|
|
This Article is an excerpt from "En
Route to Global Occupation" by Gary H. Kah, published by Huntington
House. This important book deserves a place in your library.
After months of getting nowhere, a door finally opened. One Sunday
evening in 1986 while sharing at a church in northern Indiana, I met
an elderly lady who introduced herself to me at the close of the
service. She inquired whether I knew anything about Freemasonry and
its influence on the New Age. I told her I was aware of its
involvement but that I still did not understand exactly what role
the Masonic Order played in the overall scheme of things.
She went on to share that she had been researching the Masonic
movement for the past twenty years and had quite a collection of
materials on the Order (much of which she had obtained from widows
of deceased Masons who were unaware of the significance of the Order
and its literature). She would make her materials available to me if
I wanted them and explained that she had been unsuccessful at
getting anyone to listen to her because of her age and the lack of a
fancy job title. We ended up meeting several times at her home to
sort through her materials on Freemasonry. Whatever this elderly
saint did not have, it seemed she knew where to get it.
In the months that followed, l received quite an education while
combing through the major Masonic reference works. I found a
repeated mention of such orders as the Illuminati, the Knights
Templars, and the Rosicrucians, along with other cultish groups,
which I had previously thought to be only myths. But I soon became
convinced to the contrary, not only learning that they existed, but
that Freemasonry was a modern-day continuation of Gnosticism and of
the ancient mystery religions.
While most sources placed the official birth of Freemasonry at 1717,
Masonic references clearly indicated that the organization's history
went back much further than this.
The adjacent diagram, based on my research in both Masonic and
non-Masonic sources, depicts the roots of the Order along with its
historical and modern-day lines of influence. (A number of other
false religions and subversive movements have also had an influence
on the Masonic Order.
However, those depicted are the main sects and religions to which
the existence of Freemasonry and the New
Age movement may be attributed. The names have changed, but the
beliefs, tactics, and designs of the groups have remained
essentially the same.)
The history of Freemasonry, I discovered, was also the history of
the secret societies, and the history of the secret societies is the
history of organized occultism -- particularly in the Western world.
Perhaps the most complete history of organized occultism has been
provided by Albert Pike in his 861 page occult classic entitled
Morals and Dogma of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of
Freemasonry (more commonly referred to by Masons as simply Morals
and Dogma). Drawing from the sources available to him as the
long-time leader of Freemasonry (1859-1891), Pike was able to trace
the chronological growth and spread of the Mysteries over the face
of the earth from ancient Babylon down to the present-day Masonic
Order.
In reference to the esoteric doctrines of the Mysteries, Pike
states:
The communication of this knowledge and other secrets, some of which
are perhaps lost, constituted, under other names, what we now call
Masonry, or Free, or Frank-Masonry . . . The present name of the
Order, and Its titles, and the names of the Degrees now in use, were
not then known . . . But, by whatever name it was known in this or
the other country, Masonry existed as it now exists, the same in
spirit and at heart . . . before even the first colonies emigrated
into Southern India, Persia, and Egypt, from the cradle of the human
race (Morals and Dogma, p.207-208).
Pike goes on to remark, "We teach the truth of none of the legends
we recite. They are to us but parables and allegories, involving and
enveloping Masonic instruction; and vehicles of useful and
interesting information. They represent the different phases of the
human mind, its efforts and struggles to comprehend nature, God, the
government of the Universe, the permitted existence of sorrow and
evil. To teach us wisdom, and the folly of endeavoring to explain to
ourselves that which we are not capable of understanding, we
reproduce the speculations of the Philosophers, the Kabalists, the
Mystagogues and the Gnostics. Every one being at liberty to apply
our symbols and emblems as he thinks most consistent with truth and
reason and with his own faith, we give them such an interpretation
only as may be accepted by all." (Ibid, p.329). Dozens of supporting
statements are scattered throughout the same volume, leaving no
doubt that Pike meant what he said. Other Masonic reference works
provide a similar account of the Order's roots. The Freemason's
Monitor, for example, explains:
"Our records inform us, that the usages and customs of Masons have
ever corresponded with those of the Egyptian philosophers, to which
they bear a near affinity. Unwilling to expose their mysteries to
vulgar eyes, they concealed their particular tenets, and principles
of polity, under hieroglyphical figures; and expressed their notions
of government by signs and symbols, which they communicated to their
Magi alone, who were bound by oath not to reveal them"
(Thomas Smith Webb, PGM, The Freemason's Monitor Cincinnati: The
Pettibone Bros., 1797, p.39).
I discovered that historical documents pertaining to the beginnings
of Freemasonry and the spread of organized occultism had been
preserved in a number of Masonic libraries throughout the world. In
Europe, for example, a sizable collection can be found in
Freemason's Hall located on Great Queen (i.e. Semiramis) Street in
the heart of London. In the United States, on the other hand, a
large depository of Masonic writings is located at the Grand Lodge
of Iowa in Cedar Rapids. The most extensive collection by far,
however, can be found at the House of the Temple in Washington, D.C.
Along with serving as the headquarters for the Mother Supreme
Council of the World (the governing body of Freemasonry) and
containing a vast, exquisite Masonic shrine, the House of the Temple
also houses a universally renowned Masonic library. Henry C.
Clausen, the former Sovereign Grand Commander of the Scottish Rite
referred to this library in his book, Masons Who Helped Shape Our
Nation written in 1976.
"A priceless treasure of The Supreme council is its Library. One-
third of the 175,000 volumes which it contains deal with Freemasonry
in all its branches, forming one of the most comprehensive
collections on this subject in the entire world."
"The Archives in the House of the Temple supplement the Library.
More than two-and-a-half million papers, giving details of the
history of Masonry and of the Scottish Rite are carefully filed and
indexed." (Henry C. Clausen, SGM, Masons Who Helped Shape Our
Nation. San Diego: Neyenesch Printers, 1976, p.111).
Another prominent Masonic writer, H.L. Haywood, confirms these
figures, claiming the existence of "fifty or sixty thousand Masonic
books" (H.L. Haywood, Famous Masons and Masonic Presidents.
Richmond, VA: Macoy Publishing and Masonic Supply Co., p.97).
If Freemasonry were nothing more than a social organization, as it
publicly claims to be, then how could one account for the incredible
number of books existing on the Order? What kind of social
organization would possess an archive of two-and-a-half million
documents along with a library of sixty thousand books containing
its history? The mere existence of such a collection suggested that
Freemasonry was more than a large group of citizens organized for
community service.
As a result of my research, I finally came to conclude that a
careful history of the occult had been maintained by the ancient
priests wherever the mysteries were practiced. This information was
probably initially passed along chiefly by word of mouth and
possibly assisted by the use of hieroglyphics and other forms of
primitive writing developed among the ancient civilizations.
However, as time progressed, this knowledge of the secret rituals,
beliefs and practices of the occult priesthood, was put into writing
on manuscripts, providing a permanent record of these Luciferic
activities.
Much of this ancient knowledge was allegedly first recorded by some
of the Greek and Roman philosophers, whose philosophical societies
existed as special extensions of the occult priesthood. According to
Masonic sources, this information has been miraculously preserved
ever since, having been passed from one generation to the next
through an unbroken line of occult priests. The Masonic Order claims
to be the latest in a succession of occult orders who have served as
the guardians of this ancient knowledge.
Many specifics of the Order's diabolical legacy have been revealed
in the works of Masonic historians such as Pike, Mackey, Haywood,
M.P. Hall, and others who have provided summaries of Masonic/occult
history. While some discrepancies exist among the various accounts,
there is, nevertheless, a remarkable degree of uniformity and
consistency considering the complexity of the subject. However, to
understand the Masonic Order's complete role and where it fits in, a
bit of world history is required.
