and Their Infiltration of the Seven Churches of Revelation
by John Daniel

Philologos Religious Online Books
Philologos.org

Secret Societies and
Their Infiltration of the Seven Churches of Revelation

Transcription of seven 1-hour audio cassette messages 
by John Daniel, author of "Scarlet and the Beast"

Tape Seven
The Secret Society at the Church of Laodicea

Tape 6 | Introduction

John Kreigel: 
Hello, I'm John Kreigel, President of JKI Publishing. Before we begin this series of seven messages on the seven churches of Revelation, I want to give you a brief overview of God's plan for mankind as recorded in Scripture. This will help you better understand the purpose behind these seven messages.

There is a battle between God and Satan. It's not an eternal battle for Scripture prophesies the end of Satan. God is the victor over evil in the past, the present and the future. The devil knows this, but he continues the war against God anyway in hopes of putting off the inevitable. His mode of operation is to form secret societies to conspire against God and man.

Satan was once Lucifer, the mighty archangel. Scripture tells us that he first conspired with 1/3 of the angels to dethrone God. As a result, there was war in heaven and God cast Lucifer and his angels out of heaven onto the earth where Lucifer became Satan, the Adversary. On earth, the Adversary's battle continued for the souls of mankind. God warned Adam and Eve in advance not to join Satan's rebellion or they would die. Satan deceived Eve with the promise of godhood; Eve recruited Adam and together they joined Satan's rebellion. Because of their disobedience, God could no longer fellowship with Adam and Eve, hence the human race was doomed to both a physical and spiritual death unless God intervened.

In love of, and infinite mercy for His creation, God set in motion a redemption plan. In Genesis 3:15 God announced His plan to Satan; God would destroy Satan through a Redeemer born of the seed of a woman which is interpreted to mean, born of a virgin. The development of the seed plot is recorded throughout the entire Old Testament. The Redeemer would be of Hebrew race, born of the tribe of Judah, through the kingly line of David. To the Jews of the Old Testament, he was known as the Holy One of Israel, the Messiah. The New Testament records the culmination of God's plan. By the power of the Holy Spirit, God's seed was miraculously placed in the womb of a virgin, her name was Mary, of the lineage of King David.

When the Messiah ("Christ" in Greek) was born, Mary named him Jesus which means "Savior." Jesus Christ, the Savior Messiah of the human race was both deity and man, God incarnate. In this form, God would pay the penalty for mankind's sin of rebellion by His own death. Christ's ministry on earth, His life, His death, burial and resurrection, completed the redemption plan for mankind.

However, the redemption plan is not a blanket amnesty for mankind. Every person must choose to accept or reject the plan. Only those who accept the plan are redeemed to eternal life. To carry the good news of this redemption plan throughout earth, Jesus Christ founded the Church. The Church is not a building, it's not a corporation. It is a body of believers in Christ who have been given the task to spread the good news that the human race is no longer doomed to eternal separation from God, that if they repent of their rebellion against the Almighty and accept Jesus Christ as their Savior, they will have eternal life. The finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross of Calvary defeated Satan.

Satan's ultimate doom, however, is prophesied not to occur until after the end of the Church Age. Therefore, to prolong his life, the Adversary fights to extend the Church Age. With those who rejected the redemption plan, Satan conspired to form secret societies to infiltrate the Church for the express purpose of slowing the progress of evangelism. The record of this conspiracy is recorded in the book of Revelation chapters 2 and 3.

John Daniel, author of the best-selling trilogy "Scarlet and the Beast" is both author and narrator of these series of seven audiocassette messages entitled "Secret Societies and Their Infiltration of the Seven Churches of Revelation."

Now, here is John Daniel.

John Daniel: 
Turn in your Bible to Revelation 3:14-22. I'll be reading from the old King James version.

And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God; I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth. Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked: I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see. As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent. Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me. To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.

Laodicea means "the people speak or the people rule." It's opposite of Nicolaitane where the priesthood rules. So powerful was the Protestant Reformation against Nicolaitanism that the pendulum of political rule in both government and the church swung to the opposite extreme. Hence, the Laodicean church is ruled by a democracy of the people in stark contrast to the autocracy of the priesthood in the Thyatira church period. Walter Scott in his exposition of the Revelation of Jesus Christ wrote that Laodicea also means "the people's rights" which is essentially what was won by the political revolutions during the Sardis and Philadelphia church period. With these rights came individual autonomy, not only politically but also spiritually. In our day and with few exceptions, the congregation rules in most Protestant churches, not the priest, pastor, elders, deacons nor the board. Every decision made in most Protestant churches is finalized by a majority vote of the congregation. The people speak, or in today's vernacular, the people express their voice through their vote. As a result, we find a vicious individualism in Laodicean assemblies that sometimes split churches or we see a constant movement of people from church to church which was prophesied by the apostle Paul to occur during the time of the Laodicean church period. I quote Paul's prophecy found in 2 Timothy 4:3-4 — "For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables."

A church run by congregational vote whose membership runs the gamut of individual preferences of the color of carpet to what kind of sermons the pastor will preach is the final church period which becomes lukewarm towards the things desired by Christ. In fact, Christ has been voted out for in Revelation 3:20 we find our Savior outside the church door knocking for reentry. Following is an example of this happening in our day:

In the early 1980s a brother in Christ and personal friend of mine was preparing for the evangelical ministry; I was on his board. One of the other board members was an evangelical Southern Baptist pastor whose congregation had financed building the largest church in town with a gymnasium attached. Start-up funding came primarily from several wealthy high Masons who were irritated Sunday after Sunday by the pastor's message of repentance and salvation. Finally, these benefactors suggested to the Board of Deacons that they approach the pastor and tell him to tone down the messages. The deacons, most of whom were Lodge brothers of the benefactors, did as instructed. When the pastor refused, the benefactors reverted to intimidation and threatened to split the church and dump the payments of the gymnasium on those who remained. Sunday after Sunday the pastor preached salvation and Sunday after Sunday the Board demanded the pastor preach a social gospel. Finally, the anointed of God was discharged by majority vote of the congregation and with that vote Christ was also voted out. This is Laodicea, the wealthy, lukewarm church of the last days in which the people rule by majority vote.

