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The third part of Satan's threefold lie was to persuade our first parents that they could acquire a level of wisdom over and above that with which they had been endowed by their Creator: 'And when she saw that it was a tree desirable to make one wise...' (Gen. 3:6). The clear implication in Satan's strategy here was that there was some special, esoteric knowledge which God was concealing from His human creation, the acquisition of which would enhance their lives. In fact, Satan's suggestion was that God was ... denying our first parents the possibility of having their eyes opened and being like Him (see Gen. 3:5). In other words, the fallen angel was suggesting that God was wrongfully making an exclusive claim to the attribute of divine wisdom which could, in reality, be acquired by anyone. The outworking of this strategy, in terms of subsequent religious corruption, has been centred on the fascination with esoteric teachings as found in occult-mystical belief systems and the mystery religions. In common with the majority of the world's religions, they hold to the idea that one can be initiated into a body of 'higher-wisdom-teachings' which will bring about supernatural change and even deification." [16]

This three-fold lie of Satan is manifested in the religious system of ancient Paganism and in the underground occult tradition that has existed since the birth of Christianity: 1. You can be like God.

2. You can achieve eternal life.

3. You will gain wisdom equal with God.

Some day soon this lie will be resurrected and promoted again on a grand scale with the appearance of the Antichrist. He will preach to the world that through his example and by accepting his teachings all of these things will be gained for humanity. In a sense the human family will be faced with the very same temptation that Eve faced in the Garden of Eden, with the Antichrist offering a spiritual form of the forbidden fruit. Satan's lie is an old lie and it has been closely connected with Paganism from the beginning. Historian Franz Cumont summarizes the message of salvation and eternal life as promoted through the cults of the Dying God during the time of the Roman Empire: "This constant endeavor to secure an after-existence for one's self and relatives manifested itself in various ways, but it finally assumed a concrete form in the worship of Osiris. The fate of Osiris, the god who died and returned to life, became the prototype of the fate of every human being that observed the funeral rites. "As truly as Osiris lives," says an Egyptian text, "he shall also live; as truly as Osiris is not dead, shall he not die; as truly as Osiris is not annihilated, shall he not be annihilated."

If, then, the deceased had piously served Osiris-Serapis, he was assimilated to that god, and shared his immortality in the underworld, where the judge of the dead held forth. He lived not as a tenuous shade or as a subtle spirit, but in full possession of his body as well as of his soul. That was the Egyptian doctrine, and that certainly was also the doctrine of the Greco-Latin mysteries.

Through the initiation the mystic was born again, but to a superhuman life, and became the equal of the immortals. In his ecstasy he imagined that he was crossing the threshold of death and contemplating the gods of heaven and hell face to face. If he had accurately followed the prescriptions imposed upon him by Isis and Serapis through their priests, those gods prolonged his life after his decease beyond the duration assigned to it by destiny, and he participated eternally in their beatitude and offered them his homage in their realm." [17]

The promises are the same but the methods to receive the promises are different. The cult of paganism's Dying God promoted contact with the spirit world and offered hidden initiations to higher and higher levels, while holding out the promise of hidden knowledge that could be applied by the initiate as the key to eternal life. On the other hand, Jesus taught that eternal life demands submission to the Creator, and acceptance of the death of Jesus Christ as the sacrifice for our sins. There are no secrets and the knowledge has never been hidden. From the very beginning Jesus told His followers to preach His message openly to the entire world. Eternal life is not a hidden mystery that we can discover, or something that we can achieve or earn, but is a gift of God given to those who are able to humble themselves and accept it. Jesus claimed to speak for God, and He gave a clear message concerning this gift of eternal life: "No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him, and I will raise him up at the last day. It is written in the Prophets: 'They will all be taught by God.' Everyone who listens to the Father and learns from him comes to me. No one has seen the Father except the one who is from God; only he has seen the Father. I tell you the truth, he who believes has everlasting life." (John 6:44-47) "When a man believes in me, he does not believe in me only, but in the one who sent me. When he looks at me, he sees the one who sent me. I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness. As for the person who hears my words but does not keep them, I do not judge him. For I did not come to judge the world, but to save it. There is a judge for the one who rejects me and does not accept my words; that very word which I spoke will condemn him at the last day. For I did not speak of my own accord, but the Father who sent me commanded me what to say and how to say it. I know that his command leads to eternal life." (John 10:44-50) Furthermore, Jesus was very clear that the only path to eternal life was through Himself alone when He said (John 14:6), "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."

Jesus claimed that He was the way, the truth, and the life, and that He was the only way through which to receive these blessings. He also predicted that the majority of humanity would not make the right decision to follow Him. In the text below the two possible destinations are given by Jesus as either Destruction or Life.

"Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it." (Matthew 7:13-14) In Hebrew the name of Jesus (which is an English form of the Greek "Iesous") is Yeshua. In the Old Testament the English translation of Yeshua appears as Joshua, which is a named derived from the Hebrew root word yasha, which means "salvation." Yeshua is therefore a very fitting name for the Savior of the World.

In the book of Revelation the figure known as the Antichrist is predicted to rise up from "out of the Abyss." The Abyss is simply another name for Hell, known the Hebrews as Sheol. It is the place where the souls of all deceased humans were kept up until the sacrifice of Jesus, and then afterwards it became the place where only the souls of the unsaved have been kept. In Revelation 9 the Abyss is opened by a fallen angel (Lucifer) which allows the earth to be invaded by demonic forces. These forces are said to be led by another figure who is then introduced (Revelation 9:11): "They had as king over them the angel of the Abyss, whose name in Hebrew is Abaddon, and in Greek, Apollyon."

Bible scholars have debated the identity of this figure over the years and the consensus is that Abaddon is either another name for Satan, or else he is one of Satan's chief fallen angels who rules over the Abyss. Other scholars have submitted the possibility, however, that Abaddon may be a name for the Antichrist himself, a conclusion made recently by author and Bible scholar Patrick Heron. Opponents of this view argue that Abaddon cannot be the Antichrist because he is described as an "angel." However, the Greek word for angel, which is aggelos, is a word that simply means "messenger" or "envoy," and is not a hard and fast term that must always refer to the angelic B'nai Elohim, or "sons of God" that make up God's heavenly host. The soul of the Antichrist is currently confined to the Abyss, yet his legacy endures as a message of deception for those who seek to gain eternal life by acquiring hidden knowledge or through their own efforts. In this way the Antichrist is most certainly an "angel," and more specifically an "angel of the Abyss," because those who accept his message will end up in Hell.

If Abaddon is indeed a name for the Antichrist then it is a perfect fit because the Hebrew word Abaddon means "destruction." This is additional evidence that the true relationship between paganism's Dying God and Jesus Christ, is a relationship of mirror opposites. The meaning of the Hebrew name Yeshua derives from the word meaning "salvation," whereas the meaning of the Hebrew name Abaddon means "destruction." One Messiah will save His followers and lead them to eternal life, while the other will deceive his followers and lead them to destruction. The difference cannot be made more clear.