A Historical Perspective
By the days of Noah the world had become completely saturated with
the occult to the point where only one righteous family was left. As
a result, God, who was grieved by man's sin and wickedness, judged
the world by sending a flood. After the flood, however, it took only
a few generations before man had once again begun to embrace the
occult. This was evidenced at the building of the Tower of Babel,
which is believed to have been the first ziggurat -- an ancient
occult worship tower with a shrine at the top. Under the umbrella of
pantheism, the ancient occult mysteries began to take hold and
spread. By the time of Abraham and Lot, the human state, at least in
their part of the world, had once again gotten out of control. Those
were the days of Sodom and Gomorrah when perversion and immorality
were taken to new heights.
Although Abraham was himself not perfect, he was a man who sought to
do right in the eyes of God. Because he and his family were the only
righteous ones left who were willing to acknowledge Him, God would
honor Abraham's faith by choosing to create a nation from his seed.
God would work through this nation, Israel, to keep His truth and
the way of righteousness alive in the midst of a dark,
occult-ravaged world. After a few hundred years when Abraham's seed
had sufficiently multiplied, there were enough Israelites to
constitute a physical nation. At that time, God led His people out
of Egypt by His servant Moses.
The history of Israel would be one of ups and downs. When the
Israelites were obedient to God, they prospered; and none of their
pantheistic neighbors could stand against them. However, when the
Israelites themselves began to fall for the spiritual lies of the
surrounding nations, they were oppressed by these same powers. God
sent a steady stream of holy prophets to teach Israel His ways and
to warn them of what would happen if they did not obey. Much like
the relationship between a loving father and his child, while
longing for his child (Israel) to be good and loving, there were
times when that child was rebellious and needed to be disciplined
before something much worse happened.
The Israelites, through Moses, had been instructed to bring regular
animal offerings or sacrifices before God. These sacrifices
symbolized the payment for their sins, reminding them: that sin does
not come without a penalty. These offerings were also symbolic of
the coming supreme sacrifice of Jesus Christ Who would pay the
penalty for the sins or the entire world at the appointed time.
After the proper groundwork had been laid, God sent His Son. The
Message of forgiveness and the promise of eternal Life to those who
believe in Christ would be carried forward from Israel to all
nations. Although this gospel (the good news) spread in all
directions, It would not be equally accepted by all peoples and
would meet with more resistance in some places than in others. Those
missionaries, for example, who carried the message into Babylon,
Persia, and India were violently rejected; and only a small number
of people believed and received the truth there. Likewise today, in
spite of nearly twenty centuries of missionary efforts in the Far
East, with the exception of a few areas, the Message of Christ has
been overwhelmingly rejected.
The hold of Satan on these countries is so complete and established
that, to this day, only a small percent of the orient believes in
Christ. Hinduism -- the oldest surviving pantheistic religion is
still being practiced by a majority of India's inhabitants.
The story would be different in the Mediterranean where the gospel
was accepted by large numbers, in spite of fierce persecution
against those who believed. Within a few generations there were so
many Christians in this region that the high priests of the
Mysteries of Greece, Rome, and Egypt began to lose their control.
The teachings of Christ went head-to-head against the pantheistic
beliefs and occult practices of the priests, exposing them for what
they were. The more the believers were persecuted, the larger their
numbers grew, until finally the occult priests were forced to go
underground in order to keep their secret knowledge and traditions
alive.
These occult teachings have been handed down from generation to
generation ever since, kept alive in the Western world by the secret
societies, which are little more than a continuation of ancient
occult priesthoods. Satan's plan was to keep his priesthood and
secret doctrines alive until, being sufficient in number and power,
the priesthood could once again seize control over his lost
territories. Gnosticism, the most effective and widely accepted form
of pantheism, was more deceptive and clever than the others,
developing the occult's only major counter explanation to the
Message and Person of Christ. The Gnostics were the chief
adversaries of the Apostle Paul and the early Church, relentlessly
pursuing Christians wherever they went, long before the mystery
religions even began to crumble.
According to Albert Pike, Gnosticism was an offshoot of Kabalism, an
oral occult tradition, which was adhered to by a minority of the
Jews. At some point, which remains uncertain, these occult teachings
were reduced to writing, and the Kabalah was born. On page 626 of
Morals and Dogma, Pike states, "The Kabalah is the key of all
Masonry and the occult sciences; and the Gnostics were born of the
Kabalists."
Kabalism was merely a unique version of the ancient mysteries
specifically designed to deceive God's chosen people. Unlike the
other mysteries, its teachings dealt specifically with Israel,
offering occult counter-explanations to the revelations of the
prophets, complete with a cleverly disguised occult interpretation
of the history of Israel. Moses, for example, rather than being the
righteous prophet of God who led the Israelites out of Egypt, was
made out to be an occult figure whose purpose was to initiate the
Israelites into the enlightened and more advanced teachings of
Egypt.
If Kabalism could be viewed as the occult counter-explanation of the
Old Testament, Gnosticism, existing as a further development of
Kabalism and taking into account Satan's "new problem" posed by the
risen Christ, would serve as the main occult counterattack against
the New Testament. Thus, Kabalism and Gnosticism combined, composed
a type of occult parallel to the Old and New Testaments.
Gnosticism, although originally composed of Jewish occultists,
rapidly gained Gentile followers until it soon became predominantly
Gentile. As the priesthoods were forced to take on new forms,
Gnosticism became a magnet for these occult adepts. Branches of
Gnosticism represented the first significant secret societies of the
post-resurrection era with various degrees or levels of initiation
and the inner circle of initiates worshiping Lucifer.
Gnosticism
A significant amount of space has been devoted to the discussion of
Gnosticism in Masonic reference works. Morals and Dogma, for
example, has allotted more than forty pages to Gnosticism and its
connection with Freemasonry. Albert Pike, the book's author, offers
the following explanation of Gnosticism:
"The Gnostics derived their leading doctrines and ideas from Plato
and Philo, the Zend-avesta and the Kabalah,and the Sacred books of
India and Egypt; and thus introduced into the bosom of Christianity
the cosmological and theosophical speculations, which had formed the
larger portion of the ancient religions of the Orient, joined to
those of the Egyptian, Greek, and Jewish doctrines, which the
New-Platonists had equally adopted in the Occident" (Morals and
Dogma, 248).
Gnosticism flourished through various offshoots such as the
Manicheans of the third century, the Euchites of the fourth century,
the Paulicans of the seventh century, and the Bogomils of the ninth
century (Nesta H. Webster, Secret Societies and Subversive
Movements, Hawthorne, CA: Christian Book Club of America, 1924.
p.32-34, 63). It is not possible within the scope of this book to
identify and define each branch of Gnosticism that has existed over
the centuries, but the following teaching of the Bogomils will give
us an idea of what beliefs the Knights Templars embraced before
passing them on to Freemasonry.
God, the Supreme Father, has two sons, the elder Satanael, the
younger Jesus. To Satanael, who sat on the right hand of God,
belonged the right of governing the celestial world, but filled with
pride, he rebelled against his Father and fell from Heaven. Then,
aided by the companions of his fall, he created the visible world,
image of the celestial, having like the other its sun, moon, and
stars, and last he created man and the serpent which became his
minister. Later Christ came to earth in order to show men the way to
Heaven, but His death was ineffectual, for even by descending into
Hell He could not wrest the power from Satanael, i.e., Satan. This
belief in the impotence of Christ and the necessity therefore for
placating Satan, not only "the Prince of this world," but its
creator, led to the further doctrine that Satan, being all-powerful,
should be adored (Ibid., 63).
