Today’s Verse and Thought
“For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God's law; indeed, it cannot. Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.”(Romans 8:6-8).
No More Dogma
Europe, 1700s
The Enlightenment, with its humanist emphasis on reason, science, and secularism, was in full bloom. It would become key to the development of the US Colonies, especially during and after the War of Independence.
Mankind was no longer restricted by the rules of religious doctrine alone; now they believed they could unshackle themselves from its restraints and enjoy unfettered pleasures and philosophical discussions in smoky rooms under the cover of darkness. It was kind of like being part of the cool kids club.
It reminds me of when someone goes to college for the first time and encounters their first spring break. No longer under the watchful eye of parents, their newly found freedoms become a license to explore the depths of human intelligence and passions. As long as they keep up their grades and public decorum, they were free to explore their human desires without accountability.
This growing attitude inspired the formation of many secretive fraternal societies. These groups sought to promote Enlightenment ideals in culture. Their meetings served as forums for discussing political and social issues, and fostering business and political connections, particularly in the Colonies.
These personal associations helped in the formation of our “unified“ nation. Due to their standing and influence in society, the elite members challenged established dogmas, and forced intellectual change. They sought to seed the cultural mind with their progressive ideas rooted by their own desires and agendas.
These brotherhoods provided a sense of community and support for their exclusive members. They promised mutual assistance in business and social standing as well as “moral improvement” - at least in their public facing lives.
Behind closed doors, their secretive, and often base activities became the foundation of many conspiracies. They saw their ideals as an enlightened counterbalance to the rigid hierarchies that they rebelled against.
Almost in concert with one another, the 1700s saw the emergence of many secret societies and fraternal organizations pop up (all near the same time). Many of which had a significant impact on the development of our nation.
As we considered the question yesterday of whether or not the Founders of our nation held to a Christian worldview, we should consider some of these men’s activities and ideals born from these influential avenues - especially as it impacts the Church.
The primary source of thought for the Enlightenment was actually born out of the “mystery schools,” going all the way back to the Tower of Babel when mankind sought to make a name for themselves in defiance to God.
“Then they said, ‘Come, let us build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the heavens, and let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be dispersed over the face of the whole earth.’ ”(Genesis 11:4).
These mystery schools were ancient institutions focused on esoteric, forbidden knowledge given to humans by the fallen angels of Genesis 6:1-4. We can read about these acts in the ancient manuscript written by Enoch.
While not in the Biblical Canon, the book of Enoch 1 was quoted in Jude and is known as an important historical religious text which expands on what happened in Genesis six. It’s much like our Biblical commentaries today.
“And Azazel [a fallen angel] taught men to make swords, and knives, and shields, and breastplates, and made known to them the metals of the earth, and the art of working them, and bracelets, and ornaments, and the use of antimony, and the beautifying of the eyelids, and all kinds of costly stones, and all coloring tinctures. And there arose much godlessness, and they committed fornication, and they were led astray, and became corrupt in all their ways. Semjaza taught enchantments, and root-cuttings, Armaros the resolving of enchantments, Barakel astrology, and Kokabel the constellations, Ezeqeel the knowledge of the clouds, and Araqiel the signs of the earth, and Shamsiel the signs of the sun, and Sariel the course of the moon.” (The Book of the Watchers, 1 Enoch 8:1-3).
Examples of these mystery schools include the Eleusinian Mysteries of ancient Greece, the Mysteries of the pagan gods of Isis and Osiris in Egypt, and the Mithraic Mysteries in the Roman Empire. They were characterized by their secret teachings, initiation rituals, and a focus on personal spiritual transformation and enlightenment. The organizations of the 1700s held to many of these “enlightened” ideals, rituals, and practices.
“…secret societies and cults which are known by the general name of "mysteries," which comes from the Greek myein,"to close," referring to the need of the mystes, the initiate, to close the eyes and the lips and to keep secret the rites of the cult” (source).
Keep it Secret, Keep it Safe
Freemasons - Freemasonry was one such secretive organization that played a crucial role in our early development throughout the 1700s and beyond. Many Founding Fathers, including George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, and John Hancock, were Freemasons.
