FINAL WARNING: The Curtain Falls
of St. Augustine, and to use their swords, arms, and strength to defend
the Christian faith. They also took vows of chastity and poverty, and
promised not to join any other organization. They pledged to “keep the
roads and highways safe ... for the protection of pilgrims” and not to
surrender any wall, or foot of land. They offered their services to
Baudouin I, the King of Jerusalem, and an entire wing of the royal
palace on the Temple Mount (the site of Solomon’s Temple) was given
to them to be used as a living quarters. In 1139, Pope Innocent II
decreed that these Knights of Christ owed their allegiance to no one
but the Pope (thus becoming a military arm of the Catholic Church),
and they began to wear white robes with a red cross on the front. They
carried a black and white striped banner which displayed the cross,
and the words: “Non nobis, Domine, sed nomini tuo da gloriam,”
which became their battle cry. Their meetings were carried out in
secret.It is known, that for nine years, the Knights were searching for
something beneath the Temple grounds, and evidence points to the
fact that they might have found something. In March, 1952, a copper
scroll found in cave III at Qumran, near the Dead Sea, revealed that
more than 138 tons of gold and silver were buried in 64 locations,
before the Romans destroyed the Temple. It is believed that 24 of these
locations were under the Temple Mount, which was plundered by the
Knights Templar and taken to Europe, where it became the basis for
the establishment of the international banking system.In 1153, a nobleman, Bertrand de Blanchefort, who lived only a couple
of miles from Rennes-le-Chateau, became the 4th Grand Master of the
Knights Templar He escalated their growth into the diplomatic and
political circles, and established a Templar presence in the area. Their
numbers soon increased to 9,000, and the Order spread to Tripoli,
Antioch, Cyprus, Portugal, Castile, Leon, Arragon, France, Flanders,
the Netherlands, England, Scotland, Ireland, Germany, Italy and Sicily.
They had a presence in most areas adhering to Christianity.In 1187, after the fall of Jerusalem to Saladin, they were forced to move
their headquarters to the island of Cyprus; and in 1188, the Prieuré de
Sion withdrew their control from the Knights Templar and separated
from them. They moved their headquarters to a Temple in Paris, and
through their organization and wealth, the Knights became the bankers