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Freemasonry
denies the uniqueness of Jesus Christ. Masonic writer Rex Hutchens wrote:
“The purpose of teaching the concept of a Messiah in Freemasonry is to point
out its near universality in the well–developed religions of the ancient
world. We see references to Dionysius of the Greeks, Sosiosch of the
Persians, Krishna
of the Hindus, Osiris of the Egyptians, Jesus of the Christians. The purpose
of these varying cultures’ messiahs was to find in human form a source of
intercession with Deity; in particular one who, as a human, had been tempted
and suffered the daily pangs of life and so could be expected to possess a
particular sympathy and understanding; in a word, the messiahs expressed hope’
(Rex R. Hutchens, A Bridge to Light,
Washington D.C.: The Supreme Council, 1988, pages 112-113). Albert Pike,
another Masonic writer, has affirmed that Masonry ‘reverences all the great
reformers. It sees in Moses, the Lawgiver of the Jews, in Confucius and
Zoroaster, in Jesus of Nazareth, and in the Arabian Iconoclast, Great
Teachers of Morality, and Eminent Reformers, if no more…’ (Morals and Dogma of the Ancient and
Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry, page 525), and that ‘Divine or
human, inspired or only a reformed Essene, it must be agreed that His
[Jesus’] teachings are far nobler, far purer, far less alloyed with error and
imperfection, far less of the earth earthly, than those of Socrates, Plato,
Seneca, or Mahomet, or any other of the great moralists and Reformers of the
world.’ (Ibid., page 719)
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One day
Jesus asked His disciples this question: ‘Who do you say that I am?’ and
Simon Peter answered and said: “You are the Christ, the Son of the living
God” (Matthew 16:16
– NKJV). The term Christ derives from the Greek Christos which means ‘the Anointed One;’ the equivalent Hebrew
word is Mashiach, from which the
English term Messiah comes. Jesus commended Peter, saying: “Blessed are you,
Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, by My
Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 16:17
– NKJV). Therefore, Jesus is the Christ or Messiah. He is not a Messiah, but
the Messiah in whom the prophetic Scriptures were fulfilled in the fullness
of the time. Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, who wrote down the story of Jesus
of Nazareth, clearly confirm that Jesus is the Messiah. For in Jesus of
Nazareth were fulfilled the predictions concerning the Messiah contained in
the Scriptures of the Old Testament. Let me tell you just some of these
predictions concerning the Messiah which were fulfilled in Jesus. The Messiah
would be born of a virgin, and Jesus was born of a virgin. The Messiah would
be born in Bethlehem,
the city of David,
and Jesus was born in that city. The Messiah would be anointed with the Holy
Spirit, and Jesus was anointed with the Holy Spirit immediately after He was
baptized in water. The Messiah would live a blameless life, and Jesus lived a
blameless life for He knew no sin. The Messiah would be despised and hated by
men, and Jesus was despised and hated by men without a cause. The Messiah
would speak to the people in parables, and Jesus spoke in parables. The
Messiah would heal the sick, and Jesus healed many sick people. The Messiah
would be bruised for our iniquities, and Jesus was crucified for our sins.
The Messiah would be raised from the dead, and Jesus rose from the dead and
appeared to His disciples. In the light of what the Scripture teaches,
therefore, anyone who denies that Jesus of Nazareth is the only Messiah sent
by God in this world is an antichrist. Beware of him,
he is a liar and deceiver of minds.
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Neither is
Jesus just one of the great teachers of morality, for He is the Teacher. His
teachings cannot be compared with the teachings of Buddha, or Confucius or
Zoroaster for they are truth while the teachings of these so called teachers
of morality are full of lies. Jesus has no equal. No man ever spoke like Him.
Not even Moses and Solomon and the prophets (who spoke from God) spoke like
Him, for Jesus is the man sent by God in this world to teach things kept
secret from the foundation of the world and to save men. Yes, to save men.
How? Through His atoning sacrifice, for Jesus died on the cross for our sins,
so that whoever believes in Him should obtain remission of sins and eternal
life. Therefore, Jesus is not only the Teacher, but also the Saviour of the
world. Can Buddha or Confucius or Zoroaster save men? Of course not, for they
were sinners, men who walked in darkness. But Jesus can save men, for He was
born sinless (in that He was conceived by the Holy Spirit) and He lived a
sinless life, so He could bear our sins in His own body. He is the way, not a
way, no one comes to the Father except through Him.
In other words, man can be reconciled to God only through faith in Him, there
is no other way. I could continue to speak of the uniqueness of Jesus of
Nazareth, but I stop here.
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