for our sins, not just hang around until the going got tough then take off? 2:22 asks, “Who is the liar? It is the man who denies that Jesus is the Christ. Such a man is the antichrist – he denies the Father and the Son.” Does teacher X acknowledge Jesus as Messiah, the Son of God – or just a moral teacher, or another in a string of prophets? Jesus’ claims about Himself don’t allow many choices: as CS Lewis observed, He’s either Lord like He says, or a liar or lunatic. Jesus claimed to be God’s Son and proved it by His miracles and rising from the dead. That’s a unique accomplishment, not copied by leaders of other religions. Jesus and His followers claimed He revealed or made known God the Father; you could get an accurate idea what God’s like by looking at the Son. This acknowledgment of Jesus’ divine uniqueness is central to apostolic teaching. 4:15 says, “If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in him and he in God.” Or as Paul put it, “no one who is speaking by the Spirit of God says, "Jesus be cursed," and no one can say, "Jesus is Lord," except by the Holy Spirit.” (1Co 12:3) The Spirit of Truth exalts and honours Jesus’ specialness. So, the Son is one aspect of our litmus test for heresy.
Second is Scripture: what does this teaching say about the Bible? In 2Jn 9 the apostle warned, “Anyone who runs ahead and does not continue in the teaching of Christ does not have God; whoever continues in the teaching has both the Father and the Son.” Jesus in the Great Commission told His disciples to teach others to observe everything He’d commanded; there was a body of truth they were to transmit. Hence the New Testament was recorded for our benefit, under the Holy Spirit’s direction. In the opening verses of his letter, in contrast to Gnostic teaching, John describes how Jesus (the Word of life) appeared, was heard, seen with their own eyes, looked at, their hands had touched Him – that formed the basis for the apostles’ proclamation. They were reporting real events and bringing news of eternal life made possible by Jesus’ coming (1Jn 1:1f). Peter protests that they weren’t broadcasting “cleverly invented stories” but were eyewitnesses of the wonderful events (2Pet 1:16). Their manner backed their message, which bit by bit was translated and written down for benefit of future generations. Commenting on the deceptiveness of evil men and impostors, Paul could remind Timothy, “You, however, know all about my teaching, my way of life, my purpose, faith, patience, love, endurance...But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, and how from infancy you have known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.” (2Ti 3:10, 13_15) The lifestyle of the authors of the New Testament backed up what they wrote and was in line with the Old Testament. So, a second touchstone in examining any religious teaching is, does it line up with the Bible? What’s its view of Scripture?
Third S - how are we Saved? What’s the “active ingredient” that accomplishes our salvation? In most man-made religion, it’s works that earn one’s way to heaven. What’s John’s message? 4:14, “And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world.” How’s that work? 1:7ff, “The blood of Jesus, His Son, purifies us from all sin...If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness ...[Jesus Christ, the Righteous One] is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.” (1Jn 1:7,9, 2:2) You can see the active ingredient doesn’t depend on our accomplishment or merit, but what Christ has already achieved for us by suffering in our place on the cross. There’s no place for earning salvation by our deeds. Paul wrote to the Ephesians that it is by sheer grace we have been saved; when we were dead in transgressions - as responsive as road kill - “because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ...For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith— and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.” (Eph 2:4f,8_9)
So, what are those 3 S’s by which to detect Satan’s deceptive HiSSS? Son - Scripture - Saved. In an article in Faith for the Family (Nov/Dec 1974) titled “How to Recognize a False Religion”, a Christian leader wrote:
All false religions have some things in common. Here are three simple tests by which any religion should be judged: First – what is its attitude toward the Bible? Second...What is its attitude toward Jesus Christ? Third: In judging a religious system, we should ask, What is its attitude toward the blood of Jesus Christ?
There are those same 3 S’s in a little different order. Let’s apply this test to the teachings of Freemasonry, to see whether it’s consistent with orthodox Christian teaching.
