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 PREPARATION The 1st degree Entered Apprentice Mason is prepared for initiation by being deprived of all monies, metals and articles of value. He is blindfolded. His left breast, right arm, and left knee is made bare. His right heal is made slip-shod. A halter (rope) is placed around his neck. The Entered Apprentice degree teaches, "As the Sun rises in the East to open and illumine the glorious day, so the Worshipful Master presides in the East, to open the Lodge, to rule and govern it with good and wholesome advice and instruction." The 'Worshipful Master,' who sits in the east in Freemasonry, is the symbolic human embodiment of the sun. His deputy the Senior Warden, who sits in the west represents the moon. The 'Worshipful Master' is thus elevated to the post of a 'light-bearer.' Masonic adept W.L. Wilmshurst alludes to this matter in his book 'The Meaning of Masonry,' where he expounds, in great detail, the esoteric (or hidden) spiritual significance of this peculiar custom. He states, "The Senior Warden, whilst the Master's chief executive officer, is his antithesis and opposite pole…At best he in the West can but reflect and transmit that greater light from the East, as the moon receives and reflects sunlight" (PP. 101-102). As soon as the Worshipful Master opens the Entered Apprentice Lodge meeting - the Deacons raise their wands over a mystical three-branched candlestick flickering within the Lodge known as the Three Great Lights. LIGHT The guide then knocks three times on the Lodge door seeking entry. To which he hears, "Who comes there?" The conductor of the Entered Apprentice degree then replies, "One in darkness, who wishes to approach the Light." Masonic authority Albert Mackey explains: "When the candidate makes a demand for light, it is not merely for that material light, which is to remove a physical darkness, that is only the outward form, which conceals the inward symbolism. He craves an intellectual illumination which will dispel the darkness of mental and moral ignorance, and bring to his view, as an eyewitness, the sublime truths of religion, philosophy and science, which it is the great design of Freemasonry to teach… Light, therefore, becomes synonymous with trust and knowledge and darkness with falsehood and ignorance." Christian authority on Freemasonry Tom C. McKenney states that, "Masonry defines itself as a search for 'light'." This means enlightenment, the acquisition of knowledge that redeems and empowers... This search for the secret knowledge goes on and on, as the individual becomes gradually perfected, redeeming himself!" (Please Tell Me P. 176) Imagine a professing Christian who has received the true light of the Lord Jesus Christ, through salvation, subjecting himself to this Entered Apprentice ceremony which requires him to divest himself of that light to conform to the devilishly designed procedures of a man- made sinful institution. The true child of God needs no mystical enlightenment, as he possesses the blessed light of God's dear Son the Lord Jesus Christ. The Lord Himself declared in John 8:12, "I am the light of the world, he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life." William T. Still in his evangelical book 'New World Order: - The Ancient Plan of Secret Societies' says: "All Secret Societies promote an alternative form of enlightenment, an enlightenment which is damning countless souls to hell." Daniel says, of Almighty God: "He revealeth the deep and secret things: he knoweth what is in the darkness, and the light dwelleth with him" (Daniel 2:22). SIFTING The Worshipful Master then asks of the Entered Apprentice candidate:- Q. What good can be reported of him? A. "That he is a man free-born, without maim or defect, living in good repute amongst his friends and neighbours." The Worshipful Master then declares, "Admit him." This sifting process is designed to portray an image that the Lodge is both honourable and exclusive. This reply reminds us some of the peoples excluded from the Lodge. All women. Whereas, the Lord Jesus Christ says in Matthew 11:28, "Come unto me, ALL ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." KNOWLEDGE The Entered Apprentice candidate is asked several questions, one of which is, "Do you come with a preconceived opinion of the excellence of our Order, a desire for knowledge, and to make yourself more extensively useful amongst your fellow men?" To which the candidate is required to say, "I do." This search for knowledge is known as Gnosticism. Gnosticism is the mystical search for secret knowledge. It involves spiritual journey for enlightenment through ritual initiation. It transcends all the normal religious boundaries and is adapted to whatever cultures it touches. This belief is universal and can be applied to