The idea of mirror opposites continues in the descriptions of these two figures within the book of Revelation. Near the beginning of the vision God identifies Himself by saying, "I am the Alpha and the Omega, who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty." Near the end of the vision Jesus identifies Himself as God when He says, "I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end." In this way Jesus Himself can also be viewed as the eternally existent one "who is, and who was, and who is to come." On the other hand the Antichrist is identified in Revelation 17 as the one who "once was, now is not, and yet will come."

Jesus lived on this earth and He died. After His death He was resurrected and taken up into Heaven. The Antichrist lived on this earth as Nimrod, and he died. After his death his soul was confined to the pit of Hell, and one day he will be resurrected. Both Messiahs, when all is said and done, will have experienced resurrection, and both will make a "Second Coming" to the earth. Jesus will return from Heaven, while the Antichrist will return from Hell.

The final destiny of each of these Messiahs can also be shown to be completely different. The second coming of the Antichrist will result in a short period of triumph during which he will rule over the entire world, yet his end will come and he will be destroyed and cast into the lake of fire. The Second Coming of Jesus Christ will result in His triumph and victory over the Antichrist. Jesus will then rule over the entire world for eternity and continue to exist for eternity.

In terms of the purpose of their deaths there is another relationship between the two Messiahs along the lines of mirror opposites. The death of Nimrod, as has been explained, led to the division of the nations and the beginning of the Pagan Era during which the "gods" ruled over humanity as they wished. In this context the death of Nimrod can be viewed as a human sacrifice that was offered on behalf of the "gods" enabling their period of authority over humanity. Jesus Christ was the exact opposite. He was indeed a sacrifice, but His sacrifice was a divine sacrifice of God offered on behalf of humanity. He was the Son of God, and God incarnate in human flesh, whose death liberated humanity and provided eternal life, so that human beings could replace the fallen "sons of God" and become immortal members of the family of God.

In the book of Revelation, after John is brought into his visionary state, the Son of God appears before John which causes John to collapse at His feet like a dead man. Jesus then places His hand upon John and introduces Himself: "Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. I am the Living One; I was dead, and behold I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades." (Revelation 1:17-18) Jesus Christ refers to Himself as "the First and the Last," which speaks of His connection with God the Father and His presence at the beginning and end of Creation. The Antichrist is also, in his own way, the first and the last. In Revelation 12 Satan is introduced as a dragon with seven heads, which we have identified as seven kings that have ruled throughout history on behalf of Satan. There are seven kings, but these kings make eight appearances on the world's stage. The Antichrist, as Nimrod, was the first to appear, and he will also be the last, when he is resurrected and allowed to rule as the eighth manifestation of Satan's seven kings: "The beast who once was, and now is not, is an eighth king. He belongs to the seven and is going to his destruction." (Revelation 17:11)

The Two Messiahs in the Old Testament The name "Nimrod" occurs in the Bible only four times. Twice it occurs in the Table of Nations in Genesis 10 where Nimrod is first introduced, and once it occurs in 1 Chronicles 1:10 within a chronology that is simply a restatement of Genesis 10. The fourth and final Biblical reference to Nimrod is offered by the Old Testament prophet Micah. Within this prophetic message we find references to the two end-times Messiahs, beginning with a prediction of the true Messiah: "Marshal your troops, O city of troops, for a siege is laid against us. They will strike Israel's ruler on the cheek with a rod. But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times. Therefore Israel will be abandoned until the time when she who is in labor gives birth and the rest of his brothers return to join the Israelites. He will stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the LORD, in the majesty of the name of the LORD his God. And they will live securely, for then his greatness will reach to the ends of the earth. And he will be their peace." (Micah 5:1-5) The prophet Micah lived in the eighth century BC after Israel had been divided into the northern kingdom of Israel and the southern kingdom of Judah. His message begins with a prediction against the northern kingdom, saying that Israel's ruler would be struck with a rod. This occurred in 722 BC when Assyria under Sargon II destroyed the kingdom of Israel and scattered its fabled ten tribes.

The message then shifts to a small town within the kingdom of Judah named Bethlehem, from whom Micah predicts the Messiah would be born. The Messiah's origins are "from of old, from ancient times," while other versions read "from the days of eternity." This parallels the book of Revelation's description of the Messiah (21:13) as being "the first and the last, the beginning and the end." Micah continues by referring to Israel as "she who is in labor" which is a description of Israel also found in the book of Revelation: "A great and wondrous sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet and a crown of twelve stars on her head. She was pregnant and cried out in pain as she was about to give birth." (Revelation 12:1-2) Micah's prediction of the Messiah begins with His birth in Bethlehem and ends by describing His reign over "the ends of the earth" that will finally bring peace to the nation of Israel. Micah then turns to a description of another figure that he refers to as "the Assyrian:"

"When the Assyrian invades our land and marches through our fortresses, we will raise against him seven shepherds, even eight leaders of men. They will rule the land of Assyria with the sword, the land of Nimrod with drawn sword. He [the Messiah of Bethlehem] will deliver us from the Assyrian when he invades our land and marches into our borders." (Micah 5:5-6) This provocative passage contains a reference to "seven shepherds, even eight leaders of men" who are raised up to defend Israel from "the Assyrian" who is connected with "the land of Nimrod." The references to "seven" and "eight," combined with Micah's previous predictions of the true Messiah, make it reasonable to view the prediction about the "Assyrian" as a prediction of the false Messiah, the Beast of Revelation who "belongs to the seven" but appears as the eighth. The numerical connection may be dismissed by some as a "coincidence" but, given what we have learned, it seems more of a confirmation than a coincidence.

The possibility that Micah is offering a prophecy of the "Two Messiahs" is confirmed even more in verse 6, when the true Messiah is said to be the One who delivers Israel from the aggression of "the Assyrian." The Apostle Paul predicted the end of the Antichrist at the hands of the Messiah when he wrote (1 Thessalonians 2:8) that the Antichrist would be the one... "whom the Lord Jesus will overthrow with the breath of his mouth and destroy by the splendor of his coming." Revelation 19:20 also connects the destruction of the false Messiah with the appearance of the true Messiah.

According to the prophet Daniel (11:40-45) the forces of the Antichrist will one day invade and take over Israel from the north, which was the location of the ancient kingdom of Assyria. According to Genesis 10:11 Nimrod was the founder of the nation of Assyria when he built three cities there. Following the death of Nimrod and the breakup of his empire the Assyrian people remembered Nimrod as the warrior-god Assur, which is a name David Rohl connects directly with the Egyptian god "Asar," whom the Greeks referred to as "Osiris." [Rohl]

Micah's prophecy of the "Two Messiahs" ends with additional apocalyptic references involving the purging of Israel's wickedness; a promise that Israel will "be lifted up in triumph" over her enemies; and a final warning that God will "take vengeance in anger and wrath upon the nations that have not obeyed me." His message is thoroughly apocalyptic and "the Assyrian" should be viewed as an apocalyptic figure as well.

The idea that Micah's prophecies of "the Assyrian" are related to the end-times career of the Antichrist is put forth by respected prophecy scholar and commentator Chuck Missler within his study "Antichrist-The Alternate Ending." A short summation of his view can be read in the article "The Return of Nimrod?" in which Missler refers to the Antichrist and asks "Could it be that this final world dictator will be, in some sense, a return of Nimrod?" Missler's study focuses more on geographical origin than on identity, but he deserves to be thanked for providing a good analysis and for making some very important points.