They had a notable influence on the foundational building of America, particularly during the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Freemasonry, as well as the social networks and intellectual circles associated with it, especially played a role in shaping American political and social structures.
Freemasonry’s symbols and rituals, such as the Square and Compass, and concepts like the “Great Architect of the Universe,” were incorporated into various elements of American iconography. For example, Masonic symbols are visible in many architectural features of government buildings and monuments.
Masons were heavily involved in the design and construction of several significant American buildings, including Washington DC and the U.S. Capitol and the White House. The architectural styles and symbolic elements used in these buildings reflect many pagan ideas, esoteric symbols, pagan influenced art and money, as well as Masonic principles.
The principles of Freemasonry, such as liberty, equality, and fraternity, resonated with Enlightenment ideals. Masonic lodges often served as meeting places for revolutionary leaders to discuss strategies and ideas. And as initiates were exposed to deeper and deeper mysteries, it afforded them entrance into each successive step on the 33 degrees of enlightenment of the Masonic ladder.
Although Freemasonry itself dates back to much earlier centuries, it became more formalized and widespread in the 1700s. The Grand Lodge of England was officially established in 1717, marking the beginning of modern Freemasonry. The Freemasons were known for their secret rituals and symbols, and they became influential in many countries, including the United States and various parts of Europe.
Many Freemasons were active in their churches and viewed their Masonic affiliation as “complementary” to their faith. Masonic lodges often include members from a range of denominations, although the organization itself does not endorse any particular religion, it does require each member to hold to the belief in a Supreme Being.
The Rosicrucians- Began in the early 1600s but continued to have an impact throughout the 1700s and beyond. It is also a mystical and philosophical secret society that claims to possess esoteric knowledge from the Mystery Schools. They sought to reform society and promote “spiritual enlightenment” as opposed to a denominational dogma.
The Rosicrucians influenced the broader intellectual climate of the time, which included the Enlightenment. Many of the Founding Fathers were influenced by Enlightenment ideas that were also themes present in Rosicrucian thought.
Illuminati: Founded on May 1, 1776, by Adam Weishaupt in Bavaria. The organization aimed to promote Enlightenment ideals and challenge the established order. Founded by Adam Weishaupt in Bavaria, the Bavarian Illuminati also aimed to promote Enlightenment ideals and rebelled against the teachings of the Bible. Although the organization was officially “suppressed” by the government in the late 1780s, it has since become the subject of numerous conspiracies and may be alive in the shadows today.
Order of the Cincinnatus - Established in 1783 by Continental Army officers, this fraternal organization was named after the Roman statesman Cincinnatus and aimed to promote the interests of American independence and liberty. Though not a secret society in the strictest sense, it had elements of exclusivity and ritualistic practices.
Theosophical Society - Although this was a much later organization, founded in 1875 by Helena Blavatsky and Henry Steel Olcott, it was influenced by earlier mystical and esoteric traditions. It sought to explore and promote occult knowledge and spiritual enlightenment.
The Hellfire Club - Hellfire Clubs existed in the 18th century, with the most famous being the one founded by Sir Francis Dashwood in the 1740s. These clubs were known for their debauched behavior and satirical rituals, and while they were not strictly “secret societies,” they operated with a degree of exclusivity and secrecy.
The College of the Rosy Cross - Founded in the 1700s, this group was an offshoot of the Rosicrucian movement and focused on esoteric and mystical teachings, continuing the Rosicrucian tradition of seeking “hidden knowledge.”
The Society of the Just - This secret society, founded by members of the Bavarian Illuminati in the 1700s, aimed to promote Enlightenment principles and oppose tyranny and superstition. It was closely associated with the Illuminati but focused more on practical reform.
The Order of the Dragon -This was more of an original religious order of the 1400s, much like the Knights Templar. One of the most famous members was Vlad III of Wallachia, also known as Vlad the Impaler or “Dracula.”
It was Originally founded by the Holy Roman Emperor Sigismund to defend Christianity against Ottoman incursions, but by the 1700s the Order of the Dragon became a symbol of chivalric and secretive traditions, influencing later fraternal organizations.