The Laodicean church period is the last before Christ returns; we are living in that day. I date the beginning of this church period at the end of WWII when massive government spending began to make America affluent which affluence crept into the church. Hence, the headquarters of the wealthy Laodicean church can only be in the US for the combined wealth of the Protestant churches in our nation far exceed the shrinking wealth of the Catholic Church.

The first century church at Laodicea of Asia Minor was likewise wealthy. Its prosperity was also made possible by the city's wealth. Laodicea was situated along the banks of a river and stood at the junction of three great roads traversing Asia Minor. The location of the city was conducive to commercial enterprise, hence it prospered as a large industrial administrative center specializing in banking, textile manufacturing and medicine. Many wealthy people attended the Laodicean church which, of course, caused the church to prosper. Evidence of this prosperity is found in the present day ruins of three large church buildings dating back to the early days of Christianity. Laodicea's economy was fueled by a textile industry that manufactured from the wool of black sheep, soft, sleek, black garments and carpets that were popular both locally and in the surrounding region. The medical school was likewise famous for successfully mixing chemicals to cure diseases. Its physicians, whose allegiance was to the serpent god Asklepios, produced an ointment for the ears and eyes. Especially famous was the Laodicean eye salve for healing certain forms of blindness. The banking industry likewise flourished in Laodicea because of the city's prosperous economy. Like ancient Sardis, ancient Laodicea was devastated by an earthquake in 62 AD. But unlike Sardis, which had hot springs heated by underground molten lava, Laodicea was noted for its lukewarm springs, pleasant for bathing but sickening to drink. As for the church at Laodicea, it was not known for immorality, idolatry or open apostasy although there may have been these conditions. It was known for its wealth and its spiritual complacency which Christ calls lukewarmness.

This brings us to Christ's characteristic for the Laodicean church period. As you recall in our previous studies, the characteristics of Christ are recorded in Revelation 1:10-18. It is significant to note that none of these apply to Laodicea; we find a new set of characteristics which contradict ancient Laodicea and likewise condemns the church period of our day. Follow me as I read Revelation 3:14 — "These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God." Amen is not used as an adverb here but as a noun and it figuratively means "trustworthy" and in this sense is a title given to Christ, the Amen, the trustworthy one. This characteristic of Christ is further strengthened by the phrase that follows: "the faithful and true witness." In Greek "witness" means "martyr." Christ was the first true martyr of the church; he faithfully went to the cross without protest and without asserting his rights. In contrast, the Laodicean people's rights church is lukewarm toward the one who died to make atonement for their sin. They are neither trustworthy nor faithful nor true witnesses. Consequently, Christ finds nothing good in this church, it's a total failure because its thoughts are not those of urgency to evangelize nor of anticipating Christ's imminent return. Rather, it is one of spiritual complacency at it strives for wealth.

The third phrase to characterize Christ is that he is the beginning of the creation of God. This doesn't suggest that Jesus was created by God as some cults teach. In Greek "beginning" means "the magistrate, the chief cornerstone, the power which preceded creation or the one who ruled over creation." In other words, Christ is the creator and ruler over creation. The apostle Paul wrote to the Colossians in 1:16 — "For by Christ were all things created." Again in John 1:3 the apostle John wrote of Christ that "all things were made by him and without him was not anything made that was made." Christ's characteristic as the creator condemns lukewarm Laodicea for their complacency toward him. Christ has no commendation for Laodicea; there is nothing in its ministry that honors the Lord or brings his favor and blessing, there is only condemnation and that condemnation addresses Laodicea's works. Found in Revelation 3:15-16 it reads "I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth." Unlike the nonexistent works of Sardis Christians, Laodicean Christians have works but their works are lukewarm and nauseate our Savior and he is about to vomit for "spue thee out of my mouth" means to vomit.

If Christ spues lukewarm Christians out of his mouth, does this mean they lose their salvation or were they never Christians to begin with? One author on Laodicea states that "Lukewarm refers to those who profess to be Christians but clearly are not and face the consequences of an eternity without God and without hope." I don't agree with this author for we shall see that Christ calls this church to repentance, not repentance to salvation but repentance from lukewarm works caused by an opulent lifestyle to one of hot works. The ancient Laodicean church was orthodox, it had not denied the cross and the gospel, it had not denied the deity of Christ, it had not denied the fact of sin, it knew the world was lost; it simply was indifferent to these facts. Likewise, the Laodicean church of our day is lukewarm toward the job Christ gave it to do. Because it's not faithful in witnessing, Christ is nauseated. Although Christ says "I will spue you out of my mouth" the word "will" in Greek is not imperative, it's a probability or possibility. Christ says "I'm about to, I'm ready to, I have it in my mind to" implying graciously the possibility of the threat not being executed if only the Laodiceans repent at once. Christ's dealings toward them will depend upon their dealings toward him. Our Savior doesn't work this way with the unsaved.

In Revelation 3:17 Christ addresses the prosperous condition of the Laodicean church — "Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked." Here we find three conditions that cause complacency in the Laodicean church: First, the church is proud of its wealth and brags about it saying "I am rich and increased with goods." In many churches today, the prosperity doctrine is preached. If Christ is consulted at all it's to assist in creating wealth. When wealth is achieved by following a certain formula, it's flaunted as a blessing from God. Let's compare this wealth with the poverty of the Philadelphia church period and you decide if wealth is a gift from God that brings souls to Christ. As you recall, Philadelphia successfully evangelized the world with little strength, little funds and little training. Today Philadelphia missionaries still have little strength, little funds and some training but their funds have not increased in proportion to the wealth of Laodicean churches yet these churches find plenty of funds to increase building budgets for larger sanctuaries, gymnasiums and schools. And in these churches are millionaire Laodiceans who don't increase their support of missions in the percent that their wealth increases. Christ says that because more emphasis is placed on creating wealth, the works of the Laodicean Christians are lukewarm meaning indifferent toward evangelism and missions.