The Kabiric Mysteries The theme of an "eighth" in connection with an original "seven" is closely connected with the Phoenician god Eshmun, mentioned above and in Part Three, who was a form of the Dying God worshiped by the Phoenicians of Sidon and Berytus (Beirut). Here is a quote from the fifth century AD neo-Platonist writer Damascius: "Asclepius of Berytus, he says, is neither a Greek nor an Egyptian but a native Phoenician. For to Sadykos sons were born, who are explained as Dioscouri and Kabeiri. Then as the eighth child, Esmounos was born [to him]; and Esmounos is interpreted as Asclepius. He was of very good appearance, a young man of admirable looks, and therefore became, according to the myth, the darling of Astronoe, a Phoenician goddess, the mother of the gods. He used to go hunting in these valleys. It then once happened that he discovered the goddess pursuing him. He fled, but when he saw that she continued to chase him and was just about to seize him, he cut off his own genitals with an axe. Greatly distressed at what had happened, she called Paian and rekindled [the life of] the young man by means of life-bringing heat and made him into a god. The Phoenicians call him Esmounos because of the warmth of life. Others, again, interpret Esmounos as "the eighth", explaining that he was the eighth child of Sadykos." [18]

The above quote from Damascius is reproduced in The Riddle of Resurrection by Tryggve N.D. Mettinger, who goes on to give an explanation of the important points: "It is clear that this passage, late as it is, contains some information that receives striking confirmation from earlier sources relating to the Eshmun cult. Esmounos is said in our text to be a native Phoenician god, the eighth son of Sadykos, and born after the seven Kabeiri or Dioscouri. All this we recognize from Philo Byblius, who speaks of "the seven sons of Sydyk, the Kabeiri, and the eighth son, their brother Asclepius." Sydyk is obviously a Semitic word, from the root for "righteousness", s-d-q. The final part of our passage in Damascius gives two alternate Semitic etymologies for the name of the god Eshmun: either from the Northwest Semitic >s, "fire", or from Northwest Semitic tmn, "eight"... [19]

The center of the Kabiric Mysteries was the island of Samothrace located in the Northern Aegean Sea. The island's mountain is the highest throughout the Aegean Sea, and Homer wrote that the god Poseidon took a seat at its top to watch the Trojan War being fought to the southeast. By the fifth century BC the cult was firmly established and the primary sanctuary had become an important part of the religion in the region, especially for the wealthy and elite of Greek society. The following quote from a website that discusses Samothrace describes the cult's prestige: "The sanctuary was used for the worship and performance of the mysteries in honor of the Great Gods, a religious event of great importance during Greek and Roman antiquity. The identity and nature of the gods worshipped on Samothrace, the so-called "Kabeiroi", still remains problematic." [20]

The author Guy Maclean Rogers, in his book Alexander-The Ambiguity of Greatness, relates an interesting anecdote about Samothrace and its Mysteries: "Alexander's father, Philip II of Macedon, had fallen in love with Olympias [Alexander's mother] when both were initiated into the mysteries of the Kabeiri (earth gods) on the island of Samothrace. Later on, Olympias was known to be devoted to ectastic Dionysian cults. During their ceremonies she entered into states of possession, and to the festival processions in honor of the god she introduced large, hand-tamed snakes that terrified the male spectators." [21]

The settlement of the island of Samothrace and its origin as an important sacred site in the pagan world is described by the first century BC historian Diodorus Siculus. According to Diodorus, the island was settled by Myrina, the Queen of the Amazons, and subsequently adopted by the "Mother of the Gods" and her sons the Kabeiri or "Corybantes." However, Diodorus strangely refuses to provide the name of the father of these seven sons: "As for Myrina, the account continues, she visited the larger part of Libya, and passing over into Egypt she struck a treaty of friendship with Horus, the son of Isis, who was king of Egypt at that time, and then, after making war to the end upon the Arabians and slaying many of them, she subdued Syria... She also conquered in war the races in the region of the Taurus, peoples of outstanding courage, and descended through Greater Phrygia to the sea... then she won over the land lying along the coast and fixed the bounds of her campaign at the Caicus River. And selecting in the territory which she had won by arms sites well suited for the founding of cities, she built a considerable number of them and founded one which bore her own name...

These, then are the cities she settled along the sea, but others, and a larger number, she planted in the regions stretching towards the interior. She seized also some of the islands, and Lesbos in particular, on which she founded the city of Mitylene, which was named after her sister who took part in the campaign. After that, while subduing some of the rest of the islands, she was caught in a storm, and after she had offered up prayers for her safety to the Mother of the Gods, she was carried to one of the uninhabited islands; this island, in obedience to a vision which she beheld in her dreams, she made sacred to this goddess, and set up altars there and offered magnificent sacrifices. She also gave it the name of Samothrace, which means, when translated into Greek, "sacred island," although some historians say that it was formerly called Samos and was then given the name of Samothrace by Thracians who at one time dwelt on it. However, after the Amazons had returned to the continent, the myth relates, the Mother of the Gods, well pleased with the island, settled in it certain other people, and also her own sons, who are known by the name of Corybantes--who their father was is handed down in their rites as a matter not to be divulged; and she established the mysteries which are now celebrated on the island and ordained by law that the sacred area should enjoy the right of sanctuary." (Bibliotheca Historia, Book III, Chapter 55) The cult of the Kabiric Mysteries was influential and secretive, yet its influence declined and many of its secrets have since been revealed. One of the best studies on this once-powerful institution can be found in A New Encyclopaedia of Freemasonry, by Aurthur Edward Waite, who was himself a learned Kabbalist, a member of the Golden Dawn, and a high level Freemason: "Kabiric Rites There was a wide and varied world of initiation long prior to the modern schools, as there was a world before the Flood. It unfolds before us under many aspects and guises, but these seem to be concerned always with the symbolism of Mystical Death. In the Kabiric Rites of Samothrace we hear that the Candidate was brought into the presence of the gods and was there slain by the gods. It seems obviously a kind of mystery which the most enthusiastic disciple would have been disposed to avoid at that and any other period; but in the light of all that we know concerning Initiation at large we shall interpret the episode in a purely symbolical manner and shall conclude that the recipient was passing through an experience of figurative death, after which there was a resurrection. Alternatively the Kabiric pantheon-if I may be permitted so to term it-had a myth of this kind in connection with one of their gods, in which case the Kabiric Rites, commemorating this event, were identical with other Instituted Mysteries, and notably those of Osiris, Ceres, Bacchus, Adonis and Rhea. Always, as Faber says, and as we have seen otherwise at length, "some ancient personage was first bewailed as being dead, or as having descended into hell," after which his or her "supposed revivification was celebrated with the most violent and frantic expressions of joy." We hear accordingly of a ceremonial observance which was called the Kabiric Death, celebrated precisely in the manner just indicated, that is to say, amidst darkness and sorrow, but afterwards in rejoicing and gladness. It was in commemoration of the mystical death and restoration of Kasmillos, the youngest of the Kabiric gods. I have failed to discover on what authority the Candidate for these Mysteries of Initiation is said to have taken the part of Kasmillos, suggesting that in the course of his experience he also was slain figuratively by the gods, that is by the officiating priests, and was thereafter restored to life. The assertion has been made, however, by more than one writer, and I remember indeed that "Kasmillos the Candidate" figures in one of the non-Masonic Rites which one meets with among modern inventions. ...