A New Gnosticism?
It shouldn’t be surprising if the oath-bound secret society of our day should bear some resemblance to the Gnostics of John’s day. The Texas Monitor, an organ of Freemasonry, says:
These [aspects and teachings of Masonry] were practised from remote ages, in ancient temples of many nations...The most learned among Masonic scholars...conclude that Masonry is of very ancient origin, and is, in some aspects, the modern successor of, and heir to, the sublime Mysteries of the Temple of Solomon, and of the Temples of India, Chaldea, Egypt, Greece, and Rome, as well as the basic doctrine of the Essenes, Gnostics and other mystic Orders.
So Masonry even acknowledges Gnosticism as part of its heritage.
Our first part of the “litmus test” for deception was the Son: What does this religious system say about Jesus? Is He honoured and acknowledged as God’s unique Son, our Lord and Messiah?
HR Taylor, pastor and former Mason who served as head and Grand Chaplain of a lodge in New York State around 1983, writes: “Freemasonry will not permit the name of Jesus to be used in any regular and well-governed Lodge...when they use a passage such as 1Pet 2:5 or 2Thess 3:6, they delete the phrase that includes the name of our blessed and only Saviour...” John Ankerberg and John Weldon in The Secret Teachings of the Masonic Lodge note that Masonry “officially prohibits all discussion of Christ during Lodge activity”. The regulations of Freemasonry adopted in 1723 instruct a Mason to keep his own personal religious opinion to himself. The Texas Monitor stresses that Masonry is correct in “forbidding all sectarian discussion within its lodge rooms.”
Jesus is certainly not viewed as the unique and supreme living revelation of God the Father. A report by the Baptist Union of Scotland says, “The name of the god Baal occurs in the composite name for God. In the Bible this is the fertility god of the Canaanites and later the name became an appellation of the devil. In the ritual of some of the higher degrees the names or Lucifer and Abaddon are used as revelations of the Masonic deity. Both have evil associations in the Bible.” The Masonic Bible says the “Almighty Parent” is the one true God that all men worship, regardless of the name by which He is identified: Jehovah, Krishna, Buddha, Allah, or some other. Masonic authority, CH Claudy, writes: “Masonry does not specify any God of any creed; she requires merely that you believe in some deity, give him what name you will...A belief in God is essential to a Mason, but...any God will do, so [long as] he is your God.”
A Baptist Home Mission Board study found “the candidate is introduced to Egyptian deities Osiris, Isis, Horus, and Amun; to Scandinavian deities Odin, Frea, and Thor; to Hindu, Greek, and Persian deities; and to Jewish Kabbalism [ie occultism]...It cannot be denied that some of the religions studied in these degrees are pagan and that their teachings are totally incompatible with Christianity.”
Modern Freemasonry dates back to 1717 with the formation in England of the first Grand Lodge. Its concept of God reflects the prevalent Deism of the 18th century, in which God is the Supreme Being, the Creator who has set the world in motion, laid down His moral laws for men to obey, but does not continue to act personally in the world in mercy or in judgement. Quite different from the Biblical Jesus, God Incarnate, who intervenes and is intimately involved in human life, inviting us into relationship. In one Masonic rite, God is tagged with a composite name from several religions: that’s syncretism, cobbling together a god to suit us.
Concerning the Son, John Weldon concludes, “The Masonic Ritual of the First, Second, and Third degrees never instructs its members that Jesus is the only mediator between God and men. It never tells them they can’t truthfully call God their Father until they have a relationship with His Son. It doesn’t tell initiates that they can’t build their spiritual house until they ask Jesus Christ to forgive them of their sins and build it for them. No Mason is ever told officially that a man can never do enough good deeds or live a pure enough life to gain admission into the Celestial Lodge Above, or that entrance into heaven comes only by faith in Jesus Christ. The truth is that by its ritual, teachings, and prayers, Masonry does ignore and deny Jesus Christ.”