The second condition that causes complacency in the Laodicean church is their self-confidence. People with wealth say "I have need of nothing." Jesus said in John 15:1 "Without me ye can do nothing." It's obvious that material abundance is not conducive to spiritual vitality.

The third condition which causes complacency in the Laodicean church is that they are self-righteous. Christ counters in verse 17 and 18 with a description of their poverty stricken spiritual state followed by the riches he has for them to purchase: "thou knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked: I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see." Four of these five spiritual poverty stricken states have no expanded meaning in the Greek. "Poor," however, carries the idea of being "scared or frightened." Wealthy people are always portrayed as being scared of losing their wealth; their entire focus is in the protection of the wealth and growth of that wealth. Since they are lukewarm, they don't invest in spiritual things because it brings no earthly gain. In the Greek text, Christ says they are miserable in their wealth, they are pitiful, frightened beggars, blind to their spiritual nudity.

The spiritual condition of the Laodicean church is summed up in two surveys taken recently: (1)In 1985 it was reported that only 15% of Christians read their Bible and pray daily; (2) in 1987 a survey revealed that Christians place a higher value on their lifestyle than on their church. What caused such a drastic change from the fiery Philadelphia heritage to a lukewarm Laodicean finale? Although Christ mentions no secret society influence in the Laodicean church to cause it to become lukewarm there is other scripture relating to the end-time church which suggest Masonic influence. I've already quoted the scripture earlier in this study and I shall quote it again. Found in 2 Timothy 4:3-4 it reads "For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables." The Greek rendering of three words in this passage reveal that Masonic materialism and Masonic doctrine have crept into the church of the last days. Those words are "lusts," "heap" and "fables." Webster's definition of "lust" carries only the idea of sexual desire. In Greek, however, it gives a broader meaning which is "longing for what is forbidden." This could either be forbidden physical lust or forbidden spiritual lust. In context with the thought of this scripture, it means lust for something other than sound doctrine. The second word "heap" in Greek means "to seek additional information." The additional information being sought is found in the word "fables" which means "to initiate into a myth." "Fable" comes from the Greek word "mysteries" which means "to shut the mouth; a secret through the idea of silence imposed by initiation into religious rites." There is no question as to what this is referencing. The teachers that end-time Laodiceans heap to themselves are Masonic instructors who initiate them into the additional information of Masonic mysteries for which they lust. Not only is there scriptural evidence that secret societies have infiltrated the end-time church, there is also historic evidence that Freemasonry planned to destroy the effect of the church in America by turning it materialistic.

Freemasonry began its move against the Laodicean church during the Philadelphia church period when our Lord said that he would cause the synagogue of Satan to worship alongside of evangelical Christians. When Masons fulfilled that prophecy, some came to church with orders from the Masonic hierarchy to weaken the Philadelphia church through materialism and liberalism. The church didn't have the spiritual discernment to recognize that some of the Masons were not repentant, but rather were infiltrators. Charles G. Finney himself who was at the forefront of the anti-Masonic movement was shocked after WWII to discover that Freemasonry had rebounded in greater numbers than before. For this reason, Finney wrote his book on Freemasonry to warn the church that it had been infiltrated. But his warning fell on deaf ears for materialism had already set in during the industrial revolution and by the turn of the 20th century, mainline churches had already begun to turn lukewarm. Today these churches are filled with Masons who teach Sunday School classes, who hold administrative and ruling positions. Most appalling are Masons behind the pulpit calling themselves pastors. As a result, the fiery hot messages of yesteryear have died to lukewarm embers of Masonic toleration.

What I am about to reveal next cannot be found in secular or Protestant history for it's been suppressed by collaborating authors yet the plan of Freemasonry to render the fiery Philadelphia church impotent is well documented in a controlled circulation of Masonic history. Detailed documentation can be found in my trilogy of books entitled "Scarlet and the Beast." This story began when the Philadelphia church in America was about to embark on its second great awakening. In 1816 at age 24, Charles G. Finney received his Masonic degrees in Meridian Sun Lodge #32 in Warren, CT. In 1818, he moved to NY and in June made his first visit to the Rising Sun Lodge #125 at Adams, NY where he was made a member two years later on December 14, 1820. On May 24th in the year 1824 after his conversion to Christianity and his licensing as a minister at the St. Lawrence Presbytery, Finney was discharged from the Masonic Lodge by his own request. Two years later he began conducting revivals throughout the Middle and Eastern US. He wrote and preached anti-Masonry wherever he went and with former 33rd degree Mason Jonathan Blanchard, a Presbyterian minister and President of Wheaton College, published an anti-Masonic newspaper called "The Christian Sinecure." As a result of Finney's and others' preaching and publications, the synagogue of Satan, those who say they are Jews and are not, bowed its knee to the Philadelphia church. From 1851 to 1865 Finney was President of Oberlin College, a Christian institution in Ohio. In 1868, both Finney and Blanchard along with Bishop David Edwards, formed the National Christian Association with the express purpose of opposing all secret societies. This grew into the American Party in 1872 and ran candidates in the 1876 and 1880 national elections. A century later, Freemasonry scoffed at the futile attempt of Charles G. Finney to crush Freemasonry. This mockery is an indictment against blind Laodicean Christians of today. I quote the Masonic author's 1958 boast of infiltrating Finney's great work: "Were Finney alive today," he wrote, "how surprised he would be to learn that there are more Masons among the undergraduates and graduates of Oberlin College than existed during the Morgan Affair in the entire state of New York." As you recall from our study of the Philadelphia church period, the Morgan Affair occurred in 1826, two years following the conversion of Finney. Capt. William Morgan, a Freemason of 30 years, published a book in 1825 exposing Masonic secrets. In 1826 Morgan was indicted and tried by a secret Masonic court. After the trial, three Masons tied him with iron weights, rode him by boat out into Lake Superior in the dead of night and pushed him overboard. The disappearance of Morgan so aroused Americans against Freemasonry that it gave rise to the anti-Masonic party of 1826-1835 which opposed Freemasonry in civil affairs. In 1831, the party held a anti-Masonic presidential convention with most states represented. At the convention, William Wort (ph) of Maryland, a former Mason, was nominated for the president of the US. During this time, 141 anti-Masonic newspapers were published throughout America. Families, churches and communities were split when 40,000 Masons publicly disavowed their membership. As a result, 2,000 lodges closed their doors; those that kept operating went underground. In NY where there were 500 lodges in 1826, there were only 49 in 1834.