Pageant of the Rites.-As regards the ceremonial procedure, the scholiast on Homer reports that Candidates presented themselves crowned with olive-wreaths and wearing a purple girdle, that they passed in the dark of the night amidst woods and waterways-according to the scholiast on Apollonius-and so reached the Temple. The Rite which they witnessed was essentially phallic and its traditional history was the slaying of Kasmillos by his own brethren and fellow-gods, who fled-bearing his genitals in a cistern or basket. This is according to Herodotus-Liber II, c. 51-who says also that his body was carried into Asia on a shield and was buried at the foot of Mount Olympus. The circumstances of his restoration to life have not come down to us, and it may even be suppositious, an argument from the analogies furnished by the Mystery of Osiris, Iacchos and Adonis, though the force of the analogy is irresistable, and I have no doubt that those who mourned Kasmillos rejoiced afterwards with him. It is said by Herodotus that the Recipients were instructed in various historical traditions belonging to the Pelasgian race, and there is a suggestion otherwise-but I know not on what authority-that the Rite ended with the enthronement of the Candidate. The Kabiric Mysteries passed from Samothrace to Lemnos, Crete, Phrygia and Rome. There is evidence of Strabo to show that they were still practiced in Samothrace at the beginning of the Christian era." [22]

The Kabiric Mysteries appear to be a cult that promoted the Pagan perspective of the Judeo-Christian expectation regarding Satan and his seven kings. The Kabeiri, as Philo of Byblos explains, are the seven sons of a figure simply named "Sydyk" (righteous) whose identity is otherwise unknown, and Asclepius (also known as Esmounos, Eshmun or Kadmillos) is viewed as the eighth who died and rose again, or rather will rise again.

The name "Asclepius" comes from a Greek word that means "cut up," which is another connection with Osiris/Dionysus. The symbol for Asclepius was a staff entwined with a serpent, and a title for Asclepius was "serpent-bearer": "This symbol has now become a symbol for physicians across the globe. However, one should be careful not to confuse the Staff of Asclepius, which features a single serpent, with the Caduceus of Mercury (Roman), or the Karykeion of Hermes. The Caduceus, which features two intertwined serpents (rather than the single serpent in Asclepius' wand), as well as a pair of wings, has long been a symbol of commerce. It is thought that the two were first confused in the seventh century A.D., when alchemists often used the caduceus to symbolize their association with magical or "hermetic" arts." [23]

Another connection between Asclepius, the eighth, who is associated with seven brothers, and Osiris, who can only be viewed as an earlier representation of this dying and rising god, can be found in the Hermetic literature that was written in Alexandrian Egypt, during the first few centuries AD. In a tract entitled Asclepius (III, 37), written in Latin, it is stated very plainly that the "body" of Asclepius is buried in a temple "on the Libyan mountain near the shore of the crocodiles." This reference to Monte Libyco, as explained by Hermetic scholar Garth Fowden (see Part Six) is simply a reference to the Giza Plateau that rises next to the Nile, and we can assume that the temple referred to can only be the Giza Necropolis, which was known throughout antiquity as the Tomb of Osiris. With these connections in mind it becomes clear that the Hermetic "mountain" that allegedly holds the corpse of "Asclepius" is probably the Great Pyramid itself.

The Hero With A Thousand Faces The story of a Dying God became known throughout the world long before God took human flesh in the form of Jesus of Nazareth. This is a fact that has always been known by the masters and initiates of the mystery traditions, but it is a fact that has been long ignored or repressed by Christian scholars. In the late 1800s the phenomenon was presented through a secular academic perspective by Sir James Frazer and his groundbreaking book The Golden Bough published in 1890. Then in 1949 Joseph Campbell published his famous analysis of the "monomyth," entitled The Hero With A Thousand Faces. Campbell attempted to assimilate all of the ancient accounts of heroes and saviors into a basic template involving challenges, failures, death, rebirth, tragedy and finally triumph.

Many of Campbell's ideas can be viewed in hindsight as accurate, because at a certain level many of the hero-myths of antiquity can be traced back to one man: the Biblical Nimrod, as we have shown. However, the fault with Campbell lies in his insistent materialism and his unwillingness to appreciate the supernatural. Many of his critics have accused him of attempting to destroy religion, and it is well known that Campbell viewed the Bible as an unhistorical mythical fantasy, culminating in the New Testament which, according to Campbell, was simply another presentation of the same primordial mythical hero in the life of Christ. On this Campbell was wrong and he took his analysis too far. Nimrod can be viewed as the historical basis of the "Hero With A Thousand Faces," but the true Christ has had only one face and one message from the moment that He began to prove His identity as the Messiah and Lord of all creation.

In the ancient world the Dying God took many different names and was remembered in his many different aspects. The Egyptians knew him as Osiris, a former great king who died and became the ruler of the Underworld. The Babylonians knew him as Marduk and the Canaanites knew him as Baal, both of whom rose to become leaders of the pantheon. The Phoenicians of Tyre knew him as Melqart the hero; those of Byblos knew him as Adonis the lover; and those of Sidon knew him as Eshmun the healer; yet all of them were simply separate representations of Nimrod the original historical figure.

When it comes to the Greeks, who had their own unique pantheon but then assimilated all of the foreign gods all over again, the picture becomes even more convoluted. On a certain level Zeus, who was equated with Baal and Marduk, can be viewed as a representation of Nimrod/Osiris. The Greeks also knew Osiris as Dionysos, and then they assimilated the separate representations of the Phoenician Dying Gods individually: thus Eshmun became Asclepius the great healer, Melqart became Herakles the heroic demi-god, while Adonis retained his name and his representation as a beautiful but ill-fated lover. The wisdom aspect of Nimrod/Osiris as a great teacher and theologian became represented in Hermes, who was also equated with the Egyptian god Thoth. The figure of Hermes became a very important figure as paganism declined and today Hermetic teachings are making a major resurgence.

The Hermetic Tradition After Christianity became dominant in Egypt the cult of Hermes became an important underground transmitter of pagan traditions, and the alleged writings of Hermes Trismegistus, the Hermetica, became highly treasured in occult circles. During this time the Giza Necropolis became increasingly referred to as the Tomb of Hermes, replacing the classical designation of the monument as the Tomb of Osiris.

The Hermetic teachings were eventually repressed by the Roman Church, along with the "Luciferian Christian" teachings of the Gnostics, until they reappeared in the West near the end of the life of Cosimo de Medici (1389-1464) the ruler of the Republic of Florence. In fact, as Frances Yates explains, Cosimo had access to the works of Plato and of "Hermes," but he chose to have the Hermetic works translated first so that he could read them before he died.