Our second part of the litmus test pertains to Scripture: what is Freemasonry’s attitude toward the Bible? In short, it’s a piece of furniture - valuable not because of its contents but because it happens to be a holy book for some men. The Freemason’s Pocket Companion says, “The Book of the Law shall be an indispensable article of the lodge furniture. This book, however, need not necessarily by the Holy Bible; but according to the religious faith of the members of the lodge. It may be the Koran, the Zend Avesta, or the Vedas or Shasters.” So the Bible is but one of a number of “volumes of sacred law” used in Freemasonry. Masonic authority JF Newton wrote, “The Bible so rich in symbolism is itself a symbol...thus, by the very honour which Masonry pays the Bible, it teaches us to revere every book of faith in which men find help for today and hope for tomorrow, joining hands with the man of Islam as he takes his oath on the Koran, with the Hindu as he makes covenant with God upon the book that he loves best.” You can see how this relativizes the Bible, making it less than an inerrant inspired written revelation of God’s absolute truth. Just one handbook among many. If Masonry’s attitude is “any God will do”, to that might be added, “any holy book will do”!
What the Bible actually teaches is ignored. John Weldon notes, “If Masonry points Christians to an unknowable “Almighty Parent” beyond all religion, then it encourages Masons to worship a false god, and this is idolatry. This violates the first commandment in which God warned His people, ‘You shall have no other gods before Me’ (Ex 20:4ff; Deut 13:1ff)...God Himself declares, ‘I, even I, am the Lord; and there is no saviour besides Me...I am the Lord and there is no other; besides Me there is no God (Is 43:11; 45:5).” Masonry’s system denies Biblical propositions, whatever appearance it makes of supposedly respecting the book itself. Ankerberg & Weldon note, “The Christian and those of other faiths have been callously deceived. Masonry has only used the Christian’s respect for the Bible to get him to swear allegiance to Masonry. Why? Obviously, Masonry cannot ask a Christian to swear his allegiance on the Koran or the Upanishads when he does not believe these are authoritative scriptures. But since Christians believe the Bible is holy and sacred, Masonry asks him to swear upon it. Masonry practices the same in regard to other faiths and their respective holy books. Put simply, Masonry has no real respect for the contents of holy books, only an appreciation of their motivating power to secure one’s commitment to Masonry. As [Masonic authority Albert] Pike has said, ‘We have no other concern for your religious creed.’”
Our third “S” was “Saved”: does this religious system acknowledge how necessary Jesus’ sacrifice at the cross is for humans to be made holy and receive eternal life? In Masonry, immortality is gained without respect to what Jesus has done for us; it depends instead on an individual’s own purity, merit, and good works. Weldon observes, “the Masonic ritual of the First, Second, and Third Degrees teach all Masons exactly what God condemns as a false gospel, namely that a person is saved and goes to heaven as a result of his or her personal character and good works.” In the official textbooks, the Masonic symbol of the lambskin or white leather apron is explained, in part, to each candidate as follows: “The lamb has in all ages been deemed an emblem of innocence; he, therefore, who wears the lambskin as a badge of Masonry, is thereby continually reminded of that purity of life and conduct, which is essentially necessary to his gaining admission into the Celestial Lodge Above...” In the Second Degree the candidate is instructed further in the importance of the lambskin: “You are to wear it as an emblem of that purity of heart and conscience that is necessary to obtain for you the approval of the Grand Architect of the Universe.” Masonry has, altogether, some 40 degrees implying or teaching its candidates salvation by personal merit.
In the 17th degree, the candidate is conducted to a certain position with the explanation, “This is supposed to represent the end of the world when all good masons receive their reward by being conducted to a throne at the right hand of the All Puissant, having been purified by washing their robes in their own blood.” But the Bible asserts we’re cleansed by Jesus’ blood, not our own!