As the memory of the past fades, Masonry brags of its comeback. It says that by 1860 NY had 432 lodges and 25,000 members, 10,000 more than in 1820. Masonry was not dead and with its comeback it returned with a vengeance, not to destroy the church but to turn it away from evangelism and toward Masonic liberalism. The devastating blow of the anti-Masonic movement caused the 10,000 remaining diehard Masons to call on European Freemasonry to come to its aid. In my book "Scarlet and the Beast" I document six secret Supreme Council meetings held in Paris, France from 1841 to 1845 to determine how to remedy the Masonic problem in America. Their decision was to fall back on their motto "order out of chaos." The Masonic Supreme Council would create chaos and while the populace was focused on the crisis, Freemasonry in America would rebuild its ranks. After the crisis, Freemasonry would bring Masonic order out of the chaos. The created chaos which I document in detail in volume 3 of "Scarlet and the Beast" was our civil war. After the war, the Masonic plan for order meaning Masonic control of government, business, banking, schools and churches would take a century. The common saying in the European revolutionary lodges is "the soldier dies but the war continues."

The Masonic conspiracy to recapture America and render the church impotent had eight phases: phase one: build the ranks of Freemasonry in America during civil war; phase two: turn primary and secondary schools in America, which are under the control of parents, into public schools funded by the government but under control of Freemasonry; phase three: control public school teachers through a union controlled by Freemasonry; phase four: infiltrate the church with materialism by creating easy credit through central banking in America; phase five: infiltrate the pastorate with infidels; phase six: infiltrate church congregations with Masons; phase seven: create a Masonic controlled national council of churches to control mainline denominations; phase eight: stack the Supreme Court with Masons who are willing to reinterpret the Constitution so that Christian principles can never be taught in public schools. These eight phases are listed in order as they occurred historically not as they were planned. As I relate the story, I shall attempt to stick to the historic dates. In some cases, however, I may deviate from that order to connect phases that relate.

The first phase was primarily to build the ranks of Freemasonry during civil war. To start the civil war, a cause was needed. Abolition of slavery was that cause. To trigger civil war, American Masonry under the control of 33rd degree Albert Pike, solicited assistance from two European Masons, 33rd degree Joseph Mazzini, head of Italian Freemasonry and 33rd degree Lord Henry Palmerston, head of English Freemasonry. Mazzini supplied the expertise of the young societies to train revolutionary youth in America on how to turn the abolitionist movement into mayhem. Former Freemason and Abolitionist, John Brown, was Mazzini's star student. You know the history of Brown's Massacres which erupted into civil war. Two years before civil war began, Albert Pike was made sovereign Grand Commander of the Southern Jurisdiction of Scottish Rite Freemasonry. Beginning in December of 1859 and continuing through the first quarter of 1860, Pike called for the secession of 11 Southern states. Governors of those states were all Masons obligated by oath to obey their Grand Commander. English Freemasonry's role was to fund the South against the North while attempting to establish a central bank in the North. Several Masonic books tell how Freemasonry built its ranks during a crisis. One in my library specifically relates to the civil war. In short, it was through a guarantee of the preservation of life that Freemasonry increased its membership in America. By the end of the war, Freemasonry had rebounded to greater numbers than before the Morgan Affair. For example, in NY alone when the Morgan Affair broke on America in 1826, there were 15,000 Masons and 500 lodges, by 1834 there were only 49 lodges in NY with less than 500 members. After the civil war, however, there were more than 900 NY lodges with more than 35,000 members, a 700% increase in membership in five years. Multiply similar percentages throughout all the states and you can see how crisis builds Masonic membership.

Phase two of Freemasonry's war against the church in America was to turn parent controlled and funded primary and secondary schools into Masonic controlled public schools funded by the federal government. Freemasonry began its takeover of schools in 1809, 17 years before the Morgan Affair. It was a state by state Grand Lodge effort which began in NY. There, Masonic lodges initiated the drive to fund what they called free schools. At first, Masons stood on street corners to collect donations to fund the schools. In 1817, the free school system was formally established under state supervision and further support from the Masonic fraternity was no longer required. As designed, the character of teaching in NY significantly changed from supernaturalist philosophy to naturalist philosophy. Consequently, the Northeast was liberalized a century before the rest of America.

Phase three coincided with phase two. During the second great awakening in America most parents were Bible believing Christians who insisted that teachers of their children be of the Christian faith and teach the precepts of Holy Scripture, primary the Ten Commandments. Scottish Rite Freemasonry usurped that role in 1857 by founding the National Education Association better known as the NEA. Not until the teacher's union had been sufficiently liberalized did the Scottish Rite Supreme Council relinquish its control of the NEA's powerful secretariat. Today the liberal NEA with over two million members is one of Freemasonry's strongest lobby organizations. In 1920, Freemasonry made its next move to solidify federal control of public schools. That year, the Southern Jurisdiction of Scottish Rite Freemasonry openly declared itself in favor of the creation of the Department of Education with a Secretary in the President's Cabinet. The Secretary, of course, would be a Mason. Freemasonry takes sole credit for the passage of the Smith-Tower Educational Bill which also furnished federal aid to the public schools. After the passage of this bill Freemasonry declared its belief in compulsory attendance to public schools of all children including children of Christian parents. Through its New Age Magazine, the Scottish Rite gave orders to all Masons to be active on school boards and to encourage parents to make the public schools so efficient that their superiority over church schools should be so obvious that every parent will have to send their children to the public schools. At that time, 33rd degree Freemason Earl Warren was Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of California. He had not yet received his appointment as Chief Justice to the Supreme Court during the court stacking years. In his 1936 annual address to the brethren in California he said:

The education of our youth can best be done, indeed it can only be done, by a system of free public education. It is for this reason that the Grand Lodge of California ever striving as it does to replace darkness with light, is so vitally interested in the public schools of our state. By destroying the religion of faith and planting reason in its place, it prepares the foundation of a liberty loving people for a free government.