The appearance of the neo-pagan mystical Hermetic writings, as well as the increasing popularity of the Kabbalah as a reputed form of "Christian magic," led to the re-emergence of occult beliefs and practices during the Renaissance. Magicians such as Giordano Bruno, Cornelius Agrippa, Albertus Magnus, Tommaso Campanella, Paracelsus, Nostradamus, and many others lived and worked in an underground occult network, often on the run from a Church that was rarely hesitant to burn heretics at the stake. This network became closely associated with the Rosicrucians, which appeared in the early 1600s, as well as with the Freemasons, that became public as an esoteric order in Britain in the early 1700s. Britain was also a haven for legendary occult figures like John Dee and Francis Bacon, the former being the inspiration for magical orders such as the Golden Dawn and the OTO, and the latter viewed as a father-figure of Rosicrucians and Freemasons.

The origins of the Freemasons can be traced back to the Knights Templar who, as scholars have shown, held to Gnostic beliefs associated with the Cathars, a sect brutally suppressed by the Church in a series of genocidal Crusades in the thirteenth century. The Gnostics, it must be remembered, practiced a strange form of Luciferian Christianity, in which the God of the Old Testament was reviled as evil and Jesus Christ was viewed as a manifestation of the serpent of wisdom from the Garden of Eden. The Gnostics viewed the heroes of the Old Testament as wicked, and in turn they glorified the enemies of God in the Old Testament as heroes. From this perspective the first human hero after the Fall was Cain, and the first hero after the Flood was Nimrod. This Gnostic perspective can be seen very clearly in one of the earliest Masonic manuscripts known as the Dowland MS. It dates to approximately 1500 and it tells the story of the beginning of Freemasonry as an institution allegedly dedicated to truth and brotherhood among men. Here is an excerpt from this venerable manuscript: "How that these worthy Sciences were first begunne, I shall you tell. Before Noye's flood, there was a man called Lameche, as it is written in the Byble in the iiijth [4th] chapter of Genesis; and this Lameche had two wives, and the one height Ada, and that other height Sella; by his first wife Ada he gott two sons, and that one Jabell and thother Tuball, and by that other wife Sella he got a son [Tubal-Cain] and a daughter... And this elder son Jabell found the science of Geometrie... And his brother Tuball found the science of music... And the third brother, Tuball Cain, found smithcraft of gold, silver, copper, iron and steele; and the daughter found the craft of Weavinge. And these children knew well that God would take vengeance for synn, either by fire or by water; wherefore they writt their science that they had found in two pillars of stone, that they might be found after Noye's flood...

Our intent is to tell you trulie how and in what manner these stones were found that these sciences were written in. The great Hermarynes, that was Cuby's [Cush's?] son, the which Cub was Sem's son [sic], that was Noy's son. This Hermarynes afterwards was called Harmes [Hermes], the father of wise men; he found one of the two pillars of stone, and found the science written there, and he taught it to other men. And at the making of the Tower of Babylon there was Masonrye first made much of. And the Kinge of Babylon that height Nemrothe, was a mason himself; and he loved well the science, and it is said with masters of histories. And when the City of Nyneve and other cities of the East should be made, Nemrothe, the King of Babylon, sent thither three score Masons at the rogation of the King of Nyneve, his cosen. And when he sent them forth, he gave them a charge on this manner. That they should be true each of them to other, and that they should love truly together, and that they should serve their lord truly for their pay; soe that the master may have worshipp and all that long to him. And other moe charges he gave them. And this was the first time that ever Masons had any charge of his science." [24]

The Gnostic influence on this early Masonic manuscript is apparent in its glorification of the descendents of Cain who, according to the book of Enoch and other extra-Biblical Hebrew accounts, were influenced directly by the fallen angels. The appearance of Hermes as a historical figure is noteworthy, along with his positive portrayal, as well as the designation of Nimrod as one of the first Masons. The tale also implies that the God of the Bible is evil by presenting "knowledge" and "science" as something that had to be protected from God and as something that was resurrected by Hermes, an unbiblical pagan figure, and then used by Nimrod, the king who rebelled against God. The Masonic understanding of Hermes must be understood because he appears as a major figure in the messages that came from a modern Gnostic and high-level Freemason who we will examine next.

Edgar Cayce and the Second Coming Edgar Cayce (1877-1945), the man known euphemistically as "The Sleeping Prophet," began his career as a door-to-door insurance salesman working for his father. The company they worked for was the Fraternal Insurance Company whose employees were all Freemasons and whose services were aimed at Freemasons. Throughout his life Cayce was intimately involved in Masonic circles and his career as a psychic was promoted by fellow Masons. In turn, the channeled messages received through Cayce promoted the Gnostic neo-pagan spirituality that exists at the heart of Freemasonry.

Edgar Cayce's career as a psychic began as a result of Cayce being hypnotized as a means to bring back his voice, which he had lost shortly after going into business with his father. While in a trance Cayce successfully diagnosed himself, and then later he was persuaded to give similar readings for other people. In 1910 the popularity of Cayce increased to the point that the New York Times published a front-page story (photo right) about his abilities. In 1918 Cayce was even invited to the White House to give a reading for President Woodrow Wilson, a fellow Mason. In 1925 Cayce relocated to Virginia Beach, Virginia, where he produced the majority of his "readings" that have become so popular in New Age and alternative circles.

Throughout his life Edgar Cayce claimed to be a devoted Christian, yet many of the trance-channeled messages that he received from the spirit world promoted a theology that contradicted the Bible. Cayce was taught astrology and reincarnation, and the messages even stated that Jesus Christ had gone through a number of incarnations as figures including Adam, Enoch, Melchizidek, Joseph and others, prior to his birth in Bethlehem. Cayce was also taught that mankind could evolve into god-hood (self-deification) after achieving "Christ Consciousness" over numerous lifetimes, he was taught that death was temporary and an illusion, and he was taught that hidden knowledge could be applied to aid in mankind's spiritual quest. To put it bluntly, Cayce's source promoted the three primary Satanic lies that underpin Gnosticism, Paganism and almost all occult belief systems.

Edgar Cayce's spiritual source also presented a view of human history that seemed to confirm the Hermetic writings that were the backbone of Freemasonry and Rosicrucianism. Some of his messages confirmed the existence of a hidden "Great White Brotherhood" of spiritual masters that guided civilization as taught by Helena Blavatsky and Alice Bailey of the Theosophical Society, and many more appeared to parallel the teachings of Harvey Spencer Lewis who founded the American Rosicrucian order, AMORC, in 1915.

According to the messages given through Edgar Cayce the most important time in human history, other than perhaps the time of Jesus Christ, was a period in ancient Egypt, dated to around 10,500 BC shortly after the alleged destruction of Atlantis. The whole story, as pieced together from a number of different readings given over several decades, appears to revolve around an ancient Egyptian High Priest by the name of Ra-Ta, who just happened to be a previous incarnation of Edgar Cayce himself. In reading this story as summarized by Cayce's son Hugh Lynn Cayce [25], it becomes clear that the story of Ra-Ta is simply a thinly-veiled presentation of the myth of Osiris that includes parallels with the life of Jesus Christ. Hugh Lynn Cayce introduces Ra-Ta: "There were many people, even nations, that were influenced by the material activities of Ra-Ta. He came into the land of Egypt for a purpose, and was a man of unusual abilities as well as appearance and manners of conduct."