Masonic authority HW Coil admits, “Many Freemasons make this flight [to heaven] with no other guarantee of a safe landing than their belief in the religion of Freemasonry.” The Masonic funeral service states that Masonry “seeks constantly to build the temple of the soul and thus to fit us for that house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens...Masons believe sincerely that when life on earth comes to a close, the soul is translated from the imperfections of this mortal sphere, to that all-perfect, glorious and Celestial Lodge Above, where God, the Grand Architect of the Universe, presides.” Masonry teaches that God’s approval is attained by employing “all the energies of our souls and the perfection of our minds...” The All-Seeing Eye “will reward us according to our merits” – there’s no reference to what Paul calls being “dead in transgressions...by nature objects of wrath” (Eph 2:5,3). Pennsylvania Grand Chaplain CH Lacquemont wrote, “The philosophy of Freemasonry is to make man the master of his own destiny, to show him that there also is an immortality on earth brought by his actions; that he can, through his own efforts,...inscribe his name in the ‘Book of Life’.” Who needs a saviour – who needs Jesus or Christianity – when you can get to heaven on your own steam, thank you very much?
Dangerously Inconsistent
In conclusion, Christianity and Freemasonry are like oil and water: they just don’t mix. John Weldon says, “The truth is that Masonry is a distinct religion that espouses teachings incompatible with Christian faith in the areas of God, salvation, and other important doctrines. It is therefore inconsistent for any Christian to swear the oaths of Masonry to uphold and support the Lodge when Masonry’s own ritual, doctrines, and impact in history have denied and opposed biblical teaching.”
Many Christian denominations, including our own, warn their members against the dangers of oath-bound secret societies. Weldon lists, for example, that Masonry has been rejected by the Roman Catholic church, the Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod, the Presbyterian Church in America, the Free Presbyterian Church of Scotland, the Greek Orthodox church, the Church of the Nazarene, the Church of the Brethren, the Orthodox Presbyterian Church, the Assemblies of God, and the Reformed Presbyterian Church.
The Church of Scotland Panel on Doctrine concluded, “In our view total obedience to Christ precludes joining any organization 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.”
Weldon quotes another Presbyterian report which says:
A) joining Masonry requires “actions and vows out of accord with Scripture.”
B) “Participation in Masonry seriously compromises the Christian faith and testimony.”
C) “Membership in Masonry and activity in its Ritual lead to a diluting of commitment to Christ and His Kingdom.”
A Methodist report says, “There is a great danger that the Christian who becomes a Freemason will find himself compromising his Christian beliefs or his allegiance to Christ, perhaps without realizing what he is doing. Consequently, our guidance is that Methodists should not become Freemasons.”
Charles G Finney, a great 19th century evangelist, left Freemasonry when he acknowledged Christ as Saviour and Lord of his life. He wrote a book titled The Antichrist of the Masonic Society. He said, “How can we fail to pronounce Freemasonry an anti-Christian institution? Its morality is unchristian,...its oath-bound secrecy is unchristian,..Masonic oaths pledge its members to commit most unlawful and unchristian acts, deliver each other from difficulty whether right or wrong, favour Masonry in political action and business transactions, sworn to retaliate, to persecute unto death the violators of Masonic obligations, ...its oaths are profane, the taking of the name of God in vain,...its teachings are false and profane,...its design is partial and selfish,...it is an enormous falsehood.” Elsewhere Finney wrote, “Surely, if masons really understood what Masonry is, as it is delineated in these books, no Christian Mason would think himself to remain at liberty to remain another day a member of the fraternity. It is as plain as possible that a man knowing what it is, and embracing it in his heart, cannot be a Christian man. To say he can is to belie the very nature of Christianity.”
In closing, another great revivalist was Dwight L Moody. He said, “I do not see how any Christian, most of all a Christian minister, can go into these secret lodges with unbelievers...” He was challenged by someone who said, “If you talk this way, you will drive all the members of secret societies out of your meetings and out of our churches.” He replied boldly, “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.” Yes, indeed! Let’s pray.