At the base of each form of Gnosticism existed this adoration or
worship of Satan, as well as a profound hatred for Christ and His
teachings. It was perversions such as these, handed down in an
unbroken tradition from the earliest Gnostics, that were eventually
embraced by the Knights of the Temple (Knights Templars) in the
twelfth century.
Knights Templars
The Knights Templars were a military and religious order first
established in AD 1118 in Jerusalem by nine French knights under the
leadership of Hugues de Payens of Champagne and Godefroi de
Saint-Omer (Ibid., 49). Their stated mission was to protect pilgrims
on their way to the Holy Land during the crusades (Collier's
Encyclopedia, 1985 "Knights Templars"). They also fought in various
battles of the crusades and became famous for their bravery (World
Book Encyclopedia, 1969 "Knights Templars"). "Baldwin II, King of
Jerusalem, gave the Knights Templars quarters in his palace, built
on the site of Solomon's Temple." From this, the order derived its
name - Knights of the Temple.
Membership in the Knights Templars was originally limited to nobles.
However, later on, the order opened its ranks to other men whom it
felt could be used to further its aims. The order grew rapidly and
in the year 1128 was taken under the special protection of the pope
(Collier's Encyclopedia, "Knights Templars").
During the Crusades, the Knights Templars established local offices
in all the Christian countries to encourage enlistment in crusading
armies and to take care of funds for the pilgrims. (The pilgrims
gave donations to the Order -- which existed as a tax-exempt
organization -- in exchange for protection to and from Jerusalem).
The Templars, being composed mostly of nobles, were also granted
favors by many European rulers and gained possession of property
throughout the continent. Through gifts of land and money, the
Templars became extremely wealthy and powerful (Collier's
Encyclopedia, "Knights Templars").
After the fall of Jerusalem to Saladin in 1187, the order
established its headquarters in Acre. The Templars were forced to
relocate once again in 1291 when Acre fell to the Muslims. This time
their headquarters were moved to the island of Cyprus. However, by
then, the Templars, through their enormous wealth and wide-spread
organization, had become the bankers of Europe, and the order was no
longer primarily a military one. It was especially influential in
Spain, France, and England, where commanderies of knights,
men-at-arms, and chaplains were organized, each under its own
superior, subordinate to the Grand Master of the order (Ibid.).
Morals and Dogma adds, "Their watchword was, to become wealthy in
order to buy the world. They became so, and in 1312, they possessed
in Europe alone more than nine thousand seignories" (Morals and
Dogma, 819-820). (A seignory refers to the estate or dominion of a
noble or feudal lord).
The Knights Templars were probably corrupt from the beginning. But
whether the order started out degenerate or became this way later,
it is certain that the Templars had, during their exploits in the
Middle East, become strongly influenced by both the Gnostics and the
Assassins (a ruthless Arabic military order). It is a fact that
several of the founders of the Knights Templars were initiates in
the sect of the Assassins (Edith Starr Miller, Occult Theocracy.
Hawthorne, CA; The Christian Book Club of America, 1933, p.143). The
Templars, while adopting the religious beliefs of the Gnostics,
received many of their organizational and political traits from the
Assassins. The Templars represented the first wide-scale attempt to
organize and mobilize the forces of occultism for the purpose of
gaining control of the world.
Occult historian Edith Starr Miller summarizes the demise of the
Templars as follows:
"Having embraced Gnosticism while in Palestine, and in touch with
the sect of the Assassins, the Templar order degenerated, and some
of its members, under the influence of that sect, were said to
practice Phallicism or sex-worship and Satanism and to venerate "The
Baphomet," the idol of the Luciferians. The crime of Sodomy was a
rite of Templar initiation." (Ibid., 144). "In 1307 the Templars
were charged with heresy and immorality by a former member of the
order" (Collier's Encyclopedia, "Knights Templars"). As a result,
Philip IV of France launched an investigation looking into the
alleged misdeeds of the organization (World Book Encyclopedia, 1969,
"Knights Templars"). On 15 October 1507 the king had the Templars of
France arrested and brought before the Inquisitor for France by whom
they were examined (Webster, Secret Societies, 51-52). The knights
confessed to a variety of notorious crimes and admitted to taking
blasphemous oaths against Jesus Christ upon admission into the
Order.
They said, they had been shown the cross on which was the figure of
Christ, and had been asked whether they
believed in Him; when they answered yes, they were told in some
cases that this was wrong (dixit sibi quod male credebat), because
He was not God, He was a false prophet (quid falsus propheta erat,
nec erat Deus). Some added that they were then shown an idol or a
bearded head which they were told to worship; one added that this
was of such "a terrible aspect that it seemed to him to be the face
of some devil, called in French "un maufe," and that whenever he saw
it he was so overcome with fear that he could hardly look at it
without fear and trembling." All who confessed declared that they
had been ordered to spit on the crucifix, and very many that they
had received the injunction to commit obscenities and to practice
unnatural vice. Some said that on their refusal to carry out these
orders they had been threatened with imprisonment, even a few said
they had actually been incarcerated; one declared that he had been
terrorized, seized by the throat, and threatened with death (Ibid.,
p.52; Michelet, Proces des Templiers II, 1841. p.284-364).
Pope Clement V, however, refused to respond to the charges and
confessions of the Templars.
Clement V, deeply resenting the King's interference with an order
which existed entirely under papal jurisdiction, wrote in the
strongest terms of remonstrance to Philippe le Bel urging their
release, and even after their trial, neither the confessions of the
Knights nor the angry expostulations of the King could persuade him
to believe in their guilt (Ibid., p.53).
The pope was not only slow to respond to the confessions but
actually did what he could to protect the order. Later on, however,
he gave the following reasons for his actions (in his own words):
"Because it did not seem likely nor credible that men of such
religion who were believed often to shed their blood and frequently
expose their persons to the peril of death for Christ's name, and
who showed such great and many signs of devotion both in divine
offices as well as in fasts, as in other devotional observances,
should be so forgetful of their salvation as to do these things, we
were unwilling . . . to give ear to this kind of insinuation . . .
(hujusmodi insinuacioni ac delacioni ipsorum . . . aurem noluimus
inclinare)." (Ibid., p.51, Michelet, Proces des Templiers).
Due to mounting pressure from a suspicious public and because a
number of the confessions before Philip IV were allegedly made under
torture, the pope finally decided to mount his own investigation,
consenting to receive in private audience "a certain Knight of the
Order, of great nobility and held by the same Order in no slight
esteem" (Ibid., 53). Upon being questioned by the pope, the Knight
"testified to the abominations that took place on the reception of
the Brethren, the spitting on the cross, and other things which were
not lawful nor, humanly speaking, decent."
Pope Clement V then decided to examine seventy-two other French
Knights at Poictiers in order to discover whether their earlier
confessions before the Inquisitor for France were true. These
hearings were conducted without torture, with the witnesses taking
an oath promising "the full and pure truth." The Templars' Grand
Master, Jacques de Molay and the French leaders of the order were
likewise questioned in the presence of three Cardinals, four public
notaries, and many others (Ibid.). Before these many witnesses the
Templars admitted their crimes as previously confessed during the
trials of King Philip IV (Ibid., 53-54). The Knights Templars, as it
turned out, had been masters of deception, experts in duplicity,
appearing to serve Christ on the surface while worshiping Lucifer
within their inner rites.