H.L. Cayce explains that prior to his birth the soul of Ra-Ta chose to be born into a tribe that later conquered Egypt. Ra-Ta was allegedly "the first pure white man on the earth" and he was born of a virgin and "not begotten of man." In his early years Ra-Ta did not fit in with society and was "rejected by those who ordinarily would have been his companions." However, Ra-Ta was able to rise above this prejudice and prove himself, and he eventually rose to a leadership position under the king, helping to lead the conquest of Egypt.

As the new dynasty became established Ra-Ta became the king's most trusted prophet and seer. Afterwards, "there began a period that may well be called a division of interests of the people." Ra-Ta worked with the king, and then with the king's son after the old king passed. Political, economic and religious matters then consumed Ra-Ta as he worked for the new king as the primary voice of the various councils that were set up. There is also a strange reference to the "divisions of the ... spiritual relationships" during this time: "With these, preparations began for the temple where there was to be the various forms of worship, as related to the divisions of the penal or moral relationships of the people, and what would be termed today the religious or spiritual relationships."

In another reading Cayce's source explains that "The separating of the peoples in their castes was only the beginning then of group understandings, and the first ruler of groups set self in that place in the Upper Nile, near what is now known as the Valley of the Tombs." (Reading 195-41) [26]

Eventually Ra-Ta became famous throughout the world for his wisdom, for his technical and economic innovations, and for his skill in managing Egypt, and his opinions became highly sought after: "From time to time it was necessary for Ra-Ta to visit these other lands, and during his absence there arose more and more a dissension among the people, some claiming that Ra-Ta was leaving much to subordinates. Especially some of the native councilors found such fault with Ra-Ta, and a few others who had allowed avarice to arise in their own makeup. This brought questioning more and more."

At this time Ra-Ta also became embroiled in a bizarre sexual affair with his own daughter, Isris, who was coveted by the king himself. She was Ra-Ta's companion in performing the temple rituals and eventually it was decreed that Isris would become his wife, through whom there might be brought a "perfect body," meaning a higher-evolved human being, which was an expectation realized in their son Iso. However, shortly after this the backlash against Ra-Ta culminated in a public trial and Ra-Ta, Isris, Iso, and other members of their inner circle, including "Hermes," were banished from Egypt to the land of Nubia to the south. After nine years of chaos, hardship, tumult and warfare, the people of Egypt finally realized their mistake and they begged Ra-Ta to return. To this Ra-Ta agreed, but only if certain conditions were met: "...and that not until there had been definite arrangements made that the priest Ra-Ta would return, and that all would be submissive to his mandates. Ra-Ta became, then, a dictator - or a monarch in his own right."

When Ra-Ta returned he found that the years had taken their toll on his body. He was old, weak, stressed-out, and lacking in energy. Ra-Ta returned to the "Temple Beautiful" and withdrew himself from the world for a period of time, which allowed for his body to heal and rejuvenate. When he emerged from this period of "regeneration" Egypt began a new phase in its history: "Then began what may be truly termed the first national or nation spirit of a peoples. Rather than the divisions causing a dispersing of ideal or a dividing up of interests, they seemed to centralize the interests; for these divisions were being guided by a ruler or king whose authority was not questioned any more. Neither were the advisings of the priest Ra-Ta questioned, and he was acting in the capacity of preparing for this very spirit to manifest in the way of the national emblems, the national ideas, that stood for the varied activities of not only individuals or groups, but for the general masses. Hence there began the first preparation for what has been called The Great Pyramid, which was to present that which had been gained by these people through the activities of Ra-Ta, who was now known as Ra. This work was aided much by Hermes, who had returned with Ra from the mount to which he had been banished. Isris, who had been condemned with Ra-Ta in banishment, was now raised to the position of queen without question, or the advisor to all her own people...

Hence, under the authority of Ra, and Hermes acting as guide - or the actual construction architect, with Ra giving the directions, work began in earnest on the pyramid. Isris, whose name had now been changed to Isis, became the advisor for the laying in of those things that would present to the people the advancement of that portion of man called woman, as to her position in the activities of the human race."

This final great work of Ra-Ta was the building of the Great Pyramid, laid out "according to that which had been worked out by Ra-Ta in the mount, as related to the position of the stars about which this particular solar system circles in its activity..." It was to be a prophetic model of human events as well, which was a well-known belief in Cayce's day promoted by authors such as Piazzi Smith and David Davidson: "As the changes came about in the earth, the rise and fall of nations were to be depicted in this same temple, that was to act as an interpreter for that which had been, that which is, and that which is to be..."

Finally, with the completion of the Great Pyramid the life's mission of Ra-Ta was accomplished and the end of his earthly incarnation was described: "Then there came the period when all the pyramid or memorial was complete. Ra, having finished his work, ascended into the mount - and was borne away."

The purpose of the Great Pyramid is explained in a separate reading: "In the building of the pyramid, and that which is now called the Mystery of Mysteries, this was intended to be a MEMORIAL - as would be termed today - to that counsellor who ruled or governed, or who acted in the capacity of the director in the MATERIAL things in the land. With the return of the priest [Ra] (as it had been stopped), this was later - by Isis, the queen, or the daughter of Ra - turned so as to present to those peoples in that land the relationships of man and animal or carnal world with those changes that fade or fall away in their various effect." [5748-6]

The story of Ra-Ta does not end with the completion of the Great Pyramid and his "ascension" into heaven. The spirits behind the messages given by Edgar Cayce were not interested only in the past, they also had a definite agenda for the future. According to these spirits Ra-Ta would appear again on the earth and he would help to lead humanity into the New Age of Aquarius. In the following excerpt the prophetic qualities of the Great Pyramid are promoted, and then there is a reference to the "return of the Great Initiate" that will take place when there is "a change in the earth's position": "Then with Hermes and Ra... there began the building of that now called Gizeh, with which those prophecies that had been in the Temple of Records and the Temple Beautiful were builded, in the building of this that was to be the hall of the initiates of that sometimes referred to as the White Brotherhood. This then, receives all the records from the beginnings of that given by the priest, Arart, Araaraart and Ra, to that period when there is to be the change in the earth's position and the return of the Great Initiate to that and other lands for the folding up of those prophecies that are depicted there. All changes that came in the religious thought in the world are shown there, in the variations in which the passage through same is reached, from the base to the top - or to the open tomb AND the top. These are signified by both the layer and the color in what direction the turn is made." [5748-5]

Other readings explain that the "return of the Great Initiate" is associated with the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. However, the relationship between Christ and Ra-Ta remains unclear. On one hand Ra-Ta, a previous incarnation of Cayce, is clearly portrayed as the "Great Initiate" who is expected to return, but then Jesus is also described as the "Great Initiate." Strangely, Christ is also associated with an undiscovered tomb and/or pyramid that allegedly contains records of His teachings: "(Q) In which pyramids are the records of the Christ?