Phase eight, although belated, was part of phases two and three. It called for stacking our Supreme Court with Masons who would reinterpret our Constitution so that nothing in the Holy Scriptures would ever be taught in public schools again. Thirty-second degree Freemason Franklin D. Roosevelt was chosen for the task. As President of the US, one of his functions would be to appoint justices to the Supreme Court when a seat was vacated by death or resignation. It appeared to Freemasonry that 12 years was needed for enough seated justices to die off so that a majority of Masons could be appointed to the bench. By the time Roosevelt died in 1945, he had appointed five justices all of whom were his Scottish Rite buddies and the remaining four shared Masonic views. From 1941 to 1971, five to eight Masons sat on the Supreme Court in any given year. Their first agenda was to change the first amendment guarantee of freedom of religion to read separation of church and state. However to alter an amendment would be an act of treason, therefore, the Masonic justices simply ruled that separation of church and state was implied in the first amendment. One Roosevelt appointee to the Supreme Court was 32nd degree Freemason Robert H. Jackson. Jackson blatantly said that "the Constitution and its amendments are what the judges say they are." Therefore, the reinterpretation of the first amendment not only forbade government of funding church schools, it paved the way for outlawing prayer and Bible reading in public schools. One of the problems that confronted Masonry's control of public schools was the vast number of small school systems throughout our land. Therefore, after WWII Freemasonry began lobbying government to consolidate the public school system. James B. Conant, a 33rd degree Freemason and member of the NEAs Educational Policy Commission as well as a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, was sent on a public speaking tour to promote consolidation. In advance of Conant the Scottish Rite openly advertised to all school systems to compel parents to attend the meetings. Secretly, Freemasonry ordered all Masons to attend Conant's meetings. After the tours, parents throughout the US marched to the polls and voted themselves out of control of what their children would be taught. As planned by Freemasonry, 259,000 parent controlled public school districts were consolidated into 1,600 NEA controlled districts. The Parent Teacher Association better known as the PTA, was belatedly founded to promote mutual understanding and to increase the effectiveness of the educational program. However, the PTA had no impact on what the children are taught because of the underlying control of the teacher's union by Freemasonry and the high number of PTA parents who are Masons. A sobering statement made by NEA President Katherine Barrett, articulates the weakness of the PTA and the strength of the new revolutionary role of teachers: "The teacher will be the conveyor of values, a philosopher. Teachers no longer will be victims of change [meaning controlled by parents]. We will be agents of change." In 1959, Freemasonry published its victory over parents. That year the Scottish Rite New Age Magazine boldly printed the following:

Every Mason becomes a teacher of Masonic philosophy to the community and the craft is the missionary of the new order, a liberal order in which Masons become high priests. We proclaim that this Masonic philosophy which has brought forth a new order, has become a reality by the establishment of the public school systems financed by the state.

I document in my book "Scarlet and the Beast" that from 1959 to 1964 the Supreme Council of Scottish Rite Freemasonry began selecting textbooks for the consolidated school systems. In 1964 the fatal blow to our youth was landed by the Masonic stacked Supreme Court when it outlawed Bible reading and prayer in public schools. In its place the Masonic NEA taught a new morality called "situation ethics: if it feels good, do it." The Supreme Court then legalized pornography. Free and open sex became the order of the day for our school children. To curtail the problem of so many unwed mothers, the Supreme Court authorized abortions, then authorized children to have abortions without parental consent, then authorized schools to distribute contraceptives to children without parental consent. Today immorality pervades every walk of American society including the Christian community. In 1968, Freemasonry sounded its victory trumpet in its New Age Magazine:

The keynote of Masonic religious thinking is naturalism which sees all life and thought ever developing and evolutionary. The Bible is not today what it once was. Current higher criticism has made obsolete the idea that the Bible is a unique revelation of supernatural truth.

This brings us to phases four through seven — Freemasonry's direct attack against the evangelical Philadelphia church in America to turn it into the lukewarm Laodicean church. Phase four was planned by Freemasonry to turn the heart of Americans materialistic. A materialistic society would naturally turn the churches materialistic as precedented at ancient church in Laodicea. Thirty-third degree Albert Pike initiated the plan. Pike was one of the 10,000 Masons that had weathered the anti-Masonic storm of the 1830s and 1840s. For Freemasonry to survive in America, Pike knew that the lodge would have to curtail the forward progress of the Philadelphia evangelicals. Universal Freemasonry assisted as it had done during the planning of our civil war. Pike took his plan to the floor of an international Masonic convention held in Paris, France in October of 1885. I quote Pike's plan which he delivered in Orphic terms:

Supernaturalism meaning Christianity, authority [meaning monarchies] and anti-Masonic activity must be destroyed. To accomplish this there must be materialism of conscience, of education and of the state. This must be imposed upon the family, the nation and on humanity by every means whatever they may be. One must impose first on the family, then on the nation in order to achieve the aim of imposing on humanity.