Morals and Dogma confirms this character. "The Templars, like all
other Secret Orders and Associations, had two doctrines, one
concealed and reserved for the Masters . . . the other public . . .
Thus they deceived the adversaries whom they sought to supplant."
(Morals and Dogma, 817-818).
"The Pope, however, still refused to take action against the whole
Order merely because the Master and Brethren around him had gravely
sinned" (Webster, Secret Societies, 54). Instead, he decided to hold
a papal commission in Paris which took place in November 1309. But
by then, the word about the Templars was out and the public had
become outraged. In addition to Italy and France, "Templars in
England, Germany, Spain, and Portugal also stood trials, but most
were acquitted" (World Book Encyclopedia, 1969, "Knights Templars").
Philip IV of France, more than any other monarch, pursued the
members of the Order and sentenced many of them to death, charging
them with conspiracy and Satan worship. On 12 May 1310 he had
fifty-four French Templars burned alive in Paris (Miller, Occult
Theocracy, p.144). In 1312, Pope Clement V was finally persuaded to
abolish the Order (World Book Encyclopedia, 1969, "Knights
Templars"). And on 18 March 1314, the Grand Master, Jacques de
Molay, along with three of his highest ranking officers, were burned
at the stake (Miller, Occult Theocracy, 144). It is this diabolical
knight after whom today's Masonic Order of De Molay, reserved for
young men, was named.
Following the death of De Molay, the Templars found refuge in
Portugal under King Dinis II who became their protector (Ibid.,
145). The Order suffered a temporary setback resulting from the
confiscation of most of its property; but it remained influential,
continuing to operate underground. Morals and Dogma attests to the
survival of the Knights Templars stating that De Molay, prior to his
execution, created four Metropolitan Lodges, at Naples for the East,
at Edinburgh for the West, at Stockholm for the North, and at Paris
for the South. [The initials of his name . . . found in the same
order in the first three Degrees, are but one of the many internal
and cogent proofs that such was the origin of modern Freemasonry . .
. ] (Morals and Dogma, 820).
In a continued reference to the Templar order, Morals and Dogma
adds: ". . . it lived, under other names and governed by unknown
Chiefs, revealing itself only to those who, in passing through a
series of Degrees, had proven themselves worthy to be entrusted with
the dangerous Secret." (Ibid., 821).
The Rosicrucians
Evidence suggests that the surviving Knights Templars either founded
or merged with an existing secret order in the early 1300s, later
referred to as the Order of the Rose-Croix (the Rosicrucians). Very
few details are known about its actual beginnings due to this
order's ability to conceal its activities.
Morals and Dogma however, establishes a definite link between the
Rosicrucians and the Templar Order. "The successors of the Ancient
Adepts Rose-Croix, abandoning by degrees the austere and hierarchal
Science of their Ancestors in initiation, became a Mystic Sect,
uniting with many of the Templars, the dogmas of the two
intermingling . . ."
By the early 1600s, more than three hundred years had passed since
the Templars had been abolished. As a result, the secret order
decided to test the waters to see how the public would respond to
its occult philosophies. For obvious reasons, the Order could not
share its real history linking it to the Templars, so it devised an
allegory of its history around a mythical character by the name of
Christian Rosenkreuz.
This tale was published in a document known as the "Fama
Fraternitatis," which the Order circulated throughout Europe. The
story elaborates how Rosenkreuz traveled to Syria and then Egypt to
study the occult. After learning from all of the great masters of
occult philosophy in the Middle East and Northern Africa, he
returned to Europe to spread his "enlightenment" throughout that
continent. But he was unfavorably received and therefore, returned
home to Germany where he hoped to establish a society based on his
teachings (Albert G. Mackey, An Encyclopedia of Freemasonry. New
York; The Masonic History Co., 1921, p.639). This fictitious life of
Christian Rosenkreuz symbolically conveyed the story of the
Templars.
According to Mackey's Encyclopedia of Freemasonry, ". . . the
fiction was readily accepted as a truth by most people, and the
invisible society of Rosenkreuz was sought for with avidity by many
who wished to unite with it" (Ibid., 640). However, the Order only
wanted to test the reaction it would prompt and did not respond. (A
number of societies sprang up claiming to possess the occult secrets
of Rosenkreuz; but these aberrations were not the real Rosicrucian
Order.)
This well calculated move by the secret Order allowed them to
monitor Europe's openness to the occult without revealing the true
identity of the Order or the names of its members. It also created a
renewed interest in the occult throughout the Continent. But nearly
another century would pass before the Order would begin to expand by
publicly enlisting initiates.
Some contemporary leaders of the Masonic movement have denied any
connections between their Order and the Knights Templars and
Rosicrucians. However, enough evidence exists, which, if considered
along with earlier statements from Morals and Dogma, clearly reveals
that modern-day Freemasonry is a continuation of the preceding
Orders. One outstanding example is in the names of the last three
degrees of the York Rite -- the Knight of the Red Cross, Knight of
Malta and Knight Templar -- and the eighteenth degree of the
Scottish Rite -- Sovereign Prince of Rose-Croix, which together with
the seventeenth degree is known as the Chapter of Rose Croix.
The Birth of Freemasonry
If the Rosicrucians were to progress toward their goal of
establishing a New World Order, they would eventually have to go
public to enlist the support of more people to carry out their task.
In the tradition of the Templars, they decided to take on the outer
appearance of a benevolent organization of good works in order to
continue their occult traditions within. They merged with and
finally took over the stone mason guilds of Europe, retaining many
of their symbols from the building trade. The stone masons became
referred to as Operative Masons, as they were actually employed in
the building profession; unlike the occult adepts who took over
their guilds, who became known as Speculative Masons.
The builders' guilds had become a natural target for the takeover;
since the Templars, centuries before, had themselves been great
builders. With their enormous wealth, they constructed scores or
castles and princely estates of their own pleasure and as monuments
to their success and viewed themselves as great builders. They were
even known to conceal themselves at times under the name of
"Brethren Masons" (Morals and Dogma, 816).
With the construction of cathedrals on the decline, the operative
guilds were shrinking in size and were in danger of going under. If
they wanted to keep their traditions alive, they would have to open
up their ranks to outsiders. Thus, with the two groups in need of
each other, the marriage was sealed. The operative guilds, in time,
became known as speculative guilds as they were flooded by esoteric
occultists.
This transition from operative to Speculative Masonry took several
decades to complete. The move, which began as early as the 1640's,
culminated in the forming of the world's first Grand Lodge in London
in l717. By way of this gradual takeover, the torch was passed to
the Masonic order, with the Rosicrucians embedding themselves deep
within its structure and hierarchy to become the Adepts, or the
Princes of Freemasonry.
The "new" Order expanded rapidly. By the late 1700s, it had become
firmly established as an organization known for its good works, and
was, for the most part, viewed favorably by the public. With the
groundwork successfully laid, the Adepts were once again free to
pursue their age-old ambition of re-establishing the Luciferic World
Order. Morals and Dogma states: "The Initiates, in fact, thought in
the eighteenth century that their time had arrived, some to found a
new Hierarchy, others to overturn all authority, and to press down
all the Social Order under the level of Equality." (Ibid., p.821).
Toward this end, a new ultra-secret society was formed, enlisting in
its ranks members from the highest degrees of the Masonic Order.
This Order within an Order would come to be known as the Illuminati.
