9/23/2025

Introduction

The John Wick film franchise, though fictional, offers a striking allegory of what the Book of Mormon calls secret combinations. These organizations operate outside of our established laws and legal systems, pursuing power, wealth, and control through deception, murder, plunder, and oaths of secrecy. The films reveal a shadow world governed not by biblical morality but by a counterfeit code of conduct—contracts sealed in blood, sacred sanctuaries where violence is forbidden, and a High Table of power brokers who adjudicate disputes. Such imagery resonates deeply with the Book of Mormon’s warnings that secret societies will arise in the last days and, if unchecked, will bring the nations to destruction.¹

This essay will explore how the John Wick universe mirrors the scriptural concept of secret combinations / secret societies, and will examine evidence of similar hidden networks of power in our own world, such as the Council on Foreign Relations, the Bilderberg Group, NATO, the United Nations, the World Economic Forum, and Freemasonry. Finally, it will argue that awareness of these realities is essential if we are to detect and resist the encroachment of the world’s greatest forms of evil in our time.

Secret Combinations in the Book of Mormon

The Book of Mormon records that secret societies arose among both the Jaredites and the Nephites. They were founded on “secret oaths and covenants” designed to protect their members from the reach of civil law and justice while enabling them to murder, steal, and seize power.² These combinations were inspired by the devil and perpetuated through fear and greed.³ Moroni warns modern readers:

“Whatsoever nation shall uphold such secret combinations, to get power and gain, until they shall spread over the nation, behold, they shall be destroyed.”⁴

This warning sets the stage for analyzing modern parallels. Secret societies thrive on secrecy, counterfeit legitimacy, fake righteousness, hidden structures of power, and loyalty to their own codes above the laws of God or nations.

The John Wick Allegory

The John Wick franchise vividly illustrates how such shadow societies function. Its world is ruled by:

– Sacred Boundaries: Violence is forbidden on the grounds of The Continental Hotel, just as real-world elites establish sanctuaries of untouchability where their own laws apply.
– Contracts and Covenants: Blood oaths and gold coins symbolize the economy of trust within the underworld, binding members more tightly than civil law.
– Brokers of Power: The High Table and its adjudicators serve as judges, enforcing the rules of this hidden order while remaining outside the reach of governments.

This underworld reveals that evil is not chaotic—it is structured, regulated, and self-sustaining. In Wick’s world, one can lie, steal, and murder with impunity, but breaking the code is the one unforgivable sin. The films dramatize how corruption preserves itself by building an alternative system of law and power.

Modern Parallels to Secret Combinations

The allegory is not confined to cinema. Modern history offers numerous organizations whose secrecy, influence, and transnational power bear striking resemblance to the Book of Mormon’s warnings:

1. The Roundtable and the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR)
Founded in the early 20th century, the Round Table Groups and their American branch, the CFR, sought to shape global policy through elite coordination. Carroll Quigley, historian at Georgetown University, documented their aim to “create a world system of financial control in private hands able to dominate the political system of each country.”⁵

2. The Bilderberg Group
Since 1954, the Bilderberg Meetings have gathered global elites in closed-door sessions. Attendees include heads of state, bankers, media magnates, and military leaders. Journalists are barred, and no official minutes are kept. The secrecy fuels suspicion that decisions made here influence global politics far beyond public accountability.⁶

3. NATO and the United Nations
Though billed as alliances for peace, both function as supranational power structures. Member states surrender portions of sovereignty in exchange for belonging to the “sanctuary,” much like Wick’s Continental. Their rules are not universally moral but pragmatic, ensuring order within the system rather than justice before God.

4. The World Economic Forum (WEF)
The WEF openly advocates for global restructuring of the economy and society. Klaus Schwab’s now-infamous phrase, “You will own nothing, and be happy,”⁷ epitomizes the ethos of control masked as benevolence. Like the High Table, the WEF claims to arbitrate the world’s future, though unelected and unaccountable.

5. Freemasons and Occult Orders
Historically, Freemasonry required blood oaths of silence and loyalty. Many influential figures in politics and finance were members, their allegiance to the Lodge often superseding national loyalties.⁸ This mirrors the “blood markers” and sacred tokens of Wick’s world, where secrecy and loyalty override divine law.

The Pattern of Secret Combinations

From Wick’s fictional assassins to the real-world elites, the same patterns appear:

– Secrecy: Decisions made in closed councils beyond the scrutiny of the people.
– Oaths and Loyalty: Membership secured through vows that bind conscience.
– Parallel Authority: A code or law outside of, and superior to, national governments.
– Counterfeit Morality: Rules that preserve the system but disregard God’s standards of righteousness.

Why Awareness Is Essential

The Book of Mormon’s warnings are clear: secret combinations are not relics of the past, but an enduring threat. To ignore them is to risk subjugation. Moroni writes:

“Wherefore, O ye Gentiles, it is wisdom in God that these things should be shown unto you, that thereby ye may repent of your sins, and suffer not that these murderous combinations shall get above you.”⁹

Just as John Wick’s underworld thrives because ordinary people never glimpse its hidden order, so too do modern secret societies flourish in silence. Awareness is not paranoia—it is vigilance. Recognizing the structures of counterfeit law allows us to resist them and uphold the true law of God, which alone guarantees justice, liberty, and human dignity.

Conclusion

The John Wick films, while fictional, reveal timeless truths about the way evil operates. Secret combinations do not merely permit wickedness; they institutionalize it, preserving corruption through counterfeit codes of honor, contracts, and authority. The Book of Mormon warns that such powers, if unchecked, can destroy nations. In our modern world, organizations like the CFR, Bilderbergs, WEF, and occult orders bear unsettling resemblance to these ancient warnings.

Our responsibility is clear: to discern the hidden patterns of corruption, refuse allegiance to counterfeit codes, and uphold the law of God. Only then can we safeguard ourselves, our families, and our nations from the destructive power of these secret combinations and secret societies.

References

1. Ether 8:18–22, Book of Mormon.
2. Helaman 6:21–30.
3. 2 Nephi 26:22.
4. Ether 8:22.
5. Carroll Quigley, Tragedy and Hope: A History of the World in Our Time (New York: Macmillan, 1966), 324–325.
6. Daniel Estulin, The True Story of the Bilderberg Group (Walterville, OR: TrineDay, 2009).
7. Klaus Schwab, The Great Reset (Geneva: World Economic Forum, 2020).
8. William T. Still, New World Order: The Ancient Plan of Secret Societies (Lafayette, LA: Huntington House, 1990).
9. Ether 8:23.

End Note: I am not at all suggesting anyone watch the John Wick films. They are quite violent. When I watched them on YouTube, I viewed the long, violent scenes mostly at 3x speed. I think I watched the first three. I don’t think I can stomach any more. They were very educational, though, which isn’t always a legitimate reason to watch a movie. Curiosity killed the cat.

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