The instrument used for the imposition of materialism of conscience in America was central banking. It would give the public easy access to credit so that it could benefit immediately from material things. Masonic bankers would likewise benefit on the addictive nature of credit, piling loan upon loan and interest upon interest making them wealthy. Following the Paris convention, the totally Masonic staffed Rothschild Bank in London, England wrote a letter to the Masonic bankers of NY explaining how the plan would benefit them:

The few who understand the system will either be so interested in its profits or so dependent upon its favors, that there will be no opposition from that class while on the other hand, the great body of people mentally incapable of comprehending the tremendous advantages that capital derives from the system, will bear its burdens without complaint and perhaps without even suspecting the system is inimical to their interests.

Material success came to Freemasonry in 1913 as it lobbied and pushed through Congress the passage of the Federal Reserve Act. This Act established a permanent central bank on our soil which gave Americans easy access to credit culminating in the materialism of conscience in our nation today. This conscience was carried into our churches by wealthy benefactors, hence, Freemasonry is indirectly responsible for turning the Laodicean church materialistic, wealthy and in need of nothing.

This brings us to phases five through six — the infiltration of the church with infidel pastors and the creation of a Masonic controlled national council of churches. In 1907, illuminated Freemasonry in America financed Dr. Harry F. Ward, a professor at Union Theological Seminary, in founding the Methodist Foundation of Social Services. Ward's job was to teach bright young men to become so-called ministers of Christ and place them as pastors of churches. Reverend Ward taught them how to very subtly and craftily preach to their congregations that the entire story of Christ is a myth, to cast doubts on the divinity of Christ, to cast doubts about the virgin Mary. In short, to cast doubts on Christianity as a whole. It was not to be a direct attack, but much of it by crafty insinuation that was to be applied in particular to the youth in the Sunday Schools. In 1908, the Methodist Foundation of Social Services changed its name to the Federal Council of Churches. By 1950 the Federal Council of Churches was becoming suspect as being a Communist front so it changed its name to the National Council of Churches. In 1975, former 33rd degree Freemason Reverend Jim Shaw exposed the link between Freemasonry and the NCC. He says that "a preacher in the National Council of Churches is really not in until he's a Mason." He said, "I have served in lodge with them. I have a list of many NCC pastors who are working for the Masonic monster with all the strength they have. They are not interested in the Lord Jesus Christ though they pretend to be." In January, 1983 the Reader's Digest exposed the National Council of Churches in an article entitled "Do You Know Where Your Church Offerings Go?" The article revealed, among other things, that over one million dollars of church-goers money in 1981 was sent by the NCC to political activist organizations such as the PLO, Communists in Latin America, Asia and Africa and to several violent prone fringe groups in the US. The article also accused the NCC of rewriting the Bible to conform to a male/female god religion so as to eliminate reference to gender, or as an alternative, to spread the gender around. Jesus no longer would be identified as the son of God, but rather as the child of God. The United Methodist Church, the largest contributor to the NCC has the highest density of Masons and Masonic pastors per capita than any other denomination. Hence, it was the first to fall. The Associated Press reported on December 10, 1983 that the governing body of the United Methodist Church in Nashville, TN had approved guidelines on Biblical and theological language that suggests that fewer male nouns and pronouns be used in referring to Jesus. In 1986, the Rocky Mountain region of the United Methodist Church adopted a new policy prohibiting ministry candidates from referring to God as exclusively male in church paperwork and interviews. The policy allowed for the historical Jesus to be called "he" but prohibits any exclusive male reference to the divine or Messianic Jesus. The policy also calls for phrases such as "divine light," a Masonic term, to be used in place of Father, king or Lord. Candidates are allowed to refer to God as mother and father or as he and she. The NCC then began to work on our youth. On May 9, 1989 USA Today reported that the NCC supports a provision in the Congregational Child Care Bill that says parents who receive federal subsidies may send their children to programs in churches that avoid religious instruction. On May 22, 1989 in the religion section of Time Magazine, Dr. Richard Mao (ph) of California's Fuller Theological Seminary is quoted as saying that the mainline churches that are members of the NCC are now teaching magic and the occult in the new age. He says of these churches that there is a return to the pre-modern world view. A Masonic pastor of the First Congressional Church of Salt Lake City sums up the attitude of many Masonic pastors and Masonic laymen of today. He is quoted in the Masonic book "The Clergy and the Craft" as saying "I am in a mighty army of men who have committed themselves to minimize the importance of moral and ethical teaching."

This brings us to phase seven — the Masonic infiltration of American churches. In 1926 the Scottish Rite published an article in its January New Age Magazine ordering Masons to join Christian churches. It was an order coming directly from the Supreme Council, the headquarters of all Masonic lodges. Written by W. B. Zimmerman, the article entitled "Let There Be Light" stated that every Mason should cast his lot with the church to help vitalize it, liberalize it, modernize it and render it aggressive and efficient. To do less is treason to your country, to your creator and to the obligation you have promised to obey." A Mason's Masonic obligation is more powerful than any law of the land. Under oath, Masons obligate themselves to carry out all orders given them by the Masonic hierarchy. Consequently, following the publishing of this article in 1926, Masons throughout the US flocked to join Protestant churches. In time, these Masons worked their way into church leadership and in time, they turned the evangelical churches lukewarm. Freemasonry's war against evangelical pastors is summed up in three testimonies by Southern Baptist pastors who were voted out of their church by a predominantly Masonic congregation for refusing to cease preaching the salvation message. Their testimonies are published in an appendix of a reprint of Charles G. Finney's book of 1869 entitled "The Character Claims and Practical Workings of Freemasonry."

Yes, Freemasonry has succeeded in turning the red hot Philadelphia church into the lukewarm Laodicean church. However, Christ does not put the blame on Masons. His condemnation and exhortation is directed toward Laodicean Christians who have allowed materialism to make them indifferent toward spiritual things. I quote again Revelation 3:17-18 — "Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked: I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see.'