any religion or any culture. The knowledge offered to Entered Apprentice masons in this initiation is the same, and from the same source, as that offered to Eve in the Garden of Eden. It is also the same deceptive delusion. Genesis 3:4-6 records, "And the serpent [Satan] said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil. And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat." The result of their disobedience is revealed in the next verse, where the devil's lie is exposed, saying, "And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons" (v7). This false hope brought both spiritual and physical death to man. From that time forward, man was faced with an awful inheritance - sin. Unfortunately, Entered Apprentice Masons are still believing the devil's lie and still trusting upon the apron for a covering. Romans 1:28-32 solemnly says, "And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient; Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful: Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them." SWORD INTO THE BREAST The Entered Apprentice candidate then receives a jab into his bare breast from the point of a compass. The conductor declares, "As this pricks your flesh, so may remembrance prick your conscience, should you at any time be tempted to betray the trust we are now about to place in you." The conductor then declares, "The Entered Apprentice candidate has been received according to Ancient custom." We learn in the 'Freemasons Guide and Compendium' that by the candidate enduring such a reception; "There is brought home to him the seriousness of the step which he proposes to take, and he is reminded of the responsibility that will rest on him to guard the secrets about to be entrusted to him." (P. 273) The candidate is later told, "At your entrance into the Lodge, this sword was presented to your naked left breast, so that had you rashly attempted to rush forward, you would have been accessory to your own death by stabbing. Not so with the brother who held it; as he would have only remained firm to his duty" (Masonic Manual p.9). Former Wiccan Witch high priest and thirty-second degree Freemason - William J Schnoebelen, in comparing the remarkable similarities between Freemasonry and the initiation into witchcraft, exposes the Satanic home of this practice. He states both groups: "Challenge the candidate by piercing their naked chest with a sharp instrument (witches use a sword, Masons, the point of a compass)." In the 'History of Initiation' by Oliver, we find the origins of this ancient practice in the Persian mysteries where the initiates were met by the point of the sword being pressed into their left breast. LIGHT The conductor/guide takes the Entered Apprentice candidate's hand and knocks three times on the shoulder of the Junior who says, "who comes there?" His conductor replies, "One in darkness, who wishes to approach the Light." The Entered Apprentice conductor/guide says, "Brother Senior Warden, by direction of the Worshipful Master, I present to you this candidate for Freemasonry, and crave your fraternal assistance in having him placed in the proper position in order to take an obligation." The Senior Warden replies, "Let the candidate stand erect, and face the east." The conductor then turns the Entered Apprentice candidate, so that he faces the Masonic altar and the 'Worshipful Master' in the east. The Deacons also turn and face the East. This peculiar spectacle is in reality a modern-day re-enactment of the idolatry witnessed in the house of God in Ezekiel's day. The Lord asked the Prophet in Ezekiel 8, "hast thou seen what the ancients of the house of Israel do in the dark [or obscurity], every man in the chambers of his imagery?" (V.12). The prophet Ezekiel then records, "And he brought me into the inner court of the LORD's house, and, behold, at the door of the temple of the LORD, between the porch and the altar, were about five and twenty men, with their backs toward the temple of the LORD, and their faces toward the east; and they worshipped the sun toward the east"(V16). The candidate then approaches the altar in the east and kneels down before it. He is then required to take an obligation or oath by placing his hand upon his chosen holy book - known within the Lodge as the 'Volume of the Sacred Law'. OATH As the blindfolded Entered Apprentice candidate prepares to take his obligation the noose around his neck is removed. He then swears, "I ---------- ------------------ in the presence of the great Architect of the Universe, and of this warranted, worthy, and worshipful Lodge of free and accepted Masons, regularly assembled and properly dedicated, of my own free will and accord, do hereby and hereon, most solemnly and sincerely swear, that I will always hale, conceal and never reveal any part or parts, point