The Illuminati
The Masonic historian, Albert G. Mackey, describes the Illuminati as
a "secret society, founded on May 1, 1776, by Adam Weishaupt who was
professor of canon law at the University of Ingolstadt" (Mackey's
Encyclopedia of Freemasonry, p.346). In his biographical sketch of
Weishaupt, Mackey opens with the following words, "He is celebrated
in the history of Masonry as the founder of the Order of Illuminati
of Bavaria" (Ibid., 842.). Mackey later adds, "His ambition was, I
think, a virtuous one; that it failed was his, and perhaps the
world's misfortune" (Ibid., 843).
(The Council of 13 heading up the plan for world hegemony are
signified by the 13 layers of masonry portrayed on the reverse side
of the Great Seal of the United States and printed on the U.S. one
dollar bill by Illuminatus F.D. Roosevelt).
Any lingering doubts I had over whether the Order was Masonically
inspired were removed when I discovered that H.L. Haywood, another
highly esteemed Masonic historian, also included Weishaupt's
biography in his book Famous Masons and Masonic Presidents.
Weishaupt's esteemed summary is one of only one hundred biographical
sketches appearing in the book, indicating that he had to have been
a very prominent Mason (H.L. Haywood, Famous Masons and Masonic
Presidents. Richmond VA: Macoy Publishing and Masonic Supply Co.,
1944, p.152).
John Robison, an eighteenth century historian and a prominent Mason,
was entrusted with some of the original documents and correspondence
of the Illuminati. In his book, Proofs of a Conspiracy, written in
1798, he reproduced major segments of the Illuminati's original
writings. Robison stated, "the express aim of the Order was to
abolish Christianity, and overturn all civil government" (John
Robison, Proofs of a Conspiracy. Boston: Western Islands, 1967,
p.60). He went on to quote Weishaupt as stating that the plan for a
New World Order can succeed "in no other way but by secret
associations, which will by degrees, and in silence, possess
themselves of the government of the States, and make use of those
means for this purpose . . . " (Ibid., 106).
Using deception and intrigue, Weishaupt and his inner circle of
adepts succeeded at gaining the support of Germany's Masonic lodges.
"All these branches were controlled by the twelve leading adepts
headed by Weishaupt, who at the lodge in Munich held in his hands
the threads of the whole conspiracy" (Nesta Webster, World
Revolution, p.20). Mackey admits to the initial success of the
Illuminati, commenting:
The Order was at first very popular, and enrolled no less than two
thousand names upon its registers, among whom were some of the most
distinguished men of Germany. It extended rapidly into other
countries, and its Lodges were to be found in France, Belgium,
Holland, Denmark, Sweden, Poland, Hungary, and Italy (Mackey's
Encyclopedia of Freemasonry, p.346-347).
In 1782, at the Masonic Congress of Wilhelmsbad, Weishaupt's
Illuminati solidified its position among Europe's secret societies
as the undisputed leader of the occult one-world movement. Around
the same time, Weishaupt also succeeded at forging an alliance
between Illuminized Freemasonry and the growing Rothschild banking
network, thereby giving the Order the financial means to begin to
carry out its plans (Webster, World Revolution, p.20 and Count Egon
Caesar Corti, The Rise of the House of Rothschild. Boston: Western
Islands, 1972, p.ix).
As a result of this alliance with the international financiers, the
Freemasons regained the banking prominence once held by the
Templars, and the Illuminati gained momentum. H.L. Haywood observes,
"It took root, it grew, it flourished, it gathered into itself more
men of royal and noble titles than were possessed by the
Hohenzollern family; even the Jesuits joined it" (Haywood, Famous
Masons and Masonic Presidents, 151-152).
Although Weishaupt's Illuminati was exposed within ten years, he had
accomplished more to further "the plan" during this time than all of
Freemasonry's efforts of the previous fifty years combined. One
reason for his success was that he had gotten many Christian leaders
to join the Order by convincing them that the Illuminati was a for
the sake of Christ. Robison states, "In this scheme of Masonic
Christianity, Spartacus [Weishaupt] and Philo [Baron Von Knigge]
laboured seriously together. Spartacus sent him the materials, and
Philo worked them up." (Robison, Proofs of a Conspiracy, p.86).
This apostate teaching, which was presented to Christian initiates,
was explained by Von Knigge: "Jesus Christ established no new
Religion; he would only set Religion and Reason in their ancient
rights. For this purpose he would unite men in a common bond. He
would fit them for this by spreading a just morality, by
enlightening the understanding, and by assisting the mind to shake
off all prejudices. He would teach all men, in the first place, to
govern themselves. Rulers would then be needless, and equality and
liberty would take place without any revolution, by the natural and
gentle operation of reason and expediency. This great Teacher allows
himself to explain every part of the Bible in conformity to these
purposes; and he forbids all wrangling among his scholars, because
every man may there find a reasonable application to his peculiar
doctrines. Let this be true or false, it does not signify. This was
a simple Religion and it was so far inspired; but the minds of his
hearers were not fitted for receiving doctrines. I told you, said
he, but you could not bear it. Many therefore were called, but few
were chosen. To these elect were entrusted the most important
secrets; and even among them there were degrees of information.
There was a seventy, and a twelve. All this was in the natural order
of things, and according to the habits of the Jews, and indeed of
all antiquity. The Jewish Theosophy was a mystery; like the
Eleusinian, or the Pythagorean, unfit for the vulgar, and thus the
doctrines of Christianity were these they were maintained, like the
Vestal Fire. They were kept up, only in hidden societies, who handed
them down to posterity, and they are now possessed by the genuine
Free Masons." (Ibid., 87).
"Using this cover of working for worldwide Christian unity,
Weishaupt was able to gain the backing of numerous credulous leaders
who thought they were working for a noble cause. In fact their every
move was designed by Weishaupt to nudge the Illuminists one step
closer to world domination" (Webster, World Revolution, p.13).
I can think of more than a few Christian leaders who could learn a
lesson from this. Christian unity is not something that can be
organized; it comes naturally among those who share a common love
for Christ. The false ecumenical/interfaith unity being promoted
today by the World Council of Churches -- an organization that is
strongly influenced by Freemasonry -- is nothing new. It has been
used for centuries to try to further the cause of world government.
As long as Christians do NOT unite with the peoples of other
religions, there can be no world government. This unwillingness of
Christians to compromise their faith has been the chief obstacle for
the conspirators.
Weishaupt received a special thrill out of being able to deceive
Christians in this fashion. On one occasion, after having persuaded
a Protestant leader to join his "unification effort," he wrote:
"You can't imagine what respect and curiosity my priest-degree has
raised; and, which is wonderful, a famous Protestant divine, who is
now of the Order, is persuaded that the religion contained in It is
the true sense of Christianity. O MAN, MAN! TO WHAT MAYST THOU NOT
BE PERSUADED. Who would imagine that I was to be the founder of a
new religion." (Robison, Proofs of a Conspiracy, p.86).
Although the Illuminati's efforts officially ceased in the 1780s,
unofficially its agenda continued to move forward through the
network of Illuminized Masonic lodges that had already been set in
place. The main catalyst for this continued drive seemed to come
from the Grand Orient Lodge of France, and later on, from the
Masonic leaders of Italy and the United States.
On American Soil
Already dominating the political affairs of Europe, the Masonic
Order had made significant progress in the United States by the late
1700s. In fact, many of this country's political founding fathers
were Masons. Most of them, like George Washington, were decent men
who knew of no higher aims of the Order and who even spoke out
against the activities of the Illuminati. However, with the Masonic
lodges having gained acceptance in America, the Illuminati finally
had in place the network through which it could recruit members and
carry on its work. As a result, the first Supreme Council of
Scottish Rite Freemasonry was established in Charleston, South
Carolina, in 1801.