The first phrase "I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich" speaks of judgment past for the word "tried" is past tense. Whose judgment could that be but God's judgment of the sins of mankind placed on Christ at the cross. Christ emerged from that judgment as pure gold. Paraphrased, Christ says "buy of that gold, appropriate my righteousness so that when your works are tried they come out as my works." If we don't apply Christ's golden works to our lifestyle, our own future works will be judged in heaven. This isn't the Great White Throne Judgment at the end of the millennium but rather the judgment seat of Christ where we Christians are judged according to our works here on earth. In 1 Corinthians 3:11-15 Paul is referring to the Christians as he paints a word picture of that judgment: "For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble; Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is. If any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire."

The second phase speaks of living a righteous lifestyle here on earth — "I counsel thee to buy of me white raiment that thou mayest be clothed and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear." The clothing that was worn by the "in crowd" at ancient Laodicea was sleek, black wool. In contrast, Christ says "buy of me white raiment." Spiritually, white raiment represents the righteous living of the saints. Laodicean Christians are not wearing white raiment. In fact, the Greek rendition of the word "naked" is "absolutely and completely naked." This means that they are wearing no spiritual garments at all, neither white as did the Philadelphia Christians nor defiled garments as did the Sardis Christians. Laodicean Christians are completely naked from the neck down; they only have on their helmet of salvation. Consequently, the average unsaved onlooker can tell no difference between his lifestyle and that of the Laodicean Christian: both smoke, drink, dance and curse, both read pornographic magazines and wear scanty clothes with the private parts pronounced, both live licentious lifestyles and have abortions, both go to bars, go to x-rated movies and watch filth on television, both are dishonest in business deals, cheat on their income tax, lie to others, cheat others, steal from others and both go to church. Christ says Laodiceans are spiritually naked. He desires that we cover our nakedness with his righteousness so that the shame of our nakedness isn't exposed. Translated in Greek, this last phrase which in reality is a warning, means "so that the disgrace and dishonesty of our lifestyle is not publicly exposed."

Finally, the phrase "anoint thine eyes with eyesalve that thou mayest see" speaks of spiritual blindness, blindness as to what is spiritually important. For example, the word "eyes" carries the idea of "envy or jealous side glances." Within the context of the Laodicean church problem of acquiring wealth, envious or jealous side glances suggest that there are lukewarm Christians covetous of others wealth rather than covetous of spiritual riches discussed in the first part of this verse.

Christ's warning is found in Revelation 3:19 — "as many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Be zealous therefore and repent." Philadelphia, as you recall, was given the promise "I will keep you from the tribulation." Laodicean Christians, however, are threatened with judgment if we don't repent. In Luke 18:8 we read the grim reality of the Laodicean church period: "when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?" This is a rhetorical question with an obvious answer of no, there won't be any faith found. Hence, Tim Lahaye wrote "We should not expect to see revival as in the days of Moody, Finney and others but an apostasy on the part of the Laodicean church." Christ gives no prophecy of another national great awakening as he had done to the Philadelphia church period. There is a message of revival, however, to the individual Christian: "be zealous therefore and repent." A better translation of "zealous" counters the condition of the lukewarm and indifferent Laodicean church, "be hot, be jealous, have a feeling for or against what is important. "If you don't" says Jesus, "I rebuke and chasten those I love."

In our last study we discussed Christ's character as holy and true. This means that he is right no matter what he does. When the Ephesus church failed to repent, Christ was right in giving it 300 years of persecution. When the Sardis church failed to repent, Christ was right in giving it 300 years of revolution and two world wars. Therefore, if the Laodicean church fails to repent, Christ will be right in his judgment of this final church period. The history of Christ's warnings have not been idle threats. Therefore, we can rely on his character of being holy and true, of being consistent in what he says he will do if we don't repent. Consequently, if I am a lukewarm Laodicean Christian and refuse to apply to my life Christ's exhortation of anointing my spiritual eyes with spiritual eyesalve so that I can see myself as Christ sees me, that is wretched, miserable, poor, blind and naked, and if I refuse to put on white robes which are symbolic of righteous living, I can count on judgment here on earth if I live to the end of the church age. Unlike the prophecies of the six previous church periods which are now historic, the prophecy of Christ's judgment of the Laodicean church is still future since it is the last church period before the rapture. Therefore, we can only speculate what that judgment might be and when it might occur.

Pretribulation rapturists have their opinion. They have coined the phrase "true church" and "false church." They have all seven church periods running through history concurrently as I have portrayed with one predominant during each church period as I also have portrayed. They claim, as I have, that only evangelical Christians who practice evangelism in word and deed have the Christ-promised right not to experience the tribulation. Where we differ is in their coin phrase "true church" and "false church." They claim that the "true church" is only Philadelphia and that the remaining six churches are false churches which will all be purified in the tribulation. Therefore, the Laodicean judgment according to pre-tribbers is the tribulation. Mid-tribulation rapturists see all seven church periods judged and purified during the first half of the seven year tribulation. At mid-trib, the purified church will be raptured just before the wrath of God is poured out on the wicked world. Mid-tribbers teach that the promise Christ gave the Philadelphia church was to keep it from the great tribulation which is the last 3 1/2 years, the wrath of God, the other six churches must go through the last 3 1/2 years. Post-tribulation rapturists see all seven church periods going through the entire seven years of tribulation with only the Philadelphia church divinely protected while the six remaining churches are purified in the holocaust. Partial tribulation rapturists see three phases of the rapture: (1) pre-trib; (2) mid-trib and (3) post-trib. They teach that evangelical Philadelphians are raptured pre-trib, the rest are tested during the first half of the tribulation. At mid-trib, those at that time found to be evangelical are raptured. The testing continues throughout the last half of the tribulation at the end of which the third phase of the rapture takes place.

Notice in all four viewpoints only evangelicals in name and deed are raptured pre-trib or protected from the last half of the tribulation or protected through the entire seven years of the tribulation. Therefore, it matters not where you stand on your belief of when the rapture will occur if you are a lukewarm Laodicean, you have no basis in any of the rapture teachings to expect to escape the tribulation. The fact remains Christ will bring judgment on the Laodicean church period if it doesn't repent and whatever that judgment might be or when it might occur, it won't be pleasant.