or points, of the secrets and mysteries of, or belonging to, free and accepted Masons in Masonry, which have been, shall now, or hereafter may be, communicated to me, unless it be a true and lawful brother or brothers…I further solemnly promise, that I will not write those secrets, print, carve, engrave, or otherwise them delineate, or cause or suffer them to be done so by others, if in my power to prevent it, on anything movable or immovable under the canopy of heaven… that our secrets, arts, and hidden mysteries, may improperly become known through my unworthiness. Under no less a penalty than that of having my throat cut across, my tongue torn out by its roots, and buried in the rough sands of the sea at low-water mark, where the tide ebbs and flows twice in twenty four hours, or the more efficient punishment of being branded as a wilfully perjured individual void of all moral worth…So help me God, and keep me steadfast in this my great and solemn obligation of an Entered Apprentice Freemason." The Entered Apprentice candidate is then required to ratify his obligation by kissing the 'Volume of the Sacred Law'. No true Christian can justify such mutilating curses neither should any believer bind himself to such wickedness as he is the Lord's unique possession and his body is the temple of the Holy Spirit. 1 Corinthians 3:16-17 says, "Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are." The Bible says, "Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's." (1 Corinthians 6:19-20) The unseemly language in these curses clearly violates the teaching of Scripture. Ephesians 4:29-30 says, "Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers. And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption." The revival preacher Charles G. Finney in his book 'Character and Claims of Freemasonry' alludes to such curses, stating: "The penalty for violating this oath is monstrous, barbarous, savage, and is utterly repugnant to all laws of morality, religion or decency" (P. 35). He then poignantly addresses those involved in such sin: "If they can see no sin in taking and administering such oaths under such penalties, they have succeeded, whether intentionally or not, in rendering themselves utterly blind, as regard the moral character of their conduct…they have put out their own eyes." (P.59) The Entered Apprentice candidate is then asked, "Having been for some time in a state of darkness, of what do you stand most in need? The candidate is then prompted to say, "Light." The Worshipful Master then declares, "And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. And God said, Let there be light: and there was light." Whereupon the candidate's blindfold is ripped off and he faced with a dazzling three-branched candlestick flickering before him. Here the Lodge attributes the words of Almighty God, spoken in Genesis 1:2-3 when He brought natural light into the world at the beginning, to this blasphemous act. Jesus said in Matt 6:23-24, "If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness! No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other." Ephesians 5: 6-11 declares, "Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience. Be not ye therefore partakers with them. For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light: (For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth;) Proving what is acceptable unto the Lord. And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them." A search for light is a both common and central to all secret societies initiations. This light here is the light which is represented by the Worshipful Master - false light - counterfeit light. The Entered Apprentice candidate is then taught, "On this altar before you are the 'Lights of Freemasonry' known to us as the Three Great Lights, and the Three Lesser Lights. The Three Great Lights lie between your hands, they are the Volume of the Sacred Law, the square and the compasses…The Three Lesser Lights are represented by the three tapers burning before you; that on the left represents the Sun which rules the Day; that on the Right, the Moon which governs the Night, and that is the East, Presiding Officer of the Lodge, who is called the Worshipful Master." The Entered Apprentice candidate is then told: "By your meek and candid behaviour this evening, you have escaped two great dangers; but there is a third which will await you to the latest period of your existence. The dangers which you have escaped are those of stabbing and strangling; for, at your entrance into the Lodge, this sword was presented to your naked left breast, so that had you rashly attempted to rush forward, you would have been accessory to your own death by stabbing. Not so with the brother who held it; as he would have only remained firm to his duty. There was likewise this