According to a Masonic publication entitled Facts Of Scottish Rite,
"all other regular Supreme Councils throughout the world are
descended from it" (Facts of Scottish Rite, p.4). (In 1813, the
Northern Supreme Council was established as an extension of the
Charleston group. The Northern Jurisdiction today consists of
fifteen states and is headquartered in Boston. The Southern
Jurisdiction whose headquarters have been relocated from Charleston
to Washington, DC, covers the remaining thirty-five states, the
District of Columbia, the U.S. territories and possessions. It is
today the Mother Supreme Council of the world -- Ibid.). The
tremendous potential of the United States somehow had to be
harnessed and brought under control if the plan for a New World
Order was ever to succeed. Therefore, during the 1800s, as the U.S.
emerged as a world power, the Illuminati gradually shifted its
attention from Europe to the United States.
Freemasonry experienced tremendous growth during the nineteenth
century, particularly during the second half of the century when
Freemasonry flourished as never before. This was also a time of
rapid growth for Masonically-inspired religious cults. In addition
to founding the Theosophical Society, Freemasonry participated in
the rise and spread of Christian Science and Unitarianism; and
Masons Rutherford and Russell founded the Jehovah's Witnesses. all
of these cults have served to subtly direct people away from the
truth of Christ. The largest of these religious offshoots, however,
would be the Mormon Church, which was founded by Joseph Smith,
another high ranking Mason.
Smith was already heavily into the occult prior to becoming a Mason
and had published his book of Mormon in 1830, some twelve years
before joining the Order. However, on 15 March, 1842, Smith received
his first degree in Freemasonry, and he was raised to the Sublime
Degree of a Master Mason on the very next day. "Six weeks later, on
May 2, 1842, Smith was teaching these Masonic secrets as his own
"revelations" to Mormon leaders as the temple Endowment" (Chuck
Sackett, What's Going On in There? Thousand Oaks, CA: Sword of the
Shepherd Ministries, 1982, p.13. As taken from History of the Church
{D.H.C.], Vol. 4, 550, 552). Into the fabric of Freemasonry he wove
his own peculiar brand of occultism, claiming it to be "revelation"
from on high. Brigham Young, the other significant early Mormon
leader, was also a Mason and contributed to the rise of this occult
hierarchy (W.J. McCormick, Christ, the Christian, and Freemasonry,
Belfast: Great Joy Publications, 1984; p.96).
Several books have been written during the past few years by former
Mormons, exposing the connection between Mormonism and Freemasonry,
included among these are What's Going On in There? by Chuck Sackett;
and The God Makers, by Ed Decker, co-authored with Dave Hunt, a
non-Mormon. These books reveal how Mormonism's Masonic heritage is
reflected in everything from its symbols to its rituals and secret
doctrines.
Mormonism today has over four million members, and is, per capita
the wealthiest "church" in the world. "Its influence politically and
otherwise is enormous" (Ibid., p.18).
The New Super-Rite
During this same period of time, the Masonic Order was making major
inroads in American politics and economics. By the late 1800s,
Freemasonry had grown so large that it had become inefficient and
difficult to manage. Its many divisions, sects, and rites lacked a
sense of unity and direction. Thus, in an effort to centralize the
authority of Universal Freemasonry a new ultra-secret governing body
was established on 20 September 1870 (Miller, Occult Theocracy,
p.207-208). This represented the first major restructuring (or
perestroika) of Illuminized Freemasonry. At the center of this
creation was Albert Pike, who stated: "The blind Force of the people
is a Force that must be economized, and also managed . . . It must
be regulated by Intellect (Intellect here is a reference to the
Illuminati or the highest adepts of Freemasonry), . . . When all
these Forces are combined, and guided by the Intellect, and
regulated by the RULE of Right, and Justice... the great revolution
prepared for by the ages will begin to march. It is because Force is
ill regulated that revolutions prove failures." (Morals and Dogma,
p.1-2).
Pike would end up doing more than any other figure of the nineteenth
century to prepare the way for this "great" revolution of which he
spoke.
Pike was born in Boston in 1809. He eventually settled in Little
Rock, Arkansas, where he became a Mason in 1850 (Miller, Occult
Theocracy, p.210). He "lived and talked Indian, taught a backwoods
school, studied law, got admitted to the bar, [and] joined the
Confederate Army," where he served as Brigadier-General (Haywood,
Famous Masons and Masonic Presidents, p.132; and Salem Kirban,
Satan's Angels Exposed, Rossville: Grapevine Book Distributors,
1980, p.159). Following the war "he located in Washington, D.C.,
uniting with ex-Senator Robert Johnson in the profession of the law"
(Mackey's Encyclopedia of Freemasonry, p.564).
In Famous Masons and Masonic Presidents, H.L. Haywood describes Pike
as "a powerful orator of the antique type who could hold an audience
for four hours at a stretch" (Haywood, Famous Masons and Masonic
Presidents, p.133). Haywood continues, "He taught himself ancient
languages; made a specialty of Zoroastrianism and its "Zend Avesta";
read continually but never read anything below the greatest"
(Ibid.). Pike was a literary genius with the ability to read and
write in sixteen ancient languages (Kirban, Satan's Angels Exposed,
p. 159). Mackey says of Pike, "His standing as a Masonic author and
historian, and withal as a poet, and his untiring zeal was without
parallel." (Mackey's Encyclopedia of Freemasonry, p.564).
Pike was also "a great student of the Cabala and the occult"
(Miller, Occult Theocracy, 208). His literary achievements in this
area were numerous, including Ariel; The Sephar H. Debarim; Book of
the Word; Legenda Magistralia; Ritual of the New and Reformed
Palladium (4 grades out of 5), The Ritual of Elect Magus, and The
Book of Apadno, which contains the prophecies concerning the reign
of the anti-Christ from the Satanic point of view" (Ibid., p.220).
Some of these went on to take their place among the notorious
classics of Freemasonry, but no other work of Pike would gain the
prominence of his 861 page book -- Morals and Dogma of the Ancient
and Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry -- written in 1871, which
Haywood describes as "the Scottish Rite Bible" (Haywood, Famous
Masons and Masonic Presidents, p.133).
When Albert G. Mackey became the secretary general of the Supreme
Council in Charleston, he persuaded Pike to join the circle.
According to Haywood, "Pike soon became so captivated by the
possibilities he saw stretching before it that he set aside his
other vocations and avocations, became Sovereign Grand Inspector
General, and devoted himself to the Rite until his death."
Pike was placed in power in 1859 when, according to Mackey, he was
elected to the position of Sovereign Grand Commander of the Southern
Supreme Council (Mackey's Encyclopedia of Freemasonry, p.564). He
remained the leader of Scottish Rite Freemasonry until his death in
1891. In the 1860s, Giuseppe Mazzini, the Italian revolutionary
leader and the worldwide director of Illuminized Freemasonry from
1834 to 1872, established relations with Pike making him the head of
the Illuminati's activities in the United States (Kirban, Satan's
Angels Exposed, p.157-158 and Ralph Epperson, The Unseen Hand,
Tucson: Publius Press, 1985, p.223). Finally, on 20 September 1870
the constitution creating the new super-rite was signed into effect
by Pike and Mazzini (Miller, Occult Theocracy, p.215).
Occult Theocracy states: "The two founders divided their powers
according to the following plan. To Pike was given dogmatic
authority and the title of Sovereign Pontiff of Universal
Freemasonry, while Mazzini held the executive authority with the
title of Sovereign Chief of Political Action."