There is a solution to this problem and that solution rests with the Laodicean church, the democratic church that voted Christ out of its assembly. In Revelation 3:20 our Savior is knocking for reentry: "Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me." Many use this scripture as a salvation verse suggesting that Christ is knocking at the heart's door of an unsaved person. I have no objection of using this scripture in that manner for many have come to know Christ because of it. However, the verse is taken out of context. In context, this scripture applies to the door of a lukewarm Laodicean church Christ has been voted out, yet he faithfully knocks for reentry. It doesn't take a vote of the majority to open the door, just one person can do it for Christ says "if any man hear my voice and open the door, I will come in to him and will sup with him and he with me." How sad it is that the majority of the Laodicean church are not listening or even care or even know that the Savior is absent from their midst. In Matthew 18:20 Christ says "For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them." A Laodicean church doesn't even have two people in its assembly gathered in the name of Christ for Christ is outside the door. There is hope, however, for Christ will come in and have communion with one if one person will open the door. And perchance the spark lit by that one person will ignite into a flame and turn the lukewarm church hot for the glory of God. It takes only one person. I shall give one example of the success of a Christian who opened the door of a Laodicean church.

The story is about a young married man who after graduating from seminary applied for the position of youth pastor in about 20 churches. I shall name him Paul. Paul is a Philadelphia Christian that not only witnesses Christ in word and deed but in lifestyle as well. He tries to obey all of God's laws as well as all civil laws including the speed limit. Paul is recognized by people who know him as righteous but not self-righteous. A large Cumberland Presbyterian church responded to Paul's application; membership is 2,000, church attendance is 1,000 with two Sunday morning services. The congregation is peppered with millionaires living in luxury and in need of nothing. Paul was first interviewed by phone by the head of the Search Committee. The church then brought Paul and his wife in for an interview by the pastor and his staff as well as to meet the 20 volunteer youth workers. The pastor is what is termed a hyper-Calvinist meaning that God has predestined everything including sin. The pastor preaches that one cannot stop sinning if it is predestined by God so why battle against sin. The pastor and his wife both drink, in staff meetings the pastor spews foul language that would embarrass a sailor and his staff responds in like manner. The 20 youth workers also use foul language in front of youth, drink in front of the youth and take the youth to R-rated movies for entertainment. This wealthy Laodicean church accepted Paul as youth pastor and offered him a survival salary. When Paul asked if he could subsidize his income by writing for Christian youth magazines, the wealthy church leader said he could but demanded that the writing fee be put in the church treasury. Paul took the position of youth pastor as a challenge and a mission. When Paul settled in, he knew he could do nothing about the lifestyle of his pastor and his pastor's staff but he set righteous standards for his youth workers to follow. If they would not, they would be replaced. Within one year, five were let go. One was a female who got pregnant by one of the youth, one was a lesbian who he had to pray out because the session refused him permission to fire her, the other three refused to stop their foul language and drinking in front of the youth. One of the three never attended church, her father was a Mason on the session and he, likewise, never attended church. When Paul terminated his daughter, however, this Mason showed up one Sunday morning, singled out Paul and told him that he would make sure he was fired. From that moment on Paul was criticized for everything he did. Two years later the pastor asked for his resignation. During that two years, however, Paul had faithfully opened that church door to Christ's knocking. Christ entered and fellowshipped with Paul. As a result, Paul had the strength to endure the pressure and many youth were saved. In addition, a core group of 20 youth dedicated their lives to prayer and Bible study. The head of the Search Committee who initially recruited Paul was a millionaire who by the testimony of Paul, came to walk with Christ in a personal way. When Paul was asked to resign, this man met with Paul, embraced him in Christian love and with tears in his eyes said "You have lit a spark in this lukewarm church that will ignite into a flame." All Christ asks is that one person open the church door for him to enter. What about your church? Has Christ been voted out? When he knocks for reentry you could be the one to hear his voice and open the door. This will begin your evangelical ministry and perhaps you will be a Laodicean overcomer.

This brings us to the eternal occupation of the Laodicean overcomer. Found in Revelation 3:21 — "To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne." How does a Laodicean overcome? The scripture says "as Christ also overcame." Christ never sought after wealth; his life was one of self-denial. He likewise overcame temptation for he was in all points tempted as we are yet without sin. And finally, Christ willingly gave up his life. It has been said that it is easier to live a Christian life in poverty or under a suppressive government than it is to live righteously in an opulent society, a democratic society, a society where people's rights are protected. Laodicean means "people's rights." A Christian who seeks after wealth and political rights will not submit himself to picking up his cross of no rights and following Jesus. On the other hand, the Laodicean overcomer will not seek those rights but instead will seek the will of God through daily communion and Bible study and prayer. This gives him the mind of Christ which enables him to overcome as Christ overcame. He has anointed his eyes with spiritual eyesalve. He sees black as black and white as white and no shades of gray. He plays no games of reason about sin. He flees from evil and the appearance of evil and if he does sin, the sun never sets without asking forgiveness. Material things are of no consequence although he may be wealthy. If not wealthy, he never envies another's fortune. He's a hot Christian as opposed to lukewarmness. Finally, he has no fear of boldly witnessing Christ wherever the occasion arises. The Laodicean overcomer shall have the highest position in heaven under Christ. His eternal occupation is found in Revelation 3:21 "To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne."

This concludes our study on the seven churches of Revelation. May God bless you as you work on your eternal occupation.

Narrator:
We trust you have been blessed by the study presented by John Daniel. Mr. Daniel is also the author of another work, a trilogy of books entitled "Scarlet and the Beast." If you are interested in ordering "Scarlet and the Beast: A History of the War between English and French Freemasonry" write to us at JKI Publishing, PO Box 131480, Tyler, Texas 75713 or call toll free 1-800-333-5344 for an order form and a free chapter-by-chapter review.

Tape 6 | Introduction

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