Cable Tow, with a running noose about your neck, which would have rendered any attempt to retreat equally fatal by strangling. But the danger which will await you to your latest hour, is the penalty of your obligation, that you would rather have your throat cut across, than to improperly divulge the secrets of Masonry"(Masonic Manual P. 9). Martin Short in his book 'Inside the Brotherhood' outlines the spiritual significance of the cable-tow round the candidate, stating that "the cable-tow round his neck is 'a symbolical umbilical cord' which when cut, symbolizes 'birth and new life'." (P. 143) "The Secret Word of this Degree is accompanied by a certain hand-shake or grip, and if you were undergoing examination, proving yourself to be an Entered Apprentice Freemason, there is a certain method by which that Word and grip are given." The password for the 1st degree is then given by being spelt letter by letter "B" The password for the 1st degree is: "B-O-A-Z" The Entered Apprentice candidate candidate is then told, "From what you know of Freemasonry in general, you will realise that although we call ourselves Freemasons, yet we do not take part in any manual labour as performed by the operative masons. We do however, use certain tools of the operative Masons to impress upon us moral lessons. These implements are known as 'working tools' of the degree. The working tools of the Entered Apprentice degree are the 24" Gauge and the Common Gavel." "In the symbolic language of Freemasonry, the 24" Gauge becomes the symbol of times well spent." The Common Gavel "has been adopted in speculative Masonry to admonish us of the duty of divesting our minds and consciences of all vices and impurities of life, thereby fitting ourselves as living stones for that spiritual building not made with hands, eternal in the heavens." The 1st degree bEntered Apprentice candidate is informed, "You will now be conducted to the 'Worshipful Master,' to be clothed with the distinguishing badge of an entered apprentice Freemason, and to hear the Ancient Charge of the degree read by him to you." The candidate is first taken to the secretaries desk to sign the Masons register and receive the lodge bye-laws and the laws and constitution of the Grand Lodge. He is then taken to the north-east corner of the lodge where the Lodge salutes him as an Entered Apprentice Mason. The 'Worshipful Master' then endows the candidate with a white lambskin apron and declares, "I now invest you with this a apron, the distinguishing badge of an Entered Apprentice Freemason. Observe, it is made of lambskin, the emblem, from time immemorial, of purity and innocence. It has been worn with distinction throughout the ages and even Kings and Princes have not thought it beneath their dignity to exchange the sceptre for the trowel. It is more ancient than the Golden Fleece or Roman Eagle; more honourable than the Garter; or any other order which can be bestowed upon you. I exhort you to never disgrace it and you can be assured, it will never disgrace you." Christian authority on Freemasonry, Martin L Wagner, says "After the candidate has been initiated into the first degree and has become pure and innocent, he is given the white lambskin apron, which 'is his badge as a Mason, a sign of his purification and innocence.' It is to be laid upon his coffin and buried with him, and entitles him to eternal reward" (Freemasonry - an interpretation p.123). The magical awe this garment is held in, reveals its idolatrous origins, the veiled language used uncovers a hidden occultic significance. In reality this garment is symbolic of Satan's good works religion. James Rongstad reveals in his evangelical book 'How to Respond to the Lodge' how the candidate to the Entered Apprentice degree is taught, "You were presented a Lambskin or White Leather Apron. The Lamb has in all ages been deemed an emblem of innocence. By the Lambskin, therefore the Mason is reminded of that purity of life and conduct which is essential to his gaining admission to the Celestial Lodge above, where the Supreme Architect of the Universe presides" (p. 18). He quotes from page 44 of the Louisiana Masonic Monitor. Here the Entered Apprentice candidate Mason is taught that he is saved not by grace through faith but by good deeds. The concluding address reveals the foundation upon which Freemasonry is constructed. "No institution can boast a more solid foundation than that on which Freemasonry rests - 'the practice of social and moral virtue'." This statement reveals the sinister nature of Freemasonry. It shows us the delusion that most Masons accept. However, it is an order built upon the sandy foundation of good works. Whereas the true Church is built upon the Rock. - Christ Jesus. 1 Corinthians 3:11 says, "For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ." |
