Rev. John Ankerberg and Dr. John Weldon

Both of these men have written several books together. Perhaps the most popular is "The Secret Teachings of the Masonic Lodge: A Christian Perspective" The book is over 300 pages long with very poor resources.

In order to prove their work against Freemasonry they sent a questionnaire to 50 Grand Masters, asking them which books they considered to be authoritative on the subject of Freemasonry. 25 of the 50 Grand Masters responded. Henry Coil was one of the top "authorities" and Albert Pike was among the least. Only 4% of the Grand Masters recommended Pike. Manly P. Hall was so low on the list that they dropped his name.

Isn't it amazing that Rev. John and Dr. John found it necessary to quote from the above authors perhaps more than any other. Manly P. Hall is quoted about 25 times. He is represented as being a 33 degree Mason. Actually, Hall wrote the books quoted by Ankerberg some 25 years before becoming a Mason. Now, this is really amazing. Ankerberg and Weldon quote from anti-Masonic sources some 33% of the time. Are these guys really "authorities" on Freemasonry?

Ankerberg and Weldon used a book entitled "Scottish Rite Masonry Illustrated" by Jonathon Blanchard as an exposure of Masonry. Did they read it? If they did why didn't they pick up on the fact that it was really an exposure of Cerneauism (a pseudo-Masonic organization which was never recognized by Freemasonry)? Were they being careless or deceitful?

How non-judgmental are these authors? Would you like to know who their friends are?

Former Ku Klux Klan member, and Louisiana political hopeful, David Duke not only considers himself a Christian, but also considers Rev. Ankerberg and Dr. Weldon among his Christian brothers. (Is it true what they say about Freemasonry, p. 43)

 

Is David Duke an authority on Christianity? Why not? Is he qualified to write as a Christian author? You see, just because a person is a Mason doesn't mean that they can speak for all Masons.

The following is an example of what many anti-Masons (including Ankerberg and Weldon) do:

Here they are quoting from a ceremony used to install the officers of a Scottish Rite "Chapter of Rose Croix." I will put the deleted text in italics.

Teach the Knights to learn something more than the mere formulas and phrases of the ceremonial; persuade them to read the history and study the philosophy of Masonry; induce them t seek to learn the meanings of the symbols; show then how, among the heterogeneous and incoherent mass of Masonic writings, to separate the diamonds from the worthless sands; and endeavor to improve them, by counsel and discourse, by way of conduct and conversation. (Is it true what they say about Freemasonry, p. 47)

Look what they did. They omitted the part that cautions us against the existence of worthless Masonic writings. They make it look like Masons should read and study whatever is presented to them. Are their intentions pure? It makes you wonder, doesn't it?

 

On the Subject of Jabulon

Both authors have gone to extreme measures to make look like Masonry is against everything Christian. It is amazing that with all of their so-called resources they have not been able to come up with any statement from a Grand Lodge or other official body of Freemasonry which states that Masonry is a religion. Where do they get their information from? By using spurious writers or by lifting quotes out of context.

They claim that Masons have a god by the name of Jabulon, which they claim means "Jehovah" - "Baal" - "Osiris". This name comes out of one of the rituals in the York Rite and the reason for the ritualist using this word has been lost ages ago. It has without a doubt caused a lot of grief for Masonry. It is easy to assume that the ritualist wanted to use pagan names to make up a name for God, but there is no proof that this was their intent. Considering that early Masonry had its roots in the Judaism and Christianity it is hardly likely that such an interpretation would be acceptable.

It is more likely that the name of Jabulon has its roots in the Hebrew language. Ps. 68:4 says "Extol him that rideth upon the heavens by his name JAH, and rejoice before Him." Ankerberg and Weldon change the name of Bel to "Baal". Baal was a Phoenician deity, but it was also meant "Lord" or "Master" in the Hebrew. "On" was a city if Egypt and really had nothing to do with Osiris. In Exodus 3:14 it literally says "I am the Being" "ego eimi ho On." It is very likely that the name Jabulon actually means "Jehovah, Lord, the I AM."

For more on the Subject of "Jabulon" you can click HERE