"Pike named the Order the New and Reformed Palladian Rite. Historian
Edith Starr Miller describes it as neo-Gnosticism, "teaching that
the divinity is dual and that Lucifer is the equal of Adonay (Ibid.,
216-217). It is in fact Lucifer who is worshipped within this Rite
of Freemasonry."
Miller goes on to state: "The Holy See of the Dogma for the whole
Masonic world was set up at Charleston, the sacred city of the
Palladium. Pike, the Sovereign Pontiff of Lucifer, was the president
of the Supreme Dogmatic Directory, composed of ten brothers of the
highest grades who formed his Supreme Grand College of Emeritus
Masons. The Sovereign Executive Directory of High Masonry was
established at Rome under Mazzini himself" (Ibid., p.217-218).
In a letter to Albert Pike, dated 22 January 1870 (leading up to the
founding of the new rite) Mazzini wrote: "We must allow all the
federations to continue just as they are, with their systems, their
central authorities and their divers modes of correspondence between
high grades of the same rite, organized as they are at present, but
we must create a supreme rite, which will remain unknown, to which
we will call those Masons of high degree whom we shall select. With
regard to their brothers in masonry, these men must be pledged to
the strictest secrecy. Through this supreme rite, we will govern all
Freemasonry which will become the one international centre, the more
powerful because its direction will be unknown." (Ibid., p.208-209).
The main centers of operation for the Supreme or Palladian Rite were
located in Charleston, Rome, and Berlin (Kirban, Satan's Angels
Exposed, p.159). In addition to these headquarters, Pike and Mazzini
established four Grand Central Directories for the purpose of
gathering information vital to political and propaganda efforts.
"These were, The Grand Central Directories for North America at
Washington, for South America at Montevideo, for Europe at Naples,
and for Asia and Oceania at Calcutta" (Miller, Occult Theocracy,
p.222). "Later on, a Sub-Directory for Africa was rounded at Port
Louis on the Island of Mauritius"
According to Edith Starr Miller, "To recruit adepts, they planned to
use some members of the other rites, but in the beginning they meant
to rely principally on those among the initiates of Ancient and
Accepted Scottish Rites who were already addicted to occultism"
(Ibid., p.216). A thirty-third degree Mason, particularly, would be
well received everywhere in any country, in any rite the existence
of which is acknowledged. Thus it was particularly the initiates of
the thirty-third degree Scottish Rites, who, owing to their
extensive International ramifications, were privileged to recruit
adepts for Palladism. That is why the supreme rite created its
Triangles (the name given to Palladian Lodges) by degrees, but these
were established on a firm base, the lowliest of its initiates being
brothers long tested in ordinary masonry.
On 14 July, 1889 Albert Pike issued his instructions to the
twenty-three Supreme Councils of the world, recorded by A.C. De La
Rive in Za Femme et l'Enfant dans la Franc-Maconnerle Universelle
(page 588). The following is a brief excerpt from his speech.
"That which we must say to the crowd is -- We worship a God, but it
is the God that one adores without superstition."
"To you, Sovereign Grand Inspectors General, we say this, that you
may repeat it to the Brethren of the 32nd, 31st and 30th degrees --
The Masonic religion should be, by all of us initiates of the high
degrees, maintained in the purity of the Luciferic doctrine."
(Ibid., 220).
(Note: The Grand Lodge of British Columbia and the Yukon dispute
this "history". They claim Leo. Taxil honed the simple declaration,
"Lucifer is God," and attributed it to Albert Pike, supposedly
delivered to freemasons on Bastille Day, July 14, 1889).
Albert Pike simultaneously held the positions of Grand Master of the
Central Directory of Washington, that of Grand Commander of the
Supreme Council of Charleston, and that of Sovereign Pontiff of
Universal Freemasonry (Ibid., 221). Speaking as the leader of
Freemasonry, he revealed the true character of his Order.
(Note: The Grand Lodge of British Columbia and the Yukon claim these
are spurious offices).
When Pike issued his instructions in 1889, Freemasons from the
thirtieth degree up either already knew or were, for the first time,
informed of the Luciferic nature of the Order. Today, however, the
belief in Lucifer is not revealed until a higher level.
Pike intended the degrees leading up to the thirtieth degree to
serve only as a training school to gradually condition and prepare
the candidate for the ultimate acceptance of Luciferic initiation.
Although perhaps not in a blatant fashion, Masonic rituals and
ceremonies from the earliest stages are representative of occult
rites. In Freemasonry everything has a double-meaning. Thus the
candidate is practicing occultism throughout his degree work without
knowing it. False interpretations are given to keep him from
suspecting the institution to be anything less than noble and
upright in purpose.
The success of a conspiracy depends on its ability to conceal from
the masses the truth of what they are working for. The conspirators
will, therefore, bring no more people into their inner circle than
what is absolutely necessary for the success of their mission. With
each new person initiated, the risk of detection or of leaks
increases. This is one reason why those atop the hierarchy are so
careful to screen out candidates along the way and reserve for
themselves the right to hand pick those promoted to the thirty-third
degree (and beyond).
The logic is simple -- why bring a hundred thousand into the know,
if only ten thousand are needed to get the job done?
Therefore, the hierarchy uses millions of innocent people as dupes
to serve as a shield between the public and themselves. These people
who devote countless hours to establish hospitals, to help the
crippled, and to do other good works unwittingly provide a cover
under which the adepts operate -- a perfect public relations ploy.
Who would ever suspect a good works organization to be instead one
massive conspiracy to usher in an occult New World Order? It is
because the idea is so outrageous that few people believe it. But
the intentions of the society's leaders are unmistakably clear. The
following excerpt from Morals and Dogma explains the logic and
intent of the Knights Templars, of which Freemasonry is the
continuation.
The tendencies and tenets of the Order were enveloped in profound
mystery, and it externally professed the most perfect orthodoxy. The
Chiefs alone knew the aim of the Order: the Subalterns followed them
without distrust.
"To acquire influence and wealth, then to intrigue, and at need to
fight, to establish the . . . Gnostic and Kabalistic dogma," were
the object and means proposed to the Initiated Brethren. " The
Papacy and the rival monarchies, they said to them, are sold and
bought in these days, become corrupt, and tomorrow, perhaps, will
destroy each other. All that will become the heritage of the Temple:
the World will soon come to us for its Sovereigns and Pontiffs. We
shall constitute the equilibrium of the Universe, and be rulers over
the Masters of the World." (Morals and Dogma, p.817).
As a result of Pike's efforts, by the 1880s the United States was
well on its way to becoming the dominant power in the drive to usher
in the New World Order. The leadership role had shifted from Europe,
specifically France, to the United States.
I discovered that some Masons and New Agers privately spoke of the
United States as the power that will usher in the "New Atlantis."
Occult tradition maintains that the world prior to the flood had
become unified under a system of global government based upon ten
regions. This global civilization was known as Atlantis and was the
most advanced occult society ever. This is why God destroyed it.
Today we have come full cycle and are almost back to the way things
were in Noah's day -- the world is on the brink of taking a "quantum
leap" into an occult based New World Order, which will consist of
ten administrative regions. This knowledge gives new meaning to the
words of Jesus spoken in Matthew. Concerning the time of the end and
of His return Jesus said:
As it was in the days of Noah, so will it be at the Coming of the
Son of Man (Matthew 24:57)
I now realized how literal Christ's words had been.
The Role of the Soviet Union
After learning about these things, there was one lingering question
that I had . . . What was the role of the Soviet Union in all of
this, if anything? As I looked into this matter, I soon discovered
that the same forces that have gained control of America have always
had control of the Soviet Union, as they were responsible for the
founding of the Soviet state in the first place. What follows is a
brief overview of the events leading up to the creation of communism
and the birth of the Soviet Union.
In 1847 an obscure intellectual by the name of Karl Heinrich Marx
joined one of the branch organizations of the Illuminati called the
League of the Just (Kirban, Satan's Angels Exposed, p.157). Occult
Theocracy states, "It is a fact that for a certain length of time
Mazzini [the European leader of Illuminized Freemasonry] and Marx
were closely associated" (Miller, Occult Theocracy, p.219). Mazzini
and his International Masons would use Marx to penetrate and subvert
the growing Socialist Labour movement (Ibid. p.218). So obvious was
Marx's connection with Mazzini that during the early days of the
Russian Revolution, the revolutionaries called themselves
Spartacusts (after Adam Weishaupt's Illuminati pseudonym) before
becoming known as Bolsheviks and later as Communists (Gerald Winrod,
Adam Weishaupt, Clackamas, OR: Emissary Publications, 1937, p.48).
During the mid 1800s, the labor movement of France had begun to
organize hoping to improve the conditions for their working class.
Toward this end, they sent a deputation of French working-men to
England in 1862 "to observe the utility of Trade Unions in
protecting the interest of the workers." Seeking to learn from their
English counterparts they intended to bring about some peaceful
changes in their own country. Illuminized Freemasonry however, saw
in the Working-men's Association "the very instrument they needed
for carrying out their plans" (Webster, World Revolution,
p.178-179).
Karl Marx, residing in London at the time, was frequently found in
the clubs and cafes where the working-men gathered. Having
successfully penetrated these circles, he was named to the sub-
committee at the meeting in St Martin's Hall on 28 September 1864
when the Internationale was founded. The other members of the
committee were Mazzini's personal secretary named Wolff; Le Lubez, a
French Freemason; Cremer, the secretary of the English Masons'
Union; and Weston, the Owenite.
At the very first meeting of this committee "Wolff placed before it
the statutes of Mazzini's working men's associations, proposing them
as the basis of the new association." Although the statutes were
presented by Wolff, Marx later stated, "My propositions were all
accepted by the commission." (James Guillaume, Karl Marx,
pan-Germaniste, Libraraire Armand Collin, 1915, p.9, as quoted by
Nester Webster, World Revolution, p.180). So close was Marx's
affiliation with Mazzini that he viewed Mazzini's proposals as if
they were his own. These "provisional statutes of the
Internationale" were then sent from London to Paris. In the
following November where they were officially ratified and the
French International was founded.
E.E. Fribourg, in his book Association Internationale Des
Travailleurs, published in 1871, stated that "the Internationale
everywhere found support in Freemasonry" (p.31, as quoted by Webster
in World Revolution, p.181). The support was particularly
forthcoming from the lodges of the Grand Orient. Historian Nesta
Webster, in her book World Revolution, published in 1921, expressed
her indignation: "It is difficult to write of these things calmly.
For to deceive the people, whose simple faith and lack of education
prevents them seeing whither they are being led, is as cowardly as
to guide a blind man into a ditch. Yet this is what the exploiters
of the Internationale did for the working-men."
This movement, which was completely dominated by the secret
societies, eventually worked its way into Russia where, with the
help of existing Russian lodges, the assistance of Trotsky and
Lenin, and the outside support of the international financiers, it
forced itself upon the Russian people. Winston Churchill summarized
these events in a statement appearing on 8 February, 1920 in
London's Sunday Illustrated Herald. It is worth repeating here.
"From the days of Spartacus-Weishaupt, to those of Karl Marx, to
those of Trotsky . . . this worldwide conspiracy for the overthrow
of civilization and for the reconstitution of society on the basis
of arrested development and envious malevolence, and impossible
equality has been steadily growing. It has been the mainspring of
every subversive movement during the nineteenth century; and now at
last this band of extraordinary personalities from the underworld of
the great cities of Europe and America have gripped the Russian
people by the hair of their heads and have become the undisputed
masters of that enormous empire."
Churchill must have known something about these matters as he had
been a Mason himself (McCormick, Christ, the Christian, and
Freemasonry, p.116).
It is only logical to conclude that if Freemasonry founded the
Soviet Union, it must still be the power in charge, pulling the
strings from behind the scenes. But what could have been the
reasoning behind Freemasonry's creation of such a ruthless
dictatorial power? The answer -- If the role of the United States
was to lead us into the New World Order then Russia's role, being no
less important, was to apply the pressure that would make it all
possible.
In order for the occult hierarchy to succeed in establishing a world
government, humanity first had to become convinced of the need for
such a governing body. The conditions had to be created whereby
people would accept this as an alternative. If the people of the
world could somehow only be convinced that nations were responsible
for war and that peace could only be achieved if nationalism were
eliminated, then perhaps humanity would have finally arrived at a
point of accepting a One World Authority as its only alternative. In
order to lead mankind to this conclusion, however, wars had to be
created, sparked, and fanned into existence by acts of terrorism and
military aggression. No part of the world could be left unaffected
by armed conflicts and violence. But such conflicts had to be
incited and the weapons supplied by someone.
Enter the Soviet Union. Nearly every major conflict in the world
over the past forty years has been the result of Soviet aggression
or instigation. At one point during the early 1980s nearly one in
every four nations was engaged in some kind of war. Almost without
exception the USSR was the main perpetrator.
This constant strife and fear that a conflict somewhere could
escalate into a nuclear war, has played on peoples' minds
psychologically, wearing them down. It has caused them to desire
world peace more than anything else.
Now suppose that at some time in the future, a final conflict is
precipitated, say in Europe or the Middle East, and the Super Powers
are intentionally drawn into it. What if one of the powers was
destroyed as a result, with additional destruction occurring
elsewhere in the world?
Humanity would be awestruck and overwhelmed by such destruction, and
would now be prepared to accept a proposed One World Government,
which promises to prevent such occurring again. Effectively
convinced that nations cause wars, and disillusioned by the needless
loss of life resulting from such wars, the people of the world would
finally be wishing to surrender their national sovereignty to a
higher authority claiming the ability to protect them from one
another.
There is direct evidence to suggest that the hidden powers have been
planning for the eventual merger of the United States and the Soviet
Union all along, but not until after a prolonged period of Cold War
had accomplished their objectives. This evidence surfaced during the
Reece Committee investigations into tax-exempt foundations during
the 1950s. Norman Dodd, the director of research for the committee,
had at one point during the investigation been invited to the
headquarters of the Ford Foundation by its president. H. Rowan
Gaither, who was a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.
During this visit Gaither told Dodd: "All of us here at the
policymaking level have had experience, either in O.S.S. (Office of
Strategic Services) or the European Economic Administration, with
directives from the White House. We operate under those directives
here. Would you like to know what those directives are?"
Dodd responded that he would, after which Gaither replied: "The
substance of them is that we shall use our grant-making power so to
alter life in the United States that we can be comfortably merged
with the Soviet Union."
Dodd, who was jolted by the frankness of the remarks, asked if
Gaither would be willing to repeat his statement before the Reece
Committee; to which the Ford Foundation president responded: "That
we would not think of doing" (James J. Drummey, "The
Internationalist," The New American, 12 March, 1991. p.29-30. See
Leonard C. Lewin, Report From Iron Mountain On the Possibility and
Desirability of Peace; Penguin Books, 1967; Also, Taylor Caldwell,
Ceremony of the Innocent, Fawcett Books, 1976). |
|
|