(A) That yet to be uncovered.

(Q) Are there any written records which have not been found of the teachings?

(A) More, rather, of those of the close associates, and those records that are yet to be found of the preparation of the man, of the Christ, in those of the tomb, or those yet to be uncovered in the pyramid.

(Q) He said He would come again. What about His second coming?

(A) The time no one knows. Even as He gave, not even the Son Himself. ONLY the Father. Not until His enemies - and the earth - are wholly in subjection to His will, His powers.

(Q) Are we entering the period of preparation for His coming?

(A) Entering the test period, rather." [5749-2]

In the quote above Cayce's source echoes the Bible in saying that no one will know the time of the return of the Messiah, yet in many other readings this return is closely associated with the year 1998. Scholars have since concluded that Cayce's source was merely predicting that a chamber, the so-called "Hall of Records," would be found underneath the Sphinx in 1998. Evidence exists that just such a chamber was found in 1998, although its discovery has not been officially confirmed. Below are a few prophecies of the allegedly momentous year of 1998: "In 1998 we may find a great deal of the activities as have been wrought by the gradual changes that are coming about...

(Question) Can a date be given to indicate the beginning of the Aquarian Age?

(Answer) This has already been indicated as the period when it should pass, but that is when it begins to affect. It laps from one to another, as is the natural sources, as he holds to that which has been, which is. As has been indicated, we will begin to understand fully in '98.

(Q) Are there any thoughts along these lines, beyond these, that can be given at this time?

(A) Holy, holy is His name!" [end of reading 1602-3]

"In this same pyramid did the Great Initiate, the Master, take those last of the Brotherhood degrees with John, the forerunner of Him, at that place... and again is there seen that this occurs in the entrance of the Messiah in this period - 1998." [5748-5]

The quotes above seem to refer to Jesus as the Great Initiate, yet another reading also clearly predicts the return of Ra-Ta, a portion of which goes on to describe him as the "Liberator of the World" : "Is it not fitting, then, that these must return? As this priest [Ra-Ta] may develop himself to be in that position, to be in the capacity of a LIBERATOR of the world in its relationships to individuals in those periods to come; for he must enter again at that period, or in 1998." [294-151]

The relationship between Ra-Ta and Jesus is enigmatic, and Cayce's secretary, Gladys Davis, turned to an encyclopedia of occult themes and symbols written by Manly P. Hall to try to make sense of it. In her notes she explains that according to Hall, the figure Hermes is the same as the Biblical Enoch who ascended into heaven in Genesis 5:24. Enoch is named in Cayce's readings as one of the incarnations of Jesus, and so Davis concludes that Jesus appeared as Hermes during the time of Ra-Ta, circa 10,500 BC, to help in the building of the Great Pyramid.

Apparently both Jesus and Ra-Ta are predicted to return to help guide mankind into the Age of Aquarius, which corresponds with the channeled messages of Alice Bailey and Benjamin Creme that predict that the "Master Jesus" will appear alongside the revealed "Maitreya" to help usher in the New Age. According to Creme this "Master Jesus" will be based in Rome and his task will be to correct the "false teachings" that have crept into Catholicism and Christianity over the past 2000 years. It may be entirely coincidental, but it should be noted that the ancient Egyptian holy city of Heliopolis, the spiritual capital of the ancient cults of Ra and Osiris, is presently located underneath a suburb of Cairo that is known today as El-Matariya. [27]

"The Dying God Shall Rise Again!"

It is interesting that Gladys Davis, the long-time secretary of Edgar Cayce who recorded most of his trance-channeled sessions, would refer to the work of Manly P. Hall as an authority on spiritual and esoteric issues. The relationship between Edgar Cayce and Manly P. Hall (right) remains unknown, but their lives have very much in common. Both looked with interest to ancient Egypt, both endorsed Gnosticism and other occult traditions and beliefs, and both looked to the return of a "Great Initiate" who is often confused with Jesus Christ. Furthermore, while the legacy of Cayce was solidified with the creation of his Association of Research and Enlightenment (ARE) on the east coast in Virginia City in 1931, Hall's was confirmed by the creation of his institution on the west coast in Los Angeles in 1934. Below is a brief biography of Hall excerpted from www.wikipedia.com: "Manly Palmer Hall (March 18, 1901 - August 29, 1990) was a prolific American author and mystic. He is perhaps most famous for his work The Secret Teaching of All Ages: An Encyclopedic Outline of Masonic, Hermetic, Qabbalistic and Rosicrucian Symbolical Philosophy, which he published at the age of twenty five; the first line of which is, "Philosophy is the science of estimating values."

He has been widely recognized as a leading scholar in the fields of religion, mythology, mysticism, and the occult.

Carl Jung, when writing Psychology and Alchemy, borrowed material from Hall's private collection.

In 1934 Manly P. Hall founded the Philosophical Research Society in Los Angeles, California, dedicating it to an idealistic approach to the solution of human problems. The PRS claims to be non-sectarian and entirely free from educational, political, or ecclesiastical control, the Society's programs stress the need for the integration of philosophy, religion, and science into one system of instruction. The PRS Library, a public facility devoted to source materials in obscure fields, has many rare and scarce items now impossible to obtain elsewhere.

In his long career, spanning more than seventy years of dynamic public activity, Mr. Hall delivered over 7,500 lectures in the United States and abroad, authored over 150 books and essays, and wrote countless magazine articles." [28]

Manly P. Hall was a very ambitious young occultist and, as the biography explains, his magnum opus The Secret Teachings of All Ages, was published when Hall was only twenty-five years old, in 1928. The first print run of this massive volume included only 500 expensive and "lavishly-illustrated" volumes that were quickly sold-out, and the book remained a collector's item largely unknown to the "uninitiated." It was only in 2003, seventy-five years after the initial print run, that Secret Teachings became available as a mass market paperback to the general public.

Before we turn to relevant excerpts of Secret Teachings we will first examine some of Hall's beliefs concerning Freemasonry, its ancient connection with Nimrod/Osiris, and its central ritual involving the death of Hiram Abiff. Here again (from Part Six) is what he writes concerning the connection between the Masonic legend of Hiram Abiff and the Egyptian god Osiris in a paper entitled "Rosicrucian and Masonic Origins": "Preston, Gould, Mackey, Oliver, and Pike-in fact, nearly every great historian of Freemasonry-have all admitted the possibility of the modern society being connected, indirectly at least, with the ancient Mysteries, and their descriptions of the modern society are prefaced by excerpts from ancient writings descriptive of primitive ceremonials. These eminent Masonic scholars have all recognized in the legend of Hiram Abiff an adaptation of the Osiris myth; nor do they deny that the major part of the symbolism of the craft is derived from the pagan institutions of antiquity when the gods were venerated in secret places with strange figures and appropriate rituals."