The Theban Society - This society was less well-known but was another example of secretive groups focusing on esoteric knowledge and reformist ideas.
The Grand Orient de France: - Founded in 1773, this is one of the largest and oldest Masonic organizations in France. It played a significant role in French Freemasonry and had a notable influence on political and social issues in France.
The Order of Saint John (also known as the Knights Hospitaller or Knights of Malta that we looked at in an earlier study) - this order was also founded much earlier in the 1100s, but its activities and influence were going strong by the 1700s. Though established earlier, the Knights Hospitaller maintained a significant presence and influence well into the 1700s, continuing their role as a military and religious order.
The Philalethes Society - Founded in the 1730s as another Masonic society that emerged in France, also focusing on all the philosophical and intellectual aspects of Freemasonry.
Slight of Hand
While the Church was debating whether Catholic dogma or Protestant reforms were the right religious doctrine, many elite and powerful men of influence abandoned these churches and replaced them with humanist institutions of their own mystical theology with roots going all the way back to the time of Nimrod at Babel.
But wait a minute, isn’t Freemasonry “just a bunch of guys into socializing, non-satanic rituals, self-improvement, and community service” as the National Geographic describes them?
Or is there something far less “conspiratorial” about them, and much more “truth telling” than our historians and media like to portray? When does a conspiracy theory turn into a conspiracy fact? And why should the church even care about all this secret squirrel stuff anyway?
To be continued…
Today’s Question
Verses to Explore
“…as it is written: ‘None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God. All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.’ ’Their throat is an open grave; they use their tongues to deceive.’ ’The venom of asps is under their lips.’ ‘Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness.’ ‘Their feet are swift to shed blood; in their paths are ruin and misery, and the way of peace they have not known.’ ‘There is no fear of God before their eyes.’ ”(Romans 3:10-18).
“So then, brothers, stand firm and hold to the traditions that you were taught by us, either by our spoken word or by our letter” (2 Thessalonians 2:15).
“And I was advancing in Judaism beyond many of my own age among my people, so extremely zealous was I for the traditions of my fathers.”(Galatians 1:14).
Today’s Prayer
Father it’s so easy for me to see now how Satan took opportunities - not letting a good crisis go to waste as they say - to further his agenda while men were in doctrinal chaos. It is such an old magic trick as he distracts us with confusion and chaos so that he can slither in and sow evil. It reminds me of your story of the wheat and the tares when an enemy sowed weeds. We are so prone to take our eyes off of what we know as truth in trade for reactionary responses to an immediate demanding problem. We have a tendency to pay attention to the urgent at the expense of the important all the time.
While we are all so busy debating whether blue or red carpet in the church is the holier color, the dragon enjoys the freedom to spread his counterfeit religions. I see now that he doesn’t care what flavor of error we adhere to, as long as we keep our eyes off of You. I’m sorry we are so easily fooled. I pray today for wisdom. I pray you open our eyes to see these tricks for what they are.
As we get closer to the end of the age, the chaos is growing. Today the dragon is using every binary idea to set us against one another so that he can carry on his evil plan right under our noses while we busily fight with one another.
Help us Father. We can’t do any of this without your Holy discernment and protection. I feel like we are missing something really important as we watch these magic tricks. Expose the lies. Expose the evil. Show us the subtle nudge of satan in our choice of entertainment, toys, clothes, art, schools, attitudes, celebrations…wherever it is - expose it to us so that we can come out of it.
Bring it to the surface so that we can then watch your divine hand claim your holy throne and declare your righteous name. I know we have to live in this world, but you tell us not to be “of this world.”
Help us turn off our tablets, disconnect our smart stuff, whatever it takes to get our heart and mind set on your will. If we ignore these things satan will destroy us one little poisonous inoculation at a time… until the very souls of our children are destroyed in front of our eyes. Father God I beg for your help and to pour out your Holy Spirit into our lives in a very significant way. We desperately need you. And may our lives always bring you honor and glory in all we do. Amen.❤️
The climb to becoming a Master Mason (source).