Manly P. Hall achieved the honorary level of 33 within the Scottish Rite of Freemasonry and he was certainly a high-level initiate of many other occult societies. In the early 1920s, before he began his six years of research for Secret Teachings, Hall published a small book entitled The Lost Keys of Freemasonry, also known as The Secret of Hiram Abiff. In this book Hall presents the legendary tale of the master builder that King Solomon contracted from the King of Tyre to help build the Temple of God in Jerusalem. This myth is the foundation of the most important initiation in the lower levels of Freemasonry-the "raising" of the initiate to the third degree of Master Mason-which is also explained as the raising of the initiate "from darkness into light" (Illumination!). In the Masonic ritual the initiate plays the part of Hiram Abiff as he is slain by three "ruffians." Afterwards the initiate is regarded as deceased for a period of time prior to his joyous "resurrection" that culminates the ritual. We will now examine Hall's presentation of this legend [29], beginning with Hiram's death at the hands of the "ruffians" : "Turning upon their maker and striking him with his own tools given him by God out of heaven, they left their Grand Master dying in the midst of his labors, broken and crushed by the threefold powers of cosmic night. As he lay bleeding at the feet of his handiwork the martyred Builder raised his eyes to the seething clouds, and his face was sweet with divine love and cosmic understanding as he prayed unto the Master who had sent him forth: "O Master of Workmen, Great Architect of the universe, my labors are not finished. Why must they always remain undone? I have not completed the thing for which Thou hast sent me unto being, for my very creations have turned against me and the tools Thou gavest me have destroyed me... In Thy name, Father, I have labored and in Thy cause I die, a faithful builder."

The Master fell back, his upturned face sweet in the last repose of death, and the light rays no longer pouring from him. The gray clouds gathered closer as though to form a winding sheet around the body of their murdered Master. Suddenly the heavens opened again and a shaft of light bathed the form of Hiram in a glory celestial. Again the Voice spoke from the heavens where the Great King sat upon the clouds of creation: "He is not dead; he is asleep. Who will awaken him? His labors are not done, and in death he guards the sacred relics more closely than ever, for the Word and the tracing board are his - I have given them to him. But he must remain asleep until these three who have slain him shall bring him back to life, for every wrong must be righted, and the slayers of my house, the destroyers of my temple, must labor in the place of their Builder until they raise their Master from the dead." The three murderers fell on their knees and raised their hands to heaven as though to ward off the light which had disclosed their crime: "O God, great is our sin, for we have slain our Grand Master, Hiram Abiff! Just is Thy punishment and as we have slain him we now dedicate our lives to his resurrection. The first was our human weakness, the second our sacred duty."

After this passage the three workmen who have slain their Master agree to their task and are given further instructions on how to find his hidden body. The following passage summarizes their task and then mentions the unfinished Temple that must be completed after Hiram is resurrected: "This eternal quest is yours until ye have found your Builder, until the cup giveth up its secret, until the grave giveth up its ghosts. No more shall I speak until ye have found and raised my beloved Son, and have listened to the words of my Messenger and with Him as your guide have finished the temple which I shall then inhabit. Amen."

If Hiram is indeed a portrayal of Osiris, and if Osiris is in fact a mythical representation of Nimrod, then historically the "unfinished Temple" refers to the Tower of Babel, that great memorial erected in honor of the Sumerian god Enki, whom we have identified as Satan (see Part Six).

On the other hand, if we view the completion of the "Temple of God" from an apocalyptic viewpoint we find that this future Temple is in fact an allusion to the rebuilding of Solomon's Temple, just as the ritual implies, which is predicted by prophets from the Old and New Testaments, and which the Apostle Paul predicts will be briefly inhabited by the Antichrist: "Concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to him, we ask you, brothers, not to become easily unsettled or alarmed by some prophecy, report or letter supposed to have come from us, saying that the day of the Lord has already come. Don't let anyone deceive you in any way, for that day will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the man doomed to destruction. He will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshiped, so that he sets himself up in God's temple, proclaiming himself to be God." (2 Thessalonians 2:1-4) The rebuilding of Solomon's Temple has been identified by numerous sources over the years as one of the primary goals of Freemasonry, and the writings of Manly P. Hall certainly support this accusation. [30]

In The Lost Keys of Freemasonry Hall examines the legend of Hiram Abiff on a symbolic level, and he explains that human beings, or more specifically those who are members of the Masonic Fraternity, are in fact the "three ruffians" who must labor to perfect their characters and work for the brotherhood of man that will allow for the inevitable resurrection of "Hiram Abiff," otherwise known as Osiris: "You are the temple builders of the future. With your hands must be raised the domes and spires of a coming civilization. Upon the foundation you have laid, tomorrow shall build a far more noble edifice. Builders of the temple of character wherein should dwell an enlightened spirit; truers of the rock of relationship; molders of those vessels created to contain the oil of life: up, and to the task appointed! Never before in the history of men have you had the opportunity that now confronts you. The world waits - waits for the illuminated one who shall come from between the pillars of the portico. Humility, hoodwinked and bound, seeks entrance to the temple of wisdom. Fling wide the gate, and let the worthy enter. Fling wide the gate, and let the light that is the life of men shine forth. Hasten to complete the dwelling of the Lord, that the Spirit of God may come and dwell among His people, sanctified and ordained according to His law."

Hall's Lost Keys gives a glimpse of the symbolism behind Freemasonry, but in his book The Secret Teachings of All Ages Hall explains very clearly what some of these symbols mean on a literal level, and on a level that will eventually affect all mankind. We will pick up his analysis in chapter seven "The Initiation of the Pyramid" in the section dealing with "The Pyramid Mysteries" [31]: "...the Great Pyramid ... represented the inner sanctuary of pre-Egyptian wisdom. By the Egyptians the Great Pyramid was associated with Hermes, the god of wisdom and letters and the Divine Illuminator worshiped through the planet Mercury. Relating Hermes to the Pyramid emphasizes anew the fact that it was in reality the supreme temple of the Invisible and Supreme Deity. The Great Pyramid was not a lighthouse, an observatory, or a tomb, but the first temple of the Mysteries, the first structure erected as a repository for those secret truths which are the certain foundations of all arts and sciences. It was the perfect emblem of the microcosm and the macrocosm and, according to the secret teachings, the tomb of Osiris, the black god of the Nile. Osiris represented a certain manifestation of solar energy, and therefore his house or tomb is emblematic of the universe within which he is entombed and upon the cross of which he is crucified."

In this passage Hall connects Hermes with the Great Pyramid, which the medieval Arab sages referred to as the "Tomb of Hermes."[32] The connection between Hermes and Osiris, as previously mentioned, runs deep. In the next chapter entitled "Isis, the Virgin of the World," Hall writes that "Plutarch affirms that many ancient authors believed this goddess to be the daughter of Hermes." Cayce's messages claimed that Isis was the daughter and wife of "Ra-Ta," while the usual myth of Osiris makes Isis to be his sister and wife. Regarding the Great Pyramid in the quote above, Hall contradicts himself by first saying that it is not a tomb and then immediately explaining that "according to the secret teachings" it was the "tomb of Osiris." Hall then continues: "Through the mystic passageways and chambers of the Great Pyramid passed the illumined of antiquity. They entered its portals as men; they came forth as gods. It was the place of the "second birth," the "womb of the Mysteries," and wisdom dwelt in it as God dwells